Chapter 1:
At the precinct:
Beckett was sitting at her desk, doing paperwork.
She was starting to get really bored at this. Geez, she was only 4 months into the pregnancy. But well, guess that's what happens when you have an overprotective boyfriend that barely let's you get your own coffee (decaf of course) anymore cause he's afraid that you'll trip and hurt yourself.
She'd tried calling Castle a bunch of tomes but it kept going straight to voicemail. He was probably still in Alexis' room. She had after all been kidnapped, drugged and beaten. She needed her father and Kate knew how it was, needing her father.
"Hi, you've reached Richard Castle, lucky you."
She giggled. "Hey Rick, it's me, again. Just wanted to ask how Alexis is doing. Call me back when you get this, will ya? I love you. Bye."
She continued doing her paperwork. This case was confusing.
Beckett jumped in her seat when her phone rang. She picked it up.
"Detective Kate Beckett's desk."
"Hi, it's Laura. The new girl down in the reception."
"Yeah, hi. What do you want?" Oh, that sounded ruder than she meant. Stupid hormones.
"There's a guy down here that'd like to speak to you, is it ok if I send him up?"
"Oh yeah. Sure why not. Send him up." Beckett said and then she hung up.
She was really in a not so very talkative mood today, she just wanted to go home to her writer and snuggle up to him on the sofa and watch a movie or something.
She heard the elevator open and she took the paperwork and put it into one of the drawers of her desk -nobody needed to see those pictures- and reached down to pull on her heels. God, her feet had already started to swell up like freaking balloons and she was already starting to get tired of being pregnant and her belly wasn't even that big yet.
She heard footsteps come up behind her and turned around.
"Josh?!" Beckett almost shouted.
"Hey Kate, it's nice to see you again. Wow you look beautiful."
"Uhm... Thanks... I guess." She said as she realized that he was probably too busy looking at her to notice her belly.
"Listen, Kate. I've been wanting to talk to you for a pretty long while now and I finally gathered the courage to actually come here and tell you." He said.
She stared at him.
"Tell me what?" She asked.
"I... I realized that... breaking up with you was a bad choice that I made and I really want to give us another shot." He blurted out.
"Listen, Josh. I'm in a relationship. And we are having a baby." She said and patted her stomach.
Josh looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
Kate could hear her phone vibrate on her desk.
"Excuse me, just a second." She said as she picked up the phone, answering it as she turned away from Josh.
"Beckett." she answered even though she knew it was Castle calling. "I've been trying to reach you. How is she?"
"She's finally managed to fall asleep. She was relatively calm while we we're eating dinner but when she went upstairs to change to her pajamas she broke down and I heard her screaming so I ran up to her room." Castle's voice was trembling. She could hear it even though she knew he was trying to hide it.
"Rick, look, I'll be home in about an hour. I just have to finish up the paperwork, go look after the boys and say good night and then I'll come home and we can talk, ok? I have to go finish this now, but I'll hurry home, I promise! I love you, bye."
"Ok. Love you too." Castle said and then he hung up.
"I'm sorry, I had to get that." Beckett said as she turned around to face Josh again.
"So... You and the writer, huh?" He said skeptically.
"His name is Castle." She said and realized that once again she sounded crankier than she'd meant to sound and it wasn't even that she'd planned on saying, but well. Stupid, stupid, stupid hormones. Always messing things up.
"I'm sorry. The hormones mess me up..."
"Oh Kate. Don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for." He said as he took a step closer to her.
She was still sitting down cause her feet were killing her but now she stood up and stared him in the eye.
"Look, you jackass. You don't intimidate me. I am not scared of you. I haven't even got the slightest bit of respect for you so back off! " She said as she lowered her voice that way she used to do when she was in interrogation -yet another place Castle wouldn't let her to be at- and she knew she had the killer but he/she just wouldn't confess.
She heard someone coming towards them.
"Yo Beckett. You ok there?"
"I'm fine, Javi. But you better get him out of here before I hurt him and you have to arrest me!" She hissed as she sat down on her chair and pulled off her shoes again. God, she hated hormones and swollen feet.
"Josh, you need to back off." Esposito said and Josh took a few steps back.
"Oooooh, I'm so scared." Josh said as he waved his hands in front of Esposito's face.
"Josh. You really need to back off or I'll call security." Esposito said as he put his hand in the pocket and picked up his phone.
"Okay, okay. I'm leaving. But Kate, don't think we're done talking!" He shouted as he headed for the elevators.
"I'm NOT afraid of you!" She shouted after him.
As soon as she saw the elevator doors close she put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands and took a deep breath.
"Beckett, what was that all about?" Esposito asked and sat down.
"He came here to ask for a second chance. Apparently he didn't know about me and Rick and the baby." She said and tried holding the tears back. She was so tired, it was late and she just wanted to go home.
"The guy's an ass. Don't let him bother you again, ok?" Esposito said and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah.. Ok, I won't." She said and wiped away a tear that had escaped her eye.
"Hey. Why don't you put away the rest of the paperwork for now and go home? It's been a long day and you need to rest." Esposito said as he started gathering all the papers that were spread all over her desk.
"Yeah. I really just wanna go home to Rick and cuddle up on the sofa and watch a movie or something. I'm exhausted." Kate said as she wiped away another tear.
She packed up her stuff, said her good nights and then she headed to her car.
At the loft:
Castle was in the kitchen when he heard the door unlock. He was so glad she was home. He rose from the chair so go meet her at the door.
"Hey sweetie." He said and kissed her.
Beckett felt like she was about to start crying again so she quickly ended the kiss, reached down to pull off her heels and put down her bag. Then she took of her coat, hung it up at her hook and then she leaned her head on his shoulder and started sobbing.
"Kate, honey. What's wrong? He asked worriedly as he held her closer.
She leaned back in his arms.
"Josh came to the precinct today. He was there when you called." She sobbed as the tears started streaming down her face and she leaned her head against his shoulder again. She really didn't have the energy to explain tonight.
"Shhh, Kate. Baby, it's ok. We don't have to talk about it if you're too tired. Javi called me just before you came home and told me you you were exhausted.
"Can we just... make something to eat and watch a movie and not think about today? Please." She whispered.
"Yeah, of course. Mother is upstairs with Alexis and she'll come and get me of she needs my help with anything." Castle said and hugged her a little harder before letting her go, wiping away the tears that had stuck to her cheeks and taking her hand.
They just made some toast -neither one of them were particularly hungry- and turned on the TV. They ended up watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Kate finished her food and then she laid down in his lap and fell asleep almost immediately.
Castle finished his food too and then he sat there for a moment, not really watching the movie, completely focused on the woman sleeping in his lap.
His Kate. His very own Kate. The woman that was carrying his child.
He put his hand on her belly.
The baby was asleep too.
After sitting like that for a while, with one hand stroking her hair and the other one on her belly he turned the TV off and lifted her up and carried her to bed.