"Kate can you get the door?" Rick called out from Harry's room as he continued to dress their son, the brunette groaning as she walked out of their bedroom towards the front door to find out who was knocking loudly. She was desperate to spend the day with her husband and son and whoever was disturbing their peace was about to meet an extremely frustrated brunette. Approaching the door, Kate quickly opened and laughed in shock at the sight of Lanie, Jenny, Ryan and Esposito who were stood in the doorway with their suitcases.
"What are you doing here?" Kate said in amazement as she tightly wrapped her arms around Lanie before laughing and moving away to look at all four of her friends before stepping away from the doorway. "Come in, Castle's getting Harry ready," Kate explained before her four friends entered the building and slowly walked toward the corridor before entering the living room, Kate closing the door before joining her friends who were relaxing on the various couches. "What are you four doing here then? Wanted a free holiday?" the brunette questioned before sitting down beside Lanie as Ryan and Esposito shook their heads at her comment.
"Castle called us last night and invited us for the weekend. We didn't have a case and Gates gave us time off so we decided to take him up on the offer," Ryan explained as confusion quickly covered Kate's face before she nodded and heard his approaching footsteps from the corridor. Entering the room quietly, Rick smiled as he held Harry in his arms before laughing when both Jenny and Lanie held their arms out for the small boy while Kate laughed and rolled her eyes at the two other women. Watching as Rick passed their son to Jenny, Kate smiled before he moved towards her and sat down in the gap beside her, sneaking his arm around her waist as she rested against him and watched Jenny hold Harry close to her while Ryan smiled at her.
"Everything okay Rick?" Kate whispered up to Rick as he nodded slowly, not saying anything as he kept her close. Why had he suddenly invited their friends up to the Hamptons without discussing it with her first? It was supposed to be a family holiday so why was everyone suddenly here? "Castle, come and help me with something," the brunette announced, Rick standing just as she started to walk out of the room after his wife. Entering the kitchen to find Kate leaning against the oven, Rick slowly shut the door before moving towards her. "What's going on?" she questioned.
"Nothing," he stated, falling silent when Kate's eyebrows rose in response to his statement. "Kate, I just thought it would be nice to spend time with our friends," he explained before kissing her gently, her head shaking as she pulled away from him and glared up at him.
"Castle what's going on with you?" Kate asked quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her close. "You're hiding something from me Richard Castle, we've been together long enough for me to know when you're hiding things from me," she explained as he leant down and rested his head against hers for a moment. "Talk to me."
"I remembered something," he whispered as she glanced up at him, confused at what had upset him so much. "We were on this case," Rick began as she nodded, not surprised by his opening sentence. "We were about to leave this apartment and suddenly there was a noise and you were just standing so still and you looked terrified," he explained.
"Castle," she whispered as she shook her head, realising what had scared him.
"You looked so scared, you were just standing there and you were so brave," he blurted out, brushing his hands across her cheeks as she glanced up at him. "Brave like you always are Kate. I tried to keep you occupied, I was telling you all these memories and then you made me leave and I didn't seem to fight it. I just walked out and left you," he stated as she shook her head and tightly wrapped her arms around his body before kissing him quickly.
"You came back," she promised as he stared at her. "You didn't leave me, you came back and I was so angry with you for a minute but if you hadn't, I wouldn't have got out of there alive," Kate said quickly before kissing him again, desperate to keep him close. "You stupid man, you came back. You only went to buy coffee and then you solved the case."
"I wanted to bring our family here Kate, I wanted to surround everyone with family and people who love them because on that day you were alone," he whispered before kissing her again and brushing her hair away from his face. "We better make sure that none of them have run off with our baby," he whispered against her lips as she nodded and laced her fingers with his before they slowly walked out of the room together and into the living room to find Lanie now holding Harry in her arms.
"So boys are you coping without me at the precinct?" Kate questioned as the two men nodded and smiled at each other before glancing back at the female detective.
"Yeah, all the paperwork we can't be bothered with goes onto a nice pile on your desk for when you get back Beckett," Javier said quietly as Kate laughed and cuddled into Rick's side again, watching as Lanie continued to smile down at Harry.
"Oh watch out Esposito," Rick laughed as confusion covered the detective's face. "I think someone is going to want to start a family soon," he observed as Javier glanced down at Lanie who was now smiling up at him while he shook his head at her.
