Beckett was grateful that Esposito had offered to drive her and Lanie to Castle's residence in the Hamptons. It wasn't an overly lengthy drive... less than two hours, in fact. But after a week of running on caffeine and very little sleep, the detective was happy to be able to hang her head back and enjoy the radio while someone else drove. She had happily climbed into the back seat, allowing Lanie and Esposito to converse for most of the drive. She would occasionally watch as they interacted - and made a mental note that they were definitely in a good place right now, considering the recent ups and downs of their 'relationship'. She had spent many nights in Lanie's apartment, drinking wine and "talking shit" - as Lanie had so eloquently put it - about her colleague. She had made it clear that she was not taking sides... but she would always be there for her closest friend when she needed to vent.

"Take this little road, coming up on your left." She instructed Esposito when the road became visible from the short distance.

"You been here before?" He asked, making eye contact via the rear view mirror. Beckett noted his eyes were playful... what was he accusing her of? Secret weekend trysts with her writer?

Her writer?

The thought pulled on her, making her sit up straighter than she had been.

"I checked my GPS. Didn't want to get lost." She forced a playful smile back, trying to ignore the possessiveness of her inner thoughts. Since Castle's confession, she couldn't help but to think of him as 'hers'. She was aware of how selfish that was - allowing herself to consider him hers while offering absolutely nothing in return - and she was genuinely trying to stop that... but there was a very big part of her that enjoyed the idea of the writer being only hers.

Esposito turned onto the road... it was quiet - no traffic in site - and beautifully lined by blossoming trees. After driving for a short amount of time a modern mansion became visible in the distance. It was extravagant, to say the least, and they knew that these weren't 'their people'.

"Another left."

A gravel path was visible behind the trees. He turned, noting the expansive property at the end of the path.

"Sometimes I forget Castle is rich." Lanie muttered, obviously in awe of the homestead in front of them.

Castle's Buick was parked out front. Esposito pulled up beside it, taking a moment to appreciate the view in front of him before getting out of the car. Everywhere you looked was like a scene out of a movie - bright blue skies, vibrant green grass, trees swaying gently in the breeze. The ocean air filled their lungs - yep... they weren't in the city anymore, that's for sure.

"Hey guys!" Castle called as he approached his friends. He had already changed his clothes, Beckett noted. Instead of his usual business chic, he was wearing jeans and a lose fitting cotton shirt. He reached into the trunk of the car, picking up one of the duffel bags and tossing it effortlessly over his shoulder. The small flex of muscle didn't go unnoticed by the two women, who glanced sideways at each other. "You finally made it." He was excited - evident by the boyish smile that was yet to leave his face.

"Some of us had to finish our shift." Beckett retorted, sarcastically.

"Yet another perk of being me." Castle shot back, without a second thought.

Another car turned onto the gravel path - Ryan and Jenny had opted to drive themselves, save piling everyone into a single car. Jenny waved to the group from the passenger seat. While she didn't often get to hang out with the group, she managed to blend in well when she did. She was softer than the rest of them... not as jaded from seeing all the worst parts of humanity each and every day. As the couple grabbed their bags and joined the rest of the group, Castle wrapped his free arm around Jenny and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Welcome, Mrs. Ryan." He said, playfully drawing out her newly acquired surname.

"That still sounds so strange..." she started, smiling and blushing slightly. "Good strange... it's a trip!" She held onto her husband's hand as Castle released her from his arms.

Everyone made their way inside and Castle gave them the grand tour. He had instructed Ryan and Jenny to leave their bags in the master bedroom... he thought they could benefit from all it had to offer - the amazing view, king sized bed and, most importantly, complete privacy being the only bedroom that end of the house.

The next room was Alexis' bedroom - and decorated appropriately so with pastel colouring and posters of bands across all four walls. "All yours, Espo." Castle patted his macho friend's back, before turning his attention to the two ladies beside him. "Follow me."

Just a few steps down the hallway, the space opened up slightly - wide enough for two doors to be side by side. Castle opened both the doors to show two moderately large bedrooms. Lanie rushed into the first bedroom and flopped lazily onto the bed. "Yep - this is good!" She called back to Castle and Beckett.

"So... uh - where will you be sleeping?" Beckett asked shyly. "I mean... you so selflessly sacrificed your room to the newlyweds..." she hadn't meant anything by the question, just that she had never intended on making him sleep on a couch... hell, she would happily share a bed with Lanie if he needed the fourth bedroom for himself.

"I have a pull out in the office. I'll have to be up at weird hours to call Gina - she's in Japan at the moment and her schedule is packed so it's been 3am phone calls for me all week..." Castle trailed off when he noticed Beckett seemed to stop listening after his mention of his ex. "The work never stops. You know how it is." He tried to subtly remind his partner that his ex was no longer a part of his private life... that it was business only.

"Yeah... I hate when I spend my nights on hold with Japan." She rolled her eyes before grabbing her duffel from Castle's grasp and walking into the last room. She placed her bag on the end of the bed, then turned to face her host. She shot him her best 'what now?' face and he understood that she wanted to move past this conversation.

