The Root of All Evil

Chapter 2

The town was bustling. People were chattering as they went around their daily routines: gathering needed items from the general store, chasing children through the streets, brushing horses, shining shoes, repairing buildings. Esposito and Ryan nodded at him as they passed by the jailhouse. The two men were perched outside on the steps much like they had been the first day Castle had wandered through town. He tipped his head back automatically as he attempted to figure out exactly what was going on.

Alexis was clinging to his arm, chattering on about something, trying to catch him up on news and keep his mind off of things at the same time, it seemed: Lanie, school, Jenny, Kate, Mr. Beckett. Castle stopped in his tracks, freezing in the middle of Main Street. Jim Beckett was going to kill him. He had gotten Kate pregnant out of wedlock. Castle gulped. If Kate didn't kill him first. Not that she would, it did take two to do what they did and she hadn't said to stop. She definitely did not say stop at any point, if anything she had encouraged him to keep going.

He took in a deep breath. No, he wasn't going there right now. He was not going to think about that.

They would get married, that is what they would do. They would get married, today, or maybe tomorrow. He sighed as Alexis fell silent at his side, finally giving up on being cheerful.

"Do they…" he started and Alexis shifted away from him slightly, her grip loosening on his arm as she gave him some space. "Have people been talking? Do they know?"

He didn't have to say what he was talking about, Alexis knew. He could tell by her reaction at the train station and the way she had been glancing at him through her happy charade that she had known.

She let out a small sigh and pulled her lower lip between her teeth. It was a tick she had picked up from Kate and it made him smile. Alexis loved Kate. At least he hoped she still did after everything.

"There have been whispers, yes. Right now it's all just rumors. You know how people talk, especially with her being so sick and all but the only people who officially "know" are you, me, Lanie, Eustice and Kate. I don't think she has even told her father yet," Alexis explained gently. "She's really upset about it."

Castle sighed and patted Alexis's hand gently and she slid it off of his arm. "I'm going to go talk to her…"

Alexis nodded and pulled herself up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll go check in with Lanie, see if she needs help with anything. I'll be home before dark, I promise. Eustice is making a feast out at the homestead tonight."

Castle nodded absently as he watched his daughter walk away, holding up her skirt in her hands to keep it from dragging through the dirt. A group of men stumbled out of the saloon, drawing Castle's attention across the road and he shook his head as they roared in laughter. He had only been back a matter of minutes, but he already had a bad feeling about this. There were too many new people in town, people who didn't know the rules. Yes, Kate had had to work her way up to the standing she had now and, yes, sometimes she had to punch a few men to gain their understanding, but overall she had the respect of the town. They knew that she was the law and they stood by her decisions. They trusted her. These new comers did not know that and now she was a woman, in a man's position, pregnant out of wedlock. He glanced up again to see Ryan and Esposito making their way over to the group of rambunctious men.

This was going to be an uphill battle.

Kate was sitting on the front steps of her cabin when he walked up to the homestead. Her feet were bare and she had let her hair out of the braid, letting it fall free over her shoulders. She was bent over, her head resting on her knees and he could see she was sucking on something.

She didn't acknowledge him when he walked up, or when he sat down beside her. She didn't say anything and he could tell by the red rims around her eyes that she had been crying. She would deny it, though. She couldn't be the tough Sheriff Beckett if she had been crying.

"Hi," he started softly.

She didn't respond and he held out a hand, gently placing it on her back, rubbing it gently as she sat there, staring past him at the large oak tree in the yard. He turned his head to follow her gaze and it dawned on him. It wasn't about the town's people at all. She wouldn't care what they thought. Yes, it would be more difficult and she may lose the respect of a few people but she would power on and he would stand by her. He knew that. She knew that.

She was scared.

She was scared that she would lose this baby the same way she lost Sarah.

"It's okay to be scared," he whispered, leaning down to talk in her ear even though there was no one around to hear them. "I'm here now, with you. We can be scared together but everything will be fine. I promise."

She shook her head slowly as she sucked in a shaky breath and the tears started to roll down her cheeks. Her chin crumbled and he wrapped his arm tighter around her, forcing her up so he could hug her.

"You don't know that," she sobbed into his shoulder. "You don't know everything is going to be okay."

"Yes, I do," he stated again, his voice holding a conviction he forced himself to feel in his soul. "This baby is going to be perfect and it's going to be strong."

She sniffled into his neck as he pulled her tighter to him. He could feel her tears beginning to soak his shirt. After a moment longer he felt this warmth of her lips on his skin and her hand snaked up to wrap around his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered between licks and kisses. "I'm glad you're home."

He let out a soft hum. "I'm happy to be home, also. I missed you, even if you did greet me with a punch instead of the kiss I was hoping for."

She laughed gently and he could feel her smile grow against his skin. "Sorry."

"You could always make it up to me you know…" he began and wiggled his eyebrows at her when she pulled back to look at him. "It's not like I can get you pregnant again."

"Richard Castle!" she admonished as she swatted him on the shoulder, an affronted look on her face. "You're incorrigible."

He shrugged back with an attempt at an innocent look and she pushed herself up off of the step, bending back over to pick up her hat before jogging up the short staircase. She paused as she pushed open the door and looked down to where he was still sitting on the middle step. "Well? Are you coming?"

His hand was splayed out over her bare belly, cupping the slight swell already present.

"I won't be able to wear pants soon," she whispered as she ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down before making it stick back up again. Her nose crinkled. "I'll have to switch back to dresses and it is so hard to do my job in a dress."

He rested his head against her stomach and ran his fingers over the bump, her skin rising in little bumps as she shivered, swatting at his hand. "Stop that, it tickles."

He settled his hand back over her belly and she let out a content sigh.

"I missed you," she continued and he acknowledged her with a kiss to her belly button, allowing her the chance to take her time and talk. She wouldn't talk to him like this with anyone else around. It had to be them together, alone. Even now.

"I've been reading the fairy tales at night. Out loud," she laughed slightly in embarrassment at the confession and he flipped his head over to look up at her face, her hair falling in waves over her too thin shoulders and framing her slightly sunken face. He could tell she hadn't been eating enough. He placed a gentle kiss on the underside of her breast and she continued on running her hand through his hair despite his change in position and talked about whatever thoughts popped into her head. "I've been reading them to the baby."

She paused and her breath hitched. He can feel it beneath his head.

"I'm scared, Castle. I'm scared to love it too much but I still read to it at night. I still think about names and what color eyes it will have." She sniffled slightly and he pulled himself up so he's laying along side her, pulling her over to rest on his bare chest.

"What names do you like?" He asked quietly, avoiding any statements of 'it's going to be okay' or 'there is no reason to be scared' because they would just fall flat. Empty promises.

"Emily," she responded immediately. "I like the name Emily if it's a girl."

"What about if it's a boy?" He questioned, his hand running through her hair.

"Jacob," She stated. "Or John."

He nodded his head. They were all good names, strong names.

"It's going to be a girl, though," she continued, so sure. Resolute.

"Oh, really?" He teased. "And how are you so sure?"

She looked up at him, the tears gone and a twinkle replacing them in her eyes as the late afternoon light cast a glow across the room, forming a halo around her head. "Because there is no way the spirits would burden me with another Castle man. They like me too much."

He stared up at her, attempting to glare as her shoulders shook with quiet laughter, her tongue pressed up against the back of her teeth as she grinned at him. He attempted a glare but couldn't force himself to do it. She looked too happy and he didn't want to do anything to ruin it. Instead he let out a growl and flipped her over onto her back, bracing himself on his arms so that he was hovering over her.

"I love you," he stated, quietly, fiercely. "I want to marry you, soon, before the baby arrives."

She smiled up at him, her hand running down his face as her knees came up to cradle his hips against hers. She'd started to glow despite the black circles under her eyes and the fact that her ribs were too prominent beneath her skin— evidence of the sleeplessness and the rampant nausea. "I love you, too. So very much."

She glared at him as he heaped another portion of food onto her plate. Everyone was crowded around the large kitchen table in the main house of the Beckett homestead: Kate, Rick, Jim, Alexis, Lanie, Esposito, Jenny, Ryan, Eustice, Gina and Port.

Castle had done a double take when the last two had made their way through the front door of the house. He had assumed hat Gina had gone back to New York but Kate had bent over to whisper in his ear that she had been spending time with Port out at the reservation. She gave him a look, a single raised eyebrow, and his mouth had formed an "O". Gina and Port? She slapped him lightly on the shoulder, in warning to wipe the look from his face, and he schooled his features, giving the new couple a welcoming smile. To each his own.

He glared back at her and shoved her plate towards her a little bit more. He was going to make sure that she ate and that she continued to eat no matter how bad the morning sickness. She had to put on more weight. She gave a slight huff and shoved a forkful of food into her mouth with a look that said 'are you happy?'. He gave her a self-satisfied smile and she rolled her eyes back at him, their knees bumping under the table.

They had been having their silent conversations all night long as everyone else had chattered around them, filling in Rick, and everyone else, on the latest news and gossip. The sound in the room died down momentarily and Castle looked around the table at all of his friends and family. With a shaky breath he pushed himself to feet, Kate's free hand grasped firmly in his.

"Everyone," he started and he felt Kate's arm stiffen beside him, her grip a little too firm around his hand.

"What are you doing?" She growled at him, her tone low and menacing. Her fork paused halfway between her mouth and plate.

He squeezed her hand in response and reassurance. "I have an announcement to make."

Her fork clattered to her plate as she rested her head in her hand but he pressed on, undeterred by her worry. "Kate and I are going to have a baby."

A couple more forks clatter to plates as though who were not already privy to the news gawked at the couple, Castle settling back down into his chair and Kate staring down at her plate, studying her remaining food.

Slowly she lifted her head and her gaze turned to her father, who was sitting at the head of the table staring at his plate like she had been doing only seconds before.

"Daddy?" She asked softly and her head hung back down as he looked at her, worry and disappointment evident in his eyes.

Slowly, Jim Beckett pushed himself out of his seat and made his way towards the front door, everyone at the table watching him walk and jumping slightly in their seats as the door slammed shut behind him.

Kate shook her hand out of Castle's grasp and leaned over to whisper in his ear before she pushed herself out of her seat to follow her father.

"I hate you right now and there is no way we are getting married."

Her voice was menacing, a fire in her eyes as she stalked towards the door, everyone at the table jumping a little bit higher as the door slammed harder after her.

Alexis turned to him with a sad smile as she stood and started collecting plates to take to the sink, everyone's food forgotten in front of them as they started to talk, making their way out of the stunned silence. She clasped a hand on his shoulder and he turned to look up at her, a stunned expression on his face.

"What just happened?" He asked her and she shook her head in response.

"Her moods have been like this for weeks, Father," she patted his shoulder a couple more times. " Don't worry. You'll get used to it or you'll learn to hide. We're still debating which one is the better option."