A/N: Oy. This one has been my worst enemy. I hope you like it more than I do!
XxXxXxXxX
"So let me get this straight." Lanie grinned wolfishly, even though Kate could obviously not see her. "You're letting writer boy hook you up for your kid's party."
"Lanie, he's not hooking me up. He just offered, and I accepted."
"See, and that's exactly the part that I'm so fascinated by." God, sometimes you're so blind.
"How's that?" Kate asked indignantly. She wasn't that stubborn.
"Well, I happen to remember a very bullheaded, cranky, sick woman with an equally cranky and sick 2 year old refusing to let anyone so much as make chicken soup."
"Hey," Kate defended. Well, maybe she was that stubborn. "It was a cold, not cholera."
"Mmhmm." Lanie hummed, her lips starting to ache from grinning but unable to resist digging for more. "So what'd he do?
"Oh, um." Kate hedged. "Well, he kind of sniped me as I was getting out of the shower."
"Really?" Lanie perked up hopefully. "And he...smooched you into it?
"No! No, there was absolutely no smooching." Kate tried to pretend that there wasn't some little, infinitesimal part of her that was lamenting over that fact, and instead focused herself on picking at a nail.
Lanie sighed in dismay. "Girl, if you don't get up on that soon, I'm going to have to smack you. For real."
"Lanie." Kate sighed. "Castle and I are friends. Like me and Esposito."
"Oh, no, honey." Lanie laughed. "You're Esposito's sister."
Kate huffed. "And, do tell, what I am to Castle?"
Lanie grinned. "Honey, if I have to tell you, you need to start opening up those pretty eyes of yours more."
XxXxXxXxX
It had been surprisingly easy to track everyone down, despite Ryan and Esposito's attempts to frustrate the living hell out of her. They had been tracking down the main and only suspect on a rather open-and-shut case, which had enabled Kate to take her days off that weekend, but found it a good sport to taunt her with their retribution plans.
Despite their end being on speakerphone, she could clearly hear Ryan as he ribbed her gleefully. "I say we take a week off during the holiday season. Christmas. That ought to be fair."
"Come on. It's a pop and drop. I'm pretty sure my kid could track down this perp."
"Still," Ryan said pensively, wistfully. "My uncle invited me to his lake this weekend. I could be knee-deep in sparkling water, shooting the breeze with my loved ones."
"Cut the crap, Ryan." Kate rolled her eyes. "You can't stand fishing. You jump around too much. Scares the fish away."
"That may be true," Esposito challenged, getting louder as he spoke closer to the phone. "But do you know how many Sunday dinners I've missed to work?"
Kate rolled her eyes. Her boys needed to realize that she knew them better than they thought. "Your family doesn't even do Sunday dinners."
"But we could. I'm never home to encourage them."
With another eye roll, she had ordered the boys to actually do their jobs and warned them of the consequences of lateness before hanging up.
The worst call had been her father, however, whose smile she could practically hear through the phone as he accepted the new arrangements without question.
"So it's getting serious with this Castle guy."
"Dad," Kate sighed. "There's nothing to be serious about."
"Really?" Jim said skeptically. "Because it sounds like-"
"It sounds like two friends who help each other out." Kate said firmly, but she could still hear that smile in his voice.
"If that's what they're calling it these days…" Jim trailed off, leaving a silence that he knew would irritate his daughter to no end.
"Don't patronize me."
"Hey, to be fair, I kind of am your patron."
Kate groaned. "Ugh. Dad, I don't have time for this."
"What is this, anyways?"
Taking a deep breath, Kate fought to hold onto her last shreds of maturity. Throwing a temper tantrum like she was six years old and daddy refused to let her ride her new bike, even though she'd just broken her wrist on it was definitely not mature. Ignoring him wasn't either, but it was probably all she could hope for as she forced herself to speak calmly. "I'll see you soon, dad."
Her father let out a deep laugh, which only served to aid her moodiness and he bid her goodbye, his smile still in his voice.
XxXxXxXxX
While Kate put the finishing touches on the manicotti, Jonah was busy coaxing open each sealed card that he'd received in the mail over the last few days. She was amused by the studious way he read each card and folded them neatly back together, despite his opposition to the task.
"I still don't understand why I have to open them now." he whined, sucking on a small paper cut on his finger, too small to even bleed.
"Because if we do it later," Kate shook her head knowingly. "There won't be a later."
