Authors Note: I'm really happy with the way this story is going! I hope you guys are enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. You guys are seriously awesome.
This chapter is kinda long compared to the others, and I think you guys are going to get a kick out of it.

Missed my Friday update, I apologize, but Finals have been totally stressing me out. For those of you who follow my twitter(xoMacie) you;ll know I have had this typed up for while, but I haven't really been online long enough to upload it.

Also, I split the chapter in two so it isn't super long. I'll post the other half later in the week.

Remember that thing I said before..? About time skipping? Well, this is one of those chapters. Skips a month into the future, and no one has let any secrets spill.. yet.

Enjoy!

Alexis flipped her hair over her shoulder, grabbing a manilla folder off her desk and handing it to the blonde woman standing next to her desk.

"This is all the work you requested." She told her, handing her the folder.

"Thank you, Ms. Castle. I'm sure Dave won't be too happy about having to do work while we're on out vacation, but we have a long flight and a layover in Denver, so maybe he won't be bored." Alexis nodded and stood up.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hunter. I hope you guys have an excellent trip." Alexis walked over to her classroom door, propping it open with the black door stopper.

"Thank you again, Ms. Castle" Mrs. Hunter said, walking out of the classroom. Alexis sighed, walking over to her computer and turning on her smart board. In a few seconds a few pictures appeared, one of a book, a music note, and a pencil.

She had stated a thing with her class, because they weren't readers yet and wouldn't know what "penmanship" or "music appreciation", even "reader response" meant, she would use pictures to show them their morning schedule.

She sat down at her desk, pulling her phone out. She had ten minutes until school started, and all the students were outside on the playground. She made sure her phone was on vibrate before putting it back in her desk drawer.

A few minutes later, her little group of kindergartners starting walking in with their friends. Hardly any of them were still friends with the "recess buddies" she had assigned the first day of school. Abigale and Aliannah were an exception, as well as Vanessa, Thomas and Destiny.

When the bell rang signaling the start of school, it took a minute for the hallways to get quieter, because of the upper-school grade students who found it cool to be late for class at the start of the week.

Alexis began her class by having them sit on the carpet in the front of the class. She handed them all printed out copies of a story that she found online, and had them each try to read a sentence. Some read better than others did, some couldn't read the first word. But they were all improving.

After she finished her reading session, she had them line up and she took them to the gym, where the other kindergarten classes were sitting on the floor, talking loudly. She sat her class where there was a strip of tape labeled "Castle", letting her know that that was were they were supposed to be sitting.

In about five minutes, the Junior High music director Daniel Kay walked in with a large black bag. He told the teachers that were all lined against the wall, that they were welcome to leave, and he had the students under-control.

Alexis walked back to her classroom. She wouldn't have the students until after noon-recess, because straight from music they'd be going to lunch. They had a school-wide assembly after all the grades were finished with their lunch, so she had a ton of time to get the rest of the school week planned out.

It was 1:30 when she had her students line up with their book-bags, and she led them down to the auditorium. The assembly was with a group of New York City officials. There was going to be some paramedics, doctors, some traffic officers, paramedics, and she believed that there were going to be some detectives from the 5th there as well.

They were going to be addressing what they do, why it's important, and, mostly for the older grade students, how they can get involved and volunteer with the community.

Alexis smiled as she walked back to her classroom, it was 3:00, it took twenty minutes to clear all the students out of the auditorium, and after that she, along with a couple of other teachers stayed to talk to the people holding the assembly. It was then that a lot of the teachers, as well as the officials were there, learned that Alexis had connections to the NYPD, not only through her Dad, which they already knew, but that she was dating one of the detectives. Alexis was smart enough to not tell them who, but they assumed it was one of the newer detectives.

She turned the light on to her classroom and walked over to her desk, picking up her things and walking back out, making sure that her door was locked. She pulled her phone out of her bag as she walked out to her car, dialing Detective Ryan's number.

It took four rings for him to answer, she couldn't help but smile when she heard his "Ryan" on the other end.

"So I was thinking earlier about something." told him, putting her bag and laptop case in the back of her car and closing her door.

"about what exactly?" she could have sworn that she hears Esposito in the background asking who he was talking to, but she might have just been going crazy.

"My Dad."

"Oh."

"I promised Kate that I would tell him soon, and that was a month ago. I can't ask her to keep a secret from him, starting a marriage off with a secret isn't good. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that's why my parents broke up."

"I understand, she's been giving me weird looks lately when ever Espo asks why they haven't met my girlfriend yet."

"Should we tell them?"

"I think it would be wise."

"When?"

"Tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tonight would probably be best. Tomorrow I might loose my nerve." She started her car, making sure that the heat was on low.

"So, should I come over then?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later, I got some butt-kissing to do. Gonna clean the loft spotless."

