Kate comes back into the living room to find Dashiell curled up against his father's side on the couch, his wet hair leaving a dark imprint on Castle's tshirt. Dash is running a train slowly down Castle's thigh to his knee while his father types awkwardly on the laptop at his other side. Kate left for only a few minutes to get the pasta out of the microwave and dish it up, but in that time, Dash has moved from the floor to his current position, sedate and looking like someone else's kid entirely.

"Hey there, little man," she murmurs, coming around the couch. "You got Mommy's spot."

He makes puttering noises for his train and looks up at her with a pout. "No bed."

"Did I say bed?" She checks the time on the oven and figures she can give Dashiell maybe another two hours before they try to wrestle him back into his crib. The nap will have completely screwed him up for tonight, but she's off work now. No case. She can handle a sleepless night or two this week. (Or five. This could be a permanent problem.)

"No bed," he repeats and sits up to run his train down the back of the couch.

"Not yet anyway," Castle murmurs from his spot, still typing, but now with both hands free and his body angled away from them.

At that moment, Kate hears the key in the lock of the front door and Dash's head pops up from the couch to peer over Kate's shoulder at the front door.

Alexis comes through with a duffle bag which she drops on the floor, her keys clang in the metal dish on the entry table. Jeans, a hoodie, and flipflops. Ever since going to college, Alexis's wardrobe has gone to super casual. Her hair in a ponytail, a little more makeup around the eyes, but less of everything else. She looks grown-up, Kate thinks, and smiles at the young woman.

Alexis is grinning back. "Hey family. Wow, Dashiell, you're still up!"

"Iss-sis!" Dashiell crows and bounces on the couch with both hands in the air. They think he's trying to say Alexis's name, not that he's calling her sister; it makes Alexis beam from ear to ear. Dash's enthusiasm for the sister he sees so infrequently is quite cute.

"Hey Alexis," Kate says, leaning one hip against the ouch as the young woman walks into the living room. "What brings you to the city?"

"I thought I'd drive in tonight rather than wait for tomorrow."

"Oh no, didn't you get my text?" Kate says, reaching into her pocket for her phone.

"I got it, but I figured. . .if you guys don't mind, I'd still like to hang out with you and Dash for the day. While Dad writes I mean. I already told everyone I'd be here, and I miss you guys."

Kate smiles at her and reaches out to give her a welcoming hug. "That would be great, actually. I'd love for you to come with us tomorrow."

Dash is wriggling up onto the back of the couch with his train in one hand, still babbling about Iss-sis, and he butts his head between the two of them to get his share of the hugs. Alexis scoops him off the couch and smothers his face with silly kisses, smacking loudly until he starts giggling and shoving her away.

"Hey little brother," she says, hugging him close, squeezing tight. "You smell nice and clean. Already had a bath?"

"No bed," he pouts.

"Hey Alexis," Castle says finally, reaching up over the back of the couch to tug on his daughter's shirt. She drops Dashiell onto the couch cushions and leans over to kiss her father's cheek. "Thanks for being willing to baby-sit."

"Any time. He's crazy fun." Alexis pushes Dashiell back down onto the cushions as he tries scaling the back again. "How far along in the writing have you gotten?"

"Just started the fourteenth chapter, and I already wrote the last one, so it's a matter of working my way to it. I've still got a lot of edits to get through from the publisher, but it's so close to being done. Kate's a lifesaver."

Alexis grins back at Kate and hooks an arm around the woman's shoulders. "I think you need to keep her around."

"Oh, she's not going anywhere," Castle says, throwing her an ominous look and raising an eyebrow."All part of my evil plan."

"You start twirling your mustache and rubbing your hands together, and I'll know you've truly lost it," Kate retorts, breaking eye contact with him to knock Dash off the back of the couch again. Dashiell tumbles into the cushions with a squeal and bounces back up, ready for more.

Alexis's stomach growls loudly in the middle of this, and she claps both hands to her midriff, blushing.

Castle chuckles at his daughter. "Hungry? Kate, how much leftovers we got?"

"Not enough. Let's get pizza." Kate is already pulling her phone out of her pocket to call. "Any special requests?"

"Are you calling Celeste's?" Alexis says, bouncing on her toes. A little Dashiell-like, Kate thinks, grinning at the girl. Maybe it's the Castle genes that react to excitement by bouncing like Tigger.