"Not true." he protested with a grin. "Not when there's money."
"Remember last year, the big case? I was barely here in time to see you to bed and gone right after you woke up. We didn't open cards until you were out of school." Watching his fingers slide in the seal of yet another card, she raised an eyebrow. "Who's that one from?"
Jonah hummed as he flipped the shell pink envelope over and read the return label. "Great Aunt Elaine. She still thinks I'm a girl. It has glitter on it."
Kate laughed out loud as she began scrubbing at the dirty dishes. She should have known that naming him so similarly to her mother would arise confusion with the older woman, who had too many great and great-great nieces and nephews to keep track of. "No…she's just…old?"
Jonah snorted, despite the grin on his face as he read the woman's kind, yet rather meaningless words.
"Such a beautiful child." Jonah mimicked, absently scratching his jaw as his hand left a trail of silver glitter in its wake.
"I do make some pretty good looking babies." Kate agreed, remembering her mother's Aunt Elaine as a woman who constantly cooed over her baby curls and hazel-green eyes. Jonah, the near carbon-copy of a young Kate, would have been just as doted on if she were still nearby.
Jonah made a face. "Well, firstly, I'm you're only baby. And secondly, ew."
Holding a soapy spoon up in warning, Kate shot him a smirk. "Hey I can dig out your birth video. I'm sure Rick and Alexis would love to see-" She was cut off by his protesting shout, and she hid her smile as she rinsed the last of the dishes.
Finishing and sealing the three trays of manicotti, she stacked them neatly together. "Ready to go?"
Kate wiped the glitter from his hair and chin, making the air around them sparkle for a brief moment before they stepped into the hallway. She absently reached down to scratch the rather offended creature lurking outside her neighbor's door, balancing the trays with ease.
Jonah locked the door behind himself, slinging the bag full of extra ingredients over his shoulder.
"To the Castle!" he cheered, earning himself an eye roll and a well placed hip-bump, sending him into a fit of laughter as he rebounded off the wall.
XxXxXxXxX
"Oh, hello, dears!" Martha greeted as the door was opened with a flourish, managing to even look elegant in her bathrobe. "Richard and Alexis have been absolutely mad all afternoon."
"Mad?" Jonah worried nervously, twisting his free hand into his pocket.
"Oh, kiddo," Martha laid a hand on Jonah's shoulder with a comforting smile. "I simply meant, mad with wanting everything to be absolutely perfect. I don't think this loft has been so clean since we thought Alexis was allergic to dust."
"Hi!" the aforementioned teenager appeared from around the corner. Noticing the large trays Kate held, Alexis reached out for the top two. "I'll take these. Gram?"
"Oh, yes." Martha grabbed the last tray from Kate, ushering them both inside with a wave.
Slightly in shock, Kate realized that the loft had been transformed. Balloons and streamers decorated the large open space,
"Wow." Jonah whispered.
"Wow is right." She made a mental note to talk to Rick about the over exuberant use of helium and double-sided tape.
"Hey!" Rick bounded from down the hall, a large grin on his face that wiped away any chastising thoughts in Kate's head. Casually slipping a finger into one of her belt loops, he pulled the detective forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. One of her arms instinctively reached up to grab one of his arms in support as he threw her off balance, and she could practically feel his grin in her hair.
Releasing her slowly, he turned and ruffled Jonah's hair, who shook his head in protest.
"I figured I could make the rest of the stuff here." She explained, as he slid the bag off of Jonah's shoulder and onto his.
"Of course! Mi cocina es su cocina." Rick ushered her behind the island counter, setting the bag on top. "Whatever you made smells delicious."
Kate shrugged. "I come from a long line of fabulous cooks. It's in the blood."
"Okay." Rick clasped his hands. "That's it. We're keeping you."
Before she could react, he easily threw Jonah over his shoulder and bounced down the hallway, leaving Kate with her whirling thoughts.
XxXxXxXxX
As Kate finished up the side dishes, a pair of two short, sharp knocks sounded. Rick had since returned with Jonah, both of them intensely focused on a game of scrabble as Kate taught Alexis how to make a zucchini sauté.
As Rick got up to answer the door, both Becketts glanced at each other from across the room with matching grins.
Noticing their looks, Rick glanced backwards suspiciously. "What? Do I have a 'kick me' sign on my back or something?"
