So this chapter might get a little confusing because it contains a scene with both Castle's ex Meredith and Esposito's lovely Meredeth. For the sake of clarity, Castle's ex will be called 'Meredith C'.

'What about a movie?'

'Nah, she's got tonnes of those. Oh what about one of those table-top popcorn trolleys? That's a gadget I know she wants and her father hasn't procured yet.'

'She's moving to England, babe. Can't really take that on a plane with her, can she?'

'But she doesn't go until after Christmas. That's...a lot of weeks of popcorn eating.'

Meredeth giggled at his adolescent reasoning, tapped a few keys on her laptop. 'It's kinda tempting to get her a Cambridge pullover and just wrap up a picture of it so she'll have it right before she leaves, but that'll probably be the first thing she buys and treasures for the rest of her life.'

From his spot on the living room floor, Esposito looked up from the case notes of Ryan's he was pouring through. Meredeth was looking particularly collegial herself this stormy afternoon; she had braids in her hair and her grey Columbia zip hoodie on to guard against the miserable thunderstorm raging outside. 'I still can't believe Little Castle is going to be going to university. There'll be no living with Castle on the job, and I pity Beckett to have to go home to him.'

'Do you think that's the reason he asked Beckett to move in with him? So he wouldn't be alone?'

'Uh-uh. It's something that's been in the works since New Years. He asked her back then and she turned him down, saying they needed more time to figure themselves out as a couple before Beckett moved in. It wasn't like you and me. You didn't have an eighteen year old, just a four year old Great Dane-boxer mix who whizzed on my leather shoes when I first moved in.'

'Hey, Artie said he was sorry for that, its why he asked me to make you peanut butter ice cream pie that night.'

Esposito shook his head, then tossed down his pen and looked at her screen, squinted. 'Why are we looking at the online store for Passport Panties? You planning on buying something for Alexis and her boyfriend?'

'I'm multitasking. Buying some thing for our trip to San Francisco in July.' Meredeth chewed her lower lip as she minimized the screen and went back to shopping for a graduation gift for Alexis. 'Are you sure it's cool for you to go on vacation like that when you'll only be like two weeks back on desk duty?'

'Yeah. I talked to the captain about it, and he was very encouraging to go, as he pointed out that with you gone to San Diego and then to Japan, I'll have plenty of time for racking up overtime hours.' It was a partial truth, but one he knew would serve him well in the long run. He traced his fingers up and down Meredeth's arm. 'What time is it?'

'Just after two.'

'Plenty of time for shopping,' he commented, kissing her neck suggestively. 'Party's not until eight tonight, and even then we're meeting at Serendipity. We can always blame traffic.'

'I don't want to be late, though, it's Alexis' night and it's very important to her. Besides she's anxious enough about going and I don't blame her. International study is very scary.'

'You never did an exchange.'

Meredeth poked him in the stomach as he rested his chin on her shoulder. 'I've also never been shot but I know that's got to be pretty scary.'

'No kidding. Well, what's she studying?'

'You haven't heard this from Castle?'

'Nope. Guy's been absolute basket case with the whole baby-birdie leaving the nest, hasn't mentioned what she's going to be actually doing over there.'

'Psychiatry. She wants to be a forensic shrink.' Meredeth smiled at him, wrapped her arm around his waist. 'Looks like you guys made a bigger impression than you thought.'

'Well in that case.' Esposito snapped the laptop shut and put it on the coffee table before she could protest; with a slight twist of his body, he had his woman pinned underneath him on the couch, her long legs tangling with his as began to kiss her in such a way that Meredeth was surprised her skin didn't blister. 'I know exactly what to get her and from where. It's even on the way so we have lots and lots of time.'

'See I told you.'

'Yes, Javi, you've been reminding me since we left Page and Turner.'

'It's nice to know I can occasionally win an argument with you.'

