Hi readers,

I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I just had a lot of things to do and didn't found the time to write. But I've got the whole story finished now and will publish as soon as I read over the other chapters. There will be one more chapter plus an epilogue after this one.

To those who are still reading: I hope you enjoy the chapter.

O-o-o-o-o

April, 1st 1999

Kate slowly came to consciousness but her eyelids still felt heavy so she kept them closed.

„Hey buddy" she heard Rick say.

Huh? Was he talking to her? That was kind of a strange nickname for your girlfriend.

„It's daddy" he whispered. Oh! He was talking to their unborn child. That's why she could feel his breath on her belly. She would love to watch him but she kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to interrupt his bonding time with their baby.

„I know you can hear me, buddy. I just wanted to tell you that I already love you and can't wait to meet you. Your mommy is a little nervous but she loves you too. And once you are here you can show her how amazing you are and that she doesn't have to worry so much because you and I, we both already know that she's going to be a great mother. Don't we, baby?"

He made a pause. „That's what I thought" he said as if the baby just agreed with him.

„Now let me kiss your mommy awake" he added.

Then she felt him coming back up to her.

„Hey Kate" he whispered concerned. „What's wrong?"

She blinked her eyes open and found that tears were wetting her eyelashes. Oh. She hadn't noticed that she'd been crying.

„Nothing" she told him. His concerned blue eyes were focused on her face. „You're just sweet, totally adorable"

„Oh" he made relieved. So nothing was wrong. „You listening in on my conversations with our son? They are private, you know" he fake-pouted.

She laughed. He was adorable. „It's a little difficult not to since he is attached to my body for the time being"

„And now, come here" she ordered. „I'm still a little sleepy and I heard someone promise to kiss me awake"

Rick chuckled but immediately obeyed her command, closing the distance between their faces.

O-o-o-o-o

A few hours later Kate and Rick were seated on the dinner table with their parents. Until now everything had went well. They hoped that it would stay that way.

Kate had been a little nervous after she'd met Martha at Rick's party last night. Her boyfriend's mother and her own parents seemed to live in totally different worlds. Kate had worried that especially her father and Martha would have trouble finding something they could talk about without disagreeing with each other.

And that's how this dinner would have turned out if it weren't for Johanna who always lightened the mood whenever her husband and Martha disagreed on something like it was the case with baseball. Johanna had just made a comment that had both Martha and Jim chuckling and changed the topic. Kate had given her mother a grateful smile.

„Wow, Rick, this is delicious" Johanna now praised the dinner he'd cooked. „Where did you learn to cook like this? Is that your doing, Martha?"

The older woman laughed. „Oh no darling, I wish I could take the praise for that but I've never been into cooking."

„Yeah, if you want to avoid food poisoning you shouldn't eat what my mother cooks. But Mother had this boyfriend once, when I was around fourteen, I think" Rick started to explain. „He loved to cook and he taught me some things. I started experimenting and some things worked out. But I really learned to cook when I took lessons when I was in collage"

„You took lessons?" Jim asked.

„He wanted to impress his girlfriend" Martha interjected and Castle glared at her. He looked over to Kate but she didn't seem to be upset about the fact that he'd taken cooking lessons for his ex-girlfriend. In fact, she smiled.

„No reason to be embarrassed, Rick" Jim told him, patting his shoulder. „There's nothing wrong with wanting to impress a girl. As long as from now on you only try to impress Katie of course"

„Dad!" now was Kate's time to blush and Rick stuttered to find the right response to that statement. Johanna and Martha laughed. This dinner was fun.

„How is our grandchild doing by the way? I haven't been able to ask in some time. Actually I don't think I've even seen you this week, Katie. Did you secretly move out and in with Rick?" Johanna asked.

Kate's eyes went wide. They had yet to talk about her moving in with him. She didn't know if that was what he wanted too. She thought so but she didn't know. She would have liked to talk to him about it before her mother addressed it. Well, too late now.

„No mom, I haven't moved in with Rick" Kate replied cautiously, glancing at her boyfriend.

„But you could" Rick interjected, smiling widely. „You are here most of the time anyway. And we are going to have a child. We already colored the walls in the nursery and picked out the furniture. It would only make sense if you'd move in with me" his tone grew excited and his eyes light up at the idea of Kate officially moving in with him.

Kate couldn't help but smile back at him. They had a whole silent conversation with their eyes until Martha interrupted the moment.

„The nursery is finished already?" she asked. „Can we see?"

„Oh yes, I would like to see it too" Johanna agreed. „By the way, what are you having? A boy or a girl? And did you pick a name yet?"

Kate and Rick shared another look before Kate replied. „We are going to keep it a secret until the baby is here" she smirked.

„Oh no, you can't do that to us, Katie" Johanna protested.

„Yeah Richard, I completely agree with Johanna you have to tell us. I want to go shopping for the baby. I need to know what you are having" Martha added.

„No, we decided to keep it a secret" Rick said and Kate nodded, ignoring the glare her mother was sending her way.

„Well, we are just going to figure out the gender when we look at the room. Come on Johanna, I show you where it is" Martha grinned to herself. She got up and Johanna followed her up the stairs.

Kate and Rick shared another look and started to giggle. Jim eyed them curiously. He shook his head. He would like to know too. But if Katie wanted to keep it a secret he could wait a few more months.

A few minutes later, Johanna and Martha came back down the stairs. Seeing their disappointed faces Rick and Kate started to laugh again.

„What are you having?" Johanna asked. „The room didn't tell us anything."

