After awhile, Beckett decided that it was time to go back into the house. Of course she wanted to marry Castle. The reason for her earlier tears was simply because she wished that her mother was there for all of this. From picking out the dress to helping to address the invitations. Sure, if they had a small wedding, there probably wouldn't be much that she would need help with, but she had always imagined having her mom there to help with everything.

She wasn't upset at Castle. She just didn't know how to give voice to everything that was bothering her. He would probably think it was stupid. Hell, she even thought it was stupid. She had a man that loved her and was willing to marry her whenever she wanted and here she was crying for something that could never be. So, she marched back up to the house and walked inside.

The cabin was completely quiet. She walked into the living room and saw Alexis holding Benny and both of them were sound asleep. Smiling, she reached down and picked her son up. Watching as Alexis started when she felt his weight missing.

Alexis mumbled through her sleep laden voice, "I.. I thought he was falling."

"Nope. I'm just going to put him in the playpen. It's more comfortable for both of you."

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Alexis asked, "Is everything okay with you and dad? You've both been gone for a long time."

Beckett was confused for a moment. She was sure that Castle had come back to the cabin. Looking around however, she realized that he hadn't come back. She looked at her stepdaughter and motioned for her to stay, "I'll be right back."

Alexis nodded and watched as Kate left again. She called out to Castle, but he was nowhere to be found. She finally stumbled up an old fishing shack. It was where she and her dad would spend winters fishing. Instead of going out on the cold lake, her father would cut a hole in the ice and they would pretend that fishing was all that they were interested in doing. Instead, it was a place where Kate and her father were able to connect like father and daughter. He would ask her about her latest school projects. Most of the time they talked about nothing special.

Kate found Castle sitting in the little shack. She sat down beside him and asked, "Are you okay?"

Shrugging his shoulders she heard him say, "I don't really have a choice. Do I?"

Reaching over to take his hand, she gave it a soft squeeze. Then she told him, "I'm sorry Castle."

"For what? Not wanting to marry me or getting my hopes up that you do?"

Beckett sighed, "I want to marry you Castle. So very badly..."

"But not badly enough to do it now."

How did she make him understand that she wanted this? Wanted a life with him. She wanted there forever. She wanted to marry her one and done. She took his hands in hers and gave them a quick squeeze. He looked at her and she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. She whispered softly to him, "Please don't think that what happened back there had anything to do with me not wanting to marry you so very badly."

"You were crying Kate. I..."

"I was only crying because I know that my mom would have love being there for all of this. She would have loved you and she would have loved Benny. I miss her so much Castle. I..."

That was when she broke down crying in his arms. Huge sobs that seemed to engulf her whole body. Castle held her and rubbed her back softly. Whispering words of comfort to her while she cried.

She finally finished after about ten minutes and he looked at her and asked, "Better?"

Beckett shrugged, "Not really...but I will be."

"Ready to go back to the cabin? Seeing Benny will make you feel better."

Smiling sadly and him, she stood up and reached for his hand. Then she turned and kissed him softly. It never failed to amaze her how much she loved this man. How he could always make her feel better by simply being there for her when she needed him.

When they got back to the cabin, Alexis was laying on the bed beside Benny and she had her arm around her brother protectively. Kate picked up her cell phone and snapped a picture. This was one picture that she was going to treasure forever.

Meanwhile, the social worker was looking for them and she wasn't happy that she couldn't find them for an unannounced visit. Martha had assured her that they were safe. That they were just on vacation, but the woman wasn't satisfied. She insisted on knowing their exact location. Martha had given her the address of the cabin and called Castle. When he picked up the phone, he heard his mother rambling on about Benny. That was about all he could understand.

He finally told his mother, "Can you slow down mother? I can't understand a word you're saying when you talk that fast."

He heard his mother take a deep breath and then she said, "The social worker was here. She dropped by for an unannounced visit. She was not happy when I told her that you weren't here. She insisted on knowing where you were."

"What did you tell her mother?"

"The truth. I gave her the address of the cabin and she told me that she was heading up that way tomorrow."

"Okay. We will be fine. Thank you Mother."

"Don't worry Richard. Everything will be fine."

Somehow Castle doubted it. They weren't exactly prohibited from taking trips without permission, but it was strongly frowned upon. They wanted to manage every aspect of their life. Kate was going to make sure that this surprise visit turned out well.

