I made a slight continuity error last chapter, when I used the wrong date for Kate's pregnancy. She was 9 weeks last chapter. It shouldn't matter in terms of reading, but I wanted to point it out so you're not confused. Sorry, it's been fixed now.

Kate continued to improve over the next week. Rick marveled at how strong and determined she was. He'd always known she was a tenacious person, but with her health, and that of the twins, on the line, she really concentrated on improving.

Brett, the super PT, came every other day. For some reason, Martha and Alexis were often home when he was due to come by the loft. Rick and Kate noticed a huge difference by his third visit. Kate still tired easily, but she no longer required assistance on short walks. She was slow but steady at dressing independently. And, to her immense relief, no longer needed any help with the bathroom.

Physically, she'd improved dramatically in her strength and balance. Her nausea had likewise improved. Rick was now only giving her two scheduled doses of the Zofran, after consulting with Dr. Lobato by phone. Kate was starting to eat more solids, and she'd gained another pound by Friday. Her nausea at night was nearly gone, and she sat with the rest of the family every night for dinner. Rick was thrilled that the emaciated, skeletal look she'd had after discharge from the hospital was now rapidly fading.

By the weekend, Rick felt they could stop having the others take the overnight shifts. Caring for her was now easily managed alone, and he knew if they needed help that the others wouldn't hesitate to pitch in. Everyone was thrilled she was so much better, though Jim decided to continue living in the loft to be near them.

Kate still slept a lot: whether on the couch or in the bed. She still felt exhausted much of the time, but realized that this was a symptom of pregnancy in general and not necessarily related to her illness. She made a point of walking a little further every day, even the days without Brett there. Her body had been in terrific shape before the hyperemesis and it was gratifying to feel her old strength returning.

On Tuesday morning, due to visit Dr. Lobato for their weekly appointment, Rick found Kate standing in just her underwear in their bathroom, turned in profile to the mirror.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked, after knocking softly on the door frame so he didn't scare her.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You can see them better. Only a week, and there's an obvious difference."

Rick returned her smile, then moved to join her. One palm gently covered the small bump now fairly evident. "You look amazing," he murmured to her. And she did. She'd lost the sickly pallor that she'd had since her illness. She'd filled out some more, though not quite to where he thought she should be. But so much better than when they'd started this journey.

"Do you think they've grown enough?" She was still worried about Dr. Lobato's comments the week prior, about them being on the small side.

"I'm certain of it. You've gained weight steadily and I know they have too. It's going to be fine, Kate. You're doing an incredible job."

She smiled at him, still unsure. "I just want to make sure they're ok," she replied, eyes turning back to her profile in the mirror.

"You have. You've done everything right. And I'm pretty sure Dr. Lobato is going to be blown away by how much stronger you are. Not to mention the weight gain."

Kate nodded, leaning into his chest and drawing strength from his certainty.

"You ready to get dressed? We have to leave in about a half hour," he told her after a few minutes.

"Yeah, sure. Do we have to take the wheelchair again? I think I could walk to the office and back."

He looked at her speculatively. He knew how much she hated the chair. It was bad enough having the feeding tube taped to her face, but the chair was even more obvious.

"Yeah, we can try it. How about we bring it in the trunk, then if you're really tired at the end of the visit, it'll be available?"

Kate nodded, vowing she'd not need it. She slowly made her way back to the bedroom and dressed methodically in the clothes she'd picked earlier. Comfort was still paramount, especially with her desire to walk to the office and back. A pair of yoga pants and loose t-shirt were all she was willing to wear at this point.

An hour later they were sitting in an exam room, waiting for Dr. Lobato. Kate had managed to walk into the building with minimal support, and was exclaimed over quite a bit by Kim, their usual nurse.

She'd gained three pounds from their previous visit, which pleased them both. So much so, Rick decided he was bringing up a certain topic with the doctor.

"What are you thinking about?" Kate's voice startled him. He'd been sitting quietly for at least two minutes, which was a minute and a half longer than usual.

"Nothing. Not a thing." His denial only roused her suspicions.

"Rick!" He looked guilty, which was a neon sign to her. Even when he was trying to be sneaky, he wasn't usually this guilty looking. Which meant he was up to something big.

"Spill it," she ordered.

