AN: So I've been working on this for the longest time, left it, only to come back to it time and time again. I'm still not too sure how I feel about this. It's my first time writing for this fandom and I'm sure this has been done a countless number of times, but I couldn't get this out of my head.

Also, I'm not too sure if I'm going to leave it with just this, or just have a two shot or three shot or something of different moments I see between them from this moment until they find Castle. Because I do have another idea for another comfort fic.

Disclaimer: I'm not Andrew Marlowe, so I obviously don't own these characters.

Alexis paced back and forth in the living room. She had run up to her after the argument that took place between her and Beckett, slamming the door behind her before falling against it and letting her tears fall. Unfortunately, her room quickly became too small and she grew claustrophobic so she retreated back down into the loft's living room.

She couldn't believe what had happened. It was supposed to have been a happy day, it should have been happy but then it all fell apart.

Her dad was supposed to finally be happy. He was absolutely glowing that morning, pure happiness radiated from him. Alexis couldn't remember the last time she saw her father that happy.

That was the last time she saw him.

She closed her eyes, but quickly regretted it. Every time she shut them, she kept seeing the wreck. The fiery red flames that ate away at her dad's Mercedes.

When she, her grandmother and Jim had pulled up at the scene, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her dad's car was sitting in a ditch on the side of the road.

Somehow she got her fingers to work enough where she was able to open the car door and step onto the concrete. She was shaky on her feet; tears freely fell from her eyes.

She didn't care enough to look anywhere at the scene than her father's car. No matter what she did, she couldn't focus on anything other than that.

She pulled herself out of the painful memory.

He wasn't in the car. That much, she knew. It was all she had to hold on to. The silver of hope that things would work out in the end – that he was okay.

She was confused. Hurt. Upset. But she was mainly broken, lost and confused. She didn't know what to do or what to think. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was a mess. A complete mess.

She found herself periodically glancing towards the study, where Kate had retreated after their less than friendly conversation. She had yelled and screamed at Kate, letting all of her frustration seep out.

"This is all your fault!"

Looking back on it now, she felt bad. She wasn't completely sure what all had been said, she hadn't been paying much attention to what left her mouth. But she knew it hadn't been pretty. While it was nice to be able to yell and blame someone for everything, it wasn't Kate's fault.

After a moment's hesitation, she found herself walking towards the study's door. Her hand hovered a few inches away from the wood before she finally decided to knock.

…

Kate stood in the middle of the office, staring down at the copy of Heat Wave she held in her hands. She'd picked it up from the shelf but had yet to open it – she couldn't bring herself to.

She didn't think she'd make it past the dedication – though she knew the dedication by heart.

To the extraordinary KB and all my friends at the 12th.

Then again, she knew all of the dedications from the Nikki Heat books by heart.

She had picked up the book, trying to find some comfort in it. But she hadn't. While his words used to be a comfort and give her strength; now they felt like anything but.

They just made her want the real thing.

She couldn't have that at the moment.

He'd disappeared.

None of them knew what had happened to him or where he was. She knew he was alive and that his car was found on fire in a ditch. She desperately needed to find him, but there was nothing to go on. And that killed her.

The day was supposed to have been perfect.

The sound of a soft knock and the office door slowly opening pulled her out of her reverie. She glanced up from the book she was holding to the redhead standing in the doorway.

"Hey."

"Hey," Alexis said softly, shifting from foot to foot, her arms crossed loosely.

Kate titled her head as she stared at her. From all the years of interrogations, she could easily see how nervous Alexis was.

Her mind flashed back to the earlier argument shared between the two of them. Not much of an argument so much as Alexis shouting.

Kate had simply stood there while letting Alexis rant, understanding that the younger girl simply just needed to rant.

"Are you okay?" she asked the girl after an awkward silence had settled over the two of them.

"I just…" Alexis took a breath and slowly stepped into the room. "I feel bad about what happened earlier. I—"

"I understand," she set the book on the edge of the desk before turning around. "It's an emotionally tense time."

"And I totally lashed out at you for no reason. It's not your fault or any of ours for that matter," Alexis protested.

"You're dealing with a lot right now and you lashed out. There's no harm done," Kate replied.

Alexis thought for a moment. "How are you so able to be so understanding of me when I don't even deserve it?"

"I was once a teenage girl myself; I know how it can be," Kate told her with a small smile. "And you have every right to be a mess and to lash out. I know you don't mean what you said."

There was a moment of silence between the two, unlike before, it wasn't awkward. The earlier tension was slowly disappearing from the room.

"I just wish we knew something," Alexis said, eventually.

Kate nodded. "I know. So far, there hasn't been much information, but give it time."

"Do you think it'll all work out in the end?"

"I'm not giving up until I find him, Alexis," Kate said, firmly. "I will promise you that."

"But what if we don't find him?" she questioned, sadly.

Kate stepped close to the girl. "I know it's hard but you can't let yourself think that way. Don't worry about the negatives, keeping holding on to that shred of hope."

"Still...I wouldn't know what to do without my dad," Alexis said.

"And I'm going to do my damnest to make sure you never know what it's like to lose a parent," Kate told her. She wouldn't let Alexis go through the same pain she had.

Alexis slowly nodded and a small smile crept up on her face.

Kate closed the distance between the two of them and wrapped her arms around the younger girl's shoulders.

Alexis let her head rest against Kate's right shoulder. "Thank you, Kate. For putting up with my attitude today and for everything else you've done for me."

"Of course, Alexis. I made a promise to your dad and I plan to keep it."