Set some time in the near future...
She's a little breathless. It hitches in her lungs, burns like running a marathon in winter. She may be forgetting to breathe now. . . and after a moment, she realizes, feeling the ache in her lungs, she opens her mouth and sucks in a slow gust of air and blows it out just as slow. She sits indian style in their bathroom, her back resting against the porclin tub. Her hair falls over her shoulders, the sides of it pinned back. Little strands tickle her face and that seems to bring her back to reality. She blows the wisps out of the way and shakes her head a little, a small ghost of a laugh escapes her and she manages to stand up on shakey legs. She stands there a moment, assimilating the situation. She clutches the stick in her hand, mindlessly runs her finger over the ridges of the handle. She needs this moment to compose herself. To get the words right in her head. After all, how many times do you tell your husband you're pregnant for the first time?
Kate exits the bathroom and pads through their bedroom to head to Castle's study where he's been for the last few hours writing his new book. He's done with the Nikki Heat series, (for now, he says) and for the last year and a half, he's been working on some big secret project that even Kate herself doesn't know about. It bothers her, not knowing. She teases him about if from time to time. He usually just brushes it off, changes the topic, but she's certain she'll get it out of him before too long. . .
She pops her head in through the door frame and then easily rests her entire body against it. Her pinned up hair has fallen a little, hangs over her ears, little strands threatening to fall out completely. She looks disheveled, she thinks. Caught a glimps of herself in the mirror as she was walking out. But Castle looks up at her, feeling her presence, and smiles so radiantly at her that her own face cracks open in a brilliant smile, disheveled or not, he always makes her feel beautiful.
"Hey," he says, looking down to quickly type something on his laptop.
"Hey yourself," she throws back. She walks into the room casually, her long legs carrying her towards her husband's desk. Her hands are buried in the back pockets of her faded, ripped jeans. The pregnancy test nestled in her front pocket, her long flowy shirt covering it completely.
He shifts his eyes up to her, his fingers halt on the keyboard and he squints at her. He sits back in his office chair and swivels around to face her as she rounds his desk, appearing in front of him. She leans back against it and laces her fingers together in her lap.
"What're you up to?" She asks him. She cuts her eyes to the screen in hopes to catch something to give away what he's been so diligently working on for the last eighteen months but he closes the computer lid before she can see anything. She huffs out a laugh. "Alright, fine. Fine. Be Mr. Secret Writer. See if I care."
"Oh, but you do care, detective. Otherwise you wouldn't have sauntered in here trying to gather information about it."
"I did not saunter in here, Castle. Your over active imagination is getting the best of you. Maybe you should take a break." She says, slightly cocking her head to the side. She licks her lips and brings her lower lip into her mouth and captures it between her teeth.
"Did you come in here and break my writing concentration to seduce me, Kate?" He asks, his voice a teasing tone. "Not that I'm complaining, but you're not playing fair."
"Not playing fair?" She questions, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"You think you can come in here and seduce me, get me away from my computer, take advantage of my body, and then slip back in here later and-"
"Castle," she laughs, cutting him off. "I didn't come in here to seduce you. Your over active imagination is showing again."
"Wishful thinking," He corrects. She rolls her eyes at him.
"Although," She starts, her voice dropping a little lower, that sexy rasp that she does so very well. "I guess we could celebrate..."
"Celebrate," He echoes a little taken back. "Well," he grins. "The book isn't going to be done for a while, but I guess we could celebrate early." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at her and she can't help but chuckle.
"Yeah? We could do that. Or," she says, reaching into her pocket. "We could celebrate this."
She lays the pregnancy test on the desk in front of him. Castle's eyes follow her hand as she does so, and when he realizes what it is, sees the bright pink plus sign, his face drops and he goes silent. Kate's body slumps and she feels like she's back in the bathroom reliving the experience of finding out for the first time all over again.
"Castle?" She gauges his face for a reaction, anything to give away what he's feeling. But he sits there quietly staring at it.
"Kate?" He breathes out.
"We did it, Castle."
"I'll say." He chokes back the emotion that's caught in his throat and Kate grins childishly at him.
He stares at her, his smile so big and deep, the corners of his eyes crinkle. She loves that smile. "Oh, Kate, we did it."
He stands up, plants his hands on her hips and leans in to kiss her. After there lips linger together for a moment, he rests his forehead against hers, relishing in the moment, taking it all in and letting it settle. They've been married for a year now and just recently starting talking about having kids together. It started off as a little conversation here or there, but just recently the conversations had gotten heavier, deeper, and they really delved in and decided that it was time.
Kate takes the opportunity to open her eyes. His own are closed and he's got a serene smile lingering on his face. She studies him for a moment, her own smile on her face growing as it all sinks in. Months and months of trying and she's finally going to be a mom . . .to have a family with the man she's breathtakingly in love with. . .
"Castle?" Kate whispers, her breath hot against his lips. He opens his eyes, blue and shinning and so incredibly happy.
"Yeah?"
"Let's go celebrate."
And so they do.
I have a couple more chapters of this if anyone's interested? If not, I'll leave it up as a oneshot. :)
Happy almost-Castle-Monday!
XO,
CM