Meredeth shook her head as they walked down the street, gift bag in hand, towards Serendipity. She didn't bother to let him know it didn't irk her in the slightest that he'd known to go to the specialty bookstore to get Alexis' present; she knew her role in this particular play very well and gave an Emmy-worthy performance in it. 'Pop quiz hot shot, what's the best James Bond movie ever made?'

'Golden Eye, no question.'

'And we're back to our same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel. Everyone knows it's The Man With the Golden Gun.'

'The one with the racist redneck sheriff? I thought you had good taste in films.'

'It has Christopher Lee, and Count Dooku-Jabberwocky-Saruman-Dracula-Lord Summerisle beats a good ol' boy any day of the week and twice on Sunday.'

Esposito considered this very valid point. 'Okay, best of the seventies?'

'Agreed. Here we are.'

They went into the restaurant and were escorted to the private dining room; they saw Alexis wearing a tacky but sparkly tiara and round Harry-Potter type glasses as she sipped at something pink and icy. Flanking either side of her was Castle and a red-headed woman she didn't recognize, while on the other side of the table was Ryan and Honey-Milk, who looked as puffy as a souffle while she kept her hands folded on the mountain of her baby-bump. As they drew closer, they could hear the practiced enunciation of the redhead's voice.

'Oh, Lex, really, it'll be great! I can come and visit you when I'm on location in London!' she trilled. 'Just think, we can go shopping in Knightsbridge, see plays at the Old Vic together, tea at the Savoy. You'll be the glamorous envy of all your friends.'

'Detective Esposito, you made it!' Alexis had popped up from her chair and made a beeline for him and Meredeth, hugged them tightly. 'Save me,' she whispered, 'it's the Deep-Fried Twinkie!'

'The what?'

'Lex's mother,' Esposito explained, then paused. 'This might get confusing. Her name's Meredeth too, albeit with an I-T-H instead of E-T-H.'

'Just play along.' Alexis turned around, gestured to the new arrivals. 'Mom, you remember Detective Esposito, and this is his girlfriend Meredeth Coleman.'

'Oh of course, I read all about it on your Twitter feed, Meredeth!' The redhead rose from her chair, offered a perfectly manicured hand. 'And I must say, your outfit on Craig Ferguson last fall was an excellent choice. Very slimming, I must say.'

Esposito sensed his own Meredeth tense, brace for battle. 'Easy killer,' he murmured in her ear as they sat beside Ryan and Honey-Milk. 'Look at you, mama, getting so big.'

'I know. We had a checkup yesterday morning and the doctor said the baby's already starting to assume the position. She doesn't think I'll make it to the end of July.'

'I was just telling Honey-Milk about some of the programs I used to get back into shape after having my sweet little girl.' Meredith C sent Alexis a loving look. 'No reason to let your figure go just because you experienced the miracle of childbirth.'

Meredeth looked at Castle, whose jaw had gone so tense she could see the muscle twitching. 'Meredith, didn't you say you need to meet your agent for drinks uptown at nine?'

'Oh yes, but I just couldn't resist meeting the famous Lady Hawk scribe. How is the production coming along?'

'Excellent. We've set our voice cast and we've been in recording sessions for almost two weeks now. It's really coming together.'

Meredith C smiled, her nose crinkling with the slightest hint of a sneer. 'Well, I'll certainly have to watch for it. Richard, Lexie, I'll see you two and the detective in L.A. in two weeks! I'm off!'

The collective sigh of relief breathed at the table could have powered a brigantine from Maine to Nassau. 'Ding-dong,' Castle began, then cut himself off when he remembered Alexis was at the table. 'Lexie, pumpkin, muffin, crouton, apple sauced pork-chop-'

'No worries Dad, I get it. The whole point of having this little party early was so she could be included before we see her at her big Hollywood premiere. We both know we'd never hear the end of it if we didn't. At least her gift was kind of nice.'

'Kind of nice? You don't give your only child a glamour photo of yourself for her high school graduation, sterling Tiffany frame or otherwise. Ryan and Honey-Milk got you that nice loose-leaf journal with your name engraved on it, that's a hell of a lot more meaningful.'

