"A woman is like a teabag – you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water." – Eleanor Roosevelt.

Alexis's job during the Halloween party was to make sure the totally non-alcoholic punchbowl stayed full. Well, it wasn't really her job. Her dad had hired a catering service to provide hors d'oeuvres and bar service, but knowing half his guest-list were police officers, Castle also put out a large 'dry' punchbowl, and despite the hired staff, Alexis took it upon herself to keep the bowl full.

She was just about to add a liter of fruit juice to the bowl when Detective Beckett wandered over.

"Hi, Alexis. You look cute."

Alexis had re-donned her woods-elf costume. "Thanks. What happened to your 'little friend'?"

Beckett smirked and patted the pocket of her trench. "He needed a break."

Alexis giggled and poured the juice. She ducked under the table for the gingerale when Beckett asked, "So, what happened last night? Your dad tore out of the precinct like a bat out of hell."

Alexis flushed. "It wasn't me," she immediately denied. "Paige got drunk, and she was hanging all over these senior boys." Her voice became agitated. "I was starting to worry, because they were looking her like she was… she was…"

"Meat?" Beckett supplied.

"Yes!"

"Boys can be like that," Beckett pointed out.

"But it was almost like Paige was trying to get a rise out of them."

"She probably was, Alexis. She's a sophomore at a senior party. She was drinking. She was probably trying to 'run with the big dogs'."

Alexis made a face. "I just got nervous."

"What happened when your dad showed up?"

"Nothing. He just walked in, spotted me, picked up Paige, asked if I had our coats and bags, which I did, and he walked out."

"He didn't try to break up the party or anything?"

"No."

"Is Paige OK now?"

Alexis winced. "She hates my guts now! She says she was humiliated, plus Dad insisted we call her parents, so she's grounded too. She smashed Feggan in the sink and put him down the disposal, and said she never wants to speak to me again. So I'm going to fail the health section as well as lose my best friend."

Beckett looked sympathetic. "I can remember what those fights are like. And I'm not going to say she'll get over it, because I know, teenage girls can hold a grudge like nobody's business." Alexis smiled a little at that. "But you did the right thing, Alexis. You got your friend out of a potentially very dangerous situation."

"I know. I just feel like…"

"Like what?"

"Like a wimp. Like I couldn't handle it, so I had to call my Dad."

"Well, you still did the right thing. You should be proud of yourself."

"Yeah, I know." Alexis poured a glass of the freshly mixed punch and offered it to Detective Beckett. Beckett took the drink with a smile. "We'll see."

Beckett gave her a grin and a wink, and wandered off again. Alexis didn't notice the speculative looks that the detective cast her way for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Alexis was the first to wake. Not surprising, considering the amount of alcohol consumed at the party. To her relief, both parent and grandparent were alone in their rooms. Alexis hated the sometimes awkward 'morning after' moments, when one of either Dad's girlfriends or Grandma's boyfriends wandered down the stairs.

She retrieved the paper from in front of the door where the building attendant left it, and poured herself some juice. She enjoyed her own breakfast over the Sunday funnies and the arts section. It was just half past nine when there was a light knock on the door.

Puzzled, because the visitor knocked instead of buzzing, Alexis looked through the peep hole to see Detective Beckett standing in the hall.

"Hi, Detective!" Alexis said as she opened the door, surprised by the early visit. "C'mon in."

"Good morning." Beckett looked around, noting the limp party décor. While the decorations still hung, the party detritus of plates and glasses and napkins had been cleaned up and taken out by the caterers when they left in the wee hours of the morning. "Doesn't look too bad."

"No, it doesn't. Those guys do a good job." Alexis agreed. "Can I put on some coffee for you?"

"Thanks, but I've already had my caffeine injection this morning," Beckett said as Alexis giggled. "Everyone still passed out?"

"Yeah. Dad should be up soon though. Grandma will sleep past noon. Make yourself at home. Is there a new case?"

