A/N: Well folks, after deliberating with my muse, I have decided to end this story with this chapter. But, fear not, I do definitely plan a sequel as you will see in this epilogue. Thank you to everyone who alerted, reviewed and favoured this story. I hope this is satisfactory and that you'll enjoy this last chapter of 'An Odyssey to Us'.
(Btw, can I please get a round of applause for finishing my first story!)
Disclaimer: Andrew Marlowe is their creator and ruler. We all bow down to his genius.
Just take note: there is a three month time-jump from the previous chapter.
(Updated version - spotted a few errors).
Chapter 13 - I'm Yours
Positive. Two lines. A plus sign.
Uh. Whoa. Wow. Oh, wow.
Pregnant.
(So much for birth control.)
It's six o'clock in the morning and Kate is staring at the three sticks on the bathroom counter, feeling a little dazed and confused, chewing on her thumb nail while her heart beats erratically. She's friggin pregnant. With Richard Castle's baby. Barely three months into their relationship. She's in between scared shitless and completely overwhelmed by a tidal wave of irrational happiness.
Kate glances down to her still-flat stomach and tenderly, gingerly places a hand over it. She can envision a girl with dark hair and laughing blue eyes, picture a little boy who is the spitting image of his father. As the images run through her head, the corners of her mouth lift slowly and slide open into a beaming smile; her eyes sparkling with joy and affection.
A baby.
They were going to have a baby.
[][][]
Rick drifts into consciousness, the stark light of the morning hitting his closed eyes. He sighs heavily and rolls onto his side, stretching an arm out to wrap around his favourite detective. But instead of finding a beautiful, semi-naked woman in his bed, he hits cold sheets. He groans in disapproval and slowly opens his eyes, squinting against the invading light. He lifts his head to see the pulled back covers and spots the alarm clock on her bedside table (she might still be living on her own, but the right side is her side of the bed). It reads 6:22. Rick grunts and lets his head fall back onto the pillow.
Why is she always up so early?
That's only one of the many things they differ on - she's a morning person, he's a night person; she likes poached eggs, he likes scrambled eggs; she likes cooking alone, he likes company in the kitchen; she likes baths (for various reasons), he likes showers (for various reasons); she likes it rough, quick and dirty, he likes it slow, teasing and thorough. They're Yin and Yang. Writer and muse. Friends and lovers.
A perfect fit.
He hears water run in the bathroom and sits up, brow furrowing. He really doesn't hope she's still sick. Yesterday she became sick after eating Chinese at the precinct. Which has never happened before, but there must have been something wrong with her Chow Mein. Although no one else got sick. Before he can get out of bed, the door opens and Kate steps out, a hand to her smiling mouth. There's something soft and gentle etched onto her features, something joyful reflecting in the shine of her irises.
"Hey," Rick says softly, getting out of bed.
Kate's head snaps up, her eyes meeting his as he walks towards her. She quickly schools her features to hide the outpouring of rampant joy, but smiles broadly at her lover.
(And now the father of her unborn child too.)
"Morning. I'm glad to see you decided to join the land of the living," she teases, weaving her arms around his shoulders and locking her hands behind his neck.
"If this is what the land of the living require, I want to revoke my citizenship."
She laughs softly and shakes her head. He returns a smile, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead. His eyes, though, still watch her warily.
"You okay?" He asks, concern and care wrap around the ebb and flow of his voice.
Her brow furrows. "Yeah. Why?"
Shit. Does he know?
Rick shrugs. "Just... you were sick the other day after eating that Chinese. I thought that maybe you were still feeling the remnants of that," he answers, his forehead creased, his eyes bathed in gentle protectiveness.
Oh, sweet man.
She grins and leans up to brush a quick kiss against the corner of his mouth. "No, I'm fine, Rick. Really, I promise."
He still seems skeptical, so she decides to convince him otherwise. Kate sucks her lower lip into her mouth, teasing it with the bite of her teeth and she stands on tip-toes to breathe into her lover's ear.
"Why don't you join me in the shower and I'll show you how fine I am."
He doesn't need anymