The usual disclaimers apply: I'm not making any money off of this, Castle belongs to ABC and Andrew Marlowe, and any similarities to real people or places are strictly a coincidence.

Author's notes are at the bottom. Please enjoy!

The Spellbound Affair

Chapter Fourteen

Once again in the safety of the hotel suite, Castle distracted himself by putting the sofa bed back together while his mother continued to rock Kevin, trying to keep him asleep. Kate helped him, obviously needing the busy work to keep her mind from wandering too far. When the bed was ready, Martha was finally able to relinquish her charge to the warm cocoon of blankets. Javier climbed onto his side of the bed and yawned widely as he settled onto the thin mattress. Kate's hands shook slightly as she tucked the blankets around Javier. The six-year-old seemed mostly over the incident and endured the attention patiently, as his senior partner tried to assuage her remorse and earn forgiveness that she probably already had. Martha disappeared into her room, leaving Castle and Kate to wait for Javier to join his partner in sleep. Despite the slightly plastic feel to the mattress and the numerous hard springs, Javier's fatigue overcame him swiftly so it wasn't long before Castle was offering his hand to Kate. He could feel the tenseness of her whole frame through the delicate grip of her fingers. Together they retired to the second bedroom.

Castle worried that the necessary discussion regarding taking Kevin and Javier to his home in the Hamptons might escalate into an emotional brawl. His ire at Kate's decision to take the boys to the park by herself still lingered in the back of his mind and in order to keep it in check, he had had to consciously remind himself that the outing hadn't done any permanent damage to anyone. The memory of the fear that had gripped him as he tried to make sense of Javier's tear-garbled words still hovered at the edge of his thoughts. The writer pushed away the image of Kate clutching the blond's lax body and his knee-jerk conclusion that the youngest detective had been hurt again or worse. Javier had told him over the phone about the witch healing his partner's injuries and how that event led directly into Kate's mental break. Still, Castle hadn't been able to reconcile what he was seeing with what Javier had told him until he was kneeling in front of Kate and had a clear view of the toddler's peaceful face.

Despite his feelings, he could tell that Kate felt guilty about the danger she could have put her partners in and frustrated at her own reaction to the new witch. Castle wouldn't have thought it was possible for the detective to suffer a panic attack if he hadn't just witnessed it with his own eyes. Sure, she had come close to breaking in the past but she'd always managed to pull herself back from the brink in time.

That was the reason why Castle wasn't sure that hiding the boys away in the Hamptons was a good idea. The original idea was for Martha to stay with them while Castle returned to the city to assist Kate. On the way to the jewelry show, his mother had wisely advised him that the boys would not take kindly to being dumped off with someone they barely knew. It would only make sense for the writer to stay with them. However, that left Kate alone in the city, an idea that Castle disliked just as much.

"Castle," said Kate in a small voice. She hovered near the foot of the bed, trying to gauge his temperament. It wasn't like her to avoid confrontation so her push to start the conversation right away came as no surprise. "What made you change your mind about the Hamptons?"

Castle deflected. "What made you change your mind?" He slipped out of his dress slacks and button down shirt. Instead of hanging them up he draped them over the back of a chair to be dealt with later.

Kate took a deep breath and ran her fingers through the shorter locks that framed her face and had escaped her hair tie. As she responded, she pulled the elastic out completely to let her hair fan out across her shoulders. "Too many people are suddenly interested in the boys and it takes them no time at all to find us in the city. Between Rayford Bellefonte, whoever tried to kidnap them yesterday, and now this new witch, I don't know how to keep them safe without completely hiding away." Castle could tell that it was difficult for the independent woman to admit her weakness.

"It's true that we seem to collide with some new baddie every time we turn around," he said. "The guys would have a little more freedom at the coast."

"So why don't you think it's a good idea?"

"I think it's an excellent idea to send Javier and Kevin up to the Hamptons. I think it's a horrible idea to send them away without at least one of us. My mother would drive them crazy within a day and vice versa. Besides that, I don't think I could stomach the idea of not keeping an eye on them ourselves." Castle would never admit it to his girlfriend but after the events of that afternoon, he would only feel comfortable if he took care of them himself.

"You're right," said Kate. "They probably won't like the idea anyway and they especially won't like it if they feel like they're being abandoned in a far off place."

"But that means I'll be at the coast with them and you'll be here by yourself trying to work multiple cases and dodge the ill will of who knows what." Castle frowned deeply.

