Thank you all for your continued support of and enthusiasm for this story.


Kate poured the coffee into Rick's favorite mug, then frowned to herself. "Your dad knows how to make hearts in the coffee, and I don't," she said, addressing Lily. "I wish I did. It's his birthday."

Lily somersaulted within Kate's womb, almost as if she was saying, It's okay, Mom.

"Yeah, I guess it is okay, isn't it, baby girl?" Kate mused, smoothing one hand over her belly, which was covered in one of Rick's t-shirts. She hadn't invested much in the way of maternity sleepwear, since she hadn't found anything she really liked, so she now, with Lily less than two months from being born, had taken to sleeping in Rick's t-shirts. "He knows how much I love him."

Kate set the coffee mug on the tray next to the glass of orange juice and the single long-stemmed red rose, and then she turned her attention to the breakfast, her first attempt at making a Smorelette. "I really hope I'm doing this right," she murmured as she broke a Hershey bar into rectangles before adding it to the egg mixture, then following the chocolate with graham cracker crumbs and mini-marshmallows. It still didn't look or smell appealing to her in the least, and apparently Lily shared that opinion, at least for the time being, because Kate wasn't craving even the smallest taste of the Smorelette, which was just as well. "I guess you've inherited at least a few of my taste buds," she said to Lily as she finished the Smorelette and scooped it onto a plate.

As Kate's pregnancy became more advanced, she was up frequently during the night, either using the bathroom, trying to get into a comfortable position so she could get back to sleep, throwing the covers off if she was too hot, or pulling the covers up and moving closer to Rick if she was cold. She really tried not to disturb Rick too much, not to wake him up every single time she woke up (her record at the moment was waking up eleven times in an eight-hour night), but he was right next to her, if not holding her, and he was so attuned to her, he ended up waking up with her most of the time, so he wasn't getting much sleep either, but he insisted it was fine, and that they'd better get used to a lack of sleep since Lily would be waking them up in the middle of the night before too much longer.

Kate got silverware and added it to the folded linen napkin on the tray, and, carefully balancing the tray, carried it to their bedroom.

She stood next to Rick's side of the bed for a long moment and watched him sleeping. He lay on his side, turned toward her side of the bed, his hair practically standing on end, the covers tangled at his knees, his arm stretched across her side of the bed, keeping it warm for her. Not for the first time, she felt that sense of amazement deep in her heart, that for all the pain and struggle and loneliness life had dealt her, life had dealt her an even greater measure of joy and fulfillment and reward in bringing Rick into her life, so that, step by stuttering step forward and backward and forward again, they could build the relationship that was the greatest thing that ever happened to her, so that she could spend the rest of her life as his wife, and as the mother of his children.

Kate set the tray on Rick's bedside table, then crept quietly around the bed and climbed back in on her side, gently lifting Rick's arm from the mattress and maneuvering herself until she was lying beside him. She draped his arm across her abdomen, over her sizable baby bump, and then she gently pressed her lips to his, applying just enough pressure with her kiss to awaken him.

Rick growled throatily before deepening the kiss, skimming his hand from Kate's baby bump up her body to cup her cheek. Kate broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his. "Happy birthday," she said breathlessly.

"It's off to a great start," Rick replied just as breathlessly. He kissed Kate again, a quick, hard kiss, then skimmed his hand back down her body so it rested on the ever-growing swell of Kate's abdomen that housed Lily. "Hey, Sweetpea," he greeted the baby. "Do you have anything to add to what your mom just said?"

For the rest of their lives, when telling this story, Rick would insist that Lily was answering him, that this was their first actual conversation, because after Rick asked Lily if she had anything to add to what her mom had just said, with his hand splayed wide over Kate's belly, Lily gave a resounding, firm kick against his palm. "She answered me!" Rick exclaimed excitedly, his no-longer-sleepy gaze meeting Kate's as he beamed at her. "She just wished me a happy birthday, Kate!"

Kate just smiled and passed her other hand through Rick's messy bedhead of hair. "Well, I did tell her it's your birthday," she replied.

"Birthdays are the best!" he exclaimed. "Just wait until you start having them, Lily. The sky's the limit. Whatever you want."

"Within reason," Kate added hastily.

"Kate, come on, birthdays are for indulging," Rick said.

"I completely agree," Kate replied. "But she might ask for something impossible, like a unicorn."

