The tank rolls across the darkened loft, pacing the woman at the refrigerator.
Alexis looks up as it makes a noise, "Dad! Spying? "
Richard Castle comes out of bedroom hair mussed and holding the remote. "Can't sleep? "
"Yeah then I saw Lainie's van down the street and I texted her. She is backlogged cause of the flu so if I want to help I can. " Alexis was heading for the door.
"Something's happening down the street? Why didn't anyone tell me? I'll come with. " Castle ran back to the room.
They got down to the street to find lights and activity. Alexis went off to find Lainie . Castle stopped by Ryan, who was trying to contend with a toddler having a floppy tantrum. Castle lifted the child from him and got an immediate crabby once over. Dark hair and eyes and a glare that would do Beckett proud.
"Hi sweetheart "he said softly as she sniffled and put her head on his shoulder. He was in love.
"She's warm" he said to Ryan" is she teething ?" Ryan was looking at him open mouthed. "Yeah, her mom was driving her around to get her to go to sleep when she saw the all night drug store. She stopped for diapers and medicine." Castle smiled at Ryan "Just you wait. "
A man in a hoodie turned and looked at them. Took Castle a minute, the guy had more hair and scruff then usual. "LT. ? over the flu?" LT grimaced.
" Had him drink half a beer at a stake out and he has a relapse, it was even N.A. beer, lightweight. "Ryan teased
LT shrugged but Castle could tell he was still under the weather.
Castle shifted the now boneless child and was surprised how good it felt. He missed this.
"Hey Castle "he turned, Beckett in her motorcycle outfit, undercover. To bad he was supposed to be writing tonight, this stake out seemed like fun.
"Another conquest ? "she said softly. He gave her a beautiful smile as Espo came up behind and shook his head" Man you look blissed out. " Beckett saw Lainie approaching from the other side. "What've you got? " Guy tried to car jack a woman and her child. Clipped the end of that building, the car crash didn't kill him, he was shot twice before trying to get a ride. there is a blood trail leading back there. "She pointed .
All during the run down Beckett was sneaking little looks at Castle, he just looked so content. Something irresistible about a rumpled man holding a sleeping baby. She could almost hear the comment he said years ago, Makes you want me doesn't it?
Lainie looked at Castle "Why don't you take the sick ones up to your place? Her mom was sent to the hospital. We will bring her family up when they get here. I know I for one could use coffee when I am done here. "
Castle and Beckett grinned at each other as he gestured to LT and looked for Alexis. She was talking to a silver haired woman.
After he put the sleeping girl on the couch he found LT toast and tea and started coffee. He missed her against his shoulder.
The next 47 minutes was a blur. The little girl, Allie had been woken up by the team showing up with her aunt. She made off with LT's keys heading for one of Castle antique typewriters. The place was not baby proofed at all .
"She's a pistol" her aunt said as she tried to get her in her coat "thank you for watching her. " "Her Mom is going to be under observation tonight. They think she got away with a concussion and whip lash."
Castle handed out coffee and breakfast wraps. Beckett and the boys left for the precinct. Lainie was going to the morgue with Alexis after dropping LT home. The whole crew looked like they needed to sleep for a week, the flu bug was kicking everyone's butt. If you weren't fighting it or recovering you were working short.
The loft was suddenly too quiet. He paced into the office, he was actually supposed to be writing. He sat down, shuffled things, bounced back up he decided to recall his tank from wherever it went. As the screen powered up he found himself staring under a piece of furniture. There was a small box and he tilted his head to read it better. OMG ! He squeaked. He ran to the couch and rooted under it. Yep it was a pregnancy test. Alexis?! He yelled
Castle sat with a drink staring at the pregnancy test.
"Research?" Says Martha as she comes in." No, no "he mutters ." Does Alexis seem different to you? Has she said anything? "
Martha came full stop "Alexis? you think that's hers? Have you talked to Beckett?"
Castle suddenly had more emotions to deal with." You think its Beckett's and she wouldn't tell me ?"
Martha tried a light approach " I don't know whose it is and I think the fact that you are drinking scotch at 7:30 in the morning is reason enough to hide it from you."" Let it ride for a bit, it may be a false alarm, even a positive they may have to mull it over before saying something. " Castle wasn't paying attention." I wonder if one of the boys could get prints off of this". Martha threw up her hands and left.
Kate took a crime scene photo down to the morgue. When she got there Alexis was alone and looked uncomfortable. "Hey Alexis did this woman tell you her name ? " Alexis looked at the photo, it was the woman Castle had seen her talking to. "She didn't give her name but she knew mine."
