Kate stumbled tiredly through the opened elevator doors, sighing as she leaned against the back wall and closed her eyes. It had been a long day. She was tired of idiotic people and low-life criminals. A bath and bed seemed way too inviting right about now. The elevator dinged, bringing her out of her fantasy and back to the present. She pushed herself out of the lift, trudging her way to the door to the loft. At least she was only on-call tomorrow.

As she neared, she could hear piercing shrieks in response to a deeper grumble. She grinned, unlocking the door with a practiced ease. Her two-year old son was streaking across the living room, wearing nothing but a smile. Castle hurried out of his office, his arms full with their daughter slurping on a bottle. "Landon Alexander Castle, get back in here now!" he yelled, obviously stressed from the day.

Kate tried to stop her smile. It was rare that Castle couldn't control the kids. She let the door shut with a slight slam that threw all three of their attentions to Kate.

"Momma!" Landon shrieked, running over to her on unsteady feet. Kate bent down and scooped him up before he hit the ground, nuzzling him as she smacked a kiss on his neck.

"Hi, baby," she murmured. "Where are your clothes?" she asked him as she walked further into the loft.

"No clothes!" he yelled at her.

She hummed. "Why not?"

"No like clothes," he mumbled.

"Oh, I see," she responded. "But we have to wear clothes, baby."

"Why?"

"I was trying to get him into the bath," Castle commented, closing the distance between them to press a kiss to her mouth. He lingered a little bit longer than necessary, not that she minded. "Hi," he smirked as they pulled apart.

"And he didn't want a bath?" He shook his head. She sighed. This was a reoccurring thing with their little man. He hated baths, and he hated wearing clothes even more. Even when he was an infant, they'd walk into the nursery to see him in nothing but a diaper.

"Lan, why didn't you want a bath tonight?'

She felt his little shoulders shrug.

"Will you take one now that Momma's home?" Castle asked him. He sat the bottle down on a nearby table and lifted the baby to his shoulder, patting her back gently. She let out a little belch that had Castle excited. "Such a good one, Sweet Girl!" he exclaimed, pulling her back to lift her over his head. She screeched, her small hands waving wildly. He brought her closer to his face, pressing light kisses against her skin. She just giggled.

Landon stared at him for a moment, thinking, before he responded. "Can Ella take one with me? So we can play?" Kate shared a look with Castle who just shrugged.

"Sure, baby. We can do that tonight." He wiggled out of her grasp, reaching the floor and taking off towards the bathroom. Kate smiled as she watched him go. He could be a handful sometimes, but he was a good kid.

"How was he today?" she asked Castle, reaching for the little girl who seemed to be fascinated by her daddy's stubble.

He released her, only to run a hand through his hair. He collapsed onto the arm of the chair. "About the norm for him. Ran around wildly until he bumped his head on the coffee table. Then we had tears for about an hour before he fell asleep. Only for him to wake back up and demand to play with Ella who was sleeping soundly. She woke up probably about ten minutes after he did. So I let them play for a while, but then someone got cranky…" he trailed off, ticking Ella's stomach softly. She squealed. "I suggested he take a bath before Mommy got home so I could feed her. The clothes came off, as usual, and he refused. And then you walked in…. But it was fine."

She shook her head at him, a small smile gracing her features. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing. You coming to help or you have work to do?"

"I actually want to finish this chapter I was working on. I'll be in when I'm done." She nodded. Pressing a kiss to his hair as she passed him.

Kate walked into the bathroom to see Landon dancing around like a monkey. "Okay, buddy. Into the tub." She gestured for him to climb in. He stood at the edge, still too little to get in himself. Kate set the baby on the floor, lifting Landon into the porcelain tub. "Sit," she ordered as she moved to turn the faucets on. She adjusted the temperature before plugging the drain.

She turned back to Ella who hadn't moved a muscle, just watched her with a happy smile. Kate shrugged out of her jacket, leaving her in just a white t-shirt. Well, this could be a mistake, she thought slyly. She rid Ella of her clothes and diaper, settling her into the tub next to her brother.

She watched them play for a while. Landon rambling on about some absurd scenario she was sure Castle taught him while Ella watched him with fascination, splashing at the water when she got excited. Kate could feel the water soaking through her shirt already… and she hadn't even gotten to the hard part yet. She sighed. Castle would be loving this.

"Alright, guys. Time to wash our hair." Landon immediately lost his smile, while Ella just turned her smile to Kate. "C'mere, Little Man."

