I had no beta so any mistakes are mine and if you'd like to point them out feel free and I'll fix em. This is just a little something extra that I wanted to add after Knockdown. No spoilers to anything I promise! Enjoy!

Beckett cursed when she heard the footsteps, even louder when she looked up to see who was standing there. Furiously, she swiped at her tears, "Alexis is something wrong?" Why else would the girl had left her father's side.

"No he's asleep. Please don't." Alexis pleaded when the detective tried to school her emotions. She knew that Beckett was doing everything in her power to look strong for her sake. Well Alexis wasn't going to have any of that.

"Don't what?"

The teenager squeezed in beside the wall and Beckett, "Trying to stay strong in front of me. I know you've always so guarded about your emotions, something I wish I could do some times. Dad always said I was an open book." Alexis smile when Beckett let out a watery laugh. "I'm stronger then I look, plus it's nice to know my dad means so much to you. That you care enough about me to pretend that you're doing okay."

A smile tugged at the corner of Beckett's mouth as she wrapped an arm around Alexis' shoulder. It was impossible for her not to fall for the girl as hard and fast as she did the father. "Mind staying here for a bit?"

As if it was the most normal thing to do in the world, Alexis pillowed her head on Beckett's shoulder, "Nope."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"I want to see him damn it!"

The raised voice of one Gina Cowell jolted Beckett from her slumber beside Castle's bed on full alert. Her eyes swept across the dark room and to her relief that Alexis was still curled up on the bench still fast asleep. Hoping to keep it that way, Beckett slipped from the room to meet the anger woman in the hallway. "Ms. Cowell-."

"You!" Gina pointed an accusingly finger at the detective her eyes a flamed with anger. "This is your fault."

Guilt burned the back of her throat, "I know, but please keep your voice down so you don't wake Alexis."

"Do not tell me what to do! It might work for him, but not me. I knew this would happened!" Gina threw her hands up ignoring both security and nurse's pleas to lower her voice. "I knew this stupid infatuation he has with playing cops would get him hurt. I want to see him now."

"Only if you calm down." Beckett said sending the publisher in another tirade. It was quite obvious she wasn't use to being told what to do. Never the less, Beckett held her ground, "I mean it Gina. Alexis is already been through enough the last few days she doesn't need to see you like this."

"I don't care you might want, I want to see him and now!" Gina shoved past her and got half way through the door before she whirled back on the detective. "What are you even doing here anyways?"

Beckett straightened her spin and spoke, "He is my partner. Where else would I be?"

"Partner?" Gina snorted with mocking laughter, "I don't know if you realize this Detective, but he's a nine year old playing cops. All he does is pretend, it's what he does best. He is not your partner."

The comment struck a nerve and put the fight back into Beckett's eyes. "That's what you think he does, but the truth is I wouldn't be standing here if it was for that man." He gestured behind her unaware that Alexis lingered near the doorway. "And I'm not just talking about tonight. He's saved my life more times then I saved his. In fact if it weren't for Castle there would be a lot less people in this city. He is, god love him, a nine year old on a sugar rush, but if that was all he was he would have been a long time ago."

Beckett took a step forward challenging the other woman, "I'm here because he's my partner. Someone who has seen the blackness that resides in me and still wants to stand by my side. I'm here because he's changed my life and I refuse to be stubborn anymore and ignore the feelings I have for him and he has for me." She pointed into the dim room biting back the tears that burned the back of her throat. She would not let the fall, not in front of this woman. "It's so easy now to see how his love has changed me and now that I have it I won't give it up for anything. I will fight for it every day, which is something you were either too stupid or stubborn not to do. So now let me ask you, why are you here?"

"I'm his ex-wife." Gina reminded, "And his boss."

"Any which form are you here right now?" Beckett wondered, "Because if you're the ex wife you must not care for him because if you did you would have been here the moment it hit the news. He has been in here for nearly three days now and now you show up? You should have been by his side with his daughter and mother if you truly care about him."

Instead of defending herself, Gina looked to the security guard, "I am still marked as his emergency contact and I want this woman out of here."

"No." Alexis stepped out into the hall taking a stand next to Beckett, "I don't want her gone and he is my father."