"Or something!" Jonah answered, not even taking his eyes from the board as he scrutinized his possible choices.
Just as he reached for the handle, Kate's teasing voice carried to him. "Make sure you give my dad a good first impression."
His face dropping slightly, Rick's hand jumped slightly away from the handle. Realizing that the man on the other side could probably hear them taunting him, he firmly grasped and pulled the door open. It revealed a slightly graying man, with laughter in his eyes and a box tucked under his arm. "Mr. Castle." Jim smiled in amusement, watching as the other man nearly tripped over his own feet as he stepped backwards.
"Uh…Mr. Beckett? Come in."
Now leaning casually against the counter, Kate stifled a laugh.
"Grandpa!" Jonah abandoned the game and sped over to his side, throwing his arms around the Beckett patriarch.
Grinning widely, Jim Beckett bent over slightly to wrap his arms around his grandson. "Hey, sport. Ten, already?"
"You're telling me." Kate mumbled as her father turned back towards Rick.
Jim took notice of Alexis now sitting perched on the couch and gave a friendly introduction, recognizing her from one of the pictures Kate had sent of Jonah at the fair.
"Hi, I'm Alexis." The redhead smiled shyly, turning slightly pink when Jim pulled her into a warm hug.
"I've heard a lot about you." Alexis flushed even more as her eyes met Kate's, and she busied herself by heading into the kitchen to load the dishwasher.
"Nice place you've got here, Mr. Castle." Jim said casually, scanning the loft as he watched Alexis twirl Jonah alongside her, his socked feet sliding against the floor. He then caught sight of Kate, leaning watchfully at the counter and beamed. "Katie."
"Hi, dad." Kate smiled warmly and walked into his arms. Jim grasped tightly onto his only child before releasing her, silently taking in her carefree smile and the warmth in her eyes that remind him so much of his wife. When her father turned back towards Rick,she quietly excused herself to help Alexis with loading and sent a wink towards the writer.
"Katie's told me a lot about you, too." Jim grinned mysteriously, not missing a beat of their behavior towards each other.
Rick didn't miss the slight flushing of Kate's cheeks as she overheard her father, or the way she met his eyes with an mischievous grin.
"All good things I hope." Rick said nervously, rubbing his hands together while thinking of things he'd rather be facing right now. A root canal. A pack of starving cheetahs. Gina and Paula when I quit writing.
Jim Beckett simply smiled, patting Rick on the shoulder as he moved to his daughter's side.
XxXxXxXxX
Arriving next was Ryan and Esposito, armed with even more balloons and the cake that had been entrusted to them. Jonah immediately zeroed in on the dessert, sliding skillfully over the wood floors to plant himself firmly in front of Esposito.
Anticipating the question even before his mouth was open. Esposito shook his head. "Nope, not until dessert time, buddy." Esposito teased him, carefully holding the cake above his head and skirting past the eager child and into the dining room. "Hey Rick, got a place where I can hide this?"
"But I helped make it. Uncle Kev?" Jonah protested.
"Nope." Ryan grinned, districting him with several large packages. "And you can't open these until dessert time either."
Jonah groaned, carrying the boxes to the growing pile next to one of the couches.
Moments after the next small wave arrived, consisting of Maddie Queller, Ignazio Giordano, and Roy and Evelyn Montgomery. Martha returned shortly after, now fully dressed and theatrical as ever. She was immediately charmed by Ignazio, his weathered face crinkling with humor at her light nature.
The first arrivals soon settled around the massive dining table. The captain and his wife explained that their girls were both at end-of-the-year school functions but sent their regards, and Maddie enthused to Kate about a new potential boyfriend she'd met a few days prior. Jonah entertained them all with a game of MadLibs, and the smell of food enticed them all.
"Mom sends her love, and said to be on the lookout for a delivery in the next few days." Esposito murmured, leaning over to Kate as she shook her head in defeat. There was no way her kid was going to come out of this not spoiled.
Maxie, windblown and looking rather exhausted, appeared next. "Please reminded me why I wanted an internship so badly. I feel like I'm drowning. And being beaten to death as I sink."
Kate laughed sympathetically, wrapping her son's former babysitter in a hug before releasing her to Alexis, who nearly sighed in relief. "You're not going to believe my scores on the last chem test."
