This turned out nothing like I had planned. It's also twice as long as I expected. But I like it.

Famous Last Words

As expected, the days immediately following their return from the Hamptons were incredibly busy. Something about the beginning of the summer season – maybe it was the heat and humidity – always seemed to bring out the murderers in increasing numbers, and the team at the Twelfth managed to catch three cases in a row. None were excessively challenging or convoluted, but a long string of late nights made for an exhausted group of detectives by the time all three were wrapped up.

Once the paperwork was submitted, Gates gave all of them two days off to recuperate, shooing them out of the precinct with a flap of her hands. Castle and Kate had barely made it to their bed before collapsing into a deep sleep, dead to the world for nearly ten hours.

When Castle finally blinked his eyes open the next day, Kate was sprawled next to him, propped up on her elbows, re-reading some of the journal entries.

"Morning," he yawned, rolling to his stomach and cozying up to her.

She tilted her head, smiled. "Hey there, sleepyhead."

He leaned his temple against hers, hummed softly, happily. "Haven't we already read that one?"

Kate forced her eyes back to the page, having been temporarily distracted with thoughts of her bed partner and the possible ways they could spend their two days off.

"Mmmm, yeah. Just waiting for you to wake up."

"You waited for me?"

"We usually read them together," she pointed out.

"I know, I just..." he trailed off, kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

She smiled, flipped forward to the next unread entry.

Kate,

You never fail to amaze me. The way you comforted Alexis these last few days, the way you listened to her ideas and took her seriously and allowed her to help with the case. The fact that you came to the concert with us tonight. That was so nice, and so far beyond what anyone would have expected. I really appreciated it, and I know Alexis did too. It was really sweet of you.

I was kind of at a loss as to what to do with that situation; I'm not really up to date on Alexis's taste in music and I had no idea it would hit her as hard as it did. I tried, but I don't think I made things any better. So thank you, for understanding, for being there for her, for being a better support system than I was this last week.

I owe you one.

-Castle

The letter was short and to the point, but it was enough to bring back memories of that case. It wasn't the first time Kate had interacted with Alexis, but their other conversations had been rather short and under much different circumstances.

By this point, though, that all seemed so far in the past, and so much simpler than everything else the two had been through. Kate thought back to the early stages of her relationship with Castle, the battles she'd had to fight to smooth things over with his daughter. Things had been rocky at first and given that she and Castle hadn't been on the best terms prior to the beginning of their relationship, Kate could understand the girl's qualms.

Alexis was never rude to her, per se. They spoke... 'how are you's and 'how was school'... but there hadn't been any deep feelings behind it. Months passed before Alexis even really reacted to their relationship, more caught up in her new life in college than her father's newest girlfriend. For the most part, she stayed out of the way, focused on school and friends and the new things she was experiencing on an almost daily basis. Not until Alexis was home for the holidays did she and Kate really have an in-depth conversation of any sort.

Kate arrived at the loft alone one early January evening, using the key Castle had pressed into her palm that afternoon, telling her to let herself in when she got off work, that he'd be home after his meeting. Alexis was curled up on the sofa reading and looked up but didn't speak when the Detective entered.

But Castle wouldn't be home for another hour and if it was just going to be the two of them, the detective planned to take advantage of the situation. Christmas Eve dinner, while beautiful and delicious, had been a slightly awkward affair, thanks in no small part to Castle very nearly leaving his family behind. Kate showing up at the last moment at least meant Alexis was able to have dinner with her father, as per tradition. Yet Kate had been able to tell the girl remained less than pleased with the way everything had played out.

And it may not matter now, because she was headed back to school soon and she and Kate never interacted all that much anyway. But eventually, if she wasn't able to reach an understanding with Alexis, Kate knew she and Castle would never stand a chance of succeeding.

The detective slipped off her heels, stowed her badge and gun, joined the girl on the couch. "Hey, Alexis."

She finally looked up. "Hi."

"Whatcha reading?"

The redhead looked less than thrilled to be having any sort of conversation, but answered nonetheless. "Crime and Punishment. I'm supposed to have it finished by the time I go back."

"Ah yes, Christmas break homework."

Alexis regarded the detective curiously, as though questioning her motive, before finally relaxing slightly, answering her obvious desire to have a conversation. "Dad says you went to Stanford?"

"For a year," Kate replied.

"Why'd you leave?"

Oh. Well, this wasn't exactly the conversation she'd been planning to have. But it wouldn't do to withhold information, not if she ever wanted to smooth things over with the girl.

"My mom," Kate answered softly.

Alexis set the book aside, didn't quite meet her eyes as she offered a hasty apology. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No, it's okay," Kate assured her. "You deserve to know these things about me."

"What... what happened?" Alexis asked after an awkward gap.

Kate paused, debating how best to tell the story before deciding to just start at the beginning. "I thought I could do it... be so far from home still. For a while, I thought the space would make it easier. But after a semester away it was too much. My dad started drinking. For five years, he couldn't – wouldn't – stop. And I knew I had to be closer to home so I could help him."

"Did you still go to school?"

"I finished up at NYU, graduated a year early."

