What happened to her father after was taken off the streets of New York, Alexis Castle was still unable to wrap her sense of logic around it.
Together with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett, the threesome had been coming back from a movie when that...man appeared in before them on the sidewalk.
With it being after midnight, neither Alexis nor Kate were able to correctly describe the man to the authorities. Richard Castle was still missing to try.
This time, Kate was not the first to react. The elder Castle stepped in front of Kate and his daughter. Alexis saw the dirty look Kate gave her father but he didn't act like he noticed.
Or cared.
"What do you want?"
A bolt of fear hit Alexis; the tone of her happy go-lucky father was ice cold.
"Daddy?" The teenager couldn't help herself she had to ask. He was always quick to answer her questions or reassure her that everything was fine.
This time he made no sound or movement to do so.
"What's going o-"
Kate was quick to hush her and pull Alexis close. She could feel the tension in the detective's body.
"You are wanted for questioning, Sergeant."
Castle spoke in a language that either Kate or Alexis recognized.
"Brave words for an unarmed man with his wife and daughter with him."
"He might not be armed, but I'm sure as hell am!" Kate spoke, stepping away from Castle and Alexis, weapon in hand.
Alexis gasped. Castle shifted his weight. The man produced a weapon of his own; Alexis caught a glimpse of a long ranged weapon before her father pushed her back behind was almost like he was another person; the way he talked, the way he held himself, the way he moved.
"Stand down, Kate. This isn't your fight." He inched closer to Kate, making sure that Alexis was safely behind him.
"To hell it isn't Rick!"
"Are you sure about that?" The man asked, breaking up the fight. "Are you sure that you can take be and...say ten of my fully armed men?" Ten more bodies appeared out of the shadows to join the group.
Both adults reacted in different ways. Kate stepped in front of the Castles as the older Castle smoothly disarmed the detective and pushed her toward Alexis with a skill that neither women knew he had.
"Castle!"
Alexis squeaked when the older woman knocked into her. The teenager steadied Kate for a moment before the older woman took her place between Alexis and the danger.
Rick Castle slid Kate's weapon to cross the sidewalk. It stopped by Alexis guessed to be a foot of one of the men.
"I see that you really a reasonable man, Sergeant."
"No more then you, Alliance piece of shit."
"Come quietly and your wife and daughter will be left untouched. We will have to talk about your control officer though."
Castle growled. "Give me a second."
Alexis was pulled off her feet and into her father's arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Stay with Kate, Pumpkin. Love you."
"Love you too, Daddy."
He released her. The teenager was confused. Why was he acting like he was saying good-bye?
Kate replaced Alexis; but she got a long lip lock instead.
"Rick?"
Alexis could heard the shake and the confusion in the normally strong woman's voice.
"I love you Kate. Always."
"Rick-?"
"Take care of my daughter."
"Daddy?"
"Time's up, Sergeant."
Alexis's world went dark.