Author's note: This is completely un-beta'd, due to time constraints, so any mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy this cute piece of fluff!
It's been a whirlwind of a weekend- the craziest of his life, yet the most rewarding, all at the same time. He's surviving on pure adrenaline right now, due to the lack of sleep, and he should be exhausted, but oddly enough, he isn't. The thrill of bringing their tiny new human into the world has filled Rick with so much joy that he couldn't sleep if he wanted to.
The same can't be said for their daughter, though. Oblivious to the trauma she put her parents through over the weekend, she sleeps most of the day, only stirring every few hours to eat. She's such a good baby, and hasn't caused a bit of trouble… other than deciding to make her dramatic entrance into the world three weeks early.
They certainly weren't planning on this being her first Easter. So it's a good thing that Rick decided to buy extra Peeps when he went to the store Friday morning- they'll have enough. Of course, he'd come back from the store to find Kate on the bathroom floor, her face twisted in agony as she clutched her belly…
He pushes the image from his mind as he removes the brightly-colored marshmallow chicks from their packaging, arranging them on a large platter. He loops the plastic bag filled with battle supplies over his arm and takes the platter in both hands, then walks carefully out of the kitchen and into the living room. Despite how hectic this weekend has been, it's still a holiday, and there are some family traditions that they need to uphold.
He steps into the living room to find Alexis curled up asleep in an armchair- this weekend has been every bit as taxing on his oldest as it has for the rest of the family- and his mother and Jim on the couch, folding a load of onesies fresh from the dryer. Curled up at the opposite end of the couch is Kate, holding their tiny daughter in her arms. She's quietly singing to the baby as she gently rocks her, so entranced that she doesn't even notice when Rick walks into the room.
"Well, this certainly is a lively bunch," he jokes. Alexis jolts awake with the words and begins to rub the sleep from her eyes, and the new grandparents look up from the laundry, offering tired smiles.
"I think Adelynn is the most awake out of all of us," Kate murmurs, smiling down at the baby. As if on cue, the baby lets out a small grunt, stretching her tiny arms into the air, then looks up at Kate, her blue eyes wide.
"That doesn't surprise me one bit," Castle laughs, setting the platter and bag of supplies down on the coffee table so that he can kiss his newborn daughter.
Addie is dressed in her Easter best- a new outfit Alexis had showed up with yesterday afternoon, after disappearing from the hospital room for a couple of hours. Throughout her pregnancy, Kate swore that she'd never dress their daughter in overtly "girly" clothes, but she'd immediately fallen in love with the pink crochet dress with a matching headband that Alexis had bought. The dress virtually swallows their tiny, 6-pound daughter, but somehow, that makes her look even more adorable.
"Well, I'm glad she's awake," Rick says, seating himself on the floor by the couch. "Because I'd hate for her to miss her first Peep battle."
"Dad, we just got home from the hospital three hours ago," Alexis scolds, as if he needs to be reminded of this fact. "We didn't even get Easter lunch. And you want to do Peep jousting?"
Kate lets out a soft laugh. "I think it's a good idea, Alexis. We should keep traditions going."
To his surprise, his mother agrees. "Jim's never participated in Peep jousting before," she adds, setting the laundry aside. "It's a family tradition, and he and Adelynn are both new members of this family. So, Richard. Explain the rules."
"Well, the jousting arena is usually located in the kitchen, due to its close proximity to the microwave," Castle starts. "But, due to present circumstances, this year's battle has been relocated to the living room."
"How is that going to work?" Alexis asks.
"Patience, Iago," Rick quips, grinning. "All will be explained in due time."
He takes two Peeps from the platter- one pink, and one yellow- and inserts a toothpick at the front of each. "You want the toothpicks to be right in the chest area of the Peep. Put it at an angle. You don't want it pointing straight up, or straight out."
Jim nods. "And then what?"
"You put them in the microwave," Castle says matter-of-factly. "And whoever's Peep expands and stabs the other first wins. So whoever wants to come into the kitchen may, but I'll film all of the battles on my phone, so that we can watch them in here. So, everyone, choose your first Peep."
As Alexis, Jim, and his mother head toward the platter, Rick shifts to his knees and moves toward Kate and the baby, a single pink Peep and toothpick in his hand. "Addie's first Peep," he says, a reverent tone in his voice. "This is a special moment."
Kate smiles. "She should do it herself."
Rick places the toothpick in the baby's fist, then holds up the Peep so that Kate can guide Addie's hand toward it. Addie doesn't want to let go of the toothpick, keeping it tightly grasped in her little hand, but they finally manage to pry her fingers off of it. Rick holds up the armed Peep with a proud smile, running his hand through the baby's silky auburn hair.
"Good job, little girl," he coos. "Now, who should your first battle be with?"
"With you, Dad," Alexis chimes, a green Peep in her hand. "You're the reigning champion from last year; you should be her first battle."
