This idea just kinda came to me in the car while I was driving and wouldn't go away. Actually, it wasn't even this at all. It was just a small seed of Castle being dragged to Lanie's for a family get together. This is what came of that seed.
Remember, I own nothing - except this laptop and a crappy phone.
"Stacy, stop that! No, Adien, put Chloe down. Alex, don't you even think about it."
"Kelly, stop right there! Benjamin, don't even - No, sir. March right back in there. Don't give me any lip."
"Aw, mom! C'mon," the young boy emphasized the last part of the word as he rolled his eyes.
"Don't 'aw mom' me, you rotten little devil child. Get back in there." The older woman shooed him with her hand, not noticing her newly arrived company.
Castle backpedaled fast, trying to make his escape out the door before he was noticed but it seemed his partner had other plans.
"Oh no no no, Castle. You agreed to this, get back in there."
He felt her hand on the his lower back, pushing him back inside the house as he grumbled in complaint. He could practically feel the smirk on her face boring into the back of his head.
"I didn't know she had so many.. little people." He jumped to the side as he was almost rammed by a small dark haired girl.
"Auntie Kate!" The girl threw her arms around Beckett's waist, her face burying into the older women's hip.
"Lacey, sweetie. Hey. Where's Auntie Lanie?"
"Out back," the girl answered as she released Beckett and looked to her companion. "Who is he?"
The detective's eyes flashed to the writer for a minute before a evil grin came to her lips. "This is my friend Rick, from work. He wanted to come by and visit all of you kids and play. Think you can handle him for a while?"
Castle started to stutter out a reason why he couldn't do that, but Lacey was already grinning ear from ear as she took hold of his hand started pulling him towards the opposite end of the house.
"Don't worry Aunt K, he's in good hands."
Looking over his shoulder, the older man mouthed the word help to his partner before glaring at her when she simply shook her head and waved. Knowing when he had lost a fight, he gave in and allowed the girl to pull him into what looked like a play room for kids.
xxxxx0xxxxx
Slipping out the back door, Kate's eyes quickly scanned the back yard full of people to land on her friend standing with a small group. Making her way over to them, she bumped into the shorter one's side and gave her a grin.
"Kate! Hey, girl, when did you get here?" Lanie grabbed a soda from the nearby table before offering it to her.
"Just got here actually, Lacey was my welcoming party." Taking the drink, she opened it and took a small sip.
"Where's writer boy? Did he back out?"
With a smirk, Kate shook her head and nodded back towards the house. "I sent him to the dungeons with Lace."
"You didn't!" Lanie's mouth dropped as she glanced worriedly at the house. "That poor man. Kate, you know my family - they have no filter. At all."
"He's like a nine year old on a sugar rush anyways, he'll be fine once he gets adjusted. It'll be good for him."
"I hope so," the ME murmured more to herself as she finally looked away from the house and back to her friend. "But remember that year we convinced the boys to come? Javi and Kevin still won't come back, it's been almost three years!"
"Well, Kevin still has that scar on his left butt cheek according to Jenny and Javi is still afraid of those little nerf guns. You should have seen his face when Castle showed up to the precinct with one last week. I thought he was going to have a heart attack."
Laughter bubbled from the shorter woman's lips as she shook her head, obviously replaying the memory in her head. "He really shouldn't have challenged Caylee to a nerf gun shoot down, that girl is a pro at it. Even her own brothers know not to try it."
"Yeah, but did she have to corner him and repeatedly shoot at him until he was screaming for help? Admit it, she takes it a bit too far sometimes.." Kate twisted the can in her hand, her eyes flickering to the house for a moment, but it was enough to catch Lanie's attention.
"Want to go check on him? We don't want to have to explain to Alexis and Martha if he ends up in the hospital."
"Oh, trust me. They would understand but yeah, we should probably go check on him. I don't need him freezing up every time he sees a small child while we're working."
Their eyes caught each other as Lanie excused them from the group that had gathered around them, talking in circles. They were holding back the laughter as they headed for the house, each of them creating scenarios in their head.
"I hope Kyle talked him in into playing cowboys, that is something I would pay to see." Kate's eyes lit up as she walked excitedly now into the house, dodging kids left and right.
"I think you just want to see Richard Castle tied up a little too much," Lanie snickered behind her, following easily through the mass of kids.
"Just don't let him know that," Kate winked at Lanie over her shoulder as the ME shook her head, both coming to a stop as they came to the play room.
"No way in hell-"
xxxxx0xxxxx
"No way in hell-"
"Ooooh, Auntie K said a bad word."
Lanie smirked and walked farther into the room, nodding to Bailey. "Auntie K did indeed say a bad word, I'll wash her mouth out with soap later."
Castle eyes were focused on Kate as he sat in the middle of a ring of all the kids peacefully sitting as they, too, focused their attention on the two women who had interrupted them. He had a small child in his lap who was around the age of four, who looked about asleep with her thumb in her mouth.
"How did you - No, what did you do to them?" Kate motioned to the kids, her eyes flickering between them and the writer.
"I was reading to them," he grinned as he held up a copy of Heat Wave.
Lanie covered her mouth as she started laughing, Kate's eyes bugging out as she glared at him.
"Please, tell me you are not reading a bunch of children that story."
"I'm not stupid," he rolled his eyes at her now as he set the book down, careful of jostling the child in his arms. "I've skipped the parts they don't need to hear and changed a few words. Don't worry, detective, I do have a daughter of my own."
He watched as she squinted her eyes at him, a slight frown on her lips as she took in the small group that he had accumulated. She had never seen them sit down this long before, it was a strange sight.
"I never said you were stupid," she replied lamely before nodding to the child in his lap. "How long has Kylie been asleep?"
His eyes went down to the small girl in his lap, a slight smile on his lips. "She was just up and listening a few minutes ago, must have just passed out."
Lanie stepped forward at this, holding her hands out. "I can tak-"
"No," he said quickly and turning his body from her slightly. "She's fine where she's at."
"Lanie, you may need to go tell Anna that her baby has been taken hostage." Kate smirked as she watched Castle.
The ME held her hands up in surrender, giving him a strange look. "Whoa, writer boy, I didn't say you had to give her up. I was just going to offer to take her. I know she weighs a ton after a while."
He simply shrugged as he looked down at the girl in his arms, his eyes softening as the smile grew. It reminded him of when Alexis was younger and would have him read to her. It made him miss that, miss the old days. Bringing himself out of his thoughts, he let his eyes focus on the two women who were still standing there.
"May I continue reading now?" His voice caught but he shook it off, pretending it hadn't.
"Sure," Kate said quietly as Lanie nodded.
As Castle turned back to the book, Lanie glanced at her friend and nodded to the door only to get a shake of the head. Making no noise, she found herself a seat on the floor in the corner where she could keep her eyes on the writer. Shaking her head at the two, the short woman quickly made her exit of the room - she did not plan on listening to Richard Castle read a book that she had already read.
As she wrapped her arm around Issiac's shoulder as he snuggled up against her side resting his head against her shoulder, Kate watched Rick . She felt a pull in her lower abdomen, begging her to go and kiss him right there but she knew better. The kids in the room didn't need to be scarred for life. Instead she was content with watching as he read, letting himself sink into the book and animating it for the kids.
She rested her free hand on her stomach, her heart fluttering as she realized he would be alright. He could do this. They would be alright. Why she had doubted him in the first place.. She didn't know. He already had a child - Alexis, and she was perfectly adjusted. He would do just fine with the child they were having now. A smile came to her lips as she rested her eyes, allowing the sound of his voice to relax her completely. They would be just fine.