AN: I know, this is kind of a filler. It was a hard one to write.

Beckett snuggled into Castle's warm chest, holding a mug of lukewarm, decaf coffee against her chest. His finger was absent-mindedly tracing little circles on her stomach, making her shiver gently.

"I think it's going to be a boy." She turned her head to look him in the eyes, a smile on her face.

"You thought Hunter was a boy." Giggling, she felt his arm tighten around her. Castle's touch made her body heat rise, making her warmer then she would like. Even though her arm was sweating inside of her cast, it was worth it to have a cuddle with her husband.

"That was me guessing." He responded, brushing his lips softly over her hair. "This time I'm actually really quite sure." The words 'this time' resonated in her ears, making her furrow her eyebrows. Of course she was happy for the newest addition. She loved the little one already, even if it was making her way too sappy for her liking. But her mind kept going back to when she and Castle had decided to wait before having more kids, and she had honestly been wondering if she could handle another baby.

"What's up?" His breath was warm in her ear, making her relax. Beckett closed her eyes and rubbed them gently with the palm of her hands.

"Are we ready, Rick?"

"For what?" Confusion was the only thing she could hear.

"For another baby." Beckett sighed, opening her eyes again softly. "You remember how tough Hunter was. I don't know if I can handle that again." Her voice was wavering slightly, and he placed his entire hand on the centre of her abdomen.

"You're an exceptional mother, Kate." He murmured, smiling as he felt the tiny flutter of movement against her slightly stretched, tight skin. "Hunter was your first child, of course she seemed like a challenge." Sitting up slightly, she shifted off of him and turned to face him. "We're ready, babe. We're going to have another little one." Castle took her hands and kissed her forehead softly. Her smile returned, and she squeezed his hands back.

"I think it's going to be a boy, too." She replied gently, and he grinned back at her.

"Yeah, Hunter could probably use a little brother to boss around."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

She ran around the playground, giggling wildly as she climbed onto the shortest set of monkey bars she could find. Her pink Converse dangled just above the ground, and Castle's smile grew as he watched her quickly maneuver her way across the steel bars. Hunter really was athletic, and she was extremely swift on her feet. Everything about her was becoming more and more like Beckett.

Hunter jumped down from the bars and skipped towards the slide, her brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. She scaled the ladder easily, and waved at her father from the top of the slide. Castle waved back, leaning back against the wooden bench he was resting on. He loved going out with Hunter, and watching her just have fun. Beckett had been tired, and she hadn't really been feeling her best, so he had decided it would be easier for her if he just took the little girl out to the park for the afternoon.

"Daddy!" The toddler called, pouting from the top of the slide. "Come catch me!" Castle raised his eyebrows, moving across the park to stand in front of the slide with his arms open. Hunter didn't pause before flinging her self down the slide, and he caught her, pulling her tightly to him. She began to giggle, her little face lighting up, and he kissed her nose gently.

"You're crazy, little girl." Hunter began to squirm in his arms, and he put her down on the ground. She began to run away from him, giggling like a little maniac.

"Catch me!" She ran into the small, forested part of the park, and he followed, walking lazily along in the sunshine. It was a beautiful day, with sunlight streaming through the branches of the trees and making the children at the park gasp as their shadows followed them around. He loved that kind of day.

Suddenly, Hunter ran back out of the trees, throwing her arms around her fathers legs. Her eyes were wide, and almost terrified, and Castle's demeanor changed in an instant.

"What's wrong, Hun?" He asked, scooping the little girl up into his arms. She clung to the collar of his shirt.

"There's a scary man over there." She whispered, and he instantly jerked his head in the direction of the brush. There was no movement, not even a rustle of a leaf. But Hunter was shaking, and she had pressed herself so tightly to Castle that he couldn't help but hold her closely. She was never like this. Hunter was the bravest, most mature toddler that he had ever met, and seeing her like this made him very concerned.

"You want to go home?" She nodded, and he turned, walking as quickly as he could around towards the entrance to the park. He was almost to the street when someone shoved him into the bushes beside the pathway. Shocked, he shifted as quickly as he could to avoid falling onto Hunter, and her little screech was muffled as they landed in the scratchy pile of fir and branches. As quickly as he could muster, he turned around to face his attacker, but before he could turn his head around completely, something large and heavy hit him on the head from behind. Right before his vision went black, a pair of brown eyes and a large, malicious smile appeared in his sight. And then everything was gone.

AN: Please, please, please don't hate me, guys. I'll try and update ASAP, please review!

xoxo,

J