Two weeks to the day after my kitchen chat with Amaya put meat the two month mark of my pregnancy, and at the end of a lengthily discussion with Castle, we decided that it was time to let the little kids know about the babies. (My vicious morning sickness, along with the parts where I was already starting to show and that LJ was practically worrying herself into hair loss about my being ill all factored into the discussion, and Castle couldn't find any logical reasons to argue against them) When we sat the kids down to explain what was going on, I had the foresight to make sure Alexis was there so she could be damage control, just in case.

Good thing, too.

Upon registering the news, LJ freaked out and shut herself in the study, refusing to come out for a long time. But even when she did come out, she wouldn't apologize to me until after she talked with Alexis for a longtime about what she was thinking. It turned out that LJ was scared that Castle and I would no longer think of her as our baby anymore because there were two babies coming this time. LJ's voice was full of contempt when she talked with us, and it was clear that she was pretty jealous and sounded scared of being replaced. (She was so accepting of my previous pregnancy because I was pregnant almost as long as she had gotten to know me and had taken time to adjust to her new life) Once she expressed her fears to Castle and I, we assured her that she would always be our baby, no matter how many other siblings came after her, and when Castle added on that nobody could ever replace her because of how special she is to us and everybody around her, LJ accepted his words and simmered down, relaxing completely. After LJ apologized to us for her behavior and we accepted her apology, she apologized to the babies and began having a one-sided conversation, most of which was filled with her trying to will one of the babies to be a girl.

Before LJ wandered off to read a book, she carried on one of her traditions and bestowed nicknames on the babies: Duckling and Joey.

(She chose Duckling because seeing as it's a habit of all of the little kids to follow her around like she's a mother duck; she pointed out that her "little duckling" would probably do the same thing. As for Joey, LJ said that it can work either way because we could use the names Johanna or Joseph, and it was also her nickname for my mom)

Jameson was a different story because he was a few steps short of a nightmare. He understood the baby part surprisingly well, but when he made the realization that he was no longer going to be the youngest one in the family, a position which he seems to enjoy, he threw a very, very long temper tantrum and ended up making himself hoarse by the time he was done. When Jameson's tantrum had finally subsided, he refused to acknowledge me for over an hour because he was as jealous as LJ had been. (Or maybe even more jealous…) The funny thing about Jameson's reaction to the babies that he didn't simmer down until after a calm LJ had a chat with him, just like Alexis had had with her. That showed us that all of the Castle children had strong bonds with each other that Castle and I would never truly be able to understand simply because we are their parents.

Only Tobias' reaction to the announcement of the babies was pleasant. I would have to say that 'adorably zen' would be the proper way to describe his state of mind after he processed what he had been told. As soon as LJ and Jameson had started having their tantrums, Tobias wanted nothing more than to sit next to me on the couch and lay his head on my belly and rub it with his hands. It didn't go unnoticed by Alexis, Castle or I that Tobias kept glancing at Alexis' belly, obviously trying to figure out if she was growing him a little brother or sister. Poor Alexis was bright red for a longtime afterwards.

Also during that two week period, dad and Amaya came forward to our extended family in telling them about their relationship and Amaya's pregnancy.

Dad chose to tell the guys during poker night at the loft, and Amaya chose to break the news by hosting a 'women only' potluck night at the house in Brooklyn with me, Lanie, Jenny, Madison, Emily, Jordan, Molly, Juliana, Ophelia, Megan, and even Martha in attendance. Alexis, Melissa and Jessica had been invited, but they had all politely declined because they already had plans with Ashley and Calvin. Amaya's parents had also been invited to poker night and the potluck, but they had also declined because they had to work, and they already knew what was going on. The night turned out to be a lot of fun, and I was sorely tempted to the news about my own pregnancy, but I didn't want to steal the spotlight away from Amaya because it wouldn't be a nice thing to do, and this was her night, anyway.

Martha, Ophelia, Megan, Molly and Juliana had already guessed about Amaya's pregnancy because they're the oldest and most experienced mothers in our group other than Amaya, but they were waiting for her to come forward with the news herself. Emily already knew because she's the group baby doctor, and we go to her to get things confirmed. I already knew for obvious reasons, but Jenny, Lanie and Madison were all very surprised—they were the only ones who were genuinely surprised, actually—because they don't work with Amaya on a daily basis like Emily and Juliana do, or they had been to busy taking care of their families to pay close enough attention.

When it came to the topic of Amaya's relationship with dad, nobody blinked an eye at it, causing me to realize that they were all as tolerant of odd pairings as they were loving. I was just as surprised as Amaya was about everyone's quick acceptance, but then Martha explained that she's been in a number of odd relationships that seemed as odd as the one we were currently discussing, so she understood the situation pretty well. This was followed by everyone else telling quick stories of how they met their husbands. Jordan's explanation turned out to be the most interesting.

She and Rafferty met when they were five because he had rescued her from being pushed around in a mud pit by the neighborhood bullies, and Rafferty took Jordan back to his house to ask his mom to clean his new friend up. Jordan went on to say that while she is blessed enough to have married her best friend, she and Rafferty have made always made for the odd pairing when they were going up and going through school together. Even though they had both at the top of everything academically, Jordan was the nerdy girl with glasses who had become both the local spelling bee champion and local chess champion by age ten, and she was the off-beat high school student who read biology and psychology textbooks for fun, while Rafferty had been the all-star quarterback during all of middle school and high school while having a strong passion for photography.

All in all, Jordan's point was that she is no stranger to being labeled as one half of an odd couple, so she can say that she understands the situation better than the rest of us.

Amaya and I both felt better after that.

Today marks Lanie's and Esposito's first wedding anniversary, and as a gift, Castle and I offered our friends the keys to our house in the Hamptons for a romantic weekend getaway while we looked after Jessica Rose, Gabriella and Grace. Lanie and Esposito were deeply touched by our present and were even happier that the girls would each have a companion (or two) who was their own age for the whole weekend. Alexis, Lily Joy, Jameson and Tobias were all very excited for the weekend to come because the Esposito children are some of their closest friends.

The Esposito family had barely been in the loft for all of two minutes to drop the girls off and get things organized when Lanie whisked me away into the study, shutting the door behind us and sat down on the couch. I didn't register until I was next to her that she was very distraught about something so, unsure of what to do, I sat back and offered her my hand to hold.

"What's wrong, Delaney?" I used her full name because the situation seemed to call for it. "This isn't the first time in recent years that I've seen you so rattled about something."

The older woman gave my hand a gentle squeeze as she let out a breath that she had been holding and I could tell, even as she spoke, that she was trying her hardest to be happy.

"I'm pregnant again, Kate."

I grinned and squeezed her hand in return. "That's wonderful news, Lanie! I'm happy for you, but why are you so distraught? Does Javier know?"

"No, Javier doesn't know. Just you and Emily." She answered honestly as her eyes began to fill with tears. "I've known about my pregnancy from the beginning, but I've been keeping it a secret."

"What? Why?"

"There's nothing wrong with the baby as far as I know, but I'm just worried that something could happen because Jess went blind by the time she was seven, and Gabriella was actually born with blindness and epilepsy." Lanie wiped her tears away with a free hand and rested it on her midriff, which I noticed had the subtle but unmistakable swell of pregnancy to it. She looked like she was near the end of her first trimester or just at the beginning of the second. "Is it wrong that I feel a lot of guilt about the girls' conditions?"

This made me curious. "What exactly do you feel guilty about?"

"Gabriella inherited her blood type from Jess, and Jess inherited it from me. Since we all inherit our blood type from our mothers, this means that I inherited my own blood type from my own mother, and passed it down. This all means that the rest of my family line will forever have AB- blood, making them vulnerable to all kinds of health problems or special conditions, some more complicated than others." There are times when I forget that in order for Lanie to have become a professional medical examiner, there were requirements for extra science classes in college and medical school, causing her to gain a very deep understanding of science itself. "I don't have any severe health problems or conditions like Jess and Gabriella do, but I've always had to make sure I have some kind special identification on me if I ever get hurt so the doctors would make me a top priority, especially if I'm ever in an accident and bleeding a lot." She sighed wistfully. "You make the most of things… but it's not exactly a fun life, especially when you're a kid."

"Then I would say that it isn't wrong to feel at all guilty about the kids' health conditions because part of motherhood—and grandparenthood, too, I guess—is always being concerned about the well-being and overall health of all of your babies," I told her, briefly thinking of the complications that Alexis had experienced during her own pregnancy. "But I don't think I need to tell you that things could be a lot worse than they are with Jess and Gabriella, but they aren't."