"I won't be by myself," countered Kate. She undid her bra under her loose shirt and tossed it onto the chair with Castle's clothes. "Demming is already helping out and there are other homicide detectives at the 12th. They're not as good as my partners but they'll make do. As for the other stuff, I can take care of myself, you know." She tossed her jeans onto the floor before sliding onto the bed and curling up next to the writer.

Castle took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer that Kate wouldn't bite his head off for his next question. "What about your panic attack in the park?"

Kate colored slightly and scowled. Castle could tell that her anger was directed inward so he let himself breath a little more easily. "I just got overwhelmed for a minute. Honestly, if I hadn't had Javier and Kevin with me, I probably wouldn't have reacted so poorly. Besides, now that I know there are more witches out there looking for us, I will be better prepared the next time I meet one."

"I know you're strong, Kate. Still, I worry about you."

"I know," she said softly. "Like I said, I won't be alone here in the city and your summer home is only two hours away. It won't be difficult for me to drive up there when need be and as soon as I can pry the cure for this curse out of Nora Bellefonte, or her son comes up with something, you can bring them back."

"Knowing that you'll be working with Detective Demming doesn't actually make me feel better," complained Castle.

Kate laughed with genuine amusement. "I can't believe you still feel threatened by him. That ended forever ago and I'm one hundred percent committed to you now. Not only that, how could I leave you when you're taking care of my kids?"

"Can I tell Javier that you think he's your kid?"

"No." Kate picked up one of the spare pillows and chucked it at her boyfriend. "They're barely tolerating the way we treat them as it is. Javier will murder both of us and Kevin will probably help him."

"They're not going to like this plan," said Castle practically. He could already imagine the pushback that Kate would get when she explained it to them.

"Can you take some of your AV stuff up there so you can set up a murder board and they can follow along with me? The guys are very good at tracking down leads and working out the nitty-gritty parts of a case. I could use their help with that, even long-distance."

"Yes, I can do that. When do you want to spring the news on them?"

"The sooner you can get them out of the city, the better," said Kate. "I want to get an early start tomorrow. Sitting in this hotel room all day without pushing forward on the case was unbearable. Do you think you can leave in the morning?"

"Sure. We'll go back to the loft to pack new bags and check on things, which won't take long."

"Good," said Kate.

"Wait a minute." Castle looked over at his girlfriend suspiciously. "You are going to be here in the morning to explain this to your partners, right?"

"If they're up before I leave," she answered evasively.

"No, I don't think so. You're not leaving me here alone to face their wrath at being shipped out of town."

"You'll be fine, Castle." Kate cupped his face and kissed him gently. "They've been angling for an invitation up to your place anyway." Castle was not appeased. Kate rolled over and pulled the comforter up to her chin, effectively ending the conversation. The writer huffed as he shifted to a comfortable position behind her. Seriously, the things he had to put up with for love.

Castle draped his arm over Kate's waist as she drifted off to sleep. He continued to plan the last minute vacation until he fell asleep himself, only half terrified at what the morning would bring.

xXx

Castle awoke to a persistent poking and his name being repeated in an annoyingly high-pitched voice. He blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the bright light streaming in from the uncovered window. His tormentor, mistakenly assuming that the movement meant Castle was going to rise anytime soon, sat back to wait. Castle yawned widely as he reached for Kate's abandoned pillow. He rolled onto his side, away from the pest, and hid his face from the sun with the heavenly smelling pillow.

"Castle." The poking started again. The writer wondered if Kate would actually arrest him for the murder of her junior detective once he explained his motive. Surely she would understand and be sympathetic. Speaking of the lead detective…

"Where is your mother?" he asked after lifting the pillow and returning to lying on his back.

"She left for work an hour ago." Damn, he'd hoped that the question would irritate Javier enough to make him go away. Instead, the nuisance decided to play along. "I'm hungry."

"What happened to being a self-sufficient adult who didn't need to be taken care of like a little girl?"

"Someone put the cereal boxes in the upper cabinets. I'm sure Kevin and I could get them down ourselves, with a clever use of precariously balanced chairs and a stack of phone books for a little added height, but with Kevin just done with his shoulder injury, we thought you'd appreciate the opportunity to circumvent another catastrophe."

Son of a… Javier wasn't biting at any of his jibes and the worst part was that Castle himself had put the boxes out of reach without even thinking of the boys' vertical limitations. "Fine. What time is it?"

"Eight."

