Author's Note: I give you the last chapter. I hope it satisfies!

Then Came Love

Chapter 60

Three months later…

Castle was exhausted.

Or rather more accurately, he was aware that he must be exhausted since he hadn't had more than a few hours of sleep in the last two nights and none at all this past night but he was too happy and excited, euphoric, to even be aware of his own fatigue, adrenaline still coursing through him.

He could collapse from tiredness later. But now, he had only had a few hours to marvel at the fact that he had the most adorable, perfect baby daughter in the history of the world. Again. And just a few hours wasn't nearly enough. He thought he might need at least ten, maybe, 20, or you know 2000 hours to stare at his new baby girl.

His little Lily–his and Kate's.

He momentarily tore his gaze away from their daughter to look at Beckett, sleeping, as she should be. She was pale from tiredness, her hair rather stringy and flat. She'd never been more beautiful–and he didn't think he had ever loved her more. He wouldn't have thought it possible to love her any more than he already did but apparently it was, his whole being overflowing with it.

He felt like his chest was in serious danger of literally bursting from the sheer magnitude of the love he felt, for his… his Kate (not for the first time, he thought of another four-letter word, another title, he wanted to give her, but that would have to wait)–and his daughter.

He turned back to hang over the bassinet the nurses had brought into the room just a couple hours ago, right before another nurse had returned with baby Lily, after she had been cleaned up and weighed and had gone through all the usual newborn measurements and tests that needed to be done.

Their perfect baby, all six pounds, 10 ounces of her. Their baby, who was now–he fumbled for his phone–just over four hours old.

Castle stilled, forgetting to breathe or to blink or move or anything else as Lily stirred a little–was she waking up–but then, no, he saw, she was still sleeping, had only squirmed a little, one of her tiny perfect hands opening and closing a little.

She was just so… perfect, right down to her miniscule fingernails. Absurdly, ridiculously, he felt his eyes filling with tears that he hastily blinked back, again, since he had found his eyes wet when she'd been born too. Not that he'd cared or even felt the least bit self-conscious about his tears then because he had never seen or felt anything as amazing as being there for the birth of his baby. It had been a miracle. She was a miracle–and he wasn't sure if he were referring more to Lily or to Beckett–because they were both miracles, as far as he was concerned.

Castle hadn't thought of it often or dwelled on it, preferred not to. He had told himself more than once that it didn't matter that he hadn't actually been present for Alexis's birth, had not witnessed the first hour or so of her life, because he had, after all, been there for all the next hours of her life. What did being present for the birth really matter when compared to the fact that from Alexis's earliest memories, her entire life, he had been with her? He didn't blame Meredith for it; she was the one who had carried Alexis for nine months and he understood that it was the mother's decision who to allow into the room whether for a natural birth or an elective cesarean, as Meredith had opted for. He did understand all that, was fine with it–or at least, he had honestly believed he was fine with it.

But somehow, for all that, it felt like a small, unacknowledged little wound on his heart from not having been allowed to be present for Alexis's birth had been healed now. As if being there for every minute of Lily's birth–all ten-plus hours of labor (even if he felt as if he'd aged a year for every hour of it)-had, in some strange way, balanced out the little sting of hurt from so many years ago. Not because Lily would replace Alexis–she could never do that–but as if a sort of cosmic imbalance had been righted. If that made any sense, which he wasn't sure it did.

Never mind.

He felt a sudden longing to hug his now-older daughter, which he would no doubt be able to do in a few hours, once his mother and Alexis arrived to meet little Lily. He smiled, feeling another surge of love, for Alexis this time, as he remembered her excitement earlier, immediately banishing any traces of sleepiness from her voice, even if it had been barely after 4 a.m.

But then again, this was one of the few times when not a single one of the people he had called a few hours ago had minded in the slightest being woken up at such an hour. Alexis and his mother had obviously his first phone call, especially when they had both heroically spent hours in the hospital waiting room before he had finally told them to go home after 10 p.m. when the baby had still not been born, but then he'd made the rounds, calling Lanie, Esposito, Ryan, and Captain Montgomery in turn, knowing perfectly well that if any of them found out that he had waited until a decent hour to call them, they wouldn't have been pleased.

