'You're making that up.'

'No possible way.'

'This from the guy who thought he was being stalked by an undead mummy.'

'Mumum.'

Beckett tickled RJ's feet as she bathed him in the big-boy tub down the hall from his nursery. 'Not that kind of mommy, my little prince. Was Lanie buying this comic-book crossover?' she asked her husband as he sat on the closed lid of the toilet, watching the two of them together.

'Snicker all you want, my sweet, do you remember how we met?'

'Kind of hard to forget when a man offers to sign your boobs.'

'The case, goofy,' Castle chuckled. 'Someone got it in their head to use my books as their calling card. This seems to be a Bat-fan whose taken it too far. But as funny as this might sound, I'm not in the mood to discuss that poor soul's fate in front of our almost eleven-month-old. Tell me about the twins, I know you were visiting today.'

'Bibs li'l,' RJ informed him as he splashed in the water. 'Way li'l.'

'They're way little, son?'

'Way li'l.'

'They're only, what eight days old?' Beckett laughed as she massage baby shampoo into RJ's scalp, which made him sneeze. 'They're both going to have their mami's caramel hair and daddy's eyes, I can tell. And they're very much in sync which is making it so much easier on Meredeth and Javier getting used to two newborns.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Mm-hmm, they both want to eat at the same time, and nap together. It's funny, they just spent nine months in the womb together, you'd think they want space, but they don't want to be apart. Even when they're asleep, they still worm their way towards each other.'

Castle laughed. 'That's so cute. You think they're going to come here for Hallowe'en?'

'Oh, definitely, Meredeth's looking forward to it, and Tessi is so excited, she was showing me her costume today, but more than anything she's just thrilled about being a big sister.'

'I bet she is.'

'Javi was telling me they were asleep in bed on Sunday morning, and he woke up to Tessi dragging a basket in to sort the 'lonny' for Meredeth.' Beckett scooped water up over RJ's bubbly head. 'Isn't that too cute?'

'Doot,' RJ agreed. 'Doot, doot, doot.'

'Oh, and it starts, that smooth Castle charm.'

'I was thinking too,' Beckett rubbed her forehead with the back of her wrist. 'November fifth, they're having Mere's birthday party with all of us there, a little preview to Christmas this year. Maybe we could volunteer to babysit Tessi, Leo and Trini for them on the fourth, so they can have a nice dinner and maybe a movie out?'

'I think I'm being reminded of that generous heart I love so much,' he replied with a smile. 'I also happen to know that your girl Madison Queller's new place, Suzy Q, has a couple of spots left for its opening night on the fourth.'

'Maddie's one of New York's most popular restauranteurs, how would she have any room left on an opening night so late?'

'Because I got us on the guest list and was planning to surprise you, but now we're going to surprise our friends instead. I'll tell her you're sending an ambassador, so to say.'

'Thank you. In the meantime, this young man needs to get dried off and diapered and put into bed.'

'Bod?' RJ looked up with bright blue eyes, yawning at the word. 'Bod?'

'Yes, we'll read a book.'

'Here, Kate, I got this, go get his pjs and stuff ready.' Castle picked up the towel off the counter, unfolded it. He reached in to pull the plug and let the tub drain, helped RJ stand up, then picked him up in his towel as he rubbed him down; the sound of RJ's giggle had him smiling. 'You ready for bed, big guy?'

'Bod.'

'I know, we'll read a book. Mommy's getting your pjs ready, did you have fun with Mommy visiting Auntie Merry and Tessi and the babies today?'

RJ nodded vigorously. 'Bibs li'l.'

'You started out small like that too, you know.'

'No,' he replied in disbelief. 'Silly Daddy.'

Castle only chuckled. 'Tell you what, you be good for Mommy getting into bed tonight, and I will show you a picture of just how little you were when you were first born tomorrow at breakfast okay?'

'Yea!'

'Okay, now it's pyjama time.'

'Less?' RJ asked as they went across the hall into the nursery. 'Less nigh-nigh?'

'I'm sorry, big guy, Alexis has already gone to bed.' Beckett made a pouty face. 'We already said night-night to her, remember?'

'Miss.'

'I miss her too.' Castle kissed his son's forehead. 'Up we go.'

Castle lay RJ on the changing table and with expert practice, fixed on his nappie, then helped him into his pjs, an adorable pair from Lanie and Dave of soft orange cotton with black cats and white cartoon ghosts on them. 'Kate, why don't you head downstairs, take a breather? The boys need some manly bonding time right now.'

'I'll get our movie snacks put together, then.'

'Nix yum,' RJ said as he sat up, clapped his hands together, then kissed his mother good-night. 'Love Mumum.'

'I love you too, my little prince.'

Once Beckett was out the door, RJ looked around. 'Bod?' he asked hopefully.

'You're almost as bad as Tessi and Carey with your books, little bro,' Castle laughed, but obliged his son and picked out one of the colourful options from the shelf - a kids version of Swiss Family Robinson; no age was too young to get a reader hooked on the classics, the writer reasoned.

When their little prince was tucked into bed, listening to The Pines of Rome as he fell asleep, Castle followed his nose downstairs to the scent of hot buttered popcorn and Meredeth's candied-nut mix and grinned widely when he saw his bride had two big bowls of each and was fiddling with the TiVo record menu.

'This looks promising,' he told her, settling onto the couch so he could admire her booty while she stood in front of the television with the remote. 'What's the occasion?'

'No occasion, just want some time with you.' Beckett smiled at him, passed him his own giant bowl of popcorn. 'Extra butter, easy on the salt.'

'Let me guess, yours has been drowned in that cheesy stuff, right?'

'And don't you forget it. What are you in the mood for? I recorded a bunch of stuff when you were working lake last night with Ryan.'

'The original Die Hard,' Castle decided, after seeing the selection on the menu. 'Nothing beats John McLane mowing down Hands Gruber's little Eurotrash twits.'

'Die Hard it is.'

Beckett pressed the button, snuggled in beside him as she put her feet on the coffee table. She was cherishing this moment of near-perfection in her life to its greatest extent - she was at home, whole and healthy with her husband who was not only her lover but her best friend while their beautiful son slept upstairs and their gorgeous daughter was asleep in her bed several timezones away; she'd sent Beckett and Castle a goodnight email earlier, detailing how it was less than a month before she was home to see them again. Her father was about to celebrate twelve years sober and her mother-in-law was about to debut in one of her favourite plays on Broadway.

Life, at the moment, was pretty damn good.

R&R&Enjoy.