He nods in agreement, inserting a toothpick into a yellow Peep for himself. "Okay," he says, taking his and Addie's Peeps in his hands. "Whoever would like to come can head into the kitchen for battle."
To his surprise, when everyone else rises, Kate scoots to the edge of the couch, slowly pushing herself off of it. She's moving slowly, still weak and sore from giving birth, but has persevered through the past couple of days. He quickly moves toward her as she grimaces, shifting both Peeps to the same hand so that he can support her elbow.
"Are you sure?" he asks, quietly enough that only she can hear him.
Kate nods, a small grin on her face. "It's her first Easter," she says, nodding down at the baby in her arms. "She should be in there with us."
"I agree. But you don't wear yourself out, okay?"
She rolls her eyes for what must be the fiftieth time since they arrived home this morning. Castle will be the first to admit that he's been overprotective of his wife since the baby was born- scratch that, since she told him she was pregnant- and while Kate makes a show of being annoyed, the small smile on her face gives her away. He knows better than to keep his hand at her elbow as she walks, instead hovering at her back as they follow everyone else into the kitchen.
Jim helps Kate onto a bar stool while Rick arranges the battling Peeps on a paper plate, toothpicks facing each other. He turns to show the plate to the rest of the family, waving it with a flourish.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announces, deepening his voice. "Welcome to the annual Castle family Peep Jousting competition. Make that the Castle-Beckett family," he corrects himself, eliciting a grin from his father-in-law.
"Our first battle is between-" He checks his watch, pausing for dramatic effect. "...between the 46-hour-old baby and her 46-year-old father."
"Clever," his mother acknowledges with a smile. "But enough with the theatrics. Get on with it, darling."
With an exaggerated sigh, he places the plate of Peeps in the microwave, pulling out his phone before pressing the "start" button. Even though everyone is in the kitchen, Rick is still going to film this battle through the foggy glass of the microwave window.
It's baby's first Peep jousting. This moment can't go undocumented.
Addie begins to coo softly as the Peeps slowly expand in the microwave, and Alexis immediately moves toward her little sister, holding out her finger for the baby to clasp. "That's right, Addie," she says, her voice so high it's practically a squeak. "You're gonna beat Daddy, aren't you?"
"Hey now," Rick says, a mock pout on his face as he pans his phone over to his wife and daughters. "Don't go ganging up on me."
"Dad, the Peeps," Alexis reminds him, the tone of her voice returning to normal.
He turns back to the microwave, his eyes widening when he sees how much the marshmallow candies have expanded in the few seconds he turned away. He reaches out to jab the "off" button on the microwave, then opens the door, pulling out the plate.
"I think we have a winner," he declares, still filming with his phone. "And the winner is…"
He looks down at the Peeps for the first time, his jaw dropping when he sees what has happened. Both yellow and pink have grown under the microwave's rays, and now they're slowly flattening, almost as though they were melting. But the yellow Peep's toothpick has shifted off to the side, while the toothpick from the pink Peep is very clearly stabbing through the heart of the yellow one.
"Adelynn Joy Castle," he says, a tone of reverence in his voice. "Not even two days old yet, and she's already won her first Peep jousting battle."
"You did it, Addie!" Alexis exclaims, her face instantly transforming into a look of horror when the baby lets out a wail. "Oh no, I'm sorry…"
Kate immediately pulls the baby into her chest, gently rubbing her back as she rocks side to side. "It's okay," she murmurs as Addie's cries quickly subside. "She just has a different way of expressing her excitement than the rest of us do."
Rick smiles as he watches his wife with their daughter. She's an amazing mother already, and it's almost like she instinctively knows exactly what to do to soothe and care for Adelynn. Watching her transformation into a mother has been indescribably amazing, and his love for her has grown exponentially since their daughter's birth.
He truly married the most incredible woman in the world.
Castle is shaken out of his reverie as his mother marches to the microwave, armed with one green Peep and one purple. "Alright, moving on," she declares, placing the Peeps on the plate. "Alexis Castle, you're going down."
Thirty minutes and several battles later, Rick is left speechless as Addie is crowned the official winner of the Peep Jousting tournament, her pink marshmallow defeating Jim's in the final round.
He can't believe it. The two-day-old baby won.
Everyone cheers- as quietly as they can this time- and Kate beams as she passes Addie to him. The baby immediately nestles into his arms, letting out a contented sigh as her eyes slip shut.
"How did you do it, Adelynn Joy?" he murmurs, gently rocking her as he speaks. "How did you manage to beat every single one of us?"
"She's a Castle, darling," his mother answers, placing her hand on his arm. "It's in her blood."
Rick looks down at his tiny daughter in his arms, her chest slowly rising and falling. Already, she's fallen asleep in the comfort of her father's arms, and his heart swells with pride.
"That she is, Mother," he agrees. "That she is."