For that matter, Lanie had made both him and Beckett solemnly promise more than once in the last couple weeks that they would call her the moment Beckett went into labor and the moment the baby was born, no matter the hour. The boys had not outright said any such thing–Ryan had said, "Call if you want to," as if he didn't particularly care if he were told immediately about the baby's birth, while Espo had given a grunt of agreement–but Castle was familiar enough with the understated nature of cop-speak that he'd understood (correctly) that they'd meant they wanted to be told immediately.

He had no doubt there was going to be a steady stream of visitors as the day advanced. He expected Jim would be returning soon, never mind that Jim had only left the hospital a couple hours ago, after staying in the hospital the entire time and steadfastly refusing both Castle's and Beckett's suggestions that he should leave to get some sleep. So Jim had met his granddaughter within an hour of her birth and only then had he finally consented to leave and get some sleep.

Castle snapped out of his thoughts as he sensed, heard, Beckett stirring behind him and he moved the few steps to bend over the bed, watching and waiting the few minutes as her eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times before focusing on him. And thought for about the billionth time that he would never, ever get over seeing the way her lips curved at the sight of him, although her smile was paler, more tired, than usual.

"Cassle," she mumbled and then blinked some more. "The baby?"

His heart swelled. How could she ever have doubted what kind of mother she would be? "She's sleeping," he assured her quickly, bending to kiss her cheek.

"Mm, you missed," she mumbled, turning her face slightly, and he bit back the little laugh of sheer exultation that bubbled up inside him, before bending to kiss her on the lips this time. Sleepy Kate, a sleepy Kate telling him to kiss her and even puckering very slightly, was possibly the most adorable thing ever. Second only to their daughter, of course.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

She blinked a few times before answering. "Tired," she offered–and he guessed, although she wasn't admitting it, she had to be sore and achy as well. "And so happy," she added with another pale smile.

"You should sleep some more while you can."

"Where's Dad?" was her response.

"He left a couple hours ago, when you fell asleep, but he said he'd be back soon."

"Mm, he should sleep more after being up all night," she murmured.

"He should but I don't think Jim wants to be away from you or from the baby for long."

The two words–the baby–tugged Kate further awake, and she lifted her head. "Gimme my baby, Castle." She paused. "She's sleeping?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, "but I think I can lift her without waking her."

She hesitated, torn for a moment between wanting to hold their daughter and concern that it would be better to let the baby sleep. "You think it'll be okay?"

As if he could ever deny her anything, let alone her wish to hold their daughter. And from what he remembered of newborns, he guessed Lily would probably awaken soon enough on her own as it was.

He moved over to the bassinet, bending to pick up his baby daughter as carefully as if the slightest puff of air might harm her, marveling not for the first time at her slight weight, how small and fragile she was. It was… humbling and awe-inspiring and terrifying, too, to be so conscious of how utterly helpless the baby was. His precious baby, his to protect and nurture and care for–his and Kate's. And that was what made all the difference, somehow. The responsibility of it might still be terrifying but it also felt… lighter too because he knew this time that he wasn't alone. When he was weak, when he made mistakes, Kate would be there to help, to balance it out.

Kate's expression softened, suffusing with more tenderness than he had ever seen. She was practically glowing with love, as if illuminated from within, and he felt an almost painful surge of love in response. She lifted her arms for Lily, cradling her as if she'd been doing so for months, and he perched on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arm around Kate as she rested her head against his chest.

And together, they both marveled over their so-perfect daughter, again. Their Lily.

"She's beautiful," he murmured, also not for the first time.

"Mm," was her only response, unsurprisingly, since she appeared to be almost mesmerized by their daughter, with good reason.

He lifted a hand and let his fingers just barely brush the fine, downy wisps of light hair escaping from under the tiny baby cap, skimming even more lightly over her small, perfect ear, her cheek.

"I think she has your nose," he told her quietly.

"I think she has your ears."

"You think so?" He wanted to preen. To his eyes, he thought their daughter looked more like Kate–which he loved–but the thought that his daughter resembled him in anything was enough to make him feel like he'd won a medal. After all, what better compliment could there be than sharing some resemblance with the world's most adorable baby?

(Yes, he was very biased. No, he didn't care.)

