Title: The Biggest Heart in the World

Summary: After Kate's basic "break down" about Castle's 6- week book tour, they finally talked. There should be no major time jump in this chapter, maybe weeks but not months since time. I don't know how far I'm going with this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle but I'm soooo glad they got married.

A/N: So sorry this chapter took me longer but the holidays are slow writing for me. Christmas crafts, cooking for the family to visit… plus work on my novel and working on getting my home business going after the holidays, I'm a busy lady. But this is my chance to relax a bit… unless I get super nasty reviews but there will be haters everywhere… ENJOY!

Chapter Seven: Love and Monogrammed Towels

Castle's loft, early evening

Kate and Castle walked in the loft with him pulling her suitcase behind him, Alexis is the first one to spot them and runs across the room. "Kate, you're okay. Oh Kate we were so worried."

She stopped the teens rattling by pushing her at arm's length after hugging her. "What do you mean you were worried?"

"Dad got a call and then ran out of here and all he said was Kate."

He looked at his daughter and smiled. "I'm sorry pumpkin, I should have called but I didn't realize that you and gram were even in the room. Why didn't you call one of us?"

Martha smiled from the kitchen. "We tried but no one answered so I called Lanie and she said you had picked Katherine up at the morgue that the two of you needed to talk. She was surprised we hadn't seen you, she said you and Katherine had left close to an hour before my call."

Suddenly Kate's face turned bright red and she put her head down. She took her suitcase from Castle. "I'm just going to put this in the bedroom babe and then I'll help finish dinner before dad gets here."

She started across the floor and suddenly Alexis was talking. "So if you two didn't hear your phones and you weren't here, oh ewww I'll just stop talking now."

Kate smiled on her way to the bedroom. "That might be best Lex, for your sanity and mine." She looked back at Alexis and Martha when she got to the office door leading to the bedroom. "When I come back out we need to talk about some things." Kate came out of the bedroom and sniffed. "Is that my sauce?"

Martha smiled. "We figured since your father was coming we would get some of your sauce out of the freezer for the pasta."

She smiled. "Thanks, I'm glad you did that for dad. That was mom's recipe so he'll be thrilled to have it since it has been a while." She looked around. "So what can I do?"

Castle was cutting up a salad and he smiled. "Join mother in a glass of wine, these two are going to die with anticipation waiting for you to tell them everything."

She cleared her throat. "I'm not telling everything babe, were you not present by the door earlier?" He shrugged and she continued. "Rick invited me to move in when he gets back, I was hoping maybe to get help packing while he's gone?"

Alexis squealed and ran from where she was setting the table and hugged Kate, then her dad. "Tell me everything, what you said and what Kate said when she agreed. What started the conversation and what were you guys doing at the time."

Rick smiled and winked at Kate then looked at Alexis. "No, I'm not sharing all of that. I asked and she answered."

Alexis frowned. "I had hopes you would make it more romantic than that."

Kate laughed. "He did but it's just not a story for you Lex and some things have to stay private."

Alexis looked between them and then shook her head. "Thanks for that mental image anyway, I'm going to be in therapy."

Martha looked over at her granddaughter. "Stop asking questions if you don't want details, I do want details."

Kate smiled. "Martha you know I love you right?" Martha nodded. "It's because I love you that I'm not giving you details, there are some things you don't need to know about your son." She laughed. "Now moving on, Rick invited me to go visit him with you Alexis so I hope that's okay?"

Alexis nodded. "Sure Kate, having you there will make the time way more fun for me. I'll go shopping with mom once or twice, she'll show me off to a couple of friends because of my grades and then I'll be back sitting in the hotel room waiting for dad to be done. This way we can go sight seeing together."

Martha smiled. "Then when Richard comes home you will be moving in with us finally?"

Kate nodded and put her head down for a few seconds. "There is something that happened today that both of you need to know about. Montgomery offered me time off for the book tour but I told him I hadn't been invited. In that conversation the one thing I thought about was that Rick was going away with Gina and he would be seeing Meredith, all of that without knowing I was in love with him. He was leaving and we had no defined relationship and I got scared. I went to the ladies' room when the tears came but Esposito saw me on my way there, he called Rick. Rick called Lanie, she came to get me and we met him in the morgue. We went back to my apartment to talk and get everything out in the open."

Alexis sighed. "Well it's not like all of us didn't know, but I'm glad you guys talked." Suddenly the door bell rang and Alexis started running. "It's Jim, I've got it." She opened the door and embraced the man that walked in. "Jim, great to see you and we have news."

He smiled as Kate walked to the door and leaned in to hug her then he put his arm around Alexis while they walked to join the family. "So Katie, you have news?" Then they saw the look on his face. "Are you trying to tell me you're pregnant?"

Kate took a drink of wine but choked on it. "No dad, geez I'm not pregnant but thanks for that."

Alexis finished setting the table and laughed. "Not that they don't believe practice makes perfect, so next time you ask it might be yes." They all laughed at the teen. "So Jim, join me in a glass of sweet tea?"

He smiled. "That would be great, thanks Alexis." He looked back to Kate. "So what's your news?"

"First in 3 weeks I'm going with Alexis to visit Rick on his book tour so can you check on my place?"

"I can do that, is that your news?"

Kate laughed as Martha patted her hand and Martha answered Jim. "These two have finally come to their senses and see what we've all seen for months; Katherine will be moving in the loft when Richard gets back from his tour."

