Ever since Castle learned that Beckett was pregnant, his entire world changed.
After the celebration dinner to announce the news, Castle became a whirlwind of activity. Nothing outside of Beckett and the baby mattered anymore. The civil war raging in Duhovic's Eastern European country? Irrelevant. Steve's explanation to Governor James about the fatal shooting of Wu Fa in Hawaii? Not Castle's problem.
His sole mission now was to take care of his pregnant wife-to-be.
Castle even considered moving back to their Manhattan townhouse, thinking it would bring him closer to the 12th Precinct so he could deliver nutritious meals to Beckett whenever she needed them.
Beckett found his overprotectiveness both endearing and overwhelming. If she hadn't laid down strict rules forbidding him from entering the precinct, Castle might have transformed the precinct's break room into a kitchen, constantly cooking bizarre soups from "Eastern pregnancy recipes" he found.
Their friends found Castle's antics hilarious. Gianna, in particular, couldn't help but feel a little envious of how Castle treated Beckett like a rare, endangered treasure. Still, even Gianna advised him to relax, pointing out that Beckett had at least seven more months to go. If Castle continued in this state of hyper-vigilance, he'd burn out long before the baby arrived.
Fortunately, Dr. Henry Morgan stepped in to talk some sense into Castle. In his calm, clinical way, Henry explained that Castle's obsessive behavior could do more harm than good by stressing Beckett out. The best thing Castle could do was maintain a sense of normalcy and keep things low-stress.
Castle reluctantly accepted this advice and eased up—mostly. However, one habit he refused to abandon was personally driving Beckett to and from work every day. Nothing could deter him from this self-imposed duty.
But Castle couldn't escape external responsibilities forever. Just a month after the pregnancy announcement, new problems came knocking.
First on the list were Boeing and Lockheed Martin (also known as "LoMa").
After receiving Castle's optical camouflage technology, both companies secured military contracts to retrofit the U.S. Air Force's RC-135 electronic reconnaissance aircraft. Months of work later, they completed prototype modifications based on Castle's designs and wanted him to inspect their progress before the military's official evaluation.
Castle, however, had no interest in leaving Beckett's side—especially now, with her pregnancy entering a sensitive phase. He flatly declined the invitations, preferring to stay home.
But Boeing and Lockheed weren't taking "no" for an answer. They kept pushing, even enlisting Beckett to encourage Castle.
To Castle's surprise, Beckett fully supported the idea. As an independent board member with shares in both companies, she reminded him it was part of his duty. Secretly, though, Beckett had an ulterior motive: Castle's overprotectiveness was driving her crazy.
In the past month, Castle's "care" had caused her to gain a full ten pounds. If this continued, she feared she'd never show her face in public again. His daily chauffeur service had already turned into a precinct-wide joke. Since Castle wasn't allowed inside, he had rented a coffee shop across the street and spent his days there, ready to bring Beckett snacks at a moment's notice.
Nearly every cop in the precinct had been treated to Castle's coffee and pastries by now. Word of Beckett's pregnancy had spread so far that even the NYPD headquarters called to ask if she wanted to start her maternity leave early.
When Beckett learned that Lockheed Martin was inviting Castle to their Skunk Works facility in California, she practically cheered. She encouraged him to take the trip, hoping it would give her some much-needed peace and quiet.
Lockheed, being savvy, caught wind of Castle's reluctance and Beckett's pregnancy. To sweeten the deal, they sent an impressive array of gifts, including a rare box of "hashima oil" (frog ovaries from northeastern China), which Castle highly valued for its traditional health benefits.
Boeing, not to be outdone, quickly followed suit with their own gifts. Unfortunately for them, Castle had already promised Beckett he would prioritize Lockheed's request. He assured Boeing he would visit their facility after completing his work at Skunk Works.
Beckett was thrilled by the arrangement. With Castle soon to be shipped off to California, she could finally catch a break from his smothering behavior. Lockheed's request wasn't trivial either—they needed Castle to evaluate their modified RC-135 prototype and consult on upcoming projects involving the A-10 Warthog and AC-130 gunship. This workload guaranteed he'd be busy for a while.
Meanwhile, Boeing tried a different tactic: they reached out to Castle's assistant, the brilliant yet socially awkward hacker known as Harry. They hoped that if Castle was unavailable, Harry might be persuaded to inspect their prototype instead.
But Castle wouldn't allow it.
Harry wasn't just his assistant—he was essential to Castle's operations. More importantly, Harry wasn't equipped to handle the corporate sharks at Boeing. Castle feared they'd exploit his naivety and possibly uncover sensitive secrets, like the existence of Jarvis, Castle's AI.
Moreover, Harry relied on access to Castle's supercomputer and Jarvis's support through his smart wristband. Sending him alone to Boeing without that safety net was a recipe for disaster.
Castle firmly rejected Boeing's proposal to split them up. If they wanted his expertise, Harry was coming with him to Skunk Works. Reluctantly, Boeing agreed. Castle assured them he would only perform basic tests on Lockheed's RC-135 and wouldn't get involved with their other projects. Once finished, he'd head straight to Boeing's facility.
With both companies placated and Beckett temporarily free of Castle's fussing, preparations for the California trip were underway. But everyone knew the truth: this wasn't just a business trip—it was Beckett's ingenious way of getting a much-needed vacation from her overzealous husband.
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