"She's blonde," she noted after a moment.

"Her hair color will get darker, I think. Alexis's hair was a pale blonde when she was born but it got darker over her first few years. Oh, and you know, the nurse told me that Lily might be a prodigy."

She made a soft, skeptical sound. "I'm sure the nurse didn't say that." She glanced up at him. "She didn't, did she?"

"Well, not in so many words," he acknowledged. "But it was basically the same thing," he defended. "She scored a 9 out of 10 on the Apgar card so she really is a prodigy."

Kate bent and brushed the softest of kisses against Lily's forehead. "9 out of 10," she murmured. "You're amazing, baby."

"See? I told you so."

"Quiet, Castle, I'm admiring my baby," she scolded, although her words were belied by the softness of her tone and the glowing smile she slanted at him.

He could have no possible objections to that. He thought it was his new favorite hobby, in fact. If he had wondered if he would find every tiny movement made by Lily any less enthralling for having been a witness to all of the newborn Alexis's equally-fascinating movements (he hadn't), he would have had his answer because it felt just as miraculous, just as impossible to keep from looking at her.

He kissed Kate's hair before resting his cheek against it, lifting one hand to brush his fingers over the baby's tiny curled fist and then bit back a crow of glee when the baby's fist opened like some miniature starfish and then closed again around his finger.

Kate gave a little huff that was almost a laugh, glancing up at him with another smile. "Look at that. She knows you."

"Of course she knows me. I told you she's a prodigy," he pretended to chide her.

Kate's eyes had already returned to focus on Lily as if unable to look away for more than a couple seconds at a time, a sentiment which he entirely understood. "Fine, yes, she's perfect. Our little flower," she crooned to Lily. She touched a gentle finger to Lily's soft cheek, traced her tiny ear down to her chin. "She's so beautiful, just like a flower, although I suppose she'll still be too young to be the flower girl at our wedding…"

Wait, what? He choked on air, coughing a little. "Our wedding?"

Kate jerked her head up, her eyes widening a little. "Oh, I said that out loud."

"You're planning for our wedding? Are you proposing?" he managed to get out through the strange constriction in his throat. Oh, he really, really loved her.

"I… I guess I just assumed… but if it's too soon or if you don't want–"

He cut her words off with a kiss, kissing her with as much passion as he dared. "Of course I want to get married. I bought a ring more than a month ago!"

It was her turn to gape at him. "You… bought a ring? But you didn't ask, didn't say anything."

"We did have some other things on our mind," he reminded her, nodding down at Lily. "And I wanted it to be perfect, was trying to plan something special." And he'd decided to wait because she had been so uncomfortable in the last month and more, unable to really find any comfortable positions to rest, not getting much sleep because of her discomfort and frequent need to go to the restroom, frustrated at her own helplessness, and none of that had seemed like ideal circumstances in which to propose.

Her expression softened into a small, almost shy smile (not that he could ever really associate the word, shy, with his Beckett). "You already bought a ring?"

"Yeah, I did. I was hoping to surprise you. I should have known you'd find a way to surprise me first."

She laughed softly. "So, are you going to propose?"

"I think you just did, didn't you? It would be a little redundant," he stalled, biting back a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly looking very much like Beckett, rather than Kate. And he loved it.

"Will you marry me, Kate?" he asked, finding his voice getting husky with emotion almost in spite of himself. Because this really was it for him. This was the last proposal he would ever make to the love of his life. This was the lasting relationship he had always wanted.

And he hadn't imagined proposing like this, when he hadn't planned what he was going to say, was barely coherent as it was, but he still felt he had to say something more, if only because his writer's pride demanded it of him and Kate deserved it, deserved as much eloquence as he was capable of. "You are the most extraordinary person I've ever met and since the moment we've met, you've challenged me and inspired me and made me better in so many ways. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life talking to you, laughing with you, and sharing all of life's adventures with you."

A little sob escaped her even as she gave him a tremulous smile through the tears in her eyes. "Yes," she choked out. "Of course, yes. I love you too, Cas–"

He cut her off with a kiss because he had to, felt as if he might burst from sheer elation and a little bit of relief if he didn't kiss her right then.