Jim hugged Kate and shook Castle's hand. "Well I can't say I'm surprised but I'm glad that you two have finally stopped this friends only thing, you were driving the rest of us crazy." Kate jumped in helping Castle and Alexis carry food to the table joining Martha and Jim there. Jim smiled when they sat down. "Well you certainly seem to be comfortable here Katie, I dare say at home here?" When he realized smelled the sauce he asked if it was Johanna's recipe, he was happy to be having that again just like Kate had predicted. She was so glad that her father got along so well with Rick's family, it's like they had become one family.

Dinner was a great success according Kate and Martha's conversation while they cleared dishes away from dinner and dessert. Kate saw her dad to the door and hugged him goodnight with him agreeing to check on her place while she was gone and offering her storage space when was ready to move. Kate had agreed with her dad that she was at home in the Castle family loft, he seemed very happy with that. After they had one more cup of coffee for the evening Kate held her hand out to Castle. "Are you ready for bed babe, I'm exhausted."

He took her hand and smiled over at his mother and daughter. "Good night both of you get some sleep so we can start our family day early tomorrow."

Alexis got up and hugged her dad then Kate. "Now we start family day with breakfast at the diner, I have the day planned out so get some sleep kids." She laughed and ran for the steps watching her dad and Kate walked to the bedroom holding hands. She finally got one thing she wanted, now she just had to get them married and a sibling then she would be happy. Martha had wished everyone goodnight and followed her granddaughter upstairs.

Castle's bedroom

He picked Kate's suitcase up and laid it on the bed. "What are you doing Rick?"

"I thought you would like to unpack some things to make it easier." He pointed at the dresser. "The three drawers over on that side are completely cleaned out and are yours, I made tons of space in the closet for you and the empty hangers are in there plus I made room for you in the bathroom." He looked at her and saw the tears on her face. "Did I do something wrong? I mean I was going to ask you to move in so I cleaned out space first."

She wiped her eyes. "I'm touched Rick, yes please help me put my things away before we go to bed." She handed him a smaller bag from the suitcase. "These things go in the bathroom although I forgot to bring shower stuff in my rush to pack."

"Already taken care of, I'm sure it's not your brand but I sent mother and Alexis to pick out some things for you as far as shampoo, conditioner, lotion and they also bought you a hairdryer and some other things. I wanted you to have you own things here in case you agreed to stay sometimes but not move in."

She walked in the bathroom and saw towels hanging up with KB on them and then he smiled and pulled some off of the shelf and showed them to her, they had KC on them. She laughed as she took one out of his hand. "Who was wishing about this?"

"All of us but Alexis put them up there and said for after we dug our heads out of our asses and saw what was in front of us."

She smiled and handed them back to him. "Let's not let those collect too much dust, okay?" She walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face, he was speechless.

Next morning, Castle's loft

Kate woke up and heard talking; she picked up her robe putting it on before walking out to the kitchen. She heard Alexis' voice. "You showed her the towels? Dad did you want to scare her off? What did she say; I mean was she mad about them?"

Kate put her arm around Alexis. "I was not mad about the towels and I believe my words were about not letting them collect too much dust. I do need to thank both of you for getting things for me; seriously I don't know what to say beyond thank you."

Martha smiled as she put a cup of coffee in front of Kate. "Oh darling you don't have to say anything at all, it's going to be so great having you here. We'll go get boxes right after Richard leaves tomorrow and then start packing up with you; we hope you stay with us most of the time he's gone though."

Kate nodded. "I will stay some but I'll need to stay at my place so I can spend some serious time packing, both of you are welcome any time you want to come over so I can get it done quicker." She picked up her cup and then held her hand out for Castle. "Let's go get dressed babe, I'm starving."

Alexis got off of her seat. "I'll go finish getting ready and then we'll go, today is going to be so much fun." When they all came back together in the family room to leave for the day Alexis looked at her dad and Kate. "Kate I love your jacket, I keep saying I'm going to get a leather jacket but I wouldn't know how to pick out one that looks good."

Kate smiled. "I'll help you pick one out; we can go shopping for one but for today follow me." They got to the bedroom where some of Kate's things were hanging in the closet. She walked out of the closet holding a black jacket very similar to the one she was wearing. "This should fit you and that way you can be sure you want one."

Alexis shook her head. "Oh no Kate that must have cost a fortune, I can't."

She smiled as she held it open. "Your dad bought the one I'm wearing he forgot I had a black one, this one I'm sure isn't as expensive as the one I'm wearing. A friend of mine let her borrow one and that's how I got addicted to them, I'd be thrilled for you to wear this."

Alexis put it on as Kate held it for her and she hugged Kate. "Thank you so much Kate, I can't wait until we can go shopping this week."

"Let's work it in today but let's go eat, I'm starving."

They walked out in matching jackets laughing and Castle found it hard to hold the wetness he found in his eyes. "Look at my girls, both of you look so great."

Alexis smiled. "Thanks dad, Kate is so nice to let me borrow this." She looked at Kate. "Maybe we can get one outfit that matches."

Kate nodded as she took the hand that Castle offered. "I'm sure we'll find something we both like." The group left the loft headed to breakfast. Kate realized this was very close to perfect and she was lucky she had this family in her life. Those towels might have to come off of the shelf very soon after he came back, she knew in her heart she wanted to be a Castle too.

TBC

Next chapter there is a small time hop but it's weeks and not months.