Hello all! We're doing a little bit of a time leap to keep the story moving so we're jumping to the May holiday weekend. Once again, thank you for the love this story is getting, I'm so please you're liking the Alexis/Shane subplot. I'm considering giving them their own 'how did it all happen' story much like the conception of Dell and how Lanie met Dave, let me know what you think!

The next passed in such a blur, Beckett barely noticed April had turned into May. Her days were all filled with helping Meredeth at her house, getting the loft ready for Alexis' return and spending time with her husband when he wasn't writing or researching; she felt like it had been barely a week. That and the fact they were getting ready to throw one hell of a party on Memorial Day weekend had made her head spin like a top: Castle and the Ry-Sposito monster had spent an overnight surveillance detail concocting the idea for mini-Olympics and Beckett had agreed to it whole-heartedly before she'd had time to really process the amount of work that would be needed in order to pull it off.

RJ was getting so big; his pediatrician had told Beckett that soon she should start alternating formula and breast milk so that by the time he reached six months the transition off breastfeeding would be much easier for both mother and son. While part of her was a little sad that her boy so that big already, he was getting to the stage when they would get to enjoy more activities as a family. There would be some great firsts for him at the shore this coming weekend, getting to see him on the beach for the first time which Beckett thought terribly appropriate since it had been that same weekend when she'd felt the first flutter of him inside her body the year before.

'I am turning into such a sap,' she murmured to herself as she pushed the grocery cart through Gristedes. She heard RJ babble at her and smiled back at him. 'Oh, who am I kidding, I'll always be a sap for you, RJ. Except when you act like your daddy on one of his tangents.'

'Kate?'

She glanced up and to her surprise and delight saw Andrea Hennessey there, the nurse who had helped deliver RJ and worked with Honey-Milk in pediatrics at Saint Vincent's. She had a basket on her arm and the look of someone packing camp-snacks. 'Hey, Andrea, how's it going?'

'Good, just stocking up on some flight snacks. Daniel and I are going to South Carolina to go wreck diving. I've created a monster with him,' she laughed, then smiled at RJ. 'How's the little man doing?'

'Great, he can sit up on his own now,' Beckett replied proudly.

'RJ, that's awesome! We'll have to get you in some swimming lessons so I can get another youngster hooked on scuba-diving. There's nothing like it.'

'I'll be sure to keep that in mind for his first birthday.'

'Hey.' Daniel came up beside Andrea, arms full of bagged sunflower seeds, making Andrea roll her eyes. 'I like them.'

'You know you can't eat them when you're underwater right?'

'Trust me, these won't last until Saturday night.'

Beckett laughed at the couple, so very much in love; the dynamic of them reminded her of Alexis and Shane. 'Have fun, you guys.'

'Say hi to the family for us,' Daniel said as they headed off.

She watched them go, then turned back to RJ who was examining his waving hands as he babbled. 'They're pretty nice, aren't they?'

'Bubub-bububub.'

'I agree completely, we should get some of those bottle bubbles for the bigger kids.'

'Bububub.'

'And, okay, some for Daddy too.'

By Thursday afternoon they were in their beautiful seaside gingerbread mansion, putting away groceries and party supplies, and beginning to prep food for the next day with RJ watching from his little chair-topping booster-seat.

'Quite the cushy supervising position you scored on this op, RJ,' Beckett teased her baby with a smile as she sorted out groceries into dry goods and fridge tiems. He laughed; she'd never heard such a purely happy sound. 'Did you pull rank with Daddy?'

'Of course, he told me he wanted to watch his pretty mommy in the kitchen. What are you feeling for dinner tonight?' Castle asked her. 'And what are you planning to do for dessert for the baby shower so Meredeth doesn't suspect anything?'

'Lanie is bringing up the cake from her favourite pastry-shop, lemon with strawberry mascarpone filling and strawberries on top, and we're keeping it in the cellar fridge to make sure she doesn't see it.'

'Okay sounds good. What about the...' Beckett trailed off when she heard Castle's cell ring in Alexis' custom tone.

'Hi sweetie. Oh, oh that's great, okay. Yeah, for sure we'll see you tomorrow. Just whatever you want to drink. Love you too, stay safe.'

'Alexis got a flight back?'

'Yeah, she found a flight from Gatwick instead of Heathrow leaving tonight that had some room. Shane just met her at LaGuardia, they're staying at the loft tonight, and then she's going to drive up with Martha tomorrow.'

'Shane's not coming?'

'Working overtime since he didn't think Alexis was going to make it home until Sunday morning.'

Beckett nodded her understanding; she'd been there in college herself trying to maintain a long-distance relationship. Of course, her far-and-away man had barely let the dust settle from her plane before he'd found someone else to cozy up with and Shane was faithful as a spaniel to his girlfriend. 'Don't get too cranky if she goes home on Sunday afternoon, they've probably already made plans.'

'Yeah, I've already made room for that mentally. You were right, it's degrees of insulation.' Castle mulled it over as he dumped mushrooms into a container for storing. Why do you suppose that is? I don't see you getting squiffy about the fact she and Shane sleep together.'

Beckett rinsed tomatoes in the colander. 'You won't want to hear this but it's a girl thing. There are some things you won't be able to compute for Alexis that I do, just like there's going to be things I won't get with RJ but you will because you're a man.'

'Okay, that makes me feel a little better.'

'Bububub.'

'Thanks buddy.' Castle rounded the island, kissed the top of RJ's head. 'I love you too.'

The next afternoon, when the Mini-Olympics had concluded for day one, they'd all used the pretense of needing a nap to make sure Esposito and Meredeth went down to the boathouse with Tessi and stayed there so they could get the main house decorated for the baby shower Meredeth had no idea they were throwing for her. Alexis had arrived and was helping Beckett, Ryan and Lanie string streamers in the living room and telling them about her trip to Amsterdam with Shane.

'We had such a great time in the Netherlands, we went to the Hortus Botanicus and Jordaan, and he took me to meet his dad.'

'You met his dad?' Ryan sounded impressed. 'That's a big step.'

'He's such a darling, and he refused to let me leave unless he could give me a trinket from his curio cabinet.'

'Really?' Curiosity piqued, Lanie took her roll of crepe streamer over to the opposite corner of the wall. Dave's Italian nona had done the same thing when they'd visited on Canadian Thanksgiving right before she'd discovered she was pregnant with Carey. 'What did he give you?'

'A little pewter stein.'

'I'm surprised you didn't go to Paris, the city of love,' Lanie teased the redhead, pleased when she flushed prettily.

'We're saving that when he comes to visit in November when I move back to the States.'

She left then to get the drinks for setting up the bar and the others all shared a look of excitement. Alexis had no idea she'd just confirmed to them all that Shane Weaver wasn't just chasing a young woman, he really was in it to stick. When Ryan went to open his mouth, Castle stuck his head in the room.

'They're coming!'

R&R&Enjoy.