I apologise profusely for the delay in an update. Real life has been kicking my arse... there will be further explanation below for those who are interested.
Thanks to Annie, who always manages to text and ask if I'm writing when I'm trawling go fug yourself (because fugly is the new pretty) and Rad Tad, who is a beta-ing machine.
Kate was sound asleep. Her pregnancy pillow had been delivered and she was in heaven, immediately twining herself around the long cushion and crashing. Castle had awoken at around 5am, Nikki gently tickling at the back of his mind, whispering a story that needed to be told. After he'd gotten the words down, he padded back to the bedroom, expecting Kate to be up and readying herself for the doctor's appointment they had at 9.30 that morning.
She was still out like a light.
Castle crept over to the bed. Her belly had swollen dramatically over the last two weeks; she was a day short of entering her thirty first week of pregnancy and just two days prior, her skin had stretched so much that her belly button poked out. He carefully pulled the blankets away, rolling Kate's shirt up to expose her bump. "Hey little girl," he breathed. "It's Daddy and baby time."
He propped himself up on a pillow, sprawling across the bed so he could best face his growing daughter. "Listen to me, honey," he saw the outline of a hand push against Kate's skin and he gently traced his finger against it. "It's not going to be long before I can hold your hand for real, but baby," he paused, leaning forward to press his lips against his wife's midsection. "Your Mommy needs you to help her and grow just a tiny bit more so that you're safe to come out the way you're supposed to. She's miserable," he cleared his throat quietly, "and it is killing me to see her like this. Just do your best for me, okay? That is all I can ask."
Castle rubbed his stubbly cheek against her belly (secretly hoping his daughter would love "whiskers" the way Alexis had; sneaking into bed with him in the early hours of the morning, her chubby little hands tracing his beard) one finger poking on the little hand desperate for escape, gently pressing kisses to Kate's belly as he murmured nonsense stories.
Kate's hand crept up, slowly carding through his hair, nails gently scraping against his scalp. "Morning," she murmured blearily.
"Morning," he replied. He gave Kate a smile when her hand covered his, resting against their daughter. "How much of that did you hear?"
Kate smiled sheepishly "I wasn't trying to listen." She brushed a hand across Castle's cheek. "You're a good Daddy," she hummed. She stretched and looked at the clock, promptly groaning when she realised that not only was she going to have to get out of bed, she was also sentencing the girls to boob jail, at least for a few hours.
The rest of the check up had gone well. Dr Swinton had gushed over the huge growth of her belly in the last few weeks and had assured her that the ten pounds she'd gained so far in the pregnancy was perfectly normal and to not be shocked if she gained more.
"Okay, it's the moment of truth," Dr Swinton announced. "Rick, could you help Kate up onto the bed for me?" She asked, directing both of them to the ultrasound room.
"I have a good feeling about this," Castle whispered, linking his hand with Kate's as they waited for Dr Swinton to return. Kate said nothing; only pressing a light kiss against his knuckles and closing her eyes. Kate barely registered the cold squirt of gel against her skin and had all but tuned out the hushed tones Dr Swinton was using.
"Kate, did you hear me? I said everything is perfect. The placenta has moved to where it should be and you're going to be able to have a natural birth if you so choose."
"What?" Kate's eyes widened, the weight that had been pressing on her chest for months lightening as she studied the doctor, looking for any hint she'd misheard.
Dr Swinton smiled. "Looks like you need to start working on that birth plan after all."
"Does that mean…"
Dr Swinton gave her a knowing look, "you can have sex."
"Oh thank God," Kate muttered, her head falling back onto the headrest.
Kate was walking on sunshine. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this elated. She couldn't stop grinning as she followed Castle up to the loft. She got as far as the elevator before she pounced on him. "Aren't you going to call Gates?" Castle asked, desperately fumbling for his keys as Kate teased his ear mercilessly.
"Gates can wait until tomorrow," she sighed, pushing him through the doorframe and shedding her clothing as she made her way towards the bedroom.
The round of applause that the bullpen had broken out into as Kate stepped through the door was a little excessive, but she'd appreciated it none the less. She was so relieved to be back at work that she gladly endured the belly rubs and incessant questions about the pregnancy.
She was just settling back at her desk, briefed on the current case and ready to start poring over interrogation footage. The boys had hit a wall and they were desperately hoping that new perspective was going to help them with the case.
She looked up from the file, glancing at the phone sitting on her desk. She forced herself to look away. She was being stupid.
