"Thanks, Paula. I really appreciate your help!" Rick Castle smiled as he ended the conversation with his long time publicist. Now, it was time to find his family and have some fun. Since it was a rainy day, and they were at their house in the Hamptons, he had an idea where they might all be: the playroom.
When Kate was pregnant with Lily, she had the idea for the room, and what it would contain. He loved every thought, and told her to go for it. So that first summer after Lily was born, Kate oversaw the conversion of a big room into the ideal playroom for their kid and any future kids. She'd had a rainbow mural painted on one big wall. She had soft, easy to clean carpet placed on the floor. She looked at different easels so that they could put the perfect one in a corner so that their kids could paint or draw whatever they wanted – and had added new easels when Jake and Reece were old enough to draw and paint too. There was a big dollhouse with all the trimmings and a play mat that looked like a roadway along with lots of play cars and trucks. There was a small table and chairs for tea parties or doing artwork. Cubbies lined the room so it would be easy to put toys away.
But Rick's favorite part of the room was the reading nook. Kate had placed bean bag chairs and lots of different sized pillows alongside a bookcase that could be filled with books. He could easily picture sitting there, reading to their little ones or coming into the room to see one or more of their kids reading a favorite book or starting a new one.
So he hadn't been surprised at all that Lily had loved that room from the first moment they let her loose. And from the moment that Jake and Reece had seen it, they had loved it too. He was pretty sure he'd find at least the kids in the room, so he headed in that direction. As soon as he turned the corner, he discovered his instincts were correct: not only were the kids in there, but so was Kate. And they were having a pillow fight, a time honored Castle tradition.
He had introduced Alexis to pillow fights when she was little. At first, he let her swing and hit him as much as she wanted. He'd pretend that her hits were on target, and he'd fall to the ground groaning. She'd giggle as she climbed on him and he'd grab her and blow raspberries on her tummy. As she got older, he didn't have to pretend anymore, and then they had turned their attention to laser tag. When Lily was three, he found himself teaching another daughter about the joys of a pillow fight, but this time, he had to fight off his daughter and her mom. Kate went easy on him and her giggles when she and Lily won warmed his heart, even if his knees weren't sure about it. When Jake and Reece were big enough to join in, his knees were hit a lot, but he didn't care. He loved how proud his sons were when they managed to "beat" him.
As he walked into the room, he said loudly, "What is going on here? And why wasn't I invited?" He grinned as his family turned around and then reacted to his questions. "Daddy!" three little voices called out as the kids dropped their pillows to run to him. Jake and Reece each grabbed a leg while Lily wrapped her arms around his waist. He leaned over to kiss them on the top of their heads, and he could smell their apple shampoo. Kate still held her pillow as she joined them, and she kissed his cheek.
"What do you say kids? Do you think we should let him join in?" The kids yelled out their approval as they ran back to pick up their pillows. Rick walked over to pick up a pillow as Kate took advantage and swatted him in the butt as he leaned over. Jake and Reece giggled as they saw the look on his face, and they each swung their pillows but missed hitting any part of his body.
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? You're all going to gang up on me?" He straightened up, and aimed for Kate, barely hitting her hip, but getting the Beckett glare just the same. He smirked at her as Jake and Reece went to her side. But Lily went to his side, and gave her mother a look.
"I'm on Daddy's side today!" she called out. "It's not fair to hit him when he wasn't ready, Mommy!" Rick wasn't surprised by the fierceness of her statement. Lily was her mother's daughter – she was always ready to help anyone or anything that needed help. When he looked at Kate, he could see the pride in her eyes, but she simply nodded at her daughter.
"You're right, Lilypad. But it was such a big target!" The kids giggled as Rick made a face, and the battle was underway. Soon, the room was filled with laughter and teasing as each side tried to make the other surrender. And when the battle was over, and he and Kate were in a great big puppy pile with their kids, stealing kisses from rosy cheeks, Rick knew they all were winners.
A/N: Unlike many of my stories, this has no "real life" background. But somehow, I think the Castle family enjoys a good pillow fight every once in a while.