Author's note: I wasn't sure how this chapter was going to go. I strongly feel that Alexis would have a lot of resentment towards Beckett, for all the times she's kept Castle running around after her without reciprocating his feelings. She also probably resents Beckett for the danger her father is put in, but that's really his own choice.

Alexis idolises her dad, and presumably thinks that he's done more than enough to deserve the affections of any woman, particularly Beckett after all they've been through. So, I think that her response to Beckett would be suspicious and frosty at best - at least to start with. This is how it played out.

"Well, I'm going to retire for the evening," Martha said, setting her wine glass down on the coffee table. "I have an early start tomorrow. I had to move my pedicure appointment to make time for a lunch date."

Castle shook his head ever so slightly, but his smile was good-natured. "Goodnight, mother," he said.

"Night, darling," Martha replied. "Goodnight, Katherine."

Beckett smiled. "Goodnight, Martha."

Martha leaned over to kiss Alexis on the forehead, then headed off towards the staircase.

It was just after 10PM. They had spent the evening in comfortable companionship, sharing wine and the occasional anecdote – mostly from Martha about Castle's younger years, to Alexis's endless amused fascination. Beckett did indeed have dessert, and she was glad of it.

The TV was showing a summary of the news, and the volume was so low that the newscasters's voices were only a mumble. Beckett was still sitting right beside Castle on one section of the couch, her forearm looped into his elbow and her other hand clasping his forearm. He would occasionally lean down and make some remark to her, and she looked up at him every time.

She was aware that Alexis was paying close attention to them, and for the twentieth time that evening she felt a twist of nervousness. She knew intuitively that the girl had reservations about her, and she also sensed that she was still on shaky ground with Castle, and that Alexis held a lot of influence over his opinions. He loved and trusted his daughter above all others.

And his trust for me is still… damaged, she thought.

She felt like she was walking a tightrope here, despite the cosy setting and the appearance of being relaxed. There was so much to gain, but also everything to lose. She felt exposed, and unprepared. She shifted even closer to Castle, tightening her grip on his arm.

He felt the movement, his eyes drifting from the TV but not quite reaching her. Insight flashed into his keen mind.

She's nervous because we're alone with Alexis now, he thought. A small part of him felt a sort of mean-spirited pride, but only for a moment. He understood that if this was to work, they would both have to help each other – and right now, Beckett needed more help than he did.

They're going to have to talk to each other about this sometime, he thought, his eyes flicking over towards his daughter who was playing with her phone. Might as well be sooner rather than later.

He lifted a hand to rest on top of Beckett's on his arm, letting the warmth of his palm seep into her surprisingly chilly fingers. She looked up at him so gratefully that his breath caught in his throat for an instant. He smiled and returned his eyes to the TV for several seconds before gently patting her hand twice in quick succession.

"Bathroom break," he said, beginning to sit forward. He felt her hand drop away, and he glanced back at her, seeing how much her expression had changed. Her eyes were bright but a little too wide, and her mouth was a thin line of barely-concealed anxiety.

He stood up, noticing that Alexis was now looking quickly between him and Beckett, and in that moment he made a decision.

"And I almost forgot: I need to just quickly email something to Black Pawn. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He turned to smile at Beckett, and saw her brave attempt to return the smile. He also saw the tension in her jaw, and the way she was resolutely not allowing her gaze to flick over towards his daughter.

She's trying, he thought. Hard. And it's not easy for her.

She would sit there and wait for him to come back, dealing with whatever Alexis might – or might not – say. Even a silence would be difficult, and he knew very well how women could injure each other with little more than a shift in tone, or a subtle glance. His daughter was fiercely protective of him, and Beckett was both guilty and vulnerable. In many ways, she was in the lion's den tonight. But she came of her own free will.

At least I can offer her some protection, he thought, then he leaned over towards her, seeing the momentary confusion on her face just before her eyes fluttered shut as his hand gently cradled her jaw.

The kiss was brief but tender, and she immediately had to hold back tears – of relief, gratitude, and love for this man who she had so very nearly lost, and still might. She reached up and pressed her palm against his cheek.

He pulled back and her eyes opened, and he could see the moisture of unshed tears there.

"Back soon," he said, and she nodded, all at once understanding what he was doing.

If you want your daughter and I to talk tonight, that's what we'll do, she thought. She instantly missed his warmth and dreaded how this next conversation might go, but she knew exactly how important it was to him.

She reached out and snagged his hand before he could leave, squeezing his fingers in a silent message that wasn't just for Alexis's benefit. He smiled at her again, then he walked through to his office, letting the door close behind him.