"Where's my mother?"

"Haven't seen her yet today." It was possible that Martha was still sleeping or had already departed herself. He knew that she was anxious to get back to the loft. They all were. Castle sat up with a groan, hoping it would spark a small flame of remorse in Javier for dragging him out of bed. No dice.

In the kitchen, Castle flipped through the cupboards. Nothing really sounded appetizing to him that he could make with the limited supplies in the hotel kitchenette. In the end, he pulled down the two boxes of cereal and set them on the table. He started a pot of coffee before locating two clean bowls. The silverware drawer was void of spoons but a few used ones rested in the bottom of the sink. He doubted anyone would die from eating off of them. He quickly rinsed off the flatware. He swung by the refrigerator for the half gallon of milk on his way to the dinette set. Javier climbed onto one of the chairs and reached for the Count Chocula. He poured himself a heaping bowlful.

"Are you going to eat all of that?" Castle eyed the bowl skeptically.

"Yes." Javier pulled the bowl closer to himself possessively. With a roll of his eyes, Castle went to tend to his fresh pot of coffee. The first sip of the steaming brew cleared away a significant portion of the storm clouds following him around. By the end of the mug, he'd be back to his usual sunny disposition.

"Kevin, get over here," he called. Castle took his seat at the table, kitty-corner to Javier. The little blond turned off the television hanging above the fireplace and slowly walked over to see what the writer wanted. Castle picked him and settled the boy on his lap. The kid was going to eat, even if Castle had to jam the breakfast down his throat.

He picked up the second box, the slightly healthier Honey Nut Cheerios. Castle couldn't help the smug smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth as he poured the milk over the appropriately sized pile of cereal in the bottom of the bowl. "You'll like this," he said, picking up the spoon and sticking it in the bowl. "See, honey and milk. It's like I was thinking of you when I got this."

"Jerk."

"Brat." Castle held the spoon up to Kevin's mouth, his other hand cupped beneath it to catch any milk that tried to drip off the bottom.

"I can do it," snapped the toddler. Castle shoved the food into his mouth while it was open, which earned him a murderous puppy dog expression that Kevin twisted around to deliver. Castle didn't care - the boy was chewing and eventually swallowed. Castle handed him the spoon so he could continue to feed himself. The writer reached for his coffee mug and checked on Javier's progress. He was impressed. Javier had put a sizable dent in his cocoa mountain and was still going strong. Poor thing really had been starving.

The coffee loosened his appetite by that time. Castle took over for Kevin when the toddler had eaten as much as he could. The Cheerios were kind of soggy by then but still tasted pretty good. Between bites, Castle brought up the somewhat dreaded topic of conversation. "Kate and I were talking last night."

"That's what they call it these days?"

Castle nearly choked on the milk and had to swallow quickly. Kevin giggled at his partner's annoying quip. "That sounds completely wrong coming out of a six-year-old's mouth. Little kids do not understand innuendo." Javier smiled sweetly at him. "Anyway, given the recent string of incidents concerning you two, we have agreed that it is probably in everyone's best interest if we get out of the city for a few days."

"And go where? Hawaii?"

"Not exactly." Castle gave Javier a look implying that he should say something useful or shut up.

"I don't want to," said Kevin. He flopped back against Castle, the back of his hard head smashing into the writer's collarbone painfully.

"You don't even know where yet."

"If it's not Manhattan, no thank you."

"At least hear me out," Castle pleaded. "We're just talking about my place in the Hamptons. It's two hours away. We can set up our own murder board and work right alongside Kate, without having to worry about witchy people trying to steal you away."

"We can do that here."

"The worrying about witchy people was the big part of the problem, kid."

"Are you even really giving us a choice?" Castle sighed at the petulant tone of Kevin's voice. While they operated under the pretense that Javier and Kevin were capable of making their own decisions, they all knew that the two cursed detectives were really at the mercy of whatever Castle and Beckett decided for them. It wasn't that they weren't capable, but that they tended to base their decisions on being in their thirties instead of little kids.

"If we stay in New York, you two can never leave this hotel room again, even if Kate or I are with you. I'm not going to haul all my fancy spy equipment up here so you'll be in the dark about Kate's progress on the case. You'll have to sleep on the foldout couch indefinitely and never have any real privacy."

"Fine." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. It would have been cute if it weren't Castle with whom he was butting heads.

