Disclaimer: not mind. see all previous chapters.
A/N: This one ran away from me. No regrets though because I'm pretty excited about how it turned out.
It's almost stifling in the small studio. There are mirrors that elongate the room but with so many little ones giggling and stumbling, it's stuffy. The atmosphere is bridled with tension, nervousness. And Kate smiles encouragingly when Charlie catches her eye mid uncoordinated spin. The girls have begged for this. And so she brought them. She let Castle and Wes have their father/son date and she brought her daughters to their first dance lesson. She's becoming that mom. The dance mom, the soccer mom. The any-sport-the-kids-participate-in mom.
It's fun. For the most part, she's enjoying watching Ella twirl in her bright pink sparkling leo that she just had to have. With little dance shoes that Kate knows will be lost the moment they get home. Something she'll have to hunt for before their next session. But this is what they wanted and they're having fun. She watches, ignoring the other moms around her as she focuses on her twins. They're still standing a little off to the side, in their own little bubble. Just them. But they're following direction really well and yeah, she's beaming with pride. Her babies are adorable. Bright eyes and smiles, their hair in lopsided ponytails with white bows - courtesy of their father. Maybe she's biased but she's pretty in love with how adorable they look in little leos. Charlie picked the purple with little flowers. Mild compared to her sister's. It still amazes Kate, how different they are despite being identical. Their personalities couldn't be more night and day. They may look the same but they're completely opposite. She's still surprised they both agreed on dance.
She's not surprised that Ella twirls and giggles and Charlie spins with determination etched across her face. She doesn't even notice the other kids.
She asked Cub to come, thought he might be interested in dance but he wanted to stay with Castle. Something about already having plans. Which she was not aware of and still has no clue what they're doing. It worries her a little. She's come home to interesting things before and something tells her that her boys are up to no good.
As parents of multiples, they do their best to get one on one time. Taking the kids for lunch dates or something similar. One at a time. She thinks it works. They seem happy and healthy. There's no real rivalry between them like she expected. Even now with the girls sitting amongst a group of other kids, they're not competing with each other for the attention. They're listening to their instructor, they're sitting side by side and holding hands. They don't try to be better than one another and she hopes that never changes. She hopes she's doing a good job of showing them they don't have to fight for her to notice things, that there's no competition between them on who is better at something.
They have their own special things they're good at. But she worries. She worries because Charlie isn't as open and loud and she fears it's because of the lisp. Because she can't pronounce certain things and stops trying after she realizes that she isn't saying it the way other people do. She's too young to be self conscious in Kate's mind but it's obvious sometimes.
When she whispers in Ella's ear and has her sister talk for her, it's obvious. And as a mother, she worries. Maybe they need to be separated more, maybe she needs to sit down with her littlest and explain that there is nothing wrong with her words or how they sound. She always thought it wouldn't be an issue. She thought since no one in their family makes a big deal out of it, then Charlotte would know she's not any different but she's been quieter since an ear infection left her crying for two days and refusing to take off the shirt Beckett let her have. She sleeps in it now.
Is that healthy?
Sometimes she thinks she's screwing this all up. She has a boy that has the sweetest heart she's ever seen, a little wild girl with ambitions bigger than the skies and a timid girl with a hug for everyone. She absolutely adores them, loves them more than anything. She wouldn't change a single thing about any of her children. But is she doing what's best?
Someone bumps her shoulder and she's jerked back into the present. Glances away from her girls to see a smiling woman with eyes that are almost the same shade as Castle's.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bump you. Kinda crowded over here." It is, they're all seated on chairs or a couch. "Which one is yours?"
"Uh two actually. The twins." She waves at them just to point them out, in case the woman hasn't noticed the two attached to each other's hip.
Ella is the first to wave wildly.
"They're beautiful. They look a lot like you."
"Thank you. Ella's in the pink and Charlie's purple." Kate didn't really intend on talking much but there's time to kill and she doesn't want to be rude. "Yours?"
"Jasmine. Right next to your girls actually."
She's cute. Blond curls and big eyes. Round cheeks that are pink from exertion.
"I'm Kate." Beckett offers a hand, and the woman takes it.
"Riley."
She never thought she'd be this woman. The mom making nice with a random other mom. But she is. And her girls are fine so she chats. She keeps away from certain topics.
Like her work. She stays within the realm of acceptable for little ears. And she listens more than she talks. It's not so bad. Not really bad at all and when the girls come racing towards her, she realizes that time passed rather quickly.
"Did you see me?" Ella asks with a smile on her face and her blue eyes dancing. "Did you see me spin?"
