It was another day in Alexis' life having a friendly conversation with her dad before he went to the hospital again, knowing he wouldn't come back until late at night.

On the outside things were beginning to look normal again but in reality there were many changes, the biggest and most painful one was the relationship with her father. Ever since the shooting Richard could barely keep it together, in front of her he pretended to be strong and in control but on the inside he was crumbling.

Alexis knew that showing her anger and pain would not help her dad in the slightest because he had too much of a cross to bear already, so she kept those feelings deep inside her heart and put op a charade in front of him. She played the part of the obedient daughter, perky enough to show him she was all right but at the same time letting him know she empathised with his loss. The pretending from both their parts created a wall of lies and cordiality that inadvertively drew them apart.

Martha was not oblivious to this, realizing her support was not enough to salvage the situation she came up with an idea. Having heard from Alexis the "orchid" comments from the doctors she asked Richard if they could move Beckett from the hospital into their penthouse. The detective was still comatose but her physical state was stable enough, with the right equipment and personnel she could be accommodated on the guest room. If not the house on the hamptons would be a more spacious and safer place.

The experienced actress hoped that with Beckett on their home Richard would not spend the entire day in the hospital and perhaps he would reconnect with his daughter, it would also be fair for the detective. Martha believed that if the young woman was going to die she should do it surrounded by her loved ones on a home and not in a cold hospital while mocked and compared to a vegetable.

She had discussed with Jim about it and he agreed, but with one condition that froze her son's blood:

By the time Beckett turned three months from being in a coma he would pull the plug, he knew his daughter would not want to spend the rest of her "life" in that state.

A storm would form by the time that deadline occurred and Martha feared it, her son wasn't going to give up on Kate and she doubted he'll change his mind in less than two months, but then… you can always hope for miracles.

…..

Part of Alexis pretending included going to school and pick up her grades, listening to her obnoxious English teacher didn't make it easier.

-"As for many of the classic novels and even movies we can almost se a pattern into it and that is no coincidence because there is a guide if you'll like to call it known as the "path of the hero" in witch the main character goes trough a fantastic quest aided by several characters and victimized by others, still in the end the main character is turned now into a hero and succeeds in spite of all"-

Her built up rage found its way out, she was done with anything that involved happy endings when it came to heroes, her hand raised sharply and she pierced the dozing atmosphere of the classroom with her voice: -"What if it doesn't?"-

-"Excuse me?"- He said lifting one eyebrow

-"What if the hero doesn't succeed, what if he or she dies?"- Alexis challenged

-"They always win, duh. What kind of lame hero wouldn't"- One of her classmates challenged from across the room, Alexis was about to stand up and blow that dumbass mouth shut.

The teacher continued unfazed, while Ashley pulled her arm so she would stay sit and get out of trouble.

-"Ah yes the death of a hero, there have been in fact many examples, from superman in one of DC comics to Sherlock Holmes. Heroes have in fact the same dynamic of villains when one goes away another one takes their place. There are as far as I know two options, take Sherlock Holmes by example. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got tired of his own character so he killed him in the hands of his long known enemy Moriarty, but the readers wouldn't take it, in the end the fictional character became stronger than the author so he brought it back to life on the next novel."-

-"That would mean that no matter how hopeless things look sometimes the hero does come to life"- Ashley told Alexis meaningfully, trying as always to give some ray of hope.

-"The other option is not so common as the last one, on the 90's comic strip Superman died but let Lois Lane pregnant therefore his son would continue down his father's path. Another example is your own father's creations. When Derek Storm died he was replaced by Nikki Heat, and if that character dies as well I'm pretty sure another will come up"- The stuck up teacher didn't watch the news so he didn't know how much he had hurted his student

Alexis didn't know weather to scream, cry or throw a punch at the unbearable man until his final statement put a piece of an unmade puzzle on her head.

- "Heroes, fictional or not, are much stronger than the flesh that embodies them. If one of them is taken another one rises because a world without them is inconceivable"-