The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the nose of Martha Rogers as she opened the door of her son's loft. "Richard, darling, how did you know?" she exclaimed as she walked to the breakfast bar depositing her bags on the surface.
Richard Castle turned to look at her, bringing sipping the hot beverage, "know what?" He looked at his mother, eyes wide in innocence.
"Coffee, kiddo, and pronto – it's a jungle out there!" Martha gave a dramatic flourish.
Castle poured a second cup and handed it to his mother saying, "tough hours in Bloomingdales, Mother?"
Martha accepted the cup, "You may mock, Richard." She sipped and sighed, "This is good." She looked at her son, "You're in a good mood. Detective Beckett involve you in a gruesome murder while I was out?" Martha drank again from her cup.
"Alas not; the good people of Manhattan are not playing today. Just congratulating myself on handling Alexis's boyfriend situation pretty well, again." Castle sipped from his cup with a self-satisfied grin.
"Oh, Richard, you're handling this as well as you handled Alexis's first period!"
"I did handle that well!" Castle's voice rose in indignation. "Alexis explained all the leaflets to me and translated that trip to the OB-GYN…"
"So that wasn't you waking me up in the early hours panicking before running to the nearest all-night Walgrave?" Martha looked pointedly at Castle, eyebrow raised and sipping her coffee.
"Admittedly I wasn't exactly prepared, Mother; it took me by surprise and I didn't want her to be alone …" Castle faltered. "I made sure she had a hot-water bottle before I left." He finished lamely.
Martha reached out and patted Castle's hand, "She's a long way from being walked down the aisle yet" and drained her cup.
Caste nodded while his mother looked at her watch, exclaimed at the time, gathered her belongings and walked to the loft's stairs. "Chet again?" he asked while drinking the last of his coffee.
"He's making me laugh and I'm enjoying his company."
"When you bring him home, I'm not going to call him "dad", Mother!" Castle shouted from the kitchen.
"Shouldn't you be writing?" came the retort from the second floor.
