The heavenly smell of coffee interrupted Kate from her incessant staring of the murder board; looking up with a hint of a smile as the author stood beside her and placed the cup in her welcome hands. She took a swig, barely feeling the stitches pull as she returned to the details still fresh in her mind hoping that now the presence of Castle will help stir a theory. It was Tuesday morning... awoken by the unruly routine of murder at ridiculous o'clock and sitting in front of the white board from hours on end.

"This is going nowhere" Rick whined, voicing Beckett's thoughts perfectly though he never knew it.

"Yea.. well there has to be something we haven't thought of"

He shrugged with exaggerated flair and moved to his chair, placing his hands on her desk before comically dropping his head in the crook he had created. The shoulders of his jacket, bunching up, giving Kate an almost peak at the muscles of his lower back. Not that she was looking.

And then he leaned further, as though searching for some unknown comfort in the pillow of his own hands...wait... His shirt wasn't tucked in? Oh hello... skin.. glorious skin. She bit her lower lip as his shirt began to ride dangerously high. Was it suddenly really hot in here. No? Just her then? She really needed to get a hold of herself... it was just his back for God sake. But still she sighed as he moved again, causing more of the delicious contours to be revealed. It was the good kind... the kind that could trace her fingers along after hours of love making... the kind that she could tickle carelessly to rouse him from sleep... oh dear god the kind she could scrape her nails across when a kiss had become so heated that the need for skin on skin was just too overwhelming. Yep... that kind. She could imagine it... could almost taste the sweetness of longing in the air.

And then the familiar ding of the metal box interrupted her thoughts... her highly inappropriate thoughts... as a familiar face called out her name. She jumped with a start. "What?" she said quickly...I wasn't looking..honest.

"Jeez girl where have you been?" the M.E. said to her incredulously as Castle straightened, Kate staring regretfully at his now fully covered body. "Hellooooo... Earth to Beckett"

"What?"

"I've been trying to call you!" Lanie looked at her friends red face and decided she didn't want to know... she wouldn't get anything out of her anyways. "Where's your phone?"

"Oh" the brunet patted her pockets in sudden confusion "I think I left in the break room" she shrugged sheepishly as they heard the familiar ringtone play into the silence. "I'll just go get that".

Turning quickly she bolted from inquisitive eyes, closing the break room door behind her as the routine answer of 'Beckett' jolted the space. It was how she always worked... gained attention... given respect. She commandeered a room with barely a flick of her eyebrows. Kate Beckett was something... and as Lanie thought about the task she was about to do.. she knew that eventually that same manipulation of those hazels greens with the threatens of death so readily available in them were going to come and bite her some day. But she was doing this for Kate's own good. Yep. She would eventually see it that way...eventually.

So the M.E turned to a certain famous author with a plan in mind... the idea was not hers. No. She wouldn't do this in a million years if it weren't for the baby blues of Little Castle and the amused innocence of middle Castle. Damn that Mya Stevens and her ability to make any idea sound masterful.

"Come on Lanie... you know this will work" the mocha girl said as the picked at her coffee cup with invigorated flair. "You are the only one who can do this... and it will drive Detective Beckett crazy" And then the red headed 16 year old quipped up... damn her and her blue eyes that stare into your soul... "Please Dr Parish... ".

And she was gone just like that... and even her protests of why someone couldn't do it got equally disgusted stares and complaints of 'I'm his daughter' and 'Ew I'm 19.. that's just wrong'. Apparently hiring a bimbo wasn't going to work either... something about Rick Castle's new sensibilities. And so she was about to man up... take one for the team and do what had to be done. Under such dire circumstances offcourse. Lanie Parish... was going to ask Richard Castle out. Dear God Beckett was going to kill her.

The raven haired woman moved around the desk and regarded the man child, "Hey Castle"

"Hey Lanie what's up?"

She bit the inside of her cheek and approached the subject cautiously. "I was wondering if you could... do me a favour?"

He raised his eyebrows amused, "Sounds ominous... should I be worried?"

Yes... yes you should be... Of Kate Beckett.. and the fact that she carries a gun... Crap. "Ahh.. no... not worried"

"Okay shoot"

Really Castle... shoot? Not helping. "So I have this thing... like a ball for doctors, surgeons and well..." she casually pointed to herself, "Medical examiners"

"Like a Medical ball?... I didn't know they did those" Rick says intrigued in what this favour was going to be.

