'Okay, okay RJ, we'll get you changed.'

Beckett crooned to her son as he kicked and wriggled on the changing table. She could feel Alexis and Castle nearby but this she knew she wanted to get right on her own since her husband had already been through it once. To help calm him down, Beckett pointed the remote at the mini-stereo on top of the bureau and the nursery was filled with the sound of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, her favourite from Fantasia which apparently Carey and Tessi had both loved as well when their mamas were growing them as well.

It had the calming effect she'd prayed for and RJ was looking with his big dark blue eyes - her father had called it right, he had Castle's eyes no question - at all the things around him while Beckett attended to changing his diaper.

She winced a little at the smell and wondered how in the hell her breast-milk turned into that once he digested it, but then again she'd also learned to stop wondering how the Knicks were such losers and still sold out Madison Square Garden night after night. When his bottom was wiped clean and his protective coat of Vaseline applied, she couldn't resist tickling his feet. The sound he made, the giggling squeak, had her gasping.

'RJ, are you laughing?' She looked over where Castle was filming and Alexis was looking on eagerly. 'He's laughing! Look!'

With another tickle of the baby's feet, RJ was burbling happily and looked directly into the camera, gave his gummy little lip-pucker that passed for his smile.

'What a charmer. Takes after his daddy.'

'Hear that, RJ? Apples and acorns. Feed those little birds.' Castle held out his fingertips and smiled when RJ's waving hand caught them. 'Way to go, little man.'

'Where exactly did that come from, Dad?' Alexis began searching in the drawers for a pair of pyjamas for her little brother. 'Is that a Castle original or did you appropriate it from someone else?'

'It was a college thing, actually. Me and my roommate, Smithers-'

Beckett interrupted his story with a laugh. 'Smithers?'

'My third year at college, my roommate sounded exactly like Smithers from The Simpsons. We all forgot his real name because that's what we called him. Anyways, he was a smart guy, in computer programming and would get hand-cramps like you wouldn't believe. Part of his excellent personal medical insurance included weekly massage appointments for his hands alone. So instead of making him high five all the time, we'd do that.'

'And now all our babies are carrying on the tradition. Okay, Mister Mouth, you are changed and dry and ready for jammies! Yes, you are.'

'Kate, can I try?'

Beckett glanced over at Alexis, who was holding up her brother's sleeper - a cute little thing from Meredeth and Esposito that read 'Read It and Weep, Daddy!' and had little playing cards dotted all over. 'Of course.'

Watching her daughter carefully, the detective was very impressed at how Alexis used quick and sure movements to slip the pjs on the wriggly infant, then fasten them and put her brother against her shoulder and walk around the room with him, humming to him the entire time. Beckett glanced over at Castle, who had a small glimmer of tears in his eyes as he watched his babies together.

'She's a natural,' he said in a gruff voice. 'She'll make a great mom, you know, when she's married and all.'

'I know.'

The group of them quieted down as Alexis put RJ in his crib, tucking him in with his blanket and the stuffed Harrod's teddy she'd purchased in England in anticipation of the baby's arrival, then slipped out softly with Beckett clipping the baby monitor to her belt. They went into the kitchen, the heart of the home; Beckett took a seat at the island while Castle put the kettle on for tea and Alexis fished her cellphone out of her pocket.

'I'd love to hang with you guys, but Sloan texted me earlier and wants to hear all about the baby and the birth,' Alexis told her parents, pouring herself a small glass of juice. 'You two don't mind if I head out?'

'Oh, Lex of course not, we don't expect you to automatically be home all the time with the baby.'

'Good, because I love RJ so much but I want to see my friends before I get back to England after New Years, and once December really kicks in, it's going to be a whirlwind.'

'Just as well because I'd like a night alone with Kate,' Castle returned with a smile, warmly rubbing his wife's arm, then laughed when Alexis made a face. 'Relax, Prissy-Pants, we're not kicking you out of the house so we can do it. I'd just like a little at-home time with my wife.'

'Aw, see that's so cute.' Alexis' cell peeped at her and she read the text. 'I'll be home by one.'

She darted off and Castle took the opportunity to make the tea for himself and Beckett, added milk and sugar where necessary. 'That girl hasn't had a decent night's sleep in nearly a week, I doubt she'll make it to ten pm.'

'Oh I don't know. When I was studying for finals in university, I didn't so much sleep as nap between study sessions and exams, and...wait, what's that?'

Beckett's keen hearing listened for RJ's gurgles through the baby monitor, which looked more like a white walkie-talkie; she cocked her head to the side to listen in case he started to fuss. 'You think he's okay?'

She waited a moment, then heard Alexis' voice whispering good-night to her little brother and let out a little breath. 'It's just Lex.'

Castle could only laugh and shake his head. His tough-as-nails cop had become a 'shmellow-hearted new mommy and it looked so damn good on her. Sure he knew she was concerned about the weight she'd put on, but after hearing tales from Esposito about the emotional hell Meredeth went through about her body he knew the route to take so that he was both supportive and non-patronizing.

