'Mumum!'

'Yes, Jojo.'

'Why are we having a party for Max here and now?'

Jojo studied her mother as they put items into the goodie bags for Max's birthday party he'd offered to host at the loft since Meredeth was getting ready for the send-off party for Sloan the following night. 'Because Meredeth's house is getting ready for a good-bye party for Sloan tomorrow.'

'I don't want her to go,' Jojo said quietly. 'She's fun, I'm gonna miss her.'

'Yeah but you know what?'

'What?'

'She gets to be a judge on a TV show and Jeremy is going to surprise her on March break when they all go to Portugal.'

'Where's Port-a-girl?'

'Portugal,' Beckett repeated, 'and it's in Europe, near Spain.'

'Ohhhh. Alexis?'

Jojo bellowed for her sister who had Petra in her arms while she waited for her daughter's bottle to finish warming. She twisted around on the couch to study her. 'When you were at Kay-bridge, did you live near Poachy-gull?'

'No sweetie, Portugal to Cambridge would be like driving from here to Miami.'

'Mimimimimi!' Petra burbled, making Jojo smile.

'That's right, Little Rock! Miami is a place in Flor-ah-da.'

'Little Rock?' Alexis repeated, which had Jojo bobbing her head.

'Shane said that she was ex'ra suh-tubborn when it was her birthday, like a cute little rock, and her name also means rock too,' she replied importantly. 'Just like Shane's name means bright in Dutch.'

'It sure does,' Alexis agreed, then glanced up when Martha came in, brushing fresh snow flakes off her stylish winter wrap. 'Hey Grams, look who's up from naptime!'

'There's my little angel,' Martha trilled, come over to scoop Petra up; she stopped momentarily when she saw Petra cuddle close to her mother. 'Maybe I should let myself warm up a little before we have our girl time.'

'That and it's snack time now.'

Alexis plucked Petra's bottle from the bowl of warm water, passed it to Petra who latched on like a vampire with a fresh body. Carrying the baby on her hip, she wandered over to the living room and could only laugh at the theme Max had chosen. 'Fish? Doesn't he get tired of that?'

'Nope, apparently not. You should see the cake Meredeth made him.'

'It's a suh-tar-fishie and each part is a different kind of cake,' Jojo added. 'Lex, can I give Petra her bottle?'

'Sure sweetie. Here.' Alexis patted the space beside her on the couch, and hte little girl hopped up, alredy tickled she got to hold her niece. 'I thought you'd want a turn later.'

'Nuh-uh.'

'How come?'

'Be-cause now it is nice and quiet. Soon lots of people will be fighting over her so I am getting my snuggles in now.'

Alexis gave her sister a look. 'You really think so?'

'I know so.'

Jojo, it seemed had her father's charm and her mother's brains - a short hour after Meredeth and Lanie had arrived to supervise the shenanigans of the young children, they were all clamouring to see Petra. Max, being the birthday boy played that card to its full potential on Alexis, trying to convince her that Petra would be his 'special present helper'.

'I'm the birthday boy, Alexis,' Max insisted, inheriting his mother's ability to tune out the noise of others around him while he focused on the person in front of him. 'Birthday boy wants Little Petra-Rock to sit beside him for present time!'

'Little Petra-Rock,' she repeated, wanting to give Jojo a little boot in the behind.

'Uh-huh, like how everyone calls me Max Power, Max went on sunnily as he followed Alexis upstairs to where Petra was finishing her nap in Jojo's room. 'Or how Daddy calls Trini Hurricane Katrina because she never-ever-ever picks up her toys and it makes Leo cuh-razy in the brains.'

'At least they don't share a room now.'

'I know, I think it is a twin thing. Ohhh, hi Little Petra Rock!' Max's voice was hushed in sweet awe as they stepped over to Jojo's bed where Petra was nestled in. 'Hi my little birthday buddy, did you have a good nap? Does she need a fresh bottom?'

'She usually does after a nap.'

'That's what little babies do,' Max agreed; when Petra was ready to go, he followed her and Alexis back to the party much in the same way Jojo and RJ did. 'Hey everyone!' he hollered when they'd reached the main floor, 'Petra is here!'

The small army of young party goers all turned at Max's shout; a few seconds later, Alexis was surrounded like a zebra by a pack of adoring hyenas.

'Oh, she's so big now!' Tessi breathed, then sent Dell a gooey look. 'Isn't she great?'

'She sure is,' he agreed, then looked to Carey and Leo. 'What do you think, cute or gross?'

'Super cute,' Carey replied, reaching out to give Petra's nose a little tap. She blinked, then smiled, which made Leo pull a gooey face.

'Aww, she's so much fun now!'

'Yeah, babies when they are this size are way more fun than when they are very little,' Violet agreed, moving close to Leo.

Devon and Nate, who had wandered over late to the party, stretched on their tip-toes to see the action. 'What she doin'?' Nate hissed at his brother. 'Dah-fin, what she doin'?'

'I think she's just suh-milin', Nate.'

'Wanna see!'

'It's okay Nate, here.' Rosie skirted the group, picked up her little buddy into her arms to hold him up for a better view. 'Can you see her now.'

'I see Lid-dill Wock!'

At the epicentre of the friend-storm, Alexis looked for Jojo, giving her a little glare while Jojo hung back beside her mother and smiled in the traditional way of a true Castle.

'You're gonna pay for that one,' Beckett informed her youngest daughter.

'Totally worth it, Mumum.'