Because they needed to return home first in order for Beckett to rest, she Castle and Alexis were the first ones invited up. Like Tessi, Violet had spent a little bit of time in the nursery as a precaution and was on her way to see her mom when they got to go and visit. It never failed to fascinate her, Beckett thought, all the men she knew were these tough virile specimens of masculinity who had zero shame in being so open about their love for their wives and children. In her mind, that's what real men did; they weren't afraid to get their hearts a little dirty on their sleeves.

They all but tip-toed into Lanie's room and were a little surprised to see her awake and sitting up in her bed. She was glassy-eyed and pale but she was also deliriously happy, though Castle partly suspected that was the drugs. Every last woman he'd ever seen in the hospital because she was having a baby, with the exception of Evil Meredith and Honey-Milk on her first one, had that spaced-out look, though he couldn't blame them at all.

'Katie, I'm a mom again,' she whispered as Dave picked up the wrapped snoozing bundle of joy from her bassinet. Of course the baby was wrapped in a yellow blanket with navy blue number 12's all over it; Honey-Milk had struck again. 'Carey's got a little sister.'

'Congratulations, Lanie.' Beckett stepped closer to get a look at the latest addition. She was a little caramel-cutie, apple-cheeked like Lanie and Carey with Dave's angular nose and had little wispy tuffets of black hair curling out from under her little yellow baby-toque. Since her eyes were closed, she couldn't see what colour Violet's eyes were but had a feeling that they'd be sharp green like her father's. 'Oh, Lanie she's gorgeous.'

'Her eyes match, too,' Dave said proudly, thinking of his boy at home. 'When we told Carey Lanie was going to have the baby and he had to stay with Lili and Cam and Rosie, he asked if the baby's eyes were going to match or look like his.'

'And are they brown or green?'

'Green, but the muddy green like Carey's, not like Hob-Goblin green like mine.'

'Would you like to hold her, Kate?' Lanie held out her daughter to her friend and was pleased when she accepted the baby into her arms.

Beckett cradled Violet sweetly against her breast, watching the way her mittened hands waved gently near her face. 'Hi there, Violet,' she murmured. 'What a gorgeous little flower you are.'

'Why Violet Melodie?' Alexis asked, stroking a finger tip down the baby's cheek gently.

'She loved when Lanie played things for her on the iBump and calling a baby 'music' is a little strange so we decided on Melodie and Violet because she would kick like madness in happy-excitement when I'd read The Twelfth Night to her. The character's name is Viola but Viola Melodie doesn't sound right either so we changed it to Violet instead.' Dave's words came out in an excited rush. 'And we figured if it was a boy we'd call him Sebastian Paul.'

'Lanie how come you're not sleeping?' Castle asked, dragging a chair up beside her as his girls cooed at the new little one. 'And why haven't you had a baby shower yet?'

'I'll answer question two first because it's easier. I didn't want a baby shower before hand because I didn't want to unwrap a bunch of new gifts so close to moving. Plain and simple. As for the second, or first, question, the drugs they gave me to help little missy into the world have strong contra-indicators with sedatives so I have to just let my body do its own thing for now. Harvey said once I get a blood test done to see if they're out of my system, I can go down for the count with some help.'

Lanie shifted in her bed a little. She was in a lot more discomfort this time than when she'd had Carey but that was also partly due to the fact that Violet had been all head where Carey's weight had been in his whole body. She'd nearly needed an episiotomy when Violet had been crowning but then she'd popped out as if the idea that being cut out was truly terrifying. It had been a hard labour, no question. Contractions starting mildly around ten in the morning and then her water-breaking at noon followed by twelve hours, Dave texting Beckett when he knew she'd be on her lunch break; Beckett took them regularly now that she was doing more desk duties and answered her texts in a prompt fashion.

'Richard, you want a turn?'

Castle nodded eagerly, and Beckett passed him the baby. The feeling of the newborn little girl in his arms brought memories of his own baby girl's birth flooding back to him, and the knowledge he'd do it again in three months with the loves of his lives - one having the baby and the other cheering her on - was a little overwhelming.

'Here,' he said passing Violet back to Dave and scrubbing the heels of his hands under his eyes. 'I've got something in my eye.'

'Of course.' Understanding his emotion, Dave took his little girl back in his arms, then glanced in the doorway where he saw the next trio of visitors. 'Now serving four five and six.'

'Issat the baby, Mama?' Dell, in his sleepy state, tugged on his mother's shirt-sleeve from his position on Ryan's hip. 'She's so little.'

'Yes she is.'

'We'll take our leave now. We want this one to be healthy and strong like Violet there.'

Ryan watched them leave, adjusted his hold on his boy. He watched as Dave passed Lanie the baby, then gestured for Ryan to pass Dell to him.

'Come here, little bro.'

Dave gently sat Dell on the bed beside Lanie and with a little manoeuvring, helped Dell hold the baby in his arms. 'There, you can practice a little for when your little brother or sister is born.'

`Now fully awake and a little freaked out with such responsibility, Dell made sure he kept his grip firm. 'What is her name?'

'Violet Melodie Parrish-Robbins.'

