AN kimmiesjoy: We've reached the end of our strange little tale, Thank you for reading along with us and for reviewing. Doc, you're awesome and I'm so proud of you, off saving the world! HUG YOU and thank you for coming up with this idea, I had a blast writing with ya!
The elevator finally came to a halt, the small metallic box giving a little jump, startling Castle enough to drop Kate unceremoniously onto the floor. She landed heavily on her heels, smirking at him even as she teetered on the spot.
They were, however, not beginners at this kind of thing - experts, Castle thought with a smirk - and so the few seconds it took for inertia, and the doors to open, were enough for her to set herself right.
And for Castle to maneuver his jacket. Strategically.
"Ahem," they heard as the doors opened, and Esposito stood there with his arms folded, a knowing smirk adorning his smug face. At his side Ryan looked mildly uncomfortable and somewhat fascinated, his eyes darting to them and away in rapid movements as if he couldn't decide whether or not to look at them.
Beckett was just about to open her mouth when she was interrupted again.
"Ahem, ahem," came more throat clearing, wiping the smug look right off of Espo's face.
Standing behind him were an amused looking pair of rhyming cousins, and like something out of a bad romantic comedy, Esposito slowly pivoted, visibly praying as he did so, not to face what he suspected was coming for him.
"Lanie," he nodded, ignoring the high pitch of his voice "and ... and Shaney." He squeaked, his eyes saucer wide, taking a step backwards - towards Beckett and presumed safety - "Good to see you again. I hope the two...two of you are having a... a splendid evening."
"Splendid evening?" Ryan whispered out of the corner of his mouth, rolling his eyes in Castle's direction, "What is this, dinner with the Queen?"
Castle sniggered from behind them, having almost gotten off in -off of- the blessed elevator, but the grumble of laughter turned into a yelp when Kate pinched his side, bidding him to shush.
"Javi, we've had a great evening, thanks for asking." Lanie smiled, crossing her arms and lifting her head towards him slowly, "Actually, we had a nice long chat."
"You did?" Espo gulped, his fingers clawing at the collar of his shirt. "About anything...anything -?"
Lanie smiled and stepped in closer, "I hear you had an exciting evening yesterday."
To everyone else it might have appeared like a casual comment, with a little bit of bite, from one friend to another. To Esposito, she looked like a crazy eyed saw wielding deathly medical examiner of doom.
With five pairs of eyes focused on him intently - one specific pair burning into him like fire - Espo swallowed past the thick lumpy feel of his tongue and cleared his throat, "I... I." His eyes darted to Castle, to Ryan and finally to Beckett, "I didn't."
"No?"
Espo shook his head again, his eyes darting back and forth between Lanie and Shaney. "I ... and there was. I wouldn't - didn't I didn't..."
"Didn't what? Javier?" She smiled, sweetly - to the untrained eye anyway - and gestured for him to go on.
"Nothing, I didn't do anything!"
"Oh, for Gods sake Lanie," Kate snorted, "just put him out of his misery."
"Before Ryan has to clean up a wet patch." Castle chuckled.
"EW!" Ryan stepped back in preparation, missing Beckett's hand flying out to smack Castle in the arm.
"Put me out of my-?"
"Misery." Lanie grumped, "How does he know?" She glared at Kate, gesturing to Castle.
"Because Beckett told me." Castle preened.
"Ugh." Lanie grimaced and glared at Kate, "You two really are loves young dream aren't you!"
Kate glared back at Lanie, ignoring the confused looking Espo trapped in the middle, until Castle piped up, "I like to think so."
"You would." Lanie growled, "And you -" She pointed at Kate "-you're too soft on him." Lanie pointed to Espo again, where he stood frozen like a deer in the headlights, his eyes wide.
"I'm sure you make up for it." Kate growled back.
Lanie folded her arms, her features dancing in a look of challenge as she stared at Beckett, then she smirked, shook her head and turned to Esposito. "Javi, Shaney told me she got a little too drunk and was hitting on you last night."
