40. Chapter 40

When Alexis finally gets a chance to sneak out the back of the class, she pulls her phone out first thing and calls her mom. It rings but goes to voicemail, so Alexis calls her father next. It takes a few rings, but he does answer.

"Alexis, what's up?" On his end, clanging and screaming warps his voice.

Alexis winces. "Hey Dad. Trying to get ahold of Kate. She's not answering."

"She's at the pool with Ellery. Probably not near her phone. What'd you need?"

"Nothing," she answers quickly, stepping out of the building and into the chill October air. Chicago is freezing - it feels like winter already. "Where *are* you?"

"Arcade with Dash. And a few new friends."

Of course. Dashiell makes friends of everyone. Well, so does her father. Alexis wraps her coat tighter around her body and glances up at the sound of her name. Rafe. She grins and waves, stopping under the breezeway for him. "I can't wait to see you guys," she says excitedly.

Rafe catches up with her, wraps his long arm around her shoulders. A warm flush spreads through her.

"The kids are so excited; you have no idea. You want to skype tonight?"

"I can't, Dad. I won't get home until late. But tomorrow - Tuesday - is that okay?" Rafe is nudging her down the sidewalk, so she starts moving.

"Sounds good, pumpkin. Tell Kate; she'll know the best time. Look, I gotta go get Dash before he busts his head open again-"

"Again? Wait. Dad!" But he's already hung up. Alexis sighs and leans up to give Rafe a quick kiss. "Let me text my mom."

"Sure," he says easily. He's wearing a dark green v-neck sweater, a purple tshirt underneath, jeans, but no coat. Crazy man.

Alexis texts Kate to call her asap, saying that Dad mentioned Dash cutting his head open (she knows that Kate will definitely get back to her on that). Then she turns her full attention to Rafe.

He grins at her and leans in for a fuller kiss, his cold fingers brushing the hair back from her neck, burrowing under the collar of her coat. "Hey, Allie."

She smiles back at him. "Hey, yourself."

"Did you ask your mom about me?" His eyebrows dance, dark lines in the olive skin of his face.

"I couldn't reach her. And I want to ask Kate first before I talk to Dad about it. Did you get the time off?"

"I did. So. Uh, either I'm coming with you on vacation, or I'm spending it in our apartment alone, freezing my ass off," he says, but he's still smiling at her. Mike would've been so irritated with her last minute idea; it still amazes her how much Rafe isn't at all like Mike, how much Rafe is. . .like her father actually. The Latino version. Which makes her smile.

"Who's the idiot walking around without his coat?" she says, drawing an arm through his and leading him towards the science building where it's warm. She skipped out on the last few minutes of her class, and she has a few hours until her shift at the girls' treatment facility a few blocks over.

"Left my coat somewhere. Can't find it." He shrugs, supremely unconcerned. "Will I need a coat in South Padre?"

"Not likely. More like swim trunks." Alexis pauses as he opens the door to the science center; she steps through and waits for him to come on inside. "Do you even own a swimsuit?"

He laughs at her, lets her hook her arm through his. "I don't know. Somewhere. I'll figure it out. Look, you have time for dinner before your shift, right?"

Alexis nods, surprised when he shakes her off to take her hand and pull her across the open lobby. Everyone uses the science building as a cut-through; it's already packed with students coming out of or going into class. Rafe cuts through the crowd easily, a head taller than most, creating a channel for her to follow in his wake. When they get back outside, he laces their fingers together and tugs her to his side.

"I made you dinner."

"You did not," she breathes, coming up on her toes to kiss his jaw. "You cooked me something?"

"I chefed you something," he jokes, using her ridiculous word. When she met him last year, she was left alone with him when their friends abandoned them at the bar, Mike off with his buddies again (as usual). Alexis was upset at being ditched, and flustered by this guy's attention, and the first thing out of her mouth was, 'Do you chef at home, too?' Rafael is a roundsman chef at a restaurant in Chicago too expensive for Alexis to frequent, but he does sometimes bring stuff home for her to try. He doesn't often cook them dinner though. He says it's too much like work.

Little did she know that night in the bar, they would end up being best friends. They meant to move in with a huge group of their friends, but in the end, it was just she and Rafe sharing a two-bedroom apartment.

"What did you chef me?" she asks, stupidly pleased by his words.

"You'll see. And. I kinda got a promotion."

"You did what? Even with you asking for the rest of the week off?"

"What can I say? I'm that good."