"Yea.. well they say we work too hard to not have some fun so basically most of us in the area attend... you know... mingle with our own kind" she shrugs as she continues, trying not to back down from her intended goal. "the problem is, that most of who attend are either married or too self absorbed by the fact they have a medical degree... so I need a buffer, someone who will keep me from falling asleep at this thing and well.. I was wondering..." she gestured to him and his eyes lit up.

"You want me to be your buffer?"

"Well... yea.." she looks at him and watches him trying to make sense of the sudden invitation. "I would've asked Kate... But the last time I took her she ended up gaining a lot of attention... and had to focus on protecting herself from an onslaught of flirting rather than save me from a death of boredom" His eyes darkened quickly at the thought of Kate getting attention from other men and Lanie immediately self congratulated herself.. half the battle was won. "And well... Javi and I aren't on the best of terms at the moment.. and besides we're friends.. so it should be fun. Think of it like this.. it would be a great opportunity to exploit your literary mind and watch it drift over the medical jargon"

"Ooh I do like the sound of undermining those that appear intelligent" his eyes crinkled with an amused smile

"AAnnnndd... there's an open barrrrr" she said, coaxing a yes out of him. He grinned good naturedly.

"Well... a bunch of drunk surgeons in one place and the chance to wear a suit? Who could pass that up? I will gladly accompany you to your medical Ball and amuse you with my lack of medical speak" He gestured excitedly at her and Lanie couldn't help but grin broadly... he was a good man this Rick Castle. It was time for Beckett to notice that.

"Great... so pick me up at.. 7?"

"I'll be the one waiting beside the limo" he nodded and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Limo?"

"Yes... a Limo... come on Doctor Parish.. it's a ball! And if I am to be your buffer for tonight the least I can do is make you look good. Show them that working with dead bodies is just as important as cutting into live ones" he smiled at her and she grinned.

"Thanks Castle" she turned to leave and then backtracked... forgetting a very important part of her mission... drive Kate Beckett insane. "Can we not tell Kate about this... the last thing we want her to know is that I substituted her for her writer monkey"

"Excuse me... 26 bestsellers thank you very much!"

"Yea but still... that girl is just too attractive for her own good. So let's not mention it kay"

"yea okay... we know how Beckett can get when she is angry" he shuddered slightly, "And she does carry a gun"

Crap... Beckett +angry= Cap in medical Examiner's ass... great.. just great.

And then the break room door pushed open and there was the great detective herself... finishing a call with certain Red headed 16 year old who at just casually needed some advice from her father's partner. And she looked up to the scene of her two best friends, whispering... faces reflecting something akin to excitement. "Hey.. I'm done... what's up?"

"Errrr..." The medical examiner decided to bolt while she had the chance. "Nothing.. I'm just going to head back down to the morgue... you know.. dead bodies and stuff". She moved toward the elevator and turned to begin her torture. "Hey Castle!"

He looked up at her, eyebrows raised in question. She grinned broadly and then got into the metal box, watching him as he smiled back with an understanding of 'see you later' and 'thank you for being a good friend' being thrown from her eyes. And then she was gone...leaving him with a thoroughly confused Kate Beckett.

"What was that?" she asked trying to sound nonchalant. Why were they smiling at each other like that...were they flirting?

"Hmmm?" he replied as though he didn't know what she was talking about... and truthfully he didn't, being so obviously unaware of what was yet to come.

She looked from him to the elevator and he shrugged good naturedly. "Lanie just needed a favour" and then he stood putting the phone to his ear as he called his limo guy. If Rick Castle lacked anything, it wasn't his grasping of opportunity to make an entrance.

"What favour?"

what favour?

Lanie Parish moved from the precinct doors to her car, grinning like a Cheshire Cat though no one would guess why. She sat down, the leather of her seats soothing her aching muscles that screamed against the exertion of leaning over a death body 24/7. The comforting roar of the engine came accompanied with the blast of heat, warming her already frozen peripheries as she reached for her phone, waiting for the now steady pulse of the machine to heat enough that the drive back would be smooth against the wheel. And so she texted... just three words... though only a few knew the mischief behind them... the domino effect that was sure occur.

'Phase one in motion ;)'

Review? :)