There's a reason Beckett reneges on the second half of the offer, and it's what prompted Castle to buy one of those miniature fire extinguishers that you can store underneath the sink. "I'll take care of breakfast," he says. "Eggs, waffles, post-traumatic stress bacon."

They reach the kitchen and he slides the coffee maker out from its grotto, plugging it in. The coffee, like breakfast, is mostly Castle's doman. Beckett has made coffee from time to time, but they have an unspoken understanding that it's just his thing. He could probably conjure up a cup of fresh Kona blend out of thin air by this point.

He ducks into the freezer and pulls out an ice cube tray, handing it to her as she passes by. "There's more fruit in the bottom drawer," he says. "Alexis made sure I was stocked up before she went back to school. I swear, it's like that kid doesn't think I can hack it on my own. I mean, there's fruit in fruit snacks. It's right there in the name. You'd think that that would be enough to convince some people."