The morning comes much too soon for Kate Beckett-Castle. She is starting to feel a little bit of the extra burden on her body. But since she has always kept herself in good health by proper eating and regular exercise she is able to push past any affects from the baby

She gets out of bed and grabs a fast shower. After drying off she throws on a t shirt and a loose pair of yoga pants. Actually some of the only wardrobe comfortably fitting her now.

Heading into the kitchen she pours herself a cup of decaffeinated coffee. She is so in need of shot of the real stuff, but her caring husband has somehow hidden the can from her snooping eyes.

It has almost become a game for the two of them. He makes real coffee for himself after she leaves for the precinct but only hands her the unleaded stuff

"So not fair" she can be heard to say

After a cup of non fat yogurt and a nice fresh peach she goes back into the bedroom, closet to select her clothing for the day. She realizes that she is going to have to break down an make a trip to the maternity shop to get clothes suitable for her condition

Just as she starts to browse into the selections that she can still wear, her tablet begins ringing. The sound tells her it is a Skype call. She sees the face of her husband on the display and she smiles

She pushes the accept button "Hey lover" are her first words to her man again this morning

"Are you alone or do I need to be careful about what I want to say to you right now?"

"I am alone but please…I don't need to hear things that you want to do with me when we are alone because I want that too but it is going to be hours before you can act on that promise. So can you just wait and promise me that I will be seeing my husband in person and face to face very soon?"

She sees his smile on her screen "Yes, I will be there by dinnertime. The book signing is set at lunchtime to early afternoon and I am already packed and ready to fly back immediately after the last fan leaves the store"

Kate has put the tablet down on a nearby table while she is searching through the closet. As she reaches up, the t-shirt she is wearing clings to her body and it seems a little tight in a couple of places

"Kate will you stop teasing me?"

She does not even glance over toward the table "What are you talking about?"

"You don't need to put balloons under your shirt like you did that time I was in Texas"

"I don't know what you are talking about" she replies then she looks down at herself. This is when she realizes that she is growing quite large and the t-shirt she is wearing is emphasizing the changes and looking like she has added some fake padding "OH!"

"That even looks real" Castle comments

Beckett looks at the tablet "It is real…" and with a note of embarrassment in her voice "I don't think I can even put on my bra now"

There is a slight gasp coming from the other end of her call

Not wanting to be embarrassed by more comments from the man on the other end of the line who is obviously having trouble dealing with her current apparel situation "Listen Castle, I need to finish getting ready. Let me go and I want you to know that I am so ready for you to come home…Love you…see you tonight…bye" and she punches the end button

She walks to the mirror in the closet and looks at herself and thinks 'How am I going to go out in public like this?'

She puts together a quick plan to wear layers to cover up the fact she has had to forego a vital piece of clothing this day. .

After getting herself dressed she takes her weapon from the lock box and grabs her bog and heads to the precinct thinking to herself 'I will definitely need to make a stop today at the maternity shop'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Richard Castle is sitting on the bed in the hotel just looking at his phone. He knows the rest of his day is going to be focused on his wife and she will be focused on her current clothing situation. Just before he can call her back, the driver is at the door to take him to a TV interview then an early lunch or late breakfast then to the book store then to the airport for the short trip home

His entire day will be spent with his wife as his central mental focus. Of course that is a good thing. His thoughts are focused on one women and one woman only.

When he arrives at the television station he is greeted by the producer who tells him he is the second guest. The first one is Ellie Monroe. He knows the name since he had met her once before and that turned out to be a disaster. He puts his full guard up today

Fortunately the show and interview goes quickly and everyone shakes hands and says their goodbyes in front of the cameras.

Castle turns to leave the stage when the woman's voice can be heard

"Rick! I have not has the chance to really apologize for my actions over the Nikki Heat thing a few years ago"

"That's OK Ellie. No harm"

"Well can I buy you a drink later and catch up?"

Unlike his former self who would have jumped at a chance to go out with a beautiful movie star, his reaction is different "No thank you. I will be back in New York tonight and I will be home with my lovely wife"

"Oh yes. I think I did hear about that. So you got married once more?"

"Yes. Very married" he responds while showing his ring

"How is that working out? I hear she is expecting. That can put a crimp in your love life"

Richard Castle has matured so much since meeting Kate "It is working out fantastic. I could not want for anything else. She is a wonderful wife and as far as my personal life. That is none of your business but I will tell you this. I am in need of nothing that she can't provide. She is the best wife a man could ask for. And you can quote me on that"

His reaction caught the suitor off guard

"And if you will excuse me I need to go finish my book signing and go home to my wife who is waiting for me"

He turns and leaves the stage and exits the building to the waiting car

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kate has arrived at the morgue and has gone in to the examination room to find Lanie getting ready to wash down one of the autopsy tables. When the ME sees Beckett pushing open the door she yells out to her best friend

"NO! You do not come in here right now. We just started the cleaning and you should not be around these chemicals. You stay outside and I will meet you in my office"

"Yes ma'am" Kate laughs back to her friend.