Then, Lanie and her sister arrived and Jonah dragged Kohen down the hall, presumably to find Alexis and show off the Castle's impressive arsenal of entertainment. Kendra easily passed her reaching toddler to Kate, who led the Parrish women into the dining room.
"Who is this?" Rick asked, bending over slightly to catch the little girl's eye. Camdyn buried her head into Kate shoulder shyly, but was unable to hold in her tiny giggles as Rick poked her side.
"Lanie's sister, Kendra." Kate gestured towards the woman who was unfamiliar to him. "And this is her daughter, Camdyn. Her son, Kohen, just disappeared somewhere with mine."
Rick nodded, committing the names to memory. "It's nice to meet you."
Kendra, who looked eerily like her younger sister as she sized Rick up, glanced briefly at Kate before smiling. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Castle."
"Rick, please." he insisted. "I'd say Mr. Castle was my father, but it really just makes me feel old."
Overhearing her son as she passed by, Martha shook her head teasingly. "It's the grays that make you feel old, darling."
"Hey!" The noise Rick made was almost girlish as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "No grays."
"Don't worry," Captain Montgomery razzed. "We old folks call it distinguished hair."
XxXxXxXxX
"Alright guys, dinner!" Kate bellowed down the Castles' hallway, and it only took seconds for the two boys to materialize at the end of it, accompanied slowly by Alexis and Maxie.
The meal went by fairly uneventful. Rick egged the two younger boys on as they each tried to out-garlic each other on the bread.
"You are so drinking mouthwash tonight." Kate looked thoroughly amused, even as she tried to put on her stern face.
Each parent tried valiantly to embarrass their child with memories, ranging from Rick's penchant for stage makeup, Alexis's one and only misfortunate ballet recital, Kate's frequent name changes, ranging from Smurfette to Mulan to Bucket, Jonah's cape-wearing phase, and even Kohen's infatuation with the Spice Girls and Lanie's entertaining mispronunciations. Co-workers also ganged up on each other, with Esposito kindly reminding Ryan of his vomit-heavy first week on the job, Kate reminding Esposito of an interrogation with a stripper gone hilariously wrong, and both Esposito and Ryan reminding Kate of an undercover case that piqued Rick's interest.
"Russian?"
Shooting a glare at two very smug detectives and ignoring the rather amused expression that danced on her father's face, she desperately hedged.
"It was so cool." Jonah enthused.
"Jonah Mac."
Jonah skillfully ignored her as he turned to the uninformed occupants at the table. "Mom totally outsmarted these guys. They couldn't even tell that her accent was fake."
"Can we just, not, talk about work?" Kate begged, jump starting the boys into an intense sports debate, while the women at the table looked on in vague amusement. Camdyn wiggled her way off of Kendra's lap to crawl over both Kate's and Kohen's. Finally stopping on Jonah's, he took advantage of Camdyn's willingness to contently eat anything and quickly disposed of several mushrooms.
Rick failed to hide a snort as he watched, drawing Kate's attention at the same time. "9 year olds." Kate mouthed silently at him, as she watched Jonah lean forward to give Rick a high-five from across the table. They both merely smiled at her, giving her the distinct impression that she was very much in trouble as she could barely find it in her to roll her eyes,
XxXxXxXxX
"Presents!"
Everyone had slowly migrated into the spacious living area, strategically seating Jonah on a large armchair adjacent to the moderately sized pile.
"Rick and Lex's first." Jonah insisted, the anticipation over the last day coming to a peak.
"Well. Technically, ours is a two-parter." Rick began slyly.
Kate bit her lip. "Castle."
"It was my idea! Promise." Alexis smiled winningly, falling on the proverbial sword for her father. Before Kate could say anything else, she glanced back pointedly towards Rick's study. "Did you, uh, you notice that extra laser tag getup back there?"
"No." Jonah shook his head. He and Kohen had only been back there briefly, instead choosing to take turns being slid down the hallway upstairs by the older girls.
Rick and Alexis glanced at each other briefly before merely smiling at Jonah. Slowly, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"No." he gasped in disbelief. His own laser tag set?
"Yes." Rick nodded, and a brief glance at Kate told him that she was just as stunned.
"Seriously?"
"Well, it'll stay here," Rick explained, more for Kate's benefit than Jonah's. "But it's for your use only. Has your name on it and everything. We figured we could use an extra set or two anyways, and who knows, maybe your mom would like to join in one day."