"I did. You were great, baby." She was. Wobbling and stumbling and perfect. "What do you say we get some ice cream?"
That's when Charlie grabs another little hand and speaks up.
"Her too?"
Oh. This isn't something she expected but maybe she should have. They're bound to make little friends. And now Charlie is clinging to the same little blond girl that belongs to the woman she's been chatting with.
"Her name is Jasmine." Riley interrupts the moment and the twins eye her, a little wary.
And then Beckett watches as her youngest steps a little closer to the new strange woman.
"Like the pwinthess?" It's soft and almost unsure but Kate smiles at her and gives a little nod to show her it's okay.
Maybe she's doing just fine.
Their new friend doesn't get to join their ice cream date but they planned one for next time. They'd been a little upset at first but not now.
Now, both girls seem content to eat their ice cream. She let them choose. She let them add toppings and everything. Cringing now that she sees the amount of sprinkles and whipped cream Ella's has. And the chocolate sauce dripping down. But she knows if their father were here, his would be even worse. So she says nothing as the girl chows down on a confection of sugar.
Charlie keeps it simple. Strawberry with a little chocolate.
The same as hers. She listens as they talk, feeling an ease settle as they get so animated. They're not loud and obnoxious in public, but Ella sometimes gets a bit excited and Beckett has to remind her to use her inside voice. They're already getting some looks.
They're still in their leos, but she made them put their shorts and boots on before leaving the studio. Their dance shoes are in the car which might be where they stay just so she can find them next time without digging through toy boxes and under beds. They don't really fit in with the other people here, they definitely look out of place but she doesn't mind. She enjoys her ice cream and listens as Ella talks about their new "bestiest" friend, Jasmine.
And doesn't say a word about the mess of chocolate on Ella's face until it's time to go.
After bathroom breaks and cleaning sticky fingers and faces, she clasps each girl by the hand. They know not to pull away, they know how dangerous it can be.
But they barely take three steps before Charlie jerks free, before she's after something. Kate's heart stops, she tries to pull her back, barely misses. And she's after her. Her full name flying off her tongue as she grabs Ella and hoists her up on her hip. She can move quicker without accommodating little legs.
She doesn't need to though. Charlie is crouched down next to the corner of the building, holding something in her hands. Barely five steps away. But her heart is still in her throat, beating hard and she ignores everyone as she kneels. She sets Ella down and tells her not to move, makes her put her hand on her arm so she'll know if the girl does.
"Charlotte Hanna Castle, you do not run away from me."
"I -"
"No, Charlotte! There's no reason to ever let go." And maybe she's being too harsh, but she doesn't think so. She can't lose them. Any of them and she'd been terrified the moment she felt Charlie's hand jerk out of hers. "And we do not pick things up off the ground."
But now her daughter's lip trembles and her face crumbles and Kate realizes she's scaring her. She softens a little, stays firm but gentler this time.
"Hey, you scared me. Okay? You scared me and you know not to let go. You know not to run, Charlie."
"I sthaw -"
"Honey, you tell me if you see something. You do not run after it. No matter what. Okay?"
"Kay."
"Alright. Now what did you find?" She asks because whatever it happens to be is being held protectively and the moment Beckett actually glances down to see, she almost feels the air leave her lungs all over again. "Oh my god."
"Momma! A kitten!" Ella squeals in delight already reaching for the squirming tiny body and Kate snaps her name before her hands can touch it.
It's maybe a kitten. She takes it carefully and it squeaks at her. It's a kitten. She's seen these kind before. Never really thought much of them. But this one is tiny. Clearly out of place. And so wrinkled, it could pass for cute on a good day.
"Oh, Charlie." Of course her girl found a defenseless kitten with its eyes barely open. "We can't take-"
It's Ella that interrupts.
"We can't leave it!" Four year olds have become the people she listens to. Because she knows they're right.
"Okay. Okay, here's the deal, this is a baby. It needs a mom, it needs milk and I need to talk to your dad. We take it home -" Twin grins beam at her and she shakes her head. "For tonight. Tomorrow we take it to the vet and see what happens. We might not get to keep it."
She isn't saying no. Which worries her more than the fact that there's a squirming hairless kitten nuzzling into her chest.
"But Charlie this does not make it okay to run away from me. This doesn't mean you're not in trouble." And as soon as her daughter ducks her head, Kate knows she won't do it again.
She also knows without a doubt that they just gained a cat. And there's no waiting till tomorrow.
She doesn't let them hold it on the way to the vet. Doesn't let them near it until she's sure it's a perfectly healthy kitten that's way too young to be away from the mom. She doesn't know what to do with it. But she learns. And her daughters know it's theirs the moment she accepts the supplies.