"Okay, so unicorns are out," Rick amended. "Did you hear that, Lily? No unicorns. I'm sorry. But anything else you want, you've got it."

"Considering she hasn't even picked her birthday yet," Kate said, "how about we concentrate on yours for the time being?" She nodded at his bedside table. "I made you breakfast in bed."

Rick turned, picked up the tray, and carefully settled it on his lap. His face lit up even more brightly. "A Smorelette?" he exclaimed. He looked at Kate in wonder. "You made me a Smorelette!"

"I hope it turned out all right," Kate replied somewhat nervously.

Rick grabbed his knife and fork and eagerly dug in. Kate watched him anxiously, but after he had chewed and swallowed his first bite, he looked at Kate and said, "Delicious."

"Really?" Kate asked.

"Really," he replied. "The marshmallow-to-chocolate ratio is important, and you nailed it." With his mouth full of his second bite, he said, "You didn't make one for yourself?"

"Lily may love Potato Chip Fudge ice cream, but she at least takes after me in leaving the Smorelettes to you," Kate replied as Rick took a sip of his coffee.

"But you did eat something?" Rick asked after setting his coffee mug back on the tray.

"Yes, I had plain scrambled eggs and some strawberries and a slice of melon," she replied. "I wanted to give you a chance to catch up on your sleep. I know I haven't made it easy these past couple of months."

"It's part and parcel of new parenthood," he reiterated. "It's better that we're getting used to it now, before Lily gets here."

"How old was Alexis before she slept through the night?" Kate asked, settling herself beside Rick as he ate his breakfast.

Rick swallowed his mouthful of coffee as he thought back and said, "Almost three."

"Three years old!" Kate exclaimed. She looked down at her swollen belly. "I think I've been training for motherhood half my life. All the insomnia-filled nights I passed..."

"Most of which were before we became us," Rick finished.

"Yes," Kate said.

"Lily might be an early bird instead of a night owl," Rick mused. "That's not so say she won't still wake us up in the middle of the night, because all babies do that. But if she doesn't have colic, which Alexis didn't, and she only wakes up when she wants to eat or needs a diaper change, and the day/night mixups until she adjusts to the difference between daytime and nighttime, that'll be better than most new parents have it."

Rick was just finishing up his breakfast when he and Kate both heard a noise coming from the living room. "Did you hear that?" Rick asked, frowning.

"I did," Kate replied.

"Stay here. I'm gonna go check it out," Rick said, setting his tray aside and getting out of bed.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I'm pregnant, Rick, not an invalid." Of course, Kate knew the exact source of the noise, and she carefully schooled her features so as not to give it away. But she didn't want to miss Rick's reaction, so she trundled out to the living room, making sure to get into a position where she could see Rick's expression.

He was standing behind the back of the couch when the sound of a laser gun filled the air.

Alexis, as she had done once years earlier, came rappelling down from the ceiling, dressed for Laser Tag and pointing her Laser Tag gun at the ceiling. "Happy birthday, Dad!" she exclaimed. "I'm giving you fifteen minutes to shower, get dressed, and get into your gear. We're playing Laser Tag. It's been too long."

Rick whirled to look at Kate. "It was all Alexis's idea," Kate said. "I just suggested that she surprise you with it in the morning, and I told her approximately when you'd be having breakfast."

"I got you a present to open for later," Alexis added. "But this is the other part of your present. Come on, Dad. The clock is ticking." She aimed her Laser Tag gun at him.

"Okay!" Rick exclaimed. "I'll be right back!" As he scurried past Kate, he shouted, "This is so awesome!"

"Don't think I'm gonna let you win just because it's your birthday!" Alexis called after him.

Rick paused in the doorway to his and Kate's bedroom to spin around and meet Alexis's gaze. "That would be sacrilege!" he exclaimed. "Ten minutes at the most. Time me!" Then he disappeared into the bedroom and, a moment later, Alexis and Kate heard the bathroom door slam.

"Thanks for helping me pull this off, Kate," Alexis said as she adjusted her vest to make sure it was secure and climbed down from the coffee table where she'd been standing.

"It's my pleasure," Kate replied. "If anyone deserves an excellent birthday, it's your dad."

"You deserve excellent birthdays too, Kate," Alexis said earnestly.

"My last birthday was excellent," Kate assured her. "And knowing your dad as well as I do, I'm sure my next birthday will also be excellent."

"It'll be your first birthday with the baby," Alexis pointed out.

