A/N: Please keep your hands and legs inside the ride at all times.

A/N #2: Stay with me...

Castle worked his way through the crowd. When he reached Ryan and Espo, the two detectives pursed their lips and refused to meet his eyes.

"What?" Rick looked back and forth between them. "What?"

"Nothing."

He looked behind him, his heart catching as she walked towards him.

She was...

Magnificent didn't even come close.

She was hard... and angled. Soft... and curved.

She was every contradiction he had ever known.

And she was his.

He clenched his fists.

This was going to be hard.

He moved in closer.

Her eyes were bright... shining; making his smile falter just a little. But just as he reached a hand to her face she grinned that cocky Beckett grin, shaking her head slightly. Taking her queue, he dropped his arm.

There would be time for all that later.

That was the point, wasn't it?

That they had time?

Castle held his arm out, smiling happily when Beckett looped her own through his. "Time to be you."

"I'm always me."

"Yes... yes you are."

They fell through the door to the loft laughing; their voices loud, their bodies louder as they tripped to the floor.

Alexis jumped nervously as Rick and Kate appeared, pulling away from the person she had been sitting very close to on the couch.

Castle smiled as he climbed to his feet and hung up their coats. "Hey Pumpkin. Who's this?"

"Uhm..." His daughter was oddly reticent. He looked at her more closely for a moment; thinking she seemed flushed. Then Kate grabbed his arm, squeezing gently.

"Uh... Castle..." She tried not to grin.

"It's okay, Detective." Alexis stood, holding her hand out to pull her friend from the couch. "This is Tabrett."

Rick smiled, oblivious. He held out his hand. "Tabrett. That's unusual. Where's that from?"

The striking blonde girl took his hand without hesitating. "It's Australian."

"Ahh." He looked around, trying to think of something to say.

Kate took pity on the girl. "This must be the foreign exchange student you were helping to... uhm... acclimate?"

Alexis flushed beautifully and Castle blinked.

"What am I missing here?"

The redhead looked over at Tabrett... falling into the green of her eyes.

"We're... Together."

Her father laughed. "Obviously. You're both right here."

Kate shook her head. She grabbed his ear and pulled him down; whispering something to him under her breath.

Rick visibly paled. "Really?"

Alexis swallowed, nodding. "Really."

Castle blinked several times and then sat down heavily on the couch. "So that kind of negated the 'talk' we had." He said absently, blinking as he tried to focus. "Give me a little time to research the internet and I can try again."

Alexis blushed to the roots of her hair. "It's okay, Dad! I got it."

He looked at her in shock. "You do?"

"Not like that...ugh..." The red head turned to Kate. "Okay, now I could use your help."

Kate hugged her tightly.

"Sometimes..." She smiled at the younger woman. "Sometimes you have to push the limits of who you've been... to find out who you are."

Okay, now that you know one of the twists, please know... I believe Alexis to be a bright, savvy, open and accepting young woman. In other words...

Extraordinary.

To her I don't think there would be a gay/straight/bisexual inner dilemma. I think it would just be that she met someone incredible and she wants to explore it.

BUT! Do not worry! I have no intention of delving TOO deep into that side of the story line, if you know what I mean. (Wink, Wink, nudge, nudge)

She may be 17 in Season 3, and Tab might be her own age, but still... Can't do it... Makes me feel skeevy. LOL!

And so she will remain, precious Little Castle. :)