Still Here – Chapter 12
When she opened her eyes it was still dark, but there was a haze of light coming through the bottom of the curtains. Beckett felt wonderful. She didn't know when was the last time she had slept so peacefully. This bed… god… this bed was so comfortable, she didn't know if she even wanted to leave it. Yes, she nodded her head against the soft pillow, I could definitely get used to this bed.
Letting out a sigh at having to wake up, she swung her arm over onto the other side of the bed, expecting to feel her bed companion, but instead her searching hand was met by nothing. Her hair tumbled down over her face as she sat up. Brushing her long locks away from her eyes she glanced over to the other side of the bed to confirm what her hand had already known… it was empty.
"Castle?" she called out to no response. Swallowing, for some reason feeling nervous and worried, Beckett slipped out of the covers and called his name again.
That's when she heard it, the faint sounds of his voice, added with another one. Beckett tiptoed over to the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. Gently, she pushed it open a little more and narrowed her eyes, trying to hear some of the conversation that was going on. By the pitch and inclinations of the other voice, Beckett immediately knew whom Castle was talking with. Suddenly—and quite unexpectedly—her heart was pounding and her chest was heaving as her breaths came in quick gasps, unwelcome panic rising up inside her.
Closing her eyes, she stepped back from the doorframe, quietly pulling the door shut behind her. She staggered back, her eyes wide. Why are you panicking? She questioned herself in a chiding inner voice. She had to have known that this was going to happen if she spent the night. There was no way around this... it was bound to happen. She had known! Then why was she acting this way?
As her mind whirled around with these questions, she froze, catching scent of the enticing aroma. Bacon. He was making bacon and eggs for breakfast. Her stomach growled and the two little ones inside her demanded sustenance. Biting the inside of her cheek, Beckett opened his closet and found a robe. She was not going to go out there in nothing but one of his large t-shirts and her panties. Pulling the sleeves over her shoulders, she wrapped the robe around her and tied the waist sash, which, along with his large t-shirt, hid the small bump forming in her middle.
Popping quickly into the bathroom, she did a quick check of her appearance, smoothing out her hair and such. But as she caught her reflection, she paused. Was she actually glowing? Furrowing her brow and wrinkling her nose, she shook her head. Kate Beckett did not glow. Yes, she was pregnant, and some people said pregnant women had a glow about them… but she… she did not glow. And that was final!
Letting out a sigh, admitting that the aroma of the bacon, and the soft sizzling noise it made as it cooked, were overpowering her normal safeguards, Beckett tugged the robe tighter around her body and ducked out of the bathroom and through his bedroom, leaving the big comfortable bed behind and heading towards what would most likely be a somewhat awkward morning.
XXX
"No joke, Alexis… I'm being serious," she heard Castle say.
Peeking her head around the doorframe, Beckett snuck through his office door and peered down the hallway, seeing him standing behind the island countertop, gesturing with a spatula as he talked. Sunlight danced through the Loft's windows, casting the entire kitchen and open lounge area in a warm glow.
She turned her attention to Castle and smiled softly. He looked good, dressed in the same black t-shirt he had worn to bed. Though, unlike last night (when he had worn those very flattering black shorts), he had pulled on a pair of dark blue flannel pajama bottoms. His hair was still wild and tousled from the pillow, but it only added to his charm and adorableness. As she appraised his appearance, she decided he looked good in anything… or nothing, for that matter.
Looking away from the ruggedly handsome mystery author—and father of her twins—Beckett spotted Alexis sitting on one of the barstools, leaning forward on one elbow as her father spoke, continuing to brazenly wield his kitchen utensil around in the air.
"Really? A clown? Are you sure, Dad? You're not just making it up, are you?" the adorable redhead questioned, giving her father a dubious look.
"Yes. Yes. And no!" Castle asserted, very vehemently, his face turning into the most adorable expression like he was hurt his own flesh and blood did not believe him. "How could you even think I, your very loving father, would make up such a thing, Alexis dear?" He made a faux pouting face, feigning hurt feelings, and turned to flip the sizzling bacon.
Beckett smiled lightly, watching father and daughter banter as Castle roamed about the kitchen making breakfast. She bit her lower lip and watched as Martha appeared from the top of the stairs, and made a typical dramatic entrance. Scooting back, Beckett tried to remain out of sight as the diva strolled across the open space between the kitchen and lounge to give her granddaughter a hug.
"Morning, Grams!" Alexis chirped, always happy and upbeat.