Lanie sniffed slightly. "That's true…"

"I'm well aware that they've been labeled as disabled by society and nature because of their blindness, but what if they couldn't walk and were wheelchair bound?"

My friend had nothing to say to that, so I added something else, briefly touching a hand to her belly. "You already said that nothing is wrong with this little one as far as you know, and that's a blessing, right there, but don't forget about Grace. She was born with AB- blood, just like her little brother or sister will be, but as I recall, she was born as healthy as a horse and hasn't displayed any signs of blindness."

"We got lucky with Gracie."

I sighed because Lanie had decided to be stubborn with me."You and I aren't all that different when it comes to histories of complications with pregnancy."

She looked at me with renewed interest. "No?"

"No." I confirmed. "My mom had three miscarriages—what?"

"I had three miscarriages before we found out that Grace was on the way." Her tone was soft, almost pitiful. I was very surprised by her words and the tone of her voice because she's always been such a diva-type, causing for her to be very opinionated and very guarded. I kept holding her hand, knowing that she would really appreciate it. "I'm so sorry that I didn't say anything before. Javi knows, and Jessica knows for her own reasons. Emily knows, too, but that's because she's my OBGYN. Other than those three, you're the first person to truly know."

"It's okay," I soothed. "And you don't have to apologize for not telling. It's your life and there are always going to be things that you want kept private. I understand that very well."

"Thanks, Kate." My sister-friend attempted a smile. "You were talking about Johanna?"

I nodded, trying to get back on the right train of thought. "She had the miscarriages, with me being the only successful live birth, but she still had her problems with me, too."

"She did?" Lanie was very surprised. "But you seem so healthy now…"

"I am healthy and I can promise you that," I said quickly. "But my mom developed preeclampsia when she was eight months pregnant with me and had to be hospitalized pretty much until I was born around a month later."

"Oh, my God…"

"So you see, we really aren't all that different when it comes to worrying about pregnancy complications." I neglected to add that I was already slightly more worried than she was because a twin pregnancy is an automatic high-risk situation because there are twice as many things to monitor, and having a twin pregnancy in or near your mid to late thirties—like me—it means that my chances of having complications was a lot higher. "But after all of these years of being best friends right out of the starting gate, I'm always going to have your back, Delaney. I'll always have Javier's, too—and not just because he's under my command as one of my detectives. You know all that, right?"

Lanie's smile was real this time. "I do know, but I could do with some reminding every now and again."

I smiled back and added on a playful afterthought. "But there is one thing…"

Lanie sighed in exasperation like she does when her kids drive her up the wall with their endless curiosity. "And what might that 'one thing' be, Katherine?"

Ignoring her jab of the use of my full name, I answered her question simply. "Tell Javier about the baby tonight. Go all out and be romantic because it's your first anniversary of being married to such an amazing man, and besides, going all out is right up your alley."

She giggled. "You know me too well."

"Damn straight!" I agreed. "I expect at least a text back after you tell him. I'm dying to know what he's going to say."

Lanie giggled even more. "You say Writer Boy is a twelve year old, but I think the pot is calling the kettle black right now."

I blushed furiously and was about to retort when there came a knock from the other side of the study door, quickly followed by the sound of Esposito's slightly rushed voice.

"Hey, chica!" he called. "I know you enjoy having your girl time with Kate, but we have to get going, like right now if we don't want to get stuck in traffic!"

We got up and exited the study to rejoin our families. Castle and I watched happily as Lanie spontaneously kissed her husband, not caring that her children (or mine) were in the room. Esposito was pleased by the kiss, but was nevertheless confused by it when they pulled apart.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Never better."

The smile on Lanie's face told me that she was probably planning their romantic night already. Neither Castle nor myself were bothered by our friends' display of affection because we both understood how unique and passionate their relationship is and always has been. If any of my friends needed the needed their loved one with them simply to survive, it was these two.

The kids, on the other hand, were all deciding to be funny.

LJ and Gabriella were giggling uncontrollably, while Jameson had covered his eyes and was repeating the word 'icky' over and over again. Tobias just wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out. Grace followed his example, and Alexis was whispering something into Jessica's ear, no doubt prompting her to say something to her parents.

