Another chapter! Once again, thanks for all the amazing reviews. They keep me going. I really love hearing your opinions!

Here's another one. (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. If I did, it would be a year-round show.

Btw, my feelings on the season finale = mind. blown.

Be looking for a What Happens After fic from me in the very near future!

By the time Alexis had reached her house, she was calm again and the guilt was starting to set in.

She knew she shouldn't have meddled, knew she probably shouldn't have reacted the way she did…and yet…

She wasn't sorry. It was her dad, and her dad hadn't done a thing to deserve what Beckett did.

Sighing, Alexis dropped her books off in her room, and then went to find her father. "Dad?" She called through a seemingly empty house. She stopped and listened, and heard nothing.

Slowly, she moved through the house, straining to hear any movement. "Dad?" She tried again.

This time, a slightly muffled voice responded, "In here!" from behind a door.

Alexis frowned. He was in his study…but she hadn't heard any typing. Uh-oh. She thought, walking towards the door. Lightly she turned the knob and peeked inside.

"Hey." Castle said, forcing a mini-smile.

"Hey." Alexis said, smiling at him sweetly. She walked further into the study. "What are you doing?"

"Contemplating ways to kill off Nikki Heat." He replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Alexis caught the hurt in her dad's eyes. "You okay?"

Castle gave another shrug, and gave another attempt at a smile. "I will be."

Alexis looked worriedly at him.

"Come here." Castle said, waving her over.

Alexis made her way through the study and sat down on her dad's lap. "I worry about you, Dad." She said, laying her head on his shoulder.

Castle gave a chuckle. "You do realize it should be me saying that, don't you?'

"We're just cooler than everyone else." She replied with a nudge.

Castle laughed again and hugged her.

Alexis stayed silent for a while, and then sighed.

"Something wrong?"

Alexis straightened herself, supporting herself by putting her arms around her dad's neck. "I ran into her at the coffee shop…"

Castle looked confused. "Who?"

Alexis gave him a look.

"Right." Castle said, his expression dimming. "Beckett."

Alexis nodded, and there was another brief pause.

"And?" Castle prompted.

"And…I may have slapped her." Alexis grimaced.

"Y-you, wha-?" Castle stammered. "Let me get this straight. You, Alexis Elizabeth Castle, slapped Detective Katherine Marie Beckett?"

Alexis nodded. "In the face." She added quietly, preparing to get in trouble.

To her surprise, Castle started laughing. Loudly.

Only later would she realize that his reaction shouldn't have shocked her at all.

"No! Stop laughing!" Alexis commanded.

Castle stifled his laughter behind a barely disguised grin.

Alexis lowered her voice. "I assaulted a police officer!"

Castle laughed again, unable to help himself. The sight of his so-old-in-many-ways daughter before him, claiming to have assaulted an officer, made him laugh. "This isn't going to be another one of those things where you ground yourself is it?"

Alexis looked at him almost sheepishly. "I should be punished."

"Trust me, if Beckett was really offended she would have arrested you." He hesitated. "But she wouldn't do that to you anyway."

She simply shrugged. "She deserved it."

Castle smiled genuinely at her. "Still feel like you need punishment?"

She twisted up her mouth. "Not so much."

He studied Alexis for a moment. "Why did you do it?"

She was afraid he was going to ask that. Alexis considered how to put it. "Because she hurt you." She said, looking at her hands. "And you're my dad, and that's not okay…especially not in the way she did it." She gave a short, humorless laugh. "And…" she said, looking at him again. "You weren't the only one she hurt."

Castle looked at her quizzically. "Care to elaborate."

"I don't know." Alexis said, looking back at her hands. "I just kinda felt like we all went nice together, you know? You, grandma, Detective Beckett and me. Like we were a…" she trailed off.

"A family?" Castle supplied.

"Yeah." Alexis said, nodding. "A family." She smiled sadly.

He looked sympathetically at her.

She shook her head. "This all sounds so juvenile."

"You are a juvenile." He reminded her.

Alexis laughed shortly, and then fell silent once more. "She didn't just walk out on you." She said quietly.

"I know." Castle said. "She left all of us, and I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" She asked.

"Because I'm the one who brought her around. I'm the one who was shadowing her, I'm the one who chose to write a book about her." Castle motioned around the room.

"Dad it's not your fault." Alexis comforted him. "She was cool until she went psycho."

Her dad shook his head. "What am I going to do now?"

"Hmmm…" Alexis thought. "Write about a certain British spy?"

Castle's face brightened. "I could call Gina and see if the spots' still open…" he mused.

Alexis smiled.

"Up, up, up." He patted her back to get her to get up. When she did, he picked up the phone and she began to walk to the door. "From here on out, you're my new writing inspiration." He said with a laugh.

Alexis left feeling pleased with herself. Who needed Beckett anyway?

Not them, she decided.

I really love writing Alexis and Castle. (: They're so sweet.

Plus, I'm pretty 100% that Alexis is my favorite character.

Anyway, not much drama in this one, just a daughter cheering up her father. But it's set up for the rest, not just a filler. Promise!

Review = smile. And honestly, who doesn't love smiles?

Btw, this was all written a few days ago, and never got uploaded to the story by accident. Sorry!