Author's note: I don't own Castle the show, but any character you stumble upon in here who wasn't on the aforementioned television program is one of my own creations ;)

Saturday, March 5

Kate's Point of View

For the past fifteen years of my life and woking career, I've only ever taken a week's worth of vacation at a time, and it's usually forced on me by my superiors. I joined the force right after my mother died, half using it as a reason to avoid my dad, whom I was beginning to lose to the bottle. He only got into rehab because it took me being in a near-death experience as a bright and shiny new rookie to sober him up. I was in hospital for almost a week before the idea of possibly losing to the job caused him to reevaluate his life and get clean for me. Even after all that, I remained married to the job because I had nothing else to do, and failed relationship after failed relationship told me I wouldn't ever become the type who would consider loosening up enough to settle down, marry and have a few kids.

But then I met Richard Castle, and something happened that I wasn't expecting: we fell in love.

Eight years later, we're are happily married, and I'm the proud mother of Alexis, Lily Joy, Jameson, Jeremiah and Johanna. My husband and kids light up my life and right now, everybody is extra excited because within the next five weeks, we'll be welcoming a new baby into the family!

We have everything ready except for the baby's name. I'm carrying a girl, but Alexis called dibs on choosing her name awhile ago and is keeping mum on the subject. Her lack of willingness to share yet is driving us bonkers, but we have other things to think about.

A few months ago, we solved my mother's murder, discovered the identity of a crooked local politician and found Castle's dad all in one go. Along the way, I broke my ankle when I was being held at gunpoint. When we were released to the hospital, Doctor Iris Ravensdale took good care of me but put me into physical therapy almost immediately and advised a year-long sabbatical so I can focus on getting better.

I'm enjoying my time off, but it's difficult because I'm still trying to get used to the idea of having so much free time.

"Mama, it's time to wake up now; it's Saturday!"

"Up, mama!"

"Uppie!"

"Mama uppie?"

I opened my eyes to see LJ, Jameson, Jeremiah and Johanna all sitting on the edge of my bed, lined up like baby ducks.

"Good morning, mama!" She chirped sweetly as I sat up. "How are you and Porcupine?"

"We're great, but I wish you'd you start calling the baby 'Little Bunny,' like everyone else does. Calling her 'Porcupine' makes it sound like you're still upset."

LJ scowled momentarily because she knows that I know the reasons why she's anxious about becoming a big sister again. She chose to ignore my words, instead becoming all sunshine and smiles.

"Today is Saturday, and that means we get to do a family activity!"

"Ati'fee!" Jeremiah and Johanna echoed for emphasis. "Ati'fee!"

I nodded in confirmation. "Where's daddy?"

LJ happily supplied the answer. "Making s'morelettes!"

All three of the littler kids' heads shot up at these words, in an eerie Pavlovian-response manner. While Alexis will only eat the dish if she's pregnant, and LJ already likes it, my youngest children all have an alarming affinity for it.

The toddlers each gave the baby and me a hug or kiss before vacating the room to find their father. LJ stayed behind, looking serious.

"Daddy said that I get to pick this week, but I have to choose extra good 'cause Alexis and Ashley are coming with Toby, Abby and Natalie."

"Are you looking out for Natalie because she's two months old?"

"Uh-huh. I'm also thinking of where we can go that's fun inside since it's yucky and slushy outside."

"And you want to think of something that's not boring for the little ones?"

"Yeah…"

After a few moments of careful thinking, she brightened.

"Mama, I know where we can go and have fun, especially you, since you're relearning how to walk!"

"Do tell, Baby Bird."

She giggled at the nickname. "We can go to the Play Museum at Lincoln Center 'cause there's something for everyone, even Natalie, and there's space for you to practice walking, if you want to!"

"That's perfect! Why don't you go tell daddy?"

LJ gave me a grin identical to her father's and got down. "I'll go make sure that daddy, Jamie and the twins don't hog everything!"