She took another quick sip of wine before adjusting her position on the couch and turning towards Alexis.

"Thanks again for dinner. I appreciate you having me over," she said, with a small smile, and the girl looked over at her. A beat of silence passed.

"You're welcome," Alexis said. "Dad seems glad that you're here."

Beckett's eyes flicked down to her own hands, clasped in her lap. Point: Alexis, she thought, taking a measured breath.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking back up at the girl. Alexis wore a wary and confused expression.

"For… everything that's happened," Beckett added. "With your dad and I."

Alexis shifted in her seat, glancing towards the office door for a moment. "That's between you and him," she said.

"I've hurt you too," Beckett replied. "Whenever I've hurt him. Because you love him."

Alexis's brow pinched, and Beckett swallowed nervously at the sudden flash of anger she saw in the girl's eyes. It reminded her of the day outside the bank.

"Yes, I do," Alexis replied icily. "And I've had to watch him get hurt. Over and over again."

Beckett flushed, again feeling tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"But now you're here, again," Alexis continued, her voice quiet and deadly. "Do you understand what you're doing, Detective? Do you know what it'll do to him if you decide you're still not ready, and you push him away again?"

Beckett's head snapped up, the shock clearly written on her face. "I'm not going to–"

"Do you understand what you have?" Alexis asked, her eyes glittering.

A small part of Beckett's mind was actually proud of the girl. Castle, with all of his own loyalty and love, deserved such a fearless defender. The thought caused tears to finally spill down her cheeks.

Alexis saw the streaks of liquid on Beckett's face, and she paused for a moment, but she was determined to say what was on her mind.

"It's actually worse because you know him. He spends almost all his time with you. So it's not about the money, or the cars, or being in the papers, like it is with… some of… those women." She said these last words with distaste, and a string of interchangeable blonde heads flashed through Beckett's mind before she pushed the images away. She didn't have time to say anything before Alexis continued.

"You actually know how… how kind he is. And how sweet he can be. How generous, and smart, and how he loves people and… god, any little thing that catches his interest, and how he can forgive just about anyone, for anything. You know how he sees the world, not like it is, but like a kid sees it. You know what an incredible man he is! And you know how to disappoint him."

Beckett felt the remark cut into her like a knife, and she swiped away another tear, forcing herself to listen and to endure the young woman's anger.

"You had him walking into that precinct for years, smiling that smile he has – like every day is a brand new adventure – and the only reason he went was to see you. Just to be near you."

Beckett nodded slowly. There was no sense in denying the truth of it.

"And I got to see him come home without that smile, more times than I want to remember," Alexis said, and this time Beckett's heart lurched because she could hear pain in the girl's voice too.

"I am so sorry, Alexis," she said, her voice wavering as more tears slid down her cheeks. "You're right to feel this way. Anyone would. And believe me, no-one hates me more for this than I do."

"Easy to say," Alexis said. Beckett felt another knife wound. "But what matters is what you're going to do about it, because he's obviously giving you yet another chance."

Beckett opened her mouth, but the girl spoke again before she could say a word.

"I'm warning you–"

"Alexis, listen to me," Beckett interrupted, noting the girl's look of surprise with a small jab of satisfaction. Alexis sighed, and folded her arms, but she didn't look away.

"I'm not sure I can ever apologise enough, either to your father or to you, but I am truly sorry for the hurt I've caused both of you. I know exactly how incredible a man he is, and how lucky I am to have him in my life. That's why I begged him to give me one last chance."

She took a steadying breath and continued.

"I know that I've lost his trust, and yours. I know I might not be able to fix that, but I'm going to try. I need to try. He's the most important person in my life, and I almost lost him because I was too scared to tell him that."

Alexis was looking at her cautiously, analysing every word.

"Your father… he saved me. Not just once or twice. And not just literally and physically – but he's done those things too. God, I can't even start to think about what I owe him. He brought me back. He made me see my life in a new way. He brought me out into the open. He saved me from myself."

"That's what he does," Alexis replied. "That's how he loves."

Beckett blinked. The concise efficiency and profound truth of the statement stunned her. You're definitely his daughter.

"And that's why I'm in love with him," she replied. "More than I've ever been in love with anyone before. More than I even knew I could be. And I am so, so terrified of losing him, Alexis, because I can't even imagine my life anymore without him in it."

It was Alexis's turn to be stunned into silence. She saw the tears rolling down the other woman's cheeks, and heard the emotion behind her words.

"You're… in love with him?"

Beckett nodded.

"For how long?"

