As the doors opened on the fourth floor, our two teams of investigators walked into the bullpen congratulating each other for closing another case quickly. After a harrowing week of bizarre events strangely coincident to the full moon, they were happy to get one wrapped up easily. Knocking on the open door and poking her head into the captain's office "Captain Gates, just wanted to let you know, one more in the closed column." Beckett informs her
"That's good Detective. It was done quickly. Since your team is on call, why don't you send them home once the paperwork is done."
"Thank you Captain, will-do."
"Ah ... Detective Beckett ... that includes you too." the captain says pointedly.
"Yes Sir." she says sharply as she continues on her way to her desk.
"Espo, did the ME's final report arrive yet?"
"Just found it on my desk. Reading through it now."
"Okay, let me know if there's anything amiss." looking around "Where's Ryan?"
"He's in the locker room, said he spilled coffee on his tie." Esposito replies, shaking his head.
"Well, it could be worse." says Beckett humorously "What would he be like if he stained his jacket."
"Been there, done that." Esposito replies laughing.
"Yeah."
"Here you go Detective, one very hot very strong coffee." says Castle putting the cup on her desk.
Inhaling deeply, Beckett cradles the cup in her hands and takes a sip, closing her eyes slightly to savor the warmth and taste. "Thank you Castle. That hits the spot."
"You're welcome Beckett. You looked like you needed it."
Nodding her head she turned her attention to the papers on her desk. He had an amazing way of knowing what she wanted or needed almost before she knew herself. He also has a remarkable ability to put his ego aside to fulfill these wants and needs of hers. How many men will kowtow to a woman's needs like this without feeling less of a man? She smiled at the thought as she worked.
"Happy thought?" he asked playfully.
"Castle, don't you ... " she started.
"Hey Castle." Esposito calls from his desk. "You didn't tell us what you'd decide about that wedding invitation."
"What wedding invitation?" asks Ryan finally having returned to his desk.
"It seems that someone we know got a wedding invitation and that a guy we know got invited along as that person's guest." explains Esposito to Ryan, a bit louder than he needed to so Castle could hear the conversation.
"Oh boy, someone's goose is cooked." Ryan says laughing slightly and not looking directly at Castle. "Hey Espo, did you tell him the rules?"
"Yea I did bro, seems like he wasn't aware of the trouble he's in."
"Really? Did he live under a rock? How could a guy not know what this means."
"Dunno Ryan, guess you might be getting knocked off of first place on the 'totally whipped' list."
"Yea, without any question." agrees Ryan
"Detective Beckett," starts Castle, looking down "I just wanted to thank you for providing the boys with something entertaining for them to do for these few hours."
"Oh Castle, you underestimate them, any child could milk this for hours, they're trained detectives, they're going to be taking shots at you for a very long time to come."
"Oh goody, a human piñata, I can add that to my resume." he sighs.
The 'boys' see Castle's posture change and Ryan turns around to Esposito for a 'fist-bump' joyfully.
"Hey Ryan, did the canvas at the scene turn up anything strange?" asks Beckett without looking up.
"Surprisingly, it was very ordinary canvas everything lines up with what we're expecting to hear."
"Good, glad to hear it." She says.
"Looks like this might be an ea..." Castle starts to say.
All three of the detectives quickly cut him off "Don't say it!"
Startled, he looks up and sees the seriousness in their faces.
"I wouldn't have expected you three to be superstitious."
"Like Montgomery used to say, 'there's no upside to messing with things you don't understand' we don't believe it will curse us but there's no reason to say it and risk it." Esposito explains.
"Castle, I'd have thought you'd have figured that out by now." chides Ryan.
"Okay, lesson learned... Sorry." says Castle using his serious tone.
"Hey Espo, the ME's report have any surprises?" asks Beckett
"No, none at all. Perlmutter seems to have made an effort to look for things that weren't there so I think we're covered in this regard."
"Good. Okay guys, the captain wants us to do the paperwork and get out of here since we're on call."
"I can live with that." Calls Esposito pen in hand making notes in the case file.
"Me too, Jenny has some shopping she wants to do, she wants me to go along and help her." says Ryan without even looking up. Esposito just looks at him from behind and shakes his head.
"Castle, you might have a fight on your hands for that 'most' position on the list." says Esposito laughing.
"Detective? You're suddenly quiet. Everything okay?" Castle asks Beckett quietly.
"Yeah, no problems here. Just dawned on me that I've got to go get an outfit for the wedding. I'm not looking forward to all the shopping that this entails."