He hadn't exactly been afraid of what her answer would be–aside from the small niggling kernel of nervousness born of his insecurities but he still felt his heart leap, his chest filling with a rush of joy so intense he was almost surprised he hadn't floated clean off the floor.

He kissed her and she kissed him back until they both heard a little noise, somewhere between a yawn and a small squawk, and they broke apart to look at their little Lily, who was squirming, her small face a little scrunched as she appeared to be waking up.

They exchanged quick smiling glances before Kate lifted one hand to gently brush her fingers against Lily's soft cheek. Lily's mouth opened and closed and then she blinked her eyes open slowly.

"Hi, baby," Kate crooned quietly. "Did we wake you up?"

"Sorry, Sprout," he whispered, although he knew he sounded jubilant rather than apologetic.

The baby blinked dark blue-gray eyes up at them and Castle fancied she was observing, matching their familiar voices to their faces. He wondered if her eyes would stay blue or if they would eventually change, perhaps to become more like Kate's hazel.

"Mommy and Daddy were just excited," he went on quietly.

"Daddy gets excited a lot, Lily," Kate inserted. "You'll get used to it."

"Mommy loves it, never mind what she says, Lily."

And then he was surprised, even shocked, because Kate darted a quick glance at him and then admitted, "Yeah, Daddy makes things a lot more fun, you'll see." He kissed Kate's cheek just for that.

Lily gave a small cry that sounded a little petulant, although Castle supposed he could be imagining it and he laughed quietly. "Okay, Lily, I get it, I love you too."

He bent to dot a quick kiss to Lily's head–only to be greeted with a small flailing fist knocking against his cheek, grazing his ear. He grasped the tiny fist, laughing again. "It's not nice to hit Daddy."

As if in protest or disagreement, Lily gave a little squawk and he retreated, straightening up.

"You know what, she might be hungry again."

Kate's reaction was immediate, almost as practiced as if she'd been doing this for months rather than just once before, as she shifted her hold on the baby so she could unbutton the hospital gown just enough. She stroked a finger against Lily's cheek and Lily turned her head, seeking and finding the nipple and latching onto it.

Castle resettled his arm around Kate's shoulders, her head resting against his shoulder, as they both watched Lily suckling greedily.

"Look at you. You're so good at this already, Kate," he murmured.

She glanced up at him. "I'm making it up as I go along."

He kissed her temple. "You're going to be great."

Her eyes were already focused on Lily again. "Maybe, with your help," she murmured.

"I don't think you'll need any help from me to be an amazing mom."

"I need your help for everything," she murmured, half-absently, as she was still focused on Lily.

Castle's breath stuttered a little in his chest. Oh, she really loved him. Not that he'd doubted it but it was still a rare, uncharacteristically vulnerable admission for his independent Beckett to make. He didn't comment on it aloud, only tightened his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair, while he lifted his other hand to lightly brush the downy wisps of Lily's hair.

Quiet settled over the room, broken only by the sound of Lily sucking and smacking as she fed.

After a little while, Lily's suckling slowed, her little mouth going slack, and Castle moved to take Lily back into his arms, allowing Kate to clean herself up and re-do her hospital gown.

He cradled Lily against his shoulder, patting her back gently, as he crooned nonsensical noises, finding he was swaying a little, the motion returning to him from all those years ago when he'd been holding baby Alexis.

He felt Kate's gaze and glanced at her to see her watching them with a faint smile hovering over her lips. "What?"

"Nothing," she demurred. "You're cute, that's all."

"Cute," he huffed in mock offense. "I am not cute. I'm ruggedly handsome."

She pretended to study him. "No, you're just cute," she declared with a small smirk.

He tried but couldn't for the life of him cling to his pretense of disgruntlement. "Well, since it's you, I suppose I'll allow it."

She snickered and he turned to Lily. "Mommy's mocking me," he addressed the baby. "Don't listen."

Kate opened her lips but before she could respond, they were distracted by a knock on the door and then it opened as Jim appeared, his arms laden with a couple bags. "Can I come in?"

"Dad! I thought you were going to get some sleep."