The deadline for Desert Heat was months away, but Castle had insisted he needed to stay home and get it finished so it could be handed over to his editor, not wanting to spend the first few weeks of his daughter's life deliberating over where a comma should be. His presence had been a constant during her bed rest (even when he was out of the house, he was constantly checking in) and it felt strange to not have him at her side. She looked at the phone again. Before she was fully aware of what she was doing, she'd picked up the phone and dialled Castle's cell.
She knew for a fact that Castle's iPhone sat on the desk next to him when he wrote. The fact that he didn't answer on the first or second ring instantly sent a shiver running down her spine. "Is everything okay?" He demanded breathlessly when he finally answered.
Kate's eyebrow raised (even though she knew he couldn't see it), "Yeah, everything's fine," she heard a loud bang in the background. "What's going on?" she asked, instantly suspicious.
"Nothing," Castle replied far too quickly, false innocence ringing from his tone.
"Castle," Kate said warningly.
"Yes, dearest?" he replied charmingly. His own suspicion had been aroused. "Why are you calling?" He asked.
Kate froze. "I just wanted to make sure you hadn't set the loft on fire trying to deep fry popcorn," she covered quickly.
Castle cleared his throat. "I'm more than willing to hear the real reason, whenever you're ready," he prompted.
There was no way around it. "I miss you, okay?" She admitted quietly. She could feel a blush rise on her cheeks, but her confession had left her heart feeling slightly buoyant.
"I miss you too," Castle replied easily. He cringed when he heard a thump.
"I don't want to know, do I?" Kate asked, massaging the bridge of her nose, imagining the kind of disaster Castle was unleashing on the loft (most likely in the name of research).
"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies," Castle replied cheerfully. "You'll be home for dinner, right?"
"Unless a body drops, but even then, I'm sure Gates will shoo me out," Kate replied.
"I'll see you then. Love you."
Kate placed the phone back in its cradle, discreetly placing a hand on her stomach. "Yeah, Kid, I know," she murmured, turning back to her paperwork.
Around 2pm LT had volunteered to go on a Remy's run. The enthusiasm Kate was showing for her lunch had both Ryan and Espo staring, mouths slightly agape.
"What?" Kate demanded, dragging a French fry through her Styrofoam container of extra hot chilli.
"I've never seen you that excited about food before," Espo marvelled.
"You're going to get the worst indigestion," Ryan added. Jenny had recently given birth to their son, Killian and had suffered unbearable heartburn if she so much as smelt anything spicy.
"I'm eating for two," Kate stated blithely. "Besides, Castle makes me eat like I'm training for the New York Marathon. This chilli is so worth any heartburn."
Espo cleared his throat awkwardly, Ryan smoothing a hand through his hair. Kate could only quirk an eyebrow at the pair of them and turned towards the door to the break room.
Castle held up a hand in greeting. "Thought I'd take Kate out to lunch," he offered. "I didn't realise you guys were having a slumber party without me."
"For the record, Remy's was Kate's idea," Esposito defended. Ryan nodded vigorously behind him.
"Nice, guys," Kate rolled her eyes. "Throw the pregnant lady under a bus." She looked up at her husband, "Hi," She murmured; well aware that Castle had made the trip into the precinct purely because of her earlier phone call, but had come armed with an excuse so that she could save face in front of her team.
"Hey, sweetheart," he answered easily, leaning over to brush a kiss against her cheekbone and snag one of her fries.
"I thought you had edits to be working on?" Kate asked him, nodding towards the chair next to her.
"They'll still be there when I get home," Castle shrugged. "I've got a meeting at Black Pawn for cover art decisions in an hour, so I thought I'd drop by."
Ryan looked up from his phone. "Good timing, Castle. Jenny is on her way up with Killian."
Kate shook her head when she saw Espo's chest puff up slightly. She had never seen anybody take his godfatherly duties quite as seriously as Javier Esposito did.
"How's the little man going?" Castle asked.
Ryan grinned. "He's awesome. Eating like a machine. Has a set of lungs on him, though."
From the sudden movement (and a few squeals) echoing out of the bullpen, it was obvious Jenny and Killian had made their entrance. Esposito was like a magnet. He abandoned his BLT and made a beeline for the baby carrier.
"We're going to have one of those soon," Castle mused, eyes alight with happiness.
"We are," Kate agreed, wincing at the particularly strong kick to her ribs. Given that Castle was visiting the precinct as her husband today and not working a case with her, she had no compunction about linking her hand with his and leading him out into the roomful of cooing cops.
