Disclaimer: I have no ownership of these characters.
This is an AU story. Montgomery is still alive, and Beckett has not been shot. Castle is at the precinct for his fourth year.
Rick awakens to find Kate's side of the bed empty. He quickly showers and dresses, before going in search of her.
He hears laughter coming from the kitchen and heads that way. He finds Kate, Alexis and Lanie all perched on stools. He walks by and kisses Alexis and Kate on the cheek before grabbing some juice out of the fridge.
"Breakfast will be done soon. Kate's making her baked breakfast scramble for us again." Alexis bubbly announces as Esposito and Ashley come strolling in.
The girls are busy discussing the different shops they want to visit in town, while the guys are discussing their plans for the day.
Martha, Jim, Chell and Jacob all come walking in, as Alexis starts handing everyone their food and they all make their way to the table.
"So Castle, what all do we need to get done while the girls are in town?" Javier asks.
"Not a whole lot, we just need to move everything out of the office and into the library. It shouldn't take that long." Rick replies.
"Maybe we could head down to the gun-range afterwards, have a little fun." Jacob adds.
"Not without me, you won't. I haven't shot a gun in over a month, my fingers are itchy." Kate responds.
Rick holds up his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok, we'll wait to shoot guns until you're back."
"There is something I wanted to talk to you guys about. When we get back to the city, I'm going to need all of your help. I'm moving into Castle's loft, and Martha is moving into mine. Dad's place is going to need to be packed up too. We're going to need everyone's help to get it all done, before we go back to work." Kate suggests.
"I've got a wonderful idea. Why don't we start with Jim's place? While you guys are packing up there, Kate and I can be readying our things for packing." Martha adds.
Everyone acknowledges their agreement to help, in between eating.
"How about you guys help me with a project when we get done moving Rick's office today? I really could use the help, since I'm down to one arm." Jacob laughs.
Javier looks at the others. "Sure, we're game."
"Everyone plan on meeting back here for dinner. We're going to BBQ tonight." Rick chimes in.
Kate stands up and excuses herself to get ready, while Alexis busies clearing the table and loading the dishwasher.
Rick and the guys excuse themselves and head into his office.
"Alright boss-man, what goes first?" Javier asks.
"There's really not much to take out. We'll have to find a place for the bookcase in the library, as well as the rest of the furniture. I guess we should take everything off the walls too."
"What about the TV above the fireplace?" Jacob asks.
"I guess we better leave that up there, it might come in handy." Rick laughs.
Ashley walks over and begins to unload the bookcase, carrying its contents into the library.
Rick and Javier each grab an end of the desk and begin carrying it to the library also.
Jacob follows them struggling to hang onto the wall decorations.
"Jacob, don't worry about trying to carry anything. I don't want to see your arm messed up again. We got this. You can supervise." Rick jokes.
Alexis and Lanie come strolling in with huge boxes in their arms.
"We're fixing to leave, Dad, but I looked for these this morning, and thought maybe you could use some of them for the baby." Alexis says
Rick peeks inside her box to find an assortment of baby toys and smirks.
"I had completely forgotten about these." He says as he grabs the box and turns to the guys. "When we first moved in here, this room was locked up. I had to get a locksmith out here to get it open. Once it was opened, we found several boxes inside. There wasn't any furniture in it, except for an antique wooden rocking chair with the word "Mommy" engraved in it. The boxes were filled with baby things, toys, blankets, and what-nots. You could tell the room hadn't been used in quite some time. Helen Belleayre, Alan's wife, had been expecting and lost the baby in a car accident when she was about five months pregnant. In their bereavement, Helen made Alan lock the door and the room was never touched again."
"There are some really nice things in here." Lanie adds.
"I was going to give all of it away, but Alexis suggested we keep it, so we've had it stored in the attic of the garage all this time."
"See Dad, aren't you glad you listened to me?" Alexis beams.
"Of course I am, pumpkin, just don't any of you tell Kate about this stuff. We'll surprise her when you get back home."
"Castle, are we shopping for furniture too?" Lanie asks.
"You girls are going to help Kate pick out everything she could possibly want for this nursery, furniture included. If it won't all fit in the SUV, just have the rest delivered here."
"Leaving it pretty wide open there, aren't you Castle?" Kate says as she walks into the room.
"Umm, yeah, I suppose." Rick says as he tries to hide the boxes behind him.
"Whatcha got there? You should know by now, I can always tell when you are up to something, Castle."
The gang all snickers as Rick slumps in defeat. "Fine, it was supposed to be a surprise."
He steps to the side, and Kate walks over to the boxes. She squats down and begins to pull items out of the boxes.
"Oh my God, this stuff is incredible. Where did you get it?" Kate exclaims.
"I'll tell you all about it on the ride into Fleischmanns." Alexis responds.
Kate pulls out some crocheted baby blankets. "These are gorgeous. You can't find stuff like this in the stores. So much heart is put into them."
Alexis reaches into another box and smiles.
"This should come in handy." She says as she hands the 'baby names' book to Kate.
Kate grabs it and starts flipping through the pages. Rick walks over and slowly takes it out of her hands.
