A/N: I would apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out, but vehemently feel that as a fanfiction author, I'm not beholden to deadlines (as I will be once I become a legit writer). But part of my still feels a little bad about taking so long to publish this. Now there's a confusing author's note right there. So, moving on...
Disclaimer: I'm in the path of Hurricane Irene. Andrew Marlowe isn't.
The precinct has been quiet. Esposito and Ryan had wrapped up the shooting from the previous day.
"Wasn't your type anyway, Beckett," Ryan had supplied when she asked about the case. "Basic Missus shoots Mister over Mistress."
With Captain Gates out for the day, the bullpen almost felt normal again. There was gentle banter tossed over desks, candy thrown to other officers, and laughter. Kate found a cold case to look at for the day, whittling time down until she could clock out.
She glanced over at the locked-up captain's office and sighed. No matter how Gates tried, that room would forever be Montgomery's office. A hand drifted to her stomach as she thought about what her friend and mentor would have to say about her and Castle. Probably something along the lines of 'About damn time!'.
"Big plans tonight?" Esposito asked as she placed a Post-It note on the cold case folder to remind herself where she left off.
Kate shrugged as she swung her coat on. "Dad's coming over for dinner."
"Hmm… Must be a special occasion for Papa Beckett to be making the trip into the city."
"Not particularly. Just family dinner." She paused, watching Esposito's face. "Why're you so interested?" she asked, her eyes squinted at the other detective.
"I'm not! Just making small talk, you know? End of shift, long day."
Kate could hear the panic in Esposito's voice. "Uh-huh. Enjoy your day off tomorrow, guys!" Ryan and Esposito waved back at her from their desks.
The loft smelt like stir-fry when she opened the door.
"Kate? That you?" Castle's head popped around the staircase, a wooden spoon held in one hand.
Her purse and jacket hit the ground as Kate ran to the bathroom. The door slammed in his face, the spoon still clenched in his fist. "Kate!"
"Go away, Castle!" she called out between her retches. Ignoring her request, he opened the door, dropping the spoon just outside the bathroom. She was sitting against the wall, her heels tossed under the sink, her hand covering her nose. "What part of 'go away' didn't you understand?"
He knelt next to her, brushing her hair back from her damp forehead. "The 'away' part, actually. I'm with you until the end, Kate." Castle kissed her cheek. "Are you still up for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm okay." Her smile was smaller than usual as she touched her fingertips to his jaw. "But could we not have stir-fry?"
"Done. I'll find something else to whip up. You shower." Castle stood up first, holding a hand down to pull her to her feet.
Fifteen minutes later, Castle had chicken noodle soup from scratch on the stove and a feast of grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle. Kate was wearing jeans and a white shirt with polka dot burnouts, still drying her hair with a hand towel.
"Comfort food?" she said with a smile.
Castle flipped over a sandwich, pressed it down into the griddle. "Easy and everyone likes it. Feel better?"
"Much." Taking the ladle from the plate it was resting on, Kate stirred the soup before tasting it. She added some salt. "Castle, about before…"
"Nothing to explain. Kate, I've dealt with pregnancy hormones before. It's okay." He turned his head over his shoulder to smile at her. "And if you feel really guilty, you can make it up to me with mind-blowing sex later."
Kate aimed a kick for his shin just as Alexis came down the stairs, announcing herself with a sing-song call of "What did I say about you two being teenagers?"
Castle stuck his tongue out at his daughter who had gone to open the door, admitting the tall, slender man outside.
"Good evening, Alexis," Jim Beckett said, smiling at the grandchild he had gained through Kate's marriage.
"Hey, Jim! Oh good, you brought wine," Alexis exclaimed, taking the bottle of chardonnay from the man while simultaneously looping her arm through his to sit him at the table. "Dad, Jim brought us wine."
Castle smiled at his father-in-law. "You didn't have to. We have more than enough."
Kate caught the wink her father shot in her direction as he answered, "But I did. Now Alexis, tell me about this horrid calculus professor of yours."
As the two settled into conversation, Kate scooted out of the kitchen. She and Castle may work well in the precinct or in the bedroom or in their marriage, but the kitchen was their one exception. They had tried a few times to get that dance down; the attempts had ended in broken glasses, silverware thrown at each other, and a series of sleepless nights on the couch for Castle. Kate liked to think of the kitchen as Castle's bullpen – a comparison she understood completely.
So instead of helping him gather silverware and bowls for everyone, Kate sat next to her father and listened to Alexis complain about the amount of work this professor handed the class. After five minutes, Alexis took drink orders.
Jim turned in his chair, covering his daughter's hand with his own. "I'm glad I could come tonight, Katie."
"Me too, Dad."
His green eyes met hers, probing. "Something's different with you." He didn't ask it, just stated.
She opened her mouth to respond, but Castle interrupted by placing the pot of soup on the table. "Dinner… is served."
