Double Up

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Castle took the kids to the park. He laid down a picnic sheet on the grass, and then picked the twins from the pram and placed them down. He had carried a few of their toys too. Including a tiny little soft football.

When they got bored of playing while sitting in one place, Jo crawled towards the ball and pushed it towards her dad

"b..." she tried to mumble.

Castle loved how they had already begun trying to speak.

"Ball honey. You want to play with the ball?"

Okay. How about I roll it towards you and then you roll it back over to me ha?"

He lightly pushed the ball towards her and she stopped it with her hands. "That's it baby... Now roll it back here to daddy"

Jo giggled and tapped the ball excitedly... Squealing in joy that she had been able to stop it.

She pushed it back. But obviously not in the direction of her father... Rick reached out to his right and caught the ball.

He chuckled. This was good exercise for him he thought. They played that way, pushing the ball back and forth.

Somewhere in the middle of the game, Nate crawled in between, stopping the ball midway. He then sat and banged the ball hard on the ground, and he watched in amusement as the ball bounced high into the sky. And came right back down to the ground.

He was so amused by it. He looked at his daddy. And Castle just looked on at him and smirked.

And then he looked back at the ball and started clapping. Castle couldn't help but laugh at his excitement.

He pushed the ball back to him and Jo had crawled up to her brother's side. Nate did it again. Excited to see the ball bounce on the grass... But this time the ball went up in the

sky and bounced off his head instead.

Castle's breath caught in his chest for a sec. The ball wasn't hard. But he still wondered if Nate was hurt. Nate looked at his daddy. And it almost looked like he was going to cry.

Quickly Castle took the ball and threw it up in the air and allowed it to bounce of his own head. He then caught it and looked at Nate.

"See. Nothing's wrong. I'm alright"

immediately Jo giggled and began clapping... And that made Nate giggle too.

They crawled towards him

"what's wrong kiddos, you done playing?"

Jo climbed in to his lap, and Nate came to his side and held on to his t-shirt with both hands.

They had learned to stand up a few weeks back. Of course with the help of some support to hold on to. So Rick held his hand out around Nate while the boy got up in his feet, just in case he falls.

Jo sat down in his lap. Upon his folded legs. Making herself comfortable. Rick found it cute the way they loved clinging on to him. They were probably tired now he thought. Nate lifted one foot and placed it on Castles thigh in an attempt to climb up and stand on his daddy's leg.

"Where are you trying to go big guy?"

Nate then touched his face and mumbled "gggg..."

"well gggg to you too" he chuckled. Nate then pulled at his ear.

"Owwww what was that for? I was just kidding" he whined. And then he put his tiny hand on Ricks shoulder and tapped it excitedly...

"You want to sit up her big guy?" he carried him up in his arms and placed him on the back of his neck. To sit there, while his legs dangled down the front of his shoulders. Nate caught on to his hair and began to tap his head like it was a drum. Jo began to wiggle in his lap...

"I'm sorry baby... There's just one seat up there and it's taken"

Jo crawled out of his lap and came to his side and stood up the same way Nate did, holding on tight to her daddy's bicep.

She placed her hand on his nose and squeezed it and smiled. Rick smiled too. He couldn't help but notice how much his daughter resembled Kate. She was just so beautiful. Both of them. They were the prettiest little babies he believed.

Kate went straight to gates office after Rick had left with the kids

"sir may I come in"

"what is it detective Beckett?"

"Sir, I wanted to ask for the day off tomorrow. It's my kids' first birthday and I really want to spend the entire day with them"

Gates put her pen down and looked up at her with a smile.

"Well... Have you finished the paperwork for this last case"

"it'll be on your desk by tonight sir"

"okay then, I don't see why you need to come in tomorrow then" she said with a smile

"thank you sir" Kate was about to leave when she suddenly remembered

"I'm so sorry, I totally forgot, Castle and I wanted to invite you and you're family to our place tomorrow night. We're having a little party. And we'd like you to join us."

"That's really kind of you. I'll have to ask the boss at home if he's free tomorrow night. But even if he's not, I will surely try and make it"

"Thank you sir" Kate chucked and then went back to her desk to finish off the paper work.

It was getting a little dark now, and Rick noticed a few people at the far end of the park looking over at them and taking photos on their cameras. he chuckled and nodded his head knowingly.

"Come on guys. It's time to go home. Your mommy will be home soon too. Let's go home and make a nice dinner for her."

He got up and carried the kids and put them back into the twin pram. He folded up the picnic sheet and packed all their toys too. and he talked to them on the way, Telling them about stories about their mommy.

He was a writer, and hence, story telling was his talent. He made their mommy look like a super hero in a city of villains and they could picture in their, mind every little thing he said.