"What did you study?"

"I was pre-law at Stanford." Kate smiled softly at the memory. "I wanted to be a lawyer, just like my mom. But I switched to criminal justice at NYU."

"What changed?" Alexis wondered curiously.

"I don't know how much your dad has told you about the case," Kate began, "but by that point, the cops had closed it. They'd blamed it on random gang violence and just left it at that. I thought they just couldn't figure it out, you know? I assumed someone had missed something. Something that maybe I could find.

"So you joined the Academy."

"So I joined the Academy," she confirmed with a nod. "That way I could fight for justice like my mom had, help other people like me, but I could also find justice for her. And by the time I graduated from the Academy, it'd become almost a compulsion. I had to solve it."

"But you couldn't?"

Kate sighed heavily. "I was drowning. I wasn't sleeping well, I was so far into the case I lost track of myself. My Dad was still drinking, and it was all just too much. I realized it was going to destroy me if I didn't stop, so I put it away."

She hesitated. Her goal was to smooth things over with Alexis and sharing her dark past probably wasn't winning her any points. But if the teen wanted to know... maybe somehow this would all work out if the girl realized Kate had no secrets, that she could ask her anything.

"And then Dad opened it up again."

"Yeah." Kate sighed. "It took me a long time to not be upset with him for that."

"He only did it because he cares," Alexis protested, tone immediately hardening in defense of her father.

"I know," Kate placated. "I understand that now. And without your father, I probably never would've solved it, and I certainly wouldn't be alive right now."

"He saved you." It was slightly accusatory, though in Alexis's defense, she did a decent job of suppressing it.

"In so many ways," Kate answered truthfully.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, I..."

"He tried to take a bullet for you, Detective."

Ah. Now they were getting somewhere, drilling down to the bedrock of the issues.

"I know," Kate replied calmly, careful to maintain her cool. "And believe me, your Dad and I have had many arguments about that."

"He would die for you."

"I know," Kate stated. "And that terrifies me."

"Me too," the redhead admitted, her mask fading from stoic to vulnerable, a teenager protective of her father.

Silence fell as Kate chose her words carefully, ensuring her feelings would come across clearly. "Alexis, if you want him to stop shadowing me, I know he would."

"But you want him there."

"I do," Kate admitted. "He's my partner, the best partner I could ever ask for. But first and foremost, he's your father, and I'm not here to get in the way of that. That will always take priority."

Alexis sighed. "But he's happy when he's with you. And he likes what he does, which I understand. I feel the same when I work with Dr. Parish."

"It's an important job," Kate agreed. "And having him there makes me happy, too."

"I don't want to take that away from him."

"I understand that."

"But I don't want to lose him."

"Alexis," Kate reached out, took her hands. "I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to bring him home safely every night."

"But what if that's not enough?"

She sighed, dropped one hand to run it through her hair. "I can't promise he'll never get hurt," she began honestly. "He could get hit by a car, he could end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up in the hospital. I'm not... saying that'll happen," Kate added at Alexis's horrified look. "I'm just saying anything can happen and I can't promise something won't. But if there's anything I can do – absolutely anything – to keep him safe, I will. I would..." her voice broke, "I would die for him too, Alexis."

The girl's features softened drastically. "You really care about my dad, don't you?"

Kate squeezed the hand that was still joined with the teen's. "So much."

She nodded. "I just don't want to see him get hurt."

"I promise, Alexis. I'll do everything I can."

That seemed to strike a chord of truth with Castle's daughter, and though it was weak, she finally offered a smile. "Okay."

Kate smiled back, the tension lifting, and they fell into comfortable silence.

After a while she stood, offered a hand to Alexis. "Now, I promised your dad I'd have dinner for him when he got home. Want to help me make my mom's delicious chicken alfredo?"

Alexis took the proffered hand, allowed Kate to pull her to her feet. "Lead the way."

As they cooked, the conversation became much less stilted, more natural, as they broached topics from boys to college. And by the time Castle arrived and they all sat down, it was the least awkward dinner since Kate had unofficially joined the family.

Maybe there was hope after all.

By the time Alexis headed back to college at the end of winter break, she and Kate were on good terms, and Alexis even called her a couple times throughout the semester for advice.

Now, almost two years later, their relationship was more reminiscent of two friends than future step-mother/step-daughter, but it was still going strong. Alexis now came to her with everything from boy issues to questions about Russian literature. Their arrangement was unorthodox, but it worked. And though it wasn't something Kate often voiced aloud, she loved Alexis as much as she loved Castle.

"You're so good for her, Kate," Castle said softly, pulling her from the memory.

She shrugged. "I don't do that much."

"But you do. She's never had a strong female role model in her life. And her mom... well, you've met Meredith. She's never been much of a mother."

Kate chuckled softly. "You did an amazing job with her."

"I'm not sure how," he teased, only half-jokingly.

She reached up to cup his jaw, forced him to meet her eyes. "Rick, you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a wonderful father."

He dipped his head, caught her lips in a kiss. "And someday, some little kid is gonna be so damn lucky to have you as their mother."

Thoughts?