" What did she want ? "
"She asked if there was more then one guy involved." " I am sorry if I shouldn't have talked to her, I only said he was alone. " Beckett nodded.
Alexis looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. "Gram called, Dad found a pregnancy test at home and he is freaking out. " The door suddenly opened and Lainie was there, Caught up short by Becketts presence and the look on their faces." What?"
Castle was at his desk staring off into space. His phone chimed, he had a message from Espo " Bro I don't know what you did but Lainie says if you come down and upset either of her girls she is going to hunt you down."
"Mother did you call the precinct?"Martha came in from the other room. " Well I called Alexis to give her a heads up."
Castle opened the loft door to find Alexis on the other side of the door about to open it. "Going
somewhere ?" she asked. He could tell she was really pissed. "Were you going down to the precinct to cause a scene? "
"You weren't picking up your phone " he said. Alexis headed for the stairs "I was only there for five hours which seems to be enough time to get into trouble." Castle was diverted "What kind of trouble ?"
"Someone tried to get information from me at the crime scene, the team wants to talk to her. "
" Did they say you were in trouble?"
"Not in so many words. " She stalked up the stairs." I am going to take a nap."
Beckett came home later exhausted. The feds shut down our case and we got sent home to sleep unless a body drops. Castle was distracted but unwilling to bring up the test. "Alexis thought she is in trouble for talking to somebody she shouldn't?" Beckett said" I don't think she is in trouble the woman was dressed similarly to CSU and seemed to know her way around a crime scene ." " She also called her by name."
"Can I see a picture?" he said
"Don't have one on me, One of the CSU people thought she recognized her, that she comes from a family of cops. She called a colleague. Castle watched her pace and huff, suddenly all his angst had a target. He smirked and got in her way. She glared at him and it only upped his adreneline. She headed for the fridge only to get hipped as she stepped around him. Whatever crack Castle was going to make got shut down with a biting kiss, he chuckled, game on.
He was half awake, warm and relaxed when a chubby hand patted him on the back pat ,pat, pat, a childish chortle when her mom murmured something. He kept his eyes closed , he wanted to retain this feeling. Sunlight against closed lids, relaxation and love. Bottle it. Keep it safe for those days when he needed it.
When Beckett woke up he was madly writing , ignoring three times then a wave like hi and don't bother me. Martha greeted her in the kitchen "Best to leave him alone when he starts writing at 0 dark 30. I think he has a meeting with the publisher later today. " Beckett decided the loft might be a little tense and checked in with Lainie to see if she wanted to meet her somewhere. Beckett and Alexis were in the kitchen talking when Lainie swung by to pick her up. Things had been a little awkward this morning, a continuation of yesterday, All three were in the kitchen when the tank made an appearance at the edge of the room.
Lainie went over to speak directly to it. "Castle you better back that bad boy up or there is going to be smoking metal." Castles voice came from the next room. "We are behind enemy lines and they pull a shock and awe campaign. " The tank beats it back to the office. Beckett hasn't brought up the test and neither has he, they are walking on eggshells and there probably will be a talk between the Castles that she doesn't want a part of.
Later Castle was quiet as he was cooking supper even though he gave a distracted smile. Martha when she showed up filled in the gaps in conversation and Alexis was off somewhere. After dinner and clean up Beckett snuck a peek at his laptop as she went by. Rook had sent Nikki a picture of a toddler and a dog staring each other down. irresistable force meets immovable object he had sent and Nikki had smiled. Babysitting? Beckett thought. She was in the bedroom when Castle also decided to turn in early. "How did the meeting go? " she asked. He huffed a little." I mentioned the writing I had done and they don't seem interested". "Why? " Beckett asked
" Rook and Nikki have a toddler and my publisher thinks it sounds too domestic." Beckett looked at him" The baby is theirs? "
"Yep and a dog, I had about 5 chapters write themselves this morning and they don't even want to read it. They want their boys BAD, not home taking care of a kid and a dog. "Beckett was staring at the wall trying to feel out the conversation. "How were they handling it?" Nikki and Rook I mean.
" Rook was diving right in, taking it in stride and happy. Nikki was struggling a bit."
"Can I read these chapters? " Castle looked like he just wanted to drop it." Why do you want to? It didn't seem to impress anyone else. " The more she heard the more she wanted to read them and he was getting defensive and huffy. He snuggled in behind her. "We can talk about it later, I feel like I have had every emotional button pushed the last two days. Until tomorrow detective." Beckett mouthed detective? When was the last time she got called that. We're not done here she thought as she felt Castle relax, she snuggled in and went to sleep.
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