There is something seriously wrong with that girl, Beckett found herself thinking. I mean, yeah, she's perfect… I wouldn't change a thing about her. But no one is that cheery in the morning… Wait? Weren't you just as happy as a clam a while ago when you woke up in Rick's bed… Happy as a clam? Who the hell says that anymore! And why are you calling him Rick and not Castle? Frowning, she stopped her internal conversation. Seriously, she might need to see a therapist if she kept having these little chats with herself.
"Bacon, eggs, and pancakes," Martha listed off as she gave a droll smile towards her son. "My, my, my… someone's in a good mood this morning." She turned sideways on her barstool and gave her granddaughter a knowing wink. Alexis knitted her eyebrows together, obviously confused at what her grandmother was trying to hint at.
Castle gave a tight smile, his eyes lighting up a bit as he no doubt remembered some of last night. Beckett bit her lower lip, remembering the intense make out session that they had had as they cuddled up in bed before going to sleep. His hands had touched her in ways that were so sensual and erotic that she had nearly gone over the edge of the threshold. And he had never once, during the entire course of that passionate and heated make out session, touched her flesh. No man had ever had that kind of affect on her. It was mind-boggling, really.
Shaking her head, Beckett returned to the present and watched as Castle tried with all his might to contain the inner child within that wanted to simply scream out the fabulous news he so desperately wanted to tell his family.
Martha leaned forward, her eyes watching her son move about the kitchen. "To be honest, Richard, I hadn't expected you this morning."
"Really? Why is that, mother?" Castle questioned, trying to act innocent, batting his eyelashes and adding a charming smile.
The diva snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes, informing her son that that act would not work on her. "Oh, I just thought you might be spending the night at a certain detective's apartment," Martha elaborated. "As you have been doing for the past two nights this week."
Alexis shifted uncomfortably, finally fully understanding what was being implied by all this. She pulled her glass of orange juice up to her lips, looking like she was desperately trying to control an embarrassed blush. Beckett sympathized with the girl, no child wanted to hear about their parent's bedroom antics, but with a father like Castle, Alexis probably had been exposed to that sort of stuff long before Beckett had even come into their lives.
Castle straightened his back and then suddenly his eyes were on her. Beckett froze, her chest tightening as she realized he had known she had been standing there all along.
"Care to field that question, Kate?" he asked. He said her name with a large smile, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at her, taking in the fact that she was wearing one of his robes. He seemed far too pleased by that for Beckett's liking.
Martha and Alexis both turned with stunned expressions as Beckett hesitantly stepped out from behind her hiding place, hugging the robe tighter around her body, suddenly feeling very naked and exposed. She gave them a cautious smile as she made her way around the island countertop to stand by Castle, who gave her a quick chaste kiss on the cheek—which was okay, really. After all Martha and Alexis knew they were dating.
"Good morning," he softly whispered into her ear as she heard him take a whiff of her scent.
She ran her bottom lip under her teeth and eased into him, smiling slightly, enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin, as he also reached up and brushed her hair back a bit, tucking it behind an ear. It was an incredibly intimate gesture, one she was slightly in awe at. Had they really come that far in just one month of officially dating?
Letting out a light breath, Beckett reached up and fisted his shirt in her hand, pulling him back to kiss him softly on the lips. "Morning," she murmured, as she slipped back, blushing brightly as she remembered the audience they had.
Castle gave her a wink and a wiggling of his eyebrows, before then turned back to the stove, busying himself with scrambling the eggs and flipping the pancakes.
Beckett swallowed hard and breathed in deeply as she leaned back against the island counter to turn and greet the other two. "Morning, Alexis… Martha," she inclined her head, trying her best to stifle the blush at having been caught coming out of Castle's bedroom… in one of his robes, no less.
"Morning, Kate darling," Martha smiled, looking very pleased, her eyes surreptitiously shifting between Beckett and Castle.
"Did you sleep well, Detective?" Alexis beamed warmly, her smile almost infectious, breaking the awkward silence.
"Very, yes," Beckett nodded, trying to contain her anxious breathing. "And it's Kate, Alexis. You can call me Kate."
Martha seemed to notice her apprehension, because she reached across the countertop and grabbed her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. "No reason to be nervous, dear," she smiled reassuringly. "We all want you here."
"Yeah," Castle chimed in, startling her as he came up behind. "Especially me!" He gave her a quick kiss on the side of her head, and then went back to finishing up cooking breakfast.
Beckett bit her lower lip and nodded, smiling lightly. "Thanks, Martha… that… that means a lot." God, she felt like such a teenager right now, like her dad had caught her on the couch, making out with a boy.
