Thank you, everyone, for the get-well wishes, and for understanding about the delay in the new chapter of the story. If you have not had the flu this year, you're very lucky, and I hope you don't get it, because it's a horrible experience! Here, now, is the real chapter 39.


The Monday before Thanksgiving, Rick asked Alexis at breakfast, "So, are you inviting your boyfriend to Thanksgiving? He's more than welcome."

"He has plans," Alexis replied evenly, reminding herself that technically, this was true.

"Are you dating The Invisible Man?" Rick asked.

"Of course not," Alexis replied.

Kate entered the kitchen then, robe open over her pajamas, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Of course not what?" she asked on a yawn. Her morning sickness was tapering off, thank goodness, but she was finding herself more tired than she'd ever been in her life. Her obstetrician and the small library of books Rick had had delivered and that they kept safely hidden in their bedroom assured her this was normal, but still, she would be glad to get to the second trimester, when she was supposed to have more energy.

"Of course I'm not dating The Invisible Man," Alexis replied.

"Disappointed?" Kate asked Rick, pausing to give him a quick good morning kiss before accepting the mug of coffee he was preparing for her.

"Is there some reason we haven't met this guy yet?" Rick asked. "Other than he's older than you?" He looked horrified for a minute. "Wait a minute...he's older than you. He's not your grandmother's age, is he?"

Now Alexis looked horrified. "Ewww! Dad! No! He's not!" she exclaimed, barely repressing a shudder.

"Okay, so he's not a geezer, he's not The Invisible Man...what, is he a vampire, and he can't come out in the daylight? Put some sunglasses and a hat on him. We won't stare...much."

"He's not a vampire, either," Alexis said. "He's a regular, mortal man."

"When are we going to meet him?" Rick persisted.

"Soon," Alexis said.

"You keep saying that," Rick said. "How soon is soon? And why not Thanksgiving?"

"In front of most of the family?" Alexis asked. "No. He has plans. But I promise, I'll bring him over in December."

"Before or after Christmas?" Rick pressed. "Or for Christmas? He's welcome for Christmas."

"He's welcome any time, Alexis," Kate added. "And I promise, I'll make sure your dad doesn't have a gun, even if it's just a dueling pistol, when he meets your boyfriend."

"I appreciate that, Kate, thank you," Alexis said. She finished her breakfast and put her dishes in the dishwasher. "Gotta run. I have a class at nine. See you tonight." She hugged and kissed her dad, then Kate, and then left the loft.

Rick got to work cooking breakfast for himself and Kate, egg white omelets and French toast. "She's never held off this long on introducing a boyfriend to me," Rick reflected as he folded green peppers into the omelets.

"Maybe they like sneaking around," Kate said. "We enjoyed it, as I recall. Well, except for the part where you made me hide in your closet when your mother returned home with Alexis unexpectedly the morning after our first night together."

Rick looked over his shoulder at Kate. "This from the woman who tried to get me to hide in your closet when Ryan showed up at your place when we were there together?" he countered.

"You have to admit, sneaking around was fun," Kate admitted.

"You really think that's all this is? The Alexis equivalent of sneaking around?" Rick asked.

Kate drained her coffee mug and went to get the orange juice out of the refrigerator. "Well, they do say that girls tend to go for guys like their fathers," Kate mused. "Maybe she doesn't want to introduce you to The Boyfriend because she's afraid you'll steal him away for endless Halo nights and Comic-Cons."

"Oh, don't put that thought in my head," Rick groaned. "I'm the dad. I'm supposed to hate The Boyfriend. I can't hate the guy if he's a young version of me."

"Impossible. There is only one Richard Castle in all the world," Kate said seriously. "This guy might like video games, and he might happily geek out over VIP passes to Comic-Con, but that would be where the similarity ends, if there even is a similarity. It could just be that they're enjoying sneaking around, the same way we did. And it's not even really sneaking around. We know she's seeing someone, we know he's older, and we know he's in law. We just don't have a name and a face."

"Yes, but if we did, we could have the boys do a background check on him," Rick said.

"You don't trust Alexis's judgment when it comes to relationships?" Kate asked.

"I was not the greatest role model in that department...until you," Rick replied. "And I just don't want another Pi on our hands."

"Nobody wants that, babe," Kate assured him. "But Alexis has grown since then. We all have. I really don't think she's seeing another Pi."

"I hope not. One was more than enough," Rick said with a grimace. He dished up breakfast, and as he watched Kate devour her omelet, he mused, "Sweetpea must like omelets."

"I think my cravings are like prenatal takeout," Kate mused. "The baby wants something, he or she lets me know, I eat it...usually after you have thoughtfully and lovingly provided it...and we're both happy."

"We're all happy," Rick corrected. "Now, Thanksgiving...Do you and Sweetpea have any requests?"

"Ooh, are you gonna do the whipped sweet potatoes with the brown sugar and marshmallows on top?" Kate asked eagerly.

Rick smiled. "I am now," he said.

"Make a lot of those," Kate said.

"What else?" Rick asked, and they brainstormed what they'd be serving for Thanksgiving dinner while finishing up their breakfast.


"H'lo?" Javier asked sleepily, cell phone at his ear, eyes still closed.

"Do you want to meet at the parade?"

He forced himself awake now. "Alexis?"

"We're not gonna be able to act like boyfriend and girlfriend all afternoon and evening. I think it would be helpful if we could see each other before dinner," Alexis said.

Javier scrubbed a hand over his face and looked at his alarm clock. "It's 5:30 in the morning," he said. "On Thanksgiving."

"And people are already staking out spots to watch the parade," Alexis said.

"Yeah, they are," Javier replied. "You're sure about telling Castle and Beckett about us at Christmas?"

"Yes," Alexis said firmly. "You agreed. Christmas is the plan."

"Yes, I agreed to tell them at Christmas, after you promised me that neither Beckett nor Castle would stab me through the heart with an icicle," Javier reminded her.

"You were their friend before you became my boyfriend. I just don't want to mess anything up for you," Alexis said earnestly. "They're going to have to get used to the idea, and the way we do Christmas, there will be plenty of distractions for Dad, which is important. Although I'm sure he'll like you better than he liked Pi."

"Wait a minute, that was for real? You actually dated a guy named Pi?" Javier asked incredulously. "Ryan and I thought Castle and Beckett just made him up to mess with us."

"He was real," Alexis said ruefully. "And a mistake. My taste has vastly improved since then."

"I can't argue with that," Javier replied, a smile in his voice. Then he grew serious. "It's gonna be fine, Lex. We'll make them see and understand how serious we are about each other, and how important this relationship is to both of us. They may not approve right away, but we'll win them over. We got your grandmother on our side."

"And I'm sure she'll be helpful if we need her to be," Alexis said. "So, are we on for the parade?"

"Yes," Javier said. "I'll bring breakfast. Where do you want to meet, and when?"

"Macy's in Herald Square at 8?" Alexis suggested.

"I'll be there," Javier said. He glanced out the window. "I hope it doesn't rain."

"Are you afraid I'll melt?" Alexis asked, amused.

"No, I'm afraid you'll get sick," Javier replied seriously. "And since we're not telling Castle and Beckett about us until Christmas, if you did get sick, they'd be the ones taking care of you instead of me."

"You'd take care of me if I got sick?" Alexis asked, her heart doing somersaults in her chest.

"Of course I would," Javier replied. "Cold medicine, chicken soup, pharmacy runs...whatever you needed, I'd do it, happily."

Alexis felt herself grinning and hoped that her dad and Kate were still asleep. "You're an amazing man, Javier Esposito," she said.

"You're the one that's amazing," he replied.

"So I'll see you in Herald Square at 8:00," Alexis said.

"I'll be there with coffee and muffins," Javier promised.

Their plan was to tell Rick and Kate that they were a couple at Christmas. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans; Javier and Alexis's cover would not be blown on Thanksgiving Day, but they wouldn't make it to Christmas before Rick and Kate found out about the true nature of their relationship.


Rick let Kate sleep as he shuffled out to the kitchen to put the turkey in the oven at 5 AM. Then he shuffled back to bed and curled up with Kate, spooning her, one hand splayed across her belly, even though, much to his disappointment, Sweetpea wasn't moving yet.

Kate awoke a short time later, and Rick was drifting in that twilight between dozing and wakefulness. "Rick, are you asleep?" Kate whispered.