"Don't be stupid, Kevin," said Javier. Castle blinked in surprise at his unexpected ally. "We can't live like that. Who knows how long this curse is going to last?"

"Apparently forever."

"Not forever," said Castle. "We'll figure this out, I promise. We just need to go somewhere safe in the meantime."

"If Bellefonte found your loft, why can't he find your summer home, too?"

"Because one, he doesn't know I have a place in the Hamptons and two, even if he did, it'd be a lot more difficult to track down which one than it was for him to find my apartment."

"I bet I could figure out which house is yours without much difficulty."

"Well, you are a hacker and Bellefonte doesn't have all your cheater NYPD toys," said Castle. He tightened his arms around the glowering blond. "So yes, you do have a choice and now you know the conditions for staying in New York City."

"What about Beckett? You're okay with leaving her here alone?" Kevin looked at him challengingly.

"If it makes you feel better, you can call her every hour, okay? Kate is the most self-sufficient, intelligent, and capable woman I know. She will be able to handle herself. She can come up to the house whenever she wants. Lanie, too." He added the last part for Javier.

"Were you in the park yesterday?" asked Javier, questioning Castle's claim that Beckett could handle herself. Castle made a hand gesture at him to close his trap without ever looking away from Kevin.

"We'll swing by your apartments and get anything you want to bring with us. As an added bonus, we can drive the Ferrari. So will you please agree to come to the Hamptons for a few days while we figure out why all of the witches in New York are suddenly trying to find you two?" He gave Kevin his best pleading look. It barely worked on Kate, who professed to love him, so he wasn't surprised that the younger detective was unmoved.

"It's the best plan we have so far, Kev," said Javier. The two partners stared at each other silently for a minute, leaving Castle desperately wishing he was a mind reader.

"I don't care," said Kevin eventually. He sounded like he really did care but didn't feel like fighting the inevitable anymore. He broke eye contact with his partner and settled for glaring at the abandoned bowl of cereal milk.

"Good boy," said Castle. He squeezed the toddler briefly.

"When are you planning to leave?" asked Javier.

"As soon as we're ready. We have to move out of here and swing by the loft and your apartments before hitting the road, too." Castle lifted Kevin up and set him on the ground. "I'm going to jump in the shower. You two need anything?" While Castle was greatly relieved that Kevin was no longer suffering from his dislocated shoulder and split tailbone, he wished witchcraft hadn't been used to heal him. He wondered if one could overdose on magic.

"We're good," said Javier. Castle nodded. He ruffled Kevin's hair as he walked by, earning an angry retort. He figured one of these days he'd manage to have them both happy with him at the same time.

An hour later Castle was doing his final walk-through, making sure they had all of their personal items and that the room wasn't too messy. Javier and Kevin waited by the door, surrounded by their luggage and a few paper bags of leftover groceries. Satisfied that they weren't going to leave anything important behind, Castle shouldered their shared duffel bag and grabbed the heaviest sack of groceries. He assigned the smaller plastic bag to Javier and Kevin was given the folded up spare blanket they'd received from the ambulance on Sunday.

Outside the hotel a car service waited to drive them to Castle's loft. Martha was there, still working to make the place look sleek and polished like it usually did. She was glad to hear that the group was finally coming to their senses and moving up to the Hamptons. She set aside her cleaning supplies to help put together a suitcase for Javier and Kevin while Castle packed his own bags. When the luggage had once again piled up next to the front door, Martha pulled Castle into the kitchen while the boys sorted through the writer's movie and video game collection.

"Richard, have you thought about how you're going to get them up to the Hamptons yet?"

"Obviously we'll drive," he said absently. He was patting down his pockets and wondering what he did with his sunglasses. He glanced at his mother and frowned at her expectantly raised eyebrow. "What? I told them we'd take the Ferrari if they'd stop fighting me about the trip."

"Oh, Richard."

"Just tell me, Mother. I want to get going before they change their minds about being agreeable."

"You can't take them in the Ferrari. Think about it. How many seats does that car have?"

"Two… oh, shit."

"Not only that, but they're supposed to be in the backseat, in a-"

"No! Don't say it." Castle covered his ears with his hands. His mother was absolutely right but he was terrified of the reaction he would get if he even hinted at getting car seats for each of them.

"Stop being silly," she scolded. "They're cops. They know the laws. I'm sure they'll understand that you're just trying to keep them safe."

"I know. Damn it. They already don't want to go and this is going to be adding insult to injury."