Martha gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand again. Suddenly, the older woman paused and frowned. Ever so slowly, she lifted Beckett's hand up and gazed down, her eyes going wide as a delightful soft smile formed on her lips.
"What's this?"
"Huh?" Castle was looking over his shoulder at them.
"Oh… that…," Beckett stuttered, not having thought of this. She had anticipated some awkwardness over the fact that she had spent the night, but she had not mentally prepared herself for this.
"Oh my god!" Alexis nearly squealed, her large sparkling eyes gazing down at the engagement ring on Beckett's finger. The young teen looked up, turning back and forth between her dad and Beckett. "Are… are you two… engaged?"
Fighting to control the urge to run from the room, Beckett put a big smile on her face—to be honest, it wasn't really that hard to fake; she was genuinely happy and thrilled to be marrying Richard Castle. But it was all still a bit overwhelming, especially with the other bit of news that the two other women in Castle's life had yet to hear. As for Castle, he remained silent, but his smiling eyes were watching Beckett, as he let her field the excited question.
Beckett gave a slight nod. "Yes."
Alexis burst out in the loudest scream of joy Beckett had ever heard. She literally jumped off her stool and darted around the island counter to give Beckett the biggest hug she had ever had. Beckett's calm broke and she smiled brightly, laughing as Alexis squeezed her tight, then backed away so Martha could get in on the fun. As Beckett was engulfed in an embrace by the older woman, she smiled more and her moist eyes flickered over to Castle as she thought, This was the so-called 'two head dragon' Rick was so afraid of?
As Martha retreated back to the other side of the counter, Alexis came back up, practically bouncing with joy. Her enthusiasm was so infectious that Beckett nearly wanted to bounce along with the teen. "This is so exciting… are… are we the first to know?"
Beckett exchanged a look with Castle.
"Well, Ryan and Esposito kind of caught us in the act… so to speak," he stopped talking and quickly looked away.
"In the act?" Alexis echoed, looking somewhat unsure how to respond to that.
"I think he means the proposal, Alexis dear," Martha called out from her barstool.
"Oh," mumbled the teen.
Beckett blushed at the other image Castle's choice of words had formed in her mind, and at the fact that his teenager daughter hat thought he was referring to the very same thing she had.
"So… how was it?" Alexis beamed, bouncy again with delight. "Was it all romantic?"
"Romantic… would you call it romantic, Rick?" Beckett asked looking over her shoulder at him as he furrowed his brow, trying to act like he was busy cooking.
He frowned. "I would have preferred it to have happened differently," he eventually said, using the spatula to dish out the hot pancakes onto a plate.
"Well, how was it, then? Don't leave us in suspense!" Martha asked, gesturing for her son to hurry up and serve breakfast.
"In a hurry, mother?" Castle chuckled as he divided up the pancakes, eggs and bacon amongst the four of them.
Beckett did not miss the fact that he was giving her the lion's share. She hoped the others didn't notice; one big announcement was enough. However, as she sat down next to Alexis, Beckett noticed Martha giving her a knowing look.
"I just want to hear this story while I'm still young, dear," Martha replied, picking up her fork.
"Oh mother, I could do so much with that statement," Castle replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "But I won't spoil the happy moment with silly jokes."
"Thanks," Martha rolled her eyes at her son.
"Let's see," Castle positioned himself across from Beckett, watching as she put butter and added generous amount of syrup on top of her pancakes. She really did like his pancakes. "Kate was sitting in the break room, talking with Lanie… I arrived… looking all dapper and debonair, I must say."
"Dad…," Alexis whined, rolling her eyes. Beckett could not help but notice how similar that eye roll was to her own.
"He was very pleasant on the eyes, though," Beckett helped him out, smiling widely.
"Thanks, Kate, lots of help there," Castle chuckled and winked at her. He leaned against the countertop and picked up a piece of bacon, taking a bite out of it. "Right, continuing with the story." He paused, staring at her for a moment. "Well, after I arrived, Lanie made a hasty retreat. I knelt down before this gorgeous detective," he inclined his head toward her, smiling. "And then reached inside my coat and brought out the small black box."
"I was speechless," she added. She was grateful that he'd left out the part about her proposing while they were making love the night before.
"Can I see it again?" Alexis inquired.
Beckett gave a smile, thrilled to be able to show off an engagement ring, especially when the man who gave it to her was so special and near and dear to her heart. Putting her fork down, she held up her hand for Alexis to see the ring again. Martha leaned around her granddaughter to cast another look at it too.
"Richard… I'm impressed," Martha said, smiling over at her son.