"Actually, Alexis, I came to see you, not your dad." Beckett smiled at the stunned expression on the teen's face. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Uh, nothing. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking, you might enjoy going with me to … a special place. It should be fun for you. I'd have you back by mid-afternoon."

"Oh." Alexis considered a moment, but she didn't even have homework to hold her. "Okay."

"Great. Why don't you go on up and change into some…. workout clothes. I'll write a note for your dad."

Puzzled but very intrigued, Alexis ran upstairs to change.

A half an hour later, Beckett pulled the black sedan into the underground parking garage of the 12th precinct. Alexis was afire with curiosity. Whatever they were going to do, it would be in the huge precinct building.

"First of all, please call me Kate," Beckett said with a smile. "No need to be formal."

"Okay, Kate." Alexis grinned, liking the sense of familiarity she got from using the detective's first name.

"Second, I was thinking about what you told me happened on Friday," Kate began gently. She watched the expression of dismay cross Alexis's face. "And I think I know what some of your reaction is. It might be tough to hear this, Alexis, but I think you're scared."

"Scared?"

"You're scared of not being in control. You're scared something bad might happen. So you stay perfectly correct and rigidly in control." Kate reached out and rested a comforting hand on Alexis's shoulder. "I think you were trying to loosen up by going to that party, and when Paige started getting into trouble, you panicked a little, right?"

Alexis just nodded. She'd never thought of it quite that way, but when Kate pointed out how much of her behavior was motivated by fear, it felt exactly right. Like an explanation she'd not even realized she needed.

Kate continued. "So while I don't doubt you are a very bright and capable young woman, I think you need some self-confidence boosters, and maybe a few tips on how to handle yourself in dangerous situations. Then you won't have to be so nervous. And you can have more fun, knowing you can handle whatever comes. Okay?"

Alexis grinned, so glad the detective was her friend. "Sounds great."

Kate led Alexis into the precinct's locker room. She gave Alexis a tee-shirt to wear, and while Kate locked up their coats and things in her locker, Alexis changed into the white tee with 'NYPD' blazoned across the front in navy blue.

"Now, that's a rookie shirt, so everyone knows to take it easy on you," Kate explained as she lead Alexis into the main gym. "Good, our timing is great. Mike! Hey Mike, come here."

An extremely well-built cop in a navy blue tee sauntered over. "Hey Beckett, what's up?"

"Mike, this is my friend Alexis. I was hoping, if you have time, you could show her some self-defense stuff."

Mike gave Alexis a friendly smile. "Sure thing. How you doing, Alexis?" He shook her hand, his palm warm and grip easy. "There're lots of things I can teach you. Here, lemme see what kinda muscle you got on you." He gave Alexis's bicep a quick squeeze. "Do you play sports?"

"Not really."

"She's a violinist," Kate pointed out.

"Hm, so endurance not strength," Mike said.

"Fast-twitch response," Kate countered. "She'll be quick."

"Well, that's something we can definitely work with. Make a fist for me, Alexis. Good – see how you put your thumb on the outside like that? Always do that. You put your thumb inside, you'll break it when you punch someone. Now, feel this," Mike reached out and adjusted the position of Alexis's fist and wrist. "Feel how that makes a straight line? You wanna make contact with this part of your fist. Anywhere else, you break your hand. This way, your blow is supported by your hand, your wrist, and your whole forearm…"

Mike went on to teach Alexis how to throw a number of different punches and some blocks. Sometimes Kate helped demonstrate, or helped Alexis get the movement of feet to hips to shoulder to arm, using her whole body to put force into the punch. They also taught Alexis how to break someone's nose in one quick blow, different weak spots besides just the face and groin. Kate even provided extra pointers about how to use high heeled shoes to break feet, rupture an assailant's throat, and in the end, Mike taught her several tricks to break someone's hold, including how to flip someone attacking from behind.

In fact, Mike made her flip him several times – first to prove she could do it, second to prove it wasn't a fluke, and a few more times after that to make sure she absolutely had the technique down cold. Mike was a third degree black-belt as well as a decorated police officer. Kate was no slouch herself, as she proved when she and Mike demonstrated for Alexis.

