Getting up, it seems, is becoming more difficult for both Rick and Kate. Especially after their back to back, late night escapades along with an early morning tryst

One thing Kate said to Rick about punishing's is actually coming back to haunt her as well She is also struggling to rise and get dressed herself

As she walks, or more accurately, stumbles out of the dressing area, Castle in entering from the living room. He remarks as he sees her "Are you still meeting Lanie for some 'dinner and girl time later. Right?'

She is just finishing buttoning her blouse "Yeah… we haven't done this in months. Why? Is there a problem with me being gone?" She asks

"No, of course not! You and she have been friends for so long. I would never consider getting in between you two. That would be very dangerous to my health" What he actually means is her staying around for more activities might be dangerous to his health

She walks up closer and puts her arms around her husband "You got that right, mister" Then she give him a quick kiss "I love you"

"Back at ya" her answers as she pulls back from him and grabs her jacket

"I won't be too late"

"You have fun and tell Lanie I said hi"

She looks aback over her shoulder "We will"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When Kate reaches North Corner Bistro she enters and immediately goes looking for her best friend. She sees Lanie sitting at a corner table near a window

"Hey girlfriend" Lanie remarks as soon as Kate is in earshot

"Hi" Beckett responds and she drops her bag in the adjacent chair "Have you ordered yet?"

"Just my wine while waiting for you"

The server approaches the table to take the orders

"Do you want some wine?" Lanie asks

"No, just water for me"

The server walks away to get Kate's drink

"So Kate, how are you and big writer boy and little writer boy and big sister all getting along?"

Kate smiles "Just great…actually phenomenal"

"Well you look phenomenal. In fact you seem to be glowing"

Kate's expression tells it all as she puts on a happy smile. Kate then continues to answer the question about her home life "Oh. I just had quite a shock come from Alexis the other day"

"What was that?" Lanie questions just as the server arrives to drop the drinks and take the meal order

Lanie orders a seafood salad and Beckett gets the fruit salad with a selection of cheeses

After the server walks off Kate answers the question

"Alexis called me mom the other day"

"What? That is fabulous! That is so great that big sister considers you like her own mother along with Jimmy?"

"Yes it is Lanie. She made me feel so special"

"You mean like her father makes you feel special?"

Kate ducks her head and lets her hair cover her embarrassment

"Kate I know how much you have changed that former playboy. He would still be chasing top heavy women and getting his picture plastered all over page 6, but you do know you are the real reason he settled down?"

Kate has never been the one to accept compliments of this nature but today she does

"Thanks Lanie. But I think he changed me even more"

"That would be hard to do girlfriend"

"Oh I don't know. He was always attentive to me. Brought me coffee and pastries for so many years with no expectation of anything more"

"Yeah and when he finally decided that you were worth so much more than that Joy Mason woman from the Hamptons and look where that brought you"

Beckett smiles at the remark of her friend

"That is a name I have not heard in several years now" she actually giggles a little with the response "Castle and I had a standing joke about her. When I was pregnant with Jimmy, my boobs swelled up and I told him I was going to try and keep them since Joy was so proud of hers"

"I remember that. You actually had to come to work without a bra because you didn't have one to fit"

"True"

"What did he say about that?"

"He said he likes me just like I am"

"Sounds like you need to just go with that, then"

"Oh I will. Not much I can do to change anything except get pregnant again"

"Speaking of which…when are you planning another little one?"

Lanie is not sure but she thinks she can see a little red around Kate's ears

"We have not talked about it in a few months…but Jimmy threw us both off center the other night when he asked about a little brother or sister"

"Kate that would be so cool. I can be an auntie again"

Kate looks down at the table then back up to her best friend "We might do that soon"

"That would be great"

Their meals arrive and they begin with bites of food intermixed with more conversation

"How about you and Javi?" Kate asks "Are you two still at arm's length or are you to close again?"

Lanie stops in mid bite "Oh we just drift in and out…mostly out, but understand we don't have what you two have…in fact, I don't think anyone has what you have Kate. Everyone that sees you two knows how much he loves you and the look on your face when he is gone and you are missing him is so evident"

Softly Kate responds "I know Lanie. He does love me and I do love him…like I never thought was possible after my mother was killed"

Another bite of dinner and "I am still amazed by the little things he does for me. A rose on the nightstand for no reason. My favorite coffee waiting for me, on my desk in the morning, even if he is out of town on a book tour. And when he is home, a note beside my coffee at breakfast. If he notices me looking at a blouse or pair of pants, they suddenly appear on the bed"

"Kate, look at what you give to him"

"Nothing to compare with that"

"Kate Beckett. You are the most intelligent woman I have ever met. And a great detective with all the extras that brings. You give all that to him for his books"

Beckett just smiles

"And not to mention that you are one hot momma with those long legs of yours. And let's face it, men are visual creatures. All you have to do is show him a little skin and I bet he just melts"

"I have done a few things to keep him distracted sometimes"

"Oh girlfriend. You are still a tease"

Kate whispers "With my husband? Yeah…every chance I get"

"So Beckett. On another subject, how is that double murder going? I heard that Dr. Sellers was the murderer of Blaire Collins and then she was murdered"

"Yes. We got video and audio that proved Dr. Sellers was at the chicken shop at the time of the murder and we found cooking oil stains from the chicken store on the jacket she was wearing that morning"

"Well. Any suspects on Sellers case? Or any other evidence?"

"We went through about every suspect on the list and they all have alibis. And solid ones at that"

"Where do you go now?" Lanie is wondering

"The once piece of evidence we do have is a typewritten note threatening Sellers if she doesn't stop her escapades with all the men professors on campus"

"That sounds like an enticing clue. How many typewriters that could have been used have you found so far?"

A couple but they were not the exact unit. But we do know that the note was written on a machine from the mid twentieth century. CSU has pinned it down to a particular model that was originally bought by the military during World War 2 and later sold as military surplus in the late 1940's"

"Well there can't be a lot of those still around?"

"No. In fact they traced a larger purchase made at auction to a buyer right here in New York"

"Really? Who?"

"Ballard University bought 50 units"

"From what we can tell, they have since replace all of them with computers and disposed of all but two"

"Where are they?"

"One is in the school library on display. But it is not the one that wrote the note"

"And the other one?"

Kate smiles to her friend "It is at the home of the Lawrence Crawford. He is the Chancellor of the university and the grandson of the school's founder. We did hear that the board of trustees was working on a way to fix the problem of a wandering president"

"The Chancellor might have a good motive to fix the problem in a more aggressive manor" Lanie remarks

"That's what we believe" Kate takes her last bite of dinner


AH. It looks like we may be coming close to a conclusion to this one

OR ARE WE?