"They'll live." Martha picked up her plastic gloves and bottle of Windex. "I'll watch them if you want to make a run to the nearest Babies 'R Us."

"Thanks," he said sardonically. He informed the boys he was going to run a quick errand and they'd leave when he returned. Neither one seemed to pick up on his nervousness.

He returned an hour and half later and three hundred dollars poorer. Castle hoped he could return the essential safety devices for full price when this mess was over. He let the last five minutes of the boys' movie finish out as he collected a few bottles of water and juice boxes for the long ride. Once the credits started rolling, he sent them for a last chance bathroom stop while he shut down the system.

He had stopped by the lobby on his way back from the great Car Seat Expedition so he had a useful luggage cart waiting to be loaded with their bags. This was another benefit to taking the Mercedes. It actually had a normal sized trunk. Martha kissed each of the boys good-bye and ordered them to not have too much fun without her. She patted Castle's arm and told him to call her only under the direst circumstances. He assured her that they would be fine. He wished his words had managed to convince himself.

In the garage below his building, Castle pushed the luggage cart up to his two beautiful cars. He pulled out his key fob and unlocked the silver Mercedes. "I told you we weren't taking the Ferrari," Kevin complained to his partner.

"I know I promised to take the convertible but I forgot that it doesn't have enough seats." Castle popped the trunk and started loading the suitcases into it. "Kevin, you're a cop, right?"

"Once upon a time," muttered the unhappy toddler. He trailed his little fingers over the front fender of the red Italian sport car.

"What does New York State Law say about little kids riding in cars?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Kids under the age of sixteen have to ride in the back and those under age eight have to be in…" His face turned an alarming shade of red when he realized where Castle was leading with his question.

"Fuck, no," said Javier.

"Look, it's not my fault, okay? I'm just trying to be the responsible one here. You both know the law and it's your job to uphold it. Don't fight me."

"We're homicide detectives, not traffic cops."

"That doesn't change anything," argued Castle.

"Is that where you went just now?" demanded Kevin. "To buy car seats?" The way he snarled the word was actually a little bit scary.

"I told you it's not my fault. I didn't write the law. Take it up with your congressman."

"I changed my mind. I'm not going to the stupid Hamptons."

"You can't change your mind. We're all packed and ready to go." Castle pulled out his phone. He was going to need backup. It was just great that Kate had left him alone to deal with her little terrors, doubtless knowing all along that they were going to resist being dragged out of the city. That's probably why she'd snuck out before anyone else woke up. He hit the speed dial for her phone and held it up to his ear with one hand while making a grab for the fleeing blond. The Irishman had a predilection for hiding in very small places and Castle wasn't about to give him the chance to find another one.

"Let go! I don't want to go with you!"

"Shut up! You're causing a scene." Castle kept an iron grip on the boy's wrist, though Kevin put up enough of a fight to make it an effort to maintain his balance. Javier watched the unfolding altercation with wide eyes and wisely kept his distance.

"Hey Castle, what's up?" Kate asked.

"Ow! You're hurting me!" That almost got Castle to let go but he recognized the trickery before he fell for it.

"What's going on? Are you all right?"

"Kate, please explain the New York safety restraint laws to your partner. He seems to have forgotten them now that he's a NYPD detective. Fuck! That hurt, you little leprechaun!"

"It was supposed to, jackhole!"

"Castle, what in the world are you doing?"

"He kicked me in the shin!" Castle hopped on his uninjured leg all while maintaining his vise-like grip on the devil spawn. "This is all your fault, leaving me with them."

"Beckett! Help, Beckett!"

"What did you do to them?"

"Nothing, yet. But I may drown one of them in the pool when we get to the house."

"Let me talk to him." Castle did not like that Beckett was barely restraining her chuckles at his misery. Nonetheless, he tucked the phone between his shoulder and chin and then reached down with his other hand to lift Kevin completely off the ground. The tantrum continued, now featuring flailing arms and legs that fortunately hit little more than air.

"Stop fighting me or I swear you'll regret it," he threatened. "Beckett wants to talk to you." Kevin at least stopped squirming, though his breathing was labored and his voice was starting to sound raw from the endless screaming. Castle was glad none of his neighbors decided to venture down to the garage. Castle set him on the level bit of trunk but kept a firm grip around his waist. The writer worked to bring his own breathing back to normal as Kevin told Beckett all about how mean and awful and terrible Castle was for trying to make them ride in car seats on the way to the Hamptons.