They cleaned the entire cabin that night. Castle made sure that everything was spotless and that included Benny.

They were ready for the social worker the following morning. She arrived at about ten thirty and to say that she didn't look happy would have been a major understatement. She looked livid. When she knocked on the door, Castle opened it and said, "Welcome to our little home Ms. Whitman. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea?"

The woman shook her head, "Save the small talk Mister Castle. I think we all know why I'm here. You weren't at home when I tried to conduct a surprise visit. You do know that's grounds for having your adoption application revoked. Correct?"

Castle heard Kate let out a hurt squeak, but she said nothing. Smiling at the social worker he told her, "Our family came up here for a vacation. Surely there's nothing wrong with that."

Ms. Whitman watched at Benny and Alexis played with the blocks that were scattered on the bearskin rug near the fireplace. She had to admit that the boy certainly appeared happy and well taken care of. However, that didn't excuse the fact that they took off in the middle of the adoption process and didn't let her know.

"Be that as it may, I am going to have to talk to my superiors and see if this is allowed."

"What are they going to say? That a family can't go on vacation together? That we have to stay strapped to our loft and never see the light of day."

"I don't like your tone of voice Mister Castle. I'm tempted to remove him from this home immediately and recommend that he go to another family."

Castle had had enough of this woman's attitude. It was time he put her in her place. And he knew the perfect way to do it. It all started with his fan site. So, he told her, "If you remove him, I will have your office flooded with angry calls and letters."

"From who?"

"Well, I can think of at least a few thousand of my fans. You do remember that I am a best selling author? Oh and before you even think of removing him from our family, you can contact our attorney."

"I could have him removed simply because the two of you aren't married. You do remember be telling you that the courts prefer married couples. I can make sure you are denied on that fact alone."

Castle was the wrong person for this woman to bully. He looked her straight in the eyes and told her, "Well, not that it's any of your concern, but Kate and I are getting married. Next week in fact."

"You are?"

That was when Kate stepped up and told the woman, "Yes. We are. We are getting married in the Hamptons. Will it be okay for us to take Benny with us or will we have to get it in writing and signed in blood also?"

"There's no need to get snarky Mister Castle."

"Isn't there? Look, I don't mean to be rude, but we are here to spend time with our family. As you can see there is no plan to run away and hide. Both Benny and my daughter are here. We will be here until the end of the week. If that's okay with you that is."

Ms. Whitman didn't like his tone of voice, but decided to let it slide. She had to admit that the cabin was very clean. Not at all like she was picturing in her head on the drive up here. Maybe she was being a bit harsh on the couple. They were definitely doing everything they could to make sure that they adoption went through. She nodded, "Yes. That's fine. Just make sure you let me know the next time you take a lengthy trip out of the city. Are you planning on taking a honeymoon?"

Castle and Beckett look at her and nod. Then Castle told her, "Not anytime soon. Maybe after the adoption goes through."

Nodding, Ms. Whitman took one last look at the small family and decided that maybe this was one of the easy ones. They weren't doing this for publicity. They loved this little boy and he seemed to fit well with their family. She knew then that she intended to give the go ahead for Benny being adopted into this household.

She smiled and thanked them as she headed back to her car. She saw so many difficult things in her line of work, but this seemed to be a success story. Hopefully there would be more of these, but she wasn't too hopeful. There were thousands of children waiting to be adopted and not nearly enough parents wanting to adopt. Everyone wanted to adopt babies, but very few people wanted to adopt toddlers or older children.

Watching her leave, Beckett smiled when she heard Benny laughing behind her. Alexis was making funny faces at her. He would giggle and then throw his head back. Which cause Alexis to laugh and it would start all over again. Seeing her children interacting with one another made her smile. She remembers having times like this with her parents. Times of pure joy and happiness. Times that she had tried to forget about. Simply because they hurt too much to remember. Now, she was starting to see that remembering didn't have to hurt. It could be a good thing. A great thing.

The rest of their trip went wonderfully. They spent time walking by the lake. Staring out at the water and Beckett even managed to rent a boat and take them out on the lake. Benny looked so cute in the mini life vest that Castle had bought. It had pictures of whales and dolphins on it and was a light blue color. On top of that, Castle had bought him a tiny little sailors hat.