Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been writing very much, I've had some personal issues to deal with. Since I've taken so long, I'm terribly behind on my chapters, so I've decided that New Years' will be skipped; It was mostly going to be fluff anyway. So we're picking up in just another day in the life of a Castle (:

X X X X X

The sun was barely up when Kate's phone buzzed, startling her awake. She reached out, whacking at empty space until her fingers grasped her cell, the hand that lay over her stomach shuffling before becoming still.

It was a text from Andy about Marcus Freidman. It had been a few weeks since she'd seen or heard from him, but she figured the reason to be he was sorting things out with his kids.

'Hey Katie, call me once you get this. Marcus Freidman - Urgent.'

She was quick out of bed, unplugging her phone from the charger as she went. Making her way to the living room, she was surprised to see the three older kids all up and playing.

"Morning Mommy!" greeted Alexis, who looked up from the Lego she was sharing with her brothers with a smile, before returning.

"Morning, pumpkin," she replied quickly, heading to the kitchen to brew the coffee. As she did, she dialed her brother's number and waited.

"Andrew Beckett."

"Andy, it's Kate," she blurted, "What's up?"

"Kate, you're never going to believe this," he said, leaning forward on his desk, head in his free hand, "but Marcus is dead."

"What?" she exclaimed, her mouth gaping, eyes popping as she comprehended the thought. How could he possibly be dead?

"How did he die?"

"They think he had some help," Andy explained, "your pals over at the 12th, uh, Esposito and – what's the weedy one?"

"Ryan, Jenny's husband," she corrected, shaking her head at his description, "are they the lead investigators?"

"Yeah," he said, standing to walk around his office, tired of sitting down, his frustration making him antsy, "but that's not the problem; the problem is his kids."

"Are they in Social Services?" Kate asked, her voice falling at the thought.

"No, right now they're in the lunch room," Andy explained with a sigh, "they were there when it happened."

Kate let out her own sad sigh. It was one thing to know about the deaths of your parents, it was a complete other to have seen it.

"Did they see anything?"

"Nah, it was a poisoning they reckon," he said, "but the oldest girl, Tina? Yeah, she watched him have the seizure."

"Oh god, the poor girl," Kate murmured, watching as Rick sauntered sleepily to the kitchen, raising an eyebrow at her concerned face. She gave him a quick, close-lipped smile and a gentle wave, before massaging the back her neck with a free hand, emitting a sigh.

"So what's going to happen to them now?" Kate asked, looking longingly at her own smiling children in the living room. Elise had joined them now, Rick having placed her on the ground beside Alexis, who was doing her best at looking after her.

"Well, Social Services hasn't lifted a finger as of yet," Andy explained, "so I'm not going to do anything for as long as possible, just so they don't have to go into the system."

"Where are they going to go?" Kate asked, stepping aside so Rick could make a start on coffee and breakfast, "They can't stay in the firm's lunch room."

"Yeah, I know, umm…" he murmured, biting his bottom lip, wondering whether his highly deceptive sister would pick up on his insinuation.

"What time are you bringing them over?" Kate asked, chuckling.

"Katie, you are the best!"

"Oh, I try!" she added with another laugh, starting for the office where her file on Marcus Freidman was stashed.

"Well, I can bring them anytime," he said, "but they haven't got a lot of stuff – they aren't allowed back in the apartment as it's an active crime scene."

"That's okay," Kate said, "my kids are about the same age, we'll have stuff for them, and if not, we have no aversion to getting what they need."

"Kate, I can only ask you to do this for a few nights," Andy said, "but, if we have proof of a stable home for them to be in until we find a family member for them to go with, they don't have to go into the system –"

"Andy, we'll keep them as long as we need to," Kate demanded, "if my kids were left without Rick and I, then I'd want them to be with a safe family than in a foster home."

"I don't know how you do it, Kate," Andy laughed, "I mean you've already got four, and you're taking on another three? Not to mention your little surprise…"

"Hey, now!" Kate exclaimed, "How'd you find out?"

"I have my sources," he added coyly, leaving Kate shaking her head.

"Lizzie told you, didn't she?"

"I assured the anonymity of my advisors."

"Hey, be nice, I'm doing you a favor!"

"Point taken," he added in a serious tone, before laughing once more, "so listen, is 9am okay?"

"9am is fine," Kate replied with a nod, "have they eaten?"

"Uh, nothing substantial, a few biscuits, some hot chocolate," Andy said, moving back to his seat, sighing as he sunk into it, "but Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Anything for my baby brother," she added, grinning and chuckling, joining with the laughter on the other end as she began to search the office for the file.

