A/N: I apologize for this. I've never written a fic like this and I wrote it while intoxicated and decided to post before i changed my mind so I can't speak for the quality, but it is fluffy. It's also filled with cliches.
"Kate! Get in here! I'm finished and I want you to see it!"
She sighed and placed her book open with the spine up on the seat beside her. She ran her hands over her swollen stomach and pushed herself up onto her feet and began to head in the direction of his voice. "I'm coming" she called out to him,She walked towards the room that was once his office but, after some minor renovations, of which she was yet to have seen the final product, the space had been reconfigured to allow both a small office and average sized nursery. She wouldn't have even agreed to renovations if the only other option wasn't putting the nursery upstairs. Even at the beginning of her pregnancy she had known that she didn't want to be that far away from her baby.
With only a few weeks remaining until her due date, she knew that she and Rick were cutting it close with the nursery preparations. Rick was fixated on making everything perfect, which was to be expected; he was larger than life, and everything he did matched his oversized personality. Kate, on the other hand, just wanted to be prepared. She didn't care what the room looked like, as long as she had somewhere for the baby to sleep. Complete opposites, as per usual.
Just as she was about to enter the nursery, Rick darted out from the room. He placed a hand on her stomach, "Our boy behaving?"
"Only as much as his daddy," she replied, placing a hand over his. "Now do I get to see this room?"
She felt him straighten up against her, moving his hand from her pregnant stomach to cover her eyes. "Prepare yourself to be amazed."
She felt a smile cross her face; she could always count on Rick to make a big deal about something small. Of course, the nursery of their first child wasn't exactly something small, but regardless, he was blowing it out of proportion. As he led her into the room she was almost giddy with excitement. The smell of fresh paint wafted through the room, adding to her excitement. "Can I look yet?"
His hand lifted from her eyes and she slowly opened her eyes. The room looked amazing. They had debated about the colors for the nursery for months. Rick had originally wanted to paint the room blue while she wanted to go for something more neutral, arguing that she didn't want to impose gender stereotypes on her child. Eventually they settled on a gentle white on all the walls with a feature wall that added large diagonal stripes of a soft, buttery yellow. Kate was shocked at how well the room had turned out. He'd also finished assembling the crib, changing table and set of drawers. She pulled him into a hug, her eyes watering,"Rick this looks amazing!"
"Well our little boy deserves the best."
{Rick&Kate}
This whole situation was quite uncharacteristic for Kate. She usually hated being unprepared but, surprisingly, she didn't mind this time. By all rights, she should have been freaking out that she wasn't completely prepared for her child's birth, but somehow she wasn't. Regardless, she was pleased to finally be doing a proper shopping trip for her son.
Rick was also excited about the shopping trip. While Kate was selecting blankets, bottles and practical onesies in assorted sizes, he was running around the store picking up stuffed animals and clothes that, while adorable, were entirely inappropriate for a newborn.
He approached her, holding yet another outfit, his eyes pleading. "Please Kate? Please?"
"No."
"But Kate! It's adorable and he'll look so cute in it and he can wear it home!"
"No Castle, we're not buying our son a dalek costume and he is not going to wear it home from the hospital!"
"But - "
"No" She couldn't help but smile; he was so cute when he was showing his nerdy side.
He placed the costume back on the rack and pulled a onesie from behind his back. "Well what about this one?"
Kate laughed as she looked at his latest suggestion. It was a white onesie, sized appropriately for a newborn. On the front there was a motif of a bow tie, with the words 'bow ties are cool' printed underneath. It was geeky, just like him, but so practical that she couldn't object. Oh he was good. "I suppose that's fine," She said as she added it to the shopping cart. He fist pumped and she rolled her eyes. He was never going to change, and that's one of the things she loved about him.
{Rick&Kate}
The finishing touches for the nursery had taken longer than they had expected. They spent days deciding on the fabric for the curtains and the company who were installing the built-in cupboards failed to show on the day they had said they would. Rather than sliding cupboards, Kate had decided she wanted a curtain to make things easier. Rick insisted on hanging it himself which turned out to be a disaster. Eventually he gave up and she rang her father and got him to do the job. The finished product was better than either had expected. They found a gorgeous chair that matched the room perfectly and was big enough for both of them to fit in - just.
Kate was sitting on the chair as she watched Rick hang a print on the wall. They only had a few weeks until their due date, her maternity leave had just begun and she was taking it easy. They had found the finishing touch for the nursery earlier that day while browsing a nearby boutique after brunch. The print was simple; a picture of the moon with the words 'I love you to the moon and back' underneath.
"Is it straight?"
"I think so," She replied, shifting her hand to feel their baby move.
"Can you believe he's almost here?" He asked as he sat on the side of the seat, wrapping his arms around her.
She leaned into him, her head against his chest. "I can more than believe that. In fact, I can't believe it's possible for him to grow more!"
Rick surprised her with a kiss. "You're beautiful. You know that, right?"
She couldn't help but laugh. At seven-and-a-half months pregnant, Kate didn't feel beautiful. She felt exhausted and swollen. She felt uncomfortable, her swollen stomach obstructing her movements. Her pregnancy had been relatively complication free but it didn't mean she didn't want it to be over. "I don't feel beautiful. I just feel pregnant," She paused, leaning into his body. "The room really does look great."
"Just think, it won't be long until we're sitting here, holding our little boy,"
{Rick&Kate}
She was exhausted, but she didn't want to leave the room. She heard Rick enter the room but she didn't want to look away.
Kate felt Rick's strong arms wrap around her as he softly asked "He sleeping?"
"Yeah," She turned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can't believe we made him, that he's ours. He's just so perfect"
"He's all you Kate, all you."