"I can do Celeste's. They're programmed in here too."

"Ohhh goody," Castle says, turning around on the couch and propping his elbows on the back. Dashiell climbs up next to him, and Castle absentmindedly lays a hand on the boy's back to keep him steady. Castle and Dashiell, two little round faces peering over the couch. "But they don't deliver. Someone will have to go pick it up."

Before Rick can even finish his sentence, Kate and Alexis raise their hands. "Not it!"

Castle glares at them both, and the Dashiell sits up on the back of the couch, throws both arms in the air and yells, "No it!"

Kate and Alexis crack up, giggling, and Rick sighs loudly, leaning his forehead close to Dashiell's. "Oh no you don't buddy. If I have to go, you're coming with me."

"Me, me," Dashiell agrees, and grabs Castle's ears, tugging his father closer. "Pease!"

"Please?" Alexis laughs, gasping now. "Did he just say please?"

Kate wipes the tears from her eyes and shakes her head. "Nope. Pizza."

"Pease!"

"That's right, Dash, you and Daddy can go get our pizza. Now, what do we want?"

They've ordered what they always order from Celeste's; the pizzas that Kate always wanted to get on her nights working at the precinct but never could (just so expensive for an every day meal). Sometimes she worries that she's getting spoiled, that Castle's money has made her soft. She doesn't like that she prefers Celeste's fifteen dollar 'pizzes' over the $5 Hot and Ready pizzas she'd get with the boys. She wishes, sometimes, that Castle had let her be.

But pizze margherita with fresh tomatoes and basil, organic mozzarella. . .her mouth waters thinking about it. Alexis wanted the quattro stagioni with tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, and mozzarella, and Kate knows she'll be eating at least a couple slices of each. Probably more. And Dashiell, bless him, loves both of those when Castle cuts them up into small little bites. The kid doesn't stand a chance.

While the boys are out, Kate and Alexis catch up on all of the girl's classes while cleaning up the leftovers, then hash out their plans for the rest of the week (Alexis rearranged her work schedule on Friday so she could stay until Sunday night) while they toss a salad to accompany dinner. When Kate lived alone, she never added salad to her pizza dinner; it is just another small way that this family has changed her.

"So. . .you never finished telling me about what happened with you and Ashley," Kate says, helping herself to a full plate of salad, and then following Alexis back into the living room.

The girl sits down on the couch, pushing the laptop to the other end, and leaves her plate on her knees as she regards Kate.

"I think we just grew apart. We're not the same people."

"How do you mean?"

"Is that bad?" Alexis blurts out, meeting Kate's eyes. "I mean, we were serious in high school, and for the first year and a half of college. And it's not like I've met someone else, but it's just that he doesn't. . .he and I don't. . .we're moving opposite directions. He's never happy with what I want to do, and I'm not happy with what he wants to do."

"It's not bad, Alexis," Kate says gently. The girl picks at her salad. "It's just what happens when you're still trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life."

"I kind of. . .I wonder about you and Dad," Alexis says back, biting her lip and now steadfastly avoiding Kate's gaze. "You've both changed since. . .and I'm not saying in a bad way. My dad is a much better person for it, but I wonder what you think about that. And then there's having kids. I can't imagine what having kids with Ashley would be like; it seems entirely impossible. We'd hate each other. But you and Dad just. . .you just work. How do you do that?"

Kate sighs. "I don't know, Alexis. There's not a secret formula. I. . .I've never done this before," Kate confesses. "And honestly, sometimes I am so grateful that your dad *has*. He's the one who walks away, who figures out we're arguing over stupid stuff, who knows how to avoid certain pitfalls."

Alexis gives a little laugh, looks up at Kate. "Are you telling me my dad is the more mature one in this relationship?"

Kate laughs back. "Actually. . .yeah?" She twists her face into a mask of incredulity. "I guess I'm saying that. Don't you dare tell him though."

"Never!" Alexis sighs, leans back into the couch with a flop. "Was it wrong to break up with Ashley?"

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"But not. . .in love with him."

"You weren't married to him, Alexis. I do think that all relationships go through change; I think people are too quick to bail when things change. But you weren't married to him. And you have all the time in the world to figure out what you want your marriage to look like, and to whom. And who knows? You may not ever want to get married."

"I wan to have kids though," Alexis says and turns her head to look at Kate. "Even if they're all like Dash; it would be. . .fun."