"Go get a room!" Jessica called to her parents. "Stop tryingto corrupt us with your mushiness!"

"Please, mija." Lanie raised an eyebrow at her oldest daughter and spoke in an 'as-if' tone. "Don't you know where you are? You're in the Castle loft. I'm sure the weekend won't end without you being the victim of some sort of prank."

Esposito stepped away from his wife and walked over to Castle. "Do us proud, bro. Lanie and I still haven't been able to come up with a good prank to get Jess with because they usually backfire…"

"Don't worry, my friend." Castle reassured Esposito. "I'll think of something."

"Dios mio…" Jessica muttered worriedly as Castle and Esposito fed the birds. "The Queller sisters are bad enough when they collaborate on a prank, so God only knows what will happen when I'm in the House of Castle…"

Lanie and Esposito looked delighted that Jessica was becoming concerned about what kind of pranks Castle was capable of pulling, so they decided to say their goodbyes and give Castle and I last minute instructions about the girls' likes and dislikes, and such. It took them awhile to get out the door because this was they first time that they've left all of their kids at the same time since meeting Jessica and Gabriella last year. It was hard for all of them.

When Lanie and Esposito were finally gone, Jessica immediately started displaying signs of separation anxiety. Alexis realized this and whisked her friend away upstairs for some girl time. Gabriella was gloomy, too, so Castle immediately engaged hers and LJ's interest in promising to teach them how to play Guitar Hero. The girls liked this idea and followed him to the study where video game systems were set up. Jameson and Tobias followed in their wake, drawn by the two older girls they idolized.

Grace was the only one who stayed put. She is very rough-and-tumble, and will most likely be a tomboy when she's older, but right now she was crying—something she doesn't like doing often, even though that kind of behavior is normal for someone who is a year old.

I picked the dark-skinned child up and sat at the breakfast nook with her. She leaned against me as best she could (my belly was already starting to present a slight problem) and she held onto my hand tightly, as if making sure I was really there.

"It's alright, Gracie." I soothed in my best mom-voice while giving her a backrub to quell her sudden hiccupping fit. "You don't have to be upset because we're going to have so much fun."

"No." she stated plaintively, her stubbornness making me wonder what Lanie had been like when she was a year old. "Mama. *hic* Papa. *hic* No like. *hic* bye-bye…"

"They'll be back in a few days. You're going to have lots of fun at your Tía Katie's house." I've had a lot of nicknames bestowed upon me by the children in my family, but 'Tía Katie' seems to be the most popular one."Come help me find something to make for dinner, Pixie."

Despite me using her favorite nickname on her, Grace just shook her head and snuggled up against me more, obviously not wanting me to move away from the spot, even though she was becoming visibly annoyed by her hiccups. I sat back and made myself comfortable, knowing that we would be sitting there for awhile.

Dinnertime was slightly more chaotic than usual because we had three guests, and each one of them had a companion (or companions) their own age. I hadn't been able to think of anything to make that would please everybody, so Castle made things easier by ordering pizza. (Everyone was very happy about this) In the midst of the chaos, Martha stopped by briefly to look for something she had left the other day. After we filled her in on why there was a slight multiplication of people, the kids were all in such good spirits that they greeted Martha in unison with a few of them calling her 'abuela,' something that she found very cute.

As bedtime for the little kids drew closer, they started dropping like flies. The boys were the first ones to go, followed an hour later by LJ and Gabriella, who were extremely excited to be sharing a room together. It didn't surprise me a bit that Grace was the last one to fall asleep because according to Lanie, Grace is a like a baby owl and prefers to be awake at night.

I managed to bring her up to the master bedroom where her portable crib was already set up and put her in a clean diaper and dress her in her pajamas, but I had to sit down on the edge of the bed with her because after spending the whole evening with her at my side (if I wasn't in her field of vision at all times, Grace freaked out), my pregnancy hormones were making me feel even loopier than usual.

That's how Castle found me.

"Do you need me to take her, Kate?"

I shook my head and kissed the top of Grace's. "No. I'm good, Rick."

He sat down next to me and we continued in quiet tones, so as not to wake the sleeping child.

"Then what are you thinking about?"