"There's more than enough time for that, you girls have a lot of shopping to go do, so you better get going." He says as he leans down to softly kiss her.
"Alright Castle, but we're looking through this book later." She says as she slowly stands back up. He nods in agreement.
"This is going to be so much fun." Lanie says to Alexis.
"I've got the card right here." Alexis pats her purse. "Let's go get the others and get this shopping-frenzy on the road."
Kate, Lanie and Alexis say their goodbyes and then rush off to find Martha and Chell.
"Rick, do you still have the rocker?" Jacob asks.
"It should still be up in the attic. I guess we should bring it in too."
"I'll go get it." Jim chimes in.
The guys stack the baby boxes on the fireplace hearth, and continue moving the rest of the office things into the library.
Kate and the girls are strolling down the sidewalk in Fleischmanns when Kate quickly turns and enters a cute little boutique.
She rushes over to a rack near the display window and pulls an item off the rack.
"I have got to get these, Castle will love them." She says as she shows the girls a set of three bibs that have 'I Love Daddy' embroidered across them.
The girls all spread out looking throughout the store.
Alexis squeals and comes rushing back to Kate. "Look what I found." She says as she shows Kate a t-shirt that says 'I'm the Big-Sister' on it.
"I am so getting this." Alexis beams.
"Kate, do you have any kind of theme in mind for the nursery?" Martha asks.
"Not really, Martha. Perhaps we should just look around for a bit, maybe I'll get some inspiration."
Kate's phone rings. "Excuse me, I need to answer this." She says as she hands Alexis the bibs and rushes outside to answer the phone.
Lanie spots a door sign, that reads 'Shhhhhh, Baby Sleeping' on it, and shows it to Alexis. Alexis grabs it and hurries to the counter to check out.
The girls exit the boutique to find Kate hanging up from her call.
"Everything alright?" Lanie asks.
"Everything is fine. That was Dr. Murray's office back home. They were confirming my appointment for Friday afternoon." Kate replies.
"Come on girls, I know a great place we need to check out." Chell adds as everyone begins to follow her.
They arrive in front of the 'BabySupermall'.
"You'll love this place." Chell smirks as they walk inside.
Kate and Alexis head straight to the furniture section.
"These are beautiful." Alexis says as she drags Kate over to the matching sets.
Kate picks out a beautiful nursery set in a dark cherry wood that includes the four-in-one crib and mattress, a three-drawer changing table, a four-drawer dresser and a six-shelf bookcase/hutch.
Alexis grabs Kate's hand, and pulls her over to the bedding area.
Kate strolls through the area, stopping to look at several different styles.
"This is hard, when you don't know if it's a boy or a girl." Kate says to Martha.
"Kate, just pick out something that could be used for either, in a neutral color. That's the way to play it safe."
The girls continue to look at more styles, until Kate rushes ahead of them.
"This is it! This is the one I want." Kate says to the girls as they all gather around.
The bedding set is a dark chocolate color with patches of plaid, tan and cream throughout it. It's accentuated with teddy bears and in the middle says 'B is for Bear'.
Kate quickly tells the salesgirl that she wants the bedding, mobile, lamp, hamper, wall decorations, and the stuffed teddy bears the store is using in the display.
"We also have a stroller-carrier-car seat set, swing, play-yard, bassinet, play-mat, highchair and a walker in this design." The salesgirl quickly states.
"Add it all to the furniture we have already on hold." Martha tells the girl.
"We'll never fit all this into the SUV." Kate chimes in.
"That's alright ma'am, we can deliver it all." The salesgirl replies.
"That would be wonderful." Alexis responds to the girl.
"Are you ready to check out now, or would you like to look around a little more?"
"We've got a lot of browsing to still do." Chell tells the girl.
Kate and Lanie are walking through the baby-wear area of the store. Kate picks up a dainty little onesie and holds it to her chest.
"I'm going to be a mommy." She quietly remarks to Lanie.
"Awe, sweetie, you're going to make a great mommy. I just know it."
"I just wish my mom was here with me." Kate sniffles.
"She'll always be with you Kate, and I'm sure she's happy for you."
"Yeah, but she can't give me advice, or baby tips."
"Girl, you've got Martha and your dad to give you advice, and don't ever forget Castle's experience."
"I know, I'm just being selfish I guess."
"Kate, you are one of the most selfless people I know. You're just missing your mom at a pivotal point in your life, that's normal sweetie."
Alexis joins them, carrying a diaper bag and shopping cart cover that matches the set Kate picked out, as Martha rolls up with a cart for them to put all their findings in.
"Kate, have you thought about if you are going to breast feed or bottle feed?" Chell asks.
"I hadn't really thought about that, Chell. I'm not sure how smart breast feeding would be, with my job and all."
"You've got plenty of time to figure it out." Lanie chimes in.
The ladies quickly have the basket filled up with clothing, a bottle warmer, scratch mitts, a baby healthcare kit, bibs and burp clothes, bottle sets, a nursing pillow, a baby bath, baby monitor system, a thermometer, travel changer, diaper pail, bottle drying rack, receiving blankets, fleece blankets, a teddy bear bank, wall plaques, an infant lounger and various other baby items.