"Well, why don't you go with Lanie? She's usually able to cheer you up quickly and I'm sure you girls can use some time together commiserating about the burdens you carry with the men in your lives."
Smiling at the suggestion as well as the self-deprecating jab at himself "You know, that might not be a bad idea. A little bit of 'girls day out' might be just what I need."
Sitting back in his chair and turning his attention to his phone again "If you really want to forget your troubles, take along my mother, you know how she's unencumbered by reality." he muses almost to himself.
"You know what Castle, that's a damn good idea. I bet we'd have a hoot and she can help me pick out something nice." smiles Kate.
Quickly Castle backpedals "No no no, I didn't really mean that. It was more an offhand thought that I let out by accident. If you think I'm flighty, she's worse. I think you should reconsider that."
"No, that would be perfect, she can tell us horror stories from your youth to keep us entertained! Splendid idea!" she says as she grabs her phone and sends off a quick text to Lanie. Almost before she can put the phone down it buzzes "I'd love to get out and do some shopping, just let me know when.-L"
"Well Castle, while we finish these reports can you call Martha and ask her if she's available today for some shopping?"
"This is like asking the condemned man to pay for the rope at his own hanging you know. Aren't there rules against this sort of treatment?"
"Only for prisoners, not for willing participants." she smiles, never looking up, knowing he's enjoying the banter and he's pleased to take part in it with her.
"Fine but if she gets the three of you arrested, I'm not coming to bail you out." he says dialing his phone. "Mother. ... yes mother ... yes, I know mother ... Welcome to the real world of owning a business." rolling his eyes "Mother. Kate asked me to call you... yes, right here and she's fine ... she asked me to call you ... yes, I'll tell her ... she asked me to call you ... mother, if you don't let me finish I can't tell you why she asked me to call you. Here, wait a second..." he puts the phone down in front of Beckett stands up and walks to the break-room.
"Ooofh!" she vents at how frustrating he is. She picks up the phone "Hi Martha... Yes, he can be... The reason I'm calling, I want to take you up on the offer to go shopping. Lanie and I need some girl time and I thought you might enjoy a break too..." she pauses smiling "That's great! We should be done here before three... Okay, I'll tell him, thanks for saying yes. We'll see you in a bit... Goodbye." smiling she hangs up the phone and puts it on her desk next to his chair. The grin on her face is wide and gives her whole demeanor a brightened appearance.
"So, you and hurricane Martha established a plot against me?" he says returning with two fresh coffees.
"I keep reminding you Castle, it isn't all about you." she takes the cup from his hands and takes a long slow drink from it.
"So you say but I'm sure I'll he hearing more about this later."
"Only if you're lucky." she smirks at him with a wink "Martha said to remind you that you owe her a replacement outfit for the one that Ashely's pet rat violated."
"Violated? All it did was get near the closet with the outfit in it. Figures she'd remember that now."
Turning around, Beckett asks "Ryan, Espo, any loose ends from you guys?"
"Nothing here." says Esposito.
"Nope, nothing here." says Ryan.
"Good, give me your paperwork and then get out of here. I'll finish mine and get out of here too."
"You got it boss." the two say in unison.
Turning around Beckett begins typing as the two detectives drop their paperwork on her desk and bid her good day as they head for the elevator.
Castle, seemingly engrossed, playing with something on his phone keeps a careful watch on Beckett as she finishes her reports and hits 'send'.
With that she stands, and grabs her keys, double checking she has everything she needs "Come on Castle. Time for you to face the music." she types on her phone "Lanie, heading out now, pick you up in 15, is that good?"
As Castle gets up, looking a bit sullen but still smiling, they head for the elevator as her phone buzzes with Lanie's reply. Reading it she says "Good, Lanie says she's in and will be ready for us to pick her up."
In the car, on the way to Lanie's, Castle sits silently, seeming to be lost in thought.
"Hey Castle, if it really bothers you that we're taking your mother with us, we can cancel."
"The hell you can! I don't want to be there when you tell her she can't go shopping. She'll blame me for it no matter what. This way, at least, she's out of the house."
Laughing "Okay okay. We'll take her."
"Good."
"Here we are, there's Lanie."
Castle, ever the gentleman, gets out of the car, and offers the front seat to Lanie, closes her door, then climbs into the back. Lanie, carefully looks at Beckett and smiles giving her an approving nod at what he just did and notices out of the corner of her eye that he's shimmied over to the driver's side of the car and fastened his seatbelt and now she's smiling wider.
"What?" says Beckett looking at her without noticing what he did.
"Nothin' honey." she says in a sing-song manner as Kate turns the car into traffic and heads for the Castle loft.