Shifting Grace a little to the side, I laid a hand on the swell of my abdomen. "I'm just hoping that one of these babies is a girl. I didn't know Alexis when she was a baby and neither of us knew Lily at that age, either, but you still know what it's like to raise a baby girl. I don't."

My husband gave me a quick peck on the lips and put a hand next to mine. "Don't worry. I'm sure that Joey is a girl."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What makes you say that it's Joey?"

"Because I always knew that our next girl would be called Johanna, so we could honor your mom, and even your dad has confirmed that he called her Joey."

I was touched by his words and smiled, bringing my forehead to rest against his own in the form of an immediate response. "I love you, Rick. I love you so much."

Grace woke up at that precise moment, but I lulled her back to sleep with a lullaby. Once the little girl was down for the count, I laid her down in her crib and we left the room to head downstairs, leaving the bedroom door open for her. Alexis was at the breakfast nook, reading an article in a parenting magazine while Jessica was opposite her, sitting back in her chair. A book in Braille was next to her, shut with a bookmark sticking out of it. Jessica's deep expression was identical to the one Esposito always wore when he was thinking hard about something in a case. The way Jessica was fiddling with the two necklaces around her neck absently keyed me in to the fact that she was becoming close to getting lost in thought about what was on her mind.

One of the many interesting things about Jessica Rose is that no matter how many funky outfits she wears, she has two necklaces that she wears at all times unless she's asleep.

The first necklace is actually Esposito's dog tags from his time during his days in the Special Forces. He had given those to her shortly after her arrival as a present, and now they're one of Jessica's most treasured possessions. But the second necklace the young woman was playing with, the one I knew she had but usually wore under her shirt? That one? It made me do a double take.

"Jessica?" I asked warily as I sat down next her and Castle took the empty spot next to Alexis. "Where did you get that necklace?"

As Alexis put her magazine aside, Jessica's hand automatically went to the necklace with a silver J charm resting on a silver chain.

"An old friend gave it to me when I was really little." She answered, turning her head towards me. "Why do you ask?"

"My mom had a necklace just like that, and one of my earliest memories is playing with it. She told me that the man who had sold it to her at an antique shop said it was fifty years old by the time it came to her." I explained, remembering that day perfectly. "I haven't seen that necklace in years and years."

A light clicked on in Jessica's head, and she pulled her iPhone from her pocket and began flipping through a few pictures on it.

"I have a few old pictures that were scanned on here." She handed the phone to me with trembling fingers. "Kate, is this your mom?"

My own fingers trembling, I took the phone from her to examine the picture, and my heart almost dropped into my stomach at what I saw. Jessica was in the picture, but she was little, and looked completely carefree she was perched on someone's lap as they read from a huge leather-bound book. I realized with a start that the person reading to her was indeed my mom. She and Jessica were sitting on a couch and only their profiles were facing the camera, unaware that that the picture was being taken, but the woman was definitely my mom. Little Jessica's thumb was in her mouth and a stuffed bumblebee was under her arm as her eyes were wide with excitement from the story. Mom looked like she was clearly enjoying her time with Jessica as they read.

"Yeah, Jess." I handed the phone back to her, aware that both Castle and Alexis were watching the scene silently with lots of curiosity. "That's my mom."

The shock almost knocked Jessica unconscious, but she regained her bearings after a minute.

"So you're Mama Joey's daughter. No wonder you remind me so much of her…"

"How do you know about that nickname?" I was just as shocked as she was. "You knew about me? How did you know my mom?"

Jessica rubbed her temples. "What was her name? I knew your mom since I was born and I was with her on the day she died, but I never knew her name."

"My mom's name was Johanna Lily Beckett." I answered, temporarily forgetting about any previous activities that I had planned for the night. "You called her Mama Joey?"

"Yes, because she said that her friends' daughter called her th—Oh…"

She looked shocked again as she realized a new thing. I held her hand, in an effort to keep her grounded to reality. "What is it? Something else just sent a jolt through your system, didn't it?"

She nodded. "Johanna said that her friends' daughter called her that name first. That was Melissa—our Melissa!"

By now, Castle's and Alexis' mouths were both hanging open slightly from shock.

"Oh, wow…" I was surprised yet again, but still had more questions for her. "How did you know her?"