"And the second part?" Kate gave up trying to make sense of it all, and just watched in awe at the two people who had essentially crash-landed and taken up a comfortable residence in their lives. Giving her son laser tag sets and all the affection in the world.
"Later." he promised.
Jonah nodded acceptingly, still too in awe about the laser tag to be bothered.
"Man, I kind of feel upstaged." Jim grinned good-naturedly, gently tossing Jonah a box that was carefully wrapped in the newspaper comics. As soon as Jonah pulled out the contents, he immediately attracted the attention of nearly all of the males.
"Whoa."
"Are you serious right now?" Esposito was nearly as giddy as Jonah himself, even as he still reeled from the previous gift.
"Is that Zap?" Rick peered at a comic with interest, his eyes wide.
Ryan held up one comic in particular in reverence. "Dude. This is the first appearance of The Riddler."
"Detective Comics. How fitting." Kendra snarked, catching sight of one of the titles.
Rick immediately came to its defense. "Whoa whoa whoa. That is a classic. You don't see these every day."
Kate, well aware of the value of the collection that lay in front of her, was stunned. "Dad. How did you-"
Jim smiled mysteriously, before whispering lowly into her ear. "You'd be surprised at the things you could find in your great-grandparent's attic. One just has to know where to look."
Ah, her hoarding great-grandparents. Their old house now sat empty for the majority of the year, only touched when someone made the lengthy drive upstate.
"I think you've just won the best grandparent ever award." Kate whispered, as Jonah and the other males practically drooled over the pages.
Jim chuckled. "It's not like I have much competition, Katie."
"Now I feel really upstaged." Ryan shook his head, grinning at the boy's near-unwillingness to touch the pages.
"God, now he's going to have unreasonable expectations for all birthdays after this." Kate mumbled. "I'm going to have to buy him a house by the time he's sixteen."
After most of the shock and awe had worn off, the other gifts began to be opened. Kohen had proudly handed over a bag containing several new action figures and video games, earning the other boy a few high-fives and excited plans to play together.
With Ignazio, only a small piece of paper. "For both of you." he smiled warmly.
In a faded, familiar scrawl, words she hadn't seen since late childhood.
Kate nearly stopped breathing. "Zio."
Ignazio smiled. "Leni left me with her copies, but they're all up in my head." He gestured to the leather-bound book. "All in here, for you both."
Kate wrapped him in a crushing hug, pulling Jonah in as well.
"Does this mean we can make cherry pie tomorrow?" Jonah questioned, his voice muffled in Ignazio's shirt.
Kate glanced at him suspiciously. "This is supposed to be your birthday."
Jonah shrugged innocently. "Trust me, mom. Totally selfish intentions."
From Maxie, Jonah got a sleek new pair of skates. Before Jonah could even ask, she raised her hands in surrender. "They're 100% hockey mom approved. Your mom's cell phone bill agrees."
And from the boys, a certificate to use for a wall-climbing class at the local recreational center and from the Montgomery's, a fully-supplied terrarium, complete with a card to send in for tadpoles.
From Lanie, a carefully crafted scrapbook, containing pictures all the way from early in Kate's pregnancy to the present, with a few of Kate's own baby pictures included for comparison. Jonah poured through several laminated pages with an eager grin, taking in many of the pictures he'd never seen before.
"My mother had so many pictures of you on her old camera I almost feel jealous." Lanie teased, enjoying the flabbergasted look on Kate's face as she saw pictures she didn't even know existed. One set in particular, of a bare-bellied Kate laughing with Lanie on a porch swing, paired with one obviously taken several months later in almost the exact same spot, with a tiny newborn in her arms.
"Was I really that little?"
"Oh boy." Kate laughed. "Compared to my humongous belly, you were teacup sized."
Jim smiled wistfully at memories he wasn't sober enough to take part in, and Rick simply smiled at the images of a slightly younger Kate and the toddler wrapped around her.
Tearing himself away from the album, Jonah unwrapped the remaining few presents with as much gusto as he did the first, and took turns in giving excited hugs and thank yous to everyone.
Nearly two hours later, after the cake had been cut and the guests had been thoroughly thanked, Kate flopped unceremoniously onto the couch. She stretched her arms out to both sides and let her head roll back. "Ugh. What a day."
Rick chucked and sat himself next to her, startling slightly when she unconsciously shifted to lean against his arm. He met her eyes and was stunned by the guarded emotions shining in them.