"I'll give you a chance to settle in. When you're ready, I'll be out back at the grazing table." And with that, he walked away. Beckett took a few steps toward the door, only to come face to face with Lanie, who was already waiting at her own door.

"Did he just say grazing table?" The ME asked, bewildered by the effort writer boy had put into this weekend getaway. He was obviously trying to impress his friends. And honestly, it was working.

The two women walked out to the entertaining area outside. True to his word, Castle was standing by a table covered almost entirely in an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers and fresh fruits. Esposito and Ryan are already digging in, beers in hand. Lanie chose to sit under the shade with Jenny, who was happily sitting and sipping on a glass of wine. Within seconds, Esposito had moved across the courtyard and presented Lanie with her own glass of wine before taking a seat beside her.

Beckett took in her surroundings. This area was closed off to the rest of the yard by vine covered trellises - behind her was the entrance to the house, leading directly to the joint kitchen and dining room. To her left was an outdoor cooking area that definitely put her mini barbecue to shame. Across from her sat her colleagues and friends, talking and laughing together. She smiled, proud of how close they all had become over the years.

Beckett looked back over toward Castle, only to notice he was headed her way, two wine glasses in one hand and the remainder of the open bottle in the other. "I want to show you something." He said as he walked past her, motioning for her to follow him as he passed through a small gate leading to the gardens to her right. She followed without hesitation, curiosity getting the better of her.

Beckett looked around, marvelling at just how serene this place actually was. Just past the gardens in front of them was the most beautiful horizon she had seen. The sun was due to set and the pink and orange skies before them were framed by a stunning white arbour. While Castle had been actively trying to increase the pair's one-on-one time over these past few months, Beckett had been doing all she could to limit it. She didn't hate being alone with him... not even close. But even their most pure moments were so easily tainted by her memories. At first, it was the memory of her shooting. She would hear his voice telling her that he loved her... but the heartache as his voice cracked would send a shooting pain through her chest - no, that wasn't heartache... that was the bullet. Often she would find herself being pulled from her memory, gasping for breath. But never in front of him... she couldn't let him see just how broken she was. But as the months passed, the therapy was helping her control those thoughts. Now the only thing tainting the memory of his confession was her lies.

"I know that you like to read when you're winding down after a case, so I wanted to show you Alexis' favourite reading spot. This is her ultimate hide away." Castle broke her from her thoughts, leading her toward a small gazebo in the garden.

The gazebo was gorgeous, donning delicate carvings on each post, fairy lights hanging from the roof and possibly the comfiest looking sun bed she had ever seen. She dropped down into the seat, being sure to wriggle herself right back into the cushions for maximum comfort. Castle poured the two glasses of wine, handing one over to his partner.

"It's your favourite." He smiled and she accepted the glass.

"Thank you." She returned her own smile, truly enjoying this moment. The view was breathtaking - and knowing that Castle wanted to not only show her, but share with her, a place that was so special to his daughter... each moment like this made her appreciate that his family seemed to unconditionally welcome her with open arms. Even though the partners couldn't seem to work out exactly what they were to each other... she still felt like she had been accepted into his family.

"Come... sit." She patted the space beside her. There was enough room for them to both fit - but when he sat beside her she realised he was closer than she thought he would be. She could feel him, warmth pressing against her side and the smell of his cologne stirred her senses. She could feel his eyes on her and she tilted her head to meet his gaze. She could see in his eyes that he was questioning whether this was too close. She smiled, reassuringly, and patted his forearm.

"So... you think this will suffice?" He asked, forcing his eyes away from hers to break the tension. She appreciated that, even after all the waiting, he didn't want to force anything too quickly for her.

"I guess it will do for the weekend." She joked and they both let out a slight laugh. She moved her hand from his forearm, sliding it down and taking hold of his hand instead. "It's perfect, Castle. I understand why Alexis loves it so much." She answered, more seriously this time. She was trying to be better with that - to say what she actually meant instead of the default being a sarcastic retort. Not all the time - but definitely during Castle's more serious moments.

They sat for a few minutes, enjoying the wine and watching the sun set on the day. It wasn't until the sun had fully set that the two realised the romance in the moment they had just shared. Usually this would be the type of 'event' Castle saved for a date - but he would not deny that he enjoyed this stolen time with Beckett. They finished their wine before walking back through the garden to rejoin the party.

Lanie and Jenny were dancing together to the playlist Castle had left playing. Esposito and Ryan were chatting about some video game, comparing scores and techniques.

"Hey, here they are!" Esposito called out to Lanie, who eagerly headed over to Beckett, grabbing her hands and pulling her over to join their dancing. It was obvious to Beckett that her friends were two or three wines ahead of her, so she lingered awkwardly swaying before Lanie took the lead, guiding Beckett through the occasional spin to the music. The boys couldn't help but admire the women in front of them as they laughed and danced together.

"As much as I hate to miss out, I have to go try to finish this damn book before my deadline is up. You guys know where to find me if you need me - but otherwise, enjoy the rest of your night." Castle took a quick detour by the grazing table, picking a small selection of crackers and grapes, before heading back into the house.

The rest of the group spent the next few hours chatting, dancing and drinking. It really had been a great night.