Castle is either going to be as excited as they are or he's going to kill her.
"Whoa! Why do you have a naked rat?"
"Kitten, daddy!" Ella holds it carefully, just like Kate showed her and Wes is already off the couch and coming to investigate.
"It's wrinkly." He scrunches his nose but he's smiling, already touching his fingers to the top of its head.
"It's a baby. Charlie found him."
"No Ella, he's just hairless." She corrects her but is more concerned with the look on Castle's face. She dumps her stuff on the couch.
And then she's reaching for his face. Pulling him in to press her mouth to his with a force that has him stumbling.
"I'm sorry. Charlie found him, after scaring me half to death. I'll tell you about that later but they love him."
"Kate, it's a...strangely demonic looking little thing but I'm not mad." His eyes have already softened though and she knows. "Boomer might be the one with the problem."
Oh shit. She hasn't even thought of that. And she turns to find their giant oaf of a dog before he finds the bite size kitten but it seems she's too late. His nose is already hovering over the wiggling wrinkly ball in Ella's arms. She pictures how badly this could end but he shocks her. He huffs, tilts his head to side and then he walks away.
"Or not."
"I stopped by the vet. I wanted to be sure it wasn't diseased or something. It's not. But he's about a week old, needs to be bottle fed and kept warm. It's a lot of work and apparently it doesn't always end well." Which will shatter the kids. Because it seems even their son is in love.
Castle rubs a hand down her arm. Drops his voice to a whisper.
"Kate, as tiny as he is, I really don't think he'll make it." And it's a mistake the moment he says it because he might've thought no one would hear...but someone does.
Charlie's blue eyes well up with tears. Her little hands fist at her sides and Beckett watches a fire light inside of her daughter that she didn't know she had.
"He will! He's fine. He's just little like me!" She flees before they can say anything. Tripping up the stairs with Castle already chasing after her.
He didn't mean for her to hear any of it. And he'll spend however long it takes to make sure she knows that.
This whole thing is a mess but Ella and Wes still seem oblivious and Kate has to make a bottle for a kitten. Something she never thought she'd be doing right now. So much for being forever done with bottles. She makes them hand over the kitten, it's too little to be jerked around by the kids. And her gentle soul ran off so she's the one holding it to her chest, she's the one that sits on the couch and coaxes him to latch on to the tiny nipple of the tiniest bottle.
Ella is the first to join her. And Wes settles on the other side almost immediately.
"You have to be gentle. He's too little to play."
"Char wanted to call it Marie like the cat movie." Ella is the only one that calls Charlie by an even shorter version of her name. It seems to be their thing.
"I guess we could call him that." Seems silly but the cat will be named whatever her daughter decides.
"We could name him something cool."
"No, Wes. Charlie found him, probably saved his life. She gets first pick but we'll see what she says." Tiny paws push against her fingers as the kittens feeds and she gets just as caught up in watching as the kids at her side.
None of them notice Castle carrying Charlie back into the room until he's sitting her down right in front of Kate. They made up, apparently because there are no more tears. And their youngest daughter still has her arm around his neck.
"He's eating, Charlie, that's a good thing." He says it softly. As if he's still trying to make up for what she overheard and Kate melts.
"But he might -"
"No, sweetheart, I didn't say that to scare you. He's very small and sometimes babies can't make it without their mom. But we'll do everything we can to make sure he does."
It's enough to have her smiling again. Not as bright but just as beautiful.
"Elephant. Call him Elephant. He's gway."
"Okay, operation save Elephant has commenced." Castle points at Wes first and she knows what's coming. It's going to be a family affair. "We need a box."
"Got it." She's never seen him move so fast. Not even for chicken nuggets. But he's off the couch and bouncing up the stairs before Castle even tells Ella that her job is to find something for it to cuddle with.
He leaves Charlie in charge of finding something to line the box. And he's so caught up that he automatically turns to her and opens his mouth as if he's about to lay down more orders. Until she quirks a brow.
"Don't push it, bud. I'm on feedings."
"Right."
She doesn't tell him that he can take the overnight shift but she's thinking it. He needs bonding time with their new pet and something tells her the adventures of Castle and Elephant will become a thing.
Just like with Alexis and now their kids. And with Boomer.
She gives it a day before he's carrying the kitten around talking to it. Maybe a day.
Probably by morning. Because it is a pretty snuggly little thing. And makes cute little noises that have her smiling. Crap. She's just as doomed as he is.
Next up: Mother/Son day.