"Castle!" He heard the shout from the bedroom as he was pouring orange juice into a glass for her. Running into the bedroom, he had to hold back his laughter at the sight before him. His beautiful wife-to-be was struggling to stand up on her own.

"Kate, what are you doing on the floor?" Yes, it was Saturday and, yes, she was nesting, but she knew she couldn't get up from the floor alone anymore. Little Boo was now taking up too much room, throwing off her center of gravity, and wreaking havoc on his mommy's nerves.

There was a huge eye roll that Rick felt more than saw. "This is insane," Kate fumed. "I refuse to not be able to function like a human being just because Boo has decided to take over two-thirds of my body!"

Walking around behind her, Castle hooked his arms under Beckett's; she was wriggling so much, he was afraid he'd drop her. "Honey, stay still or I'm going to drop you and I do not want to hurt my loves." He tried very hard to hide the smirk that followed her frustrated sigh.

Once Beckett was back on her feet, she tried to pick up all the folded onesies covering the floor. Bending and twisting and turning; no matter what she tried, she couldn't move Boo out of the way enough to reach the floor.

When Castle couldn't watch Beckett struggle any more, he said quietly, "Hey."

She looked up at him with a harsh glare that dissipated when she saw his sincerity. There was no hint of teasing or mockery in his expression, just slight amusement. "What?" Beckett asked, warning in her tone.

"I just wanted you to know," he began as he wrapped his arms (or tried to, anyway) around her waist, "how much I love you."

Beckett rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, I know, Castle, thanks. Now—" She tried to move out of his arms, but he held her fast.

"I'm serious, Kate," he said, smiling, nothing but adoration in his eyes. "I just want you to know how much I love you, even in little moments like this. When you're not doing anything particularly special, when you're flustered, when you're aggravated, when you're slap happy, and now when you're mad at little Boo for being too big and me for putting him there. In all these little moments, I love you more and more."

Despite herself, Beckett smiled, affectionately rolling her eyes at her sappy, wonderful man. She reached on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss to his lips. "Thank you, Castle. I love you, too." He smiled back at her. "And I'm not mad at you, or Boo, even. I'm just ready to have my body back. I've got a lot to do to get ready for him and he's not making it very easy."

"Let me help," Castle said simply. "He's my son, too, you know."

Concern flashed across Beckett's face. "Of course he is, Castle. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you out. I just… I guess I've been so consumed with getting things ready for him and I forgot I needed—or could use—the help."

Castle smiled at her even more widely. "I'm not upset. I've actually been keeping an eye on you, making sure things like this don't happen more often than they have." He kissed the corner of her smile. "Come on. Let's get these onesies upstairs and finish setting up that crib, shall we?"

Beckett wrapped her arms around Castle's neck and squeezed him tight. "Thank you, Rick." Pulling back, she looked at him and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too." He beamed at her. Grabbing the onesies from the floor, he sat them on her belly. "Here, Boo, you hold these. They're yours, anyway."

Beckett laughed and placed her hand on top of the pile to hold them in place, following Castle up the stairs to what was once the spare room. In the last few days, it had been painted a soft gray and her rocking chair had been placed in the corner. Another, less-plush rocking chair sat alongside it: one for Mommy and one for Daddy. The changing table had been assembled yesterday and sat serenely under the window. Jim and Rick had been working together while Kate sat in her chair and read the instructions to them.

There was a half-finished giraffe painted where the crib would go—it was Alexis's project. Once it was finished, it would be looking over the edge of the crib, constantly watching the baby. It was Alexis's way of making sure her Little Bit was always safe.

Castle sighed upon entering the room. The crib was laying in pieces on the floor; that was to be their project for the day. The baby was due in just a couple weeks and they needed to get this finished. Jim was coming in about an hour to help with the crib and Alexis would be home from school in a few hours to finish the giraffe.

"You ready for this?" Beckett asked as Castle sat down on the floor in front of the crib pieces.

Without looking at her, Castle responded, "Yeah, I mean, it'll be easier with your dad's help, but I think I can at least get started."

