182. Chapter 182

Chapter 182

It was October. The weather was changing, providing more days that felt like fall and fewer that allowed just leaving home without a jacket. On their way home from school, Castle and his children talked, Jo trying to find her way into the conversation when she seemed to recognize something that she could respond to with her very limited vocabulary. As always, both Castle men answered as if she had actually contributed to the conversation. Talk between father and son at the Castle household always turned to Halloween costume planning almost as soon as the October page on the calendar was turned.

As they walked into the elevator after greeting the doorman, Castle asked Jamie, "Did I ever show you the picture of your very first Halloween costume?" Castle asked him.

"Uh-huh. You were Batman and I was Robin."

"No. There was one before that. You'll like it." Once they were in the loft, Castle rolled the stroller into the study and lifted Jo out. He sat Jo in his lap and searched an album in his computer files while repeatedly taking his daughter's hands away from the keyboard. Then he showed his son the picture he had found.

"It's Batman…and it's painted…on somebody's tummy?"

"It's Mommy's tummy. I couldn't dress you up because you were still growing inside her, so I sneaked in while she was sleeping and painted her tummy."

Jamie gave him a low pitched, full belly laugh and asked, "Was she mad?"

"Not after I explained it was your first Halloween costume. She did roll her eyes at me, though." That garnered another laugh from his son, who was well acquainted with his mother's eye rolls at his dad. "I even talked her into letting it stay on her tummy when she went to work that day. It was covered where nobody could see it, but we knew you had on your Halloween costume."

"You're silly."

"I know. It's fun to be silly sometimes, right, Jo?" He looked at her, made a face, and crossed his eyes to emphasize his point, making her laugh, too; and Jamie just nodded. "Can I have lunch now?"

"May I have lunch now," Castle corrected. "I made sandwiches and cut up some fruit before we left to pick you up. You get out the sandwiches, and Jo and I will get the rest. You can tell me about school while we eat."

"Okay."

Father and son collaborated on getting lunch on the table, taking care of Jo in the process.

"What was your favorite part of school today?" Castle asked. Was anything especially interesting…or funny, or annoying?"

Jamie told him about a new kind of art project and a new book the teacher read to them. "It was one I never saw before," he said. "And Bridget is always annoying."

His father just laughed. He had been where he could observe Bridget often enough to understand the sentiment. There would be no play dates with that little girl. She whined constantly, over anything and everything, and he uncharitably imagined that the teacher smiled and breathed a sigh of relief on the days when Bridget was absent.

The Castle men were also collaborating on a new children's book and were enjoying it. "Want to work on our book this afternoon?" he asked Jamie. "We've almost finished it."

Jamie nodded as he munched on his sandwich.

Over time, the two of them, with typical Castle enthusiasm, had worked out the story using some of the children's stuffed animals, dolls, and action figures as the characters. Various parts of the loft served as the premises for the action. One afternoon while Alexis was there, she stepped in with a suggestion or two as well; and then the three of them discussed it over ice cream while Jo took her afternoon nap. The Girl With Red Hair now had a little sister as well as a little brother. The little sister was a baby and couldn't talk to the grownups, but The Girl With Red Hair and Little Brother could somehow understand what she was saying. At the end of the story, the children and the toys representing adults, like the action figures, found out who the culprit was, why he did something bad, and found a way to work it all out. Castle had used his skills and written most of the story they had outlined earlier in the summer and made corrections as they changed their minds here and there; and Jamie was impatient to have each new section read to him "the way Daddy writes it". Castle was thrilled to find that his son occasionally insisted that something didn't sound right, so they talked through why and what would make it sound better. His four year old son wanted edits. Daddy writer was so proud.

That afternoon while Jo slept, the male members of the household finished their first new book.

The next Nikki Heat book was finished, art was approved, and it was about to go into print. The launch would be in mid-November, and the next Girl With Red Hair book would launch at the same time.

He would have Jamie draw the illustrations for their new book; and then he would have their book bound for his son as a Christmas gift so they could add it to his bookshelf of bedtime stories. If they retained the popularity they had enjoyed so far, the book he and Jamie wrote could be added to the published collection after all the earlier books he had written for Alexis were in print.

Since Alexis's actual birthday was on a weekend, JD had arranged a weekend ski trip for them. So a couple of days before her actual birthday, the rest of the Castle clan took her out for dinner.

During the meal, JD asked her, "Did you tell Dad yet?"

"No, I'm still too young to be a grandfather," Castle groaned with a hand over his heart.

