A/N: I am floored at the response to this story, the alerts were incredible. Obviously I have gained your respect through my other FF's, and I want to tell you that I only wrote them for you guys… okay, and a little for my will they/won't they, desire to have my star-crossed lovers together. I will do my best not to let you down, and make it worth the read, leaving you wanting more and more. =)

"Come on Alexis…" Castle urged impatiently. It was early morning and he was ready to go, eager to drive his daughter and partner to the campsite and begin what could only be described as 'the best fun ever' and he knew it would be. He had plans. He had pranks up his sleeve. This was going to be a camping trip that Kate Beckett wished she came on every year, either that or she'd want to kill him and drown him in a bucket of hot oil. He was going for the first one, looking on the positive side, he was a 'glass half-full type man.

Castle couldn't contain his excitement.

"Relax, dad," Alexis laughed as she came bounding down the stairs, her duffle bag in tact.

Castle snatched the bag from her hands, "I got it… let's go," he said and dragged it towards the door. He had packed his bag hours before, too impatient to wait. He had double checked he had all his prank tools with him, packed somewhere amongst his camping gear. He brought anything that he thought Beckett might forget, except a sleeping bag and tent, with little remorse on the VERY off-chance that she hadn't had one and expected Castle to provide it for her. There was always room in his tent, and his sleeping bag was more than cosy enough for two.

Alexis laughed at him as they hurried down the hall and out of the building to the waiting car. "Beckett hasn't called this morning to cancel. I think you're safe dad, you can be a few minutes late."

"I don't want to give her any reason to change her mind," he told his daughter.

They reached the car and Castle threw the duffle bag into the boot. He hurried to climb into the driver's side like he was racing to the hospital emergency room. Alexis took her sweet time getting into the passenger's side, evidently just to torment her father.

Castle threw her a sideways glance, and she quickly shut the door.

Within seconds he was making his way through traffic, towards Beckett's apartment building.

Smashmouth's version of I'm a believer began to play on his iPhone, indicating the call was coming from Beckett. His heart thumped wildly as he briefly took his eyes off the road to look down beside him where the iphone lay ringing. Alexis' hand reached out to seize it, but a scream leapt from his mouth, forcing her to retract her hand.

"Don't answer that," he barked. "If we don't pick it up, then she can't cancel."

Alexis shook her head mockingly.

A few minutes later Castle arrived at her apartment, and she was ready with her own duffle bag in tact. He grinned as he placed her bag into the boot, and she swapped car seats with Alexis, when Alexis offered to sit in the back seat. She explained that she'd mostly likely be listening to her iPod anyway, and her dad was sure to want to make conversation on the drive to the camping ground.

Beckett rolled her eyes at Castle as she climbed into the car beside him.

For once, Castle didn't respond.

Alexis used the brief silence in the car, as a way to torment and tease her father, when she mentioned the frenzy her father had been in that morning.

"Alexis, sweetheart," he said turning several shades red. "Don't be so dramatic."

"No dad, don't you remember…" she grinned pleased to see her father squirm uncomfortably. "You practically pushed me out the door. Not to mention when she called a few minutes before we got to Detective Beckett's place, you were too scared to answer the phone-"

"I was most certainly NOT scared," he denied.

"Why was he scared?" Beckett asked simply enjoying writer-boy fidget.

"He thought you were going to cancel," Alexis answered grinning at her father.

Castle scowled.

"In my defence, I did tell you that camping makes me crazy," he grinned using his famous charm smile.

Beckett smiled. "I wasn't calling to cancel," she assured him. "I was just calling to make sure you brought an extra sleeping bag for me."

"Oh," Castle covered his hand over his mouth in false horror. "I totally forgot."

Beckett's eyes widened her face hardening to serious. "Castle…" she warned.

"It'll be fine," he promised knowingly. He was, after all, a cuddly sleeper. "Things like this happen all the time when camping. Someone always has a spare one."

Beckett leaned back in the passenger's seat and pouted.

In the mirror, Castle threw his daughter a deadly look, silently promising to make her pay for what she had done to him. Alexis wasn't the least bit afraid, she knew her father, and she had learnt from him, and anything he did to her, she would overthrow.

"Alexis," Beckett addressed.

"Yes Detective Beckett," she smiled - all ears.

"Please, call me Kate. It's only necessary to call me Detective Beckett when we are in the precinct. The rest of the time, Kate is fine."

Alexis smiled. "Kate…"

Quoting SG-1 "HOLY HANNAH"

Are you as excited as I am? LOL. Kate has no sleeping bag… how will THAT go down? CAMPING… here we come…

Reviews are welcomed… *pleading eyes*