'You look like hell.'

Beckett looked up from her spot at the break-room table, saw Adam standing there with a cup of coffee and two packets of Twix-Bits from Vending. Carolina had finally done the smart thing and gone with Gil up to Vice to confess all the details of her affair with Farley McBride, and when she'd gone Beckett had been left with only a hollow satisfaction.

'Twix-Bit?' Adam held out one of the packets.

'Thanks.' Beckett munched, leaned back in her chair. 'Man, it feels like it should be the end of the day and it's not even lunch-time yet.'

'You're telling me. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd honestly rather be calming Lindsay down from a 'what-if' attack than turning over the life of a once-respected teacher.'

'A what if attack?'

'Yeah, like, what if the plane is delayed, what if they didn't get my email about Lanie and seafood, what if the dresses aren't ready on time. Things like that.'

'Wow, you really are a guy days away from the altar.'

'I...' Adam trailed off. 'I can't sleep, or not well at least. I've been lying awake watching Lindsay and all I can think is, how the hell did a loser like me end up with such an amazing woman? Do you know what she is doing too?'

'What?'

'Her, Alexis, Jenny and Andrea put their heads together, and they are even doing little gift bags for some of the kids' stuffed animals.'

'Oh yeah?' Beckett popped another Twix-Bit, munched away.

'Yep, they get miniature bride bears or groom bears and a bag of whatever their favourite chocolate or sweet-treat is.'

'That is so cute.'

'Apparently it was Jojo's idea because she was talking to RJ and was very concerned about someone named Bib being left out. Who or what is a Bib?'

'Bib is her stuffed caterpillar from when she was a baby. We called her the bub instead of baby, and when she was learning to speak, she referred to her caterpillar as her 'bub' only it came out 'bib' and it stuck.'

'That is so cute,' Adam echoed teasingly. 'They've been on a plane before right?'

'Yep, but Jojo's never flown internationally. She's a little concerned, and was even worried Bib didn't have his 'pishal airport book'. A passport,' she clarified, making Adam smile. 'To be three years old again and have that kind of imagination.'

'When I was in kindergarten, I'd been watching cartoons with my babysitter and they were making an airplane on this show, and I was damn determined I was gonna do the same, and I was gonna use a cardboard box, a couple of tin pie plates and the wheels off my mother's living room arm chair.'

Beckett grinned at the idea of five year-old Adam raising holy hell. 'You must have been the kind of kid your parents doled out hazard pay for.'

'No, not really. Just a very hyperactive kid with no siblings and a very big imagination.'

'I can appreciate that. Beckett,' she added when her phone began to ring.

'Hey sexy lady.'

'Hey Rick.' Her smile spread warm and easy. 'How is your day going?'

'Better than yours, I bet. How did the staff meeting go?'

'About as well as you think. What's up?'

'Just thought I'd give you the heads up I've invited Lindsay and Adam for dinner tonight. RJ wants to make them a special dinner before the wedding.'

Beckett starred at Adam sitting across from her and nodded, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. 'Really, because I'm sitting right across from Adam and he didn't say a word.'

'Lindsay called, asking about wedding stuff and I talked to her. She hadn't talked to him yet.'

'Fair enough. I'll let her surprise him.'

There was a knock on the door and Beckett glanced up to see Watkins there. 'The captain wants an update, sir.'

'Be right there. I gotta run, Rick, tell the kids I love them and RJ can text me what the menu is for dinner.'

'You don't love me?' Castle teased her.

'I'd rather show you that later tonight.'

'Deal.'

Beckett hung up, rose. 'C'mon fearless leader, time to go update the boss lady.'

'What surprise?' Adam replied immediately like a child as he left the break-room with her. 'What surprise?'

'Nothing to worry about right now,' she said blithely; she stopped at Karpowski's office, rapped her knuckles lightly on the frame. It was easier now to call it Karpowski's office instead of thinking of her as having taken over Montgomery's old space. 'Sir we're here to update you?'

'Yes, close the door please, Detective Brennan.'

Adam did so, and Karpowski gave a little sigh, took off her stylish reading glasses. For the first time in...ever, Adam realized, the intrepid captain looked thoroughly exhausted.

'Sir, are you okay,' he asked cautiously.

'No, I'm not. My oldest daughter is a student at Calliope Thrace and she's never lost anyone close to her before. She was a big fan of Wayne Hill, and she could barely get out of bed this morning.' Karpowski rubbed her hand over her mouth. 'Her father and I aren't going to be pushing her to go back to school just yet, not until Monday. Where are you with the investigation?'

'Sir are you asking as a parent or as our captain?' Beckett said quietly.

'Captain first.'

'We've made an arrest on an offshoot of the case,' she began, then stopped. 'Sir, this is a hard line to walk with you, I-'

'Just tell it straight, Beckett.'

'One of the students who had an issue with Wayne Hill last year over the AP algebra and geometry course, her mother is also a member of the faculty and through our investigation we learned that she was having an affair with both our victim and with a student who was a minor when the affair began. That faculty member is also aproximately eleven weeks pregnant with said student's child.'

'Jesus fucking Christ. Who is it?'

'Carolina Witt.'

Beckett and Adam watched as the formidable Karpowski's unflappable expression went murderous. 'This is a joke, right? Tell me it's a joke.'

'We have a pregnancy test that confirms Carolina's got company and the DNA test run by Doctor Shane Weaver and hematologist Micah Sanderson indicates that the father of said progeny is Farley McBride. He was a month away from turning eighteen when the affair began.'

'Thank you that's all,' Karpowski told her detectives and turned her chair away.

'Sir-'

'I need time on my own to process this, Detective, so I don't say something in the heat of the moment I'd regret. Please kindly show yourselves out.'

Beckett and Adam left as quietly as they could, but not before catching the shiort screech that came out of their captain's mouth before she began to dial her desk phone. 'I think we just ruined her day,' she said dryly.

'Ya think? Now what, we gonna go tell Dell Carey and a few other of our little ones they weren't planned babies?'

'Right now we're going to go back through the financial records to make sure there is nothing we missed and then go and goose Shane at the morgue for a toxicology report confirmation.'

'Then will you tell me the surprise my wife's got for me at home tonight? What?' Adam asked as they sat down at Beckett's desk; her face had split into a wide, gooey grin that had no place being in a cop-shop. 'What's with the face?'

'You called Lindsay your wife. That's so cute.'

'I did?'

'Yep. Won't be long now.'

'Will you tell me the surprise?'

'Not a chance.' Beckett shook her head, looked at him with the grin turning slightly edgy now. 'That's the job of the big sister.'

'Oh, which reminds me, big sister. Once we get to the island, you're still going with me next Thursday to the aquarium right?'

'Of course, I wouldn't miss it. I wanna check it out for my kids too.'

'Check what out?'

Adam looked over when he saw Esposito wandering up. 'A surprise for the wedding. I'll tell you, provided you wanna hang here, help us with paperwork.'

'See ya later, Brennan.'