"Have fun with that."

"Alright, bye." she said with a chuckle before hanging up.

It took her two hours to clean the loft. It was now five-thirty, she had dinner in the oven, and had called her dad to let him know not to eat before he got home, and that he needed to be home before six, because she was gonna introduce him to her boyfriend tonight.

Her Dad walked inside and she was sitting at the counter, grading her students penmanship papers.

"Hey, Pumpkin. What's for dinner?" he asked her with a kiss on her forehead.

"Lasagna." she told him with a smile.

"So, what time is the boy coming over?" he asked her as the door opened again, this time Detective Beckett walking in.

"Hum," she checked the time on her phone before answering. "'bout twenty minutes." she told him with a smile.

"Alright then."

"So, I wanted to talk to you two about something before he gets here.." she told her Dad and Kate, not looking up.

"and what would that be?" the detective asked her.

"I'm twenty-one now, I have a great job and everything, I think it might be time for me to you know.. get my own apartment." she looked up for a second, to see a shocked look on her Dad's face. "and by myself. Not with my boyfriend. That would be a little much to tell you in one night." she chuckled, walking over to the fridge and taking out a bag of salad.

"Well, I guess you are right." Castle said sitting down in the stool where she was sitting.

They didn't say anything for another fifteen minutes, Alexis was busy in the kitchen, making sure that there wasn't anything that shouldn't be there in the food. When she heard a knock on the door, she sighed, biting her lip. It was too late to go back now. She looked over to Kate with a look that Kate understood. She nodded, and walked over to the door, opening it.

Before they came back, Alexis ran over to her Dad, turning his around and shoving him to the couch so that his back was to the door. She suddenly felt a ton of butterflies come to her stomach. She was definitely not ready to do this, but she knew she couldn't wait any longer.

"Okay, Dad, you have to promise not to freak out when you see him."

"but I'm your Dad, it's my job to freak out and go all crazy on your boyfriend." he replied with a slightly pouty expression.

"No, Dad. Not this time."

He nodded. She took a deep breath and motioned to have Kate come back in.

Alexis took a deep breath as she told her dad to stand up and turn around. When he did, Alexis buried her head in her hands, Castle standing there with a shocked expression on his face.

"You?" he asked him, slight anger in his tone.

"Uhm, me." Ryan replied, trying his hardest not to stutter.

"Okay, as fun as this is. I think Alexis doesn't want the food she made to not be eaten, so we can go over and eat, and Rick can do his whole Daddy speech then, okay?"

"You just want the food." Rick mumbled, walking over and sitting on one of stools by the counter.

Beckett shrugged as she walked over to the kitchen. Alexis took a breath, glanced over at Detective Ryan and followed her Dad and Beckett.

They ate in silence, except for Kate's attempts at making small talk. Castle kept glaring at Ryan and Alexis. When they finished eating, Kate put her napkin on her plate and sighed loudly.

"Alright, this silence is really bothering me. Rick, just say what you are thinking." Alexis took a deep breath and twirled her fingers in her lap.

"You wanna know what I'm thinking? I'm annoyed. I'm shocked, and I'm upset."He stood up, walking over to the sink, rinsing his plate off and sticking it into the dishwasher.

"Alexis, he's like fifteen years older than you. I don't understand.. When you left for Columbia you were still hung up on Ashley." Alexis looked down at her lap, disappointed, but not completely surprised her dad didn't approve.

"I'm shocked and upset that you didn't tell me. Lex, you're supposed to be my little girl. Why wouldn't you tell me?" he put his hands on either side of the sink and sighed.

"I can't really do my normal boyfriend talk because well, one, he's authorized to have a gun, and two, I don't want to get in trouble for threatening an officer."

Alexis stood up and walked over to her Dad, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Remember when I went to prom with Owen? How I said no matter how old I got that I would always be your little girl?"

"Some of the best words you ever said to me."

"I still mean them."

"Uhm, sorry to interrupt this adorable father daughter moment, but we are on call tomorrow, so I would appreciate it if we could you know.. hurry this father-boyfriend talk up." Kate said with a smile.

"I think Ryan knows what's gonna happen if he hurts Lex." Castle said with a shrug.

"Yeah, and I think this is now my cue to leave." Ryan said, grabbing his jacket, waving to everyone and walking out.

"So, Dad. About me moving out…"

"Seriously, can we talk about that another time? I just found out you were dating one of my friends who is fifteen years older than you. I think I've had enough for one night."

"We are going to talk about it though. I'm too old to be living with my Dad." She kissed him on the cheek and walked up the stairs to her room.

When she sat down on her bed in her white sweats and a black tank-top, she picked her phone up off the bedside table and opened her Fruit Ninja app, selecting Arcade Mode, and leaned against her head board.