"Right, well, I'll see you at 9am."

"See you at 9am."

She hit the end call button, leaving her phone on the desk and reaching for the file that held the children's names. As she turned to walk out, the presence of Rick startled her. She sighed into a small smile at his worried and confused expression, accepting the arm on her shoulder as they walked back into the kitchen.

"What did Andy want?" he asked, sitting beside her at the kitchen island as she flipped open the file, his hand gently massaging her shoulder.

Kate sighed then looked to Rick. She hadn't exactly asked his permission to look after the Freidman girls. Not that he didn't love children, but she wasn't entirely sure he'd be open to having eight children under the age of ten roaming about the loft.

"I sort of volunteered us for babysitting duties," Kate said, watching Rick sigh, shaking his head a little before he broke into a smile.

"I should have known," he said, planting a kiss on her cheek as he stood to finish sorting out the breakfast.

"What do you mean you 'should've known'?" she asked, a bemused grin on her lips as she watched him chuckling his way about the kitchen.

"Kate, when have you ever turned away from helpless anybody, let alone three little girls," he explained, placing a mug in front of her, filling it with coffee, "so it doesn't really come as any surprise to me."

Kate's face erupted into a beaming smile, her eyes glistening as she watched her grinning husband move between the fridge, the stove top and the microwave oven.

She stood slowly and quietly, making her way into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist as he flipped the bacon in the fry pan. She sighed into his back, leaning the side of her face just below the nape of his neck.

"Thank you, Rick," she murmured, closing her eyes gently, feeling his laugh vibrate through his body.

X X X X X

The kids all sat at the dining table, Alexis and David seated, Lucas on his knees and Elise in a high chair. Kate was sitting in her usual seat beside Rick, waiting for them to finish their breakfast before she told them of their visitors. Luckily, Rick had managed get onto a local furniture store, and had organized for three single beds to be delivered sometime around lunch. He would be spending the morning clearing out the rumpus room they had downstairs to turn it into a bedroom for the three girls, all of whom would be arriving very soon with Kate's brother.

The clattering of forks on plates told Kate the kids were done with their bacon and eggs, as she too lowered her fork. She was a slow eater at the best of times, but eating in the mornings wasn't her favorite thing to do at the moment.

"Hey, kids, can we talk for a sec?" she asked, as all the blue and one set of green eyes laid on her.

"Do you all remember Mr. Freidman?" Kate asked, "The man who was here before Christmas?"

"The one whose wife died?" David asked, cocking his head quizzically. Kate met him with a nod, before continuing.

"Well, he…passed away recently too," Kate explained, "and he has three little girls that have nowhere to go, so, uh…"

Kate felt a hand on her thigh, her eyes meeting the concerned blue of Rick's momentarily before she looked back to the children gazing at her.

"Are they coming to stay with us?" Alexis asked, her hands linked in front of her on the table, her expression serious but soft. Kate smiled inwardly to herself, thinking of just how much like she resembled her as a child.

"Yes, Lex, they are," she agreed, nodding.

"For how long?" David interrupted; now up on his knees, hands on the table.

Kate sighed; the length of time was still in the air, and she wasn't sure how the kids would deal with sharing their parents. They had enough trouble doing it amongst themselves, let alone with others.

"We're not sure yet; until they find a relative for them to live with," Kate said, as the doorbell rang.

"Is that them?" asked the little redhead, who was already pushing herself out of her chair, making for the door.

"Alexis, let Mommy answer it, okay?"

Kate stood slowly, taking her crutches as she went, nodding a thank you to Rick as Alexis made her way back over to the table.

"Right, kids, upstairs, get dressed, brush your teeth then be back down quick smart!" Kate instructed, as the scraping of chairs filled the room, "And you're all to help Daddy with the dishes!"

They quickly passed their breakfast things to their father, who was piling them systematically in the sink, as Kate headed for the front door. By the time she reached it, the kids were upstairs and Rick was taking Elise to the bedroom to get her ready.

Opening the door, she was met with a nervous looking Andy and three fearful faces of little girls.

"Hi there," she greeted, smiling warmly at both her brother and the girls, who hesitantly walked in at Kate's gesture. She heard a quiet gasp from one of them, as their matching brown eyes darted around the apartment.

Andy gave a nod as he followed them in, closing the door behind him then turning to Kate.

"They're terrified," he whispered, "all of them."

"Have they been speaking?" Kate asked, looking between the girls, who were standing about awkwardly, and her brother.

