I have been astonished at the response I received to the first chapter of this story. Thank you so much to each and everyone of you.

Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

The Invitation

Chapter 2

"Girlfriend what in the world are you doing here and not at home packing your bags?" Dr Lanie Parish demanded as she looked up from the report she was writing.

Beckett had come down to the ME's office to tell her friend about Castle's sudden and unexpected invitation. She had barely taken a couple of steps into the office before she stopped dead in her tracks.

"You know?" She said, looking a little confused.

"Uh-huh."

Beckett's eyes narrowed. "Let me guess, Esposito called you?"

Lanie smiled and nodded her head.

Beckett rolled her eyes. She had noticed Esposito reaching for his telephone when she was walking out of the bullpen. It annoyed her that her colleagues took such an interest in her private life.

"I simply can't just drop everything and fly off to Australia." Beckett said a little defensively.

"Why ever not?"

"I'm working."

"Girl, when was the last time you had a holiday, a real holiday?"

Beckett walked over and perched herself on the edge of Lanie's desk. She had to think hard and ended up shrugging her shoulders.

"There you have it. You definitely need a holiday."

"Yeah but why Australia?"

"Why ever not, honey?"

"But with Castle?" Beckett shook her head at the thought.

"If you ask me I think you'd be mad not to take up his invitation."

"I'm not asking you."

"Then what are you doing here girlfriend?"

That question stopped Beckett. What was she doing here? Her mind was in so much confusion. Was she hoping that Lanie would disapprove? Try and dissuade from going? She almost laughed at the thought. Lanie had been the head cheer leader at getting her and Castle together. She was sure that Lanie had made it her life's mission to see the two of them together.

Feeling Lanie's eyes boring into her Beckett turned and looked at her friend.

"I don't know what I'm doing here." She confessed.

"I know why."

"Why?"

"You want me to give you a whole list of reasons why you shouldn't go away with Writer Boy. Well honey, I can't help you there." Lanie said, shaking her head. "But I can give you a heap of reasons why you should go."

Beckett pulled a face at her friend and cast her eyes down on the desk. She noticed the stack of travel brochures sitting on the desk. She picked them up.

"Thinking of going away, Lanie?" Beckett inquired.

She cast a glance in her friend's direction and saw the hesitant look that flickered across Lanie's face. It vanished behind the bright smile that she switched on.

"I have some leave coming up." Lanie said hurriedly. "Javier and I thought we might get away from this cold weather, go somewhere that's warm."

Beckett grinned as she looked through the travel brochures.

"The Bahamas, Bermuda...Fiji." She said aloud. "New Zealand...and...Australia."

Beckett dropped the other brochures on the desk and flipped through the pages of the Australia brochure. She cast a questioning eyebrow at Lanie.

"Don't be looking at me like that Beckett." Lanie said.

"Like what?" Beckett asked innocently.

"You think I put Castle up to this."

The moment Beckett saw the travel brochures that was the exactly what she thought.

"Did you?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Lanie looked up at her friend, trying not to look uncomfortable. She now understood how it felt to be on the other side of the table in the interrogation room facing Detective Kate Beckett. She forced a bright smile to her as she got to her feet. She gathered up a file and moved towards the filing cabinet.

"Honey I'm absolutely positive." Lanie said firmly. She pulled open the top drawer. "Don't get me wrong, though. If I had thought of it I would have suggested it to Castle."

Lanie put away the file and closed the drawer. She leaned against the filing cabinet.

"Honey, I would love to go to Australia." she announced. "Unfortunately our budgets don't stretch that far. Javier and I will probably end up going somewhere a little closer to home."

Catching the tone in her friend's voice Beckett looked up from the brochure and smiled at Lanie.

"Time for Javier to meet your parents, eh?"

Lanie flashed a non committal smile.

"I didn't realise it was that serious between you two, Lanie?"

"Serious enough."

Beckett turned her attention to the travel brochure and slowly flipped through the pages. She paused at the picture of Ayres Rock taken at sunset. The huge monolith rose up from the flat scrub land, glowing orange red in the fading sunlight with the cloud covered sky turning a deep purple colour. It was a stunning photograph she thought to herself. She flipped the pages and came to another photograph. This one was of Sydney Harbour that was full of sailing yachts of all shapes and sizes, milling about these yachts were a vast fleet of boats and pleasure craft. In the background to the right was the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge next to it was the Opera House with the city skyline further on. Beckett read the caption beneath the picture and found that it was a shot of the Annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht race.

