That evening, Castle's getting ready for a night out on the town. There's a party that he got invited to, and he doesn't think it necessary to get Beckett. He probably won't stay long.
"Dad, what did Beckett tell you about going out without telling her?" Alexis asks her father, throwing him a disapproving look. She's sitting at the kitchen counter eating dinner.
"I don't know. I wasn't listening" he answers with a smirk, putting his coat on.
Alexis shakes her head in surrender.
"Don't worry. No Russian mobsters tonight" he walks towards his daughter and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "I promise"
"Mm-hmm"
The next morning, Beckett is sitting at one of the tables at the coffee shop turning a paper cup nervously in her hands as she waits for the boys.
She smiles when she sees them enter the place. "Hey," she gets up and gives them both a hug. "I've missed you guys"
"Yeah, it's been a while" Esposito smirks and sits down while Ryan gets their coffee.
"Hmm" she lowers her gaze briefly before tilting her head to the side questioningly. "What've you been doing?"
"Well, I'm still working with Ryan actually. Doing small private security gigs"
"Oh, yeah?" Beckett smiles at the fact that they're still partners.
"How's it going, Beckett?" Ryan asks as he hands Espo his coffee before taking a sip of his own cup and sitting down.
"I'm a bodyguard" she admits.
"A bodyguard?" Ryan narrows his eyes at her. He never would've pegged her for the type.
"Yeah" Beckett sighs, giving them a half-smile.
"You working for anyone we might know?" Esposito wonders.
"Richard Castle" she says. Upon seeing the blank expression on the guy's faces she rolls her eyes. "Don't you guys read?" she can't believe they haven't heard about him. "He's a writer" she explains. "I was wondering if you wanted to work with me. There've been some security issues and I could really use some backup"
The partners look at each other and shrug. Why not?
"What do we have to do?" Kevin asks her.
Beckett smiles and gives them the run-down on what the job requires. "I'll just have to talk to Castle, but I don't think it'll be a problem"
Once they're done, they bid their goodbyes and Beckett's off to talk to her boss.
Beckett finds Castle waiting outside his building with two cups of designer coffee and a brown bag in hand. He told her they could walk together to Black Pawn, given that he has a meeting in an hour.
"Morning"
"Morning. Thanks" Beckett takes the cup and the bag. She already had coffee, but she takes it anyway, and the bear claw smells delicious. "It's Sunday morning, shouldn't you be slinking home from a scandalous liaison?" she says as they start walking, surprised that he has a meeting on a Sunday.
"Would you be jealous if I were?" he smirks.
"In your dreams" she rolls her eyes.
"Actually, in my dreams you're never jealous. In my dreams you just join in-" Beckett interrupts his juvenile ranting by shoving the bear claw into his mouth.
"Why are you such a teenager?"
"Oh, come on. I'm just kidding" he says between bites. "You don't have to be so grumpy"
"Oh, do you want to see grumpy?" she stops him in the middle of the sidewalk. "How about those pictures of you out at the club yesterday?" she doesn't look pleased.
"Yesterday?" he says innocently. "Those pictures were only leaked on…" he grins devilishly when it dawns on him.
Beckett looks horrified when she remembers where she found them and she rushes off down the street.
"Oh my God. You subscribe to my website?" he says, hot on her heels. "Wait a minute, are you CastleFreak1212? CastleLover45?"
"Do you realize that most people would be freaked out by crazy anonymous fans?" she tries to change the subject.
"Like you?"
"It was strictly professional curiosity. Anyway, you need to stop doing that"
"Hmm" he hums non-committedly as they start walking at a normal pace. "So, what'd you want to talk to me about?" the writer says after a few moments of silence. To be honest he's a little nervous about what she might say.
She sighs. "Y'know… With… The whole thing with Powell and the Russians… And, well, every trouble you've gotten yourself into, I realized that I'm not capable of doing my job properly all by myself"
"Huh" he nods slowly. Getting more than one bodyguard was never really an option, but if she thinks it's necessary, he'll do it. "Do you want me to hire somebody else or…?"
"Actually, I already have somebody in mind"
She gives him the guys' general information and also explains that they'll have to take more security measures.
Beckett just hopes that he doesn't ask why, because other than the crazy stalker – which she can't talk about – she can't come up with any other believable excuse.
As she gives him the details, he just stares at her and nods every once in a while. In the back of his head, he wonders about the reasons for all of this… But he doesn't dare question her.
At the end he agrees to meet the guys on the following day.
That afternoon Beckett happens to be in the middle of class. Yes, Kate Beckett is taking classes and doing special training in order to master the art of being a bodyguard.
That's something she started doing a couple of weeks prior to deciding to get backup. The guys are also going to start training soon.
Yes, she passed the bodyguard test. Yes, she's good. But she doesn't think she's good enough. Especially with what happened the day before.
In those classes, they brainwash you to remember that your only concern is your boss, and she doesn't seem to be able to even do that right.
What the bodyguard's being taught are all the skills necessary to guard the Principal. These skills include marksmanship, a blend of martial arts, a bit of emergency medicine and information technology.
She has a head-start in several of those, having been in law enforcement, but she still has a hell of a lot to learn.
The next morning, Castle and Beckett are waiting for the boys at his building's main entrance.
"So you tell me they're good?" the writer asks his bodyguard.
"They are" she nods and says simply.
That's when they two men in black suits wearing dark sunglasses walking towards the building in a confident stride.
"The look like they just got out of a Lowell Cunningham movie" he comments on the clichéd outfits.
"Yeah, well, they're good. I never said there were original" she walks forward and signals the boys to join them. "Guys, this is Richard Castle. Castle, these are Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito" she does the introductions and the men shake hands.
"Come on up" Castle takes point and leads the group up to his apartment.
Ryan and Esposito scan the place to make out the possible escape routes – much like Beckett when she first went up – and they also look for Surveillance Equipment.
Beckett had instructed them that one of their duties would be to monitor Castle's loft. Since they can't live there, they'll do the next best thing. They'll tap into the building's surveillance, and if necessary, they'll install their own.
This has become one hell of an operation, but Castle is willing to do anything to keep his family safe. Especially if the pretty bodyguard thinks it's necessary.
The group walks into the loft and after Castle hands everyone a cup of coffee, they sit around the table ready to discuss business.
The guys introduce themselves and present their professional backgrounds, Beckett explains the changes Castle's going to have to make and sort the details of who's going to do what. The brunette takes the lead in the discussion and they silently agree on having her as the head of the team.
"Castle, you and the guys should go and talk to the building manager to be able to get the security cameras' feeds from this floor, the elevator, the stairs and… the lobby?" she directs the question to her team.
"Yeah" Esposito shrugs.
"You guys go. I'll stay and sweep the apartment" she tells them. She needs to make sure the loft is secure, but she's also staying to let them bond between men. Having them on the same page is crucial to be able to work together the way they will. Though she doesn't think it'll be too hard. After all, he managed to get to her – in spite of herself.
"Mother's upstairs" Castle informs Beckett before they leave.
The bodyguard starts with the windows. As she's examining them, Martha walks down the stairs.
"Oh, hey darling. Thought you were gone" the redhead comments making her way to the kitchen.
"Yeah, well, the guys are, but they'll be back in a few minutes" Beckett says as she makes sure the locks on the window works properly. "Castle hired two more guys" she explains.
"So I've heard" Martha nods, taking a cup of coffee to her lips. "You know…" she adds after a few seconds of silence. "Richard has told me great things about you"
Beckett, who has now moved to another window, lowers her gaze and can feel her face grow flush. "I'm only doing my job" she shakes her head, going back to what she was doing, always keeping her back to Martha who shakes her head.
"Oh, don't be so modest, dear. My son is not easily impressed. At least not as much as he is with you"
Beckett sighs and decides not to comment further. She finishes checking the doors and windows on the first floor in silence, under Martha's scrutinizing gaze.
Frankly, the older woman's fascinated by the way Castle talks about his bodyguard, and wonders if there's something going on with those two other than a professional relationship. And if there isn't, maybe there should be.
Ryan and Esposito always keep a professional stance with Castle as they go talk to the owner – just like Beckett at the beginning – but the writer can already see that he's going to have an easier time bonding with them than with the brunette. They seem way too excited to be playing the bodyguard stereotype.
"So, um, you used to work with Beckett?" Castle asks them on the way back to the loft. He's walking between the boys.
"Mm-hmm" Esposito nods.
"Has she talked to you about me?" the novelist asks curiously.
"Says you're a wildcard" Ryan answers with a shrug.
"Hmm… She'd probably be right" Castle puts his arms around the bodyguards' shoulders and they narrow their eyes at him, wondering what he's doing. The novelist grins and looks at both of them. "We're gonna have so much fun together"
The boys might seem a little stuck up right now, but seeing how easy-going the relationship between Beckett and their boss is, they figure they'll do the same.
Yes, they're gonna have so much fun together.