She snorts and he nudges his elbow into her ribs, drawing her closer to his side before shoving her away playfully. Since their hands are clasped, she comes right back to him. After a moment, Rafe glances at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Oh, let me get that," he murmurs, grabbing the back of her bag with a fist and lifting. Alexis slides her arms out easily and Rafe takes her backpack, slinging it over one broad shoulder. "Okay so I went in to talk to the master chef-"

"Roux. Right? His name is Roux," she says, rolling her eyes.

He barks out a laugh. "No, Allie, that's not really his name. You know that right?"

"It's not? But you guys all call him that-"

"That's a joke. A chef's joke. Roux is the thickener for sauce. Uh, flour and butter or fat. It's what you put into sauces to make them rich-"

"Oh. Oh my word, Rafe. You call him that?"

"Only behind his back. It's fine," Rafe says, laughing her off. "So. I went to see him. Oh, his name's Anton, by the way. Not Roux. Anton's all crazy busy right now and he's yelling at Fish-eye to get-"

"Fish-eye?"

"The fish chef - poissonnier - and Fish-eye is screaming obscenities at him, going at it really nicely in Portuguese-"

"The fish chef is Portuguese?"

"Brazilian. So Fish-eye storms out of the tiny little office and Anton's got a plate of cheesecake-"

"Uh, I love cheesecake. I love your cheesecake anyway." Alexis grins at him.

"Yes well, this was Win's cheesecake, and it was already melting down a little, droopy and sad on the plate-"

"Oh my goodness, you know I love a good story, but Rafe! Please. Get on with it." Alexis bumps her hip into his thigh and he laughs at her, walking briskly down the block and making her double time it to keep up.

"Well then. Anton looks at the cheesecake, looks at me, looks at my request form and says, 'If I give you this week off, you come back as our pastry chef.' And then he dumped the whole cheesecake in the trash can, plate and all."

Alexis gasps in the cold air and tries to hold back her laughter. "Pastry chef. You went from roundsman to pastry chef just like that?"

"Well, I told you that roundsman won't last. I mean, I'd either get plugged in somewhere, one of those departments, or I'd get fired. I had maybe three months to make an impression-"

"And you did," she says proudly, clutching his hand tighter. "You did it. Pastry chef. Wow. I told you that your cheesecake would win them over."

Rafe grins at her, all dark and swarthy and intense, and leans in to grace her lips with a brushing kiss. "You were right. As always."

"Of course." Alexis moves to the curb to wait on the traffic light, but her phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out and realizes Kate is calling her back. "Oh, it's Mom."

Rafe leans back to give her room to answer; still, Alexis feels breathless as she does.

"Mom?"

There's a rustle on the other end and then the off-stage sounds of encouragement. Alexis wrinkles her brow at Rafe but then a little voice answers.

"Hi."

"Ellery?" she squeals, laughing at the way Rafe winces. "Ellie, baby girl, did you answer Mommy's phone?"

"Allie."

"Yeah, it's your sister. What are you doing, little bee?"

"Buzz, buzz-"

Alexis grins again, letting Rafe take her hand and lead her across the street and up onto the sidewalk. He keeps his arm through hers so he can guide her as she focuses on her baby sister's words.

"Playing Winnie the Pooh? Are you at the pool though? Daddy said you were at the pool."

"Pool. And swimming. Allie."

"Yeah, swimming. Are you having fun?"

"Ice cream gots all over me."

Alexis feels a little breathless, listening to her almost-three year old sister talk to her on the phone for the first time. Dashiell was chatting it up with her when he was barely two; even when he was just a year and a half, he was making noises and pretending to talk. But Ella's kept it to herself until now.

"You and Mommy got ice cream? I bet that was good."

"All sticky."

"Yeah, that too. Daddy says you know you've had fun when you're sticky."

Rafe chuckles at overhearing that line, lifting an eyebrow at her; Alexis blushes and shoves on his shoulder, trying to focus on her sister. Her dad probably meant it like that too. Ew.

"-you here? Want you now."

"Oh, little sister, soon. Soon, sweetheart. Two more days. I love you, Ellery."

"All the ways," Ella answers.

Alexis bites her lip. "Always."

"Bye-bye," she says suddenly and the transition of the phone back to her mother sounds clumsy. After a second, Alexis hears Kate chiding Ella for something, then her mother's voice is on the line.

"Allie? Sorry about that. Ellery wanted to answer. Couldn't say no to an outright spoken demand."

"Oh, I'm so glad you let her. I'm honored." Alexis lets Rafe pull her around a group of friends walking slowly down the sidewalk, steps at his side again as they hurry. "But what happened to Dashiell?"

"He fell out of his chair at McDonalds and busted his head open."

