A/N A bit more drama...

He felt his stomach flutter and then he sighed and whispered,"Dammit.. Why do I let her do this to me? Every single time."

Castle heard someone laugh behind him and he turned around and saw the owner's wife, Cara standing there. He turned around and she smiled at him and said, "Having problems with your wife?"

Making sure that Alexis was occupied, he nodded, "Yeah. We got into a fight and both said some things that we didn't mean."

She sat down, nodded and took a drink out of her glass. Then she said, "So, you're hiding from her."

"Hiding is a strong word."

She laughed and asked, "Well, what would you call it?"

He swallowed and said, "Okay. I'm hiding. I'm still mad at her and not ready to go home yet."

"So are you going to stay here all night? We close at midnight and.." Pointing to Alexis and her son, "She has school tomorrow."

"I know. I won't be hiding for long. She's on her way here."

Laughing, Cara said, "Normally I would ask what the fight was about, but from the way you keep looking at Lexi, I would say that it has to do with her."

"How can you know that? I..."

"I'm a mother of five. Soon to be six. Trust me. I notice these kind of things."

Castle laughed and told her, "It's complicated."

"Trust me. When it comes to love, most things are."

"You've been married for awhile now."

"Seventeen years this January."

Castle was surprised. She didn't look old enough to be married for that long. He shook his head, "How do you do it? How do you forgive someone time and time again? Despite everything and everyone telling you that you're crazy or stupid for doing it. How do you ignore all the hurtful words?"

Cara turned and looked at her husband. She smiled and told him, "Because they are only words." Castle started to speak, but she held up her hand and told him, "Before you say that words can hurt, I know that. I have been a mother for many years now. And a wife for even longer."

"So..."

"The secret is that you should always talk it out. Don't ever go to bed angry. Be brave enough to talk it over. Even if it leads to another fight. Fighting can be a good thing."

"You're kidding? How can fighting be good?"

Cara smiled and told him, "Think about it. Would you rather know that she's upset with you? Or would you rather guess that she was? Would you rather have her seethe in silence. Never knowing that she was mad at you. Never knowing why. At least until she gets so mad at you and it leads to an all out knock down drag out fight. A fight that leaves you wondering why you ever got married in the first place. Sure, you might fight and you both might say things you don't mean, but the real strength is in learning to forgive each other. No matter what."

Castle laughed and smiled at her, "Thank you Doctor. How much do I owe you?"

She laughed and told him, "My advice is all free. However, I would never say no to a signed copy of your next book."

"You know that I bring them to you anyway Cara."

"Now you have a reason to bring me one. Seriously Richard, talk to her. Talk to each other. Look, I'll keep Lexi occupied with pizza, soda and video games. Talk it out."

Castle laughed loudly and nodded.

Kate walked quickly to the restaurant. She looked in the window and saw Castle sitting with a very pretty brunette. He was laughing and Alexis was nowhere to be seen. The woman laughed and took a drink out of her glass.

Kate walked into the restaurant and started heading over to the table where Castle sat. for a split second, she wondered if Castle was cheating on her. Then, she saw a man come up behind the woman and kiss her on the cheek. It was then that she noticed the woman was pregnant. She looked like she was due around the same time as Kate.

She laughed and whispered something to the man. He nodded and kissed her on the forehead. Then he laughed and walked away from the table.

Kate knew that he'd seen her. Because the smile fell from her husband's face. She hated that. She wanted to be the one to put the smile on his face. Not the one that made it disappear. Kissing him on the cheek, she felt him pull away slightly. Maybe this was the final straw for them. Maybe this was the end of their marriage.

Cara smiled at Kate and introduced herself, "It seems as if Richard has forgotten his manners. I'm Cara. My husband Paul owns the restaurant and you are Kate. Right?"

Kate smiled and nodded, "I'm glad to meet you." Then she turned to her husband and asked, "Where's Alexis?"

Cara smiled and answered, "She's playing with Paul. My oldest son."

Kate turned around and saw Alexis playing. She told Castle, "I'm going to go say hello to her."

Castle nodded, "She would like that."

Cara watched him, watching Kate walk away. When Kate was out of earshot, she told him, "Whatever happened between you two must be serious. You look like you can barely stand to be around her."

"That's not true...I..."

Cara turned her head to the side, "Don't lie to me Richard Castle. Remember what I told you. I'm a mother and I know things. Lots of things. And you can't lie to me."

Castle sighed and finally told her, "I want her to adopt Alexis."

"Wow. That's big."

"She panicked and said that Alexis already has a mother. Kate is her mother. I mean, look at how Alexis lights up when she sees her. She was never like that with Meredith. Kate is her mother. Pure and simple. I mean, look at them together."

Cara turned and saw Alexis hugging Kate tightly. They couldn't hear what they were talking about, but the smile on their faces spoke volumes. Then, Alexis hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

Kate stood back up and headed back to the table. Cara whispered, "Be nice Richard Castle. I like her and she will eventually come around."

She kissed him on the cheek and when Kate got to the table she asked, "Would you care for something to drink?"

Kate smiled, "I would love wine, but..." She put her hand on her stomach and smiled, "I can't until she's born. So, I will have water."

Cara smiled knowingly and asked, "When are you due?"

"The first week of July. July fourth to be exact. Although I'm thinking that she will come early."

"All of mine did. Well, except for my first born. He was two weeks late. That boy will never be on time for anything." Then she smiled and told Kate, "It was very nice to meet you. If you need anything, let me know."

Kate smiled, "I will. Thank you."

They waited until Cara left and then Castle said, "What do you want?"

She sighed and picked up her purse. She took the papers out and handed them to him. Then she whispered, "I signed them."

Castle laughed and whispered, "What makes you think I still want you to adopt her?"

