This story takes place during Season 6, but late Spring: Kate Beckett hasn't been herself lately and she is determined to find out why. The results of her investigation will change her and Rick's lives forever.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.


Kate Beckett sat on the edge of the bathtub staring out into the empty bathroom. She didn't know how long she sat there looking at the counter without seeing anything. There were tears trickling down her face and she didn't know if they were tears of happiness or sadness. The familiar tone of an incoming text message snapped her out of the trance. She knew without looking that it was from him.

Rick Castle had been concerned about her for the better part of a week. They hadn't had a fight, but she was…off. She was moody and seemed to revert back to the old Kate and sit for long periods of silence. He didn't know what was going on and she wasn't talking. The writer in him allowed his mind to spiral out of control to every possible, horrible scenario. She had told him on Friday that she wanted to spend the weekend alone to get 'out of her funk' and he was being very good about giving her space, until now. It was Sunday morning and for the last few months they had been meeting her dad for brunch. He didn't know if he should go today or give her the space she asked for. He didn't want to just show up and upset her, so he sent her a short text asking if they were doing their usual Sunday brunch.

Kate knew that Rick would text her about brunch and she wasn't sure how to answer him. She wanted to see him because she missed him and right now all she wanted was to curl up with him in bed and not move for days. She texted him back to let him know that brunch was cancelled and that she would see him tomorrow at work. As much as she craved him, she couldn't face him with the plethora of emotions coursing through her body.

She hadn't felt like herself for about a week and she had her suspicions of what the cause was. She had stopped by the drug store on the way home from work on Friday and picked up three pregnancy tests. She didn't even look at them Friday, just took a bath and went to bed exhausted from the week. On Saturday, she had stared at the tests lying on her coffee table as she absently watched television all day. It was unusual for her to be that much of a couch potato and she was anxious to take the tests, but they sat there all day taunting her. She eventually gave up and went to bed at an embarrassingly early hour.

By Sunday morning, she knew she was out of time. She opened all three tests and headed for the bathroom. She somehow found the ability to take all three, one after the other and sat them on the counter like a little row of soldiers. After 2 minutes, she saw that all three had the same result. She sat on the edge of her bathtub and tried to let the information sink in.

She was happy, she was. She was crying tears of joy. Then why at the same time was she feeling so devastated? The tears were a mix of joy and sorrow. She didn't know what this meant for her and Rick. Would he be upset or happy? She couldn't even begin to gauge what his reaction would be when her emotions were all over the place. She wanted a family with him; they had even discussed it with surprising ease. He had asked her to move in with him from the time they started dating and maybe now was the time to take that leap. She was desperate to be with him all the time, especially after taking those tests.

After downing a pint of ice cream in record time, she sat on her couch to try to sort through her feelings and her emotions. Rick Castle was her future, she knew that. She knew that she was going to marry him and live happily ever after. He wouldn't give up on them and she sure as hell wouldn't either. After the case with baby Cosmo, she knew that she wanted to have kids with Rick. She also knew that it would have to happen sooner rather than later since neither one was getting any younger. When she saw the results of the tests, she expected to be emotional, but this was bordering on ridiculous. Things had been going so well for them, they hadn't fought in ages and since coming back from DC, their relationship had been rejuvenated. Ugh, she needed to get out of her head!

After a strenuous 45 minute yoga session she took a scalding hot shower and headed to the kitchen in leggings and one of Rick's shirts that had 'accidentally' been left at her apartment. The knock on the door startled her so badly that she dropped the glass she was holding and it shattered on the floor.

"Shit…hang on," she yelled at the door.

She carefully stepped around the glass fragments and opened the door to a sullen looking Rick Castle.

Her heart instantly plummeted. She knew deep down that he couldn't stay away and she wasn't sure if she wanted him too. The war raged in her head whether to tell him now or wait for the news to penetrate her brain first. They had spent a lot of time over the last year and a half overcoming their communication problems and she decided at that moment that this was something she needed to tell him and tell him now.

He stood in the doorway just staring at her trying to read her emotions like he always did when she was quiet. After her inner monologue stopped yelling at her, she threw her arms around him and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck. He hugged her back as tightly as he could and he was aware that she was shaking.

"Kate, what is going on? My mind is going through all these horrible scenarios and I just need to know if we're okay…if you're okay." Rick's voice was husky with emotion as he voiced his concerns.

Kate tried in vain to tell him what was going on, but words were his forte, action was hers. She took his hand and pulled him into her apartment and he shut the door behind him. She intertwined their fingers and led him to her bathroom. Rick was confused and he noticed that her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she looked up at him in the bathroom doorway. As soon as she flicked on the light, he looked around and his eyes immediately landed on the three tests still lying on the counter.

Kate could hear him take an audible gasp and the tears threatened to spill once more. She was shaking so violently that he let go of her hand and pulled her into a crushing hug. They stood there holding each other for a minute or two until Kate had calmed down enough to take the last few steps to the counter.

Kate grabbed his hand again and pulled him to the counter to see the results of the tests. As he looked them over, she could see his shoulders sag and a small, hitched breath escaped his lips. He turned his head to see Kate standing with her shoulders hunched and tears flowing freely down her face. As soon as the sob left her body, he was instantly surrounding her. He hugged her more tightly than he ever had before and whispered words of love in her ear. She wrapped her arms around his torso and clawed at the back of his shirt. The words he murmured in her ear confirmed that he was having the same emotional reaction to the test results as she was. They would get through this together and they would still be in love and they would still get their happily ever after. Of this she was sure of.

They will have "little Castle babies" someday, just not today.


This is my first fanfic and I am understandably nervous! It is written as a one shot, but I definitely have more ideas to continue it, if the desire is there from readers. Please let me know what you think...constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome!