Author's Notes: Castle and Beckett both die after Caleb Brown's attack. Alexis's life post-Season 8, AU.
When she hears the news, she feels numb. The voice on the phone sort of fades in and out like a bad radio signal, and the next thing Alexis Castle realizes is that she's sitting on the sofa in the PI office (Wasn't I just standing by the desk? Where's the phone?) with Gram's arms wrapped around her.
One week later, she sits between Gram and Jim (somehow the name "Grandpa" never sounded right) at the funeral service. Hayley sits on Martha's other side, while Vikram, Espo, Lanie, and the Ryan clan fill in the row behind them. The rest of the room is filled with a mix of police, city officials, and celebrity friends of her father's. Kate rated a full police funeral, and the mayor's office and One Police Plaza decided her dad could share the honor, as well. Mayor Weldon is here, as is former captain Gates and the entirety of the 12th Precinct. Patterson couldn't make it, but Connelly sits just behind Gina and Paula. Others Alexis recognized only from her dad's descriptions, or didn't expect to see at all. Not too surprisingly, her mother phoned with an excuse. Alexis doesn't mind; this day is already stressful enough without Meredith's special brand of drama. The service takes longer than usual because so many wish to speak about the couple. Yet all too soon Alexis stands in the cemetery and watches as the caskets are lowered into the ground.
As a cop, Kate was well prepared for this worst-case scenario. Thankfully, she'd also pressed Alexis's dad to do likewise. Both wills are in order, and within a week after the funeral Alexis finds herself the owner of not only the loft, but also the house in the Hamptons, the PI office, the Old Haunt, several cars, and a variety of other bequests.
She keeps the loft, continuing to live in her old bedroom. In the beginning, she has a hard time entering the kitchen area. While she didn't see the crime scene, and the resulting mess is long gone, her over-active imagination has no trouble supplying an image of how things must have looked. After coming in one morning to find Alexis standing in the kitchen with tears pouring down her face, Martha moves back in.
Before her dad died, Alexis and Hayley had basically taken over the PI business. Alexis had even started the process of earning her own PI license so she could become even more involved with the cases. Surprisingly, Richard left a share of the business to Hayley. The office stays closed while Alexis finishes up her coursework, but a mere three months after the funeral, the firm of Castle and Shipton, Private Investigators, (re-)opens for business. Not only do they work for private clients, they also continue to assist the NYPD in general, and the 12th Precinct in particular, whenever possible.
Four months after the funeral, Alexis arrives home to find a plain white envelope slid under the door. After carefully examining it for nasty surprises, she opens it to find a handwritten note on cheap hotel stationary.
Alexis,
I am sorry about what happened. Rest assured that the situation is taken care of.
-J. Hunt
And even though she'd already thought the nightmare over, Alexis feels a tension ease inside her heart.
Over the ensuing months, life develops a new routine. The PI firm grows in prominence, to the point that when Alexis suggests they hire a secretary Hayley readily agrees. Desiree proves a perfect addition to the office, and slowly becomes part of their social group. At least every other week, the three of them meet up with Lanie and the boys for drinks at the Old Haunt. (Alexis isn't sure she'll keep the bar, but for now it's turning a profit and the paperwork involved in selling is too much to think about.) Both Ryan and Espo are studying again for the captains' exam. Lanie continues to work at the ME's office, but ever since Kate and Rick died she's been less enthusiastic about her work. She and Alexis frequently discuss other career options, but until Lanie has at least a rough idea of what she wants to do she'll keep cutting up dead bodies.
Once a month, Alexis has lunch or dinner with Jim. While he wasn't a constant presence in her life, she still loves him dearly. He definitely fills in some of the roles left by her dad, especially that of "listening ear". And in addition to offering great "dad" advice, he also has quite the dry sense of humor. Laughter often punctuates their conversations, and it feels good.
Martha keeps busy with her acting school and life-coach duties. She also pitches in more to help with life at the loft, even becoming quite adept at putting together actual meals. She begins teaching Alexis how to play the piano. It takes some time, but eventually the loft fills once more with laughter and music.
For all her moving around during the day, Alexis still has trouble sleeping at night. When the nightmares haven't subsided after almost eight months, Martha, Jim, and Hayley begin aggressively pushing her to see a therapist. Quiet and unassuming, Eric soon becomes an additional pillar in Alexis's life. With his help, she finally has the courage to go into the loft's master bedroom and her dad's former office and sort through all that's left there. As she cleans out the desk, Alexis discovers notes for another Nikki Heat novel. Two hours later, Martha arrives home to find her granddaughter seated in Richard's old chair, typing furiously at his old laptop and muttering to herself in a very familiar way.
Almost two years to the day Richard Castle died, Final Heat hits the shelves. While critics and readers alike applaud the book, Alexis Castle denies any plans to continue the series. "Dad hated leaving things undone, so I lent him a helping hand on this one. I might write my own stories someday, but Heat and Rook are now officially retired."