A/N: My entry for the 2015 Castle Fic Contest (with a few edits). This is pretty much pure Caskett randomness borne from a random Twitter conversation a couple months back. Enjoy!

PTERODACTYLS

"Beckett, I'm home!" Castle called out as he shut the door behind him, kicking off his shoes and hanging his coat in the closet. His fingers worked at the knot in the tie he'd been forced to wear – damn meetings with Black Pawn big wigs – as he made his way through the kitchen. He glanced into the living room – empty. "Kate? Are you here?"

She had to be; he heard sounds coming from the study, and the third Jurassic Park movie was on the TV. But his wife was nowhere in sight. He heard the toilet flush, and he met Kate as she was coming out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth on a towel. "Hey," he said quietly, cupping her jaw and wiping toothpaste from the corner of her mouth. "You okay?"

Kate groaned and leaned forward, her forehead against his sternum, letting herself relax in his arms. "Your son or daughter is giving me a run for my money today."

"Bad?" he asked, rubbing his hands across her back.

Kate sighed. "I tried to eat, and it was just grilled cheese and tomato soup which is usually fine. But as soon as I sat down to watch the rest of the movie, he or she decided they didn't want any part of it."

Rick rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I'm sorry I wasn't here, sweetie," he said quietly. "You should have texted me if you didn't feel good. I would have come home early."

Kate shook her head and pulled back to look up at him. "It's fine, babe. It just hit me, and you were almost here anyway." She took his hand and led him back into the study, nudging him on the couch so she could slide onto his lap. "I'm just ready for this part to be over."

"The morning sickness?"

"That doesn't care what time of day it is?" Kate huffed. "Yeah. Isn't it supposed to be over soon? God, it feels like there's…" She glanced up at the TV, to where the heroes of the movie were being attacked by pterodactyls. "It's like there's freaking pterodactyl growing inside me."

Castle threw his head back and laughed. "A pterodactyl? Oh my God, Kate, that's priceless. Our little pterodactyl," he teased, rubbing her stomach.

Kate glared at him. "Shut up, Castle." She settled against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You're not funny."

"I'm a little funny."

Kate woke later that night with a gasp. That might have been the weirdest dream she'd had yet, and she'd had some doozies lately.

She slid out of bed, pausing for a moment to make sure her husband hadn't moved, and wandered upstairs, slipping on her robe to ward off the chill. She bypassed the closed door of Alexis's room and leaned against the doorframe of the guest room, which they were turning into the nursery. Kate smiled to herself when she heard soft footsteps behind her, leaning back into her husband's arms when he wrapped them around her.

"Did I wake you?" Kate asked quietly, mindful of his sleeping daughter just yards away.

Rick nuzzled her neck and placed a soft kiss behind her ear. "I woke when you left. Bad dream?"

Kate shook her head. "No, just weird. I was in labor, and when the baby came out it wasn't a baby, it was…" She trailed off; it was too weird, even for Castle.

"It was what?" Castle turned her around in his arms. "Kate, what was it?"

"A pterodactyl." Kate rolled her eyes even as Castle grinned. "I blame you for this, you know."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You're the one that decided to make that its nickname after the other day, weirdo."

"Oh, Kate." Castle pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I promise, you're not going to give birth to an extinct prehistoric bird."

Rick knocked on the door quietly before walking in, his eyes immediately drawn to the figures on the bed. He grinned when Kate looked up to meet his eyes, matching his smile with a tired one of her own. "Hey," he said quietly, mindful of the sleeping baby she was holding.

Kate reached her arm out for him and he took her hand, let her pull him to sit on the edge of the bed. She turned her face towards him, letting out a soft sigh when he lightly pressed his lips to hers. "Hi," she returned. "She just fell asleep."

Rick cupped his hours-old daughter's small head with his hand. "She's perfect." He shifted when Kate did, wordlessly inviting him to lie next to her on the small bed, and he accepted, working his arm around her shoulders to pull her close.

"Where'd you go?" Kate rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes drooping, but Castle had disappeared for the better part of an hour and hadn't told her where he was going, only that he "had a very important errand to run."

Rick grabbed the gift bag that he'd set down on the side table. "I got something for our little girl."

"Castle—"

"Just open it." He held the bag for her, and suppressed the chuckle at the look on Kate's face when she pulled out the stuffed toy.

Kate's mouth opened and closed several times before she found her words again. "Are you serious?"

Rick shrugged with his free shoulder. "Maybe this will inspire her to become a paleontologist." He held the stuffed pterodactyl next to their daughter and grabbed his phone to take a picture.

Kate just settled more into his side. "You're ridiculous," she teased, leaning up to press a kiss against his stubbled jaw.

Castle hummed in contentment. "And you're extraordinary." He nudged her temple with his nose. "And I love you, and this little one, more than life itself."

As he felt her drift off to sleep, Rick pried their daughter out of Kate's arms and nuzzled her against his chest. "I love you, sweet child. I'm glad you're not a pterodactyl."