It felt more than a little weird to Beckett to be working at her desk and knowing that she wouldn't be back the next day or the day after that. She wouldn't be back on the beat, as it were, after this day for eight months. The notion made her itchy; she was a cop, she'd always been a cop in her adult professional life.

It wasn't like she was quitting and going to be spending that time doing nothing, she reminded herself, feeling a gentle prod near her navel and instinctively ran her hand over the belly. 'I know, tiny, almost your birthday isn't it?' she murmured as she went over the reports that needed to be filed before she went on leave. 'You've still got a little while to go.'

'I'm hoping this one is born the twenty-fourth.'

Beckett glanced up, saw Esposito there with a mug of steamed milk for her, sweetened with vanilla syrup. 'So glad you're thrilled about making some extra cash while I'm grunting and sweating through childbirth.'

'Nah, I was just thinking I could give some of it to Meredeth and then she can whip up a bunch of ready-to-eat meals when you've got the new little one first home from the hospital.'

'Okay, that's kind of awesome so you're forgiven. You know what I'm having too?'

'A boy, about seven and a half pounds, and you'll name him Javier Alexander Ryan Castle,' he said with a cheeky grin, pulling up a seat in Castle's chair; the man himself was working at home with the promise of picking her up when she was off-shift.

'How about you save the naming for your next one.' Beckett sipped, returned his grin when he blushed a little.

'Nothing stays secret around here, does it?'

'Not exactly. Is Ryan going to get a look at the 'making-of' featurette on the baby sequel? Where is he anyways?'

'Baby-doc's with Jenny and I hope not, otherwise I may send him to Meredeth's shrink.'

'Do you ever get nervous?' Beckett asked him, glad to have a friend to talk to. She was close to both of them but for whatever reason, after Castle and her father the go-to man for her to talk about things, especially cop-family balancing things was Esposito. Maybe it was because she'd always considered him a family man without the wife and kids already, even more than his partner. Or maybe because despite his cocky exterior, there was a solid stubborn core that reminded her so much of her own father. 'That when you go into a building or on a raid you'll get shot again?'

'Yes and no, I mean that risk is always there and Meredeth knows it, but...' Esposito squirmed a little. 'We have our own little good-luck code.'

'You do?'

He nodded, drank his coffee. 'Every time I leave for a call or for a regular morning, even going for a court appearance, I tell her 'gimme one for good luck' and she kisses me, and if I forgot that one morning, I'd feel as naked as if I didn't have my gun. Love from your wife, or your husband,' he said, gesturing to her, 'that's a powerful weapon. Maybe you can't nail a scumbag crook between the eyes with it like a shot from a SWAT rifle, but it's a mental confidence thing. I press my lips together, I think of her and Tessi, and I know I'll make it home safely.'

'That's so sweet.'

'Don't tell Ryan.'

Beckett laughed in agreement, then winced a little. 'Yes, I know your there,' she told the bump, looking down at where it rested fully on her lap now. The baby had finally dropped so breathing had become far easier in the last few days. 'We're talking about you, and yes it's almost home-time. Here.' She tapped a few buttons on the blue-tooth watch for her iBump. 'There, The Nutcracker, it's one of your favourites. Go nuts, tiny.'

'Already such a mom.'

Beckett glanced up, smiled at her husband, who'd magically appeared at her desk. 'Hey, I didn't even hear you.'

'I'm sneaky that way. I've got Mother at home babysitting dinner, which is Meredeth's pizza, and Alexis texting me every half an hour reminding me to put her on Skype when you get home. You ready to go?'

'Uh-huh.' Beckett braced her weight on her desk, let him help her with her coat. She looked at her space in the bullpen and sighed wistfully. 'Bye desk.'

'I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble.' Esposito assured her, glanced over as the captain walked out of the break-room with his quarter-past coffee. 'Right, sir?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about and I learned long ago from Liz that blindly agreeing like that is never a good idea.' Montgomery set his cup down, and despite the fact they were in the middle of their place of business, gave Beckett a quick, warm squeeze. 'You take care of yourself now, Beckett. You need to make sure our new rookie stays nice and healthy until the twenty-eighth.'

'Sir? You're in on it too?' Beckett's jaw dropped.

'Of course. Who do you think cleaned up when Lanie had Violet?' he replied with a wink.

It had Beckett shaking her head all the way to the loft. 'So, how has your day been?'

'Busy. Like I said, I've been working on a surprise for you.'

Curiosity piqued, Beckett let him open the door for her and they walked inside, where Martha was sitting on the couch with a small glass of wine as she watched some old black and white movie. 'There's my girl,' she declared, pausing the disc when she saw her son and daughter-in-law coming through the door. 'Not long now, is it sweetheart?'

'Today's the ninth.'

'Ten days.' Martha beamed with pride at the knowledge she'd soon have another grand-baby. 'Are you feeling alright?'