"She was good friends with my foster parents, theCavanaughs, and she was always at the house for some kind of meeting or other." Cavanaugh? I wonder if it's Diane Cavanaugh, who just so happens to be on my murder board upstairs? "I was too little to understand what they were talking about, but I was always happy when she was there because she always read to me."

"That sounds like my mom." I smiled warmly. "She read to me a lot, too."

"Mama Joey would read from my foster dad's volume of stories about Sherlock Holmes. The stuffed bee in the picture is called Sherlock, and I think Mama Joey gave him to me when I was born because I've slept with him every night since I was a baby, and I know that it was a present from her. Your mom always made me feel safe and warm, even when I freaked out after losing my sight. I loved her a lot and she loved me, too…"

My eyes were filling with tears at hearing that my mom's love had touched Jessica when she was a kid, and just a few years away from starting a very long and very dark time of her life. "My mom had a really big heart and she loved kids. She treated Maddie, Emily and Melissa like they were her daughters."

"That's how she treated me, but…"

"But?" I prompted as her voice trailed off.

Jessica's eyes became filled with tears, so she took off her glasses to wipe them, rendering her very blind for the moment. "Your mom wanted to adopt me, Kate. She really wanted to. She could have saved me…"

This was huge news to me. Mom had never mentioned Jessica, let alone that she had been considering adoption.

"Why didn't she?"

"She said that things were too complicated," Jessica sighed, putting her glasses back on. "But she also said that she had an older daughter who would have liked me a lot."

"That was me!" I realized suddenly.

Castle cleared his throat, causing Jessica and me to jump a little bit. We had forgotten that we weren't alone.

"So let me get this straight." He said to Jessica."You knew Kate's mom when you were a kid?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I did."

"And if Johanna had adopted you, that would mean that you would've been Kate's little sister?"

"Right again."

"Now there's an odd thought," I muttered to myself. "Me and Jessica as big sister and little sister? Where would that leave Lanie and Javier?"

"If everything had worked out," Alexis piped up. "That means that I would have an aunt right now…"

Jessica looked like she wanted to say something else, but just nodded instead. "That's very true, and just as weird a thought as me being Kate's little sister."

I turned to Jessica. "You said that you were with my mom on the day she died? You know how she died, don't you?"

"I was with her that day, and yes, I do know." Jessica nodded. "I must've been with Mama Joey right before she died because my very last memory of her voice was her saying that she was really sorry that she couldn't adopt me. When she put the necklace around my neck, she explained to me that she had worn it during the times when she was still learning to stand and be brave again after going through very hard trials; and she hoped that if I wore it, I would be brave, too." She fiddled with the necklace again. "I think I started to become a bitter child when I found out that she died because I couldn't believe that she was gone. I thought that Mama Joey was always going to be around," She frowned. "But my life went straight to hell after the funeral because I was abandoned there, and I was put into a group home after that when no one came to claim me. I didn't find out until two months later that both of my foster parents were dead, and I didn't find out until I was pregnant with Gabriella that my foster mom was murdered and my foster dad killed himself because he was that upset about his wife's death… and I'm done talking about that part of my life now."

My husband, daughter and I processed everything that we had just been told. I was mostly shocked because here was yet one more person who wasn't even related to my mom and was still deeply touched by her love. Jessica's words made us remember that as pleasant as she was, she still has a dangerous edge about her that she gained after a lifetime in the system, and that it's what makes her who she is. She sat back in her chair again and this time she really did become lost in thought. Alexis got up to leave, wanting to give her friend some space, but she reached out and caught her hand and held on. Alexis got the message right away and just moved her chair closer.

The silence became awkward after a few minutes for Castle and me, because Alexis and Jessica obviously had a stronger sister-friend relationship than Lanie and I do, so sitting side by side in silence seemed perfectly normal to them. Jessica seemed to sense mine and Castle's discomfort because she broke the silence.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I really need a drink or something to decompress…"

Jessica turned twenty-one last month, so she was no longer underage, and has been known to enjoy a drink every once in awhile with the other adults.

"I hear you." Castle said as he stood up and walked over to the kitchen. "All I have is beer because we're out of wine."

"Beer is good, and whatever you have is fine." Jessica chirped.

I chuckled. "You are so your mother's daughter right now."

She looked amused. "How so?"

"Lanie will drink wine on special occasions like weddings, but when she's given the choice between wine and beer, she always picks beer, no arguments."

