Day 10

Author's Note: Another short post-ep for Secret Santa I kind of like.

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She just wants to get away from her when she's at work. It's bad enough she has to go home and spend the week with her. The fact that her mother-in-law is texting her now is just the icing on the metaphorical cake.

She can't even congratulate one of her detectives and said detective's writer shadow/partner/significant other (she really wonders if the two still think she doesn't know about them) on a good close without her damn cellphone ringing with a message.

Some of them are annoying as heck, reminding her, Don't forget the potatoes tonight or There's a bathroom out of toilet paper. Others just nag, asking, Are you sure you didn't throw that pan out? It was a very lovely wedding gift, Victoria and I had to pack Drew's lunch today. Will you do it tomorrow?

But there lies half of the problem: her son, Drew, actually likes his grandmother. Or at least, he likes her as much as a fourteen year old boy can like a family member. Her husband doesn't mind the extra company at all either, reasoning every time the woman wants to come over that "It's only one week".

One week of hell.

Eyebrows furrowed, she opens the text message and reads: Are you almost at the restaurant? Our reservation is in ten minutes!

The reservation. She had forgotten all about that. Hurriedly, she runs into her office and presses the off button on her computer, putting on her coat and shoving papers into her bag as the machine powers down. Finally, she can make it out the door.

"Heading out, sir?" Detective Ryan asks, glancing over at his partner as if to make sure he isn't doing anything stupid.

She nods, checking her watch. "Yes, I have a dinner to get to. Both my mother-in-law and my parents are going to be there. Should be an interesting time."

From the corner of her eye, she can see Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle cringe simultaneously.

"Good luck," Beckett mutters, receiving a confused and suspicious look from the writer.

"Thank you, I expect I'll need it," Gates responds, pressing the elevator button. "Oh, and happy holidays."

A chorus of "Happy Holidays" echoes around the room as her phone dings once more with a text from her mother-in-law. Five more minutes, are you sure you'll make it in time?

Five more days...