"Oh!" Javi said, looking unsure of whether that was a good thing or bad. "She did?"
"Yup. Drunk as Pepe Le Pew," Shaney added, nodding her head.
"Was Pepe Le Pew known for being drunk?" Ryan whispered to Castle.
"Shh." The writer hissed back, too intent on taking in the gossip.
"And she told me how you turned down all her advances."
Beckett caught Castle's eye and grinned.
"I did." Esposito confirmed, "Every one."
"Awwww! Ow-" Castle flinched ,but shut up immediately at the feel of the pointy elbow of the smiling detective colliding with his ribs.
Saney grinned, mimicking the pose of her cousin as she took center stage, "Didn't budge with a nudge. Didn't sob and cry with my hand on his thigh. No game when I yanked his chain."
When she looked up and found the eyes of everyone in the little lobby firmly on her, she grinned, "The badge, I mean," Shaney clarified.
"Why are you rhyming everything?" Castle blurted.
Lanie rolled her eyes as her cousin spoke, glaring again between Kate and Espo, "You guys seemed very fond of it. I'm being nice."
"Lanie. Shaney. Fe fi. Bo baney." Lanie growled, enunciating every word, angling her stare to take down both Castle and Ryan as she did.
"It's true. You should hear them rap," Castle added. "One time at Ryan's wedding Beckett and Espo got into a drinking contest and -"
"ANYWAY!" Beckett interrupted, stepping in front of him with the fakest smile she could muster, "Now we've cleared up the Espo issue, should we head out for a drink?"
"Maybe another time." Shaney, smiled, "I've got an early flight to catch tomorrow."
"You're leaving already?" Castle pouted over Becketts shoulder, resting his chin there when she nudges his head with her own, "I was hoping to hear some pre - me Beckett/Lanie stories."
"You wanna hear how I took your girl out drinking and meeting guy?" Lanie asked, her eyebrows kissing her hairline.
Castle gulped, the sound loud in his girlfriends ear as she tried to hide her smile, "On second thoughts, Shaney it was lovely meeting you."
"Bye, guys! It was fun," she said with a smile. "Javi, it was a delight." She grinned widely at him and took off only to look back after a couple of steps and call out over her shoulder, "By the way, you do know my name is Shanay, right?"
"WHAT!?" Castle yelped, turning immediately to Kate as she started to laugh.
"What? It's not Shaney? You said it was, at the bar yesterday," Javi stated accusingly, finding his voice at last.
"No! You think I'd give my name out to some random dude in a bar? Pfft, what do you take me for? And, what sadistic family would do that to their kids? Shaney's just a nickname. Lanie gave it to me actually." She grinned down at her cousin, nudging her with her elbow.
The two women walked away laughing, leaving the three men gaping after them.
Castle spun Kate around as soon as he was sure they were out of range, "You could have told me," he said with a pout.
"What? So you could start calling Lanie 'Lay-nay'? Or Shanaynie?"
"Ooooo..."
"Castle! No!"
"Double Oooo, Shanaynie Castle, we should keep that in mind for the future." He wagged his finger back and forth between them, laughing when Kate's eyes widened in horror, "Has a certain unique ring to it."
"Stop naming our future kids." Kate glared, whacking him in the chest.
"Yes, Castle, that's weird," Kate sighed in relief, as Ryan jumped to her defence, "What if it's a boy?" he asked, causing Kate to direct her glare at him.
"Ryan!"
"Sha...nono?" Castle said, his nose scrunching up. "Meh, I'll get back to you on that."
"My whole life is a lie!" Esposito piped up dramatically, drawing the groups attention back to him. "And you! Traitor!" He pointed viciously at Kate, letting out a distressed peep until she rolled her eyes at his antics.
Kate shrugged and grinned coyly, clicking her tongue, causing Castle to stare dopely at her mouth. "She's my best friend. And she's a little scary."
