By the time Beckett joined them at the table, there were several people seated there besides just Castle and his mother. Alexis had returned home and she'd brought a few of her friends with her, while Esposito and Ryan were both sitting down on either side of Castle when she limped up. Castle grinned, and stood up, pulling his chair out for her to take. Putting her between Ryan and Esposito would give both of them a chance to see for themselves that she was doing as well as could be – and that he was taking good care of her. He then sat beside Alexis, which put him across from Kate. Which was fine, too, because then he could watch her to make sure she was eating.

"Look who came to check on you," Castle told her, once he'd seated himself.

"We smelled dinner cooking," Esposito said, giving Martha a smile.

She swatted his arm, but colored prettily at the implied compliment. The guys had helped her get the food to the table, while Alexis' friends had all set it, so they all deserved a share of her lasagna, she supposed. Of course, she knew her family well and had made a large pan, so there was plenty to go around. Especially since there was a large bowl of salad and a couple of loaves of garlic bread to go with it.

Alexis introduced her friends to the detectives, and the girls giggled and immediately started asking them all about being detectives. They tended to watch Esposito the most, but Kat had all of them interested, what with her being shot as well as being a woman. Alexis had almost certainly told them the story, since none of them asked her how she'd been hurt, and there were a few looks around the kitchen as though they were trying to find the bullet holes. Castle knew they were all fixed, though, so none of the girls would have any luck with that.

When dinner was over the girls offered to clear the table. Castle frowned, suspicious. His daughter's friends were very nice, but they were also typical teenaged girls, and in his experience when they offered to help with chores it usually meant that they wanted something. He didn't lump Alexis in with that generalization, although he wasn't entirely surprised when she managed to separate him from the others as the adults all went into the living room and have a drink – all but Beckett who wasn't allowed any alcohol while she was taking medication.

"What can I do for you, Daughter?" he asked as she took hold of his arm and pulled him into the hallway.

"Can I go back over to Grace's?"

He gave her a shocked and injured look.

"You'd abandon me on the day you return?"

The look she gave him was pleading and hopeful, and he'd been helpless against it since she was three.

"Please, Daddy? She recorded Glee."

Castle rolled his eyes, but Alexis didn't budge. He finally sighed, and nodded.

"Fine. But don't be too late coming home tomorrow."

She smiled and his heart turned to goo.

"I won't."

"Do you guys need a ride?"

"No. Alice drove us."

He sighed again, and wandered into the kitchen, presumably to get himself a drink but really to talk to the girl that Alexis had named. He knew her friends pretty well, but remembered all of them as little girls in ballerina tutus and Princess Halloween costumes. Not near adults with driver's licenses and their own cars. He reminded her that she needed to be careful, and she assured him that she would. It was all he could do to keep from embarrassing Alexis by offering to drive them himself, and instead he thanked them all for cleaning the table – and loading the dishwasher – and sent them on their way. In a great giggling mob they all headed up to Alexis' room for a moment and then – again as a mob – they came back down and left with goodbyes for all the adults in the living room.

"Where are they going?" Martha asked.

"Grace recorded Glee."

Like that explained everything. But it did, really. Beckett gestured for him to come and sit beside her, which he did, and they all sat and chatted for a short time – mostly about the shoot out, since Martha wanted to hear the whole story from everyone's point of view and that included Esposito and Ryan as well. The two had been warned by Castle that he didn't want to tell his mother any more about the whole held in a closet thing than he'd wanted to tell Alexis, so they had been careful what they let out. Martha was almost as good at interrogation as Beckett, though, so rather than give her more information than they wanted to, both excused themselves, stating that they were tired. Which was only half true.

Martha walked them out, and then looked at the two sitting on the sofa, still.

"I think I'm going to call it a night as well. Do either of you need anything?"

They both shook their heads and watched as she carried her glass of wine down the hall to her room.

"Alone at last," Castle told Beckett with a smile. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I want to read for a while," Kate told him, surprising him. He was almost positive that she hadn't brought a book with her.

"Uh, okay… anything in particular?" He had a fairly large library, after all.

She smirked.

"Amorous Giants?"

Castle rolled his eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Why not?"

"It's awful."

"It can't be that bad," she told him. "Do you have a copy of it?"

"Unfortunately."

Her smirk turned into a smile.

"Please?"

He couldn't say no to her, of course, and she saw that in his expression right before he capitulated.

"Fine. But no matter how much you beg, I'm not going to be able to give you that time back."

That made her chuckle, and she brought her hand up to her side to press against her injury to keep the laughter from hurting. He frowned at that, but she waved away his concern.

"It's okay," she assured him. "Just a little sore."

Castle nodded, but didn't look convinced – mainly because he wasn't.

"You'll be better off back in bed, I think."

"You know, I can sleep out here," she said. "It's a pretty comfortable-"

"No. You can sleep in my bed where I know you won't be disturbed by anyone or anything – except for the book you want to read, of course." He leaned over and kissed her, softly. "Go to bed or I won't loan you my book."

She rolled her eyes again, but let him help her up and walk her to his room.

"Thank you," she said. "For all of this…"

He smiled as he pulled the blankets back for her and helped her into bed.

"If you knew how much I love having you in my bed, you wouldn't be thanking me."

That made her blush a little, but he saved her from the embarrassment by turning and leaving the room, presumably to get the book she'd asked for. Sure enough, he returned only a few minutes later with a surprisingly large book in his hand.

"That's it?"

"It's an anthology," he reminded her, handing it over. "My story wasn't good enough to be first, or last. But you won't have any trouble finding it."

Unfortunately.

Beckett grinned, and patted the bed beside her, inviting him to join her, but already focused on the book he'd given her. Castle stretched out beside her, more than willing to join her, and ready to be still for a while after the huge meal he'd eaten. He rested his head on the pile of pillows and she absently started brushing her fingers through his hair as she started searching for his story in the book.

He was asleep before she had even finished the first page.