Author's Notes: Another fic I wrote for Yuletide this year, for summestorm. It's Alexis/Beckett, which I realise is a little unusual but it's set in the future and Alexis is an adult. It is femslash, not gen, if that's going to squick anyone. Also, minor warning for character death - I did sort of kill off Castle in this one (poor guy) - don't worry, it's not at all angsty. Title is from the florence + the machine song, dog days are over.

The first time it happens she thinks maybe it's just the grief catching up with them. She knows Alexis hasn't been sleeping, from her own personal experience losing a parent and from the dark circles under her eyes when she showed up in Kate's doorway. Maybe, she thinks, it's just some fucked up way of trying to recapture what she had with Castle. Not that they ever even kissed - and she certainly had let Alexis kiss her - but still. She had wanted to, and maybe this is just an outlet for her feelings, the next best thing.

Later, after she's taken a bath and had a few glasses of wine and let herself unwind (because something about Alexis' kisses had set her on edge, that was lust coiled in her stomach), she realises that's not what it is at all. Alexis is nothing like her father. She's a first-year law student at Columbia, she's serious, thoughtful, she considers her words before she speaks, she's spontaneous (especially with her kisses, apparently) but not chaotic.

And Kate likes that. She likes it a lot.

They meet for coffee. Alexis is apologetic and turns the colour of her hair. "I'm so sorry about the other night. I... I don't even know why I did it. It's just... you've been so good to me ever since dad ... well," she still can't quite bring herself to say died and Kate knows the feeling, "You know."

Kate covers Alexis' hand with her own, "Don't apologise."

It it's possible, Alexis blushes more. "Oh," she chokes out, takes a sip of her coffee and tries to play it cool, but Kate interrogates people for a living and she sees her tells.

Alexis changes the subject, but she doesn't move her hand. "I've decided to drop out of law school."

"What?" Kate is concerned, because it seems out of character.

"Well, I've been thinking of applying to grad school, to study forensic psychology."

Kate mulls it over for a second, "If it's what you want."

"I'll be transferring to the grad program at Columbia," Alexis says, with a hint of a smile, "So I won't be going anywhere."

They both kind of grin about that, and sit there holding hands until the coffee is gone.

"So I was thinking," Kate begins the phone call, "That maybe you'd like to go out for dinner."

Alexis' tone is light, teasing, "Like on a date?"

"I guess. I'm sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing."

Her voice changes, has a hint of wickedness in it when she says, "Well then, Kate, I'll have to teach you."

"I think I'd like that."

She cuts off all her hair.

Alexis teases her about a dykey stage. ("We don't have to do that anymore you know, I mean, women who like women can be feminine now too," she says. "Not that it's not feminine," she cages - this is all so terribly new and she doesn't want to mess it up - "I mean, you're beautiful.")

And maybe it's a little about that. Kate's never really spent much time dwelling on her sexuality. She's always been a little bit attracted to men and women, but since she mostly fell for men, post-college experimentation, it never posed a problem. Now, well, now she has a (hot) girlfriend and she's not really sure how that fits into her identity. Or if it makes her a some kind of lesbian cougar, or something.

She has a handful of years on Alexis, but the younger woman is infinitely more experienced and graceful when it comes to being out. She's also supportive and understanding when Kate asks for secrecy.

("Just for the time being," she says, "While I figure out exactly what I'm going to tell my dad. And everyone at work. People are going to think it's weird, you know, because I worked with your dad."

Alexis laughs, and it reminds Kate of rain on the roof of her parents house, a soft comforting hum that she could fall asleep to. "It's ok. It's not easy, at first, but you know, for the most part we live in the kind of world that's not going to care."

And they do, which is nice.)

Privately, Alexis thinks it's kind of hot, sneaking around and stealing kisses and it just being something that the two of them share.

The sex is amazing. Cliché, but hey, it's true.

(Alexis is kissing the inside of her thigh, and she's laughing, nervous, because this is definitely a new experience.

The red head rolls her eyes, presses her mouth to her clit and moves her tongue, and suddenly she's not laughing.

Afterwards, Alexis moves up her body with a smirk on her face and kisses her.)

She was a little worried she'd never get the hang of it but - (she moves her finger, slowly, against the slick between Alexis' legs, grinning at the gasp it elicits) - she did.

"So," Alexis greets her with French toast, coffee and a quick kiss, "I've been thinking. We should move in together."

(They've been dating for nearly a year.)

She stops, fork midway between the plate and her mouth. Alexis reaches over and takes a sip from her coffee mug.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we already spend all our time at each other's places. And you're constantly borrowing my clothes," she eyes the blouse Kate has stolen, again. (It's one of her favourites.)

"Hmm," she chews her breakfast, "Ok."

"Great," Alexis relaxes, visibly.

"You didn't have to be worried," she reassures her, smiling at her over the top of her mug,

"And you didn't have to make breakfast. I still would have said yes. I love you."

Alexis' eyes go wide with surprise, a sight she loves. "Oh. I, I mean, I love you too."

"Do you want to get married?" she asks, "I mean, maybe, one day. We can do that now."

Alexis reaches over and spears a strawberry from her plate, "Let's just start with organising enough closet space ok?"

Apologies for slight gay-topia, but honestly, if gay marriage isn't legal in New York by the time Alexis Castle is in college, I will cry. Sad, sad queer tears.