Pretty soon, Alexis was feeling much more confident about what to do if someone should grab her, or try to force her to do anything. They even had a very large and scary looking cop named Williams 'attack' her, and she was able to get away from him using the things Mike and Kate had taught her.

"Best thing you can do, Alexis," Mike told her very seriously, "Is break free and RUN like hell. Get away and run for light and crowds. Frankly, you're not going to take down the bad guy yourself. This isn't about heroics, it's about staying safe."

"I understand," Alexis replied. "And thank you so much for teaching me."

"My pleasure, kid." Mike waved and went off to the mens locker room. Several officers who'd watched the lessons congratulated Alexis on everything she'd picked up. Some were even bouncing around ideas to include self-defense in some of the police outreach programs. Kate smirked proudly over Alexis's achievements.

"You did really well," she told the teen. "But there's one more thing I want you to try. C'mon." The detective led Alexis down a flight of stairs. Muffled noise grew as they descended, until Kate opened a thick glass door, and suddenly the roar of gunfire was almost overwhelming.

Alexis stared wide-eyed at the underground firing range. Kate stepped over to a booth to speak with the officer inside, and after a brief discussion, she returned with two sets of ear protection, and a small handgun.

Kate led Alexis far down the row of shooting lanes. "Alright. This is a Baretta Model 87 Target .22 caliber pistol, known as the Cheetah, with a laser trace, which will help you aim."

Alexis hung back. "I'm not sure about this."

"I just want you to try it. I'm not going to suggest you really learn how to handle a gun – for one thing, you're too young. Guns are dangerous. However, while they are dangerous and you absolutely should respect them, you should also understand them. Okay?" When Alexis nodded, Kate beckoned her close, and went through all the parts of the gun. She showed Alexis the safety, how it was loaded, how to turn the laser sight on and off, and how to hold it. Then she positioned Alexis in the lane, facing the target. She adjusted Alexis's stance a bit, then said, "I'm going to stay behind you and help. You'll never imagine the recoil of a gun right until you shoot one. You're going to be very surprised." She put a head set over Alexis's ear, and then put on her own. Loudly, she said, "Remember, just squeeze the trigger, not yank. Okay, here we go."

Alexis took a deep breath, aimed at the black outline, and squeezed. The recoil rocked her back, and caused her to yank the gun off target. It shocked her, surprised her, the amount of force she could feel in the weapon. Alexis knew her dad had a membership in a firing range club, but she had never been interested in trying it before.

"Wild, huh?" Kate asked. Alexis nodded. "Try again."

Kate kept helping her, steadying her, until Alexis could handle the kick pretty well. Then she helped Alexis with aiming and targeting, controlling the shot, until the girl put a couple of shots on target. Kate had only withdrawn two clips, so after 16 shots, they were done.

Alexis waited while Kate returned the pistol to the cage, and followed the detective back to the locker room.

"You okay?" Kate asked.

"Yeah… I just…. I hope I never have to do that. I mean, at first it was weird and new, and I was trying to learn, but I was getting uncomfortable."

"You could have said you wanted to stop. Can you tell me why you were uncomfortable?"

Alexis shrugged. "I started to imagine that was a person down there, I was shooting at. It made me a little nauseous."

Kate's smile was warm. "That's okay. In fact, that's good. It's a serious business, shooting a gun. You don't ever want to get used to it, or cavalier about it. I'm not. Cops only fire when they have to. The good ones take it very, very seriously. I just wanted you to know you were physically capable of handling a gun. I don't ever want you to get emotionally capable. That's a bad sign, when you're not a little nauseous over the thought of shooting someone." Kate gave the girl a one-armed hug around the shoulders.

"Are you? I mean, do you still get a little sick over it?" Alexis asked.

"Every time," the detective answered solemnly.

