Disclaimer: I only own them in a parallel universe I had JJ Abrams create for me. In this universe, I just own an old pair of sneakers, half a quart of Phish Food, and the worlds largest collection of Sherlock Holmes artwork made from eggshells.


It's late, after midnight, when Alexis lets herself into the loft. She expects that her Dad is asleep; well, hopes he's asleep anyway. But as she gets through the door, she sees that the lights are on in the kitchen and the study, realizes he's still up. She puts down her backpack by the door, heads into the kitchen.

"Hey Dad ... oh. Kate, hi. Is Dad asleep?"

Kate Beckett is alone in the kitchen, making something on the stove that Alexis can't quite see. Kate turns, smiles. "Alexis? What are you doing here?"

"Um...Is Dad here?"

"Oh, he's at Nobu with some producer. I guess they want to try and make a Storm movie now too."

Alexis relaxes, sits on one of the barstools. "I got sexiled."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Moira and Dave've been pretty good about it until now, but... I wasn't going to pull an allnighter in the library if I didn't have to. But I'm glad I don't have to tell Dad."

"Lemme guess. You tell your Dad that your roommate is having sex, then he realizes that means you might..."

"Yeah. But, I'm not..." Alexis says.

"No, I can see that being a long conversation either way. You know, we can just tell him you needed a night at home."

Alexis laughs. "That works."

Kate flips back around to the stove, lifts a skillet off the burner. "Want a grilled cheese sandwich?"

Alexis goes to say no, but her stomach growls, giving her away.

"Yeah, I heard that," Kate says, "Take this one." She flips the sandwich onto a plate, cuts it in half, slides the plate to Alexis. Alexis takes a bite while Kate starts buttering a new slice of bread. "How's the semester been so far?"

"Good. I'm going to Homecoming this weekend. This is really good," Alexis says between bites.

"Your Dad went off on a cheese thing. Who really needs forty types of cheese? Homecoming? The game?"

"The dance. Though I might go to the game too. Some friends are going. Actually... I have a dress, but I wanted to pick up some shoes I left behind."

Alexis puts down her sandwich, goes up to her old room, finds the black strappy sandals with little flowers on them. Realizing Kate is downstairs and able to help, she grabs a few other pairs of shoes as well, takes them back to the kitchen. She lines them up, five pairs, along the kitchen island.

"So," she says, "which do you think are best?"

"Well," Kate says, "I will say avoid those." Kate points at the near stilettos at the end of the row. "You'll hate your feet after an hour. Hate everything in life after two. Otherwise... what does the dress look like?"

"Here, I have a picture." She pulls out her phone, pulls up the picture Moira took of her when she tried her dress on. It's a simple dress, classically cut, ending at the knee, in a light creamy orange that works surprisingly well with Alexis' red hair and porcelain complexion. Wide, black lace detailing runs around the waist.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Kate says, looking at the phone, "I'd go with the ones with the white flowers."

Alexis just smiles.

"So, the dance. Have a date?"

"Sort of. I'm going with a guy. Well, a couple of us are going, but I'm ... Dennis. I'm going with Dennis, but just as friends."

Kate looks at her, tilts her head to the side. Alexis can feel it before it happens, that odd bit of insight that her Dad seems to have, she's learning Kate has it too.

"But you like him," Kate says after a moment. It's not a question.

"I... I do, but... I don't know... he's the first guy since Ashley that I've really... I like him, but... I don't really know what I'm thinking," she says.

Kate gives her a sympathetic smile. She flips the other sandwich onto a plate, turns off the stove, comes and sits next to Alexis on a barstool.

"You're afraid," Kate says after taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I dunno. Maybe. I don't think so... I mean, I've always tried hard not to let fear stop me from doing something."

"It doesn't work that way, Alexis. Every bad date, broken relationship, hell, even when you lose a friend, it causes you to build up scars and self-defense mechanisms. Sometimes you don't even know they are there."

"How do you get around them then?"

"I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask," Kate says, chuckling lightly. "It took me three years to figure out the right guy was the one six inches in front of my face, and then a year, and a push from a smart girl, to get over my hangups and do something about it."

Alexis smiles, blushes.