"No, nothing past 'hello' and 'thank you' anyway," he added with a sigh.

Kate nodded, turning to the three youngsters and heading over slowly, smiling.

"Are you girls hungry?" she asked, looking between them. The oldest, Tina, was peering cautiously at Kate, both her arms secured around her sisters' shoulders. The middle one, five-year-old Stefanie, was frightened, her eyes wide and darting from point to point. The youngest at three, Isabella, was looking about curiously, her eyes widening, her face brightening as she took in new things.

They all nodded, each with varying intensity, before Kate held out an arm toward the dining table.

"Why don't you guys take a seat over there, and I'll get you some breakfast, okay?" Kate said, as the three obliged. Isabella practically skipped over, held back only by a wary Tina, while Stefanie shuffled nervously to her seat.

"Kate?"

Turning back to her brother, she saw the weariness in his expression, sighing at the sight,

"Andy, if you need to go, go," she demanded, inclining her head toward the door, "I'm fine here, really."

"Kate, I will never be able to thank you enough for this," he breathed, moving to pull her into a hug. She wasn't used to an overly touchy-feely Andy; it wasn't exactly his thing, but she took it willingly.

"Go on, get out of here," she added with a laugh, smiling after him as he let himself out. Slowly, she began to head back to the table, noticing how each of the brown eyes were on her.

Leaving her crutches at the bench, she managed to hobble around and pull together the last bits of bacon they'd saved for the girls, make a few more pieces of toast and scramble up some eggs. She'd checked their medical reports; none had any allergies, which Kate was thankful for. None of her own kids had any, so it would have been an interesting experience trying to explain to them why they couldn't have something.

Gently placing the food on plates, she managed to move all three plates over at once. She laid one in front of each of them, all murmuring a quiet thank you to her, and again when she handed over their cutlery.

"Thank you Mrs. Castle!" was the exuberant reply from Isabella, who began to tuck into the eggs. Her easiness led the other girls to relax a little more, as Kate nodded a welcome to the young girl, allowing them to eat in peace.

"Mommy, I'm dressed!"

The loud voice that accompanied a bundle of red hair came ambling down the stairs, pausing only to smile at the three girls at the table.

Kate took up her crutches once again, heading over to Alexis who was moving quickly from the stairs.

"Hey, Lexi?" she began quietly, the little girl nodding, "I'm gonna go help the boys; make the girls feel at home, okay?"

Alexis nodded excitedly, beaming, as Kate watched her skip over to the table, taking her usual seat which happened to be beside Tina.

"Hi there!" Alexis greeted, smiling brightly at each of them. Tina gave a small smile, Stefanie a little more cautious, while Isabella let out a full-blown "Hello!" with a wave.

"I'm Alexis," she added, "I'm five. What are your names?"

"Isaaaabeeellaaaaa!" grinned the three-year-old, clambering onto her knees and holding out a hand with three fingers, "I'm this many!"

"Lucas is almost three; in March," Alexis explained.

"I nearly four!" Isabella exclaimed, giggling as Stefanie interrupted.

"No you're not, you only just turned three," she said, shooting a glare at her younger sister.

Alexis fought giggles as Isabella stuck out her tongue, while Tina beside her shook her head.

"They're so annoying," she muttered to herself, causing Alexis to raise an eyebrow, but she brushed it off.

"What about you?" she asked, looking to Stefanie, who was gingerly picking at her eggs before she looked to Alexis.

"Steffie," she said, "I'm five."

"Same as me!" Alexis exclaimed, grinning, "What school do you go to?"

"P.S. 138 in East Harlem," she said quietly, "I'm in Kindergarten."

"I'm in Kindergarten too, but I go to Greendale Elementary," Alexis explained, before turning to Tina, "what grade are you in?"

"None of your business," she replied angrily, narrowing her eyes at the young redhead, whose eyes widened.

"Okay, you don't have to say if you don't want me to know," Alexis said, "but I should at least know your name, or else I won't know what to call you."

"My name's Tina," she replied curtly, "but that's all you'll find out."

"Tina, don't be so nasty," Steffie growled, glaring at her older sister, who rolled her eyes.

Footsteps on the stairs caused all four heads to turn, as Kate came down the stairs with Lucas and David in tow, both giggling. Alexis hopped up and ran over to her brothers, who were already on their way over to her. They whispered to one another quickly, before looking to the girls at the table, smiling.

"Do you want to play?" David asked, holding up the box that was in his hands, holding the Disney version of Trivial Pursuit in his hands.

