Alexis stared wide eyed at him. The confused look on her face caused his smile to fade.

He pursed his lips and waited a few seconds, and when she didn't answer he started to wonder if he had made a grave mistake.

"Lex, are you ok, please don't freak out" he stammered.

"I know that it's kind of sudden and I know that i don't have a ring or anything, but I love you and it feels right" Kevin continued. "Lex, please say something, you're scaring me a little."

Alexis stared at him, baffled by his question. They had only been together a few months, was he really proposing. She had to admit that these past few months with Kevin had been the happiest and healthiest of her life, but she was so young, did she really want to get married now at this age, she wasn't even finished school.

"Lex, seriously, please. Say something, anything."

She faked a smile, but she had so much running through her cluttered mind, she surly loved Kevin, and the thought of spending the rest of her life waking up to those eyes made her feel warm inside. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, she couldn't imagine a single day without him. Then again, at this stage in her life, marriage hadn't even entered her mind.

She realized it had been at least five minutes since he'd asked the question to end all questions, and she still hadn't been able to speak, not one word, not yea or neh.

Kevin was becoming worried, Alexis just sat there, she seemed to be lost in thought. He hadn't really taken the time to think about this, as he knew she now was. Weighing the pros and cons. Hopefully he thought, the former would greatly out way the latter.

But the longer she was mute, the more he wondered if he had made the right decision, sure they loved each other, and wanted to be together. But that was now, in the moment. Maybe in the long run Alexis couldn't see herself married to him. He was older, and a cop, Kevin had friends that had broken up because the woman said that it was too stressful to be with a cop, too much worry.

He actually contemplated the fact that she might say no, would that be it. Would everything that he'd come to know and love be gone, would a no to a proposal be the end of life as he's come to know it. Could they still be as they are now, in love and happy, or would that be it.

She noticed how worried he'd become and softly reached out to touch his face, "Oh Kevin" was all she managed to utter before she saw his eyes well up, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and bured his face in her lap.

"I'm sorry, I know it's too soon and too much" he whispered "I take it back, please just forget I said anything, let's just go have dinner with everyone and pretend that this never happened, okay"

He looked up at her, "Please, I don't think that I could survive if you left"

Alexis ran her hand's through his soft brown hair, "Left, Kevin why would I leave? I love you."

She continued, "You just surprised me that's all, I mean we were supposed to be spending some time getting everyone used to the idea of us, as a couple and here you go and ask me..."

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry, it was lovely, just caught me off guard. It was really the last thing I was expecting."

"Like I said, please let's just forget it."

"Absolutely not, I can't just pretend that you didn't say it Kevin, what kind of person would I be if I asked you to bottle up your feelings and emotions, and besides what kind of engagement story would that make."

Kevin sat back, dragging Alexis off the bed and onto her knees in front of him.

"Lex?"

"I just needed to think it through for a moment, because it was so sudden"

A wide grin spread across his face, she brushed her hair back off her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Yes"

He exhailed a woosh of hot air, how could a simply three letter word send him soring to cloud nine and beyond. "Yes" he repeated.

Alexis nodded and he kissed her deeply.

"Lex, I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you have just made me." he held her tight.

"You already do" she whispered to him.

"So let's go tell everyone the news" Alexis gushed as Kevin pulled her to her feet.

"No, absolutly not."

"Why not, we've had enough of all this sneaking around, I want people to know how happy you make me."

"No, you have to wait, atleast until I get you a ring, please Alexis, I want to do this right. Besides, I gotta talk to your dad, man to man." he puffed out his chest.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm only planning on doing this once, I wanna get it right. Just our little secret, for a few days. Please?"

He pressed his forehead to her's looking deeply into her beautiful eyes.

"How can I possibly say no to that."

Kevin was right, the snow was falling in buckets, it had only taken a few hours and the city was covered. So after dinner it was a big sleepover at the loft.

It seemed the wine had gotten to Lanie, so she and Javier had taken over the guest room for the night.

Kate was upstairs preparing for a good nights sleep, waiting rather impatiently for Castle to join her.

Alexis, Kevin and Castle gathered around the fire in the den, nether seemed to want to admit where the evening was heading.

Kevin sat nervously, not wanting to jump to conclusions about where he was going to spend the night. Alexis was sitting crossed legged on the floor across the coffee table from him, praying that her father would go upstairs now, so they could avoid an awkward situation.

Castle, well he was enjoying the hell out of this. He knew he should leave, Kate was waiting for him upstairs, he really didn't was to keep her waiting long. But he was just having too much fun.

After thirty minutes or so Kate came to the top of the stairs informing him that she was going to sleep now, which was her way of telling him to leave those two alone. He jumped up, "Well I guess this is goodnight"

"Night dad." Alexis motioned to him from her spot of the rug.

"Yeah night Castle"

"Sweet dreams sweetie, Ryan, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute" Castle motioned behind him and left before Kevin could protest.

Kevin knitted his eyebrows at Alexis, who shrugged and stood to follow.

Castle noticed his little girl trailing behind and wrapped her in a bear hug, kissed her ontop of the head, and guided her wordlessly towards the steps. Alexis begain to climb the stairs looking back and seeing a completley hopeless look on Kevins face.

When he heard her door close, he turned to the man standing at the kitchen island.

"Ryan, I know that you don't wanna have this conversation, but we are so going to have this conversation"

Kevin ran his hands over his face. "Look Castle..."

"No, you look. I know that I said I was ok with the two of you, but i'm not that okay, ok."

Ryan waited for him to continue, he knew that there had to be more.

"Upstairs right now, my little girl is probibly getting into her teddybear pj's, do you understand what i'm trying to say here, or do you want me to spell it out"

Ryan nodded. " I get it Castle"

"No, you couldn't possibly get it, because she is my daughter, you don't have a daughter so you couldn't possibly get what i'm trying to say. Do not, and I repeat please do not, do those things that I know that you do, but I pretend that I don't know that you do, because she is my daughter."

Kevin held up three fingers, "Scouts honor"

"I'm not kidding Ryan. I know i'm silly pretending this stuff dosen't happen, but it makes me feel better about you two. I'm not an idiot, I know your a man and she's a... she's a woman." he had a hitch in his throat.

"I know Castle"

"I'm asking you please, please, do not defile my little girl in my home"

"Defile, that's a strange way to put it" Kevin smirked.

"Ryan"

"Relax Castle, I would never defile Alexis" he held up his finger to emphasize the word defile, as he walked past Castle.

"But Castle, one day, you are gonna have to realize." he started up the stairs "she may be your little girl, but she's also the woman that I love, and she's the woman that i'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

Castle turned to face his friend.

"Were going to be together forever, so at some point, you going to have to get used to the fact that we do the stuff that you pretend we don't do." Kevin said pointing back at him.

As he reached the top of the stairs he could hear Castle mumbling to himself in the kitchen.

He knocked on Alexis' closed door, and waited for a response.

He heard her sleepy voice call from within, "Come in"

He turned the knob, and in the dull light of her bedside lamp he could see her beautiful body as she lay on the bed, wearing nothing but an old t-shirt.

"Hey, how did it go with my dad " she questioned as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Kevin crossed the room kissing her on the cheek "Ok, just guy stuff" he sat in the corner chair beginning to undress.

"Guy stuff, yeah right" she giggled.

"He just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to do anything to... stain your virtue" he quickly stripped to his boxers and knelt by the bed.

"What, your kidding. But he knows that we are having sex"

"Yes, but he like's to pretend that were not, he say's its easier for him that way"

"It's not supposed to be easy for him, I mean what would he have done if I wasn't sleeping with you, what if it was some stranger that he couldn't tell what to do..."

Kevin put his hand up "please, let's not talk about you sleeping with other guys on the night of our engagemtnt, it's bad enough we can't be together, I don't wanna have nightmares on top of that."

He climbed into bed and pulled her back to his chest.

"We don't have to listen to him you know, were two consenting adults."

"No, as far as your father is concerned, you're little red riding hood and i'm the big bad wolf" he nipped at her neck.

"Roll play" she giggled "I'm game"