I don't own Castle.
Title: What My Mother Never Told Me
Rating: T+
Description: Kate Beckett didn't want to be a mother. Her job was dangerous; the thought of leaving her child alone in the world was too much to bear. However, it might be a risk she is willing to take to see the child that brings such a smile to Rick Castle's face.
Prelude
"Momma!"
Kate Beckett looked up from the novel she was reading to peek through her bedroom door. A little girl of just five years old ran through the open door. A special smile was reserved for this little girl. Said smile appeared on Kate's face as the girl tumbled toward the bed.
Bending down, Kate tucked her hands under the girl's armpits and swung her daughter up onto her lap. The girl climbed over Kate's legs and under the cover. Snuggling into her side, Kate leaned over to kiss her head.
"Anna," she said as a way of greeting her.
Anna grinned up at her mother. "Momma, guess what?" Kate's eyes widened and the smile made a dramatic reappearance. Speaking of appearances, Kate thought, shifting her eyes just a bit to see her husband leaning up against the doorframe, arms crossed, staring lovingly at the scene.
"What?"
"Daddy took me to the M&M store after school today!" she looked absolutely sparkling. Kate took in the young girl's features through the colored candy adventure. She had hazel eyes that matched Kate's to a tee. Her hair was brown but had a strong hint of red – next to her sister, their hair sometimes matched. She had a cute button nose and pouty, red lips. Her cheeks always had a tint of pink. She was thin and small for her age but her energy and quick-wit made up for her lack of strength.
"… We brought you some, Momma!" she finished and looked over to her father. "Daddy, where is the bag?" Kate looked at her husband, her smile softening. On cue, he lifted his eyebrows and theatrically pulled the bag out of his jacket pocket.
The little girl giggled at the bag of red M&M candies.
"You want some, Momma?" Anna asked.
Kate nodded as her husband walked slowly to them. He leaned over her, holding the bag up high – too high for Anna – and kissed Kate gingerly on the corner of the mouth. Kate smiled at his soft lips and felt her heart pick up speed.
Anna made a "yuck!" sound and tried to reach for the bag. "Daddy!" she whined. "Give me the bag, please! Daddy!"
He chucked against Kate's lips and they both looked at Anna. She could feel his hair brush up against her forehead, the heat of his neck piercing the air between them.
She pouted, her eyes reaching Kate's. That pout always got her – her legs turned to jelly, her heart melted, and Kate became a total softie. "Daddy's a meanie, isn't he?" She nodded quickly, her pig tails bobbing.
She looked at him. "Ricky, are you being mean?" she asked, her voice high pitch. Then she grabbed onto his jacket and pulled him onto the middle of the bed. He laughed out loud as he bounced on the mattress, still holding the candies hostage, and Anna jumped out from under the cover, shrieking.
In just thirty seconds, Anna was jumping on the bed while Kate and Rick were in a weird wrestling-tickling match. Finally, Rick called, "Apples!" and tossed the bag to Anna, who caught it swiftly out of the air. She did a small victory dance as Kate laid her head on Rick's chest and watched her.
He ran a hand up her back and all Kate's hairs stood on end. Even after so many years together, he still had the ability to make her shiver. Sometimes, she was still star struck by him. It was the classic 21st-century love story: girl loves celebrity; girl meets celebrity; celebrity follows girl; celebrity saves girl; girl and celebrity get married. And sometimes, girl can't believe celebrity saw anything in her.
Anna popped an M&M in her mouth before she sat back down. Kate held her hand up for a high five and Rick groaned. She pushed up on her right palm to look down at him. "What?" she asked, before putting a few candies in her mouth.
"You two always gang up on me," he pouted. "It's totally unfair."
She rolled her eyes and sat up, returning to her original position by her daughter. "That's because girl's rule and boys drool, right, Anna?" she said and looked at her daughter. She nodded, smiling. Chocolate rimmed the corner of her lips.
Kate laughed and Rick grimaced.
Rick rested his head in the palm of right hand and lay on his side, smiling, while watching as Kate and Anna finished off the last of the candies. There hadn't been many in the bag – which was just fine, in Kate's opinion considering candy was the last thing Anna needed before bed – but the little girl looked slightly disappointed that their treat was gone.
"Are you still hungry, Anna?" Kate asked. "Because, listen-" she held up her hand near her ear, "I hear a sandwich calling your name."
A sandwich, bath, good hair brushing, and tickling match later, Anna Castle was under the princess-themed comforter and her bright green room. Kate was sitting next to her, next to a stack of books. "What will it be this week, Anna? Harry Potter? Alex Cross? One of Daddy's? Or something new?"
Anna looked up at Kate, weighing her options.
"Can I hear a different story, instead, Momma?" she asked.
Kate gave her daughter a look and smiled. "Sure, babe," she replaced the copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince back onto the nightstand. She placed her hands in her lap. "What story would you like to hear?"
"Well," Anna looked away, "Can you tell me how I was born?"
Kate felt her neck get warm with the question. Was her daughter seriously, at five years old, asking her about sex? She pursed her lips. She and Rick decided to never lie to their daughter – just like Rick had with Alexis – but how was she supposed to word such an … inappropriate response?
"I mean," Anna said a second later, "Like, when I was in Momma's tummy … what happened?"
Oh.
"Oh," Kate voiced. Then, she smiled leaning down to rub noses with her daughter. "Sure, baby, that sounds like a great idea. Are you sure you can stay awake for the whole thing?" Her daughter nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay … well, it all started when I ran down to see Aunt Lanie at work …"
A.N.
So, this is the first chapter in my first story here on Fanfiction! I hope it entertained! I know there are probably a lot of stories like this but I decided to add to the light, fluffy stories compared to the dark (BUT AWESOME!) season finale we have been left to ponder/mourn over. Review if you would like! :)
Until next Wednesday,
Lizzy