Disclaimer: i own nothing and no one and the universe refuses to make it Monday...sigh!

Chapter Three

Synchronise your watches...

Lanie checks the clock one last time, a small grin darting across her face, before she throws the last folder onto the slab and makes a grab for her coat. She's just finished sliding it over her arms and shucking it into place when Kate walks through the door.

"You're early." Lanie grins, oh it's all just so perfect, even Beckett's playing along. Of course the woman doesn't have a clue but somehow that makes it better.

Kate looks back at her confused "You said seven and it's nearly half past." She had in all honesty been expecting a Lanie-esq lecture.

"That is early for you." Lanie snarks elbowing her friend who returns a weak smile "Oh hell no." Lanie growls "Cheer the hell up Beckett, girls night. I want fun."

"I can do wine." Kate grumbles as she sits down in the seat Lanie had just vacated "fun might be pushing it.".

"No wine for you tonight girl," Lanie grins again, wine isn't strong enough for this, "Cocktails!" She elbows Kate out of the chair, her hands at the small of her back as she forces her towards the door. "Lots of them."

"Lanie." Kate whines sounding nothing like her normal self "I don't want to go to a sleazy cocktail bar..."

"Oh honey," Lanie said with an obviously fake pout, "we're not going to a bar."

Though he was steadfastly avoiding everyone by keeping his eyes down, supposedly engrossed in his phone, he hadn't missed Kate's early exit. Castle refused to wonder where she was going, he instead, childishly, ignored her mumbled 'g'night' and started flicking through names on his phone.

But almost the second she is completely out of sight, the phone is unceremoniously removed from his hands and pocketed by Esposito. The man rounds on him, arms folded over his chest as he sits across Beckett's desk in a way he would never dare if she was anywhere nearby.

"Lame bro." He comments shaking his head.

"Totally." Ryan agrees appearing from nowhere and making Castle jump as he stands next to him, staring down.

"It's been, what?" Esposito asks over Castle's head, pretending the man isn't there as he speaks to Ryan "Days?"

"More like weeks." Ryan states flatly.

"And you don't call, you don't write." Esposito ticks Castle's listed offences off on his fingers, still shaking his head as he does.

It's a joke and a reprimand all in one and Castle almost laughs, realising he has been neglecting his friends lately, almost until Ryan pipes up.

"You don't even say hey anymore." Both Castle and Esposito turn to the man who has let too much emotion spill through his voice, watching as his eyes take on a dreamy quality and he sighs forlornly.

Castle looks back and forth between the two men, waiting for a quip or sarcastic comment, instead he watches as Esposito scrunches his eyes and mimes at Ryan to tone it down a bit.

Something is clearly wrong here, and he's missing it.

"I mean we know you hate Beckett now, but..." Esposito trails off deliberately, refolding his arms, shaking his head, giving Ryan a few seconds to compose himself.

"We thought we were your friends." Ryan finishes for him, with a squeaky edge to his voice that shows clearly he hasn't had long enough.

Castle flicks his eyes between the two men, catching Espo's frowned eye roll and look of exasperation. Then it hit him, what they had said, how casually they had thrown it into conversation. Like it was an accepted and acceptable statement of fact. He is definitely missing something.

"I don't..." He states vehemently, but his words fall away as the two men look at him, waiting "I mean hate's a...and you guys? We are… what did I do?" He asks looking to both men again hoping for some explanation.

"You ditched us." Ryan states folding his arms across his chest and staring menacingly.

"Off playing with your new buddies."

"Getting roughed up." Ryan scowls letting Castle know exactly how much effort their team goes to on a daily basis to keep everyone safe, then he scoffs "In and out with lunch dates."

"And it's lame," Esposito agrees, "you owe us."

"Drinks." Ryan confirms pointing, before he moves to stand further behind Castle. Resting his fingers on the man's shoulder, squeezing hard until he feels him wince and turn in his seat.

Lanie said not to play fair. Don't take no for an answer, and even if the woman's not here, there is no arguing with Lanie Parish.

"It's the least you can do, after all you own a bar." Ryan finishes, removing his hand from Castle's shoulder with a triumphant smile. The man has no idea what's happening, wearing an expression somewhere between bemused, worried and totally confused.

"You're buying." Esposito confirms, rapidly jumping off Beckett's desk and moving around the two men. He stops once he's at Castle's side, and, in a joint and clearly practised move the two men slip their hands under his arms, heaving him out of the seat.

"Guys what the hell?" He yelps as his knee crashes into Beckett's chair and he stumbles, taking the two men forwards with him.

Holding onto Castle tightly, they wait until he regains his balance before they spin him on the spot and march him like a suspect towards the elevator.

They ignore the rest of his mumbled protests and confused calls, staying deathly and deliberately silent until they finally feel him surrender.

Reaching the elevator they shove him inside, stepping in quickly behind him with matching sinister smiles as Castle turns and slumps into the opposite wall.

Castle grumbles as the machine begins its descent "I'm having severe deja vu."

Ryan laughs "Yeah me too, but at least this time you're not dressed like Elvis."

The cab pulls up slowly outside the loft, and Kate scrunches down low in the seat, her narrowed glare flicking between the building and her supposed best friend.

Lanie sits opposite her with a grin stretching widely across her cheeks.

"What the hell is going on Lanie?" Kate hisses, looking out onto the street. She watches as two very familiar looking women emerge from the shadows of the building.

"Girls night." Lanie states with a shrug.

"With Castle?" Kate asks confused.

Lanie laughs "Well I know writer boy has a tendency to be a bit girly, what with all the screaming and the facial products but I..."

"Lanie!"

Lanie rolls her eyes at Kate's tone "He's not here, Happy now? He's gone for drinks with Javi and Ryan." Lanie glances up, watching Kate's face contort before she quickly regains control and stuffs away her emotions.

Lanie sees straight through it and points "And I am not going to pretend you didn't just look totally disappointed when I said he wasn't here." She reaches across the cab and pats her friends knee, offering the smallest amount of comfort before she laughs. "Just go with it Kate, it will be easier in the long run."

Lanie is probably the only person on the planet that doesn't back down in the face of a Kate Beckett death glare, and it's lucky because the one she's being given now should be turning her to stone...and they haven't even gotten inside yet.

The door swings open and in a combined move that takes the usually fully prepared Detective by surprise she is both shoved out of, and pulled from, the cab.

Kate stumbles onto the sidewalk coming face to face with Castle's mother and daughter. Alexis greets her with a smile, before turning back for Lanie, whilst Martha slips her arm through Kate's, tugging on her elbow.

The older woman is surprisingly strong as she near drags Kate along after her.

"My dear." Martha says with a soft and knowing smile, turning back to the wide eyes of the woman trailing her. "How about we go get you a drink? Hmm?"

Castle has spent the entire journey observing the two men, and when they arrive at The Old Haunt, it is clearly at a pace that neither of the Detectives is happy with. From what little intel Castle has been able to gather, given that both men spent the entire cramped and awkward cab journey glancing between their phones and their watches, they are on some sort of deadline.

They sure know how to make a man feel loved. Even if he has been acting like an ass.

As the two men settle into a booth, Castle mumbles something about buying drinks that gets completely ignored as the men whisper to each other across the table.

He heads to the bar, casually watching them over his shoulder as he sets them up with three bottles of beer and three whiskey chasers. He's not entirely sure why, but, sensing he's going to need it, Castle downs two of the shots at the bar before asking for refills.

When he reaches the table both men look up at him expectantly, their voices falling away as if he interrupted a private conversation. Castle sighs as he sits down feeling like he's been doing a lot of that lately.

"So how are Jenny and Lanie?" He asks searching for something to break the quiet.

Esposito puffs out a blast of air shaking his head "Lanie is a force of nature, but we're not here for chit chat bro."

"Nope." Ryan agrees with nod.

"In fact, you're here because we've all had enough."

"Oh god." Castle mouths as he looks between the two men, suddenly very aware of where this conversation and this night in general may be headed.

"More to the point, Lanie has had enough." Ryan states, capturing Castles attention again as his eyes and forehead scrunch together.

"Oh my god." Castle states again, only this time out loud and more high-pitched than he intended. His hand reaches for the whiskey in front of him, and he lifts it to his lips.

Esposito watches him knock the drink back before he slides his own chaser towards him. He waits until Castle's fingers close around it and the small glass is touching his lips before he speaks. "Lanie has taken Kate to your place for a girls night."

Castle chokes around the liquid halfway to his lungs as he barks "What? Why?" He continues to splutter, coughing down the whiskey that burns his throat.

Ryan thumps the man hard on the back as Esposito starts to talk again. "Your mom's gonna tell her you heard her in the interrogation room," Esposito pauses to let Castle absorb that as he continues to cough "that the reason you've been acting like a shallow di..."

"Person who was hurt," Ryan interrupts, talking loudly over Esposito as he thumps Castle hard on the back again.

"Right." Esposito nods, not looking at all convinced, "Is because you heard her say she remembers."

"Which, by the way … not cool you never said anything." Ryan states quietly as he sits back down.

Esposito gauges from Castle's now almost steady breathing that the man has calmed down enough to hear the rest. He blurts it out, not holding anything back in a way that makes him wonder, if Castle and Beckett had taken this approach months ago, where would they all be now?

"Then Lanie, Alexis and Martha are gonna show her your murder board and tell her you've been investigating her mom's case."

Castle's mouth falls open wide as he stands up, forcing himself away from the table. "They can't."

Ryan shrugs looking at Castle "Secrets are coming out..."

"Yup enough is enough bro and we have all had more than enough."

Castle's mouth still hangs wide open, fighting to find the words. "Why would they do that?"

"Why not?" Esposito asks swigging his beer "Fair's fair right? She hurt you and now she hears the truth from someone else and you guys are even."

Castle swings towards the men his arms waving wildly. "It's not about being even." He states like everyone has lost their minds. Though it hits him hard in the stomach as he says it, maybe it has been a bit about making it even, making her pay. That doesn't mean he wants this. "They can't...I have to be the one to tell her."

Ryan scoffs looking over at Esposito as they continue to drink nonchalantly from their bottles "What are you going to do? Run all the way over there, interrupt girls night, drag her into your office and blurt everything out?"

Ryan and Esposito share a look, waiting, watching, hoping. This is Lanie's grand plan they are messing with and everything rests on Castles reaction.

Castle's mouth gapes open again as he thinks about what the two men have just said "I...yes." He says forcefully, not seeing the grin pass between the two men as he is engulfed with a powerful sense of rightness and conviction.

Castle grabs his coat not bothering to put it on as he heads for the door.

"Better move fast then," Esposito yells, causing Castle to turn before he leaves "it's Lanie, she's not going to pull any punches."

The two men continue to drink, listening as the door slams shut behind Castle and they lift their beer bottles to clink them. Esposito sets his drink on the table and retrieves his phone from his pocket. He fires off a quick text to Lanie, marvelling at the woman's innate ability to read her friends.

On his way, u got 20mins.