"It's nothing, Kate, really."

"It doesn't look like nothing from here. What is it? Is there something wrong you're not telling me?"

"What? No, of course not. You're doing great."

"Then why won't you tell me? I'm your wife now, you're supposed to tell me everything."

"I don't think that's how it works," he muttered, low enough she didn't catch most of it.

"What?"

He sighed. "It's nothing. I was just going to ask Dr. Lobato a question."

"What kind of question?"

He squirmed. He knew if he told her, she'd tell him in no uncertain terms to not ask. He knew it was too early, that she wasn't ready. He just wanted a time frame. "Well, it's about doing something."

"Doing something?" her eyebrows quirked up. The more he dissembled, the more wary she became. "Is this about what I think it's about? Because if it is, you're not gonna..."

"Kate, I know it's too soon. I just want to know when. I need to plan."

"It's far too soon, and while I appreciate it's been hard, I have been kind of sick, Rick." The hard click she gave the consonants of his name told him she was pretty annoyed.

"I know that. And there's no way I want to do anything before you're recovered. But that's what I want to ask Dr. Lobato."

"Don't you think she'll tell us when it's time? I'm sure it's a common question."

Rick looked surprised for a second, then turned thoughtful. "I wouldn't have thought it was that big of a topic, but I suppose you're right. I'm sure we're not the first couple to ask."

"I never said you should ask. I think it's a stupid idea. And why would you need to plan anything? What are you up to?"

Rick started to reply, mouth open with a bit of a puzzled look on his face, when a knock sounded at the door and the doctor walked in.

"Morning, Kate, Rick. How have things been this week?"

"Everything continues to improve. I'm walking short distances alone and my nausea has been very manageable."

"That's terrific!" the doctor scribbled on the chart, looking over last week's notes at the same time. "You're only on Zofran twice a day now?"

Kate nodded, and Rick explained their current medication schedule. He knew it better than Kate.

"What about your appetite? Has that improved as well?"

Kate discussed her new ability to eat with the family for dinner and the foods she'd been able to keep down.

"I'm really pleased with your weight gain; you look much better physically as well. I think now that you're much more active, we can stop the lovenox shots. Just make sure you're walking several times a day."

"Not a problem," Kate said, relieved. She disliked the shots most of all.

"If your nausea continues to diminish, you can switch all of your Zofran to as needed doses. Though, if you're having nausea at a consistent time of day, I'd use a scheduled dose to get around the worst time."

Rick nodded. He'd been monitoring her periods of nausea pretty carefully, and felt they'd be able to cut down to at least just once a day without a problem. The early mornings were still a bit of an issue, so he'd continue those doses.

After a thorough exam, Dr. Lobato gathered the chart and headed for the door. "Let me have Leslie come in and do a quick US, get a look at these babies of yours. I'm guessing they're growing well, given your weight gain. I'll be back in once she's done."

Kate was so thrilled about the prospect of seeing the twins again, she forgot about her earlier discussion with Rick about his question. They both spent their few minutes alone rehashing the new freedoms she'd have without the lovenox and the decrease in the Zofran dosing.

Leslie came in, exuding a cheerfulness that they'd come to expect from the bubbly ultrasound tech. Rick imagined her job must be full of happy parents, seeing their babies on a monitor. Though, he then thought of the types of complications a practice centered on high risk maternal-fetal health must also have. It was sure to have more than its share of tragedies as well. He shuddered, knowing how close their particular story had gone to a dark end. Perhaps Leslie's job wasn't so enviable after all.

"You ready to see these babies again?" she asked, squirting the cold jelly on Kate's slowly increasing abdomen.

"Yes!" Kate smiled, looking over at Rick who'd stationed himself near her shoulder once again, ready to peer at the screen and see his children.

Grabbing his hand, Kate turned back to the monitors and waited impatiently for the first baby to appear. It wasn't a long wait, not with Leslie's skill at ultrasound.

"Ok, here they are. There's baby A," she pointed out. Even to laypeople like Rick and Kate, it was obvious both babies were larger. Leslie grabbed the measurements she needed before moving on to baby B.

"They look terrific, both growing well," she told them. "I'll just get this over to Dr. Lobato. I can print both images while she's reviewing things."

