A/N: So I'm trying something new this time :) Just a warning, this story is going to be different from my other fic... this one's going to be rather angsty and less fluffy. It'll probably be broken into two-three parts.. enjoy!

Disclaimer: Castle belongs to ABC

Alexis couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe that this was happening. She had just completed dinner with her dad and they were talking about mundane things, when all of a sudden Detective Beckett was at the front door.

Now, this was actually a pretty common occurrence, so Alexis had thought at first that it was something case related and that her dad would have to leave. But instead, her dad had ushered them all to sit in the living room.

Then, he and Kate broke the news to Alexis that they were together, like in a relationship. This she couldn't believe.

"Seriously, dad?! Don't you ever learn? Haven't you risked your life enough for her? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're not a real cop, dad. What has she ever done for you? You're in danger all the time for her and because of her! Don't you think you spend quite enough time with Detective Beckett? Don't think I don't notice how Black Pawn has to constantly hound you to do events or promotions! Hell, dad, you hardly even find the time to write! You've been investing so much in this thing over the years and yet I don't see anything from her! No, I just can't accept or support this relationship!" Alexis ranted.

This was most definitely not the reaction they were anticipating. "Alexis, no matter how many times you may have acted like the parent, I am still your father and I do not need to explain myself to you. Nor will I have you speaking to Kate that way. I was hoping you'd be more supportive of our relationship, but like it or not, I'm together with Kate, and you will show her some respect!"

Castle didn't normally need to raise his voice with Alexis, but his stern tone did cut through her tirade at last.

Alexis fumed. "Five minutes into your relationship and you're already picking her side?!" Alexis yelled at her dad, continuing snidely to Kate, "Well congratulations, detective, you can have him. Just make sure you clean up the mess after you break his heart again."

"That's enough, Alexis!" Castle intervened. Who was this spiteful and venomous creature before him and where was his daughter?

Kate was hurt by Alexis' words, but she had a good poker face. Rick however, was quickly losing his cool. Looking at the teenager with her defiant scowl and petulantly crossing her arms, Kate realized that she had to step in and intervene otherwise things would get ugly really quickly.

Turning to Castle, she told him calmly, "Rick, can I have a moment with Alexis? It seems that we have some things to work out and I don't want to be the cause of a rift between the two of you."

Alexis still hadn't said a word since her father's second warning, but she scoffed loudly and rudely at what Kate said, muttering under her breath, "Like you haven't done that already."

Before Castle could open his mouth to give his daughter a dressing down, Kate placed a hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look. "I've got this, Rick. Please? Could you make us some drinks in the mean time? I'd love to have a cup of coffee," she placated.

He contemplated for a moment, but seemed to think better of getting into a fight with his daughter. Standing up, he dropped a kiss onto Kate's head and headed to the kitchen.

Kate turned to Alexis. She wished there was a manual to tell her what to do and what to say. Taking a deep breath, she plowed straight in.

"Your dad and I weren't expecting this, as you can probably tell already. I really want to be with your father, Alexis, so we really have figure something out to make this work. Talk to me, please," Kate pleaded, "tell me how I can make this better."

"You don't deserve him," Alexis stated bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest, her stance defensive. She didn't mince her words; she'd cut straight to the point. This was her father they were talking about and she wasn't about to waste time beating around the proverbial bush.

Kate needed something she could work with, something she could work on improving. She'd anticipated somewhere in the back of her mind that Alexis would've probably thought that no one was good enough for her dad. After all, don't all children idolize their parents and put them on a pedestal?

"Alexis, I know you probably think that no one's good enough for your dad–" Kate started, but she was quickly interrupted by the teen.

"Yes I do, but that's never made me stop him from dating before, but you don't deserve him. With all due respect, detective," Alexis spat out bitterly, "I don't know how you can even contemplate getting together with my dad after all you've made him go through."

Ouch. That had hurt. Kate knew that Alexis was only stating what she'd secretly thought, but to hear someone else call her out on her fears was painful. She didn't realize the impact her actions would have had on his daughter – she hadn't realized the repercussions would be so severe.

"Your dad and I have spoken about the past. We're trying to mend old wounds and move on. I know that I have my work cut out to try and make things up to him, but we're not just going to sweep everything under the rug," Kate explained.

"Oh really?! Because the way I see it, my dad has been infatuated with you for so long that he'd jump at the opportunity to sweep everything under the rug and give you a clean slate just so he could be with you. He'd forgive you in a second and you know it. And you know that you don't deserve getting off the hook so easily.

