"What happened?" Casey asked, trying not to sound too irritated.
"I was fixing breakfast and had my back turned…. I don't even know." Kim said, tearfully, voice thick with tears.
Casey grunted softly walking over to her and pulling her in with one arm. Thomas was still in his other arm, Natalie in hers.
"It's alright, I was just worried someone was hurt and I've not had my coffee yet this morning." Casey whispered.
Thomas started squirming,
"Want down."
Casey sat him down while Kim did the same thing with Natalie back into her play crib. Casey could tell she was upset, but there was something else. He watched her go over to the coffee machine to turn it on. He walked over to her, putting his hands on both shoulders and at that she flinched.
"Hey it's just me, what's wrong?" Casey whispered, moving to the side looking at her.
"Nothing. I had a bad dream, and woke up with the kids and then the crying started, I panicked and that's when you came in upset."
"I wasn't upset, I was concerned something bad happened and one of you was hurt. I'm sorry it came out that way. Why did you flinch?"
"I….." Kim looked over at Thomas who was engrossed with Star Wars.
She took his hand, pulling him to sit at the table.
"I told you about my ex and how he left when we found out about not being able to get pregnant?"
"Yes."
Kim looked down, tears in her eyes, Casey was scared. Kim was like him; she didn't show emotions overtly in front of people.
"Honey, did he hurt you?"
And the damn dam broke, while Kim nodded her head yes. Casey gently pulled her into his lap, holding her. He didn't know what to say so he just held her tighter. After a minute or two she lifted her head from her hiding place against his neck.
"You okay?" He whispered, after a while.
"Kind of."
"Why don't you go sit with the kids and find something to watch besides Star Wars. I'll finish breakfast and bring it to the living room."
"You sure?"
"Yes, now go." Casey whispered.
Casey watched her gather Natalie up, and then go to sit beside Thomas. Casey finished making breakfast and everyone ate quietly, nobody talking at all. Thomas could see that Kim was upset so after eating him and Casey cuddled up on either side of her. Natalie was asleep on her chest.
"We love you."
"I love you all too."
Chuck and Sarah were laying in bed, looking over Paris. Sarah was mostly back to her old self again, she wasn't snapping or wasn't annoyed with him as far as he could tell."I'm glad we got away, we needed this." Chuck whispered, kissing her temple.
"Mmh." Sarah said.
"You okay? You've been different since the birth?"
"Yes, I'm working on some things. I just figured the first kid I had would be with someone I love." Sarah looked at him.
"We can if you want." Chuck smiled.
Sarah nodded, still thinking about something Chuck could tell.
"What is it Sarah?"
Sarah looked at him.
"I'm thinking of giving Casey and Kim full custody of Natalie. I want to leave Burbank and restart our lives together."
Chuck looked at her with huge eyes.
"You want to leave our daughter and move away?"
"She's not yours Chuck, her last name is Casey not Bartowski, you're not on her birth certificate you have no legal claim to her."
Chuck flinched at that.
"Even though you would give her up, Casey would still let me see her. Don't you think Natalie deserves to be loved by all of us? You, Casey, Kim, Morgan, Alex, Ellie, Awesome, I, and Clara?"
"Yes but I just can't do it…. At least not right now… I'm still trying to get over what happened. I still feel guilty, I know I shouldn't but I do."
Chuck understood the part about feeling guilty about what happened between her and Casey. Neither of them were at fault and they were dealing with everything the best they could.
"How about you go to that therapist that Beckman, I, Casey, and Ellie tried to get you to see when all of this first happened? Talk to her about all of this before you decide to give Casey full custody." Chuck said while watching her reaction.
"Okay."
