Mini-Caskett
Sitting at her desk, Detective Kate Beckett is busy writing up reports and clearing paperwork. Further down the room, Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan are arguing about what Ryan should buy his wife as an anniversary present.
Rick Castle walks in carefully balancing a couple of coffee mugs in one hand whilst holding baby Johanna in his other arm.
Kate looks up and smiles as he sits down in his usual chair by her desk.
"Hi, you going to help me with the paperwork, Castle?"
"Nope, me and 'Little Caskett' here, are going to go for a walk in the park …. "
Kate looks at him with a frown on her face and Castle gets all flustered, she then smiles and shakes her head "… you are so easy Castle! Go on, I'll be at least another hour". She leans over and smooths Johanna's hair "Come back then and we'll go grab something to eat".
Castle is half-way to his feet when Beckett's phone rings, he pauses as she reaches for it and listens for a minute.
"Ok, on our way!" She pushes back her chair and calls out "Shooting in a warehouse on West 25th"
As they reach the lift, Beckett turns to find Castle, Johanna cradled in his arms close behind.
"Castle! Where do you think you're going!?"
"We..ell, with you guys of course!"
"The hell you are! You go to the park or … or stay here … but you are not coming with us!"
"Kate, do you want me to tell the guys what you were wearing on Sunday?"
"Yo, Beckett! What were you wearing?" asks Esposito as he nudges Ryan in the ribs.
"You wouldn't dare!" then seeing the look of mischief on his face "Grrrh! Ok, but you keep well back, or I'll shoot you myself!"
Behind her back, Ryan and Esposito feed Rick's birds.
Scene changes to street view.
The cars pull up outside a warehouse proudly proclaiming "Agnelli Bros. – Best Italian Marble" across the front. Two patrol cars are already there, lights flashing and the officers are checking the surrounding area. As Esposito and Ryan climb out of their car, Kate turns to Rick and pokes him in the ribs, he winces.
"I don't want you doing anything stupid … if that's possible! Don't get out of the car and …. " She turns to look at the baby seat in the back where Johanna is happily waving her hands at the flashing lights reflected on the car's window, "… don't leave her alone!"
With that she climbs out of the car, slams the door and heads over to where Ryan and Espo are talking to one of the officers.
Rick Castle waits until they all head for the door at the left of the warehouse and, guns drawn, move inside. Guiltily he looks around, then turns to face Johanna in the back. "Well, did you have your fingers crossed when mom gave that last order? I did!"
He climbs out of the car, opens the rear door and bends down to pull something out from under the passenger seat. Crouching by the door he holds up a dark blue Kevlar papoose with "BABY" written across the front of it. "Look what Daddy got you, your own vest!" Johanna looks at him and gurgles.
Pulling on his "WRITER" vest he then unbuckles Johanna from the baby seat and slides her into the papoose. Carefully he clips her on to his chest and quietly shuts the car door. With another guilty look around, he heads over to the warehouse door and carefully opens it.
The warehouse echoes to distant footsteps and Castle can just make out the flash of torches in the distance. Pulling the door to behind him and putting his finger to his lips as he looks down at "Little Caskett" he tip-toes after the others.
From the back of the warehouse comes a shot, followed by shouting. Then he hears Espo's voice telling someone to turn around. Reaching another doorway he carefully pokes his head through and looks at the scene in front of him.
Sitting on the floor, his back to a desk and holding a bloody shoulder, a man with a shark tattoo on his hand was groaning in pain whilst Ryan covered him with his gun. Esposito was meanwhile busy cuffing another guy and reading him his rights whilst the one of the uniforms was kneeling behind the desk, a pair of still, elegantly-shod feet sticking out from behind the desk seemed to indicate another victim. Beckett was standing over the wounded guy phone in hand.
"Don't tell me, headstones at knock down prices?" said Castle as he stepped through the doorway.
"Castle! What the hell ... " Kate's mouth dropped at the sight of her daughter strapped to Ricks chest waving her arms and grinning at her.
"Oops! Ah ... um .. I ... I'll just g-go back to the car and wait ..." said Rick Castle as he hurriedly stepped back through the door and headed for the car, his ears already resounding to Kate's furious
"Caaaaaaaastle!..."