"We are not having babies, not yet," Esposito stated as Lanie rolled her eyes at him before smiling down at Harry again. "I am not ready for that sort of commitment, I'm still young!"
"So am I old then?" Kate questioned, everyone laughing when horror covered Esposito's face as he tried to find a response.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
"Are you enjoying that Harry?" Kate laughed as she stood in the water with Harry in her arms, the waves brushing against his feet as he squealed in excitement. "You're a water baby aren't you?" she smiled before kissing his head gently and smiling when another wave crashed against their bodies while she glanced across to see Rick talking with Ryan and Jenny while Esposito and Lanie walked down the beach together in the distance. "Let's go and see daddy Harry," she smiled before walking towards her husband, her smile growing when Rick held his arms out towards their son.
"Did you have fun?" Rick asked when he finally had Harry in his arms, his eyes watching as Kate wrapped a towel around her body and smiled at them. "Your just like your sister Harry Castle, you love the water," he smiled as the Ryan's watched them in silence.
"Alexis liked the water when she was a baby?" Kate asked as Rick nodded and brushed his fingers across Harry's hair as the small boy continued to squeal in his father's arms. "Must be a Castle and Beckett thing," she smiled as Rick nodded.
"Well we all know how much you love your baths detective," Rick declared as she rolled her eyes before standing up and smiling across at their friends who were silently watching Rick and Harry with small smiles on their faces. She felt terrible that they were enjoying their son when Ryan and Jenny were unable to have children. "Do you want to watch him tonight? I was thinking about taking Kate out for dinner," Rick asked as Jenny nodded immediately before reaching out for Harry, the writer passing the small boy over as Jenny cuddled him close.
XOXOXOXOOXOXO
"Kate we're going to be late if you don't hurry up," Rick called down the corridor before glancing across at the two couples who were smirking at him from their seats.
"If you tell me to hurry up one more time, I'm going to shoot you Richard Castle," Kate responded as everyone but Rick laughed, not surprised by her response. "I just want to get Harry to sleep before we go," she added a few moments later, a small smile covering Rick's face as he walked out of the room and approached the nursery, pushing the door open to find Kate in the rocking chair with Harry pressed against her chest. She was dressed in a deep red dress, her hair pinned back and she looked so happy to have Harry in her arms.
"You're beautiful," Rick commented as she glanced up and smiled at him. "I don't care if we're late when you look this happy," he smiled before approaching her and resting on the table that was beside her, staring down at the content child in her arms. "You were made to be a mom Kate; you're so good with him and you'd do anything for him."
"He's our baby Castle, I'd do anything for him," she said quietly before he leant down and pressed a kiss into her hair before his fingers brushed against Harry's chest. "He's so much bigger," she smiled, noticing how Harry's eyes were slowly starting to shut. "Five months ago he was just this tiny baby Castle, this tiny helpless baby and now he has this amazing character. Castle I fall more in love with him every day," she admitted before laughing and shaking her head. "He's asleep, we should probably go."
"Just a little bit longer," he smiled as she rolled her eyes, watching as he continued to stare at Harry. "I still can't believe we have a baby together Kate."
"Neither can I and I don't have amnesia," she smirked before standing up and gently resting Harry in his crib before stepping away and moving towards her husband, his arm sneaking around her body as she smiled up at him. "They'll be alright looking after Harry?" she asked as Rick nodded.
"Kate, they'll be fine," Rick muttered as he led her towards the front door. "We're going now before Kate changed her mind," the writer called out as Kate glared up at him before shaking her head. She knew that Harry would be okay, everyone had loads of experience with children and Rick wanted to spoil her so she should at least try. "I know you're worried because last time he was ill but he's fine Kate and we'll be back soon anyway. He'll probably sleep the whole time."
"I know," Kate sighed before kissing him gently and stepping out of the building. Climbing into the car, Kate smiled as Rick sat down beside her and watched as she pulled out of their driveway, leaving the house quickly. "Do you think Jenny and Ryan will be alright looking after Harry tonight?" she asked as Rick glanced across at her, watching as she drove towards the restaurant.
"She loves him Kate," Rick smiled as Kate nodded slowly. "They'll be fine Kate and Lanie and Espo are there as well and Jenny likes being with Harry, she enjoys being an Aunt. I think it would hurt her more if we kept her away from Harry."
"I know Rick, I just worry that it upsets her," Kate explained, pulling up before glancing across at her husband.
