Kate led them into the interrogation room. "Okay. This is The Box. I make bad guys cry for their mommies in this room."

Scared as they were, the two kindergarten kids giggled a bit at that as she shut the door.

Beckett sat the kids down, and gave them her friendliest smile. "Okay, let's take it from the top. What happened?"

"We... We were here for the field trip." The taller one said slowly.

"Yes, I'm familiar with your class trip. We've all been looking forward to having you here." Beckett said with a smile on her face. "What I want to know is, how you would get from there, to screaming at my Captain."

The poor school kids were almost on the verge of blubbering. "She said it was part of the game."

"She?"

"The nice lady with the red hair."

Alexis. "What exactly did she tell you?"

"That we were going get presents, and that we had to ask for them. She sent us into the office with Miss Gates, and said that if the woman behind the desk told us to go away or, that she didn't have anything, then we had to ask louder. She said it was part of the game." The boy sniffed. "She wasn't supposed to get mad."

Beckett's mouth became a thin line. Alexis had indeed joined Team Castle in this little prank war. "She's not mad." Beckett promised. "Captain Gates, is in fact, mortally embarrassed. And I didn't think that was possible."

The kids looked down. "Sorry." One of them volunteered.

"Ohh, you've got nothing to apologize for. This one was all our fault." Beckett said kindly. "In fact, how about if the 12th Precinct makes it up to you?"

Castle was tapping away at his laptop, working on the new book, when the door opened in the living room. "Dad?" Alexis called, her voice high pitched. "Are you sitting down?"

Castle blinked. "Yes?" He called back.

Alexis came into her father's office, and Castle nearly fell out of his chair. She was wearing a scout uniform, but it was not in her size.

On a five year old, the Girl Scout uniform would be normal. On a nineteen year old, it was a miniskirt with a top that left her midriff and most of her ribcage bare…

"Alexis, you're the definition of jailbait." Castle said coldly and carefully. "Why on earth..."

"Beckett." Alexis said simply. "Our plan worked, but Gates made the kindergarteners cry, and Beckett said that make up for it, the NYPD would assign one of their interns to help them sell cookies." She looked at herself. "The kids were kind enough to loan me a uniform, since I didn't have one." And then Castle was on the receiving end of a subzero glare. "Beckett said that you told her I was already a scout, so she assumed I would not only be happy to help, but have a uniform of my own."

"Ohhhh…. I'm gonna kill her."

"Actually, she was okay about it. Even assigned a cop to escort me around town when she saw the uniform."

Castle's eyes narrowed. "Which one?" If it was Slaughter, I swear to Lucifer…

"I... don't think I should tell you." Alexis said slowly. "There's an unholy gleam in your eye."

Heavy silence.

"Beckett's not quite as weak as we would like." Alexis observed. "We gotta think up something special for this." She bit her lip. "You know her better than anyone, what's the weak spot? When in the last four years has Beckett been completely unhinged?"

"Her mom's case?" Castle counted. "Her old partner's murder?"

"Too far."

Castle suddenly smiled. "Oh."

"Oh? I like 'Oh'." Alexis leaned forward sharply. "Tell me everything."

Castle looked away from her sharply, scowling again.

Alexis blinked and looked down at herself, quickly divining the problem. "How about I get changed first?"

Beckett strode into the office, and headed for her desk. As she approached, she slowed down, before coming to a stop at the desk. Her workspace was surrounded by police tape, and the humanoid chalk outline of a murder victim was drawn under her desk.

Beckett pursed her lips, more amused than she let on. She looked over to Ryan and Esposito, who were openly staring at her, waiting for a reaction.

"We don't have enough to do without adding fake murders?"

"What makes you think it's fake?" Ryan asked innocently.

"The only one who hangs around my desk other than you two and me is Castle. And since I just got here, I doubt somebody murdered him." Beckett sighed at the latest retaliation and quickly started taking down the police tape.

"Please don't disturb my crime scene." Alexis' voice intoned. Beckett turned and discovered Alexis right behind her, mirroring the Detective's pose precisely, wearing exactly the same outfit Beckett had on.

Beckett froze, trying to process the image.

Ryan was whimpering with the effort it took not to laugh. Beckett sent him a warning look.

Esposito immediately lifted his camera phone and took a snap of the two of them together. An instant later, so did Ryan. An instant after him, so did half the Precinct.