Jim scoffed. "I did but you didn't really expect that I'd nap through the entire morning after my first grandchild was born, did you?" He set down the bags he'd been carrying, his eyes already focused on the small bundle in Castle's arms. "I wanted to see my grandchild again and bring her this little thing," he added, holding up an adorable plush rabbit about the same size as Lily herself. "Now, how is my little sweetheart?"

"I'm just fine, thanks, Dad," Kate inserted, a touch of dryness in her tone.

Jim glanced at his daughter and chuckled. "I can see that, Katie," he said, moving to kiss Kate's cheek and when he straightened up, Castle traded Lily for the plush rabbit, allowing Jim to take the baby while Castle placed the doll inside the bassinet.

"Hello again, Lily," Jim cooed at Lily, his whole expression softening, suffusing with so much emotion that Castle felt almost abashed, as if he were witnessing a private moment. And he thought that for once, his future father-in-law was entirely indifferent to his presence.

His future father-in-law–oh. As if she'd sensed his thought, Kate abruptly blurted out, "Oh, Dad, Castle and I are engaged."

If anything could have torn Jim's attention away from the baby, it was that and Jim jerked his head up to stare at both Kate and then Castle in turn, who shifted a little on his feet as he belatedly remembered that he had been planning to ask Jim for his blessing before he eventually proposed.

"Sorry, I didn't think to ask for your blessing first," he hurriedly inserted. "But it wasn't exactly–"

"You didn't need to ask, Rick," Jim interrupted before turning to his daughter with a little laugh. "I knew this was coming but a grandchild and an engagement in one morning? Are you never going to stop surprising me, Katie? You might give a man a chance to catch his breath."

"Sorry, Dad," Kate responded entirely unapologetically, grinning at Castle who smiled back automatically. "I got kind of carried away and it slipped out."

"You got–were you the one who proposed?" Jim asked.

"I guess you could say we proposed to each other," Castle answered with a laugh, slipping his arm around Kate.

"Only you, Katie," Jim shook his head a little but he was beaming. "Congratulations, both of you." He turned his eyes back to the baby in his arms. "If Lily here is anything at all like you, Katie, she's going to be a handful."

"A wonderful handful," Kate murmured and Castle pressed a kiss to her hair. He had no doubt about it.

"Yes, you will be a wonderful handful, won't you, Lily?" Jim cooed, his eyes still fixed on Lily. As if in answer, Lily yawned a little, smacking her lips a couple times, as her eyes fluttered closed.

Tears appeared in Jim's eyes, as they had when he'd held Lily for the first time just a few hours ago. "She is perfect, Katie," he murmured, his eyes not leaving the now-sleeping baby.

Castle felt Kate turn her face into his shoulder and looked down at her to see her lips trembling a little with emotion as she watched her dad, guessed she was thinking about all she and her dad had been through in the years following her mom's death. He tightened his arm around her and she glanced up at him to give him a watery attempt at a smile. "I love you," she whispered.

His response was to kiss her softly on the lips. He was just drawing back when there was another knock on the door and the emotions in the room abruptly shifted once again as both Alexis and his mother appeared.

"Dad? Kate?"

"Darlings! Why, Jim, you must not have gotten any sleep at all if you're already back," his mother exclaimed.

Castle opened his mouth to tell his mother to lower her voice but Jim beat him to it. "Ssh, she's sleeping."

"Oh," Alexis gave a soft little exclamation. Castle wrapped his arms around his older daughter, kissing her forehead.

"Come meet your little sister, Alexis," Kate spoke up. "Dad?"

Jim responded to the prompting and moved to offer Lily to Alexis, who glanced up at Castle with some uncertainty before accepting the baby carefully, cradling her a little awkwardly. Castle adjusted her hold on Lily slightly and then kept his arm around Alexis, watching the look of wonder on Alexis's face as she studied the baby. And saw too, not that he had ever doubted it, that Alexis already loved Lily with all the caring of Alexis's affectionate nature.

"Oh, she's so small," Alexis exclaimed very quietly.

"It seems like just a couple years ago that you were this small too," he told her, truthfully.

Alexis nudged him a little with her shoulder. "Not again, dad," she chided but then turned back to looking at the baby. "She's adorable."

His heart swelled. "She's perfect, just like you." Oh, his daughters–his two perfect, precious daughters.