"Alexis, honey. I'm not saying Dennis is the love of your life. I'm not even saying to give him a chance. I'm just saying ... even though it ended badly with Ashley, didn't you have a lot of good time together?"

Alexis thinks for a bit. It's hard to separate the good from the betrayal she felt at the end, but there are good things there to be remembered, when she tries.

"Yeah, we did."

"That's why it's worth it. Because even the relationships that end, even the ones that end badly, can still bring something to your life that's good. That's why you'll try again, maybe with Dennis, maybe with someone else, until you try for the last time, because you've found the one for the rest of your life."

"You sound like my Dad."

"He has a way of rubbing off on you, sometimes."

Alexis steps off her barstool, reaches over, hugs Kate. Kate hugs her back, rubs small circles on Alexis' shoulder-blade.

"So," Alexis says, after releasing their hug, "are you living here now?"

"What?"

"Well, it's after midnight. Dad's not here, but you are."

"Oh, no no. I mean, I still have my own place. My apartment."

"Sorry," Alexis says, "I mean, it's none of my business..."

"Yes, because Castle's stay out of each other's business," Kate says, but the laughing way she says it sounds like an invitation, not a reprimand.

"In that case, what I mean is, why aren't you living here?"

"We've only been together for a few months, Alexis."

"So? You were here every night I can remember before I moved into the dorm. You were in the Hamptons for the fourth and Labor Day with us. Grams calls you here daughter."

"She does?"

"Well, not when you can hear. She thinks it will embarrass you."

"So you want me to move in then? Is that what you're saying?"

"You know," Alexis says, "I told Meredith ... my Mom... that I was going to a formal. She offered to fly out, take me shopping."

"Um... okay," Kate says with a confused look. The change of subject is off-putting. "That sounds fun."

"Yeah, I thought it might be nice, until she said she could fly to San Francisco in just an hour."

"San Francisco?"

"She forgot I chose Columbia. Thought I'd gone to Stanford."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry."

"No," Alexis says, "it's not... Dad has always been so great, and Grams too, that I've never felt like I was missing anything. But these last few months with you here. I didn't ever know I needed you, but now when I do, you're there. I don't want that to go away. I just... I love you, Kate. I want you to be here always."

Kate reaches in, hugs Alexis fiercely. "I love you too, Alexis," she says into Alexis' hair.

"The only reason," Kate says after a minute, "I don't live here is that he hasn't asked me yet."

"Oh," Alexis says. "Good."

"Maybe I should fix that," Castle says. Neither of them had heard him come in.

Alexis recovers first. "You're home! How did your meeting go?"

"It was fine, pumpkin, though it sounds like you two had a more productive night than I did."

"Rick, hi."

"Dad, oh. We weren't..." Alexis fumbles.

"I wasn't fishing..." Kate says at the same time as Alexis.

"Kate," Castle says, cutting her off, "I haven't asked because I didn't want to pressure you. But I've been ready for you to be here since the first night you stayed. Hell, I was ready two years ago when your apartment blew up. Stay? Live here? Rearrange the furniture and put up your artwork and be here always?"

Kate walks over to Castle, kisses him. "Easier to ask when you know the answer already?"

"I don't know the answer yet."

"Yes, you idiot. The answer is yes."

Castle takes her in his arms, holds her close. After a minute together, they motion Alexis over to join them, make it a group hug. Castle offers to open a bottle of champagne, but it's late, and the girls beg off. They talk for a few minutes more, Castle telling them about his dinner, the girls skimming lightly over their discussion. Eventually, Castle notices that his daughter has yawned a few times too many, calls an end to the evening. Happy to have her home, even for just a night, he walks her to her room while Kate cleans up.
"You know, pumpkin, you keep doing a pretty amazing job of pushing Kate and I along."

"I'm sorry Dad, I don't mean to. I mean, I don't set out too. I just want you happy and her happy, and it seems to happen," Alexis says, but then gets an evil thought. "I'm done though, Dad. You're on your own for the proposal."

He just smiles. "Don't worry dear daughter, I am actually ahead of you for once on that one."

He kisses her on the crown of her head, turns to go back downstairs, chuckling at the stunned look on his daughter's face.