A/N: Hi everyone! You might recognize this story as one that was posted summer of last year. I never meant to stop updating, but school, sorority, and church obligations are life-consuming. I took down the old story, though most of the content of the first few chapters remains the same, save for a couple of changes in dates and such. As always, none of the characters are mine (except the ones I made up). Please read and review and I hope you enjoy!

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

It's been exactly sixty days, 14 hours, and 35 minutes since Katherine Houghton Beckett became Katherine Houghton Castle, and yes, she's counting, thank you very much. But what Kate wasn't counting on was that, just two months after her wedding, she and Castle were, yet again, watching a timer steadily tick to zero.

"How much time do we have left?" Castle asked in a tight voice from where he sat.

"About two minutes." Kate looked oddly relaxed to him – her leg was bent and she was resting her chin on her knee - with the object of their attention not far from her furrowed brows. Had Castle not been so anxious, he would have been unashamedly admiring Kate's long, lean, and (underneath her pants) gloriously tan legs. Ah, who was he kidding? Even in his nervous state, he was still glancing up and down his wife's body.

"Is there anything we can do?" he asked.

Kate shook her head. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do."

The pair fell into silence again as the numbers steadily clicked away.

"Kate?" Castle asked, voice shaking.

"Thirty seconds," she replied. He couldn't see the timer from where he was sitting, only Kate.

"Ten," Kate spoke. And with each passing second, her voice grew quieter, until 'two' was barely a whisper. "One."

As soon as the timer shrilled, Castle launched himself from where he was sitting, butt stiff from the uncomfortable toilet lid. "Well?"

"Hold on. It'll come," Kate replied. Her voice sounded so foreign and calm, even to herself.

But nothing was happening, and if staring at the pregnancy test could make the results come any faster, Kate and Castle would have had an answer by now.

"Do you think I did it wrong?" Kate's voice was timid, anxious, and annoyed all at once.

"You pee on a stick," Castle replied. "It's pretty idiot proof."

He'd said that line on purpose. He thought it could make her laugh and sure enough, Castle was rewarded as his love's furrowed eyebrows raised and the lip tucked between her teeth sprang free into an amused grin.

"Really, Castle?"

"Alexis forced me, I swear."

Shaking her head, Kate glanced down at the test in her hand, and then gasped. "Castle, there's a line!"

Immediately diverting their attention back to the test, the couple watched with bated breath as one line finished forming, strong and clear.

"Two lines means yes, right?" Castle murmured.

"Uh huh." Kate was too closely scrutinizing the test to form a real reply. That second line had better appear, or so help her God, she was going to find her second piece from wherever it had disappeared under their bed during one particularly exciting round last night (which reminded her, she had to find her handcuffs before a body dropped or else she'd never hear the end of it) and shoot the thing.

But it seemed like minutes ticked by, and still nothing.

"Guess that's a no," Kate sighed.

"Do you want to take another one?" Castle asked, but Kate shook her head.

"No, not today. Let's just make breakfast, okay?"

Kissing Kate softly, Castle took the stick from her hand and tossed it in the trash under the sink. "Okay. What should we have?" he moved to nuzzle Kate's neck, planting soft kisses there.

"Mmm…how about stuffed French toast?" Kate suggested breathily.

"'Nother one of your Pinterest recipes?" Castle chuckled.

Kate's eyes drifted close as he continued to trail kisses along her neck and jawline. She felt so light and her stomach fluttered. "Yes, and don't make fun," she managed to form. "You know you love them."

"I do," Castle agreed, his arms encircling Kate. "Almost…"

Kate's eyes flew opened and she shrieked as Rick scooped her off the counter, hoisting her over his shoulder.

"…almost as much as I love you," he finished.

"Castle," Kate groaned as he paraded out of the bathroom and through the bedroom. "All the blood is going to my head."

"Almost there," Castle replied, giving Kate's butt a little pinch.

"Rick!"

He knew he was in a little trouble, seeing as how Kate reserved his first name for when she was annoyed, extremely serious, or during sex. But Castle could also hear the undercurrent of desire in his wife's voice and as he deposited Kate on the counter, immediately found his lips attacked by hers.

"Rick," Kate groaned again, her tone completely different.

"Kate," he returned. God, did he love her lips.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, you two."

Now Kate wasn't the one groaning.

"Mother," Castle reluctantly tore his mouth from Kate's and gave what was supposed to be an intimidatingly annoyed look in Martha Rodgers' direction.

"Now, Richard, don't you give me that look. You think after two months of marriage, I wouldn't be walking in on my son and daughter-in-law getting frisky on the kitchen counter. Unless…" Martha had drawn nearer to the couple and her eyebrow raised. "Katherine, are you pregnant? Hormones can make us women, well, needy."

Kate blushed and Castle found himself wishing he could sink into the floor. How many times did he have to hear his mother discuss any aspect of his and Kate's sex life?

"No, Martha, I actually just took a test, and I'm not pregnant."

Martha's features softened and she grasped one of Kate's hands in her own. "I'm sorry, my dear. When the time is right, it'll happen."

Nodding, Kate gave her mother-in-law a soft smile. "Thank you, Martha. When it does, you'll be the first to know."

"I should hope so!" Martha replied, her upbeat and dramatic demeanor returning. "After all, I am the grandmother."

She fluttered away, saying something about needing to let the lovebirds cool down and Castle chuckled, his forehead coming to rest against Kate's.

"If she had her way, she'd know before I did," he said, quietly.

"It's endearing," Kate replied. "She loves Alexis so much. I'd be honored to give her a grandchild."

"What about me?" Castle asked, pulling away with mock offense and causing Kate to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh Rick," she purred. "I'd be honored to give you something else…all…night…long."

"Katherine Houghton Castle," Castle growled, swooping in for a heated kiss. But instead, he almost toppled onto the counter. "What the?"

Kate had deftly ducked out from underneath him and was now halfway to the study, eyes bright and mouth laughing. "Oh, Castle. You never learn, do you?"

"What? How big of a tease you are?" Castle shot back.

A look flashed through Kate's eyes – two parts frustration (the sexual kind and the regular kind) and one part humor. "Oh, I'll show you how big a tease I can be," she replied, "when I'm eating all the stuffed French toast and you're relegated to measly cereal." With that, she turned, luscious brunette hair whipping behind her, and sauntered into the office.

Rick's eyes narrowed. His wife sure could play dirty. She knew he liked food almost as much as he liked her. And sex. Kate, sex, and food - in that order.

"Crap," he muttered, hurrying towards the office. "Kate, please don't make me eat cereal!"