"Not really," he replied, opening his eyes.

"Do you realize that this time next year, we'll have a baby at the table?" she asked. That thought had literally just occurred to her.

"Yes, we will," he agreed with a smile.

"I'm new to all this," Kate said. "It just hit me that the baby will be here next Thanksgiving. The baby will be several months old next Thanksgiving, actually."

"Six months, depending on exactly when she or he is born," Rick said.

Kate felt the warmth of his hand through her sleep shirt. "No movement yet," she said. "Believe me, you'll be the second one to know, after I do."

"It's worth the wait," he said. "Everything with you has been worth the wait. That will never change."

"We're gonna have to be really careful today," Kate said. "I don't want a bunch of questions about why I'm not drinking wine with dinner."

"I've got that covered. You and I will be drinking sparkling red grape juice," Rick replied. "I picked up a couple of bottles and stashed them in the back of the fridge. Cover the labels, stick 'em in an ice bucket, and no one else but you and I will know what we're actually drinking."

"Hopefully that'll work," Kate said. "Lanie said she and Alan are bringing a bottle of wine, even though I told them they don't have to bring anything. My dad won't be drinking either, and I don't know if Alexis or Javi will."

"Alexis isn't much of a drinker," Rick reflected. "Mother will indulge, of course. Esposito...I don't know. If there's any chance he might get called into work, he won't be drinking. We'll figure it out."

"I just don't want anything spoiling our Christmas surprise. I want to see the looks on everyone's faces, and we've planned this out so carefully so that everyone will find out at the same time. I don't want anyone getting weird about it, or getting their feelings hurt, which is why I want us to tell everyone at the same time, on Christmas Eve."

"It's going to go off exactly as we planned," Rick promised. "The first part of what we need will be here next week. We'll get the second part, and then we just have to come up with the third part."

"The third part...That's one of the few things we've never actually done together," Kate said. "You're sure I won't hold you back, or be too...I don't know...corny?"

"I'm sure," Rick said. "You're doing fine so far. And it just feels right that it comes from both of us."

"Yes, it does," Kate agreed. "I know what I'm most grateful for this year."

"Me too," Rick said, gently stroking Kate's abdomen before leaning in to kiss her.

Unlike Alexis and Javier, Kate and Rick would keep their news a surprise until Christmas Eve, and as Rick said, it would go off without a hitch. But they still had a few things to do, and a few things to get through, before they made their grand announcement.


Thanksgiving was relatively low-key. No one caught on to the fact that Kate and Rick were actually drinking sparkling red grape juice instead of wine, and no one who was drinking wine overindulged. And even though Alexis and Javier arrived at the loft at the same time, Rick and Kate bought Alexis's explanation that they had run into each other outside when Alexis was returning from the parade. Esposito brought a flower arrangement consisting of peach spray roses, burgundy mini carnations, and butterscotch daisy poms tied with a plaid ribbon, and Kate and Rick thanked him for the flowers while Martha got a vase for them and then put them in the center of the Thanksgiving table.

The big news of the day was Lanie and Alan's announcement that they would be moving in together in the new year when their respective leases ran out (Lanie's in January, Alan's in February), and that they had already begun the search for a new apartment that would be theirs, since they were currently splitting their time between his place and hers, and the back and forth was getting exhausting. Everyone congratulated Lanie and Alan on this big step in their relationship.

"Well, when it's right, you just know it," Lanie said, looking at Alan adoringly (and taking care not to look at Javier or Alexis).

"Hear, hear," Kate said, raising her glass to Lanie and Alan.

"And don't worry, we will be hiring movers," Alan assured everyone.

"You guys can help us pick out curtains if you want to, though," Lanie said. "I'm not much good at that domestic kind of stuff."

"We're both learning," Alan said, threading his fingers through Lanie's.

"And you'll go right on learning," Rick said.

"Yes, you will," Kate agreed.

Talk then turned to Alexis's graduation, which, she informed everyone, would be happening in February, not December. She had made the deadline, but Columbia held its graduation ceremonies in October, February, and May. She hadn't finished her last class in time for the October deadline, so her graduation would be February 8, and she would start law school in the summer, so she was investigating internships through Columbia to fill the months between getting her bachelor's degree and starting law school.