„What did you expect, mom?" Kate asked. „You didn't think I would color the room pink if we were having a girl or blue if we were having a boy, did you? You know me better than that. I've never been into girly stuff and I don't want to limit our baby in its options."

„Of course, Katie. Will you tell me what you are having if I promise not to buy anything pink for a girl or anything blue for a boy?" Johanna asked.

Kate shook her head.

„Fine" Johanna gave up.

„What?" Martha asked. „No Johanna, we have to find out. We can't just give up!"

„If they really don't want to tell us, then I think we can wait another four months. Don't you think, Martha?" Johanna asked and Martha looked at her with so much disappointment that Kate and Rick started to laugh. They didn't catch the little wink Johanna gave Martha.

So Martha let the topic drop, trusting Johanna that she had a plan.

„So, Katherine told me that you are both lawyers" Martha half stated, half asked, addressing Johanna and Jim.

„That's right. Well, it was" Johanna corrected. „I'm starting my new job as law professor at NYU tomorrow."

Kate looked at her mother in shock. „What?" she asked. „Why don't I know that, mom?"

Johanna shrugged. „Seems like I forgot to tell you. Are you embarrassed that I'm going to be your teacher when you continue studying law?"

Kate ignored the question. Lately she'd been thinking about changing her subject. But she hasn't told anybody about that and now didn't seem to be the right time to do so. Anyway, she wasn't entirely sure yet, so better not get her parents (and probably Rick too) worried just yet…

„But mom, you always loved being a lawyer" she said instead. „Why do you want stop practicing law? I always thought that if one of you would start teaching law it would be dad?"

„You are right, Katie. I always loved being a lawyer and I still do and it definitely wasn't an easy decision. But you know, there are nearly no other lawyers who listen to those who were wrongly convicted. Thats why I've gotten so many letters from people who want my help. I wish I could help all of them but I can't. There was this letter from a guy – Joe Pulgatti – that really intrigued me. I was on my way to meet him in prison when you called me from Stanford, Katie" Johann smiled lovingly at her daughter and Kate smiled back.

„The case really interested me. But I decided against taking it because I already had so many open cases and you are pregnant and I want to be there for you when you need me and not be totally involved in what surely is a very complex case. And then Jim showed me that job offer for teaching law at NYU and I decided to try. I hope I can inspire young people to listen to those other's have given up on" Johanna finished her explanation.

„That sounds like a good idea. And you are great at getting to do people what you want" Kate said, remembering many times her mother had convinced her to do something she hadn't originally intended to do. Or to not do something she had intended to do.

„Sorry for having kept you from that case, though" she added. She knew how much her mother loved a challenging case. She felt a little bad for being the reason she hadn't been able to take it.

Johanna waved her off. „Nothing to be sorry for, Katie. You know that I believe that everything happens for a reason. Who knows where I would be now if I had taken Joe Pulgatti's case. I'm right where I want to be. Celebrating my daughter's boyfriends birthday, eating delicious food and waiting for dessert."

Johanna looked pointedly at Rick. He chuckled.

„Right. I'll bring it on right now." And he went off to the kitchen to get the mouse au chocolate Kate had made this morning.

O-o-o-o-o

After they finished dessert Rick went to the kitchen to clean up a little. Kate had wanted to help him but Johanna had insisted that she wanted to help him instead.

Rick was washing the dishes and Johanna was drying them off.

„So, how are you feeling about becoming a father?" Johanna asked.

Rick handed her a plate while he answered, smiling. „I'm very excited. I'm so a child is the most amazing thing I can imagine. I always wanted to have children some day. I really can't wait for the baby to finally be born "

„I can imagine" Johanna took the next plate from him. „I remember being pregnant with Katie. I couldn't wait to meet her either. Jim neither. He kept talking to my belly."

„I do that too" Rick exclaimed. „I read that it's important if the father wants to form a bond with the baby before it's born. The baby learns my voice that way and can recognize it when it's born."

„Yeah that's right" Johanna said. „Jim always used her name too so she could get used to her own name and learn to recognize it faster. At the end of the pregnancy she used to kick me harder when she heard her own name."

„Really?" Rick asked excited. „Oh my god, that is so cool! Maybe I should start calling him by his name too. Do you think he can do that too? Kick harder when he hears his name?"

„Ha!" Johanna exclaimed, grinning triumphantly „Got you! You are having a boy."

Rick looked at her in shock. Damn. She had tricked him into revealing the baby's gender.

„Martha" Johanna called excited while she went to the dining room to tell her the news. Rick came in behind her, looking guilty.

„We are going to have a grandson" Johanna grinned.

„Sorry" Rick muttered to Kate. „She tricked me."

Kate squeezed his hand. „It's not that bad. I mean its not like they are going to buy every baby boy toy they can find, right?"

„I hope not" Rick replied, still annoyed at himself for falling for Johannas little trick.

„What's his name?" Martha asked eagerly.

„We are not going to tell you that" Rick replied.

„Oh come on, we could get him a blanket with his name on. Wouldn't that be cool?" Martha said.

„And he'll learn his own name faster if he hears it spoken by different people" Johanna argued.

„I'm not going to fall for that again, Johanna. Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice, shame on me" he muttered under his breath.

„Let's drop this" Jim said, always the voice of reason. „If they don't want to tell us, it's okay. I'm sure they picked a beautiful name."

„Thanks dad" Kate smiled at her father.

„Fine" Johanna relented.

After that they talked some more about Rick's writing, Martha's acting and Jim's and Johanna's work as lawyers. Kate felt happy as she watched her loved ones getting along with each other.