Disclaimers: Nope.

Summary: Kate returns to work while Castle deals with a baby with separation issues.

A/N #1: Not having children of my own, it's a little hard for me to understand how Kate might feel leaving her baby to return to work. Hopefully I can get this right.

Chapter 12: Separation Pains

December

Kate was getting dressed, returning to a routine she hadn't had to use in eight months. She opened her jewelry box and removed the chain holding her mother's ring and slipped it over her head. She then went into Castle's office to get her shield and Glock from the gun safe. She took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears that were in her throat. She'd been like this all morning. Castle was in the dining room feeding Ari her cereal while Kate got dressed. She knew that if she gave the baby breakfast she'd never leave the apartment.

She walked into the living room, removing her coat and scarf from the hall closet, smiling at her husband and baby. Ari, as if sensing that something was different with her mother, began to whimper from her high chair. "Castle, why do I feel like such an awful mother?"

"Hey, we've talked about this," he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "If it gets to be too hard, go and talk to Gates. You can work for half a day if you want to, or take the remaining five months that you're allowed under FMLA. You're not abandoning her."

"Look at her, Rick," she nodded toward Ari. "She looks pathetic."

"That's because right now she's covered in rice cereal," he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. "We're going to have a great time. Maybe we'll go for a walk."

"Just make sure she's well bundled."

"Kate, I've been through this before, remember? I'm not going to let her freeze to death."

"I've got to go or I'm going to be late," she reluctantly pulled away from her husband before walking over to the high chair. "Hey, chunky monkey. Be a good girl for daddy. I'll see you this afternoon," she kissed her cheek as Ari grabbed for her.

Kate kissed her once again as Ari began to cry. "Go, Kate," Rick walked her to the door. "It's like pulling off a band-aid. Standing here isn't going to make it any easier."

"You'll call if she needs anything?"

"I'll call and text you all through the day. We're going to be fine," he kissed her. "Be careful. I love you."

"I love you, too. Mommy loves you, Ari. Be a good girl."

Castle had no sooner closed the door than Ariel's cries erupted into full-fledged screams. "Hey, sweet pea," he crooned, removing her from the high chair and cuddling her against his broad chest. "Mommy had to go back to work, but she'll be back later on. You're going to have a great time with daddy. Your big sister and I used to have the best times." His words were being drowned out by the cries of his daughter.

He was walking around and talking to her an hour later when Martha walked into the loft. "What's wrong with my granddaughter?" She walked over and took the baby from Rick's arms as the crying magically ceased.

"What did you do? She's been throwing a fit since Kate walked out the door an hour ago. What am I doing wrong? Alexis was never like that."

"Yes, she was," Martha told him. "The first time that you were forced to leave her alone while you were on a book tour, she reacted the exact same way that Ariel is reacting now. I just never told you because all babies do it. You did it, too."

"I thought that she hated me."

"Oh Richard," his mother scoffed. "You're just not used to having to share a baby with someone. You and Alexis were always alone."

"How long will she be like that?"

"Probably today and tomorrow. She'll settle in and get used to her mother leaving her. Here, you take her back," Martha handed the baby back to Rick, as she immediately began to cry again. "Just do whatever you normally do with her. And relax. She probably senses your tension."

Rick walked over to the freezer and removed a teething ring, offering it to Ariel, who shoved it into her mouth. He then walked over and grabbed her favorite toy from the playpen before walking over to the sofa and settling down on it. He turned Ariel toward him and began making funny noise as his daughter stopped crying and started smiling and cooing at him.

***CCC***

"Hey, Beckett's back!" She heard Espo call when she exited the elevator.

She smiled and returned greetings while walking to her desk. Her desk looked just as it had when she'd left the previous April to start her maternity leave. She reached into her large purse and removed two photographs. One was of Rick with Ari while the other was of the three of them as a family. "Yeah, you're definitely a parent now," she turned to find Kevin Ryan standing right behind her.

"Hi, Ryan," she stood up and hugged him. "How's Jenny?"

"Getting huge. We have just over three months to go. Let me show you the ultrasound pictures," he smiled proudly, going over to his desk and bringing the grainy black and white photos over to his boss.

Kate looked at the pictures, looking at Ryan as realization dawned in her eyes. "A boy?" She asked as he nodded. "Kevin, that's fantastic! Congratulations!"

"Det. Beckett?" Kate turned to find Capt. Gates standing in her doorway.

"Congratulations," she whispered once again before going to the captain's office and closing the door behind her. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"I wanted to welcome you back. Are you okay?"

"Except for feeling like my heart has been ripped out, I'm fine. Was it hard for you leaving your baby the first time?"

"I cried for hours," she admitted. "I'll let you get back to work."

"Thank you, sir."

***CCC***

"I just don't understand why you're going with us," Rick's ex-wife Meredith was pacing around the loft as Rick watched her from the sofa.

"Meredith, I'm not going with you. I'm going with Alexis so that she can let go of some of those memories from her last time in Paris. You do remember Alexis' last time in Paris, don't you? I did call you to let you know—"

"The kidnapping. Yes kitten, I remember," Rick cringed at the nickname. "Richard, she underwent therapy for months. She should be over all of that. I just don't understand how one minute she can be so mature while at other times she acts like a five-year-old."

Knowing from experience that it did no good to try to reason with her, Rick just let it go. His phone buzzed, signaling a text message. He smiled when he read the message: 'How's Ari? Have you had any trouble?'

