261. Chapter 261

After Get a Clue

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I have no clue who owns Castle, but I don't. Rating: K Time: See above. Okay, if you want to be technical about this, some of it takes place during the episode.

Alexis leaned against the door as it closed behind her dad and gram. "That was awful." She said, almost in tears. "How could Dad…" She couldn't go on.

Pi walked over and put his arms around her. "Al, it wasn't that bad. I see where Mr. C. is coming from. No father likes to see his little girl grow up and…"

Alexis glared at him. "Do not defend him. Don't you dare defend him."

"Alexis, I admit I wasn't happy about the way he treated us. But I understand it."

"Well, I don't understand it. It's not like Dad hasn't had plenty of warning that I'm not his little baby girl anymore who has to have her daddy check under the bed for monsters every night. I'm an adult. People at my age move out on their own. They live with other people, and gasp, they live with people of the opposite sex. "Alexis finished sarcastically.

"He'll get over it, Al."

"He'll get over it?" Alexis exploded. "He shouldn't have anything to get over. When he was my age, he was living with a girl, and they lived together for years. And since then he's had hundreds of women in and out of his bedroom. Why, he's living with a woman right now. Do you see me complaining that he's living in sin with Detective Beckett? And don't get me started on the number of boobs he's signed over the years."

Pi laughed. "Really? Living in sin? I don't think I've ever heard that outside of an old novel or movie."

"Call it what you want!" Alexis shot back. "He's doing the same thing he's angry at me for doing. And it's not like he's been the perfect role model. He was arrested by the police for stealing a police horse and riding it naked. For as long as I remember he's been in one silly scrape after another, and I was the responsible adult. And he uses his friendship with the mayor to get out of trouble, so he thinks it doesn't count."

"And he's been following Detective Beckett around on those homicide cases for a couple of years now." Pi said quietly.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"He sees dead people. He sees people who have been murdered brutally. I have a friend who worked for an NGO in Africa. He saw lots and lots of death. It finally freaked him out so much, he had to quit. He was paranoid. Couldn't sleep, was always looking over his shoulder, expecting someone to attack him. He had a startle response you wouldn't believe, and his…"

"What are you saying?" Alexis demanded. "That my dad is worrying that you'll murder me in my sleep? That you're some sort of serial killer? That's idiotic!"

"I'm just saying that someone who's seen what your dad has seen is going to worry. Maybe worry irrationally."

"Maybe worry irrationally? Pi, my dad has completely gone off the deep end on this. He's…" Alexis stopped. "I do not want to talk about this anymore." She set her shoulders and headed for the kitchen. "We need to clean up from dinner."

Pi sensibly said nothing.

Castle frowned all the way as he drove back to his loft. "I don't see what I did that was so wrong. I want the very best for my daughter. What father doesn't? There's no reason she has to live in an apartment with a door for a table and sit on chairs from a dumpster. She's never acted like my doing something for her was some sort of an insult to her."

Martha considered holding her tongue, but couldn't. "You were condescending to her boyfriend. You acted as if he was incapable of taking care of Alexis."

"He is incapable of taking care of Alexis." Castle shot back. "He counts bees for a living! How is that being able to take care of Alexis?"

"You spent every cent of your first novel's profits in six months and had to really scramble to make ends meet with Kyra."

"But I did make ends meet!"

"And what sort of responsible, high paying jobs did you take to do that? If I recall correctly, you made those sandwiches that they sell out of machines. And you were fired because you put little messages in them that said, "Help! I'm a prisoner in a sandwich factory."

"I was bored. And the sandwiches were lousy."

"There was another job you took? What was it? Oh, yes. You walked dogs. But you didn't like walking dogs. So you went to the park and tied the dogs onto one of those little merry-go-round things and charged mothers and nannies for the rides for their kids. The dogs would chase after those little doggie treats and…"

"Okay! Okay! But counting bees? Really?" Castle snapped.

"And what else have you done? Do we remember a police horse? It was a nice horse and it was frightened that some strange man jumped on top of him and it panicked and ran away. That's not what you told the police, of course. Your version was much more imaginative."

"Mother! This is not about me, it's about Alexis. Yes, I know you worried about me and I have you plenty of reasons to worry, so understand why I'm worried now."

"I will. If you'll just remember that in spite of everything, you ended up with a wonderful daughter and you now have the most perfect fiancé. And if you'll just trust Alexis to be as smart as you know she is, everything will work out."

Rick turned into the garage of his loft. "We're home." He announced, cutting off further conversation.

Kate Beckett stood at Alexis' door for a few seconds before knocking. Alexis promptly opened the door.

"Detective Beckett." She said briskly.

"Hi, Alexis. Thanks for seeing me. Can I come in?"

Alexis nodded and led Kate to their couch. Both women sat down.

"Did my dad ask you to come see me? About Pi?"

Kate shook her head. "No. Alexis, that's not why I'm here. I'm not family and I really have no business getting involved in that."

Alexis held up her hand. "Kate, for all practical purposes, you are family. That said, this is really not anyone's business but mine and Pi's."

"I agree. It's just that…"Kate stopped for a second, unsure of how to proceed. "It's just that Rick told me that you were upset that you found out about our engagement from Martha, and not your dad. I hope you don't feel that I'm intruding into your family or…"

"Kate! Please." Alexis interrupted. "I'll tell you what I told dad the other night. Yes, there was a time that I was very angry with you. It was obvious to me and to everyone that Dad was deeply in love with you and was willing to risk his life for you. And you didn't seem to care." Kate started to say something, but Alexis stopped her. "Hear me out. I've seen you two together and I know that you make him happy. Happier than I've ever seen him. And he makes you happy as well."

Kate nodded. "Happier than I've ever been."

"So, future step-mom," Alexis took Kate's hand, "let's forget about the past and will you let your future step-daughter show you her place?"

"I'd love to, stepdaughter."

Alexis looked at Kate for a full minute. "Then come along…Mom."

Author's note: I'm not a huge fan of Pi, but I do remember what I was like and what my friends were like at 19. I remember what I and my friends were like when I lived in LA in the early 70s. And after that I went to work for the VA and I remember some of the people who had just come back from Vietnam. Alexis could have done a whole lot worse. Besides, if I'm going to hate any characters on Castle, it'll be anyone who was with Kate who isn't Rick Castle: Will Sorenson, Demming, DMB, Colin Hunt, Eric Vaughn and the grunge rocker, the med student and the French royalty Madison Queller mentioned. And her friends from her Nebula Nine. I'm not even too happy with Montgomery, Espo and Ryan, and Royce.

Author's Note: A guest questioned whether a Senator can be appointed as I stated in After Time Will Tell. I reply:

The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution (1913) established direct election of senators, as well as a means of filling vacant Senate seats. If a vacancy occurs due to a senator's death, resignation, or expulsion, the Seventeenth Amendment allows state legislatures to empower the governor to appoint a replacement to complete the term or to hold office until a special election can take place. There are a few exceptions to this rule. Some states require a special election to fill a vacancy. A few states require the governor to appoint a replacement of the same political party as the previous incumbent. The date when a senator appointed to fill a vacancy is succeeded by a senator elected to fill the remainder of the term depends on a number of factors. For more information on how vacancies are filled, see this Report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service and the Senate Document The Term of Senator: When Does It Begin and End? (pdf).

The current junior senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, was appointed to the Senate by the governor of New York to replace Hillary Clinton when Clinton was appointed Secretary of State.