Because I headcanon that Lanie and Hayley started dating sometime after season 8 because Hayley is confirmed bisexual and I have a similar headcanon for queer!Lanie. Set about five years in the future. Lanie has twins with Espo, but they’re not a couple.
Studying her reflection in the mirror, Dr. Lanie Parish frowned. It had been nearly three years since she gave birth to her twin girls and she still had a tiny pooch visible when she turned to view her profile. Javi had said that she was crazy for worrying about it, that she still looked as beautiful as ever—even more now that she glowed with some kind of motherly ethereal light whenever she was around her babies. She supposed that she did, but she couldn’t help but feel bloated every time her eyes zeroed in on that tiny imperfection.
They had been dancing around this thing that they had for over a year. A year of flirting and lingering glances and light brushes of skin that left goosebumps in their wake. Lanie could still feel the heat on her skin from where Hayley’s fingers had brushed hers as she handed her an autopsy report for the case she was working with Alexis. The P.I.’s cheeks had turned attractively pink and she’d made some sort of stumbled joke that fell flat as she nearly sprinted out of the office, leaving Lanie smiling after her.
They’d been a little shyer around each other since Hayley finally summoned up the nerve to ask Lanie out for dinner last week, speaking at a million miles a second when Lanie gave her a wide-eyed look of shock. Needless to say, she hadn’t been expecting Hayley to be the first to break whatever stalemate they’d fallen into, but she was kind of happy that she did.
Lanie had smiled as Hayley continued to talk—somehow convinced that the doctor wasn’t interested in a date-date with her and trying to play it off as just asking a friend to dinner, never really taking a breath in the meantime—and had grabbed her hand, stopping the Brit mid-word, eyes glued to their interlocked hands.
“I’d love to go to dinner with you,” she said, feeling her own face warm up as Hayley’s eyes rose to meet her. “But not tonight.”
Hayley’s shoulders had slumped slightly at that and Lanie had almost taken it back; offered to run right out of that office at that moment to grab a meal and a drink. But, for a very good reason, she couldn’t.
“I have the twins this week,” she’d informed the taller woman. “And Javier has an open case; I can’t just drop them in his lap. Or in Kate’s, for that matter. Next Friday?”
Hayley had given her that smile that made her insides flutter and Lanie had to force herself not to tighten her grip on her hand in response. “That sounds fantastic,” she’d said, then—in a move that practically had Lanie’s knees turning to jelly—she lifted the M.E.’s hand (which she thanked god she had ungloved and washed) and pressed her lips to it, letting them longer a moment longer than necessary. “Until then,” she said, and Lanie had been only able to nod as she watched the woman stride out of her office.
She’d told Kate everything that night when she stopped by to bring the girls over for a play date with Lily and the captain had broken out a bottle of wine that Lanie didn’t miss was labelled “Haynie”. She’d glared at Kate even as she stuck out her glass as the other woman poured and laughed.
“Castle and I have been waiting for this for months,” she admitted. “This means we won the pool.”
“THERE’S A POOL?!” Lanie hissed, glowering at her friend.
“Don’t be a hypocrite,” Kate said. “I know you paid three months’ rent on what you got from the ‘Caskett pool’.”
“True,” Lanie sighed, then smirked as she and Kate clinked their glasses.
“To the future of Haynie,” Kate said. Lanie’s stomach fluttered again, but it was pleasant.
But it wasn’t so pleasant anymore. Lanie shivered as she thought about what might happen tonight. The possibilities were endless and she hadn’t even been on a date since well before the twins were born. Actually, her last ‘date’ ended in the conception of her daughters, followed by three months of desperately trying to make it work between her and Javier. When it didn’t, they decided that ex-lovers and co-parents and—most importantly—friends was all they’d ever be to each other.
And that, thankfully, worked for them. And it worked for their girls, who got to see their parents in equal measure and never felt neglected by either. Javier wouldn’t have let that happen, Lanie knew, because he knew how shitty it felt. Neither would she, because her own father had always been there for her and Lanie wanted the same for her babies.
“Mama, door!” Lanie turned to see one of said babies, Nia, run into her bedroom and pad towards her on chubby little legs. She turned just in time to catch the girl, lifting her onto her hip. “Ooh,” Nia added, looking down at Lanie’s dark red dress. “Mama pretty!”
“Thanks, baby,” Lanie cooed, carrying her daughter out of the bedroom. She caught Maria as the girl collided with her legs and skillfully situated her on her opposite hip, grunting slightly. Her kids were already getting big and Lanie’s heart ached at the thought of not being able to carry them anymore. She pressed kisses to both little foreheads as she reached the door and then let Nia turn the knob for her.
Lanie’s heart jumped at the sight of both Javi and Hayley, who stood there, staring at each other with frowns on their faces. Lanie watched them for a moment as they barely so much as blinked for a full minute, before she cleared her throat. They both jumped, turning towards her as wide smiles came over their faces.
“Hey,” they said in almost eerie unison.
“Hey,” Lanie replied, her eyes drifting more to Hayley than the father of the children currently in her arms.
“Daddy!” they squealed, reaching out for him. Lanie barely registered him stepping forward to relieve them from her arms; her gaze was focused solely on the orchid that Hayley was holding.
“Is that for me?” she asked and she watched as the other woman blushed adorable, holding it out.
“It is, yeah,” she said. “I, uh, didn’t want to go for the same generic roses and you said your favorite color was blue, didn’t you?”
Lanie smiled, nodding. “It is,” she said. “I can’t believe you remembered. I must have told you that months ago now.”
“Yeah, well I have a rather good memory, I think,” Hayley chuckled, rubbing at the back of her neck. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it,” Lanie corrected, smiling at her. “I’m just going to go put it down and then we can go, alright?”
Hayley nodded, standing awkwardly as Lanie turned and made her way into the kitchen. She turned her head slightly and saw that Esposito was glaring at her. She bristled.
“What?” she asked, frowning. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Javi said. “But if you hurt her…”
Hayley glared at him. “Well, first off,” she said, “I wouldn’t hurt her. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“It is my business,” Esposito hissed. “Because if you hurt her, you hurt them,” he motioned to the children resting against his chest. “And they are, most definitely, my business. So don’t.”
Hayley turned back as Lanie approached and she felt her insides melt a little even as her heart swelled ridiculously. She had no idea what was wrong with her; she’d been on dates with attractive women before. But Lanie Parish wasn’t just attractive; she was beautiful. Gorgeous. Radiant. Brilliant—in more ways than one. The very sight of her took Hayley’s breath away.
“Wonderful,” Hayley said, smiling warmly at her as she offered her arm. “My lady?” Lanie giggled—which seemed to surprise even Esposito—and linked hers around it, before turning to the father of her children with a smile.
“Thanks for taking them tonight,” she said. “I know you weren’t supposed to come get them until tomorrow, but—”
“Don’t mention it, chica,” he said, shaking his head. “These two munchkins are going to have so much fun hanging out with Sarah Grace and Lily at their slumber party tonight. Aren’t you?”
“A slumber party?” Lanie asked. “Javi, they’re two.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “They’re not actually going to sleep over. It’s just a playdate with pajamas and pillow fights. You guys like that, huh?”
“Yeah!” Nia exclaimed, lifting her little fists in the air. Espo chuckled and leaned in to press a kiss to Lanie’s cheek.
“Have a nice night,” he said. “We’ll see you on Monday. Right, chicas?”
“Yeah!’ the girls chorused, leaning in to press their lips to Lanie’s cheeks. “Bye, Mama!”
“Bye, babies.” Lanie gave them each a kiss on the forehead, before looking back up at Hayley with a shy smile. “Ready?” she asked.
“Whenever you are,” Hayley replied and Lanie giggled again, before allowing Hayley to guide her out, leaving Javier to close the door behind them.