He quickly texted Kate back: 'Everything's under control. She's taking a nap right now. I'm arguing with ex #1. Will explain everything later. ILY.'

'ILY 2.'

"I thought you said that they didn't do anything to her," Meredith was walking around the apartment, looking at the pictures that were prominently displayed.

"Why does what might or might not have happened to our daughter make a difference, Meredith? She was drugged, thrown into a van, and whisked away to Paris, for crying out loud! She didn't know if she was being sold as a sex slave or kidnapped for ransom!"

He and Alexis had been sworn to secrecy over the reason for her abduction. To reveal the true reason would be paramount to signing his father's death warrant and he couldn't do that, despite the fact that he still knew no more about Jackson Hunt than he had following their initial meeting.

"I could take her to the places where she needs to go, Rick."

"Meredith, I'm not just doing this for her. I'm doing it for myself, as well. I know that you could take her to the places, but they're just places to you. We have nightmares, Meredith. If we go back to the places where she was held, hopefully we can put an end to the nightmares. I'm not coming along to ruin your time with Alexis."

"And Kate's all right with this?"

"She's the one who suggested it," he was about to say something further when he was interrupted by the baby monitor. "I'll be right back."

He went upstairs, changed Ariel and brought her back downstairs where he went into the kitchen and warmed a bottle. He sat down in his recliner and placed the bottle in his daughter's hands, as she took care of the rest. Meredith smiled watching them. "So, is it like riding a bike?"

"Not quite. I wasn't prepared for her to throw a fit when Kate left to go to work this morning. I never experienced that with you."

"I guess because I started working before Alexis had problems with being separated from me."

He looked at his ex-wife, wanting to ask her so many questions. First and foremost was how your baby could have separation issues when you were never around. Ariel had eyes only for Kate. It was apparent every time they were all together as a family. While she loved being held by everybody else, she was happiest when she was with her mommy. Her whole face radiated joy when Kate held her. He'd never noticed that with Alexis and her mother. Alexis had looked like that when she was with him. To their daughter, Meredith was the pretty lady who smelled good and brought her presents. "She's truly gorgeous, Rick," she complimented him. "She looks a lot like you."

"That's what everybody tells me," he smiled, watching as the baby drank from her bottle.

"So, are you going to have another one?"

"Meredith, she's not seven months old, yet. I think Kate and I have time to talk about it."

"Do you ever wish that we'd had another one?"

"Honestly? No. You were never around for Alexis. Be honest, Meredith. You barely had the urge for one. You were never going to have another one."

"I guess that I'd better go before we rehash one of our old fights," Meredith retrieved her coat and slipped into it. "I'll see you on the 26th," she said as she walked to the door. "Tell Alexis that I'll call her in a few days. If I don't see you before, have a Merry Christmas, Richard."

"You, too. As for Alexis, you can call or text her yourself," he said as he watched Meredith walk out of the loft. "That, my dear sweet pea, is your big sister's mommy. When you get a little older, you're going to learn that while you and Alexis have me for a daddy, you have two very different mommies. Your mommy is beautiful, smart, and makes grown men cry when she questions them in a tiny little room. Alexis' mommy is beautiful, but she's like a Deep-Fried Twinkie. One is delicious, but you quickly get sick if you eat more than one."

***CCC***

Rick was writing in his office while Alexis played in her bouncer nearby, squealing and babbling in her baby voice. He looked toward his opened doorway when he heard a key in the front door. "I think mommy's home," he walked over and scooped Ariel out of her bouncer before going to the living room.

"Hey," Kate smiled at the welcome sight of her husband and her daughter coming to greet her. "I missed you two," she kissed Castle as Ariel grabbed her mother's hair. "Hey, chunky monkey," she took the baby from Castle and kissed her. "I swear you've grown."

"Kate, you've only been gone nine hours. I doubt that she's grown in nine hours."

"I'm going to change clothes and then you can tell me all about your visit with your ex."

Kate took the baby into the bedroom, placing her in the middle of the bed while she quickly changed into a pair of sweats and one of Castle's t-shirts. After slipping her feet into a pair of house shoes, she reclaimed her daughter, who was clearly very happy to see her mother judging by the number of love pats she placed on Kate's face. "She had her first fit this morning."

"Oh, did she cry a lot?" Kate turned toward Castle.

"Yes, but she got over it. My mother showed up and told me that Alexis did it the first time I had to leave her. Apparently, so did I."

"So, what happened with Meredith?"

"She didn't understand why I'm going to Paris with her. I explained that I wasn't going with her, I was going with Alexis. She had to leave because we almost got into one of our old fights."

"About what?"

"About the fact that she couldn't be bothered to spend time with Alexis when it mattered the most. She didn't want to be bothered with her at the infant stage. It seemed like she didn't get interested until Alexis was walking, talking, and toilet trained."

"Well, I admit that sometimes I wish there were times when Ari could actually tell me what she wants, but I'm really enjoying this," she smiled. "I kept staring at the pictures on my desk today, not believing that I'm a mom. I tell myself that a zillion times a day. Even six months later I can't believe that I'm a mom, Castle," she couldn't stop grinning. "I mean, my mom was a mom and your mom's a mom. I never thought that title would ever apply to me."

"Well, how about if I go and fix this mom some dinner?" He walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd love it," she cuddled with him and the baby.

A/N #2: The next chapter will be Ariel's first Christmas.

Please read and review. As usual I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.