"I hope you'll all be there," Alexis said. "Tickets are going to be kind of hard to come by, but I'll get as many as I can."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Javier said.

Jim Beckett interjected into the silence that followed Javier's statement, before it became a silence that would arouse suspicions, "You don't have to worry about a ticket for me, Alexis. Being a faculty member, I'm required to be at commencement."

Of course, Rick, Kate and Martha would be there. "If you can't get tickets for us, we'll understand," Lanie said, gesturing between Alan and herself. "I remember when I graduated med school. I couldn't get tickets for my whole extended family. I still have a few cousins who aren't speaking to me because of that, but when a graduating class is as big as mine was, and as big as I assume yours is going to be, the school tends to limit the number of tickets each graduate gets."

"Well, I'll film the whole thing for anyone who might have to miss it," Rick said.

They enjoyed each other's company through a long, leisurely dinner and dessert, and then everyone sat down together to watch Elf. Alexis sat on the floor in between the couch, where Martha was seated with Kate and Rick, and the chair, where Javier sat. Jim took the other chair, and Lanie and Alan pulled a couple of dining room chairs into the living room to sit next to each other.

About halfway through the movie, Alexis and Jim were in the kitchen together, Jim going after a second slice of pumpkin pie, and Alexis getting a glass of water. Everyone else was seated in the living room, watching the movie. "So," Jim said softly as he carefully slid the slice of pie onto his dessert plate, "how long have you and Detective Esposito been dating?"

Alexis had just taken a drink of water when Jim asked the question, and she was so startled, she choked, shooting water out of her nose and mouth and spraying it all over the island, soaking Jim's freshly cut slice of pie.

Hearing the commotion, everyone looked to the kitchen with concern. Javier started to get up, but the look in Alexis's eyes made him merely shift his weight in his seat. Lanie did stand up, though, along with Rick, Kate, and Martha. "Are you okay, Alexis?" Rick asked anxiously.

Alexis coughed a couple of times, cleared her throat, and then said, "Yeah. I just...it went down the wrong pipe is all." She then vaulted for the paper towels and as she cleaned up the water, she said to Jim, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about your pie. Let me cut you another slice." Then she got right up by his ear and frantically whispered, "Who told you?"

Jim looked amused. "No one told me," he said so only she could hear. "I have eyes. I saw you two at Katie's birthday lunch, and the way almost everyone else there was going out of their way not to look at you. It wasn't that hard to figure out." He paused a beat and said, "Neither was the fact that Katie and your dad don't have any idea yet."

"We're planning to tell them at Christmas," Alexis said. "We wanted to be sure of where this is going before we told them. Could you please, please not say anything to Kate or my dad?"

"Is he treating you right?" Jim asked.

"Yes," Alexis replied, fighting the instinct to look at Javier, whom she felt glancing back at her quickly, until she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Lanie nudge his foot with her toes, even though Kate and Rick were engrossed in the movie.

"Your secret is safe with me," he assured her. "But I wouldn't wait too much past Christmas to tell Katie and your dad. I'm a little surprised they haven't figured it out yet."

"Actually, I am too," Alexis mused, "but I figure that means they either trust my judgment, or they're so busy gearing up for Kate's City Council run they don't have the time to pry. But yes, we're definitely going to tell them at Christmas."

"So this is a long-term situation, then," Jim said, having cut himself another slice of pie.

Alexis got the Cool Whip out of the refrigerator and handed it to Jim. "That's how we're looking at it, yes," she said.

"I think your dad and Katie will be surprised, but if they raise serious objections, I'd be happy to talk to them for you and Detective Esposito," Jim said as he spooned Cool Whip on top of his pie.

"I don't want to drag you into the middle of this, Jim," Alexis said, "but it's very sweet of you to offer."

"You're not dragging me into anything, Alexis," Jim assured her. "And the offer stands. I will say this, though: it's difficult for a father when he realizes he's not the number-one man in his daughter's life anymore. Of course, I had lost that position with Katie long before she met your dad, and I had to earn her trust back. Try to cut your dad some slack after you tell him about you and Detective Esposito. It's going to be hard for him."

"Was it hard for you, when Kate and Dad got together?" Alexis asked.