"Stop worrying, let's just enjoy our dinner together," he smiled, leaning across to kiss her before they stepped out of the vehicle and he tightly wrapped an arm around her body and led her into the restaurant. Saying their name, Rick smiled as a young waitress took them to their table before giving them a set of menus and walking away to serve another table. "So what happened after I solved the case with the bomb?" Rick questioned as Kate laughed and glanced down at the menu, trying to decide what to eat.
"We learnt that Gates knew about us and she told me to kiss you, saying that you deserved it," Kate smiled as Rick found her hand and laced his fingers with hers, the two of them still looking at the menu. "We kissed for a while and then we left."
"Come on Kate, I know that if you'd stepped on a bomb I wouldn't just take you home and act like it was a normal day. What happened?" he smiled, falling silent when the waitress walked over again. Taking their orders, the blonde smiled before disappearing again, allowing the couple to start their conversation again.
"We came back to the loft, we had dinner with Martha and Alexis, my dad phoned me back and I had a long talk with him," she explained as he nodded slowly. "We had a bath together, you read me the Nikki Heat you were working on at the time," she smiled as his fingers held hers tightly. "Neither of us could sleep so we made a fort in the living room after Alexis and Martha had gone to bed and we camped out watching Star Wars," she smiled before bringing his hand to her lips and kissing it. "We went home and acted like it was a normal domestic day because Castle that's what made us happy. We'd been in our relationship for nearly a year and we enjoyed being together and we liked being a normal family without the fame and the bombs and the murders so that's what we did that night. We were a normal family."
"I love you," Rick whispered as she bit into her lip. "I don't think I tell you enough."
"You don't need to tell me," she responded as he stared at her. "You show it with everything you do Castle," she smiled as he nodded slowly.
"Do you ever regret marrying me sometimes?" he asked as she immediately shook her head. "Even with the amnesia and everything that's happened with Tyson, you don't regret it."
"Richard Castle, you're my one and done. The amnesia is just another part of our story," Kate smiled as he nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off her. "Never think that I regret this marriage because it's the best thing that's ever happened to me," she declared, squeezing his hand tightly before she moved away when they food began to arrive.
XOXOOXOXXOXO
"Stop, we'll wake everyone up Rick," Kate laughed as Rick continued to kiss her neck, his arms tightly wrapped around her body as they slowly walked down the corridor towards their bedroom. Pushing the door open, Kate smiled as Rick lifted her into his arms and carried her towards the bed as she bit into her lip nervously. "I love you Richard Castle," she whispered as he laid her down on the bed and stared at her in amazement.
"You're an extraordinary woman Kate," he commented as she rolled her eyes and reached up, her hand clutching around his shirt as she pulled him down so she could kiss him. Hearing Harry begin to scream, Kate felt Rick collapse against her body before she laughed and ran her fingers through his short hair and shut her eyes for a moment.
"I should go and check on him, he's probably hungry," Kate admitted as Rick remained against her. "Castle, I love you but you need to move. You're squashing me and Harry's hungry," she declared as he nodded and moved off her body before watching as she stood up and moved towards the door. "Come with me," Kate smiled from the doorway as he stood up and followed her down the corridor towards Harry's bedroom. Entering the room, Kate smiled at her son as she quickly walked over and lifted her son into her arms, cradling him close as he began to settle down. "Did you miss me baby boy?" she whispered, feeling him nestle into her arms as she moved to sit down in the rocking chair as Rick watched her. "I think he just missed us."
"I agree, he's used to you being there Kate. He probably woke up and was shocked when we didn't come running," Rick explained as the brunette nodded, glancing down at her son before shutting her eyes and relaxing back into the wooden chair. "You look comfortable."
"I am," she yawned as he leant down and pressed a kiss into her dark hair. "Go and get ready for bed, I'll just settle him down," she whispered as Rick nodded and walked out of the room. Changing quickly, Rick rested his clothes across the chair before walking towards the nursery again, not surprised to find Kate fast asleep in the chair with Harry asleep in her arms. Approaching her silently, Rick gently lifted their son out of his wife's arms before resting him in the crib and smiling down at him before moving towards his wife and lifting her into his arms, not surprised when she cuddled into his arms and yawned again.
"Come on silly girl, let's get you to bed," he laughed, resting her on the bed before sitting down and removing her shoes before sighing. He wasn't going to try and remove her dress, she was tired and he wanted her to sleep peacefully. Resting down beside her, Rick watched as she slept peacefully beside him. He was a lucky man, a really lucky man!