"That's right, it will," Kate realized. She hadn't thought of that herself.

"I haven't spent a lot of time around babies," Alexis said, and Kate could see and feel the anxiety in Alexis.

"Neither have I," Kate admitted. "But I'm not really worried about that." She rested both her palms on her belly. "She's going to belong to all of us. We love her so much already. I can't wait to actually meet her, see her, hold her."

"It won't be much longer now," Alexis said. "Are you tired of being pregnant yet?"

"I miss seeing my feet," Kate admitted, "and getting up eleven times in the middle of the night is something I can do without. Hopefully she'll go easy on us and not wake us up eleven times a night every night. But other than that, no, I wouldn't say I'm tired of being pregnant. Getting excited to meet her, worrying about what kind of mom I'll be..."

"You're gonna be great," Alexis assured Kate.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence from you, Alexis, but it was different with you. You were a teenager when we met. Your dad and Martha had done all of the heavy lifting," Kate said.

"Not all of it," Alexis disagreed. "You've always given me great advice, Kate. And there were things I could talk to you about that I would have felt awkward talking to Dad, or even to Gram, about, but it isn't awkward with you. When I was too stubborn and too proud to come home after I moved in with Pi, you were the one who made me see the light. And I believe you're doing a lot to keep Dad calm about my relationship with Javier. You took the news better than he did, and you've been nothing but supportive.

"You're going to love my little sister, and you'll teach her right from wrong, and you'll always be there for her. And you won't be afraid to get tough if and when she needs it. You've got everything you need to be the best mom in the world. And as far as that title goes, you'll always get my vote."

Kate's eyes welled with tears. "Stupid hormones," she sniffled.

Alexis was a bit misty-eyed herself now. "Okay, my timing may have been a bit unfortunate," she said, "but I meant every word, Kate. I know we don't say it a lot, you and I, to each other, but I love you, Kate, and in every way that matters, you're my mom. And my sister is so lucky that she gets to have both you and Dad as she grows up."

"I love you too, Alexis," Kate said, opening her arms. Alexis walked into them and was careful not to squash the baby as they embraced.

Rick came charging out of the bedroom then, dressed for Laser Tag, but pulled up short when he saw Kate and Alexis hugging and crying. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, as he hurried over to them.

Alexis and Kate broke the hug and turned to face Rick, each with an arm around the other's waist, and now they were laughing and sniffling at the same time. "Nothing's wrong, babe," Kate said. She squeezed Alexis against her side before walking over to Rick. "Everything is right. Now, you have a Laser Tag battle awaiting you. I'm declaring your office neutral territory, though, since I have some emails to return and work to do. Campaign stuff." She paused to kiss Rick's cheek before heading into his office, where she had left her tablet charging the night before.

The epic Laser Tag battle of 2017 raged throughout the loft, except for the office, for the next two hours. Rick legitimately won by getting the drop on Alexis when she wasn't expecting it, in the upstairs hallway, by jumping out from behind the door of what was going to be Lily's room and getting her then.

Kate had left the afternoon free for whatever Rick wanted to do. After making sure she wasn't too tired, he said there was someplace he wanted to go, but he wouldn't tell Kate where it was. "You're the birthday boy," she said by way of agreement.

"Birthday man," he corrected her as he locked the loft's front door.

"Birthday man," Kate parroted.

A short time later, they were at their swings. Kate eyed her swing doubtfully. "I don't want to break it," she said.

"You won't break it," Rick assured her.

Kate sat down on the swing, the same swing she was sitting on when she had told Rick that she wouldn't be able to have the kind of relationship she wanted to have until she put everything regarding her mother's death and her own (first) shooting to rest, and he had replied that they would just have to find the guys and take them down; the same swing she'd been sitting on when Rick had gotten down on one knee in the dirt and, holding up the most beautiful diamond ring in the world, had asked her to marry him.

Rick sat on the swing beside Kate. "The next time we're here," he said, "we'll bring Lily with us."

"She won't be old enough for these swings for a few years," Kate pointed out.

"That's true," Rick said. "But it's on your list. 'Push our kids on our swings with Rick.'"

"You remembered," Kate said, smiling.

"Of course I remembered," Rick replied. "I remember everything you wrote on that list. I've made it my mission to do all that I can to make every one of your plans for the rest of your life happen as close to the way you want them to as possible."