"Ouch. Concussion?"

"Just stitches. He's fine. He watched tv for a few hours while Ellery napped. Now he and your dad are at the arcade with another family. I'm at the pool with the mom and daughter."

"Oh. Cool. Wow, Mom. You guys made friends," Alexis laughs, leaning her cheek against Rafe's sweater to block the wind battling against her. Rafe tugs a hand out of his pocket and shields her face, pulling her against his side as they wait for another red light.

"We did," Kate laughs. "They're big fans of your dad's, actually."

Alexis grins, her cold nose buried in Rafe's sweater. "But it's good?"

"It's good, Allie." Kate sounds soft on the phone, reassuring. "What did you need?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Sure."

Rafe has led them to their apartment building; he pulls his keys out and fumbles with the door. "Well-"

"Wait, are you talking on your phone while you get into your building? Alexis," Kate chides. "I told you about that. Put the phone down, and get inside first. Jeez, I know where you live. It's not safe-"

"Actually, um, Rafe's got it. I'm good."

"Oh," Kate murmurs. Then Alexis can practically hear the woman grin. "Really? Huh. This is the same Rafe who's your room mate, right?"

"Yeah." Room mate and. . .well. . .yeah.

"The same Rafe that makes fabulous cheesecake?"

"Yes. Fabulous cheesecake Rafe," she says, for his benefit.

Rafe laughs and shoves open the door, pushing her inside. He leans in as he does, shouts into her phone. "Thanks, Mrs. Castle."

"It's Beckett," Alexis hisses at him, narrowing her eyes.

"It's fine," Kate groans. "I will never - whatever. Doesn't matter. It's officially Castle now anyway, so what do I care?"

"Yeah, well, you've been a Castle longer than that anyway."

"Oh, you just kinda made my day, Allie. What did you need?"

Alexis smiles widely, even though Kate can't see it, and takes her time following Rafe up the stairs. "Well, see, I'm calling about Rafe actually."

"Oh, finally, Allie. I thought you'd never figure it out."

"What?"

"He's in love with you, isn't he? We all could tell-"

"Mom!"

"Well, he is. You think I don't know what that looks like?"

Alexis grins and stops at the landing, watches Rafe climbing up ahead of her; the cling of his sweater to his shoulders, the dark curl of hair on his neck.

"You do," Alexis answers. "You really do. So. Yeah. We're. . .together. I was wondering if you thought, maybe it'd be okay if I bring him?"

"Sure. Oh. Your dad. Did you talk to him about this at all?"

"No."

"You want me to."

"Yeah. Please, Mom?"

Kate sighs; she must cover the phone with her hand because Alexis hears a muffled command to Ellery to put it down and then Kate comes back. "I can do that. So, tell me, you guys are still rooming together in that apartment. Are you. . .living together?"

"It's not that. Not yet. I mean-" Alexis realizes she is blushing. Jeez, already. Kate can get her flustered about boys faster than her dad. Probably because she's so very direct. "It's beginning stuff still."

"Hey, honey, I'm really glad for you. For Rafe too, actually. But. . .what happened to Mike?"

Alexis sighs. "That's a long, drawn-out story. I'll tell you when I get there?"

"Okay. Sure. In the mean time, has Rafe gotten a plane ticket?"

"Not yet. He's kinda last minute."

"Okay, good. You've got your dad's card, right? Put his ticket on that. I don't want him to have to buy a ticket only to have your dad spend the week terrorizing him."

"I don't think it's possible to terrorize Rafe," she laughs. "But thanks, Mom."

"Any time, Allie."

"I'll let you go. Rafe made dinner. And I can hear Ellery in the background-"

"No, actually that's Claire. The other one. Ella's back to being quiet. It comes and goes."

"Oh, well, I'll let you go, Mom."

"Yeah. You sure you're okay? Rafe is good, right?"

Allie bites her lip and hides the grin from Rafe as she walks in the front door behind him. Only Kate could possibly understand her situation, what it's like to be dating a boy you like a lot one minute and then turn around to discover your best friend is in love with you.

"I'm good; it's good. But Kate? I'm so glad I have you."

Alexis hears her mother's quick intake of breath, knows it's because she called her Kate, and she hasn't really done that in ages. And while calling her 'mom' does mean a lot, Alexis knows that when she calls her 'Kate' now, it means even more. A way of talking to the woman who captured her father's attention and stole his heart, the woman who is so much like Alexis.

Especially now.

"Hey, I'm so glad I have you too," Kate says. "Love you, Allie."

"All the ways," she says back. "Love you, too."