"You weren't there, Kate. When he hit the bottom you weren't there. You never were. I had to pick up the broken shards and piece him back together again. Why should you deserve him at his best when you weren't there at his worst? Why should you deserve him, when you were the reason for him hitting the bottom in the first place?!" Alexis defended vehemently.

"Alexis, I'm so sorry – I didn't know you had to do that. I know how painful it is to see your dad hitting the bottom and having to help piece him back together. But I honestly didn't know you would've felt so strongly about this. Your dad and I, we would have never presumed that you would've just gone along and taken the news positively had we known," Kate told her sincerely.

"You didn't know that I would've felt so strongly about this?! What deluded alternative reality are you living?! How could you do so much to my dad and expect me to still be on your side?!" Alexis protested lividly. She was getting more and more worked up.

"I know my dad's kept things from me; played things down so that I wouldn't worry, but what I do know is incriminating enough for me to never let you be with my dad!"

"What do you know, Alexis?" Kate sighed tiredly, "Have you ever considered that there might have been two sides to the story? Can you please tell me what's got you so against me so that I can try to justify my actions?"

"Where do I begin?" Alexis huffed dejectedly. She ran a hand through her hair, loosening it as she collected her thoughts. Glancing at the detective who was leaning forward, hands resting on her knees, Alexis saw how miserable she looked. Fine, she'd give this a shot.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at the ground. "Captain Montgomery's funeral," she stated decisively, looking up at Kate and letting her hand fall back down, "I'd thought I saw my father die along with you that day, but the next month was when he really hit rock bottom."

Kate winced. She really had no good reason to justify her behavior those months. Seeing that Kate was still silent, Alexis knew that she'd got her. She needed to drive her point home, and what better time did she have than the present, when Kate knew she was in the wrong and couldn't justify herself?

"Kate, I know you're probably sorry over your actions," Alexis said understandingly in a soft tone, she was still human after all, with enough sympathy to not kick someone who's already on the ground, "but you have no idea how bad things got."

Finally Kate got a break. There might still be enough compassion in Alexis to give Kate a chance to right her wrongs. "You have no idea how much I regret my actions throughout that whole debacle, and your dad just clams up each time I try to bring it up. I'm with you on this; I honestly have no idea how bad things got. Will you tell me? So that I can try to make it up to you and your dad?"

During the course of the conversation some of her hair had gotten loose and Alexis tucked her hair behind her ear once again. It was a nervous tick of hers that she couldn't seem to get rid of. She continued, "I don't know how much you remember from that day, but my dad tackled you. He would've taken that bullet for you. Do you understand? I need you to understand, Kate" she pleaded, "I need you to know that my dad would have laid his life down – he would have died to save you."

"Here I am, terrified that he could have gotten shot instead that day, not to mention the danger he faces everyday he tagged along with you guys, but–" Alexis let out a hysterical bark of laughter, looking at Kate as she continued, "I worry so much over how he could have gotten shot, but what's the point? Here he is, trying to save you instead. He would have chosen to block that bullet if he could."

"He's my dad, Kate. He's all I've got," Alexis explained softly as some tears sprung from her eyes. "He's not a cop, Kate, he's not trained to do this. We're not prepared to face something like this. Grams and I, we're not prepared to cope with the fact that my dad is in danger so often."

Kate bit her lip and remained silent as the teen hurriedly wiped away her tears. Looking up to the ceiling in an effort to keep the tears at bay, Alexis cleared her throat before beginning.

"But that's not all. We got to the hospital, grams and I, and we met with the others. My dad still had your blood on his hands – he hadn't even washed them off. Then your doctor boyfriend came along and blamed my dad for making you check into your mom's case."

Alexis scoffed, as she recalled the events that day in the hospital. "He pushed, he literally pushed my dad into a wall at the hospital as he accused my dad for getting you hurt. I was so mad at him," Alexis told Kate, shaking her head slightly, "I was so mad, I think my dad had to physically restrain and pull me back."

A small smile erupted on both their faces. Alexis loved her dad so much that she would go to any lengths for her father. Their shared moment of smiling at that thought was cut short when Alexis' smile dimmed a little as she continued with her narration of that day.

"Grams spoke to my dad after that. I don't know what they spoke of, but my dad felt that he was to blame. I could see it in his eyes. He was so guilt-ridden."

"Alexis," Kate interjected, "you know that I'd never blame your dad for the events that day, right?"

Alexis gave a small shrug. "It's in the past now, but I'm sure it would've helped my dad to have known that at the time. You see, no matter how many times we talked to him, he still blamed himself for you getting hurt that day.