"Not that, Dad," Alexis assured him with a laugh. "I got a gift and a birthday card from Meredith this morning…and a note asking if she could meet me for dinner when she's in New York for an audition next week."

"Wow! That was unexpected."

"Tell me about it," his daughter answered. "She not only remembered without your help, she sent it to arrive a day or two early. Wait. You didn't remind her, did you?"

"Absolutely not. I told her she was on her own from now on."

"Are you going to meet her next week?" Jim asked.

"Probably…if she actually calls to arrange it. I'm done with making the initial contact, though…and I'm not going to hold my breath until it happens."

"Good for you," Megan encouraged. "Give her credit for making an effort, but go into it with low expectations for future improvement. That way if she actually follows through, it's a nice surprise rather than another disappointment."

"That's a good way to look at it," Alexis answered, "That's what I was thinking, too. At least we know she won't randomly show up this year and make a scene. She won't be in town until Sunday night."

The family enjoyed the birthday dinner and wished the younger couple a safe trip and a lot of fun.

The following week, Alexis stopped by the loft on Tuesday night while JD attended a seminar related to his graduate studies.

"Did your mother call?" Martha asked.

"Not yet. Her audition was Monday, and callbacks were today. Still not holding my breath." About fifteen minutes later, her phone rang, and Alexis took it from her jacket pocket. "Speak of the devil…" she said to the group at the table. "Hello, Meredith." She put the phone on speaker and moved across the room.

"I'm hoping one day you might be willing to call me Mom again." There was a long sigh before she asked, "Will you meet me for dinner before I go back home?"

"When and where?"

"Thursday? Would you want to do a little birthday shopping in the afternoon and have an early dinner?" After a little pause with no answer, Meredith added, "I promise nothing I buy you will come from anybody's finances but my own."

"Thursday is perfect. I only have morning classes that day."

"Then I'll make reservations and call you with a time and place."

"The audition…how did it go?" Alexis asked.

"I got the part. It's a soap, and I'm a temporary character. It's only a couple of months, and I actually get to play a likable character…until they kill her off. So I'll be in New York for a couple of months starting right before Christmas. Maybe we can spend some time together then?"

"Well congratulations. You can tell me all about it on Thursday."

"Thanks for giving me another chance."

"I'll see you on Thursday. Bye."

The rest of the family had heard most of the conversation, and John said, "I hope she follows through this time."

"Me, too; but if she doesn't, I still have the best friend/mom in the world," Alexis answered. "And the best dad. I'm okay."

On Thursday night, Alexis called her father to tell him that Meredith met her for coffee that afternoon, they went shopping, had a nice dinner and talked. "I think she's really trying. She'll be here in the middle of December and says she wants to spend some time with me, but I'm not ready to trust her quite yet. Her soap character is supposed to be coming home to be with her family for Christmas before she tells them she's dying soon of a not-quite-decided-yet deadly medical condition. She'll last until somewhere around the end of February. After that, she dies dramatically, and Meredith goes back to California."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good visit," he answered. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the rest works out."

xxxxx

October was the mid-point in the first quarter of the school year, so Kate had taken the morning off to go with Castle for a conference with Jamie's teacher. Jamie had started the last school year mid-year, about a month before his fourth birthday, but after testing, they had placed him in the four year old class. He hadn't seemed to have any problems socially, and he was actually ahead of a couple of the other children academically; therefore he was in kindergarten this year.

"So how is our boy handling kindergarten?" Castle asked, reaching to take Kate's hand and resting their clasped hands on her knee. "We know he's about six months younger than some of his classmates. Is that causing any problems for him?"

"That concerned me when the decision was made," the teacher admitted. "But academically, he's still ahead of a few of them. Leaving him in a class of four year olds who would be repeating what he did last year didn't feel like an option." She stopped and smiled. "He's the youngest member of the class, and somehow his two best friends in the class turned out to also be on the youngest end of the group, but they to fall into the same category as Jamie. Those three are a fountain of enthusiasm. I love to see them working on their class projects."

"We aren't hearing anything at home that sounds like he isn't still enjoying school," Castle said.

"And you probably won't. His curiosity and excitement about new topics is refreshing, and he has obviously been introduced to a wide variety of information and experiences. It's more than that, though. He has the ability to quickly apply those pieces of knowledge or experience to new situations. Do you work on problem solving and association at home?"

"I was a homicide detective, now a captain and watching everybody's cases coming together," Kate told her, "and his father writes very well thought out murder mysteries. He worked with my team when I was a detective,so I guess we both naturally lean toward problem solving and association. We're both detail oriented."

