Combination of two prompts. Clarkson124 : Meredith visits Alexis (when she has mono) and finds out Rick and Kate are married and she's four months pregnant. Guest: Kate is pregnant during 5x10. Written in Meredith's POV.


It's at dinner that it finally dawns on her, and she feels stupid for not realizing it sooner. Between the comments Alexis made, the loose shirts, the way her arm is often draped across her lower stomach, it's so obvious. Yet, it still takes Kate denying wine and getting water instead at their little dinner date for her to realize it.

"You're pregnant." It tumbles from her lips before she can stop it, making Kate swallow her gulp of water hard, eyes widening as she sets the glass back down on the table.

"I am," she says simply, the statement holding next to no emotion, as if she's not sure what to think or say or feel right now.

Really, she can't blame Kate for being...uncomfortable...in this situation. She's found it awkward enough, staying at the loft with Rick and Alexis and Kate, and she's just the ex-wife. She can't even imagine how awkward things must be for Kate, playing nice with a woman she knows has slept with her boyfriend before, including pretty much every other time she's stayed in Rick's loft since the divorce. Kate's stuck with their family, as unconventional and messed up as it is, probably feeling like the odd one out.

And on top of that, she's pregnant.

She's been there, too. She's been Richard Castle's pregnant girlfriend. Though, according to Alexis, Rick and Kate are much more serious now than she and Rick were back when she got pregnant. From what she can tell, Alexis is so, so right.

Kate seems comfortable—not with her, of course, but with Rick. She's put up with her thus far, dealing with her parading around the apartment almost naked, calling Rick kitten, shoving their old memories in her face, and she still hasn't snapped. So, there's a trust there, between Rick and Kate, one that was never there between her and Rick all those years ago when they were together.

It's movement from Kate that snaps her out of her thoughts, the detective's nimble fingers twirling her fork in her plate of spaghetti before bringing it to her mouth. It's only now that she realizes that Kate's other hand has been hidden under the table over the entire course of their dinner, and she can imagine it resting on a slightly rounded stomach.

She's been there, pregnant. She knows what it's like to see your stomach bulge, slowly as to accommodate a growing baby. Unlike her, though, Kate seems to have these maternal instincts, already.

"How far along are you?" she asks, hearing the undeniable curiosity in her own voice as she does so.

Kate's eyes widen as if the question surprises her, and she swallows her mouthful before speaking. "Just past four months now." She says it softly, smiling to herself.

She can't help but smile, too. "So, second trimester? That's the best part," she says, remembering how horrible the rest of her own pregnancy had been. The first trimester had been tainted by morning sickness, the third by back aches and Braxton Hicks. The second trimester, though, it was like the golden period.

"So I've been told," she replies, her eyes downcast. She can't tell if it's because she's looking down at her bump, or if it's because this makes her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." The words feel foreign on her tongue as she says them. She doesn't apologize often, and from the way Kate looks up at her with wide eyes, she assumes the detective has figured that much out. "Alexis, uh...told me things were serious between you and Rick. I couldn't believe it, because, well, you know." Kate nods. "I just wanted to check it out for myself. I wouldn't of...imposed...had I known you two were expecting."

Kate's eyes are wide with surprise, her lips slightly parted as if she's speechless.

"I can go to a hotel, if you'd like. Alexis is doing a lot better now, anyway," she suggests, feeling so oddly out of character and so oddly apologetic.

"Uh..." she hesitates, her hand on her belly raising slightly, allowing her to see the way her fingers curl around the baby bump slightly, protectively. "You know what, Meredith? At first, that's what I wanted, but you're welcome to stay for a little longer. Or, well, that's not my place, but it's fine with me," she says steadily, gracefully, her lips curling upwards ever so slightly.

"Thanks," she replies, letting a somewhat uncomfortable silence come over them until she speaks again. "So, Rick hasn't proposed?"

Kate laughs softly. "No. I think Rick knows that I won't get married just because I'm pregnant, no disrespect intended," she answers. "We are talking about moving in together, though."

"So this was a practice run, of sorts," she half-jokes in reply, surprised by the sudden ease that has taken over the conversation.

Kate laughs chuckles softly, swallowing another bite of pasta while shrugging. "I guess you could say that."

"Once again, Kate, I'm sorry for intruding on...well, everything," she says, taking a slow sip on her wine as she finishes speaking.

"Really, Meredith, I'm over it. I guess I was a little insecure at first. You know, being pregnant and all, and then you come back and you're so beautiful and I know that you two have...well, you know...when you visited before. But, hey, look at it this way," she smiles. "If we can survive living together with his ex-wife there, too, I think we can manage."

"I think you guys would manage no matter what," she admits. "You and Rick, it's different. I hurt him...and Alexis...badly when I cheated on him and left. You're not like me, you're...good for them, as much as it hurts to admit it. My family, they're lucky to have you, and they know it. Rick, he won't do anything to mess this up," she says, watching her wine as she twirls it in her glass, the depth of her statement hitting her hard.

"I know," replies Kate.

She's not at all surprised when, about a week later, Alexis tells her over the phone that Kate is moving into the loft. And the next time she goes to New York to visit Alexis, she also gets the meet the latest addition to the Castle family...and she stays in a hotel.