"Whether you want my advice or not, girlfriend I'm going to give it." Lanie said.

Beckett almost jumped off the desk. Lanie had crept up behind her, startling her when she spoke.

"You want me to take up his invitation?" Beckett said.

Lanie crossed her arms across her chest and nodded her head.

"Easier said than done." Beckett sighed. She dropped the brochure on Lanie's desk.

"It takes only one word, yes." Lanie pointed out.

Beckett shook her head and eased herself off Lanie's desk. She started to pace back and forth trying to clear her head and try an reign in all the emotions that were swirling inside her. It would be easy to say yes but it was complicated in ways she couldn't explain. So many things had happened in the past few months. She recalled to mind that moment in her apartment when she had told him to go home as it wasn't his fight and he flat out refused. When he all but told her how he truly felt and yet when she wanted him to speak the words they didn't come. Or those times when she wanted to tell him how she felt about him but when the moment came she retreated, she ran away from it. Cursing herself for being a coward.

Lanie watched with some concern as her friend paced the floor. After a few minutes she grew tired of watching her and decided to take the bit between the teeth.

"Kate." She called out sharply.

Beckett stopped pacing and turned to look at Lanie.

"You and Castle have been dancing around about how you truly feel about each other for far longer than any marathon dance contest."

Beckett couldn't help but grin at the imagery.

"I'm getting tired of watching it girlfriend, hell we're all getting tired of watching it." Lanie said firmly. " The time has come for the both of you to open up your eyes and see what is standing right in front of you."

Kate bit her lower lip as she cast her eyes to the floor.

"What if I'm afraid?" Beckett said in a low voice.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that it doesn't work out. Afraid that I lose his friendship?" There she said it, it was out there, she thought to herself.

Lanie stared at Beckett with a look of astonishment. Suddenly she burst out laughing.

"Girlfriend there's no chance of that happening." She said still laughing. When Beckett didn't respond she continued. "In case you haven't noticed but Writer Boy is so head over heels in love with you, there's nothing he wouldn't do to make you happy. I'm sure of it."

Beckett didn't like it when Lanie called him Writer Boy but she let it slide.

"How can you be so sure Lanie?"

"How can I be sure?" Lanie exclaimed. She walked up to stand close to Beckett forcing the detective to look at her. Lanie fixed her with a steady gaze before she spoke again.

"Honey, how many men do you know who would put up their own money to help you find your mother's killer? How many men do you know who would willingly put themselves into the line of fire just to make sure you're out of harm's way? How many men do you know who would take on a trained assassin, unarmed no less, and beat the crap out of him? And how many men do you know who knowing the possible consequences grab all the wires of a bomb and yank them out figuring that one of them might be the right one?"

Beckett stared at her friend but did not have to respond to the questions. They both knew the answer.

"Kate, I am very sure. Have no doubt about that." Lanie added gently. She patted her arm affectionately.

"I wish I could be as sure you Lanie."

"Well there is only one way to be sure." Lanie said firmly.

Beckett lifted up her gaze and saw her friend smiling gently at her.

"You go away with him."

Beckett smiled at her friend. A thought occurred to her.

"Even if I did agree to go away with him." Beckett held up a hand when she saw her friend's reaction, "And I'm not saying that I will, there's no way the captain will give me the time off."

"You never know honey." Lanie said with a growing grin.

Beckett's phone chirped into life announcing an incoming message. She fished it out of her coat and opened it.

"It's from Captain Montgomery." Beckett announced, her face turning serious. She read the message and a frown creased her face. "He wants to see me right away. Looks like a body's dropped."

Beckett pocketed the phone and started for the door.

"Looks like the trip to Australia is off, Lanie."

Lanie watched her friend fly out the door. She turned and picked up the travel brochure on Australia and slowly leafed through it. She had a grin on her face from ear to ear.

"I wouldn't be too sure, honey." She said in an amused voice. "I wouldn't be too sure."