"Kate, you must get one of these. Richard carried Alexis everywhere he went with one of these when she was an infant. He's sure to want one for this little one." Martha says as she shows Kate an infant carrier that holds the baby up against your chest.
Kate nods, as Martha tosses it into their basket.
Kate picks up a silver frame that holds a spot for monthly pictures for the baby's first year, with the newborn picture in the middle. She also picks up two silver keepsake frames. These will be great for her desk and for Castle's office, she thinks. She softly smiles and places them in the basket with the other items.
"I better go get the SUV; we're never going to be able to carry all this stuff through town." Lanie says, before rushing out the doors.
The salesgirl takes the boxes of diapers, baby wipes, the bouncer, rocker/glider and the humidifier they've also selected to the counter for them.
"Anything else you can think of that we'll need?" Kate asks Martha and Chell.
"I think we've got it about covered, except for one thing." Chell replies.
Martha winks at Chell, and quickly blurts out. "Maternity clothes, I know some great shops just down the street!"
"Really? Maternity clothes all ready? I'm not even showing."
"Kate, your body growing will sneak up on you before you know it. This way you'll be prepared with fit able clothing when it happens." Chell explains.
Kate laughs. "Ok, let's go see what we can find."
Alexis makes her way back over to the group. "Ok, all checked out. They will box up all the things we purchased, and deliver it all together this afternoon."
"I'm not even going to ask how much money we just spent. Lanie's going to be pissed that she brought the SUV around for nothing." Kate smirks.
"Kate, this baby and you are part of our family now. Don't you worry about the money, my dear." Martha softly says.
The girls step out onto the sidewalk, as Lanie pulls up.
"False alarm, Lanie, they're delivering everything we bought this evening." Kate quickly says.
"No problem, that just means more room we get to fill up." Lanie chuckles.
The girls walk down the street and stop in front of a shop called 'Destination Maternity'.
Kate tries on an enormous amount of maternity clothing, and before long, they walk out of the store carrying seven bags full of maternity clothing.
"I can't believe we got all of that." Kate spouts out.
"Girl, you're definitely going to need more than this, but we can all go shopping once we get back home." Lanie responds.
"How about we all plan on going shopping on Saturday? Chell, you and Jacob are coming home with us for the New Years right?" Alexis asks.
"What better way to close the year out than a girls-day-out-shopping-extravaganza?" Martha replies.
"Of course we are Alexis, we do every year." Chell responds.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Lanie exclaims.
"How about stopping at Java Hut for a latte? I could really use something warm right now." Chell asks the crowd.
Everyone chimes in their agreement, as they head off towards the coffee shop.
Rick and the guys are all busy in Jacob's wood-shop.
Ashley and Jacob have sanded down and are re-staining the antique rocker.
Rick looks over and smiles. Kate is going to love her surprises when she gets home.
Rick, Javier and Jim are all busy in different areas of the wood-shop, working on Jacob's project.
"You know, this is going to make my little girl cry, don't you Rick?"
"I'm sure she's going to absolutely fall in love with all of it." Rick softly replies.
Jim winks as Rick as he nods in agreement.
Javier chuckles. "I've never seen Beckett as emotional as she's been lately. It's kind of refreshing to see her more feminine side."
"Don't let her hear you say that. She'd bust your chops real quick." Rick laughs.
"Don't I know it?" Javier quickly replies.
The guys all chuckle as they continue the work on their surprises.
Kate and the girls all pull up at Rick's cabin, to find the guys all lounging around in the den.
"How was your shopping escapade?" Jim asks the girls.
"It was great, but now you guys get to unload the SUV." Laughs Alexis.
The guys all start to shuffle outside, and quickly return with all the bags.
"Jesus, did you buy the stores out?" Javier smirks.
"Ha! That's not even part of it. The rest will be delivered later this afternoon." Lanie quickly replies.
"The rest of it?" Ashley asks.
Rick walks over and places a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "My boy, you have much to learn about women, credit-cards, and shopping."
Everyone laughs at the exchange.
Jacob stands up, and looks at Kate. "We have a surprise for you Kate. It's in the nursery."
The girls all quickly rush towards the nursery, and Kate gasps.
"Oh my god, they are beautiful." She says as she rushes to the rocker and softly traces her fingers over it.
"The rocker was the one that belongs to the Belleayre's, it just needed restoring. The toy-box was Jacob's project, but we all pitched in together." Rick replies.
Kate smiles up at Jacob as tears run down her face. "Thank you, so much."
She stands again, and walks over to each of the guys, and tightly hugs each of them.
Jim elbows Rick, as he softly whispers. "Told you so."
Rick softly snickers.
Note:
Sorry this chapter took so long to update. I've been trying for DAYS to login, but it kept giving me errors. I'm sure you guys can imagine the filthy language that's been heard around my house because of it. Thank you so much for your patience. Hopefully I can get the rest of these chapters updated quickly, to complete the story.
To view the nursery set Kate picked out, go to:
http :/tinyurl .com /6ra5mmo (remove the spaces)
A special thanks to all of you that sent in your reviews and comments. They are greatly appreciated.
Paula