"Yes and no," Jim said. "I'd been hearing about your dad from Katie for four years, and I had met him by that point. Katie wasn't admitting anything, but I knew she wouldn't talk about him the way she did, or as much as she did, if she wasn't in love with him, and I knew from the first time I met your dad and I saw him and Katie together that he was in love with her. I was happy that my daughter had found a good man who would move heaven and earth for her. But knowing I'd never truly be the number-one man in her life again, because that spot was Rick's from now on, took some getting used to for me. It'll take some getting used to for your dad too, so for both your sakes, take some advice from a dad who's been where yours is about to be and cut him a little slack."

"I will," Alexis promised. "Thank you, Jim. For everything."

"Anytime," Jim replied, picking up his pie plate and fork before returning to the table. "We're family, Alexis, and nothing is more important than family. You and your detective tell Katie and Rick in your own way and your own time...but if you need someone to back you up in any way, I'll be here."

Alexis felt Javier's eyes on her again, and sure enough, he was looking at her, and she knew she'd have to fill him in on her conversation with Jim later. "Thank you," she repeated, marveling all over again at how lucky she really was, and hoping that when she and Javier did tell her dad and Kate about them, it wouldn't end up in a big fight.


It was the middle of December, and a big day for Kate and Rick: the day they were going to find out whether their baby was a boy or a girl.

They were in an exam room at Dr. Elliott's office, Kate already changed into her gown and trying not to fidget too much because of all the water she'd had to drink before they left home, and Rick practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet in his excitement. "We're definitely finding out, right?" he asked suddenly, stopping mid-bounce.

"Definitely," Kate said firmly.

"Just a few more minutes, and we'll know if we're having a boy or a girl," Rick said.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to get serious about names," Kate said. "We have middle names, but we need first names, Rick."

"Well, we've already ruled out our own first names. That's a start," he pointed out.

Further conversation was forestalled when Dr. Elliott entered the room. "Hello, Kate, Rick," she greeted them. She consulted Kate's chart before setting it aside. "Gonna find out today whether you need to do the nursery in pink or blue, I see."

"That's the plan," Kate said.

Dr. Elliott got right down to business, smearing the cold gel on Kate's abdomen, and then running the transducer over her belly. Rick was sitting beside Kate now, and she reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. "Well, hopefully, Baby will cooperate," Dr. Elliott replied. "Here we go," she continued as the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room, and the baby appeared on the screen.

"It's a little person," Kate said softly, awed at how much the baby had grown since the pregnancy had been confirmed.

"Yes, it is," Dr. Elliott said. "There's the baby's head..." She pointed out the head to Kate and Rick. "...and its hands..."

"Such tiny fingers," Rick said, his voice hushed, completely in awe.

"The positioning is excellent," Dr. Elliott continued. "There are the baby's legs...which are open today. I have a clear picture. There's no mistake about it."

Kate and Rick both looked at Dr. Elliott expectantly. She beamed at them. "Congratulations, you two. You're having a little girl."

A watery laugh bubbled up from the depths of Kate's soul. A girl! Rick was getting his mini-Beckett!

Her face wreathed in smiles, Kate turned to look at Rick.

And Rick was sitting there, his fingers knotted through hers, tears streaming down his face. He tore his gaze from the monitor to look at Kate, and he couldn't find the words to tell her how happy he was, how much he loved her and their daughter, how amazing this moment was, but that it wouldn't have been any less amazing if Dr. Elliott had told them the baby was a boy.

Kate would forever remember the look on Rick's face in this moment.

Dr. Elliott surreptitiously wiped the gel from Kate's abdomen, then said, "I'll just give you two a few minutes," and excused herself from the room.

When they were alone, Kate cupped Rick's cheek in her palm with her free hand. "You're getting your mini-Beckett," she said thickly. Now she was starting to cry.

"I would have been just as happy if it was a boy," he assured her earnestly.

"Sweetpea gets to stay Sweetpea," Kate said.

"Yeah, she does," Rick realized. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Kate wiped away his tears with her fingertips. "Thank you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. "Thank you so much."

"You had something to do with this too, you know," Kate said.

Rick looked at the monitor again. "Look at her, Kate. She's beautiful."

"She is," Kate agreed.

"I hope she has your eyes," Rick said.

"I hope she has your heart," Kate replied. "We're having a daughter, Rick."

