A/N: I know, I know... .

Also, my Alexis is a little bit more snarky... Can't help it. Have known a lot of redheads. LOL.

"Breakfast?" Martha raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at her watch.

"Brunch?" Castle tried lamely.

His mother smirked.

"Okay brunch and two Bloody Mary's but that's my last offer."

"Sold." Martha threw her shopping bags onto the couch. "As long as brunch is chicken con broccoli with Alfredo sauce."

"We actually do have to head in to the station soon." Becket looked at Martha apologetically.

"How about..." Castle headed towards the kitchen. "I whip us up a nice chicken Caesar salad and I will make you your pasta tonight?"

Martha sighed. "Fine, fine..."

"Unless... of course..." He winced, sticking a celery stalk into the first Bloody Mary.

His mother rolled her eyes and waved her hand dramatically. "Unless someone drops a body...or whatever, yes I know. I swear you need to re-evaluate your priorities." She took the drink when he brought it over to her, downing half of it in one long swallow."

Kate smiled. "Long night?"

Alexis laughed. "Let's just say OUR trip to the Waldorf ended up with me watching Pay-Per-View alone while eating lobster from room service."

Castle's head popped up from where he was pulling out ingredients. "Lobster?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "And filet mignon." She grinned.

"That's my girl." He munched on some celery as he prepared the lettuce and dressing before tossing it together with pre-prepared chicken breast and croutons the detective had collected for him. "What did you watch on Pay-Per-View?

"Any porn I could find."

Castle choked, his eyes tearing up as Kate patted him roughly on the back.

"You are so easy, Castle." She laughed quietly.

"Well that makes one of us."

Kate smacked him lightly on the ass. "You will pay for that later."

Finally done coughing, he crowded into her space. "I look forward to it."

"Jeez you two!" Alexis turned to head upstairs and put her stuff away. "Like I would need to go to a hotel to watch porn... I can see depravity in my own kitchen."

"Oh, Pumpkin!" Rick called her back. "Speaking of depravity... Your mom is in town. She wants you to call her."

Alexis dropped her bags and sat down at the counter, her eyebrows furrowing. "She isn't supposed to be here until next week!"

He shrugged. "Either she missed you or..."

"...or she's between boy toys?" Beckett said snidely, before slapping a hand over her mouth in horror. "Oh Alexis, I am so sorry... I don't have any right..."

But the redhead just grinned. "You have every right." She turned back to her dad. "I won't have time to spend with her this week. I have orientation for the Foreign Exchange Student Program every night."

Castle froze. "Foreign... Foreign..." He seemed stuck on that one word.

"Breathe, Dad!" Alexis shook her head. "I volunteered to sponsor a student coming here."

"Oh..." He took a deep breath. "Where are they going to stay? We already have a foreign body in the guest room."

"Ha, ha." Martha snarked, sliding her empty glass towards him to be refilled.

"Housing is already arranged. I am just supposed to help them acclimate. Every night this week we have to go over policy and rules and then Friday we get our assignment."

"And you're sure you want to miss the extra time with your Mom for that?"

"It will look GREAT on my college applications and it IS extra credit."

Castle blinked. "Don't you have enough extra credit to pay off the national debt by now?"

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay... I am the last one to criticize you for finding a way to avoid your Mom." He pointed a celery stalk at her. "But you get to tell her."

Her eye's widened. "Don't you think she would take it better coming from you?"

"Ha! HA! No." He stuck the celery in the second Bloody Mary and slid it to his mother. "Besides, this will help with your new project. Help you to learn to deal with adversity."

Alexis pouted. "Fine!" She picked up her things and headed upstairs.

Kate bumped her hip into Castle's, whispering in his ear. "Nice tough love, Dad."

He flexed comically. "Well you know, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind."

"...And you didn't want to talk to Meredith again."

"Yeah... no."

Kate laughed, turning his head to the side. Gently, she crawled her fingers up his left cheek; stopping right at the edge of the bruise, which had widened and darkened. At least his eye looked a little more clear. "How does it feel today?"

"Like someone slugged me yesterday." Rick's smile was genuine as he handed her a mug of coffee. "And like I still don't regret it."

The detective stepped closer. She glanced to where Martha had retreated to the couch; her head back, her eyes closed. She put both her hands on Castle's chest. "Where's your patch."

"Somewhere in the tangle of last nights clothes." He put his hands on her hips, gripping tightly. "I don't need it. I like looking at you with both eyes."

Kate smiled, kissing him slowly as she slid her hands into his back pockets. "Well do me a favor?" She panted softly when they broke apart.

"Anything."

"Don't get rid of it?"

Castle froze for a moment and then pulled her into him, hard. "So you liked playing pirate... Remind me to cross that off."

Beckett kiss him hard, biting his bottom lip as he pressed into her.

"Eww!"

They broke apart quickly, both of them turning; blinking their eyes to try and shake off the haze of lust.

Alexis stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes tightly closed. "You said you wanted me to learn to deal with ADVERSITY, not perversity."

Okay so this is where it starts to get interesting. (Finally, I know!) At least, I am having fun with it. Hope you are too. Please review if you have time.

Thank you for the support!