A/n: Hello everyone! I'm still new to the Castle fandom so I really hope I didn't screw up the characters here.
Kate Beckett-Castle hated getting sick.
She couldn't even remember the last time she had the stomach virus or even the common cold for that matter. But for the past week she had been vomiting frequently with no clue, up until recently, as to why.
The first time it happened was at an early morning crime scene. She barely had a chance to look at the victim before a wave of nausea came over her. Her husband, being the ever so witty Richard Castle, joked that the blood splatter on the ground and surrounding dumpsters wasn't even that bad, though his concern for his suddenly ill wife was evident in his cobalt eyes.
It happened the next day around the same, thankfully they were at home and Kate only had to endure her embarrassment in front of Rick. Rick tried to get her to stay home but she refused adamantly, "A little stomach bug is not going to stop Kate Beckett from doing her job."
However, after six days passed and Rick constantly found her either in or running to the nearest bathroom, he all but handcuffed her to the bed to keep her home.
Kate was not a happy woman being put on "house arrest" by Rick Castle of all people (even if he was her husband). They were in the middle of a murder investigation and she found it absolutely infuriating that she had to stay home and do nothing, when she felt totally fine (other than the occasional nausea), while her husband, who wasn't even a cop, got to work on the case with the NYPD.
She spent most of the morning grumbling to herself while trying to mull over the case, making her even more agitated that she couldn't be at the precinct to help. The only small distraction that came her way, that soon became an even bigger distraction, was when another strong wave of nausea overcame her and she ran to the bathroom to empty the little contents of her stomach.
She'd went looking for the extra toilet paper rolls under the sink, cursing at her husband for not replacing the empty roll, when her eye caught something. She had been so distracted by murder case after murder case that she didn't even remember that she hadn't used the contents of the box in a while...a long while.
Her thoughts of being denied the ability to work on the case were long forgotten and she quickly made her way to the nearest drug store.
Fifteen minutes later she was sitting on the cold tile of her bathroom, holding a little stick in her palms and knew her life would never be the same again.
She was in shock at first. She and Rick hadn't really talked about having kids of their own much and they certainly weren't trying for a baby.
But they weren't not trying either.
She sat there, her legs crossed in a pretzel, her eyes locked on the positive sign. Her eyes trailed over the other four positive pregnancy tests and she felt her stomach clench.
However, it was not from the nausea that had been plaguing her for the last week, it was from the butterflies that swirled and twirled around in her stomach as she finally came to terms with the realization that yes, she Kate Beckett-Castle was pregnant.
Once the shock wore off she let a small smile cross her lips. She placed the last pregnancy test down with the others and brought her hand to rest protectively over her still very flat abdomen.
Kate didn't ever really think about becoming a mother, her life was too busy to think about such things. Of course the thought briefly crossed her mind when she was dating and then later married to Rick but she never truly sat down and thought about it.
She was a little scared of course, she wasn't sure how good of a mother she'd be even though Alexis seemed very fond of her and admitted that she felt closer to Kate then she ever did to her own mother. But thinking about it now, knowing that she was indeed pregnant, she was absolutely thrilled.
The smile soon faded from her lips though as a single thought ran through her head:
How on Earth was she going to tell Castle?
Rick returned sometime that evening, leaving Esposito and Ryan to finish the detective work on their own for the rest of the night, to find the apartment dimly lit.
"Kate?" He called into the quiet apartment.
"In here Rick." The sultry tone in Kate's voice immediately captured his attention and he sauntered toward the living room. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted Kate sitting on the couch dressed in one of his shirts. It wasn't something she normally did but she knew Rick loved it and she figured it was a special occasion.
Rick figured something along those lines as well because he asked, "Is it my birthday?"
Kate chuckled, shaking her head back and forth, her brown hair flowing with the motion. "No, Rick...it's not your birthday." She patted the seat next to her, a smirk forming on her lips.
Rick swallowed hard, a little nervous as to what game his wife was playing, hoping it wasn't some sort of unusual punishment for making her stay home for the day. He walked forward and slowly sat himself down next to Kate, smiling at her hesitantly, "What's the occasion, Beckett?"
"I have something to tell you Rick."
He raised an eyebrow in question. "Am I in trouble? Because if this is some sort of punishment I think I'll just take sleeping on the couch tonight."
She shot him an exasperated look. "No Castle, you're not in trouble."
Relief spread across his face and left his lips in the form of a sigh and he sunk into the couch, relaxed. "Okay," He prompted, slinging his arm around the back of the couch, "So, what do you have to tell me?"
Kate smiled, though the butterflies continued to swarm in her stomach, now from anxiousness and excitement. Even with the hours and hours she had to herself, trying to come up with some way to tell him, she ended up going with the simplest way.
"Rick, I'm pregnant."
She bit her lip in anticipation of his response, eyeing him carefully.
Rick blinked at her, shocked into silence for a good few moments and Kate swore it was the longest time he had ever been quiet.
"Are you serious?" He finally asked in a whisper.
Kate nodded, resting one hand over her stomach and smiling over at him. "Yes, I'm serious."
For a split second she saw Rick's face light up in a grin before he cried, "Oh, Kate!" and lunged across the couch to gather her in a tight hug.
He pulled back a moment later only to bring his lips down onto hers in a powerful, meaningful kiss.
Pulling back from the kiss, she noticed how his eyes beamed with happiness and love. "Wow." He grinned, resting his larger hand over her small one still rested over her stomach. "Kate this is...wow." Using his other hand to cup the back of her head, he tangled his fingers in her hair and brought her in for another kiss, muttering, "I love you" against her lips.
She smiled into the kiss, sighing her response into his mouth.
"So, you're happy about this right?" Kate asked a few minutes later, now settled into his side with both their hands rested over her stomach.
"Of course." He replied, his voice jovial and triumphant. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know." Kate shrugged, smiling to herself at Rick's confirmation as she snuggled further into his side. "I thought maybe you'd grown out of being a father."
"Kate," He tone was light but scolding, "I could never, ever grow out of being a father. And now getting the chance to be a father to our child...hell, its a dream come true."
Kate wasn't sure what it was about Rick that made her feel like such a teenage girl at times but she found herself grinning brightly at his words. "You're such a sap, Castle."
"I can feel the grin on your face, Kate." He came back with and her cheeks burned. She licked her lips and brought her free hand to rest over Rick's chest, feeling his strong heartbeat underneath her fingertips.
She buried her face into his shoulder, not even bothering to suppress the smile on her face. "It's my dream come true too." She whispered, a bit hesitantly into his shirt.
She felt him grin and then drop a kiss to the top of her head. She sighed contentedly as Rick rubbed small circles against her stomach and her arm.
"So," She heard Rick begin and she immediately snapped out of the doze she was beginning to slip into, "You did want to make little Castle babies with me."
She rolled her eyes as she sat up, slapping his chest. "Oh shut up, Castle!"
He chuckled deeply and she grinned, grabbing him by his shirt collar and pulling him down for a long, passionate kiss.