Disclaimers: Cassie and I don't own Castle.

Notes: So, if you follow either Cassie or I on Tumblr then you've no doubt read this story. It started out with me leaving this part in her ask box. She was displeased with the ending so she wrote chapter two, and then it became this battle of sorts. We went back and forth on it, until I accidentally ended it. But this is our story from Tumblr. We did make Josh a bad guy in this story, but we're also not apologetic about it. He's not really an awful guy and this isn't really the show, so you'll let us have our fun?

Anyway, without further ado... I present to you Doctor Douchebag

Kate groped blindly on her bedside table for her cell phone. The owner of the arm draped over her stomach gripped her tighter and groaned into the pillow, but she ignored him and cracked one eye open to find her phone. She grabbed it just before it vibrated off into the floor. She checked the screen and before she could answer it the phone he grabbed it and tossed it to the end of the bed.

"No," he mumbled burrowing further into her side.

Kate shoved his arm away and sat up to retrieve the phone. "Beckett."

"Kate..."

"Alexis? It's..." Kate turned and checked the clock on her table. "It's Two o'clock, are you okay?" She got out of the bed and scurried into the living room to take the call.

"I'm sorry, I woke you up didn't I? Forget I called. I'm sorry..."

"Alexis," Kate interrupted quietly, "What's wrong?"

"Can you come and get me?" Alexis asked, trepidation in her voice.

"Of course I will." Kate could hear the muffled sounds of a bass beat, and quickly figured out Alexis was at a party. "Sweetie..." Kate started cautiously, "Why are you asking me though?" She barged back into her own room, and headed over to the closet to get dressed.

Alexis let out a slow breath. "I snuck out. I got into a fight with Dad, and Paige told me about this party. So I came over here, but she wasn't here. I was just so mad at him... I've been drinking, Kate. I'm scared, and hiding in a bathroom. I don't know anyone here, and I don't trust myself or any of the people out there. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't call him, so I thought..."

"Lex, sweetie, you made the right call. Where are you at?" Kate quickly jotted down the address. "I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" Kate hung up and went to grab a pair of socks from her dresser.

"Body?" Josh asked. He was sitting up now with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No, it was Alexis," she responded sitting down on the edge of her bed to pull the socks on.

"Why is Castle's kid calling you?"

She grabbed her boots from the closet before answering. "She needs help." Kate zipped on the boots, and went back over to the bedside table.

"Doesn't she have a parent of her own to call for bail outs?"

"Yes, she does, but she called me. I'm not going to ignore that." Kate clipped her badge to the waist band of her jeans and opened the drawer to pull her gun out.

"She's not your responsibility."

"The hell she isn't, Josh. It's my best friend's kid. I'm not gonna leave her hanging," she answered, hotly, as she popped the magazine out of her gun. She gave it a quick check and shoved it back in before attaching the gun and holster to her back.

"So, she calls you and you just go running. Is that how it works?"

"Yes, Josh. That's exactly how it works," she replied over her shoulder as she stepped into the bathroom to pull her hair back and apply a little make-up to cover up how tired she was.

"I'll be gone when you get back."

"Okay." She ducked into her closet to grab a coat.

"I mean gone, gone. You're dumping our first night together in weeks for some kid. I'm not gonna be second fiddle."

Kate turned to him. "You're breaking up with me, because I care about the well being of someone else's child?"

"Yeah, Kate, I am. We barely see each other as it is, and then when our schedules finally make time for us you bail," he spat.

"She's a kid, Josh!" Kate fired right back.

"She's not your kid," Josh defended as he leaned over the edge of the bed to search for his shirt.

"No, she isn't, but I did make a promise to look after her if anything ever happened to Castle..."

Josh interrupted, "Something happened to Castle?"

"No, but she called me. That girl has her head screwed on tighter than you do, and for her to call me means she is in trouble. I'm going."

"Just because she can't call her mom to come get her doesn't mean you need to try and take her place. Let Castle go get her."

"Get out," Kate said slowly, her voice was icy.

"Excuse me?" Josh asked as he tugged his own jeans on.