'He's just fine, Mommy, and the tea is ready, so come with me.'

Having loaded up a coffee tray with the lunchtime leftovers and their tea, they went to the living room, sitting close together on the couch as the fire roared in the hearth. Beckett lay her head on her husband's shoulder, sighed deeply.

'Castle,' she murmured, 'we're parents. You're a daddy again, and I'm a mommy.'

'I'm so proud of you, Kate. I love you even more, though I don't see how that's possible. How are you feeling, overall.'

'Excited, scared, overwhelmed. I have a little life to take care of now.'

'We have a little life to take care of,' he corrected her with a smile and a kiss to her temple. 'And lucky for you, I've kind-of done it before.'

'Kind-of?'

'I had a daughter the first time around, remember?'

Beckett giggled. 'Okay, I'll give you that,' she smiled. 'And yeah, I know you'll be there and sharing the parenting thing, we're a team after all, but I mean there's at least one thing I can do and you can't.'

'It's called a breast-pump, and I hope you get one when you have a baby shower.'

'Next week, after we have the one for Honey-Milk. I'll be drowning in swag.'

Castle had to literally bite his tongue to hold back the laugh: Meredeth Esposito was holding a double baby-shower at her home in Chelsea and had cleverly told the two new mothers it was for each other so they could both be in on the planning. It was a genius idea, really; she'd used it before when Lanie had been pregnant with Carey and they'd had a joint birthday party for Cam and a baby shower for her. And because both women would focus on the surprise for the other, neither would suspect it was for them too.

Before he could make a non-committal noise, Alexis bounded down the stairs in her winter coat and warm looking toque. 'Okay, I'm off for the night. I gave RJ a kiss goodnight and I have my cellphone on me. I should be home around midnight.'

'You and Sloan going out on a pub crawl?'

'Dinner, maybe some live jazz or something. She's into that whole bohemian scene and it sounds fun.'

'Stay safe, call when you're on your way.'

'Okay. Love you guys.' Alexis left, locking the door behind her and leaving her parents to their own devices; she prayed they'd behave themselves in her absence.

Truly alone now, Beckett snuggled up with Castle. She liked to snuggle with him when they were alone like this, a side of her she almost never let through at work, and he was such a cuddly kind of person. It had taken her a little bit to realize that, but once she had, she realized the intimacy of being in his arms - of waking in them - was a far more potent magic than most could dream of.

'Richard.'

'Katherine.'

'Was I...was I a good pregnant wife?'

'Were you a good pregnant wife?' Confused, Castle set his tea down and looked at her face, bathed in the soft glow of firelight.

'Yeah, I mean, was I nasty to you or a total bitch, did I let my hormones do all the thinking and acting and talking for me?'

'You weren't nasty or a total bitch, but there were times when you were...perplexing.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well one moment that springs to mind was the night we had cards here and you were so confused as to why you were crying.' He shifted slightly so he could wrap both his arms around her body. 'You were so baffled by your own hormones I had no idea what to do for you.'

'I remember that. Captain Montgomery dried my tears for me,' she remembered with a little blush. 'I was still getting used to being pregnant, I hadn't anticipated my hormones making me cry at the drop of a hat like that.'

'What, you were thinking that you'd just be some kind of little horny toad?'

'Well that's what I remember Esposito bragging about when Meredeth was pregnant.'

'Yeah, probably so he wouldn't let you know how many times he'd soothe his wife's tears with a kiss, a cuddle and a cup of tea. Besides every woman's pregnancy is different and her hormones do different things to her state of mind. Remember, Evil Meredith didn't want me to touch her the entire time she was pregnant.'

Beckett furrowed her brow. 'I thought that was because she didn't want to have sex with you.'

'No, even this-' Castle gestured to them cuddled on the couch '-would have sent her into a fit.'

Beckett couldn't imagine the feeling of being pregnant and not wanting her husband's touch, however innocent, on her body. She sighed deeply, then sniff. 'Richard, can you smell that?'

'No?'

'I think...oh shit.' Beckett looked down at her top and saw the wet splotch on her breast. 'I leaked.'

As if he could sense the presence of milk in the apartment RJ began to whimper a little in the nursery, his little cry coming through loud and clear on the baby monitor. 'I'll go,' Castle offered,' you can go and tidy up.'

'No, that's the dinner bell he's ringing. He needs to fill the tank.'

She gave him a kiss and went upstairs to the nursery where her son waited for her. His little whimpers lessened when he scented his mother nearby, and he blinked his big dark eyes open in the dim light.

'There, there, my love,' she crooned. 'I know, it's already time for another top-up isn't it?'

Beckett picked up her son, then took him downstairs along with her nursing pillow, another gift from Meredeth and Esposito. Her husband was still waiting for her on the couch and she sat back down beside him with their boy, who latched himself to Beckett's breast the moment it was within striking distance and the three of them spent the next few minutes simply enjoying each other's company.


R&R&Enjoy.