Esposito continued to pout for a bit before letting his partner usher him out of the lobby and their little group headed for home.
After a lazy Mac and Cheese dinner, Castle collapsed onto the couch, pulling Kate down with him, laughing when she groaned.
His hand slipped behind her knees, tugging her closer, but she shook her head grumbling, "Too full, big-"
"Sexy." He growled, wriggling against her when she landed in his lap.
"You don't even know what I was going to say." One arm looped around his neck and with the other across his shirt, Kate began to trace his buttons, thumbing one opening slyly.
"No but hearing you say big...mmm sexy."
"You're so full of yourself." She smiled slipping her fingers in against his skin.
"Hey, you're the one calling me big." He preened, "Hard not to- what?"
"Hard?" She laughed, "Really? You're not even trying to reign it in anymore."
"What can I say, you bring it out in me."
Her eyebrows shot up high and she sighed, hot and long against the underside of his throat, giving a little wiggle in his lap for added effect, "I can tell."
"Oh, now who's not reigning it in?"
She lifted her eyes in challenge, a happy, slightly fluffy smile playing over her lips, "Maybe you should shut me up?"
"Maybe I should." He threatened, rolling their bodies on the couch until she landed softly underneath him.
He leaned in slowly, his eyes never straying from her lips, angling to lay a sweet kiss on the corner of her mouth.
She squinted in confusion, looking even more adorable, if that was even possible.
"Castle?"
"Hmm?" he hummed, as he kissed his way across her cheek, down her jaw, peppering lingering kisses onto her neck.
"No-nothing," she gasped as he found a particularly sensitive spot.
"You know I was kidding all day about the kids, right?" he said eventually, pulling slightly away to study her face.
The abrupt seriousness of his concern threw her. She cupped his cheek, stroking it gently. "Yeah. Yeah, I know you enough by now to know when you're joking."
"Yeah? Because if it's too much, I'll stop. I know we... we haven't talked about it."
"We'll get there," she said, with a small smile, but one that held confidence. "You should know me well enough by now to know I can take a little bit of teasing," she said, lightening the mood instantly. His eyes twinkled with delight.
"Oh, really?"
"Mhmmmm..." she hummed, her teeth biting into her lower lip as she suppressed a moan. His hand was sliding down her side, the whisper of a touch driving her to take a long deep breath, it shuddered through her chest, making him shiver at the contact of her lithe and responsive body spread out below his.
"You sureeee?" He purred, directly into her ear, the long hot vibration of his words making her gasp.
"Yes?" Not at all convincing, her leg lifting and wrapping around his calf, pulling him down to her.
"So..." He kissed the shell of her ear, pulling the lobe between his teeth and sucking on it until her fingers dug into his neck, pulling him up to get at his lips, "you're good with Shananie Beckett Castle?"
"I'm good with a lot of things." She whispered gravelly against his mouth, steadfastly ignoring him. "Now let's get these jinxed boxers off, and you can get lucky again."
"In more ways than onnnee-"
She kissed him then, erasing every thought from his mind. He responded eagerly, easily, melding their lips and tongues together in a synchronized dance. She drew her leg over his, tugging him impossibly closer. Dragging her hand through his hair, she grinned against his mouth, leading him to pull back with a smile.
"What?" He asked, voice husky and low.
"You're wearing your Shamrock boxers aren't you?"
"Wha-?" he said in shock, looking down at himself to check he was still dressed, not understanding how she could know.
"I can see the neon green with my eyes closed, Castle." Kate grinned, answering his silent question.
He chuckled and shrugged. "Well, Detective Beckett. If you're really lucky - and I have a feeling that you are - I can help you catch sight of a rainbow."
She raised her brow.
"Or two...three?" he said, raising his own eyebrows.
"Triple rainbow, all the way."
"Always, I can do," he nodded seriously, choosing to ignore the look and the giggle at his cheesiness, deciding instead to prove it - barring anymore unfortunate events.
THE END!