"Thank you, Rick."
"For what?"
"For…this." Kate said, gesturing around herself. "For putting up with my issues when you don't have to. For being so wonderful even though you have no obligations to me. Or Jonah."
Rick regarded her before softly speaking. "It doesn't have to be that way, you know."
But Kate was unwilling to deal with that, and all of the messy feelings that accompanied it. She felt herself blushing under his gaze.
Jonah and his radar detector for awkwardness quickly kicked in as he and Alexis came giggling down the hall.
"Wanna see our handshake?" Alexis asked with a giggle, which quickly launched into a complicated mix of uncoordinated arms and legs.
After several more minutes of handshaking and teasing, the four of them settled down to watch a movie. Alexis plopped herself down next to Kate, while Jonah arranged some pillows on the floor to lay in front of the couch.
Alexis failed to stifle many of her yawns, however, and was passed out on Kate's shoulder before the real action even began. Jonah, on the other hand, tried valiantly to keep his eyes open. He too lost the battle, right before the climax of the movie and was softly snoring at their feet.
Glancing over at Kate and seeing the nostalgic expression on her face as the cars zoomed around the streets of Rio, he had to ask. "You ever race?"
Kate looked at him in surprise before slowly answering. "A few times. When I was working in Vice. Never again."
"Why?" Rick asked curiously, making sure to keep his voice low enough to not wake either of the children.
Kate shrugged. "It's like a hooker. Fun for the night, but in a long term situation? Hassle."
Rick raised his eyebrows at her. "I didn't know you were so well-versed in hookers."
"Shut up, Castle!" Kate laughed. Of course that would be the only part he cared about. He didn't need to know about the motorcycle that lay tucked away in a garage, or that she'd been required to dress like one on multiple occasions, either. Some things were best left a mystery.
XxXxXxXxX
The movie had long since faded from the screen, yet they still hadn't moved. Rick had situated himself in the corner, and Kate was leaning fully against him, too completely exhausted to care. Alexis had shifted to having her head on the arm opposite of them, with her feet barely brushing Kate's lap. Jonah was still face down on the floor, completely and utterly passed out.
"You should stay." Before she could pull back, he let his hand rest on her stomach. "No monkey business. Scout's honor."
She relaxed back into him, chuckling. "Somehow I doubt that they ever let you in scouts."
"Oh, they did." Rick said proudly. "For a year. But I set one too many sets of eyebrows on fire during campouts."
"Rick!"
"I'm kidding." he laughed, letting his head fall forward into the crook of her neck.
After a moment of silence, she shifted slightly against him. "So what's the second part of his present?" Kate asked softly, bringing a hand up to gently brush the ends of his hair. "You didn't buy him a car or anything, did you?"
When Rick was silent, she pulled back warily. "My ten year old is not driving a better car than me."
Rick laughed softly, pulled her back to him briefly before reaching into his back pocket and producing an envelope. His eyes nervously met Kate's, begging her to not be furious with him. "I figured I'd just give it to you. In case you didn't want to accept, less disappointment."
"If there are car keys in here…" Kate continued to tease him, unnerved by the uncertainty in his usually confident eyes.
Confused, she slid her index finger inside and opened the envelope, pulling out a single sheet of paper. "Rick." her eyes shot up to meet his.
"You don't have to." Rick said softly. "I just thought-"
Without thinking, Kate twisted around and threw her arms around Rick, launching herself at him heedlessly. His arms immediately came up to steady her as they nearly toppled over. Somewhere in the middle, their lips bumped gently, but Kate pulled away before either of them could fully register what had happened.
"How did you know?" she whispered, feeling as if her heart was about to beat from her chest.
Rick merely grinned, feeling himself slowly relax as her expression remained light.
As if on cue, Jonah stirred slightly. "What is it?" Jonah asked groggily, sitting up on the floor. Realizing that the mysterious envelope had indeed been opened, his eyes immediately opened wider. "I wanna see!"
"Easy, you cannibal!" Kate whispered, reluctantly moving away from Rick on the couch to make room for Jonah as she pulled him up to sit between her legs.
"What is it?" he repeated, his voice soft and curious, so much like the small child he had been only years before.
Kate showed him the slightly crumpled sheet of paper, and he turned his sleepy, bright gaze from his mother to the man responsible.
XxXxXxXxX