"We're having a little girl," Rick said. "And with you teaching her how to shoot, I don't stand a chance when she's old enough for Laser Tag."

Kate laughed. "She has the best dad in the world," she said.

Rick brushed an errant strand of Kate's hair off her forehead. "She has the best, most amazing mom in the world too," he said.

They were kissing when they heard a throat being cleared. "I'm assuming you want pictures and video?" Dr. Elliott asked.

"Absolutely," Kate replied. She did a quick count in her head, then said, "We'll need...actually, can you print us a dozen pictures?"

"Announcements?" Dr. Elliott guessed.

"Something like that, yes," Kate said.

"You got it," Dr. Elliott replied. "How are you doing there, Dad?" she asked Rick then.

"On top of the world," he replied, wiping his eyes and glancing at the doctor before looking back at Kate, "with no plans to come down anytime soon."

When they got home, with their stack of sonogram pictures and their DVD, Rick suggested working on their announcement a little more. Kate said, "In a little while. Wait here, okay? I have an early Christmas present for you, and I don't want to wait one more second to give it to you."

Rick seated himself on the couch as Kate disappeared into their bedroom. She returned a moment later with a flat rectangular package wrapped in white paper covered in tiny Santa Clauses, with a bright red bow on top. She sat down on the couch and handed the box to Rick with a big smile as she said, "Merry Christmas early, babe."

Rick tore into the package eagerly, and opened the box, parting the tissue paper to reveal an impossibly tiny white onesie. Across the front, in pink letters edged in black, the onesie proclaimed, "I'm a One-Writer Girl."

Rick looked from the onesie to Kate. "I don't know if it was wishful thinking, or mother's intuition, or some combination of the two," she said, "but a few days ago, I got this really strong feeling and I just couldn't ignore it. So I went out and got that," she nodded at the onesie. "I could have waited until Christmas, it's another nine days away, but after finding out today that we're having a girl, I just didn't want to wait any longer to give that to you. I know that she'll be the one wearing it, but you can consider it your first Christmas present from our daughter."

"I love it," Rick said. "And I love you, and I love Sweetpea, and I have never in my life been as happy as I am right now."

And it was at that exact instant that the expression on Kate's face changed and her hand flew to her stomach as she gasped.

"What? What's the matter?" Rick asked anxiously.

"I think she just moved!" Kate exclaimed. "It felt like...like a fluttering in my belly."

"She's moving?" Rick asked. He pressed both his palms to Kate's belly, and they sat there in silence for a full five minutes. Finally Rick said, "I don't feel anything."

"There!" Kate exclaimed a second later. "She's doing it again!"

"Why can't I feel it?" Rick asked, frustrated.

"All those books we've been reading say that the baby generally starts moving between 13 and 16 weeks, and we're in week sixteen," Kate replied. "The last thing I read said that other people can usually feel the baby kick between the 20th and 24th weeks, but every pregnancy is unique. Maybe she'll kick for you on Christmas. That would put us at week 18."

"Well, she'll be worth the wait, just like her mom," Rick said. He set the onesie back in its box, put the box on the coffee table, and then moved so that his head was in Kate's lap, and he was addressing the baby. "Hey, it's Daddy. Your mom and I love you so much already, Sweetpea, and you have a big sister and a grandma and a grandpa and a bunch of aunts and uncles that are gonna be crazy about you too."

Kate ran the fingers of one hand through Rick's hair as she smoothed her other hand over her belly. She had definitely begun to gain weight, and she had been wearing loose-fitting clothes for the past month, almost, but she wasn't going to be able to keep up that particular charade for much longer. She would noticeably start showing any day now. It was time to invest in some maternity clothes.

In that instant, she decided on another Christmas present for Rick, and with one hand resting on their unborn daughter and her other hand making furrows through Rick's hair as he spoke softly to their daughter about how excited he was to be her dad and how much he loved her and her mom, she smiled, and when Rick paused to take a breath, Kate said, "You are going to be the most loved little girl in all the world."

Rick beamed up at Kate, then sat up, and she laid her head on his shoulder as he rested his hand next to hers over the growing mound that was their daughter. "She already is the most loved little girl in all the world," he said.

Kate smiled back at Rick. "Yes, she is, isn't she," she agreed.