Landon scooted towards her with sad eyes. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. He was a drama queen sometimes. Just like his Daddy. She filled up the cup that was floating in the water, dumping it over his head. He spluttered even though none of it hit his face. "Sorry, baby." She lathered his hair with the baby's shampoo, massaging his scalp for a few seconds before rinsing it out. "All done. Do you think you can do soap by yourself?" she asked. He nodded, reaching for the bar of soap. She kept a close eye on him as she repeated the process with Ella; Ella laughing as the water splashed across her cheeks.

She heard the door creak open behind her before she felt him against her side. Turning to look at him, she was met with his piercing gaze.

"What?" she asked with a small smile.

He shook his head. "I just love you."

Her smile grew, "I love you, too." He pressed a kiss against her cheek as he reached for their son. "All clean, buddy?" He nodded, even as Castle rinsed him off one more time. "Alright. Bed time."

"I not tired," he responded at the same time he yawned.

Castle grinned, "Sure you aren't."

He lifted Landon out of the tub, wrapping him in a towel, and hoisting him up to his hip. "We feeling the Batman PJs tonight, bud?"

Landon nodded tiredly, his head falling to Castle's shoulder.

"I'll be up in a few," Kate said. He nodded.

She turned her attention back to Ella who was trying to push herself to her feet in the tub.

"Woah there little miss. What do you think you're doing?" The baby just smiled, continuing to push herself up. Kate let her go, keeping a hand close by just in case. She'd started doing this randomly about three weeks ago. Whenever no one was paying attention to her, she'd pull herself up to her feet, stand for a few wobbly seconds before falling back down. Ella stood, clapping her hands once before Kate pulled her up and into her chest, thoroughly soaking her shirt.

"I missed you today," she mumbled against her daughter's cheek. Wrapping a towel around her, Kate went to find clothes for the girl. "You're being so quiet tonight. Why's that?" It was true. Even though Ella hadn't started truly talking yet, she usually rambled on and on, just liking to hear herself. "Did Daddy talk your ear off already? He's silly like that, huh?" Ella cooed. Kate quickly put her in a diaper, reaching for a pale pink onesie to pull on over top.

"You look tired… Let's go find Daddy and say good night." Kate gathered Ella into her arms, making her way across the hall to find Castle sitting by their son telling him a story. She knocked lightly. "Someone wants to say goodnight," she whispered, noticing the way Castle's eyes roamed across her body as her shirt clung to her chest. Holding Ella out to him, Castle pressed a kiss on the baby's forehead.

"I love you, Princess."

"I love her, too!" Landon exclaimed, though he sounded exhausted. Kate leaned over Castle to let Landon kiss his sister. Kate felt Castle's hand on her hip, squeezing tightly before letting go completely.

She straightened, shooting him a flirtatious look before leaving the room. "I'll be back in a minute, Lan."

"Momma's so pretty," Landon commented when she left.

Castle turned to look at him. "Yeah, I think so too. She's pretty amazing, huh?" The boy nodded, his eyes falling shut. Castle sat there for a few minutes as his son's breath evened out. He smiled, standing with a creak in his knees before he went to the door. Kate was just leaving Ella's room.

"He asleep?" she asked, coming to stand before him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest. "Mhmm, out like a light," he murmured against her forehead.

She hummed. "Let me say goodnight. I'll meet you downstairs." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before quietly entering Landon's room. She ran a hand through his short hair before pressing her lips against his temple. "Love you, baby."

She made her way to their room only to find Castle slumped on the bed wearing only his boxers with his arms covering his face. She crept to the bed nearly silently, climbing onto him with barely a jostle. She threw her leg over his hip, lowering herself to press her lips against his neck. She felt him stir beneath her, his hands finding their way under her shirt.

"You purposely wear white shirts when you give the kids a bath, don't you?"

She laughed. "Yes, because the first thought I have when I come home is 'How can I drive Rick crazy tonight?'"

"Everything you do drives me crazy," he said sincerely, flipping them so he was settled over her. "You should know that by now." He peeled her shirt off, tossing it to the floor.

"Mmm… Why don't you show me again?"

(…)

Light was shining through the bedroom window as Kate rolled over only to find the bed empty. She sighed. It had been forever since they'd woken up together. And today could've been perfect. She was on-call, and didn't have to go in for now. She groaned, pulling herself away from the sinfully comfy sheets. Throwing a hoodie on over her sleepwear, she stumbled into the kitchen to find Castle cooking breakfast wearing only boxers.

"You know, Rick… We wonder why Landon hates wearing clothes, but then you're never wearing anything. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?"

His gaze snapped to hers, a slow smile stretching across his face as she moved towards him.

"You wouldn't have it any other way," he commented, leaning down to capture her lips in a long, slow kiss.

A/N: Literally wrote this in about a half hour cause studying was not working for me. So any mistakes are mine, and I'd really like to hear your thoughts. Both good & bad! xx