Chuck got up going to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Sarah got her phone sending the text to her lawyer to have the paperwork that had been already drawn up to give Casey temporary custody. Temporary, but for how long? She hasn't decided yet, she was already going to start therapy when they got back from the honeymoon. She just hoped it wouldn't make things worse with Chuck, and hopefully Casey won't go back to his usual hard-edged cynical self. He hadn't been like that since he and Kim got together almost two years ago. Chuck came back out, Sarah got ready for the day hoping Casey won't text Chuck or her as soon as the papers were delivered. The two of them spent the rest of the day going to shops, eating, and seeing the sights of Paris.
Meanwhile
Casey and Morgan were in Castle working on a new mission that Beckman had assigned them.
"How's Alex and Oliver?" Casey asked.
"Good…. John likes to laugh at me. He reaches for a ball when you roll it to him, stuff like that. How about Natalie?"
"The same thing she's very attached to Kim which worries me some because of her not bonding with Sarah. When Chuck calls to check on her she lights up at the sound of his voice but just starts playing again when Sarah only says hi and she just asks if she's okay."
Morgan thought for a minute.
"I think Sarah hasn't handled all this very well if you what to know my honest opinion. Ever since you two came home from that mission she's changed, I think you both have. Sarah more for the bad you in a ….." Morgan stopped when Casey glared at him.
"I would suggest caution."
"In a good way did you think when you first stepped into the Buy More all those years ago that you would end up still here knowing your ex fiance, married, with two kids and a grandson?"
Casey thought for a minute.
"No, I thought I was going to kill Chuck when Beckman gave me the kill order, but then we still needed Chuck. I was going to retire, move to the Arizona desert and run a weapons training program, monitoring the border. Be done with all of this." Casey said, looking around.
"Sarah will come around soon, I just know it." Morgan said, his cheerful attitude present, as always.
About that time Beckman came on the screen and at the same time an agent came through Castle.
"Colonel… you need to see this immediately."
Casey looked confused as well as Morgan, taking the folder from the agent Casey said,
"Something new for the mission General?" Casey asked.
"No Colonel. It's… personal."
Casey lifted his eyebrows while looking at Beckman and ripped off the top of the folder, then read it silently the whole time Casey got more upset.
"What's wrong Casey?" Morgan asked.
"General, are you sure it's from Sarah?"
"Yes, her lawyer sent it personally to my private email. That only you and Sarah have, what is going on?"
"I have no honest idea. She and Chuck have been in Paris this week."
"Has she checked in on your child?"
"Chuck calls and Sarah…." Casey looked at Morgan.
"What is it that you're not telling me? And before you try to cover it I know it's parental right termination on Sarah's part."
"I don't know if we were co-parenting…" Casey read the documents.
'What does it say about Chuck? He couldn't know she's done this…. Does he?" Morgan asked.
"No he doesn't, she asked that he would be allowed to see Natalie anytime he wanted." Casey said, looking at Morgan then Beckman.
"I'm sorry about everything that mission has cost you, Colonel."
"Just a partner and I guess a friend, hopefully not two friends. I still have my wife, two daughters, son in law, and a grandson." Casey said, looking at Morgan.
"Have you thought about retiring?" Beckman asked.
"Who? Casey no way…." Casey cut Morgan off.
"Yes for a while now, I just haven't filed the papers with the NSA ma'am."
"Well consider yourself retired, after this mission you earned it." Beckman said.
Casey nodded and smiled a bit.
"Colonel, you just smiled. It looks good on you." Beckman said.
"Oh he's been doing that a lot just not while at work or when you're around." Morgan said, smiling also.
Casey growled and smacked him up the side of his head.
"Have a good mission gentleman." And Beckman was gone.
"Let's do this and get home." Casey said.
That evening Casey showed Kim the paperwork.
"I can't believe this, are you going to talk to her?" Kim asked.
"I'm going to show Chuck this first, then hopefully both of us will talk to her."
Kim sat the papers on the table, both kids were already asleep and in bed.
"I'm ready for bed, are you?" Kim asked.
"Yes."
That night Chuck laid in bed, thinking about what the future with Sarah and Natalie would look like. Casey also laid in bed thinking about what Natalie's life without Sarah in it would be like.