Piece of advice before I start this chapter; the unveiling of Castle's personal investigation into JB's murder happens exactly as it does in the show. Because of this fact, I feel no obligation to write it, as you already know what happens. So this chapter is going to pick up sometime amongst the first few episodes of S2, hopefully in some sort of chronological order. Oh, and also, we're starting with a piece with Alexis and a new character (:

X X X X X

The doorbell chimed just as Alexis reached the bottom of the stairs. Checking her watch, she smiled, the punctuality of her guest reassuring her. She gave a once over to the room, making sure everything was in its proper or seemingly proper place, before she headed to answer the door.

Pulling it open, she was met with the image of a tall, brunette woman, no older than her mid-twenties. Her eyes were a dark hazel, her hair twisted into a braid that lay down her shoulder, her expression warm and sparkling.

"Hi, I'm Abigail Winters," she began, holding a hand out to the younger girl, "you must be Alexis."

"Yeah, that's me," the redhead replied, accepting the handshake before she stepped aside, allowing her guest to enter, her mouth slightly gaping at the loft in front of her.

However, Abi didn't allow this to captivate her, before she turned back to Alexis.

"Sorry if I'm too early," she said, "I thought it would take longer to walk than it did."

"Oh, it's fine," Alexis began, before her expression became quizzical, "You walked here?"

Abi gave a quick nod with a smile, "I'm not as fit as I should be, and I only live a few blocks south."

"Right," the young girl added, heading over to the kitchen island, "well, thanks for coming, Ms. Winters –"

"Please, sweetie, call me Abi," the older woman interjected, a hand resting on Alexis' shoulder gently, "I'm just your tutor, not your teacher."

An awkward smile adorned the redhead's face, before she turned to the closed textbooks that lay in front of her, Abi taking a seat beside her. Reaching for the notebook in her bag, she took the opportunity to take another quick survey of her surroundings. True, this house was nice, very nice, and it seriously rivaled her own duplex in Chelsea.

"Your apartment is fantastic by the way," Abi complimented, "so big and spacious, but it's so…cozy at the same time!"

She had noticed the homely touches that were everything but extravagant, the tell that it was a broken yet close family. Somehow, Abi drew parallels to her own misadventures when it came to family, but she had been lucky enough to go through most of her life with two parents and the family Labrador.

Alexis gave a slightly easier laugh, the discomfort sliding from the situation easily, "Thanks."

A broad grin later, and Abi was flipping open her pad and diving right into things.

"So, miss Alexis, what exactly is it that you want tutoring for?" Abi asked, "Because when I took a look at the results you e-mailed over, I was kinda getting this straight-A student vibe."

Looking sideways at a blushing Alexis, a glint in her eye and a grin on her face, Abi watched the teenager muse for a moment before she replied.

"I don't need tutoring because I'm not good at my classes," Alexis began, Abi nodding as she spoke, "it's more like I need it to help my actual studying."

"Like exam prep or something?" Abi questioned, eliciting a nod.

"Yeah, I tend to study unhealthily – like, sitting at my desk with the lamp on until the wee hours of the morning so I can cram as much into my head to be as prepared as possible," Alexis explained, as Abi gave a smirk in reply.

"So study techniques, bigger storage space and more hours in a day?"

The young girl chuckled, the awkwardness all but dissipating as she watched Abi reach for her pen.

"Oh, did you want to swap sides?" Alexis asked, "I'm left-handed, we might bump elbows."

With a grin, Abi simply watched the smile spread as she uncapped her pen and began writing, the few lines slanted in only a way a left-hander could master.

"Not going to be an issue, I don't think," Abi added, chuckling as she continued to write.

"Okay, kiddo, let's get down to business!"

X X X X X

Sitting at her desk, Alexis was scrawling highlighted words from a textbook onto Post-It notes as a knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Hey, Pumpkin, good day?" Castle began, taking a seat on the edge of the white sheeted queen bed.

"Yeah, it was," Alexis began, dotting the end of her sentence before she turned to her father, "how about you?"

Castle shrugged, "Dead guy, someone killed him, we caught him then sent him to jail."

"Oh, so just your average day then?"

With a nod, Castle grinned then glanced at the notes on his daughter's desk. There seemed to be more than before, but they were more interesting; bright colored paper and markers, books with about five different highlighted sections in just as many shades.

"Colorful enough for you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as Alexis took in a breath to explain.

"It's a new study technique," she began, "I did some games with my tutor –"

"Wait, tutor?" Castle interjected, "Since when do you need a tutor?"

"To help with my studying," Alexis replied irritably, "you know how unorthodox my study habits are."

"Yes, but it's the one thing that makes you a Castle," he argued, smirking at Alexis' rolling eyes as she continued.

"But I want them to be better so I don't have to worry so much about falling asleep in my tests," she continued, "So we did some things and figured out I remember things I associate with color."

Castle nodded slowly in gradual understanding, his eyes flicking over the various colors adorning his daughter's work area.

"So you decided to turn your desk into the Rainbow Road to the Wizard of A's?" he said, laughing at his own joke as he stood slowly, Alexis following. They began to head slowly out into the hall then down the stairs, the conversation not pausing for many moments.

"Well, I take it you like your new tutor," Castle added, an arm curling around the young girl's shoulders, their pace slow as they headed to the lower level.

"Yeah, she's really nice," Alexis began, "her name's Abigail Winters. She's 22 and she's in the FBI."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"That's so cool!"

"And she's really smart, even though she never went to college –"

"Wait, she what?" Castle interrupted, his tone changing from childish to concerned, "Sweetie, are you sure it's beneficial to have a tutor who is only six years younger than you and never went to college?"

Taking her place at the kitchen island while her father began organizing food, Alexis was quick to defend.

