A/N: So? Thoughts?

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing affiliated with Castle, Blue Bloods, CBS or ABC

"Okay, Jamie, how was your day?"

Jamie froze. Never before had such a simple question seemed quite so difficult. In a room full of the pieces of the justice system, the sudden hesitation didn't go unnoticed.

"Jamie?" Erin asked. "Everything okay?" He nodded quickly in response to his sister's question.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine," he said in a desperate attempt to cover up his mistake. However, the damage was already done.

"This is definitely about the girl," Linda said firmly. Jamie tensed. Normally, he would've just let their ribbing roll off of him, but today, he wasn't exactly bonding well with the idea of his family talking about Alexis.

"Did you break up? Or have a fight?" Nicki asked eagerly. Jamie told himself they didn't know what had happened today, and if they had known, they wouldn't be making fun. But the images of Alexis slid through his head; how scared she had been, how small and afraid.

"Is she mad at you, Jamie?" Erin asked. "Did she decide she doesn't like you?" There was a teasing note to Erin's voice, but Jamie couldn't handle it. Not today.

"No! She's fine, everything's fine! Why do you guys always have to know everything? It's none of your business what happened between she and I, but if you must know, her dad was stabbed today and I went to the hospital with her. So there you have it, my wherabouts accounted for!"

The table was silent following the normally mild-mannered Jamie's sudden outburst.

"Woah, Jamie, calm down," Danny said, sounding somewhat alarmed by Jamie's behavior. "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Jamie repeated. "Was I not clear enough for you, Danny? Her father was stabbed, she was terrified, and I didn't want to see her like that! That's what's going on."

"Wait," said Frank slowly. "Jamie, why don't you begin by telling us who the young woman is we're talking about here."

Jamie took a deep breath and nodded reluctantly. He was inwardly cursing himself for allowing their taunts, which had been rooted in good nature, to get to him.

"Her name is Alexis Castle," he began. "I met her probably a month and a half ago, somewhere around there, in a coffee shop. I had seen her in there before, but never quite had the courage to approach her. That day, she approached me. We hit it off right away. We've gone out quite a few times. She's...she's smart, she's beautiful, engaging. I like her a lot."

"Okay," Frank said calmly. "Would you like to tell us about today?" Jamie hesitated. Today. The memories flashed through his head like a slideshow, one image fading seamlessly into another, drastic changes occuring as quickly and easily as the click of a button.

"Like I said, her dad was stabbed. We were together in the park, and her phone rang. It was her dad's fiancee, telling her what had happened, what hospital, that sort of thing. I volunteered to go to the hospital with her. She denied at first, but when I offered again, she accepted. We sat in the waiting room with Kate, her dad's fiancee, her grandmother, and a few really close friends. A few hours later, a nurse said that he was awake and askng for Kate. Kate went back, came out about half an hour later and said that he wanted to see Alexis. She asked me to come with her, so I did. Met her dad. Had to leave a few minutes later. End of story." There was silence in the dining room, which was normally alight with the clanging of forks and knives against plates, the chatter and laughter of the Reagans. The quiet was somewhat unsettling.

"How is he?" Henry asked quietly after a moment. Jamie looked up at his grandfather, who hadn't said a word throughout the whole ordeal. Suddenly, the younger man was thankful for Henry; his stability and presence, always fair.

"He's going to be fine," Jamie answered softly. "Thank you."

"So, Jamie Reagan, huh?"

Kate and Alexis were at the loft, gathering a few of Castle's things to take to the hospital. Alexis nodded.

"Yeah."

"I have a feeling your dad will have something to say eventually about your dating a cop," Kate said. Alexis snorted.

"He's one to talk," she said. Kate laughed, a welcome sound in the space that felt empty without Rick there.

"Good point," the detective agreed. "When did you meet him?"

"A month or two ago," Alexis replied.

"Really? You've known this guy for less than two months and he offered to come to the hospital with you?"

Alexis nodded in response to Kate's question.

"He's...he's special, Kate," the young woman revealed quietly. Beckett studied her soon-to-be stepdaughter. Kate and Alexis' relationship had definitely seen its share of rough patches, but they were in a good place right now.

"He seems like a good guy, Alexis," Kate said sincerely. Alexis smiled.

"Yeah. He is."