I don't own the rights to Castle or the children's book, "Guess How Much I Love You." This takes place the last scene of 'Time Will Tell.'

The Trials of Big Nutbrown Hare

For years he'd been convinced that Alexis was Meredith's in looks only; that his ex-wife's propensity to leave heartache and disappointment in her wake on a whim would only ever scar his daughter, not become her destiny.

Even if Alexis had been born a mini-Meredith inside and out, Castle would have loved her just as much as he always had. It's what fathers do. He might not have been as proud or had as many expectations perhaps, but love is separate from those emotions; it's ingrained and irrefutable. Alexis had earned his respect and pride over the years. He had marveled at her good judgment, her independence when he was extremely busy, and her ability to step in and care for him with cookies or hugs during low periods.

But, respect and pride were only the icing. Love was a given for any child lucky enough to be Richard Castle's daughter. She didn't have to ask for it at birth, just as she couldn't do anything to squelch it now.

Unfortunately for him, love often came at a price.

Kyra had cost him an idealistic belief that love conquers all. Meredith chipped away at his self-worth by proving that he wasn't enough to keep her devoted to him alone. Calculating Gina's cost was easy, he was still paying alimony and she had the ultimate power over his career. In all those situations he could point to his own flaws, what he could have done differently, what he had cost them as well. He walked away from each with a little less of his heart intact. With Kate he refused to keep score because he did love her thoroughly and they could forgive each other, throwing the metaphorical slate out the window. What they had was worth fighting for and he chose to make that love a reality. Once that choice had been made, he went all in.

There were only two women in his life whom he loved without having had a moment of decision, and only one whom he had never doubted would always make him proud. But in charting the cost of love, no one had the potential to shatter him nearly as deeply as his little girl.

Instead of a teen in a plaid uniform tackling mounds of homework and dreaming of changing the world through medicine, he saw the spitting image of her mother. The only difference was that Alexis knew better than to smile as though she wasn't flippantly casting aside the one man who had always loved, respected, and cared for her. The man who was trying to impart wisdom and who had always had her best interests at heart.

He didn't see the young woman he molded her to be. He saw Meredith, fleeing when things didn't go her way; acting impulsively without considering the long-term consequences of her actions. And what killed Castle was that the consequences that he worried about most would be hers to bear.

Alexis was emotionally investing in a man with no purpose in life, a free-loader who did not challenge her intellectually nor spur her on to be better. He wouldn't ever look for what was best for her education, her future. Tolerating the idiot for weeks had shown Castle enough of Pi's character to know that no good was going to come out of the relationship and that if it persisted it would only be because Alexis compromised all the essential parts of herself; the parts that she'd worked so hard to develop.

He knew his daughter was emotionally, romantically, and in all other irrational ways attached to this loser. He hated that the best-case scenario was that one day Alexis would wake up and the reality of her poor judgment would sober her. That she'd realize her life was going nowhere. She would have a broken heart like she'd never known and mourn that her fling with Pi was not going to produce anything more significant than a string of smoothies chock full of fiber. All while going through and divorcing her belongings from his and dividing 'theirs' into two piles.

This wasn't about a change of address, or Alexis spreading her wings; she had already lived on her own on campus. This was about her wanting to play house. She clearly hadn't thought this through practically since her arguments about finances were ridiculous. There was no way Alexis could ever qualify for work study with his millions and the security deposit alone for an apartment was more than they could drum up over months, even if they both worked above minimum wage jobs. No, to add insult to injury, he'd be expected to indirectly foot this charade. Now that his daughter was of age she probably would tap investment accounts he'd set aside for her education, her wedding, her future life.

Alexis' defiance amounted to nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, which proved a grim point. The point being that despite a lifetime of living by personal convictions about how others, especially family, should be treated, apparently one can become calloused and selfish and lose sight of who they had been all their lives. Whether it be from a sudden onset of unfortunate genetics, inhaling too many banana fumes, or contracting an obscure South American virus that causes its victim to lose sense, it didn't change the fact that Alexis was determined to go, just like her mother always had been. But unlike Meredith, who never considered Castle to be more than a bit of fun, Alexis was gambling the most important relationship of her life to prove this absurd point.

She was going to do what she wanted and she was going to rub it in his face.

Castle had never seen stronger evidence for the existence of a pod person. The only question was if she had been switched in South America, in that cage in Paris, or before that and this bizzaro-Alexis had been lying dormant in her room all school year waiting to strike.

Maybe he should have checked under her bed twice.

Either way, his little girl was strutting out the door.

God help him, he loved her enough to give her the freedom to leave. She walked out without the courtesy of even a kiss on the cheek to soothe his pain as he agonized over just how much the move would ultimately cost her.

One thing he knew for sure was that no matter what, he would always love his baby bird right up to the moon . . . and back.