A/N: Okay I have officially had the month from Hell. Not only had "Real Life" been a Buzz Kill but my computer had a minor hardware glitch (READ Massive Hardware Meltdown) so the four or so chapters I was working on just went poof into the ether. So aside from being very depressed about life in general I was "upset" at the loss of my work. I am afraid that for a little while my language was NC-17. But I am back and will try to trudge on.. (Deep Sigh). Forgiving the typos and grammar goes double because I am using word pad not Word because I have not yet gotten a chance to reinstall it. Lastly ENJOY!!!

XXIII

The Precinct

Everybody

Kate sat at her desk looking blankly toward the closed door to the break room. Esposito and Ryan had taken Castle in there about fifteen minutes ago and had closed the door. She would not put it past the trio to have started a poker game instead of making sure Rick got some sleep. Minutes later Esposito exited the room and sauntered over to Beckett.

"Out like a light." Esposito Confirmed. "Once he was out of your sight he got a lot more tractable. Apparently he feels the need to be butch in front of you."

"Thank Javier. I knew the two of you could put him to sleep." Kate quipped.

"Nice, Ryan is keeping watch to make sure Castle doesn't get disturbed."

"Why don't you pill up Browning's Financials. See if we can find anything hinky, maybe if we find the Blackmail payments, we can find someone with enough incentive to kill him."

"On it." Esposito promised.

Kate was about to start calling Browning's work associates when her phone rang."

"Beckett." She stated.

"Kate, it me… Alexis." Castle's daughter said, unnecessarily.

"Hey Alexis, What's up?"

"Just sort of calling about Dad, to see if he's alright." Alexis replied.

"He is his usual stubborn self." Kate had to smile at the concern in Alexis' voice. "Right now Ryan is sitting on him, making him sleep. Your Dad didn't get much sleep last night. Apparently he was too agitated after Eric's death."

"Well he was an old friend of Dads… or Enemy… I guess. I had another reason to call though. I was hoping to entice you into coming over for dinner tonight. Grams and I are making Chicken Alfredo for dinner and hoped that you would honor us with your presence."

"As a matter of fact I had already promised to come over tonight Chicken Alfredo sounds lovely." Kate said.

"That's great. Dinner should be ready when the two of you get home, but if the case gets… involved, just give us a call and we can keep it warm."

"Thanks, Alexis, one of us will call if the case starts to break. Say, Alexis how are you holding up?" Beckett asked.

There was a pregnant pause on the line. Beckett could almost feel the roiling emotions of Castle's daughter through the phone. She knew that Alexis worried about her father almost as much as Castle doted on his daughter.

"I.... uh..." Alexis' voice was thick with emotion. "Okay I guess?"

"Alexis you don't have to put on a brave face for me. There is no possible way I would think any less of you, if you were having problems with this case. I'm the trained Police Detective. You are still just a teenager. I don't expect you to deal with this, without some difficulty." Kate said soothingly.

"It's just been so much to take in. first Dad is a suspect and then he isn't. This guy was suppose to be Dad's old friend from High School, but he was trying to blackmail Dad. And Dad is getting all wonky when he is in crowds....." her voice broke as she could not stifle a sob.

"Alexis, I wish I were there right now.... Look why don't you come meet me for a quick lunch. With your Dad asleep in the break room, I find myself one short for lunch."

"Oh, no I don't want to be a bother..." Alexis stammered

"Look Alexis, your a friend, not just your Dad's daughter Meet me at Rossi's in about a half hour."

###

Rossi's Restaurant

Kate and Alexis

Rossi's was a Bistro about five blocks from the precinct. Kate had picked it because it was close for both Her and Alexis and it was far enough away from the Precinct that they would not be interrupted by people form work. It was precisely thirty minutes later that Alexis walked through the door. Kate has chosen a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Kate took the time it took the waiter to escort Alexis to the table to observe the teen's emotional state. While Alexis was impeccably dressed as was her usual, there were the tell tale signs that Alexis was having a difficult time dealing with all she had been through in the last couple of months. Her eyes were red and a little puffy and Alexis was using make up to cover dark circles under her eyes. Without a second thought Kate stood up and enfolded Alexis in a hug. It had not been so long ago that Kate had not been used to this kind of intimate contact. Sure she and Lanie were best friends and they did share the occasional platonic hug, there was a deep love that she held for Castle and by extension to his extraordinary daughter. She felt Alexis shudder and then relax as a single sob escaped from the mature teen.

"It's okay Alexis, let it out if you need to" Kate whispered reassuringly.

Alexis clung to Kate to keep from drowning in her fear and grief. The pair stood enwrapped in their embrace until Alexis has regained her composure. As they sat Alexis offered Kate a grateful, sad smile.

"Thanks Kate, you don't know what it means to me to have you as a friend."

"Hey, this goes both ways. We have been there for each other since you dad got shot. I would be a very poor friend if I was to abandon you when you were having troubles."

"I know, but you have my Dad to contend with. I don't want to be an extra burden." Alexis said guiltily.

"Don't worry about me, Alexis, I've got very broad shoulders." Kate quipped and was rewarded with a brief smile. "Besides I have Ryan and Esposito to help with your Dad."

I'm glad that they're willing to help."

"As hard as it is to admit, we all feel that your Dad is part of our team. I am more worried about you, right now. You dad is beginning to show some signs of recovery. You on the other hand seem to feel the need to hide what you are going through."

"It's just that I don't want to be a burden. Dad was the one who got shot. I haven't had any problems other than the usual teenage ones, that is."

"Alexis what happened to your Dad is sort of like what happened to my Dad after my mother died… I'm not saying this right… I don't want to equate my Dad's alcoholism to your Dad getting shot. But difficulties like what our fathers experienced don't just effect the person, they effect the whole family. Rick has to deal with the injury but you and Martha had to deal with the event. Think about how stressed out you were trying to deal with all the emotions that were racing through you when you Dad was in surgery. Those feelings have to be confronted. Don't make the mistake of feeling guilty for how you reacted and what you felt while your Dad was at death's door."

"Are you sure you are not a Mom, 'cause that certainly sound like one." Alexis said blushing, hoping that she was not out of bounds.

"No Alexis, no children," Kate smiled and took the statement as a compliment. "But I am a survivor so I know what I am talking about."

Alexis let her mind briefly imagine what it would have been like to have Kate as a mother. She found that she really like the idea. Her emotions were conflicted her desire to be close to Kate clashed with her feelings for her mother. Could her love them both and want to be like a daughter to Kate? With all that had happened and all she was feeling be could not hold it in anymore and began to cry.

Kate watched in awe as she saw the warring emotions flit across Alexis' face. Because Rick's daughter was so poised and mature, Kate sometimes found it hard to keep the fact that Alexis was still just a teenager in mind. She had no idea what thoughts were unreeling in Alexis' mind but she knew that her young friend was at a crisis point and waited for Alexis to unburden herself, if she felt the need. When she saw the first tears fall from Alexis' eyes, she again reached out to comfort Rick's daughter.

"I feel so guilty." Alexis sobbed.

"Guilty?"

"Want right do I have to have issues? I haven't been shot. I'm just a kid."

"Alexis, Honey, Just because you haven't been wounded doesn't mean that you don't have a right to having issues." Kate said in an effort to comfort her friend. "Just one look at who your Dad is and you should give you a free pass, when it comes issues."

"Sometimes I feel like it is up to me to keep my Dad from screwing up"

"Sweetie, trust me on this, you Dad is responsible for his own behavior. It's not your place to have to pick up after your Dad."

"Intellectually I know that," Alexis sniffed. "But my Dad can be such a lump sometimes."

Kate chuckled." It's not just your Dad, but all men. Isn't Owen a lump too? And to be fair women have their moments as well. It's part of being human."

"But that's a women's prerogative, isn't it?" Alexis asked, taking a Kleenex to wipe her eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you Kate. I don't think I could have survived these last few months if I didn't have you too lean on."

"That's sweet of you to say but you could have gotten through it on you own or you could have talked to your Grandmother or maybe one of your friends at school. You would have found someone you could talk this through."

"I'm glad it was you, Kate"

"I'm glad too. Getting to know you has definitely been one of the perks of knowing your Dad."

The waiter come over to take their order. Kate thought that she would have to tip him rather well because he had waited until she had calmed Alexis down before coming over. Kate was also glad to see that Alexis still had an apatite even with her emotional state.

"So, Alexis, Tell me how are Conrad and Nadia doing…."

A/N: I'm back and while I probably won't post every other day I should be able to post regularly now that my hardware issues have been resolved. Hopefully (crosses fingers and toes) D.