I thanked her and watched her go before pulling back my blankets and easing myself into the wheelchair adjacent to my side of the bed. It took longer than I would've liked, but I showered, dressed and joined my family in the kitchen where there was nothing but excitement in the air.

One hour later, Manhattan Play Museum

Lincoln Center

By the time we met up with the others at the museum and decided on what to do first, I was beginning to feel too tired to keep up with everybody, but since I had been anticipating this, I already had my own plans to settle down in the museum lounge with my fully charged iPad and my Russian copy of Anna Karenina, which I've recently started rereading. I didn't get too far towards the lounge because I heard someone call after me.

"Mom, wait!"

Turning, I saw Alexis pushing the monster truck of a stroller that safely seats all three of her children. She was coming over to me.

"Hey, Sunshine! Do you want to come to the lounge with me?"

She nodded as we headed in that direction. "I like being with the kids, I won't be up for walking around right now because Natalie is like a baby owl and has a hard time getting to sleep, so she's in a weird mood right now."

"Your daughter is three months old, though. Wouldn't she at least be on her way to learning how to sleep through the night?"

"We're sure that she inherited my insomnia, the poor thing," my oldest daughter checked on her own daughter, who was wide awake and cooing in her stroller seat. "But in other news, it's time for Natalie to have her bottle!"

I perked up a little at this. "Can I feed her?"

At three months and two days old, my youngest grandchild's main concerns in life consist mostly of sleeping, being cuddled or eating, so I was happy to hold her in my arms and watch her suck on her infant-sized milk bottle. Natalie's eyes were closed in contentment and she snuggled close to my body, seeking warmth. I kept cooing to her and she kicked her legs in response, showing off her amazing reflexes. Alexis fawned over her like any proud mama would, but spoke with concern when she saw me touch a hand to my massive baby bump.

"Are Natalie and the baby giving you trouble?"

"Apparently, the baby can feel Natalie's movements, even from where she is. Your sister is retaliating against your daughter by kicking me, like she's marking her territory."

Alexis gave a sympathetic wince. "I can take Natalie if you want."

"I'm fine; it just feels weird to have the baby inside me trying to kick the one in my arms." I noticed that Natalie was done with her bottle, so I held her against my shoulder and began burping her. "What's new with you and your husband? We haven't seen you two for awhile."

"We're thinking about finally taking our honeymoon since we never had a proper chance and we're fast approaching our first wedding anniversary in April."

(In the past year alone, Alexis has become a married woman, discovered a startling fact about her true lineage, met and adopted a sibling she never even knew about, and has even given birth)

"Any interesting destinations yet?"

"How's Natalie?"

I gave the infant a kiss when she let out a healthy burp before answering.

"Your daughter is a champion and she loves being by me, but you haven't quite answered my question."

"We aren't sure, especially since we're trust-fund babies and can afford to go literally anywhere. It has to be kept practical because we have three kids under the age of five and don't want to be away from them for too long. Or too far."

"Then it looks like Europe is out."

"Totally, plus you and dad went to London and Paris for your honeymoon."

"Then what about Hawaii? It's lovely all year around and is still inside the United States even though it's made up of islands."

"That's a great idea, mom! I'll suggest it to Ashley later!"

Natalie interrupted my response by becoming squirmy and fussy. I handed her back with a little reluctance because I love holding babies, but didn't get to mope for too long because our families returned, full of energy and overflowing with excitement and fun stories to tell. I didn't realize how much time had passed until LJ informed us of something.

"Mama, Lexie, it's time for lunch now! Do you wanna come?"

We agreed and soon found ourselves in the museum cafeteria, sorting out who was going to eat what. I had quite an array of things, but to satisfy my pregnancy cravings and creep the kids out in equal measure, I put ranch dressing on my pepperoni and chicken pizza before offering them a bite. Only Tobias my grandson who was brave enough to take a bite.

After lunch, Castle and Alexis and Ashley realized I was getting too tired to hang out at the museum for too much longer, so everyone started getting ready to leave. Ashley spoke up at the last minute.