'Okay. Hi Vi-o-let. I am Dell and you are very puh-retty. Almost as puh-retty as my Tessi.'

'High praise indeed,' Lanie chuckled, fully away of the little boy's humongous crush on Javier Esposito's firstborn. 'You think she'll like Carey?'

'She will love Carey very much. And he'll love her too.' Dell leaned forward and put a little kiss on Violet's forehead. 'You suh-leep now Vi-o-let and I say hi tomorrow mornin'.'

'Yes, it's bedtime now, isn't it?' Honey-Milk watched as Dave took the baby back from the little boy and put her in her bassinet. 'For everyone. Lanie, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm on ten-to-eight.'

'Sounds good. Have a good night you guys.'

Ryan smiled and scooped Dell back into his arms, held him close as they took the elevator down to the staff parking level. It wasn't often Honey-Milk used her silver Hybrid but since she'd gotten pregnant again and would take Dell to the hospital preschool when both parents were working, it had made more sense for staying safe and organized.

Once home, Ryan tucked Dell into bed with his eponymous rex in the crook of his elbow; there'd be hell to pay if he didn't wake up with it in reaching distance. The moment he was in his own room, he flopped onto the bed, face-first and fully clothed. 'Oh sleep, how I've missed you,' he mumbled against the sheets.

'I know the feeling.'

He rolled to his back so he could watch Honey-Milk undress. 'How did everything go in the delivery room?'

'It was a little touch and go at first, certainly a lot more difficult than with Carey. He was

a text-book little baby, even if he was nearly the size of a bowling ball. Violet was even more stubborn if you can believe it. It took Lanie nearly thirty minutes of pushing just to get her to crown.'

'Holy shit.'

'Yeah and it got me thinking.' Honey-Milk sat down on the edge of the bed, using her most serious face possible after such a long and difficult night; it was never easy seeing friends in pain, even if you could minimally help. 'I think we should opt for the C-section with this baby, Kevin.'

'You think so?'

Honey-Milk nodded. 'All I could think of was the fact that Lanie's a bigger girl than me and this baby is smaller than the one I'm likely to have and I think it would be a wise decision all the way around to play it safe and have the operation.'

'I'll still be there, right?'

'Oh, of course, honey. Absolutely. Your role is a little different and the doctors are a lot stricter in the room but at this point, give what I know about my own body, I think it's the best decision to make.'

'Okay then.' Ryan sat up and moved into the middle of the bed to give her a supportive hug. 'I'll be there for you, whatever you decide, whether it's a home birth and I'm boiling the kettle on the stove or a space-age birthing suite and we're all in haz-mat suits.'

'I love you, Kevin.'

'I love you right back, Jenny.'

Honey-Milk kissed him, then snuggled down into the bed so her husband could undress as well and join her. It was nice that she had the ten am shift, it meant she could actually sleep like a nine-to-fiver tonight. 'How were things in the waiting room?'

'Good. A lot more relaxed this time around, mostly I think because we've now all been through it, or are about to go through it,' he corrected, thinking of Beckett. 'Dell wanted to come in and help you.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, I was refreshing him on what a C-section was, after you said Lanie might need one, and he said he was going to go into Lanie's room and tell her not to be scared.'

'Oh.' Honey-Milk felt her eyes well up. 'He's such a generous little soul, isn't he? How could he have possibly thought we wanted to replace him?'

'Let's not relive that hellish moment, okay? Lanie had a baby tonight, that's a good thing, so let's not muck up our good juju.'

'Juju?'

'A word I picked up from Espo, who got it from Meredeth. It's like karma or something.'

'Makes me think of candy.'

The bedroom door shoved open and Dell appeared there, knuckling at his eyes. 'Mama? Daddy?'

His voice was full of tears which had Ryan on alert. Dell was many things but a crier was low on the list. 'Dell, what's wrong?'

'I had a-a bad dream.'

'Oh, honey, it's okay, come here.' Honey-Milk patted the space between herself and Ryan. He didn't get nightmares often but when he did, they were vicious and nasty. It also didn't surprise her that he had one tonight; his body was all messed up from being awake and asleep and awake again at the hospital and he was a creature who needed his nightly eight-straight, uninterrupted. 'Was it about the baby?'

'No. I was a suh-tego-saurus and I was bein' chase by a rex.'

'I see.' Ryan made a mental note to not let him watch Jurassic Park or The Lost World for at least another five years. 'But you're here safe and sound.'

'But what if my rex comes-a life and tuh-ries to eat me?'

'Hey remember this?' Honey-Milk tapped the claw of the t-rex with the band-aid on it. 'T-rex is diabetic like you. He can't eat you because you're too sweet and he can't eat sugary things, just like you.'

'Oh yeah.' Appeased by this little remembrance, Dell frowned. 'Sorry for interrupting your guh-rown-up talk.'

Ryan held his fingertips and he fed the birds with Dell. 'No worries little bro. You want to stay here for a few minutes?'

Dell nodded, and curled up so his body was against Ryan's chest but his hand reached out to brush Honey-Milk's baby bump. 'I make sure baby doesn' have any nightmares too.'

R&R&Enjoy.