"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder where we are…"
Unable to hide a smile, Kevin used his free hand to caress Sarah Grace's blonde hair, causing her to giggle for a second.
"You know where we are going…", he said soothingly and watched the numbers on the elevator rise, before the obnoxious ping signaled their arrival.
"Is Ellie gonna be here?"
"No sweetheart, remember what mommy said, daycare is closed again today so you get to spend the morning with daddy and the afternoon with mommy. You will see Ellie again tomorrow."
There were a few other things that mommy had said in a frustrated outburst that he was glad SG didn't repeat.
For a month now, daycare had been closed at least once a week for anything from head lice to a 1-day flu outbreak, leaving them both struggling when it came to watching over SG while Jenny was busy preparing to give birth to their second child.
Kevin was grateful for the opportunity to take his daughter to work when needed, but then again, the Homicide bullpen wasn't exactly the right place for a toddler.
The doors opened to the atmosphere of tense anticipation he'd grown so accustomed to. As a matter of fact, it took each and everyone of them very little to become paranoid when caseload was low, knowing that the next vile killing was just around the corner.
It left them in a state of hyper-vigilance, questioning peace while always expecting the worst, the stress thereof sometimes so overbearing that even Castle's fancy coffee didn't make up for it.
It didn't take long for SG to find Javier who stood bent over next to his desk, intently looking at a file, never even realizing that his daughter was rushing toward him until she wrapped his leg in a tight embrace.
"Uncle Javi!", she squealed in unbridled excitement, her face lighting up when his partner pulled her up against his chest.
"Good morning, Miss SG!", he greeted overzealously and glanced over at Kevin, nodding at him briefly, "Daycare issues again?"
"You got it, bro. I've been looking around for others but most of them are booked out over a year in advance. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I could make more money running my own daycare by now."
"Like this place isn't a daycare in its own right.", Javi scoffed, then returned his attention to SG who was busy fidgeting with his mocha tie.
"I think two-year olds are a lot easier to deal with than the people here though…"
With a wily smile, Kevin took off his coat and briefly glanced over his desk, taking in a handful of notes in his inbox, the invite for the annual NYPD Dance Contest and a reminder of his union dues.
More money to spend when he barely had enough to survive on right now.
As if to sense his inner turmoil, Javi took his attention off SG and glanced over at him, those brown eyes scanning him intently, not saying anything for the longest time. Eventually, he opened his mouth, hesitated, then bit his bottom lip.
"Yo, if you want to take a half day or something, don't feel obligated to be here. You've got a family to worry about and Jenny…she's…she's about due. This…all of this can wait."
Stopping in his tracks, Kevin lowered his head in deep gratitude, part of him so eager to take his friend up on the offer but knowing that their current case demanded his utmost attention.
"Thanks Javi, I…I'll be alright. I am going to drop SG off at lunch and then we can head out to prowl the city, take some names, all that stuff. That sound good to you?"
Esposito was about to answer when something caught his attention and he glanced off to the right, where a tall blonde in her mid-forties headed toward them.
Slim built, she wore a flowery skirt and cream-colored blouse with a bright red butterfly clasp near her left shoulder. The peculiar outfit made her stick out from the crowd of detectives, but what surprised Kevin the most were her striking blue eyes, taking in every nuance of her surroundings, her lips pursed to a thin line, every part of her expression exuding authority and condescension.
He didn't know her but Javi surely did, his gaze turning to stone in an instant.
"This is quite the curios office you have here Detective…Esposito it is, right?"
Not gracing her with an answer, he nodded stoically, his tense body language so revealing that even SG hid her face from the lady and buried it in his chest.
"You're scowling, bro…", Ryan whispered from his corner of the desk, his gaze drifting back and forth between both parties, sensing the mutual animosity from miles away.
"I am looking for Captain Beckett. Can you tell me where I could find her?"
Letting the question sit out there for several beats, Javi resumed his glaring contest with the woman before nudging his chin toward the corner.
"Next hallway over. Can't miss it."
"Thank you very much, detective. It was a pleasure…as always."
With a flippant wave of the wrist, she spun around and headed for Beckett's office, her high heels clattering against the polished wooden floors.
They both waited until she was out of sight before Kevin drew in a deep breath and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
"Did the devil himself just walk in or what did I miss?"
Grunting in frustration, his partner looked back at him, his expression that of utter dread.
"Pretty much, Kev, pretty much."