"Well, it shows. He seems to be an intelligent, capable, well adjusted, and loving little boy. I have nothing negative to report. Jamie is an absolute delight." She picked up a folder and told them, "This is Jamie's work. Mr. Castle, you might be interested in the story he wrote…involving aliens and superheroes. Quite creative," she added with an amused smile. "I loved it. It was supposed to be a single session class project, but he had had so much to say that I let him finish it in bits and pieces when I could find some time for him to work on it."

"That's definitely your boy," Kate said with a grin at her husband.

"Jamie and I just finished a collaboration on another children's book," Castle mentioned. "We both enjoyed it."

"Another Girl With Red Hair Mystery?" Mrs. Gerwitz asked. "Will that one be published, too?"

"Not right away. There are still four of the original ones to be illustrated and published, but it will be eventually. The next one will be on the shelves just before Thanksgiving,"

"And the next Nikki Heat novel?"

"Out at the same time."

"Well, I'm anxious to read both."

"Thank you. That's always good to hear," Castle answered.

Handing the Castles the folder, she said, "If you have any questions, always feel free to call."

"And if you need any help with class supplies, a little help in the classroom now and then, or chaperones for field trips, let me know," Castle offered.

As they left and walked to a nearby restaurant for an early lunch, Castle asked his wife, "What's wrong? We just had a teacher tell us that our son is an absolute delight, but you don't look like it left a positive impression."

"Oh, it did, and I'm so proud of him." There was a little pause and a sheen of almost tears in her eyes. "But sometimes I wish he was still asking for 'tisses' and still fit in my arms like he used to. He's growing up, though. He has his own personality…even if it is a lot like yours. He's not only reading well for his age; he's writing his own stories, and he's already in kindergarten. Next year this time, he'll be in first grade. He isn't our baby anymore."

"They're going to always be our babies in our minds…even when they're grown and married and we're old and gray. When they hurt, we hurt. When they succeed, we're proud. It never goes away. In their eyes, they may not be babies anymore; but in ours, if we look hard enough, we can see them…tiny little fingers and toes, totally dependent on us to take care of them. It's really hard to let that go."

"I know. I'm just whining."

As they entered the restaurant, he said, "The good part is that whatever God might be out there gives us the dubious joy of their teenage years to make it easier to let them move out of the house at eighteen."

Overhearing the comment, the blond, forty-something hostess snorted a little laugh as she picked up a couple of menus for them and said, "Amen to that. I have twin boys the college dorm will have next fall, and I've already started buying what they need and storing it in a closet to be sure they're ready." When the couple laughed, she asked, "How old are yours?"

"Four and one," Kate answered sheepishly. "They're growing up too fast."

The hostess laughed again. "I remember that stage of life, too. Listen to your man, though. It will all work out. Is it just the two of you for lunch today?" At their nod, she said, "Follow me," and seated them in a booth with their menus."

They decided on their orders, then Castle leaned toward her and whispered, "When they move out, we get to be empty nesters and have the place all to ourselves again. We can get back to making love anytime and anywhere we want."

"If we're not too old to enjoy it," she teased.

"Oh, please. With our record, do you think we'll ever have to worry about the old 'use it or lose it' theory?"

"You do know how to make me feel better."

"I didn't know it was possible for you to feel any better," he said lasciviously, squeezing her thigh quickly under the table.

"Too bad I have to get back to work," she answered.

"We should order before I drag you over here and see how much action this table can take…and embarrass us and everybody else in the room."

"Another one of your fantasies?"

"No. But it has possibilities. Want to add it to the list?"

Kate laughed, the fun showing in her eyes…and Castle knew his job was done.

They ordered and read their son's story as they waited. It was written in four year old terms and spellings, but still impressively entertaining. They enjoyed their meal and their time together, congratulated themselves on having such a wonderful child, and then Kate went back to work.

xxxxx

After that, fall became sort of a busy blur. Before they knew what hit them, it was Halloween, and the Castles went to Miss Ada's Halloween party as the Flintstones, Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm. If anyone asked, they said they had borrowed Bamm-Bamm from the Rubbles for the night.

Then Black Pawn had a launch party for the two new books, Castle was planning for Kate's birthday, and Thanksgiving was in the works.

Megan's siblings came to New York for Thanksgiving, two of them with their families, including five children ranging in age from eight to sixteen. The single sister who was teaching at an international school overseas left her boyfriend there and came alone. Castle arranged for indoor space for his family and Meagan's to watch the Macy's parade, and Thanksgiving dinner was a late afternoon meal brought in by caterers.