Richard Castle looked up in surprise as two of his favorite women in the world came through his door, laughing cheerfully.

"Hi, Daddy!" Alexis called.

"Castle," Beckett acknowledged, with a little smirk.

"Uh, I'm starting to smell a little," Alexis whined.

"Yep, you're definitely ripe," Beckett teased, earning a playful nudge from the teenager. "Go on up and shower, I'll catch you some other time."

"Can we go workout with Mike again sometime?"

"Sure. In a couple of weeks. You should practice on your own, though. Just work on the mechanics, like Mike taught you."

"You got it! Ha ha, Mike and the Mechanics!" Alexis scampered up the stairs.

"I'm going to tell him you called it that!" Beckett yelled after her. The detective grinned, then turned to the author. "So, hangover much, Castle?" She walked into the kitchen, totally relaxed.

Rick watches as she casually raided his fridge for a water bottle, without even asking, totally comfortable in his home. Which pleased him, on several levels. "I'm perfectly fine, Detective. So what was that all about? Yesterday I had 'emo-child' on my hands, today she's back to her usual chipper self. And who's Mike?"

"Mike Kelly is a brass shield on the second shift. And that was all about me taking your daughter over to the precinct gym to teach her some tricks."

"Tricks?"

Beckett took a long pull on the water bottle, then gave him a considering look. "You had no idea, huh?"

"No idea what?" Rick was starting to feel like a parrot.

"Your daughter. Alexis was suffering from confidence issues."

"What? Alexis is always the picture of confidence. Over what?"

Beckett shook her head. "She always appeared confident. But inside, she was scared and worried. She's bright, and as much as she loves the city, she knows how dangerous it could be. You can blame her upbringing on that." The sideways look she gave Rick told him she blamed him for that. "Early exposure to the evil underbelly, hm?"

"She's always known they were made up stories!" Rick protested.

"Yes, but they're all based in reality. So she's always known how dangerous the outside world can be. And here you are, pushing her to go out and have fun and maybe get in a little trouble, but she was well aware how much a little trouble can become big dangerous trouble." Beckett paused for more water, and then her voice became contemplative. "You know, I don't even think it's so much for herself she's afraid. Sure, she'd be scared of something happening to her, but more what it would do to you. She's afraid of how it would hurt you if something happened to her."

Rick couldn't respond to that. It was a measure of the maturity and love in his daughter, things he always knew she possessed, and often felt unworthy to receive.

"So anyway, I took her down to the precinct so Mike and I could teach her some tricks, make sure she could handle herself in a tough situation. We taught her the usual stuff, punches, blocks, breakaways, a few vulnerable spots to target." Beckett's smirk turned wicked. "I also took her down to the firing range to get her familiar with weapons, so you should probably tell her where you keep that .45 of yours, and wherever Martha keeps her snappy little .22." With that, she turned for the door.

"Huh? Wait – how do you know about those?" Rick asked, startled.

She gave him a withering look. "I. Am. A. Cop. You think I didn't do a complete background check when you started this little shadowing game of yours?" She waved her hand between them, dismissing his concerns. "At any rate, she knows how to fire now, though not cleaning or loading a clip. She's old enough you don't have to worry about accidents, and she's got respect for seriousness of it." Beckett paused, then added, "She's a really great young lady. I don't know how you did it, but you did."

Rick shrugged. "Honestly, I think it's sheer good luck. She's a better person than I ever was."

Beckett snorted. "I can believe that. So, that's that. Catch you tomorrow." She opened the door, prepared to walk out, when Rick darted across the room after her.

"Wait!" he called. When she stopped, he caught up and planted a warm kiss on her cheek. "Thanks," he said softly.

At first she seemed shocked, but then gave him a wry smile. "You're welcome. Catch you tomorrow," she repeated, and left.

Rick shut the door behind her, smiling at it for a moment, then glancing upstairs to where he could hear his daughter singing to herself in her room. Including Detective Kate Beckett in their lives was one of the best decisions he'd ever made, he thought.

END