"I don't know. A long time. Longer than you probably think. Longer than I was willing to admit to myself."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Does he know?" Alexis asked.

"Of course," Beckett replied, immediately regretting her choice of words. Nothing could be assumed. "I've told him. Several times actually."

Alexis lowered her gaze to the floor, deep in thought. This news changed things, though she was still reluctant to believe Beckett's words. She could see that this was a new, tentative side of the hard-nosed detective, and she could hear the raw truth in her voice. She clearly did understand that she was so very close to losing him, and the thought of it seemed to terrify her.

"And this isn't just about the work you do together," Alexis said. It wasn't really a question, but Beckett shook her head vigorously.

"No," she replied. "I love having him with me at work, and he helps us so much, but if he wanted to quit coming to the precinct tomorrow, I… I could be OK with that. I'd miss him every day, but I could live with it as long I can be with him outside of work."

She took a calming breath and clasped her hands together in her lap, looking over at the girl.

"I know we've got a long road ahead – your dad and I, and also you and I – but you need to know that I love him. I'm not running away from that anymore. And I'm not going to give up on this. I can't. So I'm going to be around, and I really hope that one day I can earn your trust again."

Alexis listened to every word, not looking away for even a moment.

"There's no-one more important to your dad than you are, and there's no-one more important to me than your dad is. So I'm going to keeping trying, and I hope that you'll let me – because I care a lot about you too."

Beckett felt completely drained from the encounter, but she kept her eyes on the girl, gentle but firm.

After several seconds, Alexis dropped her gaze, picking at a thread on her jeans. "He gets insecure, you know," she said at last. "About… how people feel about him. He always has. Even since before mom, I think."

Beckett listened in silence, barely even daring to breathe. She knew that this was a gesture of some kind.

"It'll help if you show him," Alexis continued. "How you feel, I mean. Otherwise he's always going to wonder. He gets tied up in knots about it. I think… he'll be even worse with you, after everything."

You've got that right, Beckett thought.

"I will," she replied. "I'm trying to. And thank you."

Alexis nodded, without looking up.

There was silence for almost half a minute, then Alexis spoke again.

"I don't like what you've done to him," she said. "But… I've always liked you. You just don't make it easy."

Beckett felt a lump rise in her throat. That's a start, I think.

"I'm trying to be better," she said, and this time Alexis did look up at her. "I swear I am."

Less than a minute later, the handle of the door to the office clicked softly, the door swung open, and Castle walked back through to the living room area.

"All done," he said, trying to be as casual as possible as he looked between the two most important women in his life.

He could see the tell-tale signs that Beckett had been upset, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he sat down beside her, and their hands met immediately, with hers grasping his like a lifeline.

Alexis watched them for a moment, then she stood up. "I think I'm going to turn in too," she said. "And give you two some time together."

Castle smiled at his daughter, who came over and kissed him on the cheek. He stole a peck on the tip of her nose. "Goodnight, pumpkin," he said, drawing a smile from her that made her seem much younger than she was.

Alexis straightened up then looked at Beckett. Her body language was cautious, but when she spoke her tone had changed from earlier. It no longer had an edge of accusation and anger.

"Goodnight, Detective Beckett," she said. "It's… good to see you back here again."

"Goodnight Alexis," Beckett replied, smiling at the girl. She didn't trust herself to say anything more.

Alexis gave her father another smile, and then went upstairs.

Both of them instinctively waited until they heard Alexis's footsteps recede and then the click of a door closing, before they turned to each other.

Castle's eyes roamed over her face, taking in the recently-made wet tracks down her cheeks and the slightly dilated pupils. The only things he felt were concern, and a deep love for this woman, still held back by his own uncertainty.

"I hope she wasn't too hard on you," he said, and she gave a shuddering sigh.

"Not hard enough," she replied. "But you were right to give her a chance to say what was on her mind."

He nodded, considering the thought for a moment.

"And how did it go?" he asked, not sure what kind of answer he was expecting.

"It was… a start," she said, knowing it was the only true response she could give him.

"Mm," he replied. "Give her some time."

Beckett nodded, suddenly feeling emotionally exhausted. He seemed to sense it, glancing down at her again, then after a moment he lifted an arm and draped it around her shoulders.

She turned towards him immediately and curled her body into his, her arms snaking around his waist and his other arm coming across his body to hold her against his chest.

"We can still do this, can't we?" she whispered, her breath tickling his chest through the buttons of his shirt. She felt his arms tighten around her.

A moment later, she felt his lips press gently against her hair at the crown of her head.

"I think so," he said.