Stepping out of the room, she left behind two emotional parents. Rick leaned down and gave Kate an impassioned kiss.

"They're getting big, Kate. See, you're doing great."

Kate couldn't speak, still overwhelmed by the sight of her babies. It was the part of the visit she looked forward to the most.

They sat in silence, gripping each other's hands. Each thankful for the presence of the other in their life and for the two growing babies they'd created together.

After a few minutes, Kate realized she could now dress; the only thing left to do was discuss the results of the ultrasound with the doctor and determine the plan for the next week. She had just finished slipping her shoes back on when Dr. Lobato returned in a whirlwind of movement back into the room.

"Well, they're looking terrific for ten weeks," she enthused, handing them the ultrasound pictures as she took a seat on the stool in front of them.

"They've both grown at the expected rate."

"Are they still small for age?" Kate asked nervously.

"A bit, but not as small as they plotted last week. I'm really not worried about it, Kate. And if I tell you I'm not worried, then you shouldn't be either. You're gaining weight, less nauseous, and eating more. As a matter of fact, I look for your weight gain to slow a bit now. Three pounds a week for two weeks is terrific, but you're nearly back to your pre-pregnancy weight. You'll still need to gain, just not as rapidly. To that end, I want you to start coming off the formula for several hours a day. You can time it for mealtimes if you wish; it might help with your appetite as well."

"Wow, that's awesome, Kate," Rick burst out. He was so proud of her.

"Does this mean I'm close to getting rid of this?" Kate asked, pointing at the feeding tube.

"I'd say closer, but not close. I'd prefer to wait until we're in your second trimester. By then, the hyperemesis should be resolved completely, knock on wood. I'd hate to take it out, only to end up needing it again."

Kate sighed. It made sense, but she was so ready to have the damn thing out. She vowed to keep eating a little more daily so that they'd have to continue cutting back on the formula.

"So, we've got a plan? Discontinue the lovenox, make the Zofran just daily or PRN, and keep walking several times a day. Cut back on the formula for a few hours, and of course call the office with a weight check on Friday. Unless there's something else, I'll see you next week." She started to rise, when Rick cleared his throat.

"Actually, I have a question."

Kate slammed her eyes closed and groaned. She'd forgotten about his earlier query; a quest to mortify her, apparently.

Dr. Lobato sat back down, nodding at Rick to continue.

"Yes, well, I know this is too early to talk about, right now at least, but I was wondering…"

"Rick," Kate groaned, eyes closed. She was not ready for this conversation, at all.

"Kate, I know you're not ready. Like I said, I think it's important to start planning now. The longer we wait, the harder it will be."

Kate groaned again. "Don't you think this could have waited, like maybe another week or two?" she whispered furiously.

"Why wait? I could start making plans now if we get a timeframe."

Dr. Lobato was pinned to her seat, head bobbing back and forth as they volleyed words between them.

"There is no timeframe, Rick. And there won't be one if you don't drop this."

Rick looked at her in evident surprise. "Wait a minute, I thought you wanted to."

Kate's blush, initially a barely perceptible pink, had been intensifying throughout the conversation. "Just. Drop. It," she hissed.

"If I could interrupt, could I ask just what we're talking about here?" Dr. Lobato interjected.

Kate and Rick answered simultaneously. "Sex," Kate grumbled. "A honeymoon," Rick proclaimed.

"Wait, what?" they both exclaimed, turning again to face each other.

Seeing she was about to lose them again, Dr. Lobato held up both of her hands. It worked. "First of all, as far as sex goes, I would say no intercourse for another few weeks. It's really up to how you feel, but I would prefer that you're off the lovenox for a bit. Intercourse can cause bleeding in the first trimester, due to the cervix being very friable. And the lovenox will make any bleeding worse, since it's an anticoagulant."

"I wasn't asking about sex. Why did you think I was asking about sex?" Rick demanded, turning to Kate.

"I—I just thought…we haven't had sex for months, Rick. You were gone on the book tour, I was training, then I got so sick. I just figured you'd want to know as soon as it was allowable."

"Kate, I'm worried about you and the babies. Not about our sex life. I know Dr. Lobato will let us know when it's safe." He turned back to the physician. "What about taking her away for a bit?"

