Kate went to open the door.
"Can I help you?" she asked the man standing in the corridor.
"Hello, um … I'm looking for Richard Castle. Is he available?"
"Now is really not a good time Mr …"
"Fitzgerald, Thomas Fitzgerald."
"Well, I'm sorry Mr Fitgerald but he's not free right now. It would be better if you just left."
"Kate, who is it? What's going on?" Rick asked, coming behind her.
"Are … are you Richard Castle?"
"Well if you don't know you have nothing to do here. How did you even get past the doorman."
"Oh, there was no one downstairs. Maybe he went on a break or something."
"What do you want Mr Fitzgerald? I already told you, now is not a good time."
"I'd like to talk to you Richard, privately." he asked, almost shyly.
"As she said, now is not a good time, so either you tell me what you want now, or you just leave." Rick answered, raising his voice.
The man took an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Rick.
"Take a look at that. My number is on the back. Call me … if you want." he said before turning around and going for the elevator.
"What do you think it is?" Kate asked quietly as they walked back to the table.
"I don't know but I'm not wasting dessert over it." he said, putting it in the back pocket of his jeans.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
After lunch, Alexis left the loft to go shopping with some of her friends. Kate and Claire were doing the dishes and Rick was in his study, in front of his computer which wasn't even on. He was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly remembered the envelope the man had given him. He took it from his back pocket and, being Richard Castle, he couldn't help but imagine what could be inside. After having eliminated theories of encrypted CIA mission order and acceptance letter from Hogwarts, he finally opened it. What he found inside he had not thought about at all. He stayed there, sitting in his chair, the envelope in one hand, and THAT in the other. He studied it for a minute, putting back the pieces together. He was so lost in his own world that he didn't hear Kate coming in.
"Rick? are you ok?" she asked quietly, stopping on the other side of his desk.
"I don't know." he answered, his eyes still glued to what he had found in the envelope.
"Is that from …"
"Yeah, take a look." he said, handing it to her.
Kate took the photo from him and gasped. She walked around the desk and went to settle on his lap, his hands automatically circling around her waist.
"Is that … Martha?" she asked incredulously, still looking at the young redhead on the right of the picture. "She looks like Alexis in ten years!"
"Yeah, that's my mother, and this is me." Rick answered, pointing at the baby in her arms.
"This is the bear you keep on your nightstand right?" Kate asked.
"Yes, I guess I've had it for a long time …"
"If this is Martha and this is you, it makes this man …"
"My father. I guess. I don't know. It could just be a friend of my mother's at the time, or …"
"Rick, do you really think an old friend of Martha's you have come back forty years later just to give you this photo?"
"No, you're right. It doesn't make any sense. But I don't want a father."
"Why?"
"It's just … it's always been my thing you know? Some kids have a pool, some don't have TV, I don't have a father. I've always imagined who he could be but I'm not sure I want to know for real. And I'm sure he's not going to be as cool as what I imagined, you know? Even showing up today, he has the worst timing ever!"
"Yeah, that's true. But maybe he's a nice person, even if he's not an astronaut or a cowboy ."
"Whipped cream inventor," Rick murmured.
"What?"
"I always wanted my father to be the whipped cream inventor."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kate laughed, kissing him lightly.
"What if it's just a plan to take money from me, or to take Alexis or you from me?" Rick asked, starting to panic at the idea of a trap.
"Hey, calm down Rick, it's ok. If you want, I can take the photo to work tomorrow. Techs will be able to tell if it's a fake. I could also take the prints that are not yours or mine, I could even run the phone number at the back to learn more about this guy. You don't have to worry, ok?" she asked, feeling him nod against her shoulder. "Oh, and one more thing …"
"Yes?"
"No one is ever going to take me from you, or Alexis. We are all going to stay here. No matter what happens, you'll never get rid of me. Get it?"
"Yes Ma'am." he laughed. "Hey Kate?" he asked as she was getting up.
"Yeah?"
"Could we keep this between us for a while? Just until we're sure it's not a fake or a trap or something like that. I don't want to upset Mother over this."
"Sure, of course. Oh, did you manage to reach her this morning?"
"No, according to her itinerary, she's in Spain right now and her cell goes right to voicemail. I'll try again tonight." he said, standing up. "Do you have to go back to work today?"
"No, I called the Captain before lunch. He told me to take the rest of the day off. But I had to explain the situation …"
"It's ok. I was thinking, do you want to go to the Park? Make the most of this perfect weather?"
"Sure, let me change and we can go!"
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
When they arrived to the Park, they realized that every non-working person probably had the same idea: make the most of the sun. It was already really warm for the season, being the end of May. Kate had changed from her work clothes into a green plaid summer dress, Rick was in dark jeans and a simple white T shirt. They walked around for a bit, hand in hand, enjoying the fresh air and each other in silence, trying to get their heads around everything that had happened in the morning. Unconsciously, Kate slowed down when they passed a playground. Kids were everywhere, playing in the sandbox, on the swings, chasing each other, playing hide and seek …
"Hey, you ok?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking."
"Given the look on your face, you were not thinking," Rick said, "you were picturing our little Castle babies playing here, weren't you?"
"How do you know?" Kate exclaimed, really surprised he had understood what she was doing.
"Because I know you Katherine Beckett," he said, kissing her, "and because I was doing the same thing." he confessed.
"Don't you think we should … practice more?" she asked, almost shyly.
"You mean you want to really try? because I'm not sure we can practice more than we already do without you having to quit your job ." he laughed.
"I want to really try. I want to have a baby with you Richard Castle, and the sooner the better."
"You will hear absolutely no objection from my part."
"Good. I'll call my doctor during the week, make an appointment to see what we can do to maximize our chances."
They continued their walk for a bit before Kate remembered her conversation with Montgomery. She should really talk to Rick before they make any baby plans, just to be sure he was ok with that. With all that had happened before lunch, she had decided she would accept the captain's offer, if it was ok with Rick of course. After consideration, she had decided that, even is being a captain means being less on the field, she would still have authority, even more authority in fact, but most of all, she would be safer. There would be less risks of being shot at or hit, the hours would be most stable … she would have more time for her family. HER family, with Rick, Alexis, and future little Castle babies. She was ready to sacrifice her love for the field for her love for Rick and their future family. The training would take some time anyway, and she'd still have to take and pass the exams. Rick. Maybe he wouldn't want her to be a Captain, maybe he'd find her less interesting sitting at a desk almost all day long and …
"Are you sure you're alright?" Rick asked, concerned.
Kate looked around her and saw that they had stopped once again. She could hear that she was breathing fast and Rick's face was full of worry.
"Yeah, I just need to talk to you about something. It's kind of important …"
"OK, let's take a seat," he said, heading for a free bench along the path they were on. "But you're not sick or anything right? You're not dying or anything? Because there only that much a man can take in one day you know and …"
"I'm not dying Rick, relax." Kate smiled
"OK, then I'm listening."
"Well, the Captain called me into his office this morning and made me a proposition."
"Hey, that's not fair, I'm the one who's supposed to be proposing to you, not him. He could be your father Kate!"
"Rick, stop joking for a minute, this is serious."
"I'm sorry. Go on."
"Well, he asked me if I wanted to …"
"Katherine Beckett, is that you?"
Kate closed her eyes and cursed whoever was calling her. Today was just not a day for good timing, was it?