'Hi Datie, hi Misser Dassell, hi Ah-Shay!'

Tessi was at the door welcoming the Castle clan with Lili on the afternoon of Meredeth's birthday and all a-smile as she did so. She held out her little arms. 'I help?'

'I think we've got it,' Beckett replied with a grin; the toddler was really taking her role as a big sister to heart. After she'd helped RJ out of his stroller, Tessi held out her hand.

'Mon, Ah-Shay, we go see my boy.'

'Mumum too?'

'Sure, Datie too.'

Beckett followed the two upstairs to the nursery, and Tessi knocked on the door. 'Mami? We have visitors!'

'Who is with you, princess?'

'Ah-Shay an' Datie.'

'Come on in.'

Tessi turned the knob and led them in with a little 'shh, hafa be die-it', and Beckett saw Meredeth was rocking Leo to sleep in her arms. The little boy was in a warm-looking dark green snuggly so that his soft caramel skin looked even richer and warmer. He had a fuzzy little head covered in dark black curls and was shaking rhythmically against his mother's chest.

'He's got the hiccups,' she whispered, 'so he can't fall asleep.'

'Poor Leo,' Beckett said with a little pout.

'Tee-nee seepin' too?' Tessi asked her mother, which had Meredeth nodding. 'Feel bedda, Leo. Mon, Ah-Shay.'

Tessi took her guest downstairs while Beckett sat in the armchair beside Meredeth and Leo who were sitting in the gliding-rocker as Leo continued to squeak like a little puppy.

'You're looking good, birthday girl,' Beckett said.

'Thank you. I'm starting to sleep a little now, and Javi's...' Meredeth trailed off with a wistful, loving smile. 'God, I love him so much, he's so wonderful. He's been taking night-feedings and diaper changes and spit-up and all the rest of it like a champ.'

'What else did you expect, he loves you and your family.' Beckett laughed. 'I always knew however big a game he talked about being a ladies man, when he met the right woman, this is what he'd have. The house, the wife, the kids.'

'Don't make me cry, my hormones are still soupy. Tell me about something else.'

'RJ is starting to ask when Alexis will be home. He keeps going to her room and looking around and going 'Less here?' It's so cute, and a little heartbreaking when I have to tell him that she isn't here yet.'

'Aw. He's going to be a very good big brother.'

Beckett laughed, scratched her head. 'We've had that talk and we agreed next Christmas, we'll try again.'

Meredeth smiled, murmured to Leo who'd finally started to settle down. 'Hear that? You've got more friends to play with soon.'

Since Leo neither gurgled or squeaked, and just exhaled strongly through his nose, Meredeth patted his back and tucked him into bed beside Trini. Instinctively, Trini stretched and tried to wiggle towards her brother, as if to reassure him she was there and he wasn't alone. With quiet movements, the two women crept out of the nursery and down to the living room with the baby monitor to find others had arrived in the form of the Parrish-Robbinses and the Ryans. Lanie and Honey-Milk both gave the lady of the day big smiles.

'Hey, mama, looking good!' Lanie sang at her friend; it was true, too. Though there was obvious signs of fatigue around her eyes, she was positively glowing. 'You and your man have fun last night?'

'Like you read about.' Meredeth plunked down on the end of the couch, propped her feet on the table. 'The food was amazing, I had tomato shrimp bisque with marlois inside brioche with pancetta, chive and fresh black truffles.'

'I have no idea what that is, but I want it,' Honey-Milk laughed. 'How's the birthday been so far?'

'Javi made pancakes, and gave me these.' Meredeth brushed her hair back to reveal a pair of sapphire earrings which had the girls oohing, even Tessi, Rosie and Violet.

'Tia Merry, you are very fancy,' Rosie told her. 'They match your eyes.'

'Thank you sweetheart.'

'Maybe I will get some for my birthday too,' she added, looking at Lili hopefully, who only chuckled.

'You want sapphires, maybe when you're sixteen and you can buy them yourself.'

'Forget the sapphires, I want to hear about after dinner,' Lanie said with a smile. 'You know, the whole glamorous thing of going dancing at the Plaza.'

While the women learned about the juicy details of the birthday girl's night out with her husband, the men were on the small patio off the kitchen where Cam was manning the barbecue while Dave, Esposito, Ryan and Castle were all talking about the new arrivals, giving Esposito a chance to just kick back while his babies and his girl were taken care of.

'Thanks again for babysitting last night, bro,' Esposito said to Castle, who shrugged it off good-naturedly.

'We're family, it's what we do. Besides, it was so much fun to watch Tessi try and order the dog around. That girl's going to be a SWAT cop, or a colonel in the Army.'

'Marines, dude, the Marines,' Cam corrected. 'She'd be more fun than Sergeant Major Sixta in Generation Kill.'

'You try to give my daughter any cammo gear for her birthday next April, we'll have words,' Esposito jokingly warned his brother-in-law, then sipped his beer and watched his girl through the glass; he was at the perfectly angle to see her smiling and laughing with her friends. Six years after their first date and he wanted nothing more that night than to see her happy. That and taking her into their bed and showing her just how sexy he found her, particularly when she'd just given birth nearly three weeks prior to twins.

He took another sip, caught Castle looking at him with his writer's face. 'Yes?'

'Just thinking about how awesome it is that you've got that look on your face that we all saw the same night we first met Meredeth,' he commented. 'We were taking bets that night you'd found the one.'

'She's my Danish angel, and I love her, and our babies plus the last one we've yet to make.'

'One more?' Ryan said incredulously. 'Javier Esposito, married man and father of four. Never thought I'd see it.'

'I knew you'd get here bro,' Cam said, then paused when he saw Meredeth get up, come to the door. 'Looks like duty calls. Pun intended.'

'Hey, babe, the twins are up, you want to hang here, make sure the food's done?' she told him, sticking her head out of the sliding door.

'Sure. Not so fast,' he added when she turned to leave. He pulled her wrist, tapped his chin just below his lips. 'Finder's fee.'

Meredeth pressed her lips to his, and despite feeling horrible post-partum, shivered at the juices he stirred in her. 'More where that came from later,' she purred with a wink.

Once she headed inside, up the stairs with Beckett and Lanie, Castle chuckled. 'It's funny, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Oh, Alexis also says happy birthday to Mere and that Shane was going to stop by after work with a little gift from the two of them.'

'Wow, sending gifts together already.' Ryan whistled. 'Think it's time to sit him down and ask him his intentions, Rick?'

'Right now, knowing they're happy together is enough, and when it's not, then I'll talk to him.'

Ryan opened his mouth, then filled it with a sip of beer, knowing it'd probably ruin the birthday night if he mentioned he saw Shane in a jewelery store and looking long and hard at the ring counter.

R&R&Enjoy.