127. Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Monday morning on their last day in the Hamptons, the Castles took their time getting up, then they admitted the wisdom of leaving for Manhattan before noon to avoid the worst of the holiday traffic returning to the city. They had packed their bags between dinner and baby making efforts the night before, so they loaded them into the car and stopped at Bernie's for brunch before hitting the road.

"Rick?" Kate said softly as they pulled into the swift flow of traffic.

"Yeah?" he answered, matching the tone of his wife's voice.

"I love our life…Jamie and the rest of the family. I wouldn't be willing to give that up for anything. But I really like just the two of us now and then. This weekend was…"

"A little bit magical?" he asked reaching for her hand. "The two of us just being together…it always feels a little bit magical to me…always has."

"Always." She answered. "That's how it feels. Like it's going to be that way always."

"I think it will. The kids will grow up. Our parents will be gone. You'll retire. We'll be old and gray and wrinkly. But together we'll still be magic."

"I believe you."

Kate checked her iPod for the playlist they had put together. Over the weekend, they did their best to remember the music they had listened to or danced to during their first couple of visits to the Hamptons. It was a short list, but she played it and they reminisced. By the time they got out of the car in the underground garage at the loft, though, they were both anxious to hear the expected energetic, two year old voice gleefully shouting "Mommy! Daddy!" and the big hugs from their son's sweet little arms. They'd even get hugs from the big kids. Alexis and JD were taking the last leg of Jamie duty for the weekend.

When they opened the door of the loft, JD and Jamie were playing with a fire truck. Jamie looked up when the door opened, and his smile could have lit the room. "Mommy! Daddy!" he shouted as he scrambled to his feet and ran to them.

Castle picked him up and swung him up between them, and he and Kate each kissed one of his cheeks simultaneously. Jamie giggled, and his parents were both grinning at the sound.

"My grandparents used to be that happy when I came to visit," JD said as he watched with his arm around his wife's shoulders. "But I can't remember a single time my parents looked that happy to see me."

Alexis wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed in sympathy. "Dad was always that happy to see me," she answered. "But I don't remember anybody else but Grams who was that excited about it. It wasn't quite the same as having a mom to kiss the other cheek like that, though." There was a little pause as they both looked thoughtful. "Until Kate. She and Dad both kissed me that way a couple of times. I'm glad Jamie will always have that."

"Our kids will always have that," JD told her. "They're going to be so loved."

"Yeah, they will," she agreed.

JD planted a little kiss on his wife's lips, appearing to seal their promise.

Kate and Castle hugged Jamie between them, and Jamie used his hand to turn Kate's face toward him. "Mommy kisses," he said, pointing to places all over his face, and she happily obliged as their son laughed. Castle handed his son over to make it easier for Kate, and then he turned and walked toward the kitchen.

"And there are the rest of my children," he thundered, grabbing one of them with each arm as warmly and enthusiastically as he had his toddler. He kissed Alexis's head and patted JD on the back. "Thank you for staying with Jamie. I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"He was fine, Dad. We love him, too, you know," Alexis assured him.

"Kate and I really appreciate your help. Now and then we just need time to…" He looked lovingly at Kate, who was talking to Jamie animatedly.

"We know. Kate's being pulled in a lot of directions right now, isn't she? You and Jamie, and the rest of the family, new job, Lanie's wedding...trying to be all things to all people. And you've been trying to finish your book while you spend the day taking care of Jamie and then worrying about Kate when she comes home so exhausted. Both of you need to just take care of each other now and then. All of us were glad to help."

Castle stopped and looked toward the door. "Hang on. We brought gifts," he said going to their bags and pulling out a couple of wrapped packages. "Open them," he said.

"You didn't have to do this. You don't ask for a whole weekend very often."

"Well, we brought this baby boy into the world, so we're supposed to take care of him. But it's nice to have backup once in a while."

"Eventually we'll have kids, and we'll be looking for backup, too," Alexis answered mischievously as she and JD opened their gifts, and Castle looked shocked. "Not now, Dad. Don't worry," she said, laughing at the expression on his face. "We're not ready yet, but we want that. I just hope we've inherited some of those parenting genes from you and Grandpa John."

"And the good environmental influences from Kate," JD added as she came to join them with Jamie.

"Jamie is a lucky little boy," Alexis agreed. "I love this," she squealed, holding out the beach cover-up they brought her to get a better look.

"We thought it looked like something you might choose. You can use it in the Hamptons sometime this summer, with us or without us, whenever you have the time to go…maybe on a weekend or after your summer classes are over," Kate answered.

"This is that game we were talking about last week, isn't it, Dad?" JD asked, interrupting. "Thanks. I'll try it tonight."

"I bought two of them so both of us could practice before the big showdown," Castle told him with a grin and bumped fists with his son-in-law.

"But you don't need to bring us gifts for staying with the little guy for you. We like spending time with him. He's the only sibling either of us have ever had."

Kate hugged Alexis and JD. "I miss seeing you guys as often as we used to."

"Maybe we can go on another adventure sometime soon," JD suggested. "Granddad would probably want to go again, too. He's still a big kid at heart."

"I'd like that," she answered.

"We're gonna leave now, Kate. I have to register for summer classes early tomorrow," Alexis said.

"Well, come back sometime soon when you can stay for dinner…or just a visit."

"We will."

"And thank you for staying with Jamie."

"Dad already covered that. No problem." JD went to their room and picked up their bags, and they said goodbye to Jamie and went home.

"Just the three of us again," Castle said. "I miss having Alexis here.

"Me, too. We're going to have to part with him someday, too," she said, looking at Jamie sadly.

"Not for a long time, though," Castle answered. "We're still at the bedtime story stage."

Jamie looked concerned and pointed at the window where the sun was still obviously out. "Not bedtime," he said with a sound of protest.

His parents laughed, and Castle said, "No it isn't, but we could still read a book if you want. Want to go get a couple of books from your shelf?"

Jamie squirmed to get down from his father's arms and ran into the study, returning shortly with several of his favorite books. All three Castles sat on the sofa together for story time, all three loving it.

xxxxx

Beckett was back at work on Tuesday morning. From reports when she checked in over the weekend, she knew there was nothing terrible waiting for her, so she made her rounds, checking to see about new cases or new developments on continuing active ones. She updated her notes on a couple of cases, took stock of the new ones, and then returned to her office to work through a few personnel requests for time off during the summer.

Allowing herself a few minutes of down time, she went and got coffee, closed her door, and took out her phone to check on her stressed out best friend.

"Hi, Lanie. How are you holding out?"

"Better than the last time we talked."

"Did your parents get here okay?"

"Yeah, yesterday. They're all settled in their hotel. Mom is over excited, and Dad is trying to contain her. She thinks she should be able to call me at work whenever the spirit moves her, and she apparently escaped Dad for a little while. I've already had one call from her this morning."

"I like your mom. She's always made me feel welcome. She's sweet."

"You think that because she never felt responsible for getting you married off. She likes you, always asks about you. You're impressive, and she has a lot of respect for you. Most of the time I think I've disappointed her."

"Why would she be disappointed in you? Her daughter is a doctor, a well-respected ME. How many mothers can say that?"

"I'm also in my mid-thirties and just getting around to getting married. That's way higher on her list than being a doctor. What I don't get is that she's so excited that I'm marrying a doctor…who does the same job I do, but it's okay for him. He's wonderful. He's handsome, and he's easy to be around, and he's a doctor. But she doesn't understand why I'm still working with dead people. Total double standard. I just want to be married and send her back home. Bradford must roll his eyes every time he sees her phone number come up."

"Bradford makes an excellent living being able to do that and stay calm. And he's really good at it. Some of us work with dead people. Some of us work with way too active live ones."

Lanie laughed. "I needed to hear that. At least my clientele doesn't call me with complaints or ask if I can change something I've already done. It's the detectives that are the pain in the…"

"Hey! Watch it!"

The ME laughed again. "You know I love you anyway. I've got to get back to work now. There's a lot to do before I'm free at the end of the day on Thursday. Thanks for checking in, though. I needed that little shot of girlfriend time."

"Glad it helped. Call if you need a girl's night."

"I will."

Beckett disconnected the call with a smile, got up and opened her door, and went back to her own work.

When she went home that afternoon, she took the large envelope she had used to store the sketch Jamal had given her. In the midst of the end of the month reports and the excitement of time off with Castle, she had forgotten to take it home.

When she got home, her men met her at the door as usual, and Castle said, "Our son has talked me into a short trip to the park. Would you like to go with us, or would you rather order dinner and have some down time while you wait for it here?"

"I'll come with you. If Jamie doesn't get himself too dirty, maybe we can stop somewhere for dinner on the way home."

"Park, Mommy?"

"Yeah, park. Let Mommy change clothes first, though." She changed into jeans and a T-shirt and flat shoes and came back saying, "Let's go."

When they were out of the building, the two parents let Jamie walk between them, Kate holding his hand. Jamie was tall enough now that, when she was wearing flats, he could hold his arm up far enough that she could hold his hand without bending over. Castle was still a bit too tall to do that, so he would generally carry him.

"What do you want to do first when we get to the park, Buddy?" Castle asked as they walked.

"Slide," he answered excitedly. "The big slide."

"Has he been on the big slide before?" Kate asked.

"A couple of times. I always spot him when he's climbing up and then on the way down, and he's handled it pretty well. Always wants to end with the swings, though."

"I did, too," she answered. "I always wanted to see how high I could go before we left."

"I'm sure he'll get there before long, too."

By the time Jamie had scaled the ladder for the larger of the two slides, which wasn't really all that big, and slid rapidly down several times, smiling and laughing all the way, Kate was saying, "I need to apologize to my father again."

"Why?" her husband asked.

"My daredevil tendencies. I must have scared him witless. I always wanted to play on the biggest slides, and whatever you call that thing over there that spins…I'd grab it and run until it was moving as fast as I could make it go and then jump on and enjoy the wind in my hair…and I'd take the swing high enough it felt like I could almost go over the top of the swing set. Just watching Jamie climb that ladder that's so much taller than he is gives me chills. Then he goes down the slide so fast I wonder if I can catch him if something goes wrong."

"Payback is…"

"Yeah. Nice of you to remind me," she answered with narrowed eyes..

Castle laughed and assured her, "We'll live through it."

"You're sure?"

"Your dad is still around, isn't he? I'm still here, and Alexis gave me some concerning moments, too."

"Alexis had daredevil moments?"

"And I did the same thing to Mother when I had the chance. It was the swing thing. Alexis loved the swings…said it felt like she was flying."

Kate grinned. "Yeah. It really did."

They let Jamie play with another little boy for a while longer, and stopped on the way home for Mexican food.

Jamie went for his toys when they returned to the loft, and Castle asked, "What's in the envelope?" when he noticed it next to where Kate had left her purse. She told him about Jamal and his mother and showed him the drawing. "Wow. This is great," Castle said, looking it over carefully. "He even caught that little half smile I love."

"And he did this entirely from memory. I hadn't seen him again since the Patton incident. According to his mom, it's something he does often…part of his talent."

"We're framing this. I'll take it to the art supply store Alexis and I used go to. We kind of haunted the place when she was in school and was constantly doing class projects. They do framing there, too, and teach classes. This drawing is just pencil and sketch paper, but they probably have some kind of fixative they can use so it won't smudge. This kid is really talented."

"He seems like a good kid, and I enjoyed the little bit of time I spent with his mother. I'm gonna have to check closer into the drug situation on that section of street. Mrs. Keaton said the problem started in the past two or three years, but it seems to be confined to a small area. That doesn't sound right."

"No, it doesn't. It looks like it would be reaching farther into the community by now."

"Maybe it is and we just haven't figured out how or where. I plan to talk to the people in narcotics tomorrow."

Kate's phone beeped then, the sound of an incoming text, and she laughed when she read it.

"Girl's night. Tomorrow. 6:00. Old Haunt." There was a crazy looking, wild eyed icon following it.

She had told Rick about her conversation with Lanie earlier in the day, and he laughed, too when she showed it to him. "Looks like Mom escaped Dad again," he said with a grin.

xxxxx

The following day at work was uneventful for Kate. She included Narcotics in her daily travel in the precinct and asked about the small area she was aware had become a haven for drugs.

"We've made some arrests," Detective Santiago answered. "It hasn't made much difference, though. That block has a little pocket of rent controlled apartments, and it looks like the people controlling the drugs got a foothold into some of them. They somehow represented themselves as family when someone died, or in a couple of cases, moved in with somebody, rent controlled or not, who was struggling to stay financially afloat. We think they cultivated that little neighborhood, easing their way in by looking benign and altruistic before they did anything with the drugs. By the time they brought in the drugs, the people they cozied up to and helped financially weren't in a position to cross them, and they managed to scare everybody in the neighborhood into staying out of their business."

"This was on Captain Dohrman's list of problem areas, but only with the mention of drugs. Why does it seem so contained within that neighborhood?"

"We know that what they're supplying has to come from somebody bigger. And it's probably going to bigger fish than the people in that neighborhood and the few blocks around it, but we haven't been able to identify anything yet. This problem started developing gradually a little over two years ago. When they'd established enough fear, and we suspect in some cases enough addiction, to keep the neighbors in line, they could do business the way they wanted without fear of retribution. Everybody's afraid, so nobody over there talks to us. It's like a talking to a brick wall. We get an occasional arrest from within the neighborhood, but we can't catch anything big going in or out. Drives us crazy."

"There has to be something out there we're missing. Let me know if anything new turns up, especially if there's anything I can do to help."

"We will. Thanks."

xxxxx

After work on Wednesday, Kate met Lanie at The Old Haunt for girl's night. They ordered drinks and sandwiches, and Kate let Lanie vent about whatever crossed her mind, making sympathetic sounds in response now and then. When Lanie's rant seemed to have flagged sufficiently, they talked about what she had said and eventually laughed about why some of it ever found its way into her rant. After that, they just talked and laughed, and enjoyed their time together.

"I have to go," Kate said finally. "I promised Rick I'd be home in time to read Jamie a book and help tuck him in."

"I still have trouble believing that Castle has managed to domesticate the extraordinary KB," Lanie answered with a teasing smile.

"And I still have moments when I can't believe how much I love it, but I do."

"Thanks for tonight, Girlfriend. I really needed this."

Two more days, Lanie. Then you'll be married, and you Frank can relax…just the two of you. And I can start to wonder at the fact that somebody has finally managed to domesticate the unattainable Lanie Parish," Kate teased back.

"Touche, Captain Beckett."

They waved at Brian on the way out and hugged one another before parting ways.

Lanie said, "See you Friday night at the rehearsal," as she got into the taxi.

Kate waved and hailed her own cab.

xxxxx

Beckett's workdays went smoothly during the rest of the week, and she hurried home from work on Friday to dress for the wedding rehearsal and dinner.

Being part of a southern family, Lanie's mother insisted on the tradition of having someone else stand in for the bride during the rehearsal, having the bride at the altar only for the actual ceremony. Lanie had other ideas, though.

"Frank and I have talked it over," Lanie told her mother firmly. "We're going through the whole thing ourselves because we'd like to know what we're doing first hand before tomorrow. We're going to ask Kate and Castle to stand in for the vows so we can watch once without being distracted. That's the part we're least familiar with. And Trevor could do with an extra trial run at his ring bearer duties. It's our wedding, and Frank's parents have never even heard of a stand-in for the bride.

"But that's the way everybody in our family has always done it."

"How many times have you reminded me that I don't do things like everybody else, Mom?" she pointed out. "Tell you what. If I break a leg walking down the aisle, or my dress tears, or something, I'll admit your superstitions were right. But it's our rehearsal, and we intend to rehearse together. Discussion over."

"Fine," her mother agreed angrily, and went to complain to one of Lanie's sisters.

Lanie and Frank talked to Bradford, who had apparently heard the whole altercation. "Would you like me to ask the minister to start with the vows and the ring bearer? I can speak to Mr. and Mrs. Castle for you and have things running in just a few minutes," he said. "Then we can start from the beginning.

"That would be great," Lanie told him. "Frank and I will be right here."

In short order, Kate was at the end of the aisle with Lanie's father and Rick was at the altar with the minister. Lanie's father walked her down the aisle and stopped to playfully kiss Kate's cheek before stepping back to allow her to stand next to Castle. He answered the minister, saying that he and her mother were giving away the bride and walked back to sit with his wife. Kate slid her hand around her husband's elbow, and he looked over at her affectionately, placing his hand over hers. The minister skipped right to the questions and vows, to which the Castles gave the correct answers as if they were repeating their own vows."

Lanie leaned over to Frank and said, "They're looking at each other exactly the way they did the day they were married. Do you think we'll be looking at each other that way almost five years from now?"

"I think I'll be looking at you like that. I hope you'll be looking at me the same way." He leaned down and kissed her and then smiled mischievously. "Just a little encouragement," he explained.

They had given their rings to Bradford to tie on the ring bearer's pillow, and Lanie's little nephew handled his job quite well. The already married couple, in turn, took their own rings from the pillow when instructed and returned them to each other's fingers, repeating the old traditional vows as lovingly as they had at their own wedding. When Bradford motioned them to walk out down the aisle, Castle said, "No. He forgot something. Nobody has said "You may kiss the bride.'" Before anyone could say it, he took Kate in his arms and planted a kiss that was church appropriate but a bit lengthy on his wife's lips; then he grinned and said, "Okay we'll go now." There was some applause and laughter and a couple of approving shouts before Bradford got things quickly back on track to start from the beginning with the entire wedding party.

Castle had been asked to be an usher, and Bradford started with seating the parents. Lanie's mother had taken Castle's small delay well and took Castle's arm to be escorted to her seat. On the way he said, "Sometimes I get a little goofy. I love my wife and hate missing an opportunity to kiss her."

"I could see that, Mr. Castle."

"Call me Rick. And I hope my little outburst didn't upset you. I do know a wedding is a serious thing."

"I could see that, too…Rick."

"Good. I'd better get out of the way before Bradford feels the needs to take me to task for loitering."

Mrs. Parish chuckled. "You behave yourself at my baby's wedding, young man."

"Yes Ma'am," he answered with a charming smile, and Mrs. Parish sat down looking amused. Then Frank's parents were seated, and the best man entered with the groom, the ushers joined them and attention turned to the bride. Lanie's sisters were the bridesmaids and followed the flower girl, Lanie's four year old niece. Bradford watched like a hawk, making sure everyone was in the right place. Kate followed them and then Lanie's father walked her down the aisle, reproducing exactly what he had done with Kate earlier, except for the soft, fatherly smile he bestowed upon his daughter before they started their walk. After the second time through the rehearsal, Frank made the same complaint Castle had made and kissed his bride anyway before moving on. Then the couple properly followed instructions, accompanied by the pleased grins on the faces of the bride and groom and applause, calls, and laughter from the others.

Everything from there went smoothly, and the wedding party reassembled at a nearby hotel for the rehearsal dinner. Lanie's mother, who had adopted her daughter's motherless friend into her heart years before, was already adopting the charming man who had obviously made Kate so happy. The Castles enjoyed Lanie's sisters and their spouses and children as well as Frank's parents and brothers; and the following day, the wedding party had a good feel of camaraderie that hadn't been as strong at the rehearsal.

Lanie and Frank's wedding was a joyous event. Both families worked within the bounds of tradition for the ceremony, but without it seeming stuffy. Alexis and Martha both attended the wedding, and JD and his grandfather stayed at the loft with Jamie. Castle admired his wife as she walked down the aisle ahead of her best friend. Then Lanie appeared at the entrance of the sanctuary with her father, looking absolutely beautiful and a little bit shy, something Castle never expected to see from Lanie. Frank looked like he might explode with love and pride and looked at no one else until his bride stood beside him. Then they both faced the minister.

Their vows were said without a single stumble, the rings were exchanged, and the minister remembered to say that Frank could kiss the bride, bringing amused smiles from the wedding party. The wedding party led people from the church, and Bradford sent the congregation to the reception while pictures were made.

The reception brought out the gregarious nature of both families, and everyone enjoyed it. Mrs. Parish found Kate sitting at her table while Castle danced with one of Lanie's sisters. "You look happy, Kate. It's good to see," she noted, sitting down next to her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Parish. It's good to feel, too."

"I suspect that man you're watching has had a lot to do with that. The two of you looked like you were renewing your own vows at the rehearsal."

"We weren't trying to steal anybody else's thunder, but it did kind of feel that way. Lanie looks perfect today. The two of you chose a beautiful dress for her."

"Thanks for being on the other end of the phone and all the pictures we sent you. I know Lanie would rather have been shopping with you."

"She told me later that week that she'd had fun shopping with you, and I still got a little of a feel of having some input. It worked the way it was supposed to."

"My little girl married a doctor, Kate," she sort of half squealed.

"Your little girl is a doctor herself, you know."

"But she works on dead people."

"My job involves dead people, too. Lanie and I have both been out in the middle of many a night communing over a dead body. And Frank does the same job your daughter does."

"What makes two young women as beautiful as the two of you want jobs like that?"

"Because we want to make a difference to families who have lost loved ones. What Lanie does is really important. There are cases I've worked where something your daughter discovered was the link that solved the case…kept a murderer from going free. Over the years, two of those cases involved serial killers, so she prevented other families from suffering the trauma of losing someone they love. And she's very good at her job…well-respected. Her conclusions are almost never questioned because the rare times that they were questioned and reviewed, they were found to be absolutely valid. If most of the detectives at the twelfth could choose who they would want to work with on their cases, Lanie would be at the top of the list because she's so conscientious about her work. We can always count on what she tells us. Frank is really good, too; but I've known Lanie long enough to be completely comfortable with the way she works.

"My baby stopped serial killers?"

"Not exactly wedding conversation, I know, but yes. She made the difference in solving those cases."

"I guess I never thought of her job like that before."

Castle returned from the dance floor then and asked if Kate was ready to dance with him. Mrs. Parish said, "Get out there and enjoy dancing with your man. I see how happy you make each other. He's definitely a keeper. You know, I might find Laurence and get him on the dance floor, too. We don't do that often enough." Smoothing her dress as she stood, she added with a mischievous little twinkle in her eye, "We watch TV way too much. I might have to work on that."

"I think we just got a glimpse of where Lanie gets some of her sass," Castle said with a smile as he led his wife to the dance floor.

"Oh, yeah. You should see her organizing a dinner with the whole family there. It's like a drill sergeant with Lanie's snark and sense of humor. It was great."

Castle pulled his wife close to him for the slow music that was playing, and they talked with their faces close together.

"I feel like we should have a honeymoon night," he said with his little smirk. "Last night felt kind of like we renewed our vows."

"It did," Kate agreed. "I might be feeling a little honeymoonish myself."

"Then we need a plan," Castle answered conspiratorially. "How long do you think Lanie and Frank will be hanging out here?"

"Not too much longer. They have a room here at the hotel for tonight, and a flight out early tomorrow morning."

"Then we can wait about ten minutes after they leave, tell Mother and Alexis we're going home and get them in the car. That gets us home at a decent hour for Alexis and JD to drop John off at his place, and Jamie should already be asleep."

"That only leaves your mother."

"We'll ply her with wine. Or we could just tell her we're going to go and work on her second granddaughter. She wouldn't mind either way."

"But I would. We'll try the wine first." They were both laughing by then.

They danced a few more dances before Lanie came to let Kate know she was leaving, and to thank her for all the backup during the week; and the bride hugged both of them before she left. Kate and Castle synchronized their watches as soon as the rice was thrown, made their rounds of the two families, speaking to as many of them as they could as Martha and Alexis did the same, and they all eased out the door and toward home.

As they expected, JD and Alexis were ready to leave after a little small talk about the wedding and took John with them, which only left Martha.

"Mother why don't you pour all of us some wine. We're going to look in on Jamie."

When they came back downstairs, Martha gave them a knowing look. "Your wine is on the counter, and you're free to do what you please. I'm going to bed." She turned back on the stairs, holding her generously filled wine glass and looking pleased with herself, saying, "Oh, and Richard…using your sleeping son as an excuse for a little make out session? Really? That lipstick on your mouth isn't really your color, you know."

Kate dropped her forehead to his chest as Martha sashayed up the stairs, and Castle said softly to his wife, "I thought you started using the no smear kind."

"I didn't have any of it in the right color for my dress."

"I don't care what she thinks. Do you care?"

She giggled and said, "No. Come on. Maybe we can find a place for what's left of that lipstick where she isn't going to see it."