"Yup, yup, yup!" came the reply from Isabella, who was already bouncing off of her seat, gasping at a picture on the box, "That's Cindy-rella!"

Alexis giggled at the little girl, holding out her hand to her, which she took readily, "Come on, Isabella, we'll go get the good chairs!"

Skipping over, she led the little girl to the couch, jumping onto the cushions that adorned the left side, waiting for the others to join them.

David walked right up to the corner of the table between Steffie and Tina, holding up the box.

"You coming?" he asked, grinning. Steffie nodded excitedly, wearing her first smile of the day, as she hopped off her seat and followed a beckoning Lucas, while David turned on her sister.

His grin disappeared at the acidity in her expression, but he pursued anyway, "You gonna play?"

"No," she said curtly, "that game is for children."

"But you are a child," David said, "Momma says you're eight."

"It's for little kids and babies!" she exclaimed, "And I'm not a baby."

"But Elise is a baby, and she can't play," David reasoned, "she's too small."

"I'm just NOT playing!"

"It's not nice to shout," David murmured, looking at his feet, as Kate appeared behind Tina.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking sympathetically at her son and questioningly at their oldest ward.

"Fine," she added curtly, looking away from the young boy and back to her empty plate.

David bit his lip as he looked at his mother, who inclined her head toward the living room, sending him on his way to play with the others.

He went willingly, chatting excitedly as Alexis helped him put the DVD in the player, taking the remote as they all sat around the board, which Steffie was setting up with Lucas and Isabella.

Kate smiled to herself, before she pulled up the chair beside Tina. The young girl's eyes drifted sideways, but she didn't move an inch.

"Tina, sweetie," Kate began, pushing the plate aside, turning her body to face her, "I know this must be hard for you; losing your parents."

A sniff escaped the young girl, who annoyingly wiped away a tear, looking away from the adult beside her.

"Your sisters are still too young to understand," she continued, "and they probably won't be as affected by this as you are. At least, not right away."

"Why are you trying to help me?" Tina asked, her voice shaking and quiet, "Nobody has ever tried to help me before."

"Well, maybe you just didn't need it until now," Kate reasoned, reaching out a hand to take the one Tina left on the table, "you've always had someone before all of this."

Tina shook her head defiantly, lowering her eyes to the floor before raising them again to look at Kate. They were filled with tears, but Kate noticed they were not the deep brown of her younger sisters; they were closer to a golden shade, almost hazel.

"Linda wasn't really my Mom," she said, snuffling, "They always made me pretend she was, because she 'loved' me."

"You don't think she really did?" Kate asked, receiving a head shake.

"She liked the look of me," Tina explained, "she wanted to show me off because I had golden hair and golden eyes. Not like Steffie or Bella; they look just like my Dad."

Kate smiled at the way she spoke of her sisters and her father, as if they were royalty or superheroes. It reminded her of how protective she was of her own siblings when they were growing up, not allowing anyone to look at them sideways.

"When Dad and her split up, she only wanted me; she was going to leave Stef and Bel with Dad," Tina continued, "but I told her if they were staying with Dad, so was I, because she wasn't really my Mom. And then, she got angry."

Kate felt her heart break for the little girl; she was reminded so much of herself in Tina, and couldn't imagine having the strength to look out for herself and her sisters after such an incident at only eight years old.

"She took us all, just so she could make Dad feel like dirt," she added, "then she would treat us like we were animals, yell at us, hurt us; the only time we smiled was when we were at Dad's."

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Kate asked, her other hand finding Tina's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Laughter played in the background, Kate's eyes flicking momentarily to the kids in the living room before returning to the young girl beside her.

"I couldn't," she sobbed, both her hands coming up to her face, "she said she'd hurt us more if we said anything, and, a-and I j-jus-s-st c-couldn't l-let Stef-f and B-Bella get hurt."

By the end, she was bawling, her head in her hands. Wrapping both arms around the girl, Kate pulled Tina into her, letting her sob into her shoulder, stroking her hair as she sat.

"Shh, you're okay," she whispered, "you're safe now, okay?"

Tina's blonde hair pulled back and her golden eyes were gazing, red and wet up at Kate.

"Do you hear me?" Kate reiterated, "You, Steffie and Bella are going to be okay. Okay?"

Sniffing, Tina nodded, letting a small smile etch across her lips, "Okay."

Kate grinned in return, pulling the small girl into her arms once more, squeezing her tight. She may not be keeping her forever, but while she was here, she was going to make sure she was happy, safe and smiling.

X X X X X

Okay guys, so tell me what you think! Hope you like!

Kayla x