Prompt from guest: when Castle finds out that their baby is a boy during an ultrasound, he asks Jim to teach him to play catch/baseball.

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He's only been this nervous and excited once. Back when Meredith was pregnant with Alexis and they were about to know the sex of their baby. But back then his ex-wife wasn't half as excited as his wife is right now. That's because even though Meredith gave him one of the biggest joys of his life, she simply wasn't cut out to be a mom. Which is okay, after all these years, his daughter seems to be doing just fine with having been raised only by him.

Rick takes a look at his very excited wife sitting beside him on the examination table. She reaches for his hand blindly, intertwining their fingers when she finds it and he knows she's just as nervous as he is. Something rare between the two of them. He's always the nervous and excited one, she always has to keep her feet on the ground for the both of them.

"Okay, this is going to be a bit cold Kate."

Kate looks up at him with the happiest smile he's seen on her face in the last week (of paperwork) and he can't help but smile back. This is their first child. It's been awhile since they discovered but he still feels it's a bit surreal. I mean...he's married to Kate Beckett and she is now pregnant with his kid.

Who would've thought?

Probably everyone else but them!

"Rick?" She calls quietly.

"Yeah?"

"If it's a boy, James. If it's a girl..." She whispers back to him.

"Katherine Jr., I know how much you wanted that name for our first baby girl." He whispers in her ear to try and make her relax, knowing exactly what name she truly wants – Johanna.

She smacks his chest at that, "Castle!" She hisses. She knows what he's doing, she's nervous and he's the comic relief. Kate's about to say something when she's interrupted by that wonderful sound once again.

Their baby's heartbeat.

Their banter is quickly forgotten and their eyes fixated on the ultrasound. It's arguably the most amazing thing Kate has ever seen or heard. While she's still a bit afraid of motherhood, she knows now that the best choice of her life was, and still is, to have the man beside her as her baby's father.

"Everything is great with your baby. Now, as I predicted, in this appointment I can already tell you the sex of your baby. Is that something you guys are interested in or will you wait for the birth?" Dr. Evans is all smiles today. That or she picked up on the couple's nervousness... When both Castle and Beckett nod curiously she sees them take a deep breath. "Okay. So, as you can see here," The doctor points to a small, specific area on the ultrasound, "that small protuberance means you two are having a baby boy. Congratulations!"

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Telling their family they're having a boy was fun. Alexis was so excited that the next day she came home with a onesie for her little brother that read 'sister's favorite boy'. She'd been hoping for a boy, knowing how cute all the outfits are. Castle knows she'll certainly fill little James's closet with all the cutest clothes she can buy for him. And the man couldn't be happier or more impatient to see that happening.

But until then he still has something to do, something to learn for his baby boy. Until then there's still something he's quite sure he's missed all his life and he doesn't want to miss anymore.

Today he's here to try something new, something for his son. Rick talked to his father-in-law on the phone yesterday, asked if he could do him a favor and to meet him in the secluded park near the loft. Castle is starting to become impatient when he hears Jim calling his name a few feet away from him. He picks up the backpack he's brought with him and gets up from the bench he's been sitting on for the last 20 minutes. There's some people passing by on occasion but other than that, this was the perfect place for what he needed.

"Rick, good to see you! How are the girls?" Jim greets him with a kind smile while shaking his hand.

"You too, Jim. They're great, they went to look for furniture for the nursery." Rick smiles warmly as he remembers his wife's face when he suggested it to them, it is Saturday after all! And Mrs. Castle is off duty...but was only convinced at the promise of a dinner date for the two of them.

"Katie is pretty excited, isn't she?" Jim asks, a hint of concern clear in his voice. At Castle's nod he continues, "I'm glad. You know, after you guys told me and Martha and Alexis, she confessed to me she wasn't sure if she would be a good mom. She's worried that she won't be half as good as her mother. But there's no need to worry, she will be amazing. You both will!"

"Thank you, that means a lot. Kate will be a fantastic mother, of that I'm sure." He chuckles lightly. "That reminds me... Our friend Lanie is throwing a baby shower for Kate. It'll be at the loft next weekend and you're, of course, invited!"

"Oh, alright, I'll be there then!" It's not just Rick who's excited about being a father again, Jim is simply thrilled with the idea of becoming a grandfather. "But I'm certain it wasn't just for the invitation that you asked me if I could come here, is it?"

"No, you see... There's something that I feel like I need to learn for James. I never even thought about it when I had Alexis, but now that Kate and I are having a boy, it just feels right..." Castle picks up from his backpack two brand new mitts and a baseball, looking at his father-in-law with a sheepish look on his face. "You think you can play catch with me, Jim?"

"Oh Rick, of course I can! Let me tell you this… The night you told us Katie was having a boy the idea stayed on my mind. Once the time was right and he was old enough, I was going to ask you both if it'd be okay with you if I'd teach him. But now that you brought it up, I'm more than happy to play catch with you until little James is old enough for you to teach him." The older man smiles and takes one of the mitts and the ball. "Shall we try these out?"

"Of course!"

They're not a normal family. They've been through hell and back. But if there's something Richard Castle is certain of is that his family will be alright.

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I'm sorry if my updates aren't regular or anything like that but senior year is a real b*tch!

Hope you enjoyed this one, please let me know if you did!

Also, keep the prompts coming, I'm absolutely loving writing for Castle :)

- R