99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Alexis was living in the loft again for the summer. When JD proposed and they realized they could have their wedding before classes started in the fall, they both decided to forgo summer school classes. They intended to concentrate on their wedding.

During his second visit, Bradford asked Alexis about her dress. He was told she was having it made, and then she spirited him away to the study to keep any other information about it from JD. Bradford was thrilled that the decision was already made and asked her to let him know who would be doing the work and to provide him a contact number. When she gave him Gwen's name and contact information, he was obviously impressed.

"I don't know how you managed to get her to squeeze you into her schedule on this kind of short notice, but I can guarantee you it will be as perfect as the original."

"She and Grams are old friends," Alexis explained.

"Lucky you," he answered with a smile. Then they went back to JD, and Bradford pulled out his sketches for the beach house venue, any of which would be beautiful. That chosen, he opened a portfolio of samples.

Over the next couple of weeks, the wedding took over the family at times. Bradford became a more frequent guest, a couple of times being talked into staying for dinner. Alexis was so excited that she couldn't resist asking for advice when someone else was at home or telling them all about what Bradford had brought that morning. Then Martha took her for the first fitting for her dress, and she was amazed.

"It feels exactly the same as Kate's dress. See, Grams?"

Martha lifted the fabric of the skirt and smiled. "Where did you find it, Gwen? I knew if anyone would know how to find it, it would be you."

"The label in the dress gave me a clue. It was made in France, and I had a consultation meeting in Paris last week; so I took it with me. Don't worry, Alexis; it rarely left my sight. I visited the house that made it and asked about the fabric, and they still use it. The company that made that fabric is still making it, and I bought yards and yards of it in several different colors. It has such a nice hand. I have no idea what I'll do with it, but I couldn't leave it behind."

Martha laughed. "That's the Gwen I remember. Fabric hoarder par excellence. I'm sure whatever it becomes will be breathtaking."

"Kate looked so beautiful when she wore this dress. Do you think it looks as good on me, Grams?"

"It does, Darling, and it isn't even quite finished yet.

"Show her Kate's picture. I know it's in your phone."

Gwen made a couple of very minor adjustments and then looked at the pictures while Alexis changed clothes. "Richard grew up well, didn't he…such a handsome man. And he's found the right woman this time, hasn't he?" She paused and sighed. "They look so much in love. You must be so happy for him, Martha, especially after that first wife. You said the dress was Kate's mother's? Where is her mother?" she asked as Martha scrolled to a family picture. "She must have been thrilled to see her daughter wear it." When Martha gave a brief explanation, Gwen answered, "No wonder Alexis was so protective of that dress."

One of Gwen's assistants helped Alexis out of the dress, and when she returned dressed to leave, she asked Gwen, "Did she see the pictures?"

"I did. Kate is absolutely stunning, and she wore the dress well; but you will, too, Dear. That dress…the soft, flowing look of it…it suits both of you perfectly. You made a good choice, so stop worrying about it. I'll have it ready in plenty of time. Next fitting on Wednesday morning next week?"

Alexis hugged Gwen, surprising her, and Gwen hugged her back. "Thank you so much for this. It means a lot to me."

"Martha explained a little bit. I understand. And you're more than welcome."

xxxxx

When Beckett entered the bullpen the next morning, Ryan asked, "How goes the wedding planning? Better you than me."

"Lots of redheaded excitement around our house."

"Is that Alexis, or Ms. R., or Meredith?" Esposito asked with a grin. "Or all three?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "The first two at the moment. Meredith is flying in this afternoon. Alexis and Martha and I have already chosen my dress for the wedding so Meredith doesn't have a chance to sabotage me with something hideous. She and Alexis are shopping tomorrow…probably looking for something for herself, too…on Castle's credit card if Alexis lets her get away with it."

The men laughed as Beckett sat down and fired up her computer.

"Doesn't seem like Little Castle should be old enough to get married."

"She and JD are both older than their years, and I think they know what they're doing. Castle does, too, but he's having a hard time with it…knowing she won't be just his anymore."

Ryan and Esposito nodded.

"So, do we have anything new?" she asked

"Nope. Paperwork on the last one is done, and it's been a quiet morning so far."

"I think I can deal with a quiet morning after the struggle we had last week," she answered.

"And before struggling with Meredith?" Ryan teased.

"You do remember I have a gun?" she asked dryly.

"Got it," he snickered in return.

By the time Kate got home that afternoon, Meredith was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar going through sketches and samples and magazines of bridal fashions with her daughter.

Castle met Kate at the door with Jamie and a comforting kiss. "Sorry, but it has to be done," he whispered. Still whispering, he said, "I don't think Jamie likes Meredith."

"Good taste, Buddy," Kate whispered against Jamie's cheek as she hugged him and then kissed all over his laughing face. "Mommy is so glad to see you," she said out loud. She gave Castle another little peck on the lips and walked to the counter where Alexis sat with her mother. Putting an arm around Alexis's shoulders, she kissed her head, gave her a one-armed hug, and said, "I'm glad to see you, too. Hi, Meredith. Good flight in?"

"Not bad."

Looking back at Alexis, Kate told her, "I'll take your brother upstairs so you can concentrate on the wedding and your dad can concentrate on meeting his deadline."

"I think that's her half-brother," Meredith said pointedly.

Alexis grabbed Jamie's legs and squeezed them in several places and then tickled his tummy and kissed his cheek, obviously totally in love with the little boy, and said, "I don't know, Mom. Feels like a whole brother to me," returning her mother's pointed tone.

Meredith dropped the subject.

"Bear," Jamie said, reaching over her shoulder as Kate made it to the stairs with him, and she turned back to let him pick up his bear from the back of the sofa. Meredith was watching and not looking happy, but she bounced back quickly when Alexis moved something else over to show her.

Kate played with Jamie in the nursery for about half an hour and then brought him back downstairs to verify everyone's plans for dinner.

"I'm taking Alexis and JD out for dinner tonight…a nice place. I know you're bogged down with baby duty, and I didn't want to impose."

"I don't feel bogged down. I love spending time with our baby," Kate corrected. "But I'm sure JD and Alexis will enjoy a nice dinner out."

"They'll probably enjoy an evening without the baby…"

"His name is Jamie, Mom," Alexis interrupted.

"Without Jamie interrupting everything they do…especially JD. Most men don't automatically gravitate to children."

There was a knock at the door, and Alexis quickly went to answer it. She gave JD a quick kiss and brought him inside. Meredith stood and preened for her introduction, but JD's eyes lit up and he said, "Jamie!" holding out his arms. Jamie gave him a beaming smile and leaned forward for JD to take him.

"Men around here do," Kate answered with a smile.

Before anything else could distract him, Alexis, said, "JD, this is my mother, Meredith Harper. Mom, This is JD Farnsworth."

As he got closer to Meredith and reached to shake her hand, saying, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Harper," Jamie pulled closer and clutched his neck, burrowing his face into JD's shoulder. "Hey, what's the matter, Little Guy? You're never shy like this."

"Let me take him back, JD. You go ahead and get acquainted with Meredith," Kate offered.

"I hope don't mind my taking you and Alexis to dinner tonight so we can get to know one another," Meredith said once Jamie was back in his mother's arms. She was laying on the charm.

"Not at all, Ma'am. Alexis told me to plan on that. I'm looking forward to it.

"Then let's go. I made reservations for six-thirty so we have plenty of time to chat."

Castle came out of his study when he heard the front door close. "Is she gone?" he asked, looking around.

"Yes, coward," Kate answered, looking amused. "It looks like she actually spent some time with Alexis today."

"She did. She and Alexis are meeting the bridesmaids for brunch and shopping tomorrow morning…on my credit card, of course. It's a good thing I'm rich. Mother has already lined up someone to take care of alterations for their dresses, and it looks like Bradford is handling everything else. Meredith will be gone day after tomorrow, Alexis can continue to excitedly plan her wedding, and I can happily keep up with my family as well as my deadline."

"Well, I'm tired, especially knowing Meredith will probably be back tonight. So I'm going to happily order some healthy food for dinner." She paused, looking concerned. "I don't think Meredith likes Jamie. He definitely didn't take to her. You should have seen the way he tried to crawl into JD's neck when they got close enough to Meredith for JD to shake her hand. Even JD was surprised. Jamie forgot his bear again when we were going to the nursery earlier, and when I turned to go back for it, Meredith was almost glaring at him."

"I don't know why she still feels so territorial around here, but up until now, being Alexis's mother has given her some leverage. Now I have another child, and she knows Jamie brings me even closer to you. You have everything she could have had but didn't want. She still doesn't want it; but she's jealous anyway, and I guess Jamie just emphasizes that. I heard the half-brother remark. I was so proud when Alexis shut her down."

"Me, too. It was all I could do not to stick my tongue out at the mother of your other child."

Castle laughed. "A picture I'd like to have seen. I would have joined you."

She makes us both so mature," Kate noted with a grin.

"Yeah. That and insane. Come here, Jamie. Let Mommy make her phone call."

Alexis got home earlier than they had expected, and the rest of the family was in the living room. Kate was sitting snuggled next to Rick with her legs across his lap and Jamie was sitting in her lap. They were taking turns animatedly reading Jamie a book, and he was chiming in with a word here and there at his favorite parts.

They realized that Alexis wasn't alone when they heard another voice saying, "Well, isn't this just the picture of domestic bliss?" Meredith had her back turned to JD, so he couldn't see the look of vexation on her face; but her actress training kept the disgust from her voice."

"My home, my family, my bliss, Meredith. If it bothers you that much, you don't have to stay," Castle answered.

"Richard. How inhospitable."

"I'll get the picture for you, Mom. Then we can both get some rest before we tackle the shopping tomorrow."

"I want to look online tonight for wedding veils to go with that lovely dress. It isn't what I would have chosen, but it's unusual, nice…has an elegant, old-fashioned look about it."

"Here you go." Alexis handed her mother a picture of Kate wearing the dress, but she had cropped the picture so it only showed the dress…no faces or telltale background. No potential for argument before the all-day shopping trip.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Meredith nearly squealed. "We're going to have so much fun. Will you be coming with us, Kate? Martha?"

Both women shook their heads, and Meredith looked pleased.

"We've been here for everything else," Martha answered from the kitchen, where she was helping herself to a glass of wine. "Enjoy your daughter while you're in town."

Meredith hugged Alexis and JD, gushing about how much she had enjoyed their evening together and then made her exit.

When the door closed, JD looked relieved. "Wow. Is she always like that?"

"Yes," Alexis answered with her now perfected Beckett eye roll.

"No offense, Honey, but explain to me again why you used to get so upset when she didn't show up to visit," he said. "I'm exhausted from just dinner."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder the same thing." Looking at Castle and Kate, she explained, "I guess you know she spent the entire evening talking about herself. Poor JD. His eyes were starting to glaze over before our meal was even served. I don't think I've ever heard him say 'Uh-huh' so many times."

"Welcome to the family, JD," Castle chortled. "You've passed the Meredith initiation."

"Book," Jamie reminded his father, and JD took that as an opportunity to say goodnight.

"I'll walk you out," Alexis told him, and the rest of the family was left to finish the book before tucking Jamie in for the night.

xxxxx

After the all-day shopping trip, Meredith came in with Alexis to say goodbye, since she was leaving early the next morning.

After hearing that announcement, Kate told her, "Rick is in the study."

Without so much as an acknowledgement, Meredith walked into the study, and Alexis followed. "There you are. I just wanted to say good-bye before I left." Reacting to the picture on Rick's desk, she said, a touch condescendingly, "Is that your wedding picture?"

"Yes, it is." He moved closer to her as if he thought she might want a better look.

Alexis cringed as her mother's face contorted. "Is this…" she sputtered angrily. "Is this her wedding dress? You're wearing her dress…and you didn't tell me? I thought you said you were having it made."

"It isn't Kate's dress exactly. It's her mother's dress. I loved it, and…"

"So you had to have a copy made. She didn't think you were good enough to wear the original?" Irrational fury was taking over and the volume level was rising with it.

Meredith!" Castle warned. He got up and left the room. He had heard Jamie whimpering and wanted to check on him.

"I'm sorry about all that," he told Kate. "Alexis seems to be handling it, though. Is he okay?"

"He never hears that kind of shouting, especially from a voice he isn't used to hearing in our house. I think he's just upset."

Castle took Jamie and kissed his head, tucking him against his shoulder protectively; and then he put an arm around Kate, just as protectively, and rested his cheek on her head. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart."

"It doesn't quite fit me," Alexis told her mother just as angrily. "She said I could alter it, but I didn't want to. If she and Dad have a girl someday, I don't want my sister not to be able to wear her grandmother's dress if she wants to."

"She wants to be pregnant again at her age?" That question was nearly a full shout.

"Dad is ten years older than she is. That means you're nine years older than she is. Do you think you're old?!" Alexis answered. "I didn't tell you about the dress before we went shopping because I didn't want to have this ugly argument over the dress that you actually liked until you found out it was Kate's, especially in front of my friends. It's my wedding, and that's the dress I'm going to wear. If you're going to react like this over anything to do with Kate, you don't have to come. I want you here, Mom, but not if there's going to be this kind of drama attached to my wedding."

Meredith appeared dumbfounded and asked more calmly. "I don't understand. I'm your mother but you want to wear her mother's dress? And you don't want me here if I argue about it?"

"I want you here, but not if you intend to insult Kate and cause trouble about my decisions. We had this conversation a couple of years ago. You need to respect our home and our family. Kate is important to me because she's there any time I need her. She always finds time for me, no matter how much she has to do. You're important because you're my mother. But, Mom, in the three months before I called you about the wedding, you hadn't even found time to pick up your phone and send a text so you didn't have to kill time actually talking to me. Kate encourages me to enjoy you when I can. She knows how important that is because her mother was murdered when she was nineteen. She can't ever enjoy time with her mother again.

"Well," Meredith breathed out, calmer, the wind out of her sails. "I didn't know that about her."

"Kate was willing to let me alter that dress because she loves me that much. I love her enough I want her to have it intact. I don't want to change it at all." She took a calming breath and continued sadly. "Mom, you don't know much about us because you don't care. "Wasn't dinner last night supposed to be about getting to know JD and talking about our wedding? Do you even realize that everything was still about you? This is our wedding, and it's going to be about JD and me."

"But I'm…"

"I don't intend to argue with you because you're miffed that our lives moved on without you after you left us. That doesn't require your approval. So you'll have to put aside your senseless anger at anything to do with Kate and let me enjoy my wedding. You're supposed to be here because you're happy for me. Does anybody here look happy right now?"

Meredith nodded, took a deep breath, stood at her full height, and walked out as if nothing had happened; and again Alexis followed. The first thing visible from the door of the study was Castle comforting his family. Jamie was still making little whimpering sounds as both parents soothed him.

"I'll be back two nights before the wedding," Meredith announced calmly, as if she hadn't just made a fool of herself.

Castle handed Jamie off to Kate and followed her to the door.

"Meredith," he said quietly, "You're welcome to bring a plus one to the wedding if you'd like. And, as long as you don't create another disruption like this to our home, you're welcome to meet Alexis here for whatever the two of you have decided to do together. But if you can't guarantee to respect our home when you walk in the door, don't come back. I believe Alexis covered the rules of the house.

"Fine," she answered just as quietly, and then she left.

xxxxx

The week before the wedding, in an effort to close their latest case before she left for vacation, Beckett put in much more overtime than her now family oriented intentions appreciated. However, she wanted to leave with her work responsibilities completed so she could enjoy her family on her time off without feeling guilty. The rest of the team had worked just as hard for similar reasons. They had the weekend off so they could attend Alexis's wedding that Sunday, and they also knew Beckett was under more pressure than usual with the wedding so close.

Evidence had finally fallen into place for them the day before; and with great relief, they had managed to bring in their suspect and close the case on Wednesday night. It had been another case with elusive clues and frustratingly frequent dead ends, and they were determined to complete the paperwork and leave it behind them by the end of shift.

"Captain," Beckett called from the door not long before she left, and she was waved in. "Here's the file on the Vinton case, and I've emailed all the reports as well. I think I'm leaving with a clean slate. Thank you for allowing me the extra day tomorrow."

"Even with all the help you seem to have with the event planner, you're going to need it. Weddings are time consuming and emotional."

"Especially when there's a very self-centered ex who's the mother of the bride and expects to be honored for that, even though she barely stays in touch and rarely visits her child," Beckett answered in a rush of words. Then she quickly covered her face with her hands. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Gates actually chuckled and said dryly. "I may have mentioned my mother-in-law once."

"I seem to remember a request to ignore any reports of a murder at your address. May I ask the same favor?"

The captain gave her an understanding smile and returned to business. "With all the overtime this week, I think we can call most, if not all of tomorrow your comp time rather than vacation. Ask the rest of your team to stop in and we'll schedule theirs."

"I'll tell them, and I'll see you a week from Monday."

Gates lifted a hand in parting, and Beckett gathered her things, spoke to her partners, and left for home. She was surprised to find Darrell standing outside waiting for her when she exited the building.

"I parked around the corner. Mr. Castle said to park where it was less likely that anybody would see you being chauffeured home in a limo," he explained. "He thought you might want some time to relax instead of having to drive in the rush hour traffic. When they reached the car, he opened the door for her and she gratefully relaxed into the comfortable back seat as the door closed. By the time she arrived at the loft, Michael had already left, taking Martha and Alexis and the entire family's wedding paraphernalia with them. Kate and Rick were left to bring their luggage and everything they would need for Jamie. Castle had all of it in one place, and Kate took care of a few things while the men took the luggage to the car. Then she took Jamie and the Jamie bag that accompanied them everywhere these days, and they were on their way to the Hamptons.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you talked me into duplicates of all the baby things to keep at the Hamptons House. How do people take trips when they can't afford to do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just grateful that we can. Nice to know you're happy about a few of the perks of marrying a rich guy." He kissed the end of her nose.

"Mostly I just want the rich guy, not his money." She paused for effect. "But there are definitely some perks."

Jamie was in his car seat next to them and seemed to have picked up on the beginnings of wedding stress in his parents. He wasn't exactly fussy, but he wasn't sleeping as he generally did on extended car trips, and he wanted more attention than usual.

"This is going to be a long weekend, isn't it?" Kate sighed as she leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and stroked her hand up and down their baby's arm.

"More than likely, but after the wedding, it's just us, our parents, and Meagan for the rest of the week. I'm looking forward to that."

xxxxx

Knowing that they wouldn't be having dinner with just the family at the loft nearly as often after the wedding, Castle had arranged for dinner at Bernie's. All of them loved it there, and there would be no cooking or cleaning up. Bernie and Inez welcomed them and took them to their table, congratulating Alexis and delighting in Jamie and how he had grown since the summer before. The tension eased for a while, and Jamie was his normal, happy self. They enjoyed their evening and went home when Jamie was getting a bit fretful close to his normal bedtime. Once he was tucked in for the night, the rest of the family sat on the back porch and relaxed in the quiet, knowing it was the last extended quiet time they would have for a couple of days.

Has anybody heard from Mom?" Alexis finally asked softly, disappointment filling every syllable of her question.

When no one answered, Castle finally said, "No, Honey. I tried to call her several times yesterday and a couple of times today, but all the calls went to voice mail. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," his daughter answered. "You've done all you could do."

At that point, the doorbell rang, and Castle went to answer it.

"Meredith," he answered coldly. "Nice of you to show up, even if it's a day late with no contact to let us know."

"Richard, stop being…"

Through gritted teeth, he said quietly, "Don't you dare make light of this. Your daughter is on the back porch close to tears because she was beginning to believe you were going to cancel out on her wedding. We've both been trying to call you since yesterday morning, trying to let you know our plans and to find out when your flight was so we could help you get here. The rest of the family wandered into the room when they heard Castle say her name, picking up on the end of the conversation.

"Well, you said I could bring a plus one, so I did; but he couldn't leave until today."

"And you couldn't have called Alexis to let her know?"

"It was a last minute kind of thing, and I'm here now, am I not? Can we stay here tonight? We're both exhausted and don't know the hotels around here."

"No. We've had a long day, and you had a hotel room booked and paid for yesterday. If you'd listened to one of your many voicemails from us, it would have told you where to go. No one in the room, including Meredith, missed the double meaning, and Kate put her hand on his arm soothingly. He looked at his wife and nodded slightly in one of their silent conversations. "Why don't you talk to your daughter?" Since he bought the beach house after Meredith had left them, he pointed to the back door. "We'll be out there on the back porch." He stopped and turned back to her." Since you've brought a plus one and actually thought you'd be staying here, where is he?"

"He's waiting in the car for me. He said he didn't want to impose."

Castle shooed the others out to the porch, told Alexis to take some time with her mother and stuck his head out the back door to let the others know he was going to try to be a decent host. Then he walked out to the town car that brought them to the house and knocked on the car window, wondering what to expect.

"I'm Richard Castle," he said when the door opened. "Sometimes Meredith forgets her manners. Would you like to come in? She's talking to her daughter about the wedding, so you could be out here a while."

An very handsome man with light brown hair stepped out of the town car and shook his hand. "I appreciate that. Sorry to put you in this position. I have an ex and wouldn't want her showing up at this hour with luggage and another man, especially thinking they would spend the night under my roof. This wasn't something I would ever have expected. Oh, now it's my manners lacking. I'm Doug Crawford."

"Good to meet you. We were on the back porch enjoying the peace and quiet before the event planner starts turning the house upside down tomorrow and Sunday. I may abscond to the beach or the pool with my son. He's only eighteen months old, and that much activity in the house…"

"Mine is seven. The ex has custody, but I see him as often as I can. He still reacts that way."

By then they were at the front door, and Castle ushered him to the back of the house and out to the porch with the rest of the family. He was surprised at the friendly, unassuming man Meredith had brought with her.

"This is Doug Crawford, Meredith's guest for the wedding," he told them. And as soon as he heard his mother's response, he understood why Meredith chose to bring him.

"You're Doug Crawford from Family Secrets," she said. "You're good."

"Thank you. You're Martha Rodgers, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Richard is my son. The bride is my granddaughter."

"I'm a big fan, Ms. Rodgers…of your son's books as well."

"Then you'll be pleased to meet the inspiration for Nikki Heat. This is my son's wife, Kate."

Turning to Kate," he said, "Kate Beckett? The extraordinary KB?"

"Kate laughed and said, "His words, not mine. Please have a seat and join us."

As he sat down, he said, "I've hit the jackpot tonight."

They were pleasantly surprised to find that the man was well read, well travelled, well informed, and seemed very down to earth; and conversation flowed easily. He was not what they would have expected Meredith to attract.

As they talked, Alexis took her mother to her room, showed her the finished wedding dress and tried it on for her, letting her help with the veil they had chosen together.

"You look beautiful," Meredith told her, looking sincere. They both ignored the memories of the confrontation over the dress and talked about the wedding and the weekend schedule.

On the back porch, the others gave Doug the same rundown. He had told them that Meredith's information about the weekend had been sparse…which surprised no one.

Alexis had missed that her mother's plus one was waiting for her in the car, so she had taken her time talking to Meredith. A little over an hour after they arrived, Meredith came downstairs with Alexis, effusively chattering about what a beautiful bride her daughter was going to be and being anxious to see her friends again.

When he heard the two women, Castle got up and went back into the house.

Meredith was holding up a page from a memo pad, and said as she rushed out the door, "Alexis gave me the name of the hotel. We'll be going now."

Alexis was watching as her dad went to the back door and told someone, "She's looking for you in the car. I think she's ready to leave now."

Meredith was back in a couple of minutes, and Castle was waiting near the door.

"Where is he? The driver said he came back to the house with you." She looked wary.

"It's been over an hour, Castle pointed out. "Have you ever known me to be a bad enough host to leave someone sitting in a car indefinitely? We've enjoyed his company." Meredith still looked like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop as the others followed Doug into the house.

"Meredith, I've just met Martha Rodgers, Richard Castle, and the inspiration for Nikki Heat." In spite of his own stature as a soap opera heartthrob, he seemed a little star struck.

Then that status moved to Alexis. "Are you… You're Doug Crawford. Grams and I watch Family Secrets. You're Mom's plus one?"

"Yes, I am. You're just as beautiful as the pictures your mother showed me on the plane."

"Thank you," Alexis answered, blushing.

Turning to the others, he added before Meredith took his arm and pulled him away, "It was generous of you to welcome me into your last evening of quiet before the wedding onslaught, and I appreciate the hospitality. We'll see you tomorrow."

Once they were gone, Martha asked, "Well, how did she get her hooks into him? He's actually a genuinely pleasant man. Not a trace of pretension all evening." After a moment, she added, "He even reads."

"I can't help but think it's a ploy to get some attention for herself, but I doubt he'd help if he knew that's what she was planning. He doesn't seem the type. I'll be happy if he just keeps her occupied and away from me."

"Me, too," Kate answered, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You're mine."

"Yes, I am," he responded, pulling her into a one armed hug and kissing the top of her head playfully.

All of them collapsed on the furniture in the living room and lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Martha finally said, "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be here too soon."

"And Jamie will usher it in early," Castle added.

They all agreed but didn't move for another few minutes. Then one by one, they got up and made their way to their rooms.

The weekend would be busy.