"Plus." Martha's voice broke out from being the group and like her granddaughter stepped to Beckett's side making a united front. "You know as well as I do that he changed it back to me. Alexis and I are his next of kin and have the right to say who goes and stays." The older woman smiled fondly at Beckett, "and Detective isn't going anywhere because family should be together."

Gina narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it and turned on her heels.

Beckett let out a tired breath, "that could have went better."

The corner of Alexis' mouth twitched, "Just wait until she catches wind that you and my dad might start 'dating'."

"Mother of god." She groaned.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"I just don't think it's a good idea." Beckett restated for the tenth time refusing to even get into the car until she won the argument. The doctor's released Castle after nearly six days and the first thing he wanted to do was see the guys at the station. It wasn't like he couldn't, but he was weak and should go home to rest not be on his feet.

Castle worked to get the sling into a comfortable position, but the arm of it bit into his skin either way. "Look I'll go home and rest after. I mean I've been laid up in that hospital bed for a week. The last thing I want to do is trade one bed for another." His head came up his eyes glinting with a smile as he leaned against the car next to her, "Unless of course you're going to be in it."

"In your dreams Castle." Beckett fought the smile that wanted to cross her face. It was so hard because that stupid smile was so contagious. "Damn it Castle, I said no. Plus Alexis and Martha are waiting for us at home. Your daughter took off school to be there so maybe tomorrow."

The mentioning of his daughter's name softened any resolve and had Castle agreeing. "Thank you. I've seen the way you've been there for Alexis and it means a lot that you care so much."

"Anytime." Beckett turned to finally unlock the door and whirled back around shoving her finger into his good shoulder. "OF COURSE I CARE!"

"Ow-hey!" Castle tried to shrink away from her poking finger.

"It's your fault you know. I was doing just fine until you came along with your damn wit and charm." Beckett shoved hard backing him into the car. "You weaseled your way into every part of my life making it impossible for me to go back to my isolation I so loved. You made me realize how much I missed being a part of something and you saw that and corrected it by bringing me into your family. So of course I care, Castle. But damn it I'm replaceable in their lives, not you. So why! Why did you step in front of the bullet for me?"

Roughly, Castle took her by the shoulder, "You're not replaceable."

"Yes I am and you know it. You have two people who relay on you to walk through that door every night. I nearly had to face my worst nightmare by telling them you wouldn't come home that night." Tears burned in the back of her throat. "You have Alexis, Castle. She needs you."

"You are not replaceable." Castle repeated his fingers digging into her shoulder, "Not to the guys at the 12th, your father, and epically to me. You think that if you were to go down in the line of duty that there will be no one crying over your grave? You have people who care if you walk through the door, especially my daughter and me. I did it because I couldn't even think for a moment about a life with out you in it."

"But I put on the shield, Castle, not you. It's a risk of my job that I've accepted. Seeing you, the blood." Beckett stared at her hands as if was still caked in it. Just the memory was enough to make her sick. "It was different before in the freezer or the bomb because we were going out together and knowing that made it easier to face. But seeing your blood I just couldn't-." She wasn't aware that she was crying until Castle gently kissed them away. Her breath hitched in her throat as his mouth hovered hers, "I already lost my mom. I can't lose anyone else. I just can't go into that blackness again."

Castle shushed her with a kiss. It wasn't as explosive or frantic as the one they shared months ago. This kiss was full of promise and reassurance as it chased the fear from both their minds. "I will always be there to drag you out Kate. I'm not going anywhere."

With a sigh of defeat, Beckett folded herself in his arms, "If you try to win an argument like that at the station I'll shoot you."

Castle chuckled laying his cheek on top of her head. "I love you KB."

"I love you too." It wasn't so hard to say it as she once thought. In fact it was getting easier by the moment and like she told Gina, Beckett was determined to keep this feeling alive. To make it work no matter what.

Just a little more fluff because after last night's episode I couldn't stop but right this. Might be out of character for Beckett, but eh! Knockdown was such a kick ass episode had me on the edge of my seat until the last moment! Can't wait to see what season 4 has in store for us! Let me know what you thought about the finale and this little snippet!