"Alexis and I were wondering if we could take the kids off your hands for a few hours today."

"Are you sure you can manage?" I asked.

"Absolutely." My son-in-law reassured me. "We have lots of other fun things planned."

Even Castle was beginning to see what Ashley was getting at and turned to me with a little too much eagerness.

"Just think of all things we can do if we're alone…"

"Castle, ew!" I wrinkled my nose. "The kids are here!"

"All the more reason…"

Alexis interjected. "Ew, dad! Be serious!"

He pouted, looking just like Jameson does when he gets like that. I spoke quickly before Castle could say anything else.

"It's okay with me if the kids hang out with you and your posse for a bit longer."

"Could we please have a sleepover?" LJ pressed. "It's not even a school night!"

"But that means there'll be seven of you kids, including a newborn…"

All of my kids looked at me with puppydog eyes, causing me to cave immediately. How could I say no when it's five against one?

"Oh, all right; go have fun!"

"Woooooo!" LJ did a double fist pump and turned to Castle. "Does this mean we can get the duffle bags out of the trunk now?"

I fixed Castle with a withering stare that stopped him in his tracks. "Excuse me? You had the sleepover prearranged?"

He had the good sense to appear sheepish. "Yes?"

LJ looked apprehensive. "Can we still go, mama?"

I softened up. "Of course!"

When she cheered, the little ones took it as a good sign and started cheering, too. We left the museum and pulled our cars up to the loading zone outside the entrance. After about twenty minutes, when everything and everybody were in the right car and stowed in the proper places, we bid our family farewell for the rest of the day.

"Thanks for doing this." I told Castle as the Kerrigan family van vanished from view. "It's very sweet."

"You're welcome, Kate." He kissed me on the top of my head. "I figured that this might be the last kid-free moment we get for awhile."

"That's true." I draped my hands over my belly gave as the baby kicked my kidney. "What would you like to do?"

"Up to you."

I shook my head. "Rick, just because I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy, that doesn't always mean that it has to be about me. What do you want to do?"

"Order takeout and watch Dirty Dancing, Saved By The Bell and Temptation Lane with you. I'll even draw you a bath first so you're fully relaxed. Who cares if it's not even evening yet?"

My heart melted. "Will you join me in the bath, and will there be lit candles?"

"Yes, and yes."

"Damn! Now I'm wishing that we could just apparate home..."

"Nice use of a Harry Potter reference!" He kissed me again. "And thanks for asking for my input; I appreciate it."

"Richard Alexander Castle, you're my partner, my best friend, my protector, my husband, and I'll always care about your input, but… since I've spent a majority of the last three or so years being pregnant or even recovering from a pregnancy, I've become a little wrapped up in myself. That's wrong."

"Oh, Kate…"

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't say enough how much I appreciate and love you because it's been that way since before we were married, so I guess I just got used to it and used to you knowing it. I don't even know how to ever say thank you for all the times you saved my life, especially when we were stuck in the freezer, so starting now, I'm going to do everything I can to show you, and I don't want any arguments, alright?"

"Okay, but Kate?"

"Yes?"

"I love you forever and always. Nothing will change that, including how much you've gone through in the past, or even when it comes to how you've carried four of our six beautiful, healthy and happy children to term and given them life. The unconditional affection and love you showed to Alexis and Lily when they were both at rock bottom, and the emotional roller coaster that came with it also doesn't change anything because the experience made all of us into stronger and better people."

"There are never going to be enough words to express how much I love you and how much I always will." I held his hand to my lips and kissed it. "Ready to go home so we can start our night in?"

"I'm one hundred percent ready!"

And with that, we got in the car and left, discussing what to do first. The bath was non-negotiable, but we started thinking of other things to pull off the DVD shelf, and that's how Firefly and The Breakfast Club got added to the list.

(But if Castle was able to work in that ridiculous TV series about a space cowboy, this means I can add New Moon to the list)

It looks like we're going to have a thoroughly entertaining night ahead of us, and there's nobody else I'd rather spend it with than my husband.