137. Chapter 137

Chapter 137

"'Morning, Stud," Kate whispered flirtatiously as she nuzzled her husband's neck.

"Mmmmf… Too early to wake up." Castle muttered. With a sleepy little smirk, he mumbled, "Very lucky last night."

She giggled and said, "Me, too." Then she stretched over to kiss his smirk and sighed before getting up. "Not so lucky this morning, though. Dad and Meagan will be here in about half an hour. Time to get ready for work."

With a long groan, Castle swung his legs over the side of the bed and dragged himself out. "Do I at least get to join you in the shower?"

"No time to play this morning, but you're good company…and not bad to look at, either." She gave him her own little smirk over her shoulder.

Walking behind her, he smiled with masculine pride and answered, "I've got a pretty good view from here myself."

They were dressed for work by the time Jim and Meagan arrived and had Jamie in a good mood, dressed for the day, and his breakfast ready.

"Granddaddy!" Jamie squealed, and Jim scooped him up when the toddler ran to him.

Looking directly at the little boy, Jim said, "Go to work, Katie. My grandson and I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Me, too," Meagan added. "Shoo."

"Do Mommy and Daddy get a kiss?" Kate asked Jamie.

Their son's satisfaction at staying with Granddaddy was evident when he only leaned from Jim's arms and smacked kisses on their cheeks. No effort was made to get to his parents' arms.

Jim looked at them smugly. "See? He's happy with Granddaddy. Go to work."

On the way to their car, Kate kind of whimpered, "I should be happy that Jamie's so content with Dad, but I might feel a little sad that he didn't even look like he cared when we left."

"Would you rather see him cry because we were leaving?" Castle teased.

"No," she answered emphatically and bumped her shoulder into his. "Of course not."

"Then kiss your husband, get in the car, and stop imagining that your son doesn't love you enough.

She kissed her husband thoroughly, he swatted her bottom when she turned to get in, and they shared a smile as they buckled up.

"You're kind of feisty this morning," she remarked.

"And you love it."

"Yep. I admit it," she answered, making her husband grin as he backed out of the parking space. "The thing with Dad… I know it's silly," she said in her own defense. "But I love our baby so much, and..."

"Me, too, but you know who he runs to when we get back home. Letting us leave so easily means he's secure. He knows he can count on us. Between the case Jim was working on and their trip to visit Meagan's family in Iowa, he hasn't seen his granddaddy in a month. And you know he and Jim are best buddies. They're just rebonding."

"Yeah. I don't think even dad knew how much he wanted a little boy to hang out with. I'm not sure you knew you did, either. For a guy who was afraid he wouldn't know how to raise a little boy, it looks to me like you're doing a great job and loving it."

"What can I say? You were right again. Some days I'm still not so sure; but Alexis lived through a lot more new dad insecurity than Jamie has, and she seems fine. I think our boy has a good chance, too." There was a little pause before he said, "Your dad still says he'll help me figure out my way around a baseball. We've tossed one back and forth a few times at the beach."

"You have? How did I miss that?" she asked.

"'Cause I wanted you to." There was another short pause, and he said quietly, "I'm not very good at it."

"I could help, you know…if it's something you really want to do."

He didn't respond for a long moment, then he finally said, "I know you would. It just isn't something a grown man…" and his voice trailed off again.

After another moment she asked, "Something a man doesn't want to learn from his wife?"

"Yeah. Sounds stupid, I know."

"No, it doesn't. But where were you supposed to learn something like that…backstage at rehearsals...risking the demise of props and flats? Rick, you don't have to know how to play sports to be a good father to a son. There are a lot of guys who play a great game of baseball, but don't make such good fathers…or have twenty some books that made the bestseller list. Dad cares about you the same way you care about JD. He likes spending time with you, and he'd be happy to help you with anything. But he'd also be happy to teach Jamie about baseball himself. It could be their thing. If Jamie decides he likes sports, we'll learn the rules of whatever game he plays and go to the games to back him up. Sports teams need people in the stands. That can be us. But don't sell yourself short. Last weekend you were teaching him to swim and running with him on the beach, and you take him to the park and play with him. When he's big enough to hold the gun, you can teach him to play laser tag, and when he's old enough, you can take him to fencing classes like you did with Alexis."

"I am good at those things," Castle answered, feeling a little redemption at the thought.

"Yeah. How many teenage boys can say their dad taught them how swordfight? You'll be the cool dad again." Looking over at him, she mentioned, "You know, I've never seen you use those swords. Will you teach me?"

"Don't know if I want to," he teased. "You might end up beating my butt at that, too."

She laughed and answered, "Okay we'll leave the swords for you and the kids…as odd as that sounds. I'll stay out of it."

"No. Maybe later on. It might be fun. Just let me get past the sports trauma first, okay? Sometimes I feel like I should be…um…manlier?"

"You were very manly last night." After following her statement with a flirtatious glance in his direction, she said, "You might be a little metrosexual, but when the chips are down, you're pretty manly…tackling a hitman and punching him out...remember that? The FBI calls you in on cases and trusts you in the field. What set you off about baseball in particular?"

"I...I guess it seemed important to you and your dad. I just…" He heaved a deep sigh and answered, "I don't know. Your dad taught you. I didn't want to seem… I didn't want him to… "

"Richard Castle, you have never disappointed my father…not once. Our entire cobbled together little family knows you're the center of its strength. None of us care one whit whether you can play baseball, and every one of us knows how much you'd do to protect us. I've seen it firsthand. You have nothing to prove to me, or to anybody in our family. You know that, don't you?"

"You're defending me from myself again." He grabbed her hand and kissed it before he had to turn into the parking space at the precinct. "Best wife in the world," he declared.

"Gotta try to keep up when I've got the best husband."

"God I love you." Taking the key from the ignition he leaned to kiss her before they had to go into the precinct and behave themselves all day. "Thanks for soothing my unsettled ego," he said as they met in front of the car."

"You've done the same for me more than once. I think we take pretty good care of each other."

He smiled at her lovingly and answered, "Me, too." Then he put his hand at her back as they walked into the precinct, speaking to Sergeant Wesley and Officer Chappell on the way in.

xxxxx

After stopping for Beckett to check her mailbox, they went directly to the FBI's war room.

Jordan Shaw appeared to be in a good mood. "Morning, Castle. Beckett, are you ready to help dash any hopes Ricci might have of ever seeing the outside of a jail cell again?"

"I know what we have is enough, but you look like we might have more than we did when I left yesterday," Beckett responded.

"That's because we do."

"Do we have more on the armed man at the second house?"

"We do. His ID says Pietro Bruno, but his prints say Giacomo Moretti. No record of legal entry into the country for him, either. Pietro Bruno showed up in the USA at the same time and under the same circumstances as Alessandro Cancio."

"Moretti. We found that name connected to Ricci," Castle said, looking excited. "Did you find an American connection?"

"The American is Nelson Brock. He has a shady past, but he's managed to keep a low profile…until now."

"That's another name we found. There was nothing solid, but we thought he might have had some connection to those fraudulent businesses." Castle replied.

"And you were right. He did."

"What about the houses?" Beckett asked.

Ryan and Esposito joined them then and waited for more answers about what they had heard as they walked in.

"We traced the corporation through four other shell companies before we got to the source and found the owners. Their company was incorporated as a temp service in Portland Maine, but I'm about one hundred per cent certain it's never provided any temporary office workers. It owns residential properties in every city where they have a franchise…all in places where access isn't too noticeable to neighbors during the day."

"Who owns it?" Castle was anxious to hear the new information.

"You ready?" the FBI agent teased.

"Jordan!" Castle and Beckett all but whined at the same time, and the boys snickered.

Jordan grinned. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Nelson Brock, Pietro Bruno…and…Alessandro Cancio."

"Does that mean they're running this whole operation?" Esposito asked.

"Looks like it. As soon as we knew about other franchise operations, we sent agents to investigate; and we got a lot of good information and a couple of breakthroughs from other cities after you left yesterday. Things are coming together on a much larger scale now. I'll start with the bullet points; and Beckett, after you've had time to get your precinct duties covered, we'll sit down in your office and talk through it before we talk to Ricci and Moretti."

Castle sat down, and Beckett sat next to him, saying to Shaw, "You have my undivided attention."

"I'll bet I have Castle's, too," Jordan answered with a mischievous smile.

Castle turned to his wife and commented drily, "This must be good. You know, for a tough, stoic FBI agent, she sounds almost giddy."

Shaw narrowed her eyes at the writer and answered, "I don't do giddy…but I'll admit to excited. It's good."

"She's going to break into a happy dance any minute," he continued.

"Pushing your luck there, Castle," Shaw warned. Castle mimed zipping his lips and she began.

"Point one: The three other franchises we learned about right after I got here.

o Agents in all three of those cities took the owners and managers in for questioning; and while the women who work for them were free to talk without interference, other agents interviewed them individually. They gave us some good information.

o The women who were sold to them all described the same kidnapping MO and identified Ricci and Moretti from a sizable photo array.

o When one of the owners realized the FBI and federal charges were involved, he told the same story about being threatened into the franchise and gave us the names of the men who set it up for him. We also got the names of a couple of other franchise services and their owners. And some of the managers eventually opened up and talked.

o Agents were sent to those other franchises, one group led to identification of another, and right now we have fourteen escort services falling like dominos from DC to Maine. People are still being arrested, and women are still being interviewed; so there may be more information coming in later. Raids and warrants are being carried out as we speak.

"Point two: The American Connection

o As you and the detectives suspected, Castle, Brock was involved in the fraudulent businesses in Italy. Brock's name wasn't actually connected as an owner or participant, but his money was funneled in initially; so it's probably a safe bet that he claimed some of the profits.

o After seeing that Ricci was willing to work outside the law, Brock probably helped him when the threats against him seemed to have some merit. We haven't found proof yet, but we're assuming that Brock arranged stolen identities for Ricci and Moretti. While we look into that, top priority is still the kidnapping and abuse of these women and the people who provided the purchase arrangements and transportation.

o We've requested the corporation's financial records We assume that Brock, Ricci, and Moretti accept payment from the corporation for their services and split the hefty franchise royalties as well. And these are very profitable businesses.

"Point three: Ricci, Moretti and Brock

o Ricci has spent most of his adult life charming women to get what he wanted or needed, so he's the first line of supply. He can still generate his suave, old money vibe. He identifies young, attractive women with flirty, outgoing personalities and then charms them into having an innocent coffee date with an older man.

o Moretti is the muscle to Ricci's charm. He can be trusted to intimidate the women without hurting them.

o Brock is in charge of the business contacts. He has a network of enforcers who work with the people who make the threats and set up the franchises. Interviews with some of the women indicate that he enjoys being part of the initial "training". He generally likes to stay out of sight and let other people do his dirty work, but the rapes put him where he can be identified. That may help us.

"He should be shot," Castle muttered angrily.

"Can't argue with that," Shaw agreed. "We've worked our way up the chain to Brock's general manager, and we're looking for whoever oversees the purchases and transportation of the women and arranges for whatever drugs the franchises request. We have Ricci and Moretti here, and agents picked up Brock early this morning in Portland, Maine. With any luck, we could be winding down the operation here in a couple of days and be out of your way."

Castle and Beckett sat in stunned silence for a moment. After the non-stop action of the past week, all the progress made during one night was a bit overwhelming.

"I'll be going to Portland tonight to sit in on Brock's interrogation," Shaw told them. "But I'll be back tomorrow afternoon and should have a good assessment of where we stand by then."

"Since we're already here, how can we help?" Ryan asked.

"There's a lot still coming in, some of it with loose ends to tie up. Not necessarily exciting, but it has to be done, and you know how it all connects."

"Whatever you need," Castle answered.

After her precinct business was taken care of and Beckett and Shaw had taken time to confer about their new information, Beckett had Ricci delivered to Interrogation One; and the two women entered the room together. They had worked together enough during several cases that they were able to play off each other easily, and they had decided ahead of time to tag team Ricci in hopes of throwing him off his game.

Both women sat down across the table from him without saying a word. Shaw dropped a thick file on the desk and opened it; and Ricci watched them, seeming to be assessing the enemy.

"Mr. Ricci," Shaw opened. "Currently, are there any other women being held either here or in anyplace other than New York City?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. And I've told you, you're mistaken. I'm sure you have my ID with my personal property. As you can see, I'm Alessandro Cancio," he argued.

"We did see that, but your fingerprints came back from the Italian police identifying you as Francesco Ricci. How do you explain that?"

"A mistake," he responded smoothly.

"The thing is," Beckett challenged, "that after a thorough search of birth records, the only birth certificate found for an Alessandro Cancio who should be your age is for someone who also has a certificate of death. The parents of record on that birth certificate verified that their son died of leukemia at age nine. You're using a Social Security number, driver's license, and passport illegally obtained with that birth certificate."

Ricci sat stoically. "Are you saying you intend to have me deported?" he challenged.

"We could. There's nothing to show that you entered the country legally. But, no. You're in much more trouble than that. We intercepted the delivery of twenty women, five from New York City and fifteen from Boston, all of whom told the same story of being kidnapped by the man in these sketches." Shaw fanned out the twenty sketches of Ricci and pushed them toward him. "This man lured them to a coffee shop, drugged them, and held them hostage along with other young women, some of them still teenagers. After being held for a while, they were transported to a middle man who sold them to an escort service. You're involved in human trafficking, Mr. Ricci."

"We caught you red handed in the coffee shop this morning, ready to kidnap another young woman." Beckett added. "She's seventeen...still in high school. Your prints are on the cup of drugged coffee you handed the young woman in our presence."

Taking a deep breath and returning to his former smooth delivery, he answered, "All you saw was an older man giving in to an impulsive desire to be with a younger woman. Granted, it was not my finest moment; but as you said, she's seventeen, and therefore old enough to consent."

Shaw shot back, "No one is the age of consent when they're intentionally drugged beforehand. You had the drug with you. Our people can document that you approached five young women before one of them took you up on your offer of coffee, and we found residue of the drug in the discarded container you used to dispense it. Your fingerprints were on that as well. The store's security cameras show you enter with the teenager, order the coffee, and put the drug in the cup through the spout in the lid."

"And what are the charges?" His smooth, confident demeanor was beginning to slip. "None of that says I kidnapped multiple women. Michelle, the young woman this morning, is safe and unharmed."

Beckett chimed in again, and she and Shaw took turns presenting their information. "You never used the same coffee shop twice, but we've found five that you used here in the city. We have surveillance footage showing you with five of the kidnapped women, all of whom looked fine when they walked in with you, and two showing you dispensing something into their coffee the same way you did this morning…same unusual dispenser used. So this morning wasn't a sudden lapse of good judgment."

"You have no proof that it wasn't a coffee flavoring," he argued.

"But we do have the exact times you and a young woman you represented as a sick relative were picked up by a cab driver. Each driver remembers you with a woman who looked…the favorite expression was 'out of it'. All five drivers delivered you to the same address, and all of the pickups were within a very short time after you left the coffee shops."

"You moved your center of operations to another house this week; and, along with Giacomo Moretti, we've picked up the three women you were holding there."

"I don't know a Giacomo Moretti."

"Pietro Bruno…appeared in the United States at the same time and under the same circumstances as you. Fingerprints identified him as Giacomo Moretti. And as many pictures as we found of social events where you're drinking, or schmoozing, or entertaining women together, we find it hard to believe you don't know him from your youth. A couple of bad boys from wealthy, well-respected families. One of the drivers said Moretti came out to help you get the woman with you inside the house. The sketch he helped us create matches the man we picked up this morning." The sketch and Moretti's mug shot were pushed over to Ricci.

"The first house has been processed and searched, and we found your fingerprints as well as Moretti's and those of all twenty kidnapped women. That adds another level to your involvement. And we should have the results from the second house any minute."

"A woman who escaped from an escort service in Boston told us the same story, so I sent agents to look into the cab companies there. We've closed that franchise and identified a number of other women who had the same experience in Baltimore and also identified you and Moretti from a large array of photos," Shaw continued. "We have documented evidence that all of those women were sold to the franchised escort service. That charge is human trafficking."

Ricci was getting progressively angrier. "I never sold women to escort services."

"No. You sold them to a middleman who then sold them to escort services." Jordan answered.

"I have never sold women. I provide a service and collect a fee for the service."

Beckett interrupted, "You kidnapped unsuspecting women and accepted money when you handed them over to someone you knew would sell them to escort services and abuse them badly until they complied. That's human trafficking."

"How would I know they would be sold for that purpose?"

"Because you're part owner of the company that runs the escort services that buy them. You get a fee for the kidnapping, and your share of the royalties from the franchisees. Which means you and your partners…including Nelson Brock, who we also have in custody, by the way…knew about every step in the process, from kidnapping women to transporting them, from supplying unwilling women to be escorts/prostitutes to using serial rape as part of their indoctrination into prostitution."

"Where are you getting this fantasy?"

"We've done our homework," Jordan answered. Your arrogance had you convinced we'd never figure it all out, but we did."

Beckett took over again. "We know all of it…your break with your family, your parasitic relationships with wealthy women, the threats from the father of the last one, your escape from Italy to get away from the threats, the incorporation of your temp service to hide your brothel, the strong arm tactics to convince other successful escort services they should franchise their businesses with you and your partners, and the scheme to supply women and drugs to the franchises.

"If you have all that documented, why even bother to talk to me?"

"For any information about ongoing operations, to see if there are other women being held who haven't been sold yet. We'd like to help them if possible."

"So you're offering a deal for information?"

"These are serious federal charges, Mr. Ricci," Jordan reminded him, "and you're in them up to your neck. We have documented evidence against you and have no need to offer you a deal. We have you and your partners in custody. We know where all the company owned houses are, and agents are searching every one of them. But we would appreciate your help in finding any other women who may be between the kidnapping and delivery phase."

"Go to hell!" he answered.

"I think his fine manners are slipping," Beckett said to Jordan.

"I believe you're right," Jordan answered.

"I want a lawyer now," Ricci responded, and then spit out a lengthy and nasty sounding, misogynistic rant in Italian, adding some rather crude remarks about Shaw and Beckett specifically.

In excellent Italian, Beckett told him calmly, "I don't care what someone like you thinks of me. I know who I am and what I'm worth. You started life with all the love and support you needed and threw it away…perverted every advantage that life gave you and grew up to become a sleazy, slimy, slave trader and drug dealer. If you have an attorney here in town, write the information here. Otherwise, we can arrange for a public defender. An officer will be in for you in a few minutes." She left a yellow legal pad and a pen in front of a shocked Ricci, and Jordan Shaw rose and followed her without a word.

"You've impressed me again," Jordan said, glancing over at Beckett. "I don't think he saw the Italian coming."

Beckett answered with a little grin, "It didn't look like he did."

"What did he say?"

"Apparently, in spite of his old money, old world manners and wardrobe and his ability to charm females of our species, he actually hates women. He said those girlfriends of his deserved to be taken advantage of for using him…and that the women he kidnapped were no better. They caught a hint of money and connections and agreed right away to have coffee with him. Apparently all females are losers and are meant to be used…and he had some particularly rude, crude things to say about the two of us."

"Considering the source and what we're doing to put him away, that almost makes me proud. And what did you say?"

Beckett told her, Shaw said he deserved it, and they walked back to work where there were men who actually appreciated them. They would deal with Moretti before lunch and see what new, incoming information they might have before then.

Shaw and Beckett took time to review information that had come in while they were speaking to Ricci. Then they had Moretti brought in. He wasn't as polished as Ricci could be and wasn't much more help than the other man had been, either. The two women questioning him engaged in the same back and forth as before and repeatedly negated his answers with solid evidence; and it did rattle him enough for a moment that he let another name slip in relation to the transportation of drugs and women. After that mistake, he asked for a lawyer, but his interrogators suspected the name he dropped could be one that would coordinate several other pieces of information and could provide another breakthrough.

Checking in the FBI's headquarters at the fifteenth again, they found Castle and the boys adding new evidence to what they already had to tie up the loose ends Jordan had spoken of. When Shaw mentioned the name and small amount of information Moretti had given them and their suspicions as to where the man might fit in, Ryan and Castle looked at each other and began to shuffle papers as if looking for something.

"Got it!" Castle exclaimed, holding up a couple of pages, and Ryan gave a similar response within seconds. Each of them circled sections on the pages they had pulled out, and handed them to Jordan. Beckett read over Jordan's shoulder, and victorious smiles appeared on both their faces. Jordan was immediately on the phone ordering agents in Portland to arrange warrants to arrest the man who was named and search his business and properties, and it looked like the transportation network would now be falling as fast as the franchises. In the celebratory atmosphere in the war room, the new information was given to the techs and fed into the computer for follow up.

"My plane to Portland leaves in two hours," Jordan announced to the room. I'll interrogate Brock, see if the agents there have anything new for us, get some sleep, and be back here first thing tomorrow morning. Kate, if this trip goes the way I think it will, we can probably be out of your hair by day after tomorrow, and you can get your precinct back to normal."

"No offense intended, Jordan. I love working with all of you, but yeah. That would be great."

Jordan left shortly after that, and Beckett and her team announced that they were going out for lunch. They decided on pizza at a place about a block away and relaxed, knowing things would be back to normal soon, their new normal.

"It was good working together again," Ryan said, grabbing his second slice of pizza.

"Yeah, it was," Castle answered. "I do miss being in the thick of things sometimes," he admitted.

"How are you holding out being Mr. Mom?" Esposito asked. "You've got a great kid."

"Thanks. It's good," Castle answered. "It's a trade-off. At first I missed having the time at the precinct, but I get to experience a part of my son's life I couldn't have if I weren't at home. My kids will come first every time. My day job can be done from anywhere, so I have the option to be there; and I never wanted nannies for Alexis, either. We come and take Kate to lunch now and then during the week so we get to see Mommy during the day sometimes, too."

"Speaking of kids, you should have one any minute, Ryan. How are you and Jenny holding out?" Kate asked.

"Nervous, scared, excited. I want to hold my daughter…actually see her, know she's really okay, you know."

"It's the most awesome feeling in the world," Castle assured him. "The second time was just as awesome as the first…and a lot more fun, because Beckett was ready to share all of it…even the dirty diapers." Turning back to Ryan, he added, "Sorry, but dirty diapers aren't awesome…unless you're using the old, original intent of the word."

"Jenny's due date is tomorrow, but we've been afraid to count on it being accurate. We don't want our baby born in the back of a cab or anything."

"Man, if it came to delivering the baby or getting her there in time for the doctor, I'd get her in the cruiser, turn on the lights and siren and take to the sidewalks if I had to." Esposito stated as if he meant it.

Everybody laughed, and Kate said, "Poor Maria. When she has a little Esposito, we'll all have to take turns hanging out with her so Javi doesn't traumatize her more than the contractions will."

A few minutes later, Ryan's phone rang. He answered and listened wide-eyed, then he got up and told them. Jenny's with her mother. Her water just broke. I'm going to meet them at the hospital."

"Call us when you can," Kate answered as he hurried out.

The remaining three finished their pizza, talked a few more minutes, and walked back to the precinct, excited for Ryan and enjoying the last vestiges of their short reinstatement as a team.

Castle and Esposito continued their work at coordinating new information with old, Beckett made her precinct rounds, and Avery came in to take over after Jordan left. By late afternoon, Beckett had called Chief Dawson with an update and had a start on the statements and reports she needed for both Jordan Shaw and NYPD. Avery sent Castle and Esposito home at four, telling them to call in the next morning to see if they were needed after Jordan returned.

Castle went to Beckett's office to wait for her there. "Hey, Beautiful. How's it going in here?"

"Slow and boring, Handsome. More paperwork."

"Reports?" he asked, and she nodded as she typed the end of the sentence.

"I could do better than playing Angry Birds and staring," he offered. "I still type a lot faster than you do, and I haven't helped you with your paperwork in a long time."

Kate slumped back in her chair and said, "That would be wonderful."

"Move another chair over here and let me have yours. Then all you have to do is dictate."

"I've been trying to keep up with the paperwork, but FBI assignment or not, I have to get the NYPD reports in on time, and Jordan needs statements and reports. And I'm so tired I can't think straight."

She stood, and Castle checked the area around her office before putting his arms around her and kissing the side of her head closest to him. He followed with a quick peck on her lips and pulled one of the arm chairs over next to her desk. "Sit down, relax, and start talking," he told her. Before long she was verbally creating her report and his fingers were flying across the keys fast enough to keep up. He typed a couple of statements and then gave all of it to her to proofread. She marked the report, and he made the edits as she proofed the statements. The typing was done, and all the corrections were made in half the time it would have taken her on her own.

"You're a good guy to have around, Mr. Castle."

"I just want to take my wife home with me, Mrs. Castle."

"Thanks for the help. Your wife wants to go home, too." She stopped and spoke to Sergeant Wesley before leaving the precinct a little early. "Call if anything comes up, and I'll turn around and come right back," she told him."

"Go home, Captain," Wesley answered. We know where to find you if it's important."

"See you tomorrow." When they left the building, she turned to her husband and said, "I can't wait to get home." Then she looped her arm around his and leaned into his side as they walked to their car.

When they got back to the loft, the living room was empty, but there were voices coming from the study.

"Dad," she called from just inside the door, "Give me back my baby."

Jamie came flying out of the study and plowed into his parents' legs, holding on to them; and Castle picked him up and held him where they could plant simultaneous kisses on each of his cheeks as he giggled and squirmed. When the noisy greeting was over, Kate looked up to see her father leaning against the study door smiling with Meagan standing next to him doing the same.

"Want to show us what you and Granddaddy and Meagan were doing?"

"Uh-huh. Down, Daddy." Castle put him back on the floor and he and Kate followed as their son pulled on their hands."

They talked to Jim and Meagan as they played with Jamie. Castle ordered food for all of them, and they had another nice family dinner with their helpful relatives, catching up on what they had all been doing for the past few weeks before the older couple went home.

When they were alone with their little boy again, Kate took Jamie to start his bath, and Castle came in a little later to share in their play time. Then they got him ready for bed and all piled into the rocking chair for story time. In the middle of the second book, their son's head was resting heavily on his mother's shoulder, and his breathing had evened out in sleep. Kate eased out of Castle's lap and put Jamie in his bed, leaning over to kiss his head gently. Castle was right behind her and did the same. They stood at the door for a long moment watching him sleep before they went downstairs.

"Do you want a glass of wine before bed," Castle asked.

"No. I think just a glass of water, some serious cuddling, and then a good night's sleep. All the stress and drama at the precinct could be over in another day or two. I really like working with Jordan, but she always brings a lot of stress with her."

Castle chuckled. "No argument there." He handed Kate a glass of cold water and let her drink some of it before he suggested, "We could start the cuddling right here." Taking the water and putting the glass on the counter, he took her into a close embrace.

She wrapped her arms around him and sighed contentedly. "Vertical cuddling, shower, horizontal cuddling, and sleep?"

"Sounds good to me," he answered then planted a kiss on her head and backed her toward their room.