"That's the office Christmas Card right there." Sang out a cheerful voice, and Beckett turned to find Castle perched on her desk, with a larger box of Girl Scout cookies in his hand. "How soon do you think we could get Natalie Rhodes here to make it a hat-trick?"

Beckett was about to tear him apart with her bare hands, when Castle quickly reached into her desk and pulled out her badge. He scribbled down her badge number into one of his omnipresent notebooks and returned the badge carefully.

"Castle, what are you doing?" Beckett and Alexis demanded, in perfect unison, in exactly the same tone of voice. Beckett sent a death glare at Alexis, who smiled winningly in response.

Ryan had turned bright red, fingers pressed against his mouth in an effort not to crack up.

Gates came into the bullpen. "Detective, we got…" She saw the scene and stopped short. "Is there a good reason for that?" She asked icily.

"Yes." Castle said.

"No." Beckett said in the same breath.

"Fine." Gates dismissed it. "We got the call, get to work."

"Yessir." Beckett called back and looked at Alexis. "Or do you want to take this one?"

"That could be fun." Castle suggested brightly.

"By the way Detective, bring a sponge." Gates called from her office door. "You're gonna need one."

"Maybe not." Alexis' nose wrinkled. "Detective, why don't you get this one; I'll get… the next one."

The team collected their gear and headed out; as Ryan slipped over to Castle. "What do you want her badge number for?"

"You'll see."

Two days later, Beckett came into the 12th, fell down into her chair. "Ryan. Don't pretend you haven't seen it."

Ryan swallowed, and pulled the paper out. He had been sitting on it.

She rubbed her eyes. "Okay. Read it."

Ryan began reading the article. "On the lighter side, today the NYPD were the toast of the 23rd street grade school, when society novelist Richard Castle was kind enough to donate thirty two NYPD jackets, in assorted kindergarten sizes. Each student on the school field trip was given a jacket of their very own to take home with them. When asked, the Mayor was quoted as saying that the NYPD was always meant to be a big part of the community, and to that end, the Mayor instituted a new program to have NYPD personnel take part in school programs on a volunteer basis; including selling cookies, raffle tickets, gym classes... Credit for the generosity went to NYPD detective Kate Beckett, who reportedly suggested the move. Detective Beckett declined to comment."

"That's why he wanted my badge number. Needed it to approve police resources and give me the credit." She sighed. "Now read the worst part."

Ryan tensed. "I don't know if I should…"

"Read it!" Beckett barked.

Ryan sighed. "Interns with the 12th were reportedly quoted as saying: 'Our Detectives are great role models. I do my best to emulate them whenever I can'."

Beckett rubbed her eyes firmly. "Is there any chance that intern wasn't Alexis?"

"There's a photo of you and her from when she was posing as your Mini-Me." Ryan folded the paper. "Beckett, on behalf of Jenny, can I just thank you for taking up what was left of my free time?"

"Oh bite me Ryan, you know full well that you bought all those cookies yourself."

"Espo bought a few. I think things with Laine hit another snag. He's been eating for three."

The door to the Captain's office opened and Gates leaned out. "Detective Beckett, can I have a word with you?"

A cloud of doom over her, Beckett followed.

Castle was already in the office.

"Well Mr Castle." Captain Gates said calmly. "It seems I'm in the unusual position of having to thank you."

"Thank him?" Beckett repeated.

"The NYPD Community Drive is getting some phenomenally good reactions from the general population. The Mayor's office is thrilled. So is the Commissioner. The only time you see the NYPD in the news is Police Brutality cases. Except for today. A brilliant move, giving Beckett the credit."

Castle smiled broadly. "Anything I can do to help my favorite town, and my favorite cop." He turned to Beckett. "By the way, some reporters I know would like to get some human interest stories done. They want to know when you'll be available for interviews."

Beckett fumed, and Gates jumped in. "She'll be available at any time you care to name, dead bodies not withstanding."

Castle beamed. "Great. I'll let them know."

Castle headed out, and Gates turned to Beckett. "Either beat this guy so bad he never picks up a squirt pistol again, or get him outta here. The pride of the Department's at stake."

Despite herself, Beckett grinned. Gates had declared allegiance. The 12th was Team Beckett.

AN: Read and Review