"I said, get out. She can't call her mother because of circumstances that are beyond her control. If she chooses to call me, I'm not going to let her down."

"Right, are we talking about you or Alexis here?"

"Low blow, Josh. Way below the belt. Leave now, and maybe you won't get hurt," Kate hissed.

"Oh, boo-hoo, poor little Katie. Can't call her own mother so she decides to be everyone else's mom. Kate, she died, get over it," he barked the last words as he brushed past her to go put his shoes on.

"You don't get to call me Katie anymore, you lost that right the second Alexis became a problem for you. And for the record, you don't get over murder. You never get over murder." She grabbed her wallet and phone from the dresser and stuck them in her pocket. As an afterthought she put on her Dad's watch, and the necklace that held her mother's ring.

Josh sat on the couch looking like he'd been punched in the stomach. Kate marched past him and pulled open her front door. "So, yeah. Poor little Kate. Had her mother ripped away at such a young age. I was 19, barely older than she is now. Since you've never been a teenage girl, I'm going to give you a hint: If there is ever a time she needs a mother, it's now. Enjoy your life, Josh."

"I'm still the bad guy here, seriously? How the hell is it my fault you never told me she was murdered?" Josh angrily grabbed his coat and met her at the door.

"Leave, Josh. I have to go get Alexis."

He brushed by her and turned once he was on the other side of the threshold. "He's going to break your heart, and I'm not going to take you back."

"He already did," she barked slamming the door in his face. She took a calming breath and went back to her room, both to grab her cuffs and to give Josh time to leave. She grabbed a bottle of water, and plucked her keys from the ring by the door. She took another slow breath and sprinted for her stairs. She took them two at a time, in an effort to make up lost time on getting to Alexis.

Fifteen minutes later she was pulling into a space about a block from the address that Alexis had given her. She pulled her badge out and showed it to the doorman after she entered.

"Cops? What for?"

"A party," she replied dryly.

"Fifth floor, sixth unit." He pressed the button on the elevator, but she made a break for the stairwell, and flew up them. She didn't stop to breathe until she was in front of the sixth unit. The music was loud enough for her hear from the stairwell, and once at the door she didn't think anyone inside would be able to hear her.

Kate sighed and held her badge up to the peephole. She pounded on the door. "NYPD! OPEN UP!"

The music cut off immediately and she could hear people shuffling and voices whispering. After a minute the door inched open to reveal a kid who couldn't have been more than 18. He was clearly drunk, but he was trying to appear as sober as possible.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, but it goes away if everyone under the age of 21 leaves right now." Kate's cop senses were kicking in and telling her that it was a bad idea, but her main concern was Alexis. Her only concern was Alexis.

He turned and yelled into the apartment, and Kate stepped aside as people poured out. The other residents on the floor had cracked their doors open to watch her bust up the party that had been keeping them up all night. Her eyes darted around trying to catch sight of the red head.

Alexis stepped out of the shadows after the room had mostly emptied, and she looked over at Kate.

"Come on, Lex." Kate held an arm up and beckoned her over. Alexis ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "If I even catch wind of a noise violation coming from this address, I will be back to arrest you, are we clear?"

The boy immediately sobered and choked out, "Yes, ma'am."

Kate turned with Alexis, and they headed back down the hall. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you. They're all going to hate me."

Kate led them around the clog of people trying to get into the elevator, and took her to the stairwell. "Alexis, you are never a bother to me, do you understand?" She waited, and didn't speak again until Alexis nodded, "You did the right thing, Alexis. They'll hate you for a few days, but then they will figure out that you did a good thing." Kate stopped and hugged the girl on the landing for the third floor.

"Are you going to tell my dad?" Alexis asked as a fresh batch of tears streamed down her face.

"No, you are. I know you well enough to know that you won't let this get past him." They were quiet the rest of the trip back to Kate's car.

"Kate, will you take me home?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to go up with you?" Kate unlocked the car, and they both climbed in.

"Please?" she whispered.

"Always, Lex. I will always have your back." Kate gave her shoulder a squeeze, and headed toward the loft.