Meagan's family was excited about going with Castle's family on the traditional day after Thanksgiving trip to the tree farm. The sister without children took pictures from the time they arrived to the time they left, saying her boyfriend would have loved the place. All the members of Castle's family chose Christmas trees to be delivered to their homes the following day...and impressed the visiting families by cutting them down themselves. On Saturday night, there was a tree decorating party at the loft.

The children were beside themselves, and Jamie and Jo were enjoying the additional children in the house. The sixteen year old girl was fascinated with Kate and Alexis and wanted to hold Jo as much as possible. Having the fourteen month old entertained made the tree decorating easier because Jo was mobile this year, and she could either crawl at breakneck speed or toddle over to the tree to reach for the shiny, pretty colored things. They saved the delicate ornaments and the nostalgic homemade ones for after everyone left, to keep them safe while allowing all the children to enjoy decorating. When they were finished, everyone stood back to enjoy their handiwork, as well as a few more Christmas cookies and more hot chocolate.

After her brother and sisters had herded all the nieces and nephews out of the loft, Meagan turned to hug Castle and Kate. "Thank you…both of you. You made my family feel so welcome and important. That means a lot to me."

"They were welcome and important because you're part of our family," Castle assured her. "Your family is always welcome here."

"And you make my dad happy again," Kate added. "We enjoyed having them. We may have worn them out, though."

"I know I'm worn out," Meagan answered. "I'm not surrounded by this many children too often anymore. Speaking of which, we should catch up with them and help wrangle the younger ones into a couple or three cabs with us." There was a weary eye roll and a little giggle, and Jim and Meagan said goodnight.

Jim stopped and gave both his daughter and son-in-law a hug and said, "Thank you. It was over and above, and very much appreciated."

"Love you, Dad," Kate said as he followed Meagan out. Turning to her husband, she said, "Now, if we get our own munchkins in bed, I might sleep until about this time tomorrow if they let me."

Castle was holding a sleepy looking Jo, and a worn out Jamie was leaning against his mother's leg. "Come on, Kiddo," Kate said, running her hand over Jamie's back. "Everybody is tired tonight. No bath this time. Straight to the pajamas."

"Carry me?"

"Kate picked him up and told him, "I won't be able to do this too much longer. You just won't stop growing bigger."

"I can't help it," he answered, from where he had draped himself across her shoulder. "It just happens."

"I know, Sweet Boy. I was only teasing. You're supposed to keep growing. I'd worry if you didn't; but when you get too big to carry, I'll miss that. It won't be right away, though."

Jamie just hugged her neck a little tighter, as if he agreed.

"I'm kind of missing my baby boy again tonight. Is it okay if I rock you a little while and Daddy rocks Jo?" Jamie nodded, and Kate put him down, saying "Get your pajamas on and we'll sit in the rocking chair for a little while."

"Will you sing?"

"If you want me to."

Castle kissed his wife gently. "I'll sing Jo to sleep and come back to tuck Jamie in."

"Okay."

Both Kate and Jamie enjoyed the rocking and the lullabies, but it didn't last long before Jamie was asleep. Castle came into the room when Kate was about to stand, and he took Jamie and put him in his bed.

Before going back downstairs, Kate stopped in Jo's room to kiss her little head and just look at her for a moment.

"We need sleep," Castle whispered as he swung an arm around her shoulder.

"You're right," she agreed as she carefully raised the crib rail and they slipped out of Jo's room. "Think we can make it to our bed?"

"If not, there's a very comfy sofa about halfway between here and there."

She chuckled. "If we lean on each other, I think we'll make it."

"If we lean on each other, we can do anything," he answered, earning him a kiss before they dragged themselves to bed and were almost instantly asleep.

Sunday was a lazy, Disney/Pixar marathon day. Everybody was still tired from the excitement of the rest of the weekend. The parents managed to get away now and then because it was a Disney/Pixar marathon. Both children were presently deeply engrossed in Toy Story while their parents took a coffee break at the breakfast bar, talked quietly, and engaged in a little making out that would pass the child appropriate guidelines.

"I guess we could take them to the park this afternoon if they get tired of the movies," Castle whispered, not wanting to encourage getting dressed and leaving the house by letting the children hear him.

"Only if they ask," Kate whispered back conspiratorially. "I'm really exhausted."

"Me, too. That's why I'm whispering," he answered with a smirk, and followed up with another kiss. "I feel kind of sorry for Meagan's family. They must be at least as tired as we are, but they have to spend most of today at the airport or on a plane…with multiple children."

"You're right," she whispered back. "The park isn't sounding so bad anymore." She took another sip of her coffee and added mischievously, "But we still aren't mentioning it if they don't."