"Hi, baby, I'm your big sister," Alexis whispered very quietly. Lily stirred a little in her sleep, her cheek nestled against Alexis's shoulder.

Castle felt tears threatening again and turned to look at his mother in an attempt to stave them off, only to see that his mother too looked more emotional than he could remember seeing in a very long time as she looked at her granddaughters. Oh, lord, her granddaughters.

Castle reluctantly released Alexis and moved to slip his arm around his mother in turn. "Well, Mother?"

His mother swiped tears from her eyes and gave him one of her bright smiles. "Oh, darling, what can I say except that she's beautiful and I'm so very happy for you–and for you, Katherine," his mother added, stepping away from him to take Kate's hand.

"Thank you, Martha," Kate smiled.

"Now, is there anything you need, anything we can get you, Katherine?" his mother asked.

"Oh!" This little exclamation made them all turn to Jim, who gave them a sheepish look. "I can't believe I forgot. I brought breakfast, along with some coffee, decaf so don't worry, Katie." He turned to rummage in the bags he'd brought, producing a box of muffins and a thermos of coffee.

"This is perfect, Dad, thank you," Kate responded, smiling at her father.

Castle moved to help Jim, bringing over the small table to the bedside so Kate could reach it, while Jim also produced some plates and napkins and cups for the coffee.

While they were thus occupied, Alexis looked over at Martha. "Grams, would you like to hold her too?"

"I thought you'd never ask," his mother declared, eagerly holding her arms out for Lily. "Let me have the little darling."

His mother caught his watching her and gave him a look. "Don't look like that, Richard. I do know how to hold a baby, even if it has been a little while."

"I wasn't thinking any such thing," Castle denied, truthfully. Seeing the softness in his mother's expression, he found himself suddenly reminded of his own childhood, all those years when his mother had been all he had. Remembering too the way his mother had cooed and exclaimed so delightedly over baby Alexis.

His mother looked rather skeptical but any retort she would have made was forgotten as Alexis moved to her side, carefully placing Lily into her grandmother's arms.

"Come and eat, Castle." Kate's invitation drew his attention away from his mother and his daughters–his daughters, that word was never getting old–and he moved back towards the bed, belatedly realizing that he actually was hungry.

Castle ate a muffin and drank some coffee, thanking Jim with a nod and a smile. Jim watched Kate eat for a few minutes before being inexorably drawn to where Martha and Alexis were gazing down at the sleeping baby.

Leaving Castle and Kate alone for the moment, as the rest of their family was entirely focused on the baby.

He felt Kate nestle her head against his shoulder and he slipped his arm around her, perching on the bed beside her. He heard a little sniff and looked down at her to see tears glistening on her lashes even though a faint smile was trembling on her lips as she watched the little circle of familial love centered on Lily.

"You okay?" he murmured into her ear.

She sniffed a little and blinked, meeting his eyes, her smile a little more definite. "Yes, just… my mom…"

He tightened his arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hair. "She's happy for us too, Kate," he told her quietly. "Wherever she is, she's happy for us."

"I know she is," Kate agreed in a whisper.

He bent and kissed her on the lips, softly, allowing himself to linger for a few seconds, secure in the knowledge that their family wasn't paying any attention to them.

"Thank you, Rick," she murmured.

Warmth flooded his chest. She didn't often use his first name; he'd grown to love the different inflections in her voice when she called him 'Castle' and wouldn't want to lose that anyway. So her use of his first name was an endearment, one she used only in tender moments, when she felt more than she could put into words.

"For what?"

"For this, our family." She looked over at their family and he followed her gaze–her dad, his mother, Alexis, and Lily. Their baby, surrounded by so much love it made the room seem brighter and warmer.

"Thanks to you, Kate," he managed to say through the sudden constriction in his throat. "This is all because of you." All of this was only possible because of her, because she'd let him in, let him love her and given him the love he'd wanted all his life. She'd given him their daughter.

"All right, it's because of us."

"Because of us," he echoed quietly. Us.

She turned her head to kiss his chin and then they both settled back, with him resting his cheek on her hair, and watched their family.

~To be continued, with an epilogue~

A/N 2: I hope this chapter lived up to expectations. And thank you, as always, to all readers and reviewers.