Academy

"Beckett!" he calls out, already stumbling out of his chair and through to the living room. His wife is dozing on the couch, a blanket tucked around her waist and both hands settled at the swell of her belly.

One eye cracks open to see him and Kate shifts against the pile of cushions at her back, scraping a hand through her hair. "What's wrong? I'm sleeping."

"Sorry," he says, coming to sit by her hip. Rick pushes the hair back out of her face and kisses her forehead, pulling back three seconds later because he can't stop grinning. "Sorry, honey. How are you feeling?"

"Uncomfortable," she grumps, flexing her toes to make the blanket move. "Nauseous. Exhausted. Irritable."

Castle scrunches his face up into a wince and reaches under the blanket to find her hand, bringing it up to his mouth. Her fingers curl around his and he kisses her knuckles, traps her hand against his chest. "But maybe. . .maybe a little bit excited?"

"Of course," his wife sighs, covering her eyes with her free hand for a moment. "Looking forward to having him out of me. Holding him. You yelled?"

"Right," he grunts, letting her take her hand back and tuck herself in a bit move, bringing the faux fur warmth up higher around her waist. "Yes. I- the police academy graduation is in a little over a month."

Drawing her knees up, Kate turns onto her side and props a couple of pillows underneath her stomach, another between her head and the arm of the couch. "Castle. I'm tired. I'm huge. Our son has been kicking me in the bladder for the past half hour but I'm not sure I can actually get up and go pee. Please just tell me whatever you wanted to tell me so I can go back to sleep."

"They asked me to be a speaker. At the ceremony."

"You?" she snorts, poking her index finger into his thigh. "You're not a cop. What are you gonna say to them?"

It stings, it does, but Kate has an actual human growing inside her and their son is draining everything; her energy, her enthusiasm and apparently, her kindness. However snarky his wife gets, it's infinitely better than Meredith because at least Kate will still let him touch her. At least she lets him try to help make it easier on her.

"Well, celebrity element I guess," he says slowly. "And seven years of working with you at the precinct. I know it's not the same as actually being a cop. I know I'll never truly be one of the team. But I do have some experience."

"Oh, babe, no," Kate says, struggling upright, and he has to help her with a palm at the base of her spine, arrange her against the back of the couch. "No. I didn't mean that. God, what's wrong with me."

"Our son is very active?" he offers, and the outline of a foot presses high up in Kate's stomach as if to prove his point. "It's okay. I'm sure I'll hear worse from you when you're in labour."

Reaching for him, Kate hooks her fingers around his upper arm because it's the only place she can really reach. She tugs and he shifts as close as he can get with the swell of her stomach between them, accepting the kiss that she pushes against his mouth.

"I love you," she says fiercely, fingers drifting up to curl around his ear. "So much, Rick. I love you, and I'm so happy and so excited. We're having a baby. It's amazing. It's just. . .hard."

"I know," he soothes, sliding an arm around her shoulders and drawing her in to lean against him. She comes easily, tucking herself in close and resting her head against his chest, her finger circling around and around one of his shirt buttons. "It's okay, Beckett. No harm done. My ego can take a little bruising."

"I'm proud of you," she says quietly, tucking her feet underneath his thigh. "I am. You said yes right?"

Sifting his fingers through the ends of her hair, Rick kisses his wife's temple and splays his free hand against her stomach, feeling their baby roll around. Jackson, but they're not saying it out loud yet in case they change their minds once they get to see him.

"I said maybe. It's only a couple of days before your due date. So I said I'd be happy to do it, but that I might have to drop out at a moment's notice if you go into labour. And if he's born before then, then I won't do it either. I don't intend to leave your side, Kate Beckett."

"I hope you get to do it," she murmurs, her nose nuzzling against the side of his neck. "I really do. As much as I grumble, he's still got some cooking left to do. So I hope he holds out until after his daddy's big moment."

Drumming his fingers against Kate's stomach, Castle leans over to get his lips as close to her belly as he can manage to with her half draped over him. "You hear that, little man? Mommy wants you to stay nice and safe inside her tummy for a while yet."

"He did hear," Kate grins, her hand coming to cover his at her stomach. "He always gets more active when you're talking. When you read to him it's like he's doing somersaults in there."

"I can't wait to meet him," Rick breathes, kissing his wife because he is just so completely in awe of her. He knows that it's hard, and that she hates being stuck on desk duty, but he has no doubt that it's worth it.

Kate, like him, is already completely in love with their baby. Her lips land at the corner of his mouth and she smiles. "Me neither. But I hope he times it right. Because I really wanna hear this speech."