The little boy fell silent as Beckett responded to his tirade. Castle wished he could hear what his girlfriend was saying. He glanced around the garage, his heart rate quickening again when he didn't immediately see Javier. Fortunately, his panic was short lived as he spotted the six-year-old climbing on the luggage cart. He waved at the boy to gain his attention. Javier simply waved back and stayed right where he was.

Kevin hiccupped a few times and sniffled miserably as he listened to whatever his senior partner was telling him. Hoping to soothe out some of the ruffled feathers, Castle loosened his grip slightly and rubbed the boy's back comfortingly. Occasionally, Kevin mumbled yes or no to Beckett's unheard questions. At long last, he handed the phone back to the writer and pouted silently over his upcoming humiliation.

"All better," said Kate when Castle greeted her for the second time.

"I don't know about that." The kid looked absolutely pathetic. "It was rich of you to abandon me to deal with this, you know."

Kate laughed for a good minute. "Sorry, sorry. A part of me wishes I was there. I don't think I've ever heard Ryan have such an epic meltdown. And over a car seat?" She broke into laughter again.

"Sure, laugh it up." Her response to the situation was making him feel a little better though.

"Do you need me to talk to Javi, too?"

"Ah, I don't think so." Castle glanced at the six-year-old again. "Just tell me what you told Kevin in case I get to go through round two."

"Most of that was for his ears only but basically I just reasoned through it with him. I love him and want him to be safe. Like you said, he knows the law."

"I don't think it's fair that they still like you more than me."

Kate's laugh sounded musical to his abused eardrums. "Oh, come on, Castle. Kevin adores you. He always buys into your wild murder theories and asks for your advice about everything. Do you think he'd act like that around someone he didn't trust as much? If anyone should be jealous, it's me about you stealing his affection away so easily."

"Well, if this is anything like what you said to him, I can understand how you calmed him down so quickly." Castle stood up a little straighter and flicked the front of his hair a couple times to make sure it still fell rakishly over his forehead.

"You should get going if you want to make good time out of the city. With any luck, at least Kevin will sleep for most of the drive. Get Javi to talk to you about the fun gadgets he got to use in the military and the trip will fly by."

"Thanks, Kate," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Call me on the road and I'll fill you in on what I found today."

"Good news?"

"Just news."

"All right, I'll talk to you in a few." Castle ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. "You ready to be a man about this and get in the car?" Kevin looked at him with such an expression of betrayal that Castle could only hold his gaze for a second. He swallowed thickly and picked the toddler up. He had put Kevin's seat on the passenger's side so he walked around to the right side of the car and pulled open the rear door. He took extra precaution to not bump the boy's head on the door head as he settled him into the brand new forward facing seat. If Kevin had any thoughts about Javier's much simpler booster already strapped in behind the driver's seat, he kept them to himself as Castle adjusted the five-point restraint.

One down, one to go. "Come on, Javier." The older boy climbed off his makeshift jungle gym-on-wheels and docilely approached the car. "Thank you for not giving me such a hard time."

"You looked like you had your hands full already." Javier climbed into the car himself. He took a moment to observe his partner, who ignored them both and stared out the passenger side window. Castle pulled down the seat belt for him and Javier buckled it himself. Content that his charges were safely settled into the backseat, Castle took a couple minutes to finish loading the luggage into the trunk and push the cart out of the way. He finally slid into the driver's seat and started the ignition.

As he navigated the busy streets of New York City, Castle said, "Javi, Beckett mentioned that you got to use a lot of cool stuff in the Special Forces and that I should ask you about them."

"Oh, sure," said the veteran. He launched into a story about one of his favorite pieces of weaponry. Their animated discussion about arms lasted until they were well out of the city. Castle promised to ask Javier about all of it again when he could write it down. In his head he worked out how to incorporate the military in his next Nikki Heat novel. The boys had been pushing him to write in more scenes for Roach and he thought he could figure out a way to bring the two together.

They eventually transitioned into baseball and they debated the various merits and demerits of the Yankees and the Mets. Just like Kate had predicted, Kevin fell asleep early on.

to be continued…

Author's Notes:

Thank you very much TXMedic for agreeing to act as a second set of eye and proof-read the chapters for me before I post.

Thank you also to my readers and reviewers! You encourage me to keep writing and working through the rough patches in the story. Please let me know if you're still enjoying the story. I write for fun but I always want to improve, so constructive criticism is always welcome. All mistakes are my own.