"Any luck?" Rick asked through the locked door.

"Richard… If you ask me that again, I'm going to shove this thing down your throat. These take a few minutes." He leaned his head against the wall next to the bathroom door, and exhaled heavily, smiling slightly at his wife's snide remark. Kate didn't usually snap at him, if you could call that snapping, so he knew she was as nervous as he was.

"Two minutes, huh," he declared loudly.

"Castle..."

"Sorry, sorry," he said hurriedly, looking down at his watch. It had already been a minute, and he found his mind drifting. Maybe Andrew. Yeah, that's a good strong name. Andrew Castle. Andy. He jumped slightly as Kate sat next to him. He hadn't even noticed the door opening, but it didn't matter. He could tell from the tears in his wife's eyes that it didn't work.

"It's okay," he said quietly, taking her hand in his. "It's okay." The tears spilled over and Kate buried her face in his shoulder, allowing the sobbing to come. "It's okay, Kate. It'll happen, we just have to be patient." He stared at the pregnancy test in her hand, the blue minus a slash across their dreams, and found his eyes burning as well.

He knew from the moment that she had said yes that they would have a child, and the more they tried, the more excited he got.

It was the waiting, and the praying, and the hopes being constantly crushed that was beginning to get to them. He knew Kate was already losing hope of ever having her own child, and he couldn't do anything but keep trying. Just as he was about to say that to Kate, his phone rang suddenly, drawing him out of baby drama.

"Castle," he answered hoarsely. "Right, right, I forgot. Hang on a second." He put a hand over the phone. "It's Madden night." Kate nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Go. It's your night. Have fun with the boys, but don't be too loud when you come home."

"See you in twenty." He dropped his phone to the carpet and pressed a kiss to Kate's forehead. "I love you Kate," he whispered. "It will happen. I promise. It'll just take some time." Kate nodded against him, and he stood. "I love you."

X

The loft was dark and silent by the time Rick got home. He slid his jacket off and on to the hook by the door, tucked his shoes under it, and stepped quietly up the stairs, making sure to avoid. His mind was still racing; what would happen if he couldn't get Kate pregnant. Would they adopt, or use medical help, or just remain childless, praying for a miracle that would never come?

Rick puttered around the bathroom for a little while, brushing his teeth and going about his nightly routine. For a minute he rested both hands on the counter and closed his eyes. Immediately, a little boy appeared in his mind's eye, seated on the counter next to the sink. He had the exact same brown hair and eyes as Kate, but he had Rick's goofy grin.

"Daddy!" The boy squealed happily. "Daddy!"

"Rick?" Rick bit back a shriek as his head jerked upright. Kate was standing in the doorway, hair pulled back into a low ponytail. "I wasn't expecting you home this early," Kate muttered thickly., and Rick let out a gasp of relief before pulling her into a hug.

"I thought you were asleep, beautiful," he said into her hair. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, I just put my book down." He led her over to the bed and they both slipped in. Kate scooted over to him and rested her head over his heart. "Do you think it'll ever happen, Rick?"

"Yes." She looked up at him in surprise at his solid declaration. "Yes, it will. We are going to be parents someday. We just have to keep trying." He felt her nod into his chest, and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you too, Kate. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

X

Twelve negative pregnancy tests later, Rick and Kate sat together against the counter, Kate holding the thirteenth hesitantly in her hands.

"You ready?" he asked and she looked up at him, brown eyes reflecting her nerves.

"I don't know if I can do this again." His face softened. "I don't know if I can deal with the heartbreak of another negative." Rick placed a finger under Kate's chin and tilted it up to his.

"This is it," he declared, a small grin on his face. "It's fate. Lucky number thirteen, you know." Kate closed her eyes as Rick kissed her lips tenderly. "For extra luck." He turned away as Kate unwrapped the pregnancy test and sat on the toilet. "Positive, positive, positive, positive, pos –"

"You are not helping." He laughed.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Good juju couldn't hurt." He took the pregnancy test from her extended hand, and stared at it intently, counting down in his mind the required 120 seconds until it gave its answer.

"Rick?" Kate asked, but he couldn't remove his eyes from the blue plus that gradually appeared on the test. "Rick, did it… am I…" Rick finally looked up at her, jaw hanging open in shock and flipped the test around so she could see it.

"Is that… did it work?" He nodded eagerly, dropping the test to the counter as he lifted her into his arms.

"You, Kate, are pregnant," he declared, setting her down as he kissed her hungrily. "We are having a baby." She nodded at him and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We're having a baby, Rick." She let out a wet chuckle and wrapped her arms around his waist again.

"You know what?" Rick said suddenly, causing Kate to look up at him in shock. "I'm feeling like a celebratory hot fudge sundae is in order. Or maybe a milkshake. What do you think?" Kate smiled gratefully.

"Sounds good to me."