Author's note: Still don't own castle. Thank you for all the fans for this story. I wish that it was better, but college and working on writing that I can get paid for got in the way. Here you go.

Richard Castle carefully followed his daughter and her date. Because they took a cab he was able to get some distance between her and his offspring just by going to the parking garage. Quickly he used his car's voice commands to get the favor he needed to properly spy on his daughter. "Call Madison."

"Hey Rick. What you doing?" came the perky voice of Beckett's restaurateur friend. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have reservations for a Walker party? My daughter is on a date."

"Hold on…Yep. Cute couple. The redhead you're daughter? She's really pretty."

"She's my best work; the hair was my co-writer's contribution." Castle joked. "Anyway I need a table where I can see her. And I'll have company."

"You're in luck. I'll hold the table on the other side of the room. You'll have a clear shot to look at them."

"Thanks." Grinned Castle. "I'll be there in fifteen."

...

Alexis and Jim were sitting calmly.

"How did you get in?" Alexis asked her date, looking at his handsome green eyes. This was her first sit down date with a boy in months, and considering her last date was all but set up by her father, the first time she'd picked the boy. Best of all it was nice and quiet, so they could actually talk.

Jim grinned "I've traded up some serious favors from an exec at NBC. I started with a page, then got a show-runner, then got a favor from the head of the network. Though now I'm babysitting a managerie next weekend for a crazy sketch comedy star. I was really lucky."

"So you're not going to believe it. But remember that dance festival I went to the other day, the one where I you asked me out?"

Jim Nodded. "What about it. Hope me asking you out didn't ruin your date?"

"Actually it turns out that my father and his uncle primed him like a lawnmower. They basically tricked him into asking me out."

"Huh that's weird." Jim mused. "I got the feeling from your father that he hates boys hanging out with you in general."

"My last real boyfriend he met with a gun." Alexis said with a slight giggle. "I mean it was an old school flintlock pistol and he wasn't planning on it. But I'm pretty sure he's been reconsidering gun ownership ever since it made the boy humble."

"That's pretty funny. My father subcontracts scaring dates to my older sister and me."

Alexis took a big bite of her tilapia dinner. "Really how does your sister scare off the unworthy?"

My big sister Amber works at a…" he paused as he searched for words. "Okay, promise not to be too weirded out." Alexis nodded, more than a little intrigued. "She's a dominatrix."

"Mistress Irina's house of pain?" Alexis asked. Remembering a case a while back that her father worked on.

"Yeah." Jim's head then went sharp. "How did you even know that?"

"My dad worked a case there." Alexis answered nonchalantly.

"Well anyway my little sister went out on her first date. Amber and I decided to scare the boy. So I started showing him my karate and wrestling trophies. He was a little startled but then Amber came by holding a spiked paddle. She looked him in the eye and says 'I torture men for a living. He breaks them for recreation. What do you think we'll do when if we're motivated?' The boy immediately froze in fear. And then my sister came down, dressed to the nines. The boy looks at her and says "How about a trip to see UP at the movie theatre.""

Alexis repressed a chuckle. "That's so funny."

"I don't know. A guy who makes up murder mysteries still sounds more intimidating. If he kills anyone he'll get creative."

The two's food came and they looked each other in the eyes. "So what inspired you to ask me out. Did I really make that good of a first impression?"

"I'm a sucker for pale blue eyes. And I've kind of been attracted to you ever since I saw you at the precinct."

"You haven't been you know…Keeping tabs on me have you?"

"Nothing like that. I've just kinda been waiting for a chance to talk to you. But we don't get into homicide often or the morgue. But detective Beckett came over and asked if I'd be willing to do that sting the other night, and mentioned you'd be my partner…."

"Wait." Alexis interjected. "She told me you'd be my partner after I signed up. I thought she'd already recruited you."

Jim started to laugh through his nose.

Alexis asked. "What's so funny?"

"I think that Beckett was trying to set us up to meet."

"Why would she do that? I mean Beckett is a close family friend, but she never seemed like the type to meddle in my affairs. That's my dad's job."

"Maybe she just guessed that I'd be more willing to sign up if you were there, and knew you'd say yes. She's a smart woman."

"Well. Either way I'm glad I met you. You're pretty cool." Alexis decided that even if she was set up on a date by one of her favorite crime fighting duo, she wasn't going to let that spoil her opinion of this date.

"How cool?" Jim asked with a huge grin.

"Like, I don't know, I want to learn more about you cool?." Alexis blushed.

"Really?" Jim smiled. "I feel the same way."

"Okay. So where do we go from here?" Alexis asked nervously brushing her flowing red hair with her fingers.

"Well I guess we start trading questions and answers to learn more about each other. If we like what we learn tonight, we meet at a later location and indulge in a shared activity."

"I'd like that." Alexis replied as she put her hand forward and Jim gently put his battle scarred palm over her fingers. "

…

From behind a propped up menu, Castle watched with annoyance as the young man successful held his daughter's hand. He was tempted to go over and stop them when he heard beckett's voice say "Don't move Castle."

Richard Castle turned around to see Kate Beckett wearing a stunning little black dress, her freshly ironed and curled. "How'd you do it Kate?" Castle asked.

"Do what?" Beckett cooed.

Castle took a deep breath. "How'd you manage to sell Alexis on this boy? Jose was smart, sophisticated and just as good looking. Why'd she choose Tattoos and motorcycles over there?"

"Castle have you ever written any cheesy romance novels?"

Castle Flinched epically. "Once. I was poor and hungry and needed the money. It's a fairly easy genre to write, so I cranked one out for Harlequin and made rent that month."

"Well thank about how I sold Jim. A dark club, pounding rock music, a tall dark handsome stranger in black leather. I even brought in a gruff detective."

"You. You…" Castle was aghast and awed. "You sold my daughter a pulp detective romance. You used literary clichés against me!"

"I sort of thought you'd be smart enough to outdo me on that Castle. You thought of Alexis as your sensible smart ivy-league bound daughter, I thought of her as a teenage girl in need of a romance. Apparently I won."

"You'll have your check tomorrow." Castle conceded.

"How about instead you just buy me dinner." Beckett replied as she scooted down into the chair across from castle.

"So how did you get Slaughter involved, and put together a sting operation so fast?"

"Oh. Next Saturday night I'm meeting Ethan for dinner and drinks."

Castle tried to withheld judgment of Beckett for intentionally using her feminine wiles to get a psycho like Slaughter on her side. "Did you really need the money that bad?"

"No Rick. I just wanted to see you squirm. Plus I sort of thought they'd make a cute couple." She pointed at Jim and Alexis.

Castle looked back at his daughter and the young man. He sighed. "Yeah they do."

As Castle watched. Jim moved across the table and locked eyes with Alexis. The crew cut boy tilted his head and moved his lips in closer to hers. Alexis pursed her lips and pressed them against Jim's.

Beckett steadied Castle's hand "Take it easy cowboy. Jim's a good kid. This is as far as it'll go."

…

Alexis giggled "Do you think Dad saw that?" after the kiss.

Jim winked. "Yep. He's going to go nuts!"

"You're so bad." Alexis purred.

"I need a good girl to keep me out of trouble."

"I think I can arrange that." Alexis answered. Then she locked lips with Jim again.

Thank you all for reading. I'm sorry for the wait. If I get good reviews I'll write more Alexis and Jim stories in the future, as I created the character for the express purpose of being Alexis's partner in a Nancy Drew style mystery. Tell me what you think. Sorry if the writing isn't up to par, but I really wanted to get this up when I had the time.