Castle's partner

Achieve

I pace in front of the door for half an hour before eight.

Ryan has the day off and he walks out of the kitchen a mug in one hand and a donut in the other. Jenny follows him.

"What are you waiting for?" Jenny asks, a slightly amused look on her face.

"Alexis is coming at eight!"

Suddenly there comes a rapping on the door and I fling it open and pull Alexis inside.

"Woah! Hello Detective Ryan and Jenny!" She calls out as I drag her to my room.

Ryan lifts his mug and Jenny waves to acknowledge us.

Once I sit down on my bed Alexis starts her spiel.

"Ok what are you doing and when are you doing it?"

"I have no idea what we are doing I asked but he said to leave that to him and he's picking me up tomorrow at five. He said to wear something comfortable."

"Got it. What do you have?"

She opens my closet and stares.

She pulls put everything and sets it on my covers.

There are four shirts, a dress, a skirt, a sweatshirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of pants.

"You have nothing! This is like four outfits! Is this all you own?"

I nod sheepishly.

"Samantha. You have lived here for how long and have never once asked for clothes. Why?"

"You don't need to spend money on me."

"How long have you had this stuff?"

"I don't know like three years except for the shirt and shorts I got for my birthday."

She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Detective Ryan!"

I hear a shuffling down the hall before Ryan and Jenny both appear in the doorway.

"Can I take Samantha to the mall?"

"No Alexis I-"

"Ssh." She stops me.

"Of course. What are you going there for?"

"Do you see what's in her closet? Nothing. She needs some new clothes."

"That's all she has?"

"Yes!"

"Hey I'm right here!"

"When's the last time you got new clothes?"

I am embarrassed by my response.

"I've never gotten new clothes before. I always got hand me downs from my sisters. The clothes Elizabeth and Brandon gave me were Elizabeth's old things. And I never wore them I threw them away. And I've never been to a mall."

"Really? Ok you're going. One sec."

He pulls three twenty dollar bills out of his pocket and holds them out for me to take.

"Ryan, I can't."

"You don't have a choice. You never ask for anything. Sometimes it's ok to. Here."

He gives the money to Alexis knowing I won't take it.

"I don't-"

"Stop arguing. I have money from my dad too so it's not a big deal." Says Alexis.

"Why?"

"Why? Cuz you need and deserve it. C'mon please? I can't do this with anyone but my mom and trust me when I say it's not the best. I've always wanted to do this with a sister."

I glare at her.

"Fine. But not that much ok?"

She squeals. "Yay! Ok let's go."

She grabs me and pulls me out of my room.

I groan.

"We'll be back later!" Alexis shouts as we exit.

The mall is huge. I've never seen so many stores in one place.

I stare eagerly at each as we pass. I feel overwhelmed.

"What do we do first?"

"First, we get you some shorts. Then shirts and maybe a dress?"

"Ew."

She laughs.

"It's not that bad. I promise."

We walk into Forever 21 and she immediately starts browsing through the clothes.

I stand awkwardly watching her.

"What do you want to get? What's your style?"

"I really don't know."

"We'll just try everything!"

She pulls a bunch of shirts off the rack and shoves them into my arms.

"Alexis. I can't wear these."

"Well why not?"

I can feel my face turning red.

"They're short sleeved."

Her face falls.

"Hey, look at me. The people that know about your scars are the ones that care and the ones that matter. You don't need to be embarrassed by them."

At that moment, I pull her into a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you." I whisper.

No one has ever said anything like that to me before.

"Now let's get going before I cry."

We spend the next few hours going into every decent store in the entire building.

I'm so done by the time we come to what Alexis has promised to be the last stop.

We go inside and it is filled to the brim with dresses.

"Alexis, I don't need one. Oliver said to wear something comfortable."

"This isn't for Oliver. This is for you."

I end up in the dressing room trying on everything she hands me, but nothing seems to be well, me.

Finally I slip into a blue gown that ends just below my knees. The fabric is soft. It's so simple, but it's pretty.

I look in the mirror, and for once I'm not horrified by my appearance.

I quickly undress and put my clothes back on.

"Did you find one?"

"Here." I practically throw the dress at her, not wanting to admit I actually liked one.

She smiles. "I told you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. You were right like always. I'm done shopping. I don't know how people do this. My feet hurt like hell."

She throws her head back laughing.

"Let's go."

I open the door to the loft at 10 o' clock and Ryan and Jenny are waiting for me on the couch.

I pull all my bags through the door and collapse next to Jenny.

"I am never. Shopping. Again."

They laugh, and Jenny puts her arm around me.