"Javi, I wouldn't do that," Jenny said warningly as Esposito swayed the Killian in his arms, his thick head of Irish red hair glinting in the light.
"He's fine, Jenny," Esposito said dismissively. Jenny only rolled her eyes and was the only person who was unsurprised when Killian spat up milky white all over Esposito's black shirt.
"He fed an hour ago," Jenny pointed out unnecessarily. Ryan swooped in to grab his son out of Espo's arms, every inch the proud papa. Jenny came over and perched at the edge of Kate's desk. "So, how are you doing?" Jenny asked.
Kate smiled. "I'm back at work, so that's something. I find myself cleaning, a lot."
Jenny giggled. "Oh yeah. My nesting was intense. I reorganised the baby's room four times."
Kate looked over at Jenny, pondering her words. "Sometimes I feel like there is no way I'm ready to give birth and actually be a Mom to a tiny person…"
"But when its 3am and you've finally gotten comfortable and you suddenly need to pee right that second you just want the kid out of you?" Jenny supplied helpfully.
"Exactly!" Kate agreed.
"I used to have those mood swings three times a day," Jenny reassured her. "You're not a freak." Jenny squeezed Kate's shoulder affectionately when Castle moved in for baby cuddle time. "He's going to be an excellent father. You're really lucky, Kate."
"He's going to be a fun father. I'm totally going to end up being the mean parent," Kate mused. Her jaw dropped entirely when she saw Gates walk out of her office and literally take Killian out of Castle's arms, cooing to him as she moved around the bullpen. Most of the cops in the room were shocked to see such an openly maternal side to the stern Captain, but Kate simply gave her a knowing wink.
"Time to get some practice in, Detective," Gates announced, stepping over to Kate and placing baby Killian in her arms.
Killian looked up at her with wide blue eyes that were so much like his father's. His fist was wedged firmly in his gummy mouth, his tongue poking out to explore his fingers. He was completely at ease in Kate's arms. "Hi there, Killian," she murmured. His head twisting toward Kate's chest, nose bumping against her bust, "I know I don't smell like your Mommy," she cooed to him, "but she's letting me practice with you until my baby comes." Kate's tone was soft, but she didn't speak down to him. She continued her quiet chatter, chuckling when a particularly hard kick was aimed near to where Killian rested against Kate's baby bump. Kate handed him back over to Jenny, "I think my Little Miss is getting jealous," Kate joked.
The second Killian was back in Jenny's arms he began to wail. "And that is feeding time," Jenny announced, looking at her watch.
"Feel free to use one of the empty interview rooms if you need to," Kate suggested.
Jenny nodded gratefully, grabbing her baby bag and carting a howling Killian out of the room.
Kate made it home at the respectable hour of 7pm.
Castle was up to something.
There was a note tacked to the front door. Follow the trail. Underneath the note there was a tiny pink sock. The loft was eerily quiet when she opened the door. On the floor there was a matching sock. Kate didn't bother bend over to pick them up, knowing she'd only topple over and end up like a turtle on its shell, unable to get up and forced to call Castle for assistance and ruining whatever plans he'd made.
Kate followed the trail of socks up the stairs, suspicious but amused. She knew exactly what her gorgeous manchild of a husband had done.
She opened the door to what had once been Martha's room (swapping apartments had been the best thing she and Castle's mother had ever done).
"Surprise!" Castle offered.
Of course he had. All the furniture and decorations Kate had ordered had been set up, in the perfect Minnie Mouse bedroom for a little girl.
"You got the idea from the ratty doll I bought Alexis at Disneyland, didn't you?" Castle asked, hugging Kate from behind as she traced the dark wood of the crib.
"You caught me," Kate replied, spying said stuffed animal on the rocking chair in the corner. "Alexis said it was a reminder of how awesome her daddy is. It's only fair that the Minion gets the same."
There has been a bit of a delay... I admit I've been exploring the world of Gates (and also, the idea of Alexis and Max Gates, which is a whole other kettle of fish... this fic, Max is not gay like he is here :P) until I started uni again for the year.
On top of other fics and real life, life decided to kick some asses a little more. On Monday evening, my best friend's Mama (who was my second mama) lost her battle with leukaemia. As you can imagine, I've been quite busy looking after my friend in the last week of her mother's life and right after her death. In part, this chapter was so sweet because I was indulging some escapism. (I also hung out with two newborns today... it was an excellent research opportunity and like Espo, I was puked on... though I wasn't moving the bub around)
Send some love my way if you can, guys? This week sucks.
