The elevator ride from the precinct garage to the Homicide bullpen gave Beckett a slight bit of solitude and the opportunity for a moment of pure self-indulgence. Making the call she'd wanted to make all day, she dialed Miss Agnes' number.

'Hi Agnes, it's Kate,' she said when her father's girlfriend picked up. 'Are my babies there?'

'No, your man just picked them up not twenty minutes ago, and I'm on my way to see my still-pregnant Andrea.'

'Thanks.'

'Kate, you okay? You don't sound yourself.'

'Long day at work. I have to go, but I will see you and my dad soon.'

She walked into the bullpen to her desk, saw Montgomery and Adam were already in a conference room, ready and waiting for her. She watched Adam for a moment, fussing with papers and everything, and for a brief fleeting moment saw herself. She'd been so eager to get onto the force , to do the job and to make her mother proud by going back over and over and over that case file until her eyes practically bled. Adam had been similar to her.

She wondered if he stayed up at night, thinking about his father and asking himself 'what if', the way she did before other things came into her life.

Before the boys. Before Lanie. Before Castle.

Instead of joining them Beckett went to the breakroom and brewed a full pot of lattees; it was going to be a long night and the full pot would help them pace out their caffeine. And since Meredeth would be cooking for them that night, the last thing she wanted any of them to do was to fill up on coffee, no matter how expensive it was.

She took the pot and several mugs into the conference room; the moment she was in Montgomery was on her.

'We don't have a lot yet Kate, but we've got a start. It's a matter of layers, trying to get down to the core.'

'Sir, I know this won't be easier or streamlined. No one ever said that things in life worth having would be easy to obtain. But this...we've got a real shot, a real shot and-'

Montgomery held up a hand. 'Kate, no one doubts your passion on this. So focus it like a laser beam. Put all your energy, your love and hate, into catching these bastards, not telling me how good our chances are.'

'Okay. Okay.' Beckett poured herself a latte; she was midway through her first sip when the Ry-Sposito monster strolled in side by side and zeroed in on the coffee.

'Excellent. It's bitching cold outside,' Ryan said with a light shiver.

'Meredeth called me too. We are having paninis, tomato veggie soup and her chocolate French puffins for dessert,' Esposito added pouring coffee for himself and his partner.

Once everyone was settled with their cups, they weren't surprised when Adam got the ball rolling. 'I ran financial records on Christine Doran and she was a straight shooter. She works in an upscale florist's boutique on Madison Avenue and lives well within her means. No unusual credit card purchases, though in my opinion our girl's addicted to audiobooks, and no outstanding bills to be paid on her part.'

'What about phone records?' Beckett asked.

'Phone records are a little murkier. I ran the numbers over the last six weeks, and every week she received calls from Mike. I'd need a warrant from the phone company to get the transcripts but they average around fifteen to twenty minutes.'

Adam passed them all copies and Ryan nodded as he pulled out his own file. 'The phone calls coincide with the visitor's log. The day after these phone calls is the day of Christine's visits to her husband, lasting thirty to forty-five minutes.'

'Okay, that makes sense for a woman whose husband is in prison and she wants him to know that she's going to make him pay for hurting her so deeply.' Beckett looked at her men. 'What about the connection to Raglan?'

'There is an equal number of calls going back and forth. Again I need to have a warrant to go deeper and get transcripts, but I've highlighted the dates where they coincide with his visits along with Christine to see Mike.'

'As per the guards and the prisoners, they didn't like the look of Raglan,' Esposito said, consulting his notes. 'They think he has.'

'Okay.' Beckett relayed what she had learned from Christine, the Ry-Sposito Monster making notes along with Brennan. 'I think if we give her a day or two to recuperate, give Samson and Daniel the space they need to get her healthy, Christine warrants a second visit.'

'This is a good start, you guys.' Montgomery looked at all the information they had amassed in such a short amount of time. 'What's the next move?'

'Use the warrant from Fuqua to get the transcripts of the phone calls Adam has highlighted and go from there.'

'Tomorrow.' The captain looked at them all. 'You've all been on the scene of a sniper shooting today, and worked this case intensely. I know you're having dinner tonight together, so put this aside for tonight because you're going to pull some long, twenty-four-seven days ahead.'

Beckett told her men to take an hour or so to see their families, had Adam come with her back to the loft since she didn't want him alone. She knew some of what was going through his head, and the last thing she wanted was to let him be in a situation where he could spiral out.

'Does the mister know you're bringing a date home?' Adam said, trying for a joke, and considered himself successful when he saw the corners of her mouth quirk up.

'Yes. My children may give you the eagle eye but Rick knows...he knows.'

'How old are you kids?'

'RJ's four and Jojo just turned one on January first.'

'So when the New Year's ball counts down, she says Happy Birthday instead?'

Beckett shrugged. 'Jojo just likes a party. Here we are.'

She unlocked the loft door and when she called out letting the people inside know she was home, she wasn't surprised when she saw Jojo getting to her feet and RJ holding her hand to help her walk over to their mother.

'Careful, Jojo, don't go boom now.'

'Boom-boom-boom,' Jojo gurgled, then dropped her brother's hand to stretch both towards Beckett. 'Mumum home!'

'Yes I am, bumblebee.'

'Cash'um a-day?'

'We're close to catching them today.' She scooped her daughter up, gave her a noisy kiss on the cheek. 'Did you have fun with Miss Agnes and Grams?'

'Dims fun.'

'We made cookies, Mumum! Super fancy cookies Miss A'nes said we can put into the fuh-ree-zie until we are ready to eat them at Vale'tine's Day.' RJ waited, paitently twisting back and forth as he let his little sister go first. She was smaller than him, and he was patient so RJ turned his attention to the tall thin man with sad brown eyes. 'Hi-hi,' he greeted him, stretching out his hand. 'I'm RJ Castle, that's my sister Jojo. She just had her first ever birthday.'

'I'm Adam, I work with your mom.' Adam took the little boy's hand, shook it lightly.

'You are a detective too?'

'Adam works in the civilian bureau,' Beckett explained, and RJ nodded understandingly.

'Like Daddy?'

'Yes, like Daddy. Where is Daddy?'

'He had to put his shirt into the laun-duh-ry because he was silly and didn't wear an apron so he got soup on his shirt.'

'Daddy silly,' Jojo agreed. 'Mumum, suppah?'

'Yes, it's suppertime for you guys.'

'Fam-ee suppah?'

'We'll be together at the table,' Beckett reassured her, putting her back on her feet. Immediately RJ was there, taking her hand.

'Come on, bumblebee Jojo, we need to wash our hands.'

'Wish, wish, wish.'

The youngsters toddled off and Adam smiled. 'They're great kids, Kate.'

'They have their moments.'

She smiled when she watched RJ return and pull out the seat with Jojo's booster seat in it so it was ready to go for one of the adults to help her up. Her heart gave a sigh when Castle came out of the laundry room in a fresh shirt. He gave her his trademark slow and sexy smile, then saw she wasn't alone.

'Officer Brennan, good to see you healthy and whole.'

'It's just Adam Brennan now. I'm in the Civilian Liaison Bureau.'

'Either way.' Castle shook his hand, then, not caring he had an audience, pulled his wife close to him. 'Hello there.'

'Hi.' Beckett wrapped her arms around his shoulders, felt him breathe in the scent of her hair. She patted the space between his shoulder blades and murmured, 'Not yet, Rick.'

'When?'

'You'll know.'