"Huh?" Castle had half a pancake stuffed into his mouth.
"Simple, yet elegant," Martha elaborated.
"I know… it's perfect," Beckett felt bubbly and happy. She sighed contently as she stared at the silver band with the three small sparkling diamonds.
"It is," Alexis agreed and looked up. "Well done, Dad! Much better than you did with Gina."
Castle made a face and swallowed. "Well, I had to get it right this time, now didn't I?"
"Well, you did at that, darling," Martha nodded.
They all turned back to enjoying their breakfast. Beckett found that she was ravenous and she nearly devoured her whole meal before anyone else was finished. Castle slipped her a couple more strips of bacon, which she gave him a quick chaste kiss in thanks. Alexis smiled and Martha grinned knowingly.
"Is there anything else you two would like to share with the group?" Martha inquired, giving them both a look that said 'I know you're hiding something, and I think I know what it is'.
Beckett swallowed hard and looked over at Castle nervously. He moved around the island countertop and slid in beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She leaned against him and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his proximity. He brushed a kiss against her temple.
"Should we tell them?" he whispered.
"We might as well," she murmured back. "Could… could you?"
"Always."
He pressed a kiss against her cheek and she turned her head to kiss his lips. Castle gave a small smile and turned to face his mother and daughter.
"So… Alexis," he started off. "How would you like to have some siblings?"
Beckett felt like cringing. Not the way she would have done it, but hey, this was Castle. He was not much for being subtle. Taking a deep breath and running her lower lip under her teeth, the detective looked at the teen, awaiting her response. The room was suddenly very quiet.
"Siblings… as… as in more than one?" Alexis asked, honestly, she looked shell-shocked.
Beckett and Castle nodded in unison. Now Martha looked stunned as well. The diva had probably suspected Beckett was pregnant, but not with twins.
"Wait? Backup a second," Alexis said, holding up her hands and trying to get a hold of her breathing. "Are… are you getting married because you got knocked up?"
Castle feigned a gasp of indignation, not to mention he looked quite horrified that his daughter actually had a grasp on the situation. Beckett blushed and eased into Castle, helping to take away some of the tension.
"I may have gotten pregnant first, but it was always leading towards this," she calmly replied with a smile, taking his hand and intertwining her fingers with his.
He smiled down at her and nodded. "I bought the ring almost two years ago," he confided aloud. Beckett noticed that both Alexis and Martha looked genuinely surprised by this. "I've kept it hidden, locked away, in the safe in my office. I was just waiting for the day until I could use it."
"So you're not getting married because of the babies?" Alexis asked, obviously needing clarification and reinforcement on this matter.
"We're getting married because we love one another, Alexis," Beckett answered, blushing slightly at so freely and openly admitting her feelings. She was so closed and guarded normally. Something about Castle, and the whole Castle clan, for that matter, just seemed to bring her out of her shell. "He… Rick… Rick's my one and done."
They smiled at each other, and then she reached up with her ringed hand and caressed the side of his face as he leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her lips. She giggled softly as he backed away, blushing even more at their public displays of affection. She'll have to get used to it, Castle was rather fond of touching.
"So it's twins?" Martha questioned, still looking like she was recovering from that added news.
"Yes, mother, twins," Castle confirmed with a warm smile, squeezing his arm tighter around Beckett.
"We're going to tell my Dad tonight," Beckett said. Her eyes went wide as she started to panic. "Oh god, I still need to make reservations at the restaurant… not to mention, actually pick a restaurant."
"Shh, it's alright," Castle soothed her, running a hand up and down her back. "I'll take care of it. Just tell me what type of food you want."
"Italian… I think," she frowned, knitting her eyebrows together, and then looked up at him, placing a hand on her stomach. "I'm not sure… these two don't necessarily let me know in advance, you know."
He gave a serious nod. "I bet they'll be voracious eaters, with cute little chubby legs and arms. Oh, and they'll have your eyes, Kate. Yes, I think I'll like that."
Martha laughed lightly, and Alexis giggled. Castle turned to look at them, his eyebrows raised and his face the picture of confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing, dear," Martha assured him, waving a hand dramatically and taking a sip of her morning coffee.
"It… it's just so cute," Alexis beamed.
The couple stared at the teen in equal puzzlement.
"How you two talk about the babies," Alexis elaborated, rolling her eyes at the thickheaded adults she had to put up with.
"Oh," Beckett blushed, averting her eyes, and biting her lower lip.
"Hey, cool," Castle said, grinning besides her. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes as he wiggled his eyebrows. "You hear that, Becks, we're cute!"
