Archive of Our Own

September 2013

Happy Birthday for TXMedic!

Kevin clutched the first-edition Patterson novel he'd borrowed from Castle's extensive library and waited glumly for said writer to finish fluffing his hair, so they could depart. Beckett was currently bogged down at the precinct with a fresh murder, meaning that she couldn't come home to watch them while Castle was at his umpteenth book signing of the month. Kevin had never really paid attention to how often the writer was absent from stalking them all at the Twelfth each fall, but it hadn't seemed like he was perpetually promoting his newest Nikki Heat novel, as it did this year.

"Okay, guys," said their adoptive father, a bit breathlessly, as he joined Kevin and Javier near the front door. "You have something to keep yourselves entertained for a couple of hours?"

"Devising brilliant payback schemes takes time," groused Javier. "I'm sure it'll keep me plenty busy." The newly cursed six-year-old gave the writer a dark, appraising look before deliberately tapping a few times on the screen of his smart phone. Castle gave him a pained smile and wisely left the Hispanic boy alone. Kevin snickered, since from his position he could see the screen of Javier's phone and knew that his best friend was merely playing Plants Versus Zombies.

Unfortunately, it drew the writer's attention to him. "A book is a good idea," the older man said, relaxing slightly and giving the five-year-old a more genuine grin. It slipped, however, when Castle registered the title of the book. "Though, it'd be nice if you could show a little support and not read my biggest competitor's book while at my book signing." Castle wrestled the hardcover from Kevin and set it on the side table. "We'll find you something else at the bookstore. Okay?"

Kevin frowned. "Biggest competitor implies that you're in the same league as Patterson."

"You two are really making me feel the love right now," complained Castle. He patted his pockets to make sure he had his car keys and wallet. "Paula knows you're coming and she promised to make sure that the bookstore would set aside a space where you can hang out and not be bothered by anyone. I know that you guys would rather do almost anything than go with me, but we don't have a better option. Please be patient and it'll be over before you know it."

"I'm not going to hold my breath," said Javier. The pair of cursed detectives followed Castle out of the penthouse and down the hall to the elevator, each imagining how awful the next few hours were going to be.

At the large, chain bookstore, Castle's energetic and occasionally abrasive literary agent met them with a scowl. "You're late."

"Find me one parent who is always on time and then I'll feel sorry," rejoined Castle impatiently.

Paula rolled her eyes and directed her annoyance briefly at the purported reason for her client's tardiness. Javier had no problem reflecting the look back at her. Kevin, on the other hand, balked at being used as a scapegoat. "We were waiting for you to finish messing with your hair, jackhole."

"That's nice, coming from a three-year-old," Paula commented, raising an eyebrow at Castle. Kevin's irritation quickly transferred from Castle to his agent. He was cut off from responding when Castle jumped between the woman and his boys.

"He learned that from his mother," Castle hurried to inform Paula, once again shifting any blame from himself. He glanced over his shoulder to shoot the cursed ex-detectives a pleading look to be nice before following Paula to the corner of the store where the bookstore had set up a table and display featuring Deadly Heat. The table was draped with a floor-length cloth and a single plastic chair stood behind it. The "special area" that was supposed to keep the kids out of the eye of public scrutiny appeared to be a colored mat featuring a cartoonish suburbia, covered with a few sorry-looking toy cars and wooden alphabet blocks that were rather chewed on.

The manager of the bookstore joined them before Kevin and Javier were able to get over their initial shock and dismay at the childish spread. "Mr. Castle, thank you for coming today," the woman, probably mid-thirties, gushed warmly. "We have some water bottles here for you, and a fresh supply of pens. Can you think of anything else you need?"

"Yes--" started Javier, but Castle rudely cut him off. "This is great, thank you." He expertly hid his reaction to the sharp jab his older boy delivered to the small of his back.

"Perfect," said the manager. "We open at ten, so you have about ten minutes to get settled." She and Paula wandered away to talk about managing the line of fans that would soon develop, leaving the family to face off over the boys' disappointment in the whole situation.

Javier picked up one of the faded, chipped wooden blocks and turned it around in his hand as he regarded it. Casually, he said, "Even with its rounded corners, do you know what damage this little toy could do if pressed into the correct pressure point?"

"I can imagine," said Castle, snatching the block away from Javier and tossing it back on the floor. "No one said you have to play with the toys, but I am telling you that you cannot turn them into makeshift tools of torture. Just stay close to the edge of the table and I doubt anyone will bother you."