Kate raises an eyebrow at Alexis. "You say that now. . ."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. *I* don't have to raise him 24/7. But I still think I'd love it. Actually, that reminds me. I wanted to ask you about something."

"Yeah?" Kate puts her plate on the coffee table, tries to gird herself for whatever question Alexis has about parenting or relationships. She's not the girl's mother, but so often lately, Kate's been the one she calls for help, for advice, or to complain, to ask for permission. She keeps telling herself that: she's not Alexis's mother. And she's not qualified; she's really not qualified. But-

"Do you think Dad will kill me if I change my major?"

"You don't want to do pre-med anymore?" Kate asks carefully. She knows, for a fact, that Castle will be disappointed. He won't tell Alexis that, will struggle not to let it show, but he has been inordinately proud of Alexis's choice, already planning out the next twenty years of what life will look like. Of course, he's a writer, and his imagination runs away with him.

"No. I have something else in mind. Something important. Just maybe not so. . .glamorous."

"I think your father is proud of you, Alexis. And he'll be fine with whatever choice you make. You might need to give him some time to get used to it, especially if you're suddenly wanting to be a cosmetologist or something-"

Alexis laughs. "No, not that. I want to switch to social work."

Oh. Kate is now the one struggling not to let it show on her face. "Social work," she says carefully, trying not to sound too neutral, definitely not sound negative. Social work. It's such a hard job. So much burnout. They're overworked, underpaid; they deal with heartbreak more often than happy endings.

"The Civic Club joined up with one of the Christian groups on campus to help run a kind of homework help for kids in Washington Heights."

Washington Heights. It still hits her with a jolt. And thinking about Alexis in Washington Heights makes Kate want to do stupid things. Like forbid her from ever setting foot in that part of the city again. Like locking her away in her room until she changes her mind.

"I tutored a girl in biology every Tuesday, and on Thursdays, I helped a boy with his 3rd grade homework. It was amazing, Kate. They're so starved of attention or resources, opportunities. At first, they looked at us like we were some punk college kids who were coming in for a couple weeks to fulfill some service hours, but by the end of last semester, they were all over us. They wanted to know us, they wanted us to know them. Sometimes their stories broke my heart. Sometimes, they're really great kids who just don't know any other way. The 3rd grader brought his little brother to meet me and asked me to stop by their house this summer when the program is over." Alexis puts her plate on the coffee table.

Kate's heart constricts. No, don't go, she thinks. But she won't ever say it. She remembers Little Castle organizing the station's personal effects storage room, trying so hard to find the owner of the photo brag book. The absolute joy and gratitude on Alexis's face when she got to present the young lady with her loved one's possessions. Alexis is made for social work. Alexis has the bleeding, boundless heart for social work.

Alexis is going to kill herself to help people who need help.

"I think you'd be wonderful at it," Kate says finally, and prays that Rick will think first and whine and yell later.

"Really?" Alexis says hopefully, leaning in to hug Kate hard. "I really want to do this. I even found a grad school in social work that I can apply to for early admission. They let you take parallel courses while you're still an undergrad, up to six hours' worth of credit each year."

Kate puts an arm around Alexis, hugs her a little tighter. "Let me tell your dad first, okay?"

Alexis nods, snuggles in beside Kate. "Thank you so much."

"It'll be fine. He'll get used to the idea of you being a superhero social worker instead of an evil mad scientist; I promise."

Alexis giggles. "He was really excited about the mad scientist part."

"He'll get over it." Kate hesitantly lays her cheek on top of Alexis's head. She closes her eyes to dispel the images of her mother, dead in an alley in Washington Heights. She knows Alexis is careful, is with a group, has a good head on her shoulders. Doesn't make it any easier.

She wonders suddenly if Castle feels like this about Kate, sometimes, if he ever sees in his mind's eye all the times Kate has nearly lost her life but didn't because Castle was there to push her out of the way. He's not there now; he's at home with their son. Does that drive him crazy? Does he wonder, all day long, if maybe he should be there to save her?

God.

So this is what it's like. She hates this. She's not even a touchy-feely person, not a hugger, not one of those who clings, but suddenly, she doesn't want to let Alexis go.

Kate wraps both arms around Alexis, keeping the girl at her side on the couch, and tries to quell the panicky objections rising in her throat.

If Rick can do it, so can Kate.