"Dad, now are you going to behave? " Alexis asked her eyebrow arched suspiciously. "James is going to be nervous enough without you adding to it.

"It is a time honored tradition that fathers are supposed to make their daughter's date squirm. You can't deny me of that."

"Yes, I can and I am." Alexis pointed her finger at him. "No funny business."

A knock at the door cut off Castle's response. "That's must be James right now." Alexis smiled, rushing to the door. She stopped halfway turning back eyeing her father. "Remember. Behave."

Castle looked over at his mother who gave him the same look as his daughter. "What?"

Satisfied, Alexis opened the door. "James. Hi Come in."

"This is my dad. This is Gram." Alexis said.

"Hi." James waved as he stood slightly in front of Alexis.

"Oh, wait one moment." Castle dashed out of the room coming back with his camcorder.

"Now, smile." Castle aimed the camcorder. "So, how are you doing, James?"

"Dad" Alexis said through gritted teeth.

"You are supposed to be smiling honey." Castle said with a playful grin. "I'm just having a little talk with James here. I'm just letting him know that I know several detectives that would do favors for me."

"And here is one of them now." Martha smiled as Beckett appeared in the open doorway.

Castle turned the camera resting on Beckett.

Alexis used the opportunity to make their getaway. "Bye, dad."

"Huh, yeah okay."

"You really have a way with words there, Castle." Beckett said giving Castle a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, well I am writer." Castle said recovering his wits before glancing down at the camera. His eyes came straight up along with the camera and looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Castle, were you just filming my…" Beckett's eyes narrowed.

"Not intentionally." Rick immediately defended. "Honest. I was just so struck by your beauty that I forgot I was recording and the camera dropped. I didn't mean to."

"Here, give me that." Martha took the camera trying to save Richard from himself. "Don't pay him any mind. Now, you two kids run along." Martha pushed Rick towards Beckett.

"Mother."

Martha was now aiming the camera at them just as Rick had done earlier. "What? You got to see Alexis off. Now, I'm seeing you off."

"That was different."

"Shush. Now go." Martha said shooing them out of the apartment.

"This wasn't necessary." Kate said as her hand rested on the plush leather of the limo.

"No, it wasn't necessary." Rick agreed. "But, isn't it more fun than riding in a taxi with you know what on the seat?"

Beckett gave a little smile.

Rick continued. "Besides, what fun it is to be me if I don't get to use some perks sometimes?" He raised an eyebrow, leaned forward and dropped his voice saying conspiratorially, "So, Beckett is this your first time riding in a limo?"

Beckett leaned forward as well as if sharing a deep, dark secret. "No. It's not."

She leaned back in the seat. "My friends and I went together and paid for a limo to take us to prom." Beckett gazed around the limo. "But, it wasn't this nice."

Castle leaned back. "You must tell me. Did you go with the sky high sprayed look, the bang covering one side of your face? I need details."

"You want to know?" Beckett smiled.

"Dying to."

Beckett leaned forward once again. "Only in your dreams, Castle."

"You don't know about my dreams, Beckett."

"You forgot that I know who has your pictures and she will gladly give them to me if I ask." Beckett smiled triumphantly.

The limo came to a stop outside of the hotel effectively stopping the verbal duel the duo was having. The valet approached the car, Beckett gathered up the bottom of her dress to step out.

"Please let me" Castle said stepping out of the car first. He reached his hand down to her as she grasped it letting him help her out.

"That is how you arrive at a ball." Castle said without a hint of teasing.

Beckett felt heat on her cheeks for a moment but told herself that she was not going to get lost in the being queen for a night.

As if reading her mind, Castle said. "It's okay."

"What?" She asked still lost in her own thoughts.

"It's okay to be treated like royalty for one night." Castle smiled as they continued inside the hotel.

Castle and Beckett stopped just inside the doors of the ballroom as Beckett took in the magnificent sight of the room. The room had been transformed from its normal appearance to a shimmering room of color. The room was decked out in black and white and silver. The hard wood floors reflected the silver tiles on the ceiling. Tucked away in the corner of the room was a raised stage with a small orchestra playing soft classical music. Men and women dressed in their finest attire mingled effortlessly.

"Beckett, nice to see you again. I see you finally made Rick a legitimate guest here."

Beckett swiveled her head around quickly gathering her wits. "Hello, mayor. Nice to see you again, too."

Castle smiled shaking the mayor's hand.

"I can't tell you how many of these things he has snuck into in the past."

"I had to in order to be able to meet some really good sources."

"uh huh. Well, it is nice to finally see you at one of these things, Beckett."

"Glad to be here."

"Mayor, come over here there is someone I want you to meet." A rotund balding man called out.

"Duty calls."

Castle waited until the mayor was out of earshot. "So, you've never been to one of these before?"

"No" Beckett shook her head slightly. "You just don't come to these things when you are a rookie cop. When I made detective, I just didn't bother. This sort of thing isn't my normal cup of tea."

"You're not unconfortable are you?" Castle asked concerned. "I don't want to have pushed you into to something that would make you uncomfortable."

"No. I'm fine, Castle." Beckett said. "I just never had a reason to come to these before."

"Well, I'm glad to be your first."

Beckett raised an eyebrow.

"That is not what I meant."

"You know when I said I wanted details, I meant all of them." Lanie sat with her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised.

"What? That is really anything else left to tell. We ate and talked and then went home." Kate said matter of factly.

"You know what I want to know." Lanie said. "You are not getting out of here until you tell me."

"We didn't kiss and he was actually a perfect gentleman."

"Hmpf" Lanie huffed, shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

Kate stood in front of her closet gingerly fingering the gown, as the memory flowed through her. She swayed slowly back and forth, soft music played in the background, as her head rested softly against Rick's chest. Her eyes were closed and she felt completely safe.