"I'm going to tie your shoelaces together so that when you try to stand up, you fall and break your 'ruggedly handsome' face," Javier promised.

Castle sat down in his chair and leaned forward until said face was mere inches from Javier's. "Maybe you should think twice about that," the writer replied, adopting his own threatening tone. "I know where you live and I bought the bed in which you sleep. You haven't seen the likes of revenge from someone with an imagination like mine." To his credit, Javier held the writer's stare, but Kevin knew him well enough to see the brief tick of hesitation in his expression. For all that he was a happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, Castle could be scary when his patience ran thin.

"You don't scare me," Javier replied eventually.

"We'll see about that," Castle replied, apparently having seen the same thing that Kevin had. The writer sat up and faced forward in preparation for greeting the first of his fans, putting an end to the standoff. The manager of the store had opened the main doors to allow the herd of people to stream back to the signing table. Not wanting to endure any more of the "oohs" and "aahs" over how cute they were that had plagued them since Castle and Beckett officially announced their adoptions, Kevin and Javier ducked down and crowded as close to the tablecloth as possible without actually crawling under it.

Ten minutes into the signing, Kevin turned to his partner and whispered, "You know, this would make a great drinking game."

"What, like a shot for each time someone claims to be Castle's biggest fan?" Javier made a face at the edge of the table, past which was one such woman who couldn't stop gushing long enough to actually tell the author her name so he could sign her book.

"Yeah, and another for each comment about Nikki Heat being his or her favorite fictional detective ever."

"Or a shot for Rook being the best character in the book."

"And one for how handsome, sexy, or otherwise attractive Rook is." Kevin mimed gagging.

"Two shots for a declaration of intent to carry one of Castle's babies," said Javier.

"You have to be more specific," said Kevin with a grin. "Liquor shots or gunshots?"

Javier chuckled quietly for the first time since they'd woken up that morning. "Beckett isn't here, so liquor shots seem safe."

"What about two shots for asking Castle to sign their chests instead of the book?" Kevin suggested.

"Sure," agreed Javier. He listened for a couple of seconds as yet another young woman expounded upon the many virtues of the fictional Rook. "How many for someone remembering that Raley and Ochoa exist?"

"The whole bottle," Kevin answered dourly. "Who needs a full squadron of trained homicide detectives when Nikki Heat is on the case?"

"She's obviously got a few screws loose if she sleeps with Rook," said Javier. "That guy is as useless as a wet rag."

Castle paused from interacting with his fans in order to pretend to reach for something on the floor. His blue eyes narrowed as he focused on the cursed partners. "You know, I can hear you," he said in a low voice.

"We're entertaining ourselves," Kevin informed him. "That's what you told us to do."

"Don't be cute," the writer scolded. "And Javi, I thought you didn't read my books. How would you know if Rook is useless or not?"

"He's based on you, isn't he?"

Castle just shook his head and sat up straight when his fishing around for whatever he'd dropped started to take a suspiciously long time. For a moment, Kevin became hopeful that the signing was over due to a lack of fans, but Castle was speaking as if someone was standing across the table from him. This person just hadn't run up to the table like an overexcited puppy.

"Thanks for coming out," Castle said kindly, with his trademark smile. "What's your name?"

"Melissa," answered the fan calmly. "It's an honor to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," said Castle. "I hope you enjoy the new book."

He leaned down to concentrate on signing the inside cover of her hardcover novel. The fan, Melissa, said, "I'm sure I will. Detective Heat is a fascinating character. It's too bad though that Detectives Raley and Ochoa don't get as many scenes as they used to. They're my favorites."

Kevin and Javier looked at each other in surprise and then tried to get a glimpse at this uncommon woman who wasn't obsessed with either Heat or Rook. Unfortunately, the edge of the table blocked their view.

"I have been informed that the 'made up' characters are cutting into Roach's page space," said Castle with a laugh. "I'll be sure to rectify that."

"I'm sorry to hear that the detectives who inspired Raley and Ochoa were so badly injured in the line of duty," said Melissa, sounding genuinely sympathetic. "My prayers are with you all."

"Thank you," replied Castle with the seriousness her condolence warranted.

