I own nothing. But the ending to tonight's episode (Law and Murder) just screamed for an extra ending. Reviews greatly appreciated.

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It was after 11. Rick carefully unlocked the door to the loft and entered as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb his mother and daughter. With what he thought of as ninja stealth and precision, he turned and softly shut the door behind him, sliding the locks back into place. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft "ahem" from the room behind him.

Busted, he thought, turning to see which lovely lady he would be facing.

"Hi sweetie," he said, crossing the room to kiss Alexis on her forehead as if he didn't notice the crossed arms and questioning smirk.

"Hi Dad," she said in return. "Where've you been?"

"At work…we cracked that case we've been working on." He took off his coat and draped it over the nearby chair on his way into the kitchen. He could feel her gaze boring holes in the back of his head as he rummaged through the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

"Mmmmhmmm…at 11 o'clock at night?" She waited until he turned to face her, then took a seat on a barstool at the kitchen counter. She was in pajamas and ready for bed, but after enduring the grief he'd given her over her trip to Brooklyn, she was determined to return the favor.

"Well, I went to the movies when we finished," Rick began. He watched as his daughter shifted to rest her chin on her hand, her elbow propped on the counter. He was struck with a combination of discomfort and awe over her ability to put him on the spot. "The Angelica."

"Ahhhh, the Angelica. What did you go watch?"

Averting his eyes, Rick knew this conversation wasn't going to end anytime soon unless she got answers. "Forbidden Planet," he mumbled.

"Dad, we have that on disc. You could have watched it here. Unless…you didn't go alone?"

"Don't you have school in the morning? It's getting late…." He knew avoiding the conversation wouldn't end it. Setting his water bottle on the kitchen counter, he braced himself against the counter with both hands and lifted his chin in challenge. "No, Beckett wanted to go."

Now we're getting somewhere, Alexis thought, struggling not to grin. She had her father's poker face, after all. "And Beckett didn't mind the fact that you have half the script memorized? Because you tend to quote it while you're watching it…it's kind of getting annoying…"

"I did no such thing! I had candy to eat. And popcorn." The defensive tone to his voice immediately told Alexis what she knew he'd never willfully admit to her.

"Wow. Dad. That's pitiful." This time she let the grin escape. "That's really, really sweet, but wow."

"Wha-aaaat?" he said.

"You didn't even tell her you'd already seen it before," she said. "Like, a million times. You didn't let on at all, did you?"

"Oh come on," Rick said, capping his water and setting it back on the counter, his speech picking up speed. "She told me she was going to go. And Josh was working. I didn't want her to go alone. It's not safe out there alone. I work with the police…I know this is a fact!"

"Dad, she IS the police," Alexis retorted, chuckling as she did. "If ever there was a woman capable of seeing a movie on her own, it's Beckett. Admit it, Dad, you just wanted to spend time with her, outside of work."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

Alexis shook her head, grinning, her eyes twinkling. "Nothing is wrong with that. But seriously, don't you think spending time with her is going to make things a little more difficult…she has a boyfriend. You told me she wanted to make things work with him."

"She does, I know," Rick said. "I'm not trying to step on that at all. It's just nice to have someone, present company excluded of course, who I can talk to. And she really liked the movie."

And you liked that she liked the movie, Alexis thought silently to herself. She decided to drop the conversation and let him off the hook for now. "I understand, Dad. Next time, give me a call and let me know if you'll be out late. I was wondering if I should download that app so I could track your phone, instead!" Moving around the counter, she wrapped her arms around Rick's waist and gave him a big hug.

"I'll call next time, I promise," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. "I should have thought to call sooner…I'm sorry pumpkin."

"That's ok, Dad." Stepping back, she smiled again. "I'd better get to bed…school tomorrow." She stepped forward and laid a kiss on his cheek, then turned to head up the stairs to her room. Turning at the first landing on the staircase, she paused and said softly, "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Alexis," he replied. He smiled and watched as she made her way upstairs. Closing his eyes for a moment and tilting his head to the side, he waited until he heard the soft click of her door closing.

Picking the water bottle back up, he turned and walked toward his office. A movie and then burgers at Remy's had given him a lot to think about, and he might as well turn some of those thoughts into chapters. Sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight.