Authors Note: Hey guys. I apologize for this chapter taking so long, but this crazy little thing called 'life' happened...and well, you know how that goes. This chapter is mostly filler, and there's a small time jump...but its what I got for now.

Also, tell me in a review or PM me if you'd like to see the M rated moments of this story...I've been toying with the idea for a couple of weeks. But, you guys will be the deciding factor.

As always, thank you to alwayscastle2 for reading this...on her road trip no less! She's amazing. She's my best friend. And well, you all should be jealous. LOL

Reviews are love, leave some.

-Krystle

Disclaimer: figured I should probably clarify that the characters and the songs used do not belong to me. If they did, I surly wouldn't be working at a deli in a grocery store, and I'd be driving a slightly better car. Nope. Not mine.

Chapter 8

Feel this
Can you feel this
My heart beating out of my chest
Feel this
Can you feel this
Salvation, under my breath

Both of Rick's eyes are open now, he blinks a few times before his gaze settles on Kate's dancing hazel eyes. She's smiling, proud that she's shocked him with her words. He tightens his arm across her back.

"What?" he asks. He just has to make sure she said what he thought she did.

She repeats herself. "Let's have a baby."

Now he's smiling. "Kate are - are you sure? I don't want you to rush into anything you aren't ready for."

"Babe, I'm sure," she promises. "I've only ever been sure of two things in my life. Marrying you, and having your baby. I don't want to waste any more time. We've seen how short life can be, and I don't want to put off having a family with you. Please?"

He buries his hand in her hair, leaning up slightly to capture her lips in a bruising kiss. "God, Kate. Yes."

"Really?"

"Really," he echoes. "Let's have a baby." He rolls them over, covering her body with his. His roaming hand settles low on her abdomen. "A baby!"

Kate laughs. "I'm not pregnant yet, Rick."

He waggles his eyebrows at her. "I bet by the time we get home, you will be."

"Cocky much, writer-boy?"

He grins and leans down to nibble on her neck. "You want to find out, Mrs. Castle?"

CB

Three weeks later

While they enjoyed their honeymoon - the three weeks of relaxation, and uninterrupted alone time, Rick and Kate were happy to be home. They missed their family and their friends; and the comfort of their own bed.

Kate smiles when they step into the loft. "I've never been so happy to be home."

"Neither have I," Rick agrees, dropping their luggage at the door. They'll worry about it later. "I had a great time being away from all the distractions, but I missed Alexis."

"Me too," Kate says, looking around. "Speaking of, where is that girl of ours?"

Rick shrugs, and adds, "Where's Mother?"

"Do you think they forgot we were coming in today?"

"Could be," he says, pulling out his phone. "I'll just shoot Alexis a text really quick."

Kate kisses Rick's cheek and departs to their bedroom. She sighs happily and lays back on the bed. Rolling over, she pulls Rick's pillow close to her, seeking out his scent. He joins her in the room a few minutes later, and smiles at the vision of his wife laying there; eyes closed, nose buried in his pillow. He climbs in bed next to her, and pulls her to him, her breath tickling his neck.

"Did you get a hold of Alexis?"

"She and Mother are out at dinner and a play," Rick answers. "They knew we were getting in today, and also knew that we would be exhausted from the flight."

"Mmm," Kate hums, cuddling deeper into her husband. "I love you."

"Love you too, Kate. Sleep," he whispers, before his eyes slip closed as well.

CB

They had been home for a couple of weeks now, and everything was falling into place. The last of Kate's things had been moved into the loft and looking around the space you could see how easily Rick and Kate's lives blended together.

The elephant figurines that she had on a bookshelf in her apartment, now reside in the middle of the coffee table, her own library of books had been combined with his. Everything was perfect.

So when Kate came out of the bedroom - clearly she had been crying - Rick was confused. She walks right over to him, and wraps her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his neck.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Just hold me, Rick. Just for a minute."

"Of course," he whispers, kissing the side of her head. "As long as you need."

After she calms down, she pulls away, and fingers his shirt where her tears had fallen. "Sorry," she mumbles.

"It's just a shirt, honey. It'll dry," he says, wiping away the remaining tears on her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

She takes a shaky breath, "I thought I was pregnant."

"You thought -"

"I'm not," she cuts him off. "I guess with all the excitement of the last month; the wedding, thinking you were dead, getting Bracken…I guess I was just stressed. But I really hoped."

Rick pulls her to him. "Kate, honey, it's not going to happen right away," he says, his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You just stopped taking your birth control last month. It needs time to work it's way out of your system."

"How can you be sure that it's not already out of my system, Rick?" she asks. "What if something's wrong with me? What if I can't get pregnant? What if I took one risk too many because of my job and -"

"Katherine Houghton Castle, stop," Rick demands, and watches as her eyes grow wide at the use of her full name. "There is nothing wrong with you. We will keep trying, Kate. I will give you a baby. There are options, if we still have trouble. But I promise you, that I will make you a mother."

CB

"Gosh, who knew filling out paperwork could be this exhausting?" Kate sighed, dropping her pen from her cramped hand.

"I did!" Rick says, a twinkle in his eye. "Why do you think I never help you with paper work at the precinct?"

Kate picks up the nearest object - a crumbled up piece of paper she had messed up on - and throws it at her husband. "That is different, Rick. This paper work is for the Social Security and DMV."

They had spent all morning waiting in lines to get the packets that were sprawled across the kitchen island. Having been married for a month, and back home for two weeks, Kate decided to get her new identity.

She's still going to be 'Beckett' at work, but her license and social security card will read 'Katherine Castle'. She still gets giddy thinking about it.

Finally after what seemed like hours of filling out papers, she shoves them into the properly addressed envelopes, ready to send out with the next days mail. Rick had retreated to his office shortly after the paper throwing incident. She grins to herself as her senses tune into the sound of him tapping on his keyboard.

She walks across the living room and leans against the doorframe, watching her husband. His eyes dash across the screen, barely keeping up with the rapid fire of his fingers. She's always loved to watch him work, after all the years he's watched her, turn about is fair play.

She pictures their future, hopefully not too far off. She can see him in the wee hours of morning, a sleeping baby boy on his chest, and the vision makes her breath hitch in her throat. She walks over behind him, and wraps her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek before she rests her head on her arm.

"Hey," he smiles, removing one of his hands from the keyboard to wrap around the back of her head, and seeks out her lips. "All done?"

She nods against him. "Yeah. Finally." They both let out a chuckle. "So, what are Nikki and Rook up to?"

He saves his work and closes the lid to his lap top. "Oh, I'm not telling."

"What? Why?"

He swivels his chair around, and pulls her to him, one of her legs on either side of his thighs, pressing her into him. "Ruins the surprise."

Surprise. Ha! From the feel of him she knows exactly what Nikki and Rook were up to. She grinds her lower half into his. "Oh, this is no surprise, Writer-boy."

He rolls his eyes, "Writer-man, Kate."

She grins seductively at him, and cocks her eyebrow. "Prove it."