Kevin really wanted to see who this person was. It was rare enough that someone cared about his and Javier's characters in the Heat books, and even more unheard of for someone to think of the real people behind the characters. Javier tugged on his shirt sleeve to deter him from giving up their hiding spot, but Kevin wasn't concerned about that. As soon as his head popped up above the table top enough for him to get a peek at the fan, he immediately drew the attention of both her and Castle.

"Oh, hi," said Melissa in surprise. Castle frowned at him, silently asking if something was wrong. Until that moment, he'd been correct to assume that Kevin and Javier didn't want anything to do with the people gushing over his new release.

Kevin ignored the increase of murmurs from the waiting masses and focused on the woman who'd been in the process of accepting her book back from Castle. "You have good taste," the five-year-old informed her.

"Well, thank you," replied Melissa. She glanced at the writer curiously.

Castle dropped his large hand on top of Kevin's dark blonde hair. "My son," he introduced vaguely, "to whom you've obviously made enough of an impression to bring him out of hiding."

"It's nice to meet you, honey," said Melissa. "I have a cousin who's about your age, and almost as cute."

Kevin gave her the most charming smile he could muster as a preschooler, which she returned brightly. Javier, unwilling to be the only one in the dark about the identity of this mysterious fan, stood up as well. Instead of opting for being charming, the Hispanic boy favored her with the same distrustful stare he gave every new person that had entered his life since the curse.

"Excuse me," said Paula, butting in on the awkward introductions. "There is still a long line of people waiting for your autograph, Rick. Ma'am, you're going to have to move along." The agent made a shooing motion with her left hand as her right was occupied with her Blackberry.

"You don't have to be rude," Javier said, favoring the stranger over the pushy agent.

"Rick, control your brats," Paula snipped. Melissa looked as if she wanted to say something herself to the dark-haired woman, but in the end she kept her peace, thanked Castle once more, and moved on to browse the rest of the expansive store's literary selections.

"Guys, just ignore her," Castle whispered in response to the offended looks he received from his adopted sons. "Why don't you make up another inappropriate game? I promise this will all be over soon."

Kevin had his doubts. The line of people still waiting to get their book signed seemed endless. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"You can hold it," Castle argued. Unfortunately, he was right for now. Kevin and Javier flopped back down on the carpet near Castle's feet and mourned for the lost morning. The brief encounter with Melissa proved to be the exception to the rule and everyone since her continued the trend of loving only Heat and Rook.

Thirty minutes later, Kevin's ability to "hold it" had seriously dwindled. He patted the side of Castle's knee to give the writer one last chance to indulge in his overprotective paranoia before the five-year-old bailed on him. "I really have to go now," Kevin whispered, trying his best puppy-face out on the older man.

Castle cringed and glanced at the line. "Five more minutes, kiddo, and we'll take a break." The writer gave him a pleading look. Kevin huffed and wrapped his arms around his shins, trying to ignore the pressure building in his bladder. Ten minutes later, things were becoming critical. Kevin glanced beseechingly at his partner.

"Come on," said Javier, pushing himself into a crouched position so he could stay low as they made their escape. They'd barely made it to the end of the table before Castle called them back. Sometimes Kevin wondered if the older man had eyes in the back of his head, because it was frustratingly uncanny the way he always seemed to know where he and Javier were, and what they were doing.

Castle's attempt to help them out by asking Paula to escort them was angrily rebuffed by the woman who was not, in fact, a babysitter. The writer shrugged helplessly at the younger males before turning to greet his next fan with a welcoming smile.

"All right," grumbled Javier. "No more Mr. Nice Guy." He very stealthily and quickly undid the laces on Castle's expensive Italian leather shoes and then retied them to each other. That would keep the older man from physically preventing them from leaving.

This time, the partners abandoned a covert escape and merely bolted toward the opposite corner of the store where Kevin had spotted the restroom sign. There was a satisfying thud as Castle barely managed to catch himself on the table when he tripped over his own feet in the attempt to grab them. One more nimble dodge had them safely out of Paula's reach and then they were free to race toward the restroom.

Kevin was a bit surprised that their adoptive father didn't hunt them down a few minutes later, being the only one who could track them into the men's restroom. By now, Castle would have had plenty of time to sort out his footwear and make his apologies to his fans. Kevin wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth though, and decided to enjoy the freedom from the boring book signing.

The reason for Castle's out-of-character lack of hovering was easily explained when the relieved partners slipped out of the men's restroom and noticed the store's manager waiting anxiously to drag them back to their father. She was currently distracted by a customer who couldn’t find the travel section of the store.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in sitting through another hour of this crap," Javier said.

"Me either," agreed Kevin. "This is a big store. I'm sure we can find something interesting to read."

"Suit yourself," said Javier dryly. "I'm gonna check out the music section."

Kevin didn't want to be separated from his partner, so he gave in and let Javier lead the way to the colorfully lit area of the store devoted to digital entertainment. They didn't get far before they were made by the store manager. In the interest of not being caught, the pair took off, hoping to lose her among the hundreds of racks.

Kevin followed Javier's sharp cut around a tight corner and wasn't fortunate enough to miss running head-on into a woman loaded down with a stack of books. He landed on his rear with a muted thud while the innocent bystander made a heroic effort to stay on her feet and not drop all of her finds. That she managed to only lose two books was rather impressive, given the limited use she had of her right hand, wrapped tightly in a brace.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked worriedly after she'd sought him out. Kevin felt his face turn red when he recognized her as the fan who liked Raley and Ochoa. Apparently Melissa liked the genre and not just Nikki Heat.

"'M fine," he mumbled in embarrassment as he found his feet again. Melissa looked away from him to meet Javier's stare. The Hispanic boy was sporting the somewhat cross-eyed look that resulted from trying to determine if someone was a witch or not. When his partner didn't immediately back away, Kevin deduced that Javier hadn't been able to find any evidence of a scary skull face behind an everyday mask.

Not that this assured the older boy that she could be trusted. "Are you witch?" Javier asked bluntly.

"Ah, no," replied Melissa patiently. Kevin recalled that she mentioned having young relations and figured she was used to fielding strange questions. "Why, do I look like one?"

"No, but Bianca usually doesn't either," said Javier.

"Who's Bianca?"

"A witch." Javier eyed her challengingly, to see if she'd take the bait.

Like most adults with experience interacting with children, Melissa decided to humor him. "Well, I'd imagine that witches would want to keep their identity a secret." She looked between the boys curiously. "Is the book signing over already?" She then glanced around, as if looking for their guardian.

"It's never going to end," replied Kevin fatalistically. He dutifully collected the books that he'd made her drop and held them out to her. "I'm sorry for running into you."

"Don't worry," she said with a grin. "No harm, no foul." She took the books gratefully. "Why are you two running around the store, anyway? Did the signing become too tedious?"

"You have no idea," grumbled Javier. "Castle promised it would be short, but he was wrong."

Kevin elbowed the older boy in the side. "Daddy thinks that if he can't see us for two seconds, someone will try to kidnap us." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, like a witch?"

"Yes, exactly," said Javier with a straight face.

Melissa grinned at him. "Your daddy is famous, so many people are interested in his personal life. I'm sure he's just trying to protect you two, especially since you haven't lived with him for very long and the media doesn't care that you're just little kids who shouldn't be pestered."

"I'm thirty-six," Javier informed her, offended. "Not a little kid."

Melissa pretended to study him closely, taking in his naturally tan complexion and dark brown eyes framed by thick black lashes. "You're right, I can see it now," she teased. "My apologies, old man." Javier pouted. Melissa turned to Kevin. "How old are you, sweetie?"

"Five," Kevin replied dutifully, though the number tasted sour on his tongue.

"You're very precocious for a five-year-old," said Melissa. "Both of you are. I'm surprised you understand sarcasm already."

"We're not idiots," Javier told her unhappily.

"I can see that." She looked around the store again, but there was no sign of Castle. "Don't you think your daddy is worried about where you are?"

"I'm sure he is," Kevin replied. "He takes paranoid to a new level. But if we go back now, he'll yell at us. The longer we wait, the more relieved he'll be, and less angry."

"I don't know if it works like that, sweetie," said Melissa.

Right then, the frazzled store manager finally located them. "Javier, Kevin," she scolded breathlessly. "Poor Mr. Castle is very angry that you ran off. He wants you to return to the book signing immediately."

"See," said Kevin. Both he and Javier slid behind Melissa, in no hurry to face the writer.

"It seems they've grown bored of waiting for Mr. Castle to finish," said Melissa in their defense. "If it's all right with him, I don't mind keeping them company until the signing is done."

"He made it very clear that he wants his sons back with him," the manager replied regretfully. She seemed to have a small measure of sympathy for them, but they weren't her children to parent.

"Sorry, kids," said Melissa, stepping to the side to leave the pair accessible to the store manager.

"We don't want to go back there," Kevin insisted. He pouted and made sure to look as sad as possible. No one was immune to the full measure of his puppy eyes.

Except one, it seemed. "Come on," Melissa said and started to walk in the direction of the book signing. Unhappily, the boys followed her. The relieved store manager joined them.

Castle took a short break from interacting with his fans to glare furiously at the cursed ex-detectives when he noticed their arrival. "What on earth possessed you to run away from me?" he demanded.

"I was about to pee my pants," Kevin hissed angrily in return. That at least made Castle look momentarily guilty.

"Fine," the writer ground out, trying to disguise his ire from his fans. He did spare one more minute for Javier. "When we get home, you and I are going to have a very long talk, son."

"Whatever," Javier said, trying to sound flippant. He crossed his little arms over his chest defiantly.

"Both of you are going to sit quietly next to me for the rest of the event, do you understand me?" Castle asked sternly. He sat up and grumbled to himself, "I swear you're trying to give me a heart attack before I turn fifty."

"I understand that you're upset," said Kevin, giving bargaining a shot. "But this whole morning has been miserable for Javier and I. Can't we at least look around the store?"

"Not without me," Castle replied automatically.

"Daddy…"

"No."

Kevin huffed and mimicked Javier's standoffish pose. His absolute least favorite part of the curse was Castle and Beckett acting like they could order him and Javier around just because they were in the bodies of children. He was still Kevin Ryan, five or thirty-five, and Castle wasn't the boss of him.

"Mr. Castle," said their unexpected ally. At least the writer bothered to hide his fury from his fan. "I'm just waiting for my husband to meet me after he gets home from work," said Melissa. "I don't mind keeping the boys company until you're finished."

"Yes, that's a great idea," Kevin said, jumping at the opportunity to get out from under Castle's overprotective thumb.

"Really?" asked Castle skeptically. He eyed the five-year-old suspiciously. The post-curse boys never latched onto strangers this quickly. On any other day, Kevin probably would chose the writer over someone he barely knew. But today was different. Kevin nodded empathically. Even Javier was willing to take his chances with Melissa.

"I could take them over to the children's section," offered Melissa. "Maybe they'd like some of the books my cousins read."

Castle maintained eye contact with his boys. "That's what you want? To look at books written for preschoolers and first graders?"

"Yes," Kevin replied firmly. Castle wasn't going to goad him into staying.

"Fine, but only if Paula goes with you, too."

"Excuse me?" demanded the agent when she heard her name. "I don't babysit."

"The last time I checked, you work for me and not the other way around," Castle said impatiently. "That said, I very much appreciate your help, Paula." Kevin realized that the compromise was more to foist the agent off on his sons than to make sure they were safe. Kevin guessed that Paula would love to hand him and Javier off to some nefarious character if it meant her favorite author would focus more on his work, and Castle knew that. Clearly the writer was at his wit's end with his agent that day.

With the deal struck, Kevin and Javier were allowed to follow Melissa toward the children's section of the store. Neither partner had any intention of being made to peruse the selections. Instead, they were curious about this fan who claimed to like Roach more than Heat and Rook.

One advantage to the kid's area was that the reading nook was outfitted with beanbag chairs. Melissa gratefully set down her burden and settled into one of the chairs. Kevin immediately felt bad about not offering to help her carry any of the books. He apologized briefly, then claimed the beanbag chair to the right of hers and leaned forward eagerly. "So do you really like Raley and Ochoa the most?" he asked.

"I do," she confirmed, smiling at Kevin and then at Javier, who'd claimed the chair to her left. "You're familiar with the characters in your dad's books?"

"Cas-- er, Dad talks about them a lot," said Javier.

Kevin shot his partner a challenging look before addressing Melissa again. "Who is your favorite? Raley or Ochoa."

Sensing that she was being dragged into a competition, Melissa diplomatically replied, "I like them both. I think they make a great partnership and add depth to Nikki's character, too."

"What, when she's not having R-rated fun with Rook?" asked Javier wryly. Melissa blinked at him in surprise and was no doubt starting to question Castle's parenting abilities.

"Ah, no. I mean that it's clear Nikki cares about her fellow officers and it makes her deeper than just her hard-lined, independent self." She paused thoughtfully. "And it is nice when she interacts with someone besides Rook."

Kevin grinned in amusement, but he wasn't going to be satisfied with a mollifying response to his question. "Surely you must like one of them a little more than the other. Don't worry, Javier will get over it if you don't pick his favorite character."

"I don't have a favorite character because I don't read the books," argued Javier. "They're dumb."

"I know you read Heat Wave," Kevin informed his partner. "It's pointless to deny it."

"Only because you practically read the first chapter to me and then shoved the rest down my throat," Javier complained, as if all of his manly credibility was on the line for having admitted to reading the first book. "You can't just start telling a guy a story and not finish it."

"Wait," said Melissa, breaking up the argument. "You said you are five years old, Kevin? How old are you really, Javier?"

"He'll be seven at the end of next month," Kevin replied, knowing Javier refused to ever give a straight answer to that question.

"And you've both read Heat Wave?" She frowned in confusion. "Most five-year-olds are just learning the alphabet and seven-year-olds shouldn't be reading murder mysteries."

"Mommy says we're special," Kevin quickly said. They needed to get off of that topic as soon as possible. He tried to steer her back to his original question. "If you had to pick a favorite between Raley and Ochoa, who would you chose?"

"Why would I have to chose?" Melissa questioned.

"Because you managed to find the one guy who nags more than my sis-- more than a girl," Javier said.

"I do not nag at you," Kevin argued. He frowned deeply at his partner. "I'm sorry for caring about your well-being."

"Actually, the two of you bicker like old bitties," Melissa informed them with a laugh. "Who is your favorite character, Javier?"

"Dr. Parry," the Hispanic boy said. "Because she leaves me alone." Kevin stuck his tongue out in response.

"I didn't realize Dr. Parry was based on a real person, too," said Melissa.

"Castle slanders a lot of people in his books," Javier stated.

"If it's written, then it's libel, Javier," Kevin corrected him.

"Shut up, Kevin."

"Boys!" chided Melissa. She chuckled at their antics. "Fine, I'll admit it. While I like the partnership of Roach very much, my favorite character is probably Raley."

"I knew it," Kevin gloated. "You do have good taste."

"That's debatable," groused Javier.

"Really, though, I'm a fan of both," insisted Melissa. She patted Javier's knee consolingly. "Let's change the subject, shall we?"

Javier liked that idea, since he was a perpetual sore loser. "What do you do?" he asked.

"I'm taking a break after having surgery on my wrist, but usually I work in a very large office. My favorite hobby outside of work is writing."

"Are you an author, too?" asked Kevin.

"Just for myself," Melissa replied. "Not like your daddy."

"How'd you break your wrist?" questioned Javier. He eyed the brace sympathetically.

"I didn't break it," she replied. "I tore a few tendons in the process of destroying a piñata."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, it was ouch," Melissa agreed. She winked at Kevin.

Javier leaned back confidently in his beanbag chair. "I've been known to obliterate a few piñatas in my day," he boasted. "There are few who can wield a bat like me."

Kevin rolled his eyes. Melissa grinned indulgently. "Well, maybe someday you'll grow up to be a famous baseball player."

"I doubt it," Javier said with a shrug.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A badass cop," Javier answered. Melissa let his swear go with a raised eyebrow. Javier colored slightly but didn't apologize.

"I want to be a police detective, too," Kevin piped up.

"We'll see about that," said a new, but very familiar voice. Kevin, Javier, and Melissa all looked up at the towering woman in her three-inch heels. "Police work is tiring and dangerous and I lose enough sleep worrying about my babies as it is," said Kate Beckett.

Javier shot to his feet and rushed over to throw his arms around Beckett's waist. "We can go home now?" he pleaded into the front of her stylish jacket.

"Yes," she promised. Kevin joined his partners and held his hands up to his ex-boss. Beckett easily lifted him to her hip, making sure to not accidently knock Javier in his thick head. "Are you in a hurry to go home, too, baby boy?" She brushed the tip of her nose against his tiny button one and grinned lovingly.

"Yes huh," Kevin replied. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, glad she was home again after another long day solving murders. Actually, it was rather early for her to be home, but he wasn't going to complain. Hopefully that meant she'd managed to solve her murder quickly.

Beckett unwrapped one arm from around him to curl it possessively around Javier's shoulders as Melissa rose to greet the new arrival. "Hello," said the gracious fan who'd helped alleviate their boredom during the book signing. "You must be Detective Beckett. My name is Melissa. I'm a big fan of the Nikki Heat books."

"Her favorite character is Raley, though," said Kevin. "Because Heat and Rook are boring."

"Is that so?" Beckett asked with a teasing tone. She planted a kiss on Kevin's cheek. "Hmm, I like Roach the best, too."

"Yeah, right," doubted Javier.

Beckett looked over at Melissa. "Thank you for keeping them out of trouble while their father was preoccupied." Beckett didn't sound entirely convinced that Castle had made the right decision, but she could see for herself that her partners were no worse for wear and that the stranger watching them seemed to have pure intentions.

"It was no trouble," said Melissa. "They're brilliant, and quite amusing."

"They get that from their mommy," Beckett stated. Kevin and Javier both groaned theatrically. "It's nice to meet a fan of Rick's who isn't trying to climb all over him."

Melissa laughed. "Fortunately, I have more self-respect than that. I like his books because I've grown to care about his characters. Mr. Castle is very good at writing them to be believable and endearing, though part of that could be due to his inspiration. I've seen some of the articles about all the good you've done for New York City, Detective Beckett, and I'm thankful that cops like you are out there."

Beckett soaked up the praise eagerly. "It's nice to be appreciated." She jostled Kevin slightly and nudged Javier's shoulder. "Boys, do you have anything to say to Melissa before we go?"

"Thank you for saving us from the drudgery of the book signing, and for liking Raley best," said Kevin, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Maybe it was because his stomach was growling and he was starting to get sleepy.

"I hope your wrist feels better soon," said Javier.

"Thank you, sweetheart," said Melissa. With one last genuine smile, Beckett took her leave. Together, she and her ex-partners made their way out of the store.

Castle made it back to the loft about an hour after Beckett and the boys. Kevin looked up from his dissected club sandwich as the older man made his way to the kitchen island where Beckett sipped on an iced tea while her partners worked on their very late lunch. "How'd it go?" the detective asked after accepting a chaste kiss from her fiancé.

"Fine," he answered. "It died down not long after you picked up the boys." Castle spared an unhappy look for each of the shrunken detectives. "I spoke with your new friend again. She's concerned about how much adult content you two appear to be exposed to at such tender ages."

"I thought you were supposed to be good at this parenting thing, Castle," Kevin said innocently.

"Shut up, smartass," Castle said.

"Hypocrite," Javier complained. He hunched his shoulders a bit when Castle directed a no-nonsense glare at him.

Beckett stepped in to break up the tension. "We're probably going to get that a lot, Rick. Personally, I don't mind that everyone thinks my babies are super geniuses."

"I still think we need to talk my mother into giving them acting lessons," said Castle. He exhaled loudly to release some of his lingering anger. "I offered to thank Melissa by picking up the tab on her book purchases. She appreciated that."

"I liked her," said Kevin after licking a few drops of mayonnaise off of his fingers. Beckett handed him a napkin.

"She's all right for a fan of Castle's," said Javier aloofly. But coming from the Hispanic boy, that was saying a lot.

"You're just jealous that she likes Raley more than Ochoa," Kevin told him.

"That's Castle's fault."

"Boys," said Beckett, silencing them. "Rick, I do need to go back to the precinct for a while to start on paperwork. Do we need anything that I should pick up on my way home?"

"I don't think so," replied the writer. He tapped on the countertop next to Javier's empty plate. "You done?"

"Obviously," Javier replied meanly.

"Good." Before Javier had a chance to react, Castle pulled his barstool back from the island and scooped the six-year-old up bridal style. The writer managed to wrap his arms around the boy in such a way that Javier's squirming was completely ineffective and he was at the mercy of Castle's wrath. "It's time for our talk, buddy."

"Beckett!"

Beckett just laughed and shook her head. She dropped her gaze to regard her younger partner once Castle had disappeared into his office with the older boy. "I'm glad you guys are starting to open up to new people again, baby boy," she said.

"I'm surprised at how well you're handling Castle pawning us off on a stranger today," Kevin mused. Beckett could be even worse than her fiancé when it came to fierce protectiveness of her cursed partners.

Beckett leaned down to brace her elbows on the counter and rest her chin on the back of her folded hands. She grinned fondly at Kevin. "I had Holt run a background check for me," the detective said in a light voice. "Your friend checked out."

Kevin just sighed and shook his head, though he was unable to contain the small smirk that tugged at his lips. It was nice to know that while he often felt overshadowed by his friends, both in real life and in the universe of Nikki Heat, there were people out there who did like him best.