"I don't know Castle. I guess I just assumed that you would. I..." When he remained silent, she whispered, "Forget it. It was a mistake coming here. I'll leave now."

"Kate..."

Kate shook her head, "I'll move out of the loft if you..."

"Kate! Stop it."

He reached across the table and took her hand. She didn't want to look at him. She couldn't bare to see the hurt that she'd once again caused him. She whispered, "I'm sorry Castle. Sorry for hurting you. Sorry for panicking when you asked me about adopting Alexis. I..."

"Can you even understand how hurt I am? Do you know how excited Alexis is about wanting you to adopt her? You can do whatever you want to me, but when it can affect my daughter, that's where I cross the line Kate."

Kate hung her head and whispered, "I know."

"Do you Kate? Can you even begin to understand how pissed I am at you?" He pointed to where Alexis was and said, "She loves you. More than you probably deserve."

"Castle don't..."

"No Kate. I'm going to say this. You have to decide right here and now if this," He pointed at the adoption papers and then continued, "Is what you really want. Or are you just trying to make things right with me. Do you want to be her mother all the time? Or only when things are good?"

"Castle..."

He shook his head, "I'm not done yet. I want you and your baby. Not because she's mine, but because she's part of you. Do you realize how amazing that is to me? I don't care if Josh is her father. I don't care if she looks like me. I love her without doubt and without reservation. The heart wants, what the heart wants and there isn't a damn thing I can do to change it Kate. That's the same thing that I want for Alexis. The love of a mother who truly loves and wants to be with her. Forever and always."

Kate lowered her head and whispered, "I'm sorry Castle. I..."

"Quit saying your sorry Kate. It starts to lose it's meaning if you say it too much. Actions speak louder than words Kate." He motioned towards the adoption papers and said, "I'm not going to be the one to ask you to adopt her."

"You're not?"

Castle shook his head, "No." He pointed towards Alexis and said, "She's going to ask you. This is what's going to happen. You're going to eat dinner with us tonight. Then, we are going to go back home and sit in the living room. She's going to bring the present that she got you and then she will ask you. Then it will be up to you to decide what you want to do. You can tell her no. If you want to. Or, if you want to you can tell her yes. You can be the one to make her happy or break her heart. I'm not going to clean things up for you this time Katherine. I'm not going to be the one to hurt my daughter this time. This time, you are going to do it. If that's what you really want to do. Because I'm tired of making excuses for your behavior."

Kate looked down at her hands and saw a tear fall onto the back of her hand. Then she whispered, "I want to...be her mom..."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. She has a mother and I guess I could only imagine how Meredith would feel." She put her hand on her stomach protectively, "I wouldn't want anyone to take her away from me."

Castle closed his eyes, "Meredith walked out on her years ago. She won't care..."

"She might. Who's to say that she won't surprise you one day and want to be in her life? She's her mother. Not me."

"You're the closest thing to a mother that Alexis has ever known Kate." Pointing towards her stomach, he whispered, "And I'm going to be the only father she's ever known. Are you going to put Josh's name on the birth certificate?"

"No. You're her father."

"And you are Alexis' mother. She loves you Kate."

"And I love her. More than you could ever imagine."

Castle sighed and took her hand in his. Then, he whispered, "Don't be afraid to let her love you Kate. She's six and it comes so very easy to her. She has a big heart."

Kate smiled, "Just like her father."

Castle nodded, "Yeah. I guess she does get that from me. Look Kate, I get it that you've got all these weird hormones going through you. For years you denied how you felt about me. But look what happened when you let yourself love me? Do you regret it?"

Kate ran her hands over his and whispered, "Not for a single second. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me Richard Castle. Both you and Alexis."

Castle nodded, "Then trust me when I say this. Meredith isn't a mother. Never has been. Never will be. That little show she made after our honeymoon was just that. A show. She wanted money from me. It was always about the money with her. Alexis doesn't even call her mom. She calls her Meredith. Meredith for god sakes. Not mom, but Meredith. She calls you mom. You. Not Meredith. You."

"I know..."

"I want both of our girls to know that they are wanted. By both of us."

"I love Alexis. Very, very much. I couldn't love her anymore if she was my own daughter."

Castle nodded and whispered, "She's coming back to the table. Lets eat our pizza, go back to the loft and let whatever happens, happen. Okay?"

She nodded and smiled when Alexis sat down next to her. She had wanted a pineapple pizza. Just like her mom. She had insisted on it. So, Castle had ordered it for her. Kate smiled when she saw it and asked, "Who ordered it with pineapple on it?"

Alexis smiled, "Me! It's really good, but daddy doesn't like it. So it's all ours mommy."

Kate leaned in and kissed the top of her head and whispered, "That's good. Because I'm starving!"

Castle watched as the two girls he loved most in his life shared a pizza together. Before Castle could stop it, he heard Alexis ask, "Mommy, will you adopt me?"

Castle choked on his pizza and Kate smiled. She put her pizza down and smiled at the little girl. She took Alexis' hand and whispered, "Yes Alexis. I will adopt you. Nothing would make me happier sweetpea."

Castle watched as Alexis practically threw herself at Kate and they hugged tightly. They both had tears in their eyes and Kate looked at Castle over her head. For the first time that night, Castle was able to manage a small smile. He mouthed softly, "I love you."

Kate felt the tears come at the words he hadn't even spoken. She whispered back, "I love both of you. Thank you for wanting me in your family..."

Alexis held on tight for a few more minutes and then Castle laughed, "I think you two need to eat. We don't want either of you to get weak from lack of food."

Alexis giggled and nodded. Then, she sat back in her seat as Castle reached across the table and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze and whispered, "Thank you."

Kate nodded and started to eat her pizza. She realized that she had been stupid about all of this. They were her family. Meredith could kiss her ass. They were hers now and always would be...