Behind him, Beckett absent-mindedly rubbed her belly. "That's not what I'm talking about," she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

When Castle turned around, he saw Beckett's worried look at jumped up to stand in front of her. "What's going through your head, sweetheart?" He knew, he just thought she needed to voice it.

"Castle, I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to raise a baby! Am I ready to be a mom?"

Smiling at her softly and, taking her hands in his, he said, "No one's ever ready, Beckett, and no one think's they're going to be a good parent." She huffed in exasperation. "But," he continued, "I know that you love this little boy more than anything in the world, and because of that, I know that you're going to be an amazing mother."

Castle could tell she was trying not to cry; her breathing was shaky and he could see her swallow down the knot in her throat. He tried to lighten the mood some. "And besides, I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, either." That earned a tiny chuckle.

"You already have a kid, Castle," she needlessly pointed out.

He overemphasized his reaction. "Yeah, a daughter! And I have absolutely no idea how she turned out so well." Beckett laughed again. Castle continued. "I mean, I'm basically a child, her mother is—well, her mother, and my mother is a drama queen."

Beckett was smiling brightly now, feeling slightly more hopeful about the future. She kissed her fiancé. "Thank you for cheering me up."

"Always," he said. "And you have nothing to worry about, Beckett. You're already an amazing mother to Boo, and I know you're only going to get better from here. And we're doing this together. You will never be alone in this, okay?"

Resting her head on Castle's shoulder, Beckett wrapped her arms around his middle as best she could. "Thank you, Rick. I can wait to be Mommy-and-Daddy with you."

He hugged her back, saying, "I can't wait to watch you be a Mommy." He was kissing her hair when they heard a knock at the door.

"You get back to it," Beckett said, "and I'll go let Dad in."

XXXXXXXXXX

The door swung open and Jim stood there smiling, his tool belt in his hand. "Katie, hi."

"Hi, Dad," she said as he kissed her cheek. "Come on in." She stepped aside and let her dad into the living room. "Castle's already upstairs. If you wanna go ahead up, I'll bring you guys some water. Are you hungry?"

He shook his head and said, "No, I just ate before I came over."

"Okay," Beckett said. "Thanks for helping, by the way. Castle's never been the fixer-upper type, but he's determined to do as much for Little Boo as he can."

Jim walked over to his little girl and put his hand on her belly, immediately feeling something gliding under his palm. "And how is my little grandson today?"

Beckett smiled and put her hand over his, sliding it slightly to the left. "Well today, he's acting like a little David Beckham. He won't stop kicking me."

Jim chuckled at her. "You did the same thing, you know." Beckett smiled. As if on cue, there was a thud and a muffled moan from upstairs, followed shortly by an, "I'm okay!"

Pulling his hand from his daughter's stomach, Jim said, "I'd better get up there."

"Please," Beckett laughed. "I would love to still have a fiancé when Boo finally makes his appearance."

There was a pause. "Are you happy, Katie?" Jim asked her.

She looked at him almost incredulously. "Of course I am, Dad. I'm so happy."

Jim smiled. "Good." And with that, he made his way upstairs.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time Alexis got home from school, the crib was set up in the middle of the room, giving her enough space to finish the giraffe once her homework was done.

"The giraffe looks great, Alexis," Jim said as the teen entered the living room.

"Thanks, Jim," she said. "I'm actually going to go finish it now." Then, looking to her dad, "You'll let me know when dinner's ready?"

Castle smiled at her. "Of course, pumpkin." And with that, Alexis was off.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about Alexis and Boo, Beckett's childhood stories that had her in stitches, and plans for the new arrival and eventual wedding. Dinner was enjoyed by all and when Beckett walked her dad to the door, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered to her, "Your mother would be so proud, Katie."

She tried to fight the tears that sprung to her eyes as she said, "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, then turned and walked down the hall and to the elevator.

XXXXXXXXXX

In bed that night, Castle was laying behind Beckett with his hand resting over her belly protectively. He thought she was asleep when he heard her barely whisper, "I'm scared to do this without my mom."

"Kate, she's always with you. I know it will never be the same and it will always be hard, but I am always, always here for you."

She snuggled back into him just a little bit more and pulled his arm tighter around her. "I know." And with that, they fell asleep.