'But she did have a point Dad, I mean I will have a nice picture of her to keep in my dorm now.'

'Then maybe you should open this one.' Meredeth nudged the bag across the table towards the lovely teenager, as the waiter came to take their orders. 'This was mostly Javi's idea, so he gets the credit though I must go on record for the card and the wrappings.'

Alexis' smile was genuine and appreciative when she pulled out the three hardcover books. 'Diagnosis of Abnormal Behaviour, Creating the Criminal Profile and Found in Translation: Oral Presentation of Psychological Findings to the Untrained Listener. These are amazing! And the first two are on my reading list.'

'Someone's been getting a jump on their syllabus research.'

The comment came from Beckett, who had just arrived at the table, immediately filling the spot that Meredith C had moments before vacated. Even in the reaction to her father's girlfriend's arrival, Meredeth could see there was far more respect here than for her biological mother - Meredith C had warranted the requisite hug and kiss on the cheek. Beckett, on the other hand, got the delighted squealing squeeze women only saved for those closest to them. 'Lanie and Dave send their love and congrats. They both had the six-to-six shifts tonight,' Beckett added. 'Have you given her our gift yet?'

'Nope, she just got done with Meredeth and Esposito's.'

'Good. I didn't want to miss it.'

From his breast pocket, Castle pulled a small black velvet jeweler's box. 'I know this is something you've wanted for a long time.'

'What is it?' When her father merely shrugged, she lifted the lid. Her wide blue eyes all but bugged out of her head. 'Daddy, are you serious!'

'As a heart attack.'

Esposito, who'd just finished placing his order, turned back to the table, saw Alexis throwing a hammer-lock on her father in pure glee. 'You buy her a car?'

'Better!' Alexis turned the box around to show him a single Japanese yen coin nestle in the ring slot. 'It's my trip to Japan! I've always wanted to go, ever since I was a little girl and saw Princess Mononoke and he always said not until you're eighteen.'

'I still have yet to arrange the flights and all that, but the hotel has booked for you in Sapporo for July twenty-seventh until the sixteenth of August.'

As Meredeth watched the young woman rejoice about fulfilling a life long dream, a thought occurred to her. 'Why doesn't she fly out with me?'

'What?'

'I'm going to be in San Diego for Comic-Con from the eighteenth to the twenty-second, Javi's spending the weekend with me in San Diego. You could fly out to California with him, then we can leave from there to Japan together. I'll be staying at Keio Plaza, it's got more than enough room for you to stay a night or two with me.'

'That sounds like a great idea,' Beckett said enthusiastically as she took Castle's hand; she wasn't surprised to find it slightly shaky.

'Excellent. I'll give Robina a call, give her something to do besides drink away her divorce.'

'And I'm going to call Sloan! Yea! Thank you Daddy!' Alexis gave her father one last tight embrace before bouncing off in the same direction as Meredeth.

At the table, Esposito sipped his coffee. He didn't realize he was as anxious about Meredeth's upcoming trip as he thought he was until she'd made the suggestion; after all, his Danish angel was going to be away for three whole weeks. Of course, he knew those three weeks would zip by very fast; he was going to have more than enough to occupy his time before she got back.

Across the table, Honey-Milk took hold of her husband's hand. 'Who do you think will be missing his girl more? Castle or Esposito?' she asked as she poured tea from the pot just brought by the waiter.

'Gotta put my money on my boy.'

'They're both your boys,' Honey-Milk pointed out, rubbing the spot on her belly where the baby had given her a sharp elbow jab. 'Be more specific.'

'Esposito.'

'Really?'

Ryan put his hand on the side of his wife's stomach, felt their child moving inside her. He'd borrowed Esposito's laptop when he'd gone over to his partner's place to play Madden 2011 on X-Box, and had accidentally seen the email from a woman named Francesca forwarding him information on a certain type of ring. 'Call it a hunch.'

R&R&Enjoy!