"Well, she started but dropped out because she wanted to be a special agent," she explained, "she wanted to do something other than sit behind a desk and argue all day."

"I guess that's fair, but still," Castle continued, his tone still demeaning as he sauntered about the kitchen, "I think I should meet this young woman."

"She invited me out to coffee for a study date after school next week," Alexis started, "I have a revision quiz for one of my classes she's going to help me prepare for – you could meet her then."

"That sounds like a great idea, but you know what else sounds good?" he asked, his manner changing back to the adolescence it was before.

Shaking her head, Alexis began to grin at the excitable look on her father's face; in instances like these, it usually meant some wild idea was flowing through his head at an unmistakable speed.

"Microwave popcorn!"

X X X X X

Abi sighed as she headed into her apartment that evening. Reflecting on the day, it had been long, jumbled and tiring. There was nothing more she wanted right now than a warm bath, a good book and then her comfy old bed.

But first, she had to ring Barb.

Taking the handset from the kitchen counter, she kicked off her shoes as she dialed her old landline up in Rockland, listening to the dial tone as she flicked on the muted television.

"Hello?"

"Hey Barb!"

"Abigail, darling, how are you?" asked Barb, the phone squished between her ear and shoulder as she wiped the flour from her hands to better grasp the phone.

"Goodie gumdrops, I'd say," Abi began, "but it's been a long, cantankerous one this darn day. It just won't end!"

Chuckling, Barb shook her head absent-mindedly at the young girl, "Let me guess, bath, book and bed?"

"You know me too well."

"I only raised you!"

"Since I was a wee little pre-teen with gangly legs and too long hair!"

Sharing a quick moment of laughter, Abi stood, flicking off the television as she headed for the bedroom. It was still early, only 8:30pm, but she felt as though she'd been awake for days. Oh wait, she kind of had.

"Is that case you're working nearly done?" Barb asked, wandering aimlessly about the living room of her house, gazing out the window at the only street light that worked.

"No, but we have no leads," Abi explained, the frustration evident in her voice, "and it's not getting any easier the longer it drags on."

"Don't worry, sweetie, you'll catch this guy."

"God, I hope so."

"Well get some rest, silly!" Barb chortled, "If you're anything like you were to get up for school, you should have been in bed hours ago!"

"I think my tutoree may have been less than impressed if I'd curled up on her couch to nap," Abi added, her smile from a second ago spreading into laughter, "but it was a pretty tempting idea."

"Of course, you started tutoring that young girl, what was her name? Uh, Alexis, was it?"

"Yeah, Alexis," Abi mused, pulling her hair from its braid and dragging her pajamas from under her pillow, "she's a really great kid. Kinda reminds me of me when I was almost 16."

"God help you!"

"Hey!"

"I tell only truth!"

"Lies!"

"Never!"

"Always!"

"Oh shush you!"

"Never!"

"Go to bed, sleepyhead!"

"And don't forget your good friend Ted!"

"Hmm, yes, Ted is looking a little lonely these days," Barb added, chuckling as she moved from the window and made for the stairs, "so is Dale, I think he needs someone to take him to the baseball."

"Ooh, challenge accepted!" Abi exclaimed, laughing exuberantly, "I just don't know when, what with work and tutoring and Josh and…"

"Sweetie, you need some daddy-daughter time."

Abi felt her breath hitch for moment, the sensation as odd as it was audible.

"Okay, sorry, poor choice of words, but you know what I mean," Barb said, "you two were crazy close, and he's not been right with you since you came home-"

"Barb, it was a one in a million thing," Abi reiterated, "he needs to accept that what happened happened, and this is what I do."

"Doesn't mean he's going to like it," Barb added, "and with that baseball date, don't worry about Cris, I can have him for the day –"

"Barb, I can't expect you to always step in like that –"

"He calls me Nana, how could I turn away adorableness like that?"

"It's because you give him treats all the time!"

"Isn't that the staple of grandparent duties?" Barb added, smirking to herself, "Besides, it's interesting to watch you cope with the aftermath of a two year old on a sugar rush."

"You sound like his pre-school teacher!"

"Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Nope, but it's past yours!"

"That it is!" Barb said, chuckling, "Well look, good luck with work and don't lead that young Alexis astray, will you."

"I would never do such a thing!" Abi conceded, playful hurt emitting through her tone, "I'm a charming young lady!"

"Sometimes," Barb agreed, "but in all honesty, I think you'd make a great role model for any young girl. And I mean that, Abigail."

A moment of silence erupted, so loud it was deafening to Abi and caused all her movement to cease for the moment.

"Well, I have you to thank for the influence, I suppose," Abi added awkwardly, leaving her room to switch off the apartment lights and leave out a note for Josh.

"I can only take half the credit."

"Barb."

"Yes, alright, sorry sweetheart," Barb apologized, "I'll talk to you tomorrow night?"

"Of course," Abi agreed, returning to her room, "Talk then."

"Good night, Abigail."

"Night."

The dial tone sounded as Abi lowered the receiver to stare into it for a moment. The nightly ritual of calling Barb had resulted in an unplanned yet inescapable second one that she couldn't bear to part with. With no one around to hear, and the end call button firmly pressed, the young woman sighed as she held onto the phone, climbing timidly into bed fully clothed like she often did. Giving the offensive contraption one last look, she sighed, placing it down and staring for one moment more before she switched off the lamp.

"I love you, Mom."

X X X X X

So, Beckett-less chapter (more difficult than I ever thought it could be!). But, I hope you enjoyed the Alexis scenes, as well as the new character. Of course, every character has their past and problems, so I hope you all have wonderful questions and insights to leave me in reviews about Miss Abigail Winters!

Kayla x

P.s. if it's an epiphany about character, and you feel it inappropriate to leave in a review, just PM me, I always answer (: