So I promised a update tonight (though it's actually early morning now...) and here it is!

I do NOT own Castle!

Detective Kate Beckett was taking a generous sip of her coffee when her phone signaled she had a text message. Thinking nothing of it, she picked up the phone and very nearly choked on the hot liquid when she opened, and read, the new message from Castle.

"This weekend is the fourth of July and I always set off fireworks but without Alexis here to watch me like a hawk, I am likely to set myself on fire. Come up and save me from myself?"

She quickly swallowed the liquid before she really did choke on it, then read the message again. It was so completely out of the blue that she didn't really know what to think of it. Did he mean just her? Or the guys too?

Turning in her chair to look over at the two detectives who were at their own desk and called out to them. "What are you guys doing for the fourth?"

Understandably, as Beckett usually didn't asking about what they did after work, they gave her matching confused looks before Esposito answered. "Ryan is dragging me out to his families BBQ hell again this year. Why'd you want to know?"

"Uh, no reason."

"Seriously? You expect me to believe that? You never ask what we are doing if it doesn't have anything to do with work." Kate had turned around to face her computer again after speaking so she didn't see Esposito hold a silent conversation with Lanie, who had just walked into the bullpen. Lanie gave a nod showing she understood Esposito's silent request and when he goaded the female detective to turn back around, Lanie snatched her phone from its spot on the desk.

"Whoa! He sure doesn't give up on getting you to the Hamptons, does he?"

As soon as the fact that Lanie had her cell phone registered in Kate's head, she was up out of her chair and snatching the phone away from the ME faster than anyone thought possible.

"Lanie!" She all but hissed at her friend before catching sight of some uniforms bringing in the suspect she had been waiting for and hurrying into the interrogation room.

The two detectives and medical examiner watched her go in silence before Esposito spoke up.

"Fifty says she finds a way to justify not going then mopes around all weekend."

"It's not much of a bet if both players are on the same side." Ryan said with a frown.

"Heh, a hundred says she goes for the weekend. If I win you both pay me." The guys looked at Lanie as if she had grown a second head.

"You do know this is Kate Beckett we are talking about, right? Sure she was probably going to go the first time he asked, but there is no way she will allow herself the risk of getting hurt like that again."

Lanie moved over and leaned down so her face was unnecessarily close to his. "What's wrong, Javier? Scared you're going to lose?" Not letting her get to him he shot back with a smirk, "Hell no. What about you? Confident enough to up the stakes a bit?"

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"Loser has to do whatever the winner says. For a week."

Horrified at the thoughts of what the ME could make them do if they lost, Ryan spoke up. "Oh no, no way. Count me out on this one."

Esposito gave a shrug to his partner, not surprised that he backed out, then focused his attention on Lanie, expecting her to back out too.

"A little childish don't you think?"

"Oh no, not for what I have in mind." A devilish smirk planted itself on his face, showing that he had clearly been around Castle too long.

"Hmm…" Her eyes roamed up and down his form, clearly checking him out, until he quietly coughed to get her attention, then she made her way back up to his eyes with a smirk on her lips.

"Alright, I'm in." With that she turned around and dropped the files on Beckett's desk, which was the whole reason for the visit, and left, leaving Esposito to wonder what he was getting himself into.

To the outside world, Kate Beckett was interrogating their latest suspect as ruthlessly as always. On the inside however, she was busy thinking about that text and Castle in general.

By the time she got the suspect to confess, she still didn't know what her answer would be but she did know that she should get some more information before making up her mind.

"And you can't have any of your other party goers make sure you don't blow yourself up? Maybe you should let someone else handle the fireworks so you don't endanger yourself and others?"

She thought she would have a few minutes to think of what she would say when he replied but he had apparently been waiting for her reply this whole time and replied quickly.

"Uh well about that...There kinda aren't any other party goers. I didn't even know the fourth was this weekend until Ryan and Esposito mentioned it. I would invite them too but they are apparently busy this weekend and I was hoping that you wouldn't be."

No one else? But, that can't be right. They had avoided this topic every time they talked except for a brief mention in his first text, but now it had to be brought up.

"No one else? So it would just be me, you, and Gina?"

"Actually, Gina isn't going to be there either. We talked earlier and since I'm actually writing without her constantly breathing down my neck, she's going to head back to the city tomorrow."

Well, that was the short version of what happened anyway. He left out the part where she threatened some valuable parts of his anatomy if he came back to the city without a completed book. Surprisingly, it was Gina's idea to go back early but he wasn't complaining one bit. Especially since it helped give him the courage he needed to ask Beckett to come to the Hamptons again.

"Let me think about it okay? I don't even know if I could get any more days off."

Which was a completely lie since she never actually took Memorial weekend off but she needed time to think about it. God knows she wanted to go, but after what happened last time she tried to take that leap, she didn't know if she was ready to take that risk again. She just got her apple cart upright and here he was threatening to topple it again.

"Of course. Just let me know when you decide so I know whether to call the fire department and warn them ahead of time or not."

She couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. Castle and fireworks were things that probably didn't mix well, and of course they were most likely the big ones, no little sparklers for him.

While Beckett was busy talking to Castle, Lanie had made her way back over to Esposito and was leaning against his desk.

"Don't you have something better to do, Doc?"

She glanced at him then went back to watching Beckett. "Nope, not when a bet has been made. Gotta make sure our plan works out."

He stopped typing and looked up at her. "Plan? Is there something I should know about?"

"Oh no, nothing for you to worry about. Just so long as you are willing to give up your money and be my slave for a week."

"Why do I feel like you have a wild card hidden up your sleeve?"

She glanced slyly over at him. "Because my dear detective, I do."

Note to self: Never bet against Lanie again. Ever.

Sooooo sleepy... Yeah Esplanie (Esposito/Lanie) scenes were random... I just started typing and thats what came out...

Now the million dollar question: Will she go? And what 'wild card' does Lanie have up her sleeve? What tortures will she Esposito through if she wins?