"Wait, you said honeymoon. Wouldn't that mean sex?" Kate asked, puzzled.

"I just want to take you away for a while. Just the two of us, before we add two more. I know you won't be able to go anywhere when your pregnancy advances, but I thought if she were doing well in the second trimester we might be able to get away somewhere?" The last of the question was directed to Dr. Lobato.

"Well, it will depend on how things are progressing. But, yes, I think if she's back to her normal strength and is emesis free, she should be able to travel. Provided it's not too far."

"How far is too far?"

"Well, I'd say no more than a few hours driving."

"How about flying?"

"I suppose a few hours flight; same principle," the doctor replied.

"Ok. Thank you. I wanted to get an idea so I could start looking at things. Thanks for your time."

Dr. Lobato rose and took her leave, reminding them to make an appointment at the front desk for the following Tuesday.

Kate just sat there, looking a bit miserable.

"Hey, what's the matter, gorgeous?" Rick drew his chair closer to hers, wondering if she wasn't feeling well enough to walk to the car.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Kate shook her head.

"Kate, I know something's wrong. Are you feeling sick?"

She shook her head again.

He picked up her hands in his and leaned forward, protecting her with his body from whatever unseen force was making her miserable.

Kate lurched forward in her chair, surprising him. He barely managed to keep his balance, forced back by her sudden jump into his lap. He drew her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. Instead of calming down, she suddenly burst into tears.

"Kate, what on earth? What's the matter, you can tell me," he crooned into her ear, rocking her a bit. "Shh, it's ok."

"I don't deserve you," she finally sobbed. "I thought you were just interested in having sex with me, and you just wanted to do something nice for me."

"Kate, I do want to make love to you, believe me. But I know you're still not recovered enough. We've got our whole lives in front of us. Right now, the most important thing in the world to me is your health and the health of the babies. I'd never do anything to jeopardize any of you."

"I know, I know, Rick. God, I feel so stupid. Yelling at you for nothing."

"It's ok. I probably deserve to be yelled at sometimes. I'm thrilled you can still yell at me. Kate, it was just a few weeks ago that I didn't know if I'd hear you say anything at all. Believe me, I love you yelling at me. Most of the time."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Besides, making up with you is a whole lot of fun, after we fight."

Suddenly her sobs increased in volume.

"I don't want to fight with you," she cried.

"I don't want to fight with you, either. But we don't agree on everything. Everyone fights, sometimes."

She kept crying. Rick was completely puzzled as to what to do.

"Kate?"

"Yes?" she hiccupped.

"Why are you still crying?"

"I don't know," she wailed, setting off another round of sobs. Halfway through this round, the door opened; a surprised Kimberly stood there.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you two had left."

Rick shrugged, best he could with his wife in his arms, crying into his chest. "She won't stop crying," he explained, confusion on his face.

"Ah. Not unexpected, now that she's physically improved," the veteran nurse remarked.

"Huh?" Rick had no idea what she was talking about.

"Hormones. And with twins, she's got even more than most women. Welcome to the wonderful world of pregnancy, Mr. Castle."

With those simple words, something clicked within Rick. They'd spent several weeks worried about whether Kate was going to live, then whether she'd recover. Whether the babies would be ok. They'd come through all that; he'd been assuming that things would swing back to the way they'd been before. That she'd be the old Kate once she got past the nausea and weakness.

But she wouldn't. She was pregnant. With twins. And suddenly, the weight of wondering if things were going to be ok was lifted. She was acting like a normal, pregnant woman. They were going to be fine. He suddenly started laughing, unable to contain the joy bubbling through him.

A soft punch to his chest brought his attention back to his wife.

"What are you laughing about?" she cried, tears still streaking down her face. She was so adorable. He suddenly leaned down and kissed her soundly; she was too surprised to react.

"You're pregnant," was all he could say. Unable to explain it in words, even a consummate story teller like himself.

"Where have you been?" she muttered angrily, standing abruptly and walking a bit unsteadily to the door still held open by Kim.

Yes, she was pregnant. And a pregnant-with-twins Kate Beckett Castle was enough to make any man quail. It was going to be an interesting ride.

What's this you say? Yep, an update. Two, actually. All for you, my gentle readers. Hope you enjoyed!