AN: A miracle has happened! I finished another chapter! It's amazing! (For me anyway. Bad habit of procrastinating) Must have been all those wonderful reviews I got! I can't promise to have another chapter out this fast, but reviews do help speed up the writing process XD

I do NOT own Castle!

Kate and Alexis talked for a little longer, discussing their carefully laid plans to break Alexis from the confines of the summer program. Once the details were straight, Kate told Alexis to start packing her stuff and then they said their goodbyes with promises to put their plan into action around noon the next day.

Once they finally hung up, Kate got out of the bath and tried to ignore that she looked like a giant prune, minus the purple color of course.

Feeling extremely relaxed after talking to Alexis, Kate slipped into an old tee shirt and underwear then immediately got into bed. Normally, it took her a long time to go to sleep as she was one of those people who couldn't get their minds to turn off when it was time to sleep, but tonight she was asleep soon after her head hit the pillow.

Everywhere she looked, it was dark. She could barely see her hand in front of her face and it scared her. There was no sound, no light, it was just empty. So she ran, and ran, until she couldn't run anymore. Just when she thought she would collapse from exhaustion, she saw a light ahead and pressed on. As she got closer, the light began to take the shape of a man and as the details became clearer, it turned out to be a very familiar man.

"Castle!" She yelled out to the figure, and he turned around and gave her one of his brilliant smiles. She felt her face moving to mirror his in a wide grin as she was almost close enough to reach him. She reached out a hand to touch his arm but he suddenly disappeared and reappeared further away from her. Every time she would get close, he would move farther back and each time his face seemed to fall until finally it looked like he just had his heart broken into a thousand pieces.

She pushed forward more, pushing herself even faster in order to reach him. She got close enough to touch him and instead of disappearing this time, he turned around and started walking away. She yelled out to him again, but he just kept walking and even though he was walking and she was running, she couldn't catch up to him. She watched with a horrid fascination as the figure of a woman with blonde started appearing next to him, linking their arms together.

They turned back towards her, waved happily at her then they turned around and started walking away again.

"No! Castle! Wait!" Using what seemed to be the last of her strength, she started into a run once more but then, she was falling.

Kate hit the floor with a thud and a curse as her hand hit her bedside table on the way down.

"Ow, I haven't fallen off the bed in years." She mumbled to herself as she stood up and sat back down on the bed, thinking about her dream. But, it didn't take long before a subconscious glance at the clock had her propelling herself off the bed, and into the shower, so she wouldn't be late picking Alexis up.

It took a while to get to the college where the summer program was being held at, but since Kate left early, she was able to make it right on time. Despite all their planning, the plan was really simple. Kate would go in and talk to the head of the program and simply tell her that Alexis couldn't stay for the rest of the program. If the head made a big deal out of it she would use the old "sick family member" card. And if that didn't work, she would pull out her badge and try not to feel bad about abusing her power.

As her luck would have it, Kate ended up parking on the wrong side of campus and ended up having to walk all around the campus until she finally found the main office, who then told her that the head of the program was actually in another building in the middle of the campus.

By the time she finally found the building, she prayed that the head was inside and that she would be in a cooperative mood because Kate was hot, sweaty, and tired from her trek throughout the campus. The place was freaking huge! Plus, it was the start of June and already blistering outside.

Despite all the trouble it took actually finding the head, she turned out to be a nice woman that didn't ask too many questions. Within five minutes, a call was going out over the building's intercom announcing that Alexis needed to come to the lobby because her 'mother' was there to pick her up. Kate thought about correcting the woman, but figured that would just cause her to ask questions that Kate really didn't feel like answering right now. Plus, that would involve telling them why Alexis wanted to go home, and she promised that she wouldn't do that.

Within a few minutes, Alexis was heading down one of the staircases in the building, heading straight for Kate.

"What are you doing here, mother?" They shared a look, and a grin, without the head of the program seeing.

"Sorry honey, but I'm afraid that you won't get to stay for the rest of the program, something came up." Alexis pretended to think about it for a minute then replied. "Aw, I was looking forward to it too."

Kate just shrugged then turned to the head, asking what they needed to do before they could leave. The head told Alexis to go ahead and go pack up her stuff then bring her the key when she had all of her stuff out, and told Kate to follow her to sign some papers.

Papers were handed to Kate one after another and she signed them all quickly, then got up to go help Alexis 'pack' but she was stopped by the head of the program's voice.

"Kate… Beckett? Not Castle?"

It was times like these that Kate greatly appreciated her ability to quickly think on her feet.

"It is my maiden name. I've grown attached to it and couldn't bear to change it." The head deemed this a perfectly acceptable explanation and sent Kate on her way with directions to the dorms. Another few minutes had her knocking on Alexis' dorm door, which was opened quickly. Kate took a quick look around the room then raised an eyebrow at her.

"Done packing already?"

Alexis rolled her eyes in true Beckett fashion before replying. "Yes, mother."

"Hey! I didn't have a chance to correct her before she was broadcasting it all over the building."

"Guess it saved you having to answer quite a few questions though huh?"

"Yup, now… Why don't you go ahead and start taking this stuff downstairs while I go find where I parked the car and bring it over here? I kind of parked a ways away."

Alexis nodded her agreement, then Kate left to begin the journey to find her car.

Hours later, the two were happily singing to the songs on the radio as they got closer and closer to home. It was only when Kate pulled into her parking space at her apartment that she realized they had a little problem.

"Alexis? We didn't exactly think this through last night did we?"

Alexis turned in her seat to look at Kate. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I remember when I was your age, I was always so excited when my parents would leave, and I would get the house to myself, but after a few days, the excitement wears off… And you would be staying by yourself all summer if I took you back to Castle's apartment."

Realization dawned on Alexis and she sunk down in her chair a bit while staring at her hands that were in her lap. "Yeah…"

Kate looked at her and knew that the girl probably wouldn't even like the prospect of staying alone for a few days, let alone the whole summer.

"Well, you could stay with me… It would be a little cramped though, since it's a small apartment."

Alexis' head shot up at that. "You already helped me escape from the summer program, I can't do that!"

"I wouldn't feel right knowing that you were over there alone anyway, but if you really don't want to, then I won't make you."

"But… Wouldn't I be a bother to you?"

Kate couldn't help as an unladylike snort escaped from her without permission. "Oh please, I was roommates with Lanie, in what normal people would probably consider a closet, during college. I think I can survive."

Alexis laughed at that, but couldn't help making sure one more time. "Are you sure?"

"Yup, now let's get all your bags inside. You know… I'd be surprised if there was anything left in your room at all! Did you really need to take all that with you?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

AN: Yeesh, I didn't mean for her dream to last that long but it just didn't want to end lol! Oh and that little bit about being roommates with Lanie? Just something I have been thinking about for a while. I thought it would be neat if they had been roommates in college but I doubt thats actually true.

Suggestions for things you would like to see them do over the course of the summer are very welcome and will more than likely be used if I can fit them in!

Reviews are like yummy little shot glasses filled with pure caffeine, they help get things done! (and make me one very happy writer.)