A sudden rustling of magazine pages that Alexis was still at the table with us.

"I forgot that you're still underage, Lex." Jessica sounded a little sheepish.

Alexis looked up from her magazine and smiled. "It's all right, Jess—I prefer wine, anyway. I have unpleasant memories associated with beer."

We knew that she obviously meant her time in England.

"But your big 2-1 is coming up in a few more weeks, my Sunshine." I tried to change the subject before things became too depressing. "There won't be anything stopping you then."

Alexis laughed slightly. "Except for the part where I promised myself that I won't have another drop of alcohol until my wedding reception, especially since I have a high tolerance level."

Castle walked over at that moment and sat a full beer mug down in front of Jessica before responding to his firstborn's words. "Wise words, pumpkin. I'm proud of you."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, dad."

He returned her smile and bowed slightly, careful not spill his own drink in hand. "If you ladies need me, I'll be in the study."

Realizing that Jessica and Alexis probably would want sometime to themselves to discuss everything that had been shared tonight, I stood up and turned to my husband.

"I think I'll join you and pull the muse card so I can see what work you're actually getting done."

The girls made no attempts to hide their snickers as Castle looked wounded and trailed after me to the study, looking like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Alexis' Point of View

After my parents left Jessica and I to our own devices, the next few hours were spent downstairs, and among many things, we made plans to meet with Ashley, Calvin and Melissa the following day and tell them about Jessica's connection to Kate's family. When that conversation ended, we decided to grab some snacks from the kitchen to take upstairs to my room to enjoy while we watched whatever was on TV at this late hour.

I was looking through the refrigerator for a good sugary treat (preferably with lots of chocolate) when I heard three noises in quick succession: the sound of shattering glass, a body falling to the floor and a very dirty Spanish swear word.

My heart plummeted when I saw Jessica sprawled unceremoniously in the middle of a pile of glass that had been her beer mug. I felt even worse when I saw that she was bleeding from the inside of her arm and clutching the spot, and that's when I remembered that if she ever bled that much, it could mean serious trouble because she has a very uncommon blood type.

(In that moment, I was starkly reminded that even though Jessica has corrective eyeglasses to help her with her sight problems, she is still blind, and that means that accidents like dropping something made of glass could still happen to her) Grabbing a nearby dishrag, I hurried over and pulled her out of the glass before sitting her down on the floor and kneeling down to apply pressure to her wound.

"Chica," my friend whimpered in fear. "I can't be bleeding like this! It's dangerous."

"I know, sweetie." I cooed, sitting down and propping her up against me. "I know."

"I don't feel good. I could go into shock, and that's the last thing we need…"

The words had hardly left her mouth when she suddenly looked like she was about to faint from the blood loss, so I patted her cheek with my free hand. "No, Jessica. You can't faint now. Stay with me. Stay with me."

She opened her eyes with a start. "I'm here, Lexie."

Concealing my alarm that the dishrag was already soaked with her blood and that my hands were coming sticky with it, I yelled in the direction of the stairs, seeing as mom and dad had gone up to their room awhile ago. I didn't care if I woke the little kids up. This was a serious emergency!

"MOM! DAD! JESSCA'S BEEN HURT! COME QUICKLY!"

They were downstairs in a heartbeat.

The next fifteen minutes or so was filled with a lot of panic and confusion as the paramedics arrived and assessed the damage, and loaded Jessica onto a gurney. She became upset when the paramedics tried to separate us, making me remember back to last year when Doctor Hawthorne had tried to separate LJ from Jordan in the hospital last year. Once I made it clear that I was over eighteen, the paramedics let me come along. As I headed out, I heard mom call after me that they would meet us at the hospital as soon as possible.

Poor Jessica really did go into shock from blood loss, and I could only watch from the back corner of the ambulance as the paramedics worked as quickly as possible to take care of her after I remembered to tell them to read her medical bracelet for special instructions.

When I heard the words 'blood transfusion' from the paramedics, I knew that we were all going to be in for a very long night.

Please don't badger me if I got anything wrong about the science in this chapter, but if anyone is good at the subject, I would greatly appreciate some pointers about genetics and DNA inheritance. (if that last term was even said the right way…) It's been awhile since I was in any kind of science class. Thanks :)