Back and Forth (A Castle Fanfiction)

Farewell

Author's Note: This Chapter is dedicated to anyone and everyone who has ever served in any branch of the military and to their families. Please know that I, and everyone else here at home is in your debt and you and your families are in my prayers every day. Thank you for your service and thank you for protecting the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. May God bless you on your journey and may Michael protect you in the pursuit of justice.

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That Friday, Rick and Kate stood outside of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters' main location awaiting Javi's return with Cavin after their final ice cream trip. The boys had taken Alexis with them, so Kate had insisted that she and the writer get there early. They had been outside for a half an hour and there were still five minutes left before Javi had estimated they would be back by.

It was a new thing Kate was going through. She was extremely over protective. In the last few days, she had gone from reasonably laid back to intensely protective. It was strange, but Rick just shrugged it off as some odd seven month pregnancy thing. As much as her pregnancy was somewhat part of this, more than anything it was more the idea that if anything happened to Alexis under Kate's watch, Meredith could definitely use that as a reason to take Alexis from them. Until this whole thing blew over, she wasn't going to let Alexis get so much as a paper cut.

When Javi and the kids finally arrived outside the rec-center, Alexis ran toward her parents with opened arms as though it had been months since she had last seen them rather than a few hours. With delight in her voice, the child cried, "Mommy, Daddy, guess what! Javi let us get big icecreams!"

"He did," Rick asked rhetorically as Kate lifted the child from the ground.

The soldier smiled, "I had to make sure she remembered only good things about me."

"Well, I will certainly remember this sugar rush," Rick replied with a smile hiding an unappreciative meaning.

"Good thing I'm leaving then, huh?"

The writer shook his head. "Just because you're off in training doesn't mean you're off the hook."

Javi scoffed. "Well, good luck getting to me."

"Oh, it's not about luck. It's about patience, and I have plenty of that. So, watch your back when you get home, brother. I'll be there, and you'll never see me coming."

Kate laughed a little involuntarily and when she did, Alexis giggle to herself as well though she didn't actually know what was funny. Rick looked at her with a questioning brow and she told him, "The thought of you actually sneaking up on anyone and pulling any kind of prank, especially a soldier, is just- it's hilarious."

"Hey," the writer protested. Javi let a hint of a laugh meet his smile and Kate said nothing in return. The writer pouted.

Javi then turned to Kate with a gentle smile and pulled her in for a modest hug. The two held on to one another for a moment as she told him, "Don't do anything too reckless out there, alright?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Javier replied. He then slipped away from her grasp a bit, leaving his hands on her shoulder and waist, telling her, "Make sure the little guy sees a picture of me so often the he knows who his favorite uncle is, alright?"

Kate swallowed a bit, suddenly feeling the weight of goodbye. "Absolutely," she replied, smiling through the pain.

"And don't you forget who your favorite uncle is either," Javi said to Alexis with a swipe at her cheek, making her flinch in and giggle furiously, wriggling around in her mother's arms.

All she could manage in laughter was, "Okay Uncle Javi."

"That's my girl," the man said in pride. He then heard a sniffle and his head turned to the one kid he desperately didn't want to have to leave.

Cavin was standing beside the writer, continuing to fight the tears he had been holding back for almost a week. Now, his strong defenses quaked, and the moment his Big Brother looked down at him, he jolted toward him and wrapped his arms around Javi's waist. He sniffed as he chopped out, "I don't want you to go."

Javier swallowed. "I know, Cavin. I don't want to have to go." The boy squeezed harder. "But you know what, Rick and Kate are going to be right where they always are, right here for you anytime you need them. And Alexis is here too. And you've still got a thousand other people just waiting to get to know you, kid. You just got to put yourself out there and show them how awesome you are. And I'm just a phone call away. I'll be in touch as often as I can be, and if nothing else, you can write me a letter any time, any day, and I promise I will read it and send one back."

The boy sniffled. "You- promise?"

"I promise, bud. I promise."

The boy then pulled away, swallowing back on the rest of his tears and trying to be strong just like his Brother. "Okay."

Though his heart was breaking, Javier still managed a smile as he told his Little Brother, "I'm going to miss you, kid. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, alright? And listen to these two. I know they know what's best for you."

"Okay," he boy nodded, his tears wiped away, but their paths still stained on his cheek. "I love you, Javi."

"Love you too, Cavin," the man said, then pulling the child into one last hug. After he let go of his brother, he hugged Kate and Alexis one last time, not missing her tears, but choosing not to say anything, and then pulled Rick into a bro-hug. After this, and a breath, he started toward the taxi which was waiting to take him to the airport. Before he got in, he waited a second longer and waved to the people he could consider his as his family. Rick had put his hands on Cavin's shoulders to comfort him, and Kate had told Alexis to wave bye to Javi. He smiled at the sight for just a moment, taking a mental picture in the time he had, and then ducking into the taxi cab without a moment of regret. He knew Cavin would be alright, and doing this felt right for more than one reason.

After the four of them watched until the cab was long out of sight, they walked Cavin into the rec-center and then stayed with him for a while until someone from his group home came to pick him up. Another round of tough (though not quiet as tough) goodbyes seemed to completely silence Kate, draining her of emotional energy. Rick drove his girls home, and when they got there, the three of them snuggled up together in bed for a mid-day nap.

As they rested, Rick's hand intertwined with Kate's, he simply studied every ounce of his fiancé and his daughter, the sensation of having a family again, the comfort in knowing this love was far stronger, far more deeply rooted than anything he ever had with Meredith ever. He engulfed himself in the moment and basked in the thought that this was finally the happily ever after she so deserved. As he stroked his thumb over the ring he had given her the day before, the large, round sapphire diamond encircled by a row of pure with diamonds all on a silver setting, he was absolutely mesmerized by her, and by their future. He had no idea what storm was about to hit, and he had no idea his troubles had only just begun.