They passed the platter of halved sandwiches followed by the bowls of soup that Kate was dishing out. Talk drifted to the Yankees and their losing streak against the Red Sox during the last two games. Castle and Alexis were never as interested in baseball as the Beckett family seemed to be, so the ranting conversation about home runs and batting averages occurred between Kate and Jim mostly.
Jim laughed as he sopped up the last of the soup broth with a piece of crusty bread. "I'm glad to see that you all haven't lost your grasp of childhood," he said, holding up the bread before taking a bite. "Kids love soup and grilled cheese. I still remember making it for you when you were a kid, Katie."
Kate's eyes flicked to Castle's, he nodded. "Actually, I hope you still remember how to make those," Kate said quietly, keeping her eyes locked with her father's. She watched as realization dawned on him.
"Wait. Dad?" Alexis started, looking between her father and step-mother.
Castle grinned. "The pitter-patter of little feet will soon be heard here again."
Movement erupted. Jim had Castle in a hug, one of those manly ones with shoulder-bumping and back-clapping. Alexis practically knocked Kate off the chair with a hug that had the young woman's head nestled in Kate's shoulder.
Kate smiled at Castle. She hadn't been sure how Alexis would take the news. Over twenty years of being the only child in Castle's life, she was bound to be a little jealous of another Castle baby nudging its way into her father's heart.
"Congratulations, Katie," Jim whispered into his daughter's ear when they traded hug-partners.
"Thanks, Dad."
With his daughter's hand in his, Jim turned to Castle and Alexis. "Listen, can you spare Kate for a few minutes? Just going to take a walk around the block."
The sun was still peeking through the buildings, giving SoHo a romantic blush as they turned the corner outside the building. Jim reached out, took Kate's hand, his thumb smoothing over the back of it.
"So, a baby?"
"Looks that way," Kate replied with a smile. She looked up at her father, trying to pinpoint his emotions. Normally, it was something she could do right away, but she figured all of the parenting must make mothers and fathers adept at hiding their true emotions. To the point, Kate discovered, that he could stump someone trained to discover hidden emotions in people.
Jim sat on a semi-clean bench, tugging his daughter down next to him. A few cabs were parked nearby, the drivers taking a dinner break and talking loudly in Spanish. "I can't help but wish your mother was here."
"Dad…"
He turned from watching the cabbies, taking both of her hands in his. "Katie, she'd be so happy. With everything. Plus, you're doing it in the right order," he added with a wink. "I guess this means I should find that box…"
"What box?" Kate had been the one to go through her mother's things after her death. Jim had been too deep in the bottle to think straight and while the grief had caused Kate some issues, she knew that sorting through Johanna's things would help her find the closure that her therapist was always talking about. There had been case files from work in her desk, shopping lists for that weekend's trip to the grocery store, a bucket list with things that she would never be able to cross of, but not a box that would relate to a future grandchild.
Jim tweaked Kate's nose like he had when she was a kid. "You'll just have to wait and see." He sighed, sitting back against the bench. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss her. It's still hard to fall asleep at night, knowing she isn't next to me. It's hard to wake up in the morning, knowing she won't be joining me for coffee before she runs off to work. I can't help but think of all those people that she could be helping, fighting for and can't now.
"But you are, Katie. Maybe not in the same way she was, but you're exactly like her."
Kate rested her head against her father's shoulder, his arm wrapping around her and squeezing her. "I wish she was here, too, Dad."
He kissed the top of her head. "I just hope, for Castle's sake, you don't turn out like she acted when she was pregnant with you." Kate drew back, narrowing her eyes at him. "She was a monster. I still remember going out at one in the morning for a burger for her because she needed it. Or sleeping on the couch since she claimed the bed was too crowded because of you. I hope those hormones aren't genetic for my son-in-law's sanity."
"I can't see Mom being like that at all," Kate mumbled, standing up.
Jim followed her lead back toward the apartment. "She calmed down. You helped with that. And it won't be the same for you." She shot him a look of confusion. "You have Castle. He's been through the newborn thing before. He knows the ropes, so to speak. Your mother and I? Newbies, the both of us. We were a wreck. You'll be better at it."
"Thanks, Dad."
Castle met them in the lobby to say goodnight to Jim. As they shook hands, Jim leaned over to mutter, "Keep the best burger place on speed-dial and you'll be fine, son." Castle glanced at Kate who just smiled, unaware of the advice her father had just passed on. "She can explain later."
Jim placed a soft kiss on Kate's forehead, then pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Katie. Be kind to him."
"Love you, too."
After Jim hailed a cab outside the apartment, Castle wrapped his arm around Kate's waist as they walked toward the elevator. "Why should I keep Remy's on speed-dial exactly?"
Kate laughed as she pressed the 'up' button. "I'll tell you when it matters."
A/N: So, a few more questions for you to try and puzzle out, Detectives! Will Kate confront Esposito over his strange behavior? What's in Jim's mystery box? Will there be late-night Remy's runs for Castle in the future?
Stay tuned and review - it'll make riding out this hurricane much easier and happier for me!
