Kate Beckett groaned when she heard her alarm clock go off. It was way too early, she decided, as it felt like she was hardly asleep before that incessant merr-merr-merr-merr had her head lifting off the pillow.

'Nuhhhh,' she groaned, but got up; she knew it would be worse if one of her kids came in and found her buck-naked beside their equally naked daddy so Beckett got up and got herself into the shower knowing the noise would get Castle up too. When she'd finished her morning bathroom routine and left the ensuite she saw the bed empty and could smell coffee. Oh man, she really did have the best husband.

Dressed in fall-weight pants and long-sleeved shirt Beckett twisted her hair into a chignon at the nape of her neck, added her weapon holster and her badge to her belt. She tucked her cellphone into her pocket and headed downstairs not just to coffee but breakfast and the noise of her children.

'Hey, you guys are up early,' she commented, seeing Jojo and RJ at the breakfast table each with a glass of juice.

'Too 'cited-a 'nooze,' Jojo told her with a gleeful grin. 'Gonna go whoosh on a pane soon.'

'That's right, we're flying to Bermuda next Wednesday,' RJ told her.

'Too fah, Ah-Shay.'

'Not really if you go by sleeps, look.' RJ held up his hands, counted off his fingers. 'Tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. How many is that?'

'One, too, tuh-ree, foh, five, sis. Sis days!' Jojo crowed, proud of herself for getting it right when she saw RJ's smile. 'Tha' not so fah.'

'Mumum, we're gonna pack on the weekend, right?' RJ asked her. 'We're gonna make sure we have all our things ready for the plane ride to Bermuda?'

'Absolutely.'

'Very cool.'

'Daaaaa-deeee,' Jojo sang, twisting around to look at Castle by the stove in the kitchen. 'Mumum nee' bik-fiss soon.'

'It's coming in a moment, bumble-bee,' he replied, grinning when Beckett came over and kissed him. 'Good morning Detective, you're not called in early?'

'Not this morning, which is good because I have a butt-load of paperwork to polish off before we go away for a week.'

'We gonna see Lissy an' Adam weddin'.' Jojo clapped her hands. 'She be so boo-tee-fo, jus' like Mumum!'

'And Alexis too, but you were just a little baby when Alexis got married, Jojo,' RJ told her.

'RJ, you got your back-pack ready for school, buddy?' Beckett asked him. 'I'll take you to school this morning.'

'Yea!' RJ grinned broadly. He loved the mornings when his mother got to take him to school; he knew she often had to be out catching criminals early in the morning, or figuring out the story on a crime scene. She was almost always there for the after-school stuff but the morning stuff was usually for him and his dad so when they got to have a morning together on a school-day he would take it and run with it.

'And now it's breakfast time.' Castle brought over the bowls of oatmeal with blueberries for Jojo, apples for RJ and both for Beckett. He brought over a bowl for himself with Nesquik syrup and chewed thoughtfully as he listened to RJ detail what the day at school would bring for him.

'Daddy,' Jojo leaned over towards her father. 'Daddy, wan' go 'chool too. Wanna know 'tuff like Ah-Shay.'

'You'll get your turn, not to worry.'

'Okay. How you' bik-fiss?'

'Delicious. Eat up bumblebee, then it's going to be the day just you and me.'

'Seven days.'

Adam looked over his shoulder at Lindsay from the counter where he was grating cheese and he grinned when he saw Lindsay sitting there in her pyjamas while he was in his work clothes. One of the silver lining perks of Lindsay working the night shift was mornings like this - when he wasn't called to a scene early they could have a meal together. For her it was supper, for him it was breakfast and in Adam's mind, the best way to start and end a day for each of them.

'What's that?'

'Seven days. Then you won't just be making toaster waffles and fruit salad for your fiancee, you'll be making them for your wife.'

'And you'll be waking up your husband with a kiss hello after working the night shift.'

'That comes after the honeymoon,' Lindsay giggled. 'Think of it, a week in Bermuda with our family then a week in Aruba and then a week in Italy for just us. It's going to be amazing.'

'I'm looking forward to the wedding night,' Adam added with a lascivious grin and Lindsay's giggles continued.

'You've seen me naked plenty of times, Adam.'

'Yeah, my girlfriend and my fiancee. Not my wife.'

Lindsay's heart went buttery. 'Same here, only for my husband.'

The timer for the toaster dinged and with quick movements so as not to burn his fingertips, Adam landed the waffles onto plates and added bowls of fruit salad. He topped Lindsay's waffles with grated cheese - why the hell she found that appealing was one of the many mysteries he loved about her - then brought the plates to the table. 'What's left that has to be done this week before we go?'

'Not a lot. We've gotten the papers filed, we're packing our luggage this weekend, passports, tickets all that is taken care of. Andrea and Daniel are flying down on Sunday afternoon and taking the wedding party's clothes with them so they are already down there waiting for us.'

Adam smeared jam on his waffles, cut them into bite-sized pieces just like a little kid. Lindsay had watched him do that with pizza on their first at-home date and had been instantly charmed a tough-guy cop still wanted his food cut before he ate it. 'And we're also meeting with the caterer at the hotel Wednesday afternoon to finalize our menu. That's really the last major thing we've got left.'

'That and our bachelor and bachelorette parties this weekend. What are the guys planning for you since they know they can't get you hammered?'

'That falls under the Fight Club rules, which I also know is a two-way street for your send off with the girls.' Adam pictured three bites of waffle, chomped them down. 'But since we all have plans to pack this weekend, I'm sure that means we'll be cramming in packing around party time.'

'I bet,' Lindsay said, then let out a large yawn. 'Sorry, baby.'

'You had a long night, why not go get some sleep?'

Lindsay looked down at her breakfast; she'd already eaten all her fruit salad and most of her waffles so she set her plate on the counter knowing Adam would wrap it up when he put his coffee in his travel thermos. She leaned over and gave him a kiss, once, twice on the lips. 'Take care of my cop, my love.'

'You know I will.'

It was their ritual, just as Lindsay had learned Esposito always told Meredeth to give him one for good luck and she went to bed knowing her man would come home safely to her.

Back in the kitchen Adam wrapped Lindsay's plate with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for her, found his coffee and headed out for a day of paperwork with Newman and Beckett. They'd been given orders by Karpowski to clear their paperwork before they took any fresh cases, since the trial for their last high-profile murder in July had run long and they'd fallen behind. He arrived at his desk in the bullpen which was smack-dab between Beckett's and Newman's and he almost groaned when he saw the stack on his desk topped with an absurdly cheerful neon pick Post-It note.

'Good thing I had waffles and coffee this morning,' he murmured as he

He barely noticed anything else around him for the next two hours until he heard Beckett calling his name out. 'Brennan!'

'Yes, Beckett.'

'We caught a fresh one,' Beckett held up the note as she hung up her desk phone.

'Thought we weren't allowed any new cases until the paperwork was cleared.'

'Newman's still on desk-only duty since coming back from his injury. As much as he might bitch, it'll make him feel like himself again.' She grabbed her coat, headed for the elevator. 'You're with me on this one, and brace yourself, this is gonna be tough.'