"I thought that you felt he was to blame as well, you know," Alexis confessed. "He visited you only once, and then he never went to see you again. The logical conclusion that I came to was that you blamed him and told him to stay away."

"I didn't," Kate said softly, "I was dealing with some things, and I told your dad that I needed space; that I'd call him – only I didn't." Kate at least looked embarrassed at this.

"He was at the precinct every day, with Detectives Ryan and Esposito, working on the sniper and your mom's case. I wouldn't see him for days, and when I did, he looked dead tired. He only came back to shower and sleep, then he was out the door again, back to the precinct.

"After about a month or two of this, Captain Gates booted him out of the precinct. I don't know what was worse. Seeing my dad work himself into exhaustion, or seeing him moping at home, not being able to do more.

"It took a few more weeks before he finally got himself together and began to be presentable again. I think the people at Black Pawn really came down on him as well, to do promotion and things like that, and he finally snapped out of it.

"That was his rock bottom, Kate. It terrified me, seeing my dad like that. I don't have anything against you as a person, Kate, I think you're a great cop, and a wonderful partner, I couldn't ask for someone better to keep him safe when he's with you guys, I'd trust you with his life – but I just don't trust you with his heart.

"My dad may act like a kid most of the time, but when he loves, he gives all of himself – he doesn't hold back at all. If you could have hurt him so much when you weren't even together, how can you ask me to trust you with his heart now? What if he never recovers, Kate?

"I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience support this relationship," Alexis apologized, finally done with stating her piece.

"I made poor decisions at the time," Kate acknowledged, looking honestly at the teen as she tried to convey her sincerity, "I would do anything if I can just take away all the hurt and pain your dad went through. Your dad confessed that he loved me, just after I got shot."

Kate had to clear her throat before she could continue with her next sentence. "That was the last thing I remember, before I blacked out. You dad said he loved me and that was what kept me fighting. Even through the months of rehab after my surgery, those words were my lifeline. On days that I just felt like giving up, his words gave me the hope, they gave me the strength to hang on and push through just one day more.

"I owe your dad my life in so many ways, and I don't think I'd ever be able to make up for it. But I was scared as well. What if he only said he loved me because he thought I was dying? I've read the signs wrongly before, and I just didn't want to get hurt again. I was scared, so I hid away from your dad. I'm not proud of it, but I didn't see any other choice at the time."

At this point Castle cleared his throat and approached the two ladies. He passed Kate her coffee, which she took with a grateful smile. "I see that you haven't killed each other yet. I'll take that as a good sign?" he asked tentatively. Wane smiles greeted him, so he continued, "Do you want something to drink, pumpkin? I can go make it while you girls continue with your talk."

Alexis had originally dreaded having a one on one talk with Beckett, but now that they've started, she found herself agreeing with Kate that it was indeed a better idea for the both of them to talk in private rather than having the three of them arguing all together. She sheepishly asked her dad, "Actually can I have a cup of hot chocolate? With–"

"With exactly six marshmallows," Rick finished her sentence. Father and daughter shared a smile before he headed to the kitchen, giving them privacy once more.

Kate took a sip of coffee, composing herself before she continued. This next part always got her emotional and it was never easy to bring up. "Your dad's words kept replaying in my head, and I couldn't let them go. I broke up with Josh, the doctor, a few days later. Actually that wasn't the first time I've broken up with someone over your dad."

Here comes the hard part. Kate picked up a throw pillow and hugged it tightly. It acted as a metaphorical shield to protect herself against the onslaught of the following memories.

"I mentioned that I've read the signs wrongly before, and that was part of why I was so terrified to bring up what your dad had said for the longest time. There was this other guy that I dated, about two years ago, he was a cop in Burglary, Tom Demming,"

"So that's where Schlemming came from," Alexis mused aloud. Shooting her a quizzical look, Kate asked, "Schlemming?"

"He's this guy that Nikki Heat dated for a while in one of the drafts my dad asked me to read. He seemed to have popped out of nowhere and I always found it weird. He didn't make it into the books so I didn't bring it up again," Alexis explained, shrugging.

"Oh, I never knew that. Anyway, I really liked Tom, he was a really great guy, but I broke up with him for your dad."

Kate took a deep breath and closed her eyes before whispering the next part.

"Only to have him leaving for the Hamptons with Gina that same night."

Clutching the pillow tightly while looking on the ground, Kate began her narration softly.

A/N: So? What did you guys think? Please leave a review :)