Kate reached for Rick's hand. He threaded his fingers through hers. She smiled at him and said, "So how's your birthday so far? I know there's not a fake dead body for you to try and find..."

"That was memorable," Rick agreed. "Or rather, 'epic' was the word I used, if I remember correctly."

"The greatest birthday gift of your life," Kate added.

"It will always be epic," Rick said. He squeezed Kate's hand. "But this tops it. By the time my next birthday rolls around, Sweetpea will be here, starting to walk and starting to talk, and I get to raise her with you. I get to spend the rest of my life with you. And we're gonna have a daughter, and we have such a great family, and so many great friends who are part of our family."

"Does that mean you won't be making a wish before you blow out the candles tonight?" Kate asked.

"You have to make a birthday wish on the candles!" Rick exclaimed. "I know exactly what I'll wish for, though. But I can't tell you what it is."

"Because if you tell, then it won't come true," Kate said.

"Exactly," Rick said.

"Well, you still have presents to open from everyone," Kate reminded him. "And then, at the end of the evening, I thought you might like to unwrap me."

Castle pulled an exaggeratedly shocked face. "Katherine Castle," he said, pretending to be scandalized. "Talking like that in the middle of a park playground."

"There aren't any kids around at the moment," Kate pointed out. She suddenly looked self-conscious. "Unless you don't want to unwrap me later," she finished.

"I always want to unwrap you," he assured her. "Everything about you arouses me. So we definitely have a date for some very grown-up time later on tonight."

The self-consciousness disappeared from her eyes and the set of her shoulders. "We should probably head home now," Kate said. "I could use a nap before everyone arrives." She paused. "You're sure you're okay with pizza for dinner?"

"Absolutely," Rick said. "Pizza, presents, birthday cake and ice cream, and everyone I love most in the world gathered around me."

"Are you going to be telling Victoria that you love her tonight?" Kate asked cheekily as Rick pulled her to her feet.

"Oh, bad Valentine's Day flashback," Rick said, wincing. "No, I will not be telling Victoria "Iron" Gates that I love her. I do have a lot of admiration and respect for her, however."

They headed home then. When they got there, before they went inside, Kate tugged on Rick's hand, and he turned to face her. She stretched up and gave him a kiss filled with aching tenderness and pure love. When she broke the kiss, at the look of reverent adoration on his face, she said, "I just want to say that I'm really glad you were born."

He looked at Kate earnestly, his heart in his eyes. "Of all the incredible moments I've had in my life...and I've probably had more than my fair share," Rick said, "this moment, right here, right now, with you, Kate… It's why I'm here. It's what I was put on this planet for: to be your husband, and Alexis and Sweetpea's and future mini-Castle or mini-Beckett to be determined at some later date's dad, and Ryan and Jenny and Esposito and Lanie and Alan's friend, and Jim's son-in-law, and Martha Rodgers' son. I was born so that I could grow up...at least, chronologically speaking...and find you and be by your side and love you and have a family with you and take care of you."

Kate's expression softened, and she was dangerously close to more tears, although they were happy tears. "I was on track to become a cold, narrow, mistrustful shell of a woman. And then you came crashing into my life and shook everything up in the best possible ways. You challenged me and you tried my patience and you made me want things I thought I could never have after losing my mom. You have given me a life so filled with joy and magic and wonder. You have given me a family that means everything to me, and a love that I thank God for every day, because there were so many times I could have screwed it up completely with you, and if you had walked away, none of this would be happening. I was in a black-and-white world for so long, and you came along and brought all the color back, and shined bright, beautiful, neon lights into the darkness where I dwelled for so long. All that time, I was waiting for you, and for all of this, and for everything that's yet to be."

Rick gently pulled Kate into his embrace, and she wrapped her arms around him, her big belly keeping her from getting as close to him as they both would have liked. "Every day is extraordinary, because I get to spend them all with you," he said as they stood there holding each other. "And the important days, like my birthday, are so much better, because you're a part of them." He released her and looked down at her shining face. "I love you, Katherine Beckett Castle. It doesn't seem like a strong enough word for everything I feel, but it's all I have."

"It's enough," Kate said. "It will always be enough. And I love you too, Richard Castle." She kissed him softly, quickly, then said, "Now, let's go inside, or I'll never get that nap in before everyone shows up for dinner."

"Your wish is my command," Rick said with a smile as he turned and unlocked the front door, then ushered Kate inside.