She goes to the office and waits for her best friend to come out.

"So, Lanie do you have anything for me on the two sets of remains you found? Cause of death?"

"COD was blunt force trauma to the head. Both were struck with a heavy object, possibly a hammer. You locate the weapon and I can match the marks. Besides that, I can tell you that they were both late twenties. Probably in relatively good health. They both showed signs of some earlier trauma. Non fatal but one had a broken arm that was healed and a fractured wrist on the opposite arm. The other had had a fractured cheekbone and missing teeth on the same side. Probably a facial injury…"

Beckett asks "Like being punched in the face?"

Lanie responds "And the arm fracture is consistent with being dragged by the arm"

She pauses to think "Either one of those victim's injuries separately would not mean anything…"

Beckett finishes "But two women with these type injuries both buried in the same location raises questions"

Lanie answers "Exactly. Anyway I sent out a request to other ME's to see if they had any victims that match this criteria. I will let you know if I hear anything back"

"Thanks, Lanie" Kate stands up to leave when her best friend just has to dig

"Having to hide the fact you are not wearing a bra today?"

Kate Beckett turns several shades of red "Is it that obvious? I tried to layer so no one would notice. I am going at lunch or after work to buy some new clothes"

Lanie laughs "I am your best friend and I have been around you for years, but don't forget I was there last night when you commented about the issue. It is normal for expectant mothers to put off buying the needed apparel as the body grows. But to make you feel better…No I don't think anyone will notice…You covered yourself well"

"Thank you"

Kate turns and leaves the morgue and heads for the station. As she gets into the car a text message appears 'Missing you. Looking forward to tonight'

'Me too' she answers then puts her car in gear and starts her drive to the precinct

When she arrives at her desk she places her bag into the drawer and her weapon in the usual space in the desk. She starts to take off her jacket then thinks better and decides that she will leave it on just in case someone's wandering eyes notices her current situation

She hears the voice of her captain "Detective Beckett, can I see you in my office?"

"Yes sir" Kate responds as she stands and walks toward the captain's private room. As she is stepping across the floor several other officers notice that her footsteps are quiet. She is not wearing her stilettos today. She has opted for a soft pair of flats

"Please sit down Lieutenant" as Captain Gates points to a chair located at a small table in the room. This table is normally used for witness interviews or simple conversations with officers

"How are you feeling Kate?"

"A little tired sometimes but I get a good rest at home. I am sleeping well at night and Castle makes sure I eat healthy"

"Oh I am sure of that. I see the only case you have now is the two Jane Doe's that Dr. Parish has in the morgue right now?"

"Yes Sir. I stopped by on my way in to get an update, but she is still working on her final report"

"Good" Gates responds "Now. Since you are coming up on six months we need to discuss your work schedule…"

Kate knew this was coming but she wanted to ignore it until absolutely necessary

"I am taking you off the On-Call rotation. You will only work day shift. No going out in the field chasing suspects. Those two" she points in the direction of Ryan and Esposito "Can do the take downs. I want you to do what you can from your desk until after the baby…you are coming back after the baby? Aren't you?"

Kate had not actually talked to Rick about how they were going to handle her maternity leave. How long she would stay off or if she would even go back in. She didn't have to go back to work now. Being married to Castle gives her all the financial comfort she needs besides the estate her mother left her.

"I would imagine that I will". Besides her family she has police in my veins "I am sure Rick can take care of our baby. This is not his first time doing this"

Beckett's cell phone rings. She looks to see that the call is form the ME's office. "This is probably about my case. I need to take this captain"

"Go ahead Kate. Let me know it I can help you with anything"

"Yes sir" Beckett stands up and as she walks out of the captain's office takes the call

"Beckett"

She listens for a minute

"Really?...how many?...where?..."

"OK send it over and I will get started on this. Thanks Lanie"

As she approaches her desk her two partners are waiting

Esposito asks the first question "Do you have something?"

"Yeah. Lanie put out a request for information and got back three other boroughs and other departments with similar cases. A total of 8 woman found buried. Several years between the oldest and the latest. And this is just the closest . We are waiting to hear from more distant departments"

"What is the connection?" Beckett asks

"Each victim seemed to have given birth recently. Lanie has requested the detail files of these victims. She should have them in the morning"

Ryan comments "It seems the common connection with these is having given birth. We need to find out where they gave birth and that might lead us to the killer"

The balance of the day is spent collecting the locations where children might have given birth and contacting them only to be told that the patient information is confidential and cannot be shared even with the police

At 5PM a frustrated Kate Beckett packs up her bag and gun and heads out to shop for some clothes that are suitable for her current condition. She walks to the elevator and when the doors open she is greeted by the smiling face of her husband

No time is wasted as she is pulled into the elevator cab, the door close and she and her man are locked together