'Hey, Katie?'

'Jenny, what's up?'

'Are you busy right now?'

Beckett sat up from her spot on the floor where she was playing with Alexis and RJ on a lazy winter morning. 'I'm at home with Alexis and RJ, why what's up?'

'I just got a rather disturbing call from Andrea Hennessey and she's in need of some girl time, you think you can come over? Like now? I know it's short notice but I wouldn't ask unless it was important.'

'Hold on.' Beckett set aside the hand-set. 'Honey-Milk needs me to head to her place for a few hours, something to do with Andrea.'

'The nurse? Sure, go, RJ and I will find some trouble to stir up.'

'Thank you. Jenny?' Beckett picked the phone back up. 'I'll be there as soon as I can.'

'Thanks a million Kate, you're the best.'

Confused but willing to be supportive, Beckett went upstairs, changed out of her at-home comfies in favour of pre-RJ jeans and sweater that matched the scarf Alexis had given her for her birthday. She headed out, texting Castle on her way.

On my way to HM's. Girl talk. RJ & A chilling home. love you.

A few seconds later, when she was on her way into the subway station Beckett received a return message - Enjoy. Will call when home. love you too.

When she got to Honey-Milk's apartment, she walked in to find Meredeth and Lanie sitting there with Andrea who looked like someone had canceled her birthday.

'What's going on?'

'Come have a seat. You want some tea?'

'Sure.'

Honey-Milk went into the kitchen while Beckett sat down across from Andrea, who was tugging out a fresh tissue. 'Sweetie, what's going on? Why are you so upset?'

'My sisters, they...' Andrea trailed off, tried to compose herself. 'They started a betting pool on how long it would take Daniel to call off the wedding.'

The living room errupted in volcanic fury and disbelief; all the women began talking at once, questions tumbling over each other at a breakneck pace until Honey-Milk brought in the teapot and a tray of cups along with a plate full of Meredeth's oatmeal raisin cookies.

'Okay, okay, why don't we let Andrea talk, ladies,' she suggested, pouring out tea.

'Excellent idea,' Lanie agreed, leaning forward. 'First thing, how did you find out they were doing this?'

'I was on my way home from work this morning, and I got a call on my phone, it was my sister Cora's friend Nila. She'd dialed the wrong number but thought she was talking to Cora and asked if Cora was still taking bets on when the wedding would be called off because she had fifty dollars she wanted to invest in a sure thing.'

Beckett's brain went blank; it was impossible for her to comprehend how someone could treat their family like that. It sounded like something out of a soap opera and yet, she'd closed cases involving West African drug lords, diamond smuggling snakes, alleged CIA agents and perhaps most memorably the infamous curse of the mummy. She had seen the kind of vitriol humans were capable of feeling and unfortunately, a sweet compassionate woman like Andrea had those kind in her family.

Meredeth, on the other hand, had zero problem finding her voice. 'That is the most ridiculous, asinine, disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life, and I write vigilante crime drama for a living. Who the fuck is Cora to do something like that?'

'I'm not done,' Andrea said quietly.

'Sorry. Continue.'

'I called Nila out on her gaffe, then called Cora up and she didn't even try to deny it, she just said she took the tentative date for the wedding for herself because she thought that Daniel was going to leave me at the altar. And the crowning touch was when Gerry got on the line and backed Cora's story, telling me if he left me on a day that no-one had chosen, they were going to give me the money so I could go to a health spa and lose some weight.'

'Who the- What-I can't- I have no words,' Lanie finally managed to get out, she was so angry.

'So when Daniel got home, I told him I wanted to elope with him at New Years and he said that would be just as bad as actually calling off the wedding because we'd be letting on that Cora had gotten to us and we'd be denied from having a great party to celebrate starting our married life together. He said he really liked the ideas we'd already bounced around for ideas and we shouldn't be denied them just because my family sucks.'

'Yeah, there's no way you should have to make your plans for your wedding around them.' Beckett jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

'I agreed with Daniel, and that's when he called up the fairy godmother and she invited me over for tea. When I told her everything, she called you guys up.'

'And that was most-def the right call. We're all married ladies and we all had different kinds of weddings and receptions. We've got tonnes of advice and help to offer you,' Meredeth told her. 'We adopted you, remember? That means we get to help you plan this wedding, from the cocktail napkins to picking up dresses and dance lessons for the boys if they need them to the bachelorette party. You are in for a wild ride.'

'On top of which, two of us are married to cops and one is a cop, we have any party security to keep unwanted fuckwit Coras and Nilas out of the parties,' Honey-Milk added. 'So let's hear some of these lovely ideas you had with Daniel.'

'Really?' Andrea's eyes filled up at their generosity and warmth. 'You want to hear about it?'

'Uh, hello?' Meredeth used her best keep-it-simple-stupid voice. 'We told you, we adopted you. Spill.'

'We're thinking October fifteenth, the heart of the fall, with all those really rich and warm colours, like pumpkin and russet and burnished gold, and having the ceremony at The River Valley Inn.'

'Oh, I've been there a couple of times, it's so beautiful, it'd be perfect for a fall wedding,' Meredeth sighed dreamily. 'There are so many places for amazing photographs.'

'And Daniel's said he wants our first dance as a couple right after the ceremony, in this beautiful pavilion with a fountain. It's the place where we had our first dance as a couple, like a real dance, not that dressed-up sex grinding you do in a club. It was this beautiful moment right at sunset and everything looked like it was covered in gold as we waltzed around the fountain.'

All the women's hearts sighed romantically, but it was Lanie who spoke up. 'Now why would you want to elope and miss out on a moment like that?'

'I don't know.' The last word came out on a catch in Andrea's voice and she broke into sobs again, this time out of gratitude and she buried her face in her hands. She felt one of them pat her knee, another her back, and a third pass her a tissue. 'Thank you,' she said to Beckett, when she realized who had given her the Kleenex.

'Andrea, we think you're pretty great, you know. We're all busy people and we don't do this for just anyone,' Meredeth reassured her. 'So when we say we're goin to help, brace yourself. We mean it.'

'What about Daniel?' The bride-to-be looked around at her newfound group of fairy-godmothers. 'He wants to be included in this, too.'

'Two words,' Beckett giggled. 'My husband. Castle loves weddings and parties, and yours will be no exception.'

R&R&Enjoy