'Tired, hungry, huge. Seems to be the pregnant hat-trick.' Beckett went over to the couch to take a load off her aching feet and back, and much to her own surprise, scooted down so she could leaned her head against Martha's narrow shoulder. 'But right now mostly hungry.'

'Well you're in luck because Meredeth cooked tonight, so to say. And there are green things on your pizza but there are also animals there as well. Or rather, various forms of pig meat.'

'See Castle?' Beckett craned her neck to look up at her husband. 'That's how you do it.'

Castle merely shook his head and went over to the stove, checked on the bubbling pie. A few more minutes, he thought, just enough time to give him his wife's present. It had taken him some patience and work and timing to keep it under his hat but he knew his girl would absolutely love this. 'Mother, a little help?' he asked. 'I need you to get my laptop and dial up Alexis on Skype.'

'Alright, but if you wind up with a Shanghai prostitute on the line, don't blame me.'

Beckett straightened herself up, curious as to what this little family of hers had planned. Her curiosity went over the top when Castle dragged his mobile Smart-Board out into the living room, Martha following with the laptop; clearly she must have gotten it right as she was chatting away to her granddaughter about the latest rehearsal for her play.

'Kate are you there?' Alexis' voice came from the computer speakers.

'Yes, I am.'

'Turn me around Grams.'

'My, my, what a bossy lady you are.' But Martha obliged her and put the laptop on the coffee table so that the detective and the writer were both in view. 'Now, what is this all about, Richard?'

'Okay, back we got married, I knew that when it came time for us to have babies and you'd be on your maternity leave, you'd go a little squirrelly if you didn't have some cases to work on, and when I was talking about it with Alexis, she came up with this idea, so...ta-da!'

He switched on the board with a flourish and instantly the image of a stork in an isosceles stance with a weapon in his feathers came on screen. Underneath were the words 'The Mat-Leave Mysteries' and an oblong button that said 'click to start'.

'What is this?'

'It's like Choose Your Own Adventure, only with a cop twist,' Alexis explained from the computer. 'You've still got all your murder cases to work on, just fictional ones. Dad wrote the stories, and he talked to his connections with the people at 4-D Animation who did the Nikki Heat video game, got them to come up with the graphics for you.'

'Is that what you were doing when you said you were working on a short-story collection?' Beckett asked excitedly and Castle nodded.

'I'd been thinking about doing a pre-Rook case-files series and decided to use those cases here. All the players are there, Heat, Roach, Lauren Perry, Montrose.'

'No Rook, no Maggie not even Scout or Calvin?' she asked, referring to the alter-egos of Meredeth, Honey-Milk and Dave.

'Nope, just the Fab Five. Here.' He passed her the hand-held tablet companion to the Smart-board and its stylus. 'You can control it from there. Far more comfy than being on your feet or sitting on your desk.'

'You like it?' Alexis asked.

'It's amazing, I truly have no idea what to say.'

'I'll take that as a yes. I've got finals to study for tomorrow and I need sleep so love you guys!'

Alexis' connection drop, leaving just the three of them in the apartment. 'I think I'll check on dinner and leave you two to play,' Martha decided.

'So you have three options. Revisit a cold-case, fresh body, or tag-team with the FBI.'

'Fresh body, haven't seen one in awhile.' Beyond impressed, Beckett used the stylus on the tablet and followed the on-screen instructions as her husband sat down beside her. She selected the 'Fresh Body' and the screen at once changed to a short little animated video of her fictional self walking in the bullpen towards the elevator and pushing the button.

That was Roach, there's been a murder.

The animated character looked over its shoulder and gave the viewers a look. Well, are you coming or what?

'I remember that day,' Beckett said. 'That was after the switched-babies case, we were in the apartment building lobby and the captain had just told me you were doing three more Nikki Heat books.'

'I remember well,' Castle agreed, putting his arm over her shoulders. 'It was one of my favourite moments between us.'

She laughed, then focused on the screen as she saw the purple-faced woman in a lady-suit, legs at odd angles and missing a high-heeled shoe. Then she laughed again, when she head a familiar pair of voices.

Who's the tag-along?

Must be the new guy.

'When did they have time for this?' she asked.

'Here and there. It's been in the works for almost two years now. Keep watching.'

Beckett did so as Roach gave them the bullet, then giggled at the options popped up again

So what you wanna us to do? the screen asked, talk to witnesses, goose CSU, start the paper trail

'See you give them a task, then you'll get one for yourself,' Castle explained, loving how into it she was getting. 'But depending on what you give the boys to do determines what you get to do.'

Beckett decided to have Roach talk to witnesses, and suddenly on-screen Nikki was in the morgue, the lady from the alley under a sheet. Then came another familiar voice.

Girl, please tell me you didn't bring your date here to scare 'em off.

'Lanie too?' she asked a note of surprise in her voice.

'That one was the easiest after she went on maternity leave, believe it or not. She just brought Carey with her.'

Beckett grinned as her avatar listened to the ME's initial report and the real-life one kissed her husband. 'Best baby-gift ever.'

R&R&Enjoy!