Click. The soft latch released, and the door opened, bathing Kate Beckett's face in a velvety white glow. Her trained eyes traveled the depth and breadth of the box, combing the details of its contents intently as she searched for...

"Eggs! We do have eggs!" Alexis smiled and nodded her assent as Kate pulled the white carton from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter next to the box of brownie mix she had already removed from the pantry. She closed the door behind her, paused long enough to pull her long brown locks back into a ponytail, and checked her watch. Thirty minutes-Terrific Nick's had promised delivery of their pie in a half-hour, five minutes of which had expired while she gathered the necessary ingredients for the brownies. She should still have ample time to mix them, pour them, and get them into the oven, giving them time to cook and cool. They should be ready to eat as soon as they were finished with the meal. Perfect. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face, and began working on the eggs.

"How is it coming over there?" Kate asked, briefly lifting her eyes to the large, flat-screen television across the room.

"Ok, I guess. This video streaming service isn't as up-to-date as I thought it would be. But I've got our choices narrowed down to three, listed in reverse order of preference: A British Werewolf in Poughkeepsie-"

"Seen it!" Kate yelled from the kitchen. "Trust me-it's not very good. Way overrated. The makeup is terrible, and the transformation sequence is just cheesy."

"I know, right?" Alexis said, "I went with some friends last summer, and we found it completely unconvincing."

Kate chuckled as she began to stir the batter. "What else do you have?"

"Well, there's Gorebucket 2, which looks really cool, but stars Ellie Monroe-"

Pass, Kate thought, a look of total disgust passing across her face. To her credit, she kept silent; it was, after all, Alexis' choice.

"-but you're probably not interested in that one, for obvious reasons." Alexis said, as she brushed her hair away from her eyes, and turned back to the screen. "And my favorite: Surf Zombies 3: Body Surfing."

"Sounds fun to me!" Kate finished mixing the batter, then carefully poured it into the pan on top of the oven, as the latter sounded the alarm letting her know it was preheated. Kate tucked the pan carefully into the heat, closed the door, and turned to find Alexis sitting on the floor, remote in hand, looking at her. Her face now wore a more nuanced expression, one Kate couldn't quite read at first glance.

"You ok?" She asked, watching for subtle changes that might hint at Alexis' thoughts.

"Yeah. I mean, it's just been a long year, you know? My senior year, graduation, starting at Columbia-it's all been kind of a blur. And-" Alexis stopped herself mid-thought, as if she were trying to find the right words to say, but decided instead simply to shake her head and turn back toward the television. "Never mind," she offered, and proceeded to run through the ordering menu.

"No, wait a second Alexis," Kate pushed. Not too hard, she reminded herself, as she walked around the counter toward the living room. Give her some room. Kate inhaled briefly, smiled, and said, "Look, I know things have been different around here lately. I just want you to know that you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to tell. But you're welcome to tell me anything. Trust me, I can handle it. I promise."

Alexis stared straight ahead for a moment, then lowered her head as though she were deep in thought. Had Kate not known she was thinking, she could have almost believed Alexis was asleep. After several seconds, Alexis raised her head and said, "Like I said, Kate-it's been a long year. A hard year. Maybe the hardest year I've ever been through. And the truth is that senior year, graduation, starting at Columbia-all of those things, as hard as they were, were among the best parts of my life. It was the other stuff that really made life miserable for me, for Gram, and for my dad. And all of that started the year before-when you were shot."

Now it was Kate's turn to look down. She almost laughed at the thought that she could go toe-to-toe with suspects all day every day without blinking, but when placed in a difficult conversation with her boyfriend's daughter, she had trouble holding eye contact. Instinctively, she reached up to touch her scar, which always seemed to ache when someone mentioned her shooting.

"Kate, you said I could tell you anything, that you could handle it, right? Well, there's something I do need to tell you, but I need you to promise that you won't overreact. And I need you to promise that you won't tell my father." Alexis was staring directly at her now, and it was almost unnerving.

"Alexis, I-" Kate began, shaking her head slightly. Intuitively, Alexis picked up on the hesitation.

"Please promise me, Kate," she said matter-of-factly.

Kate paused for a moment to consider her next move. She was just about to respond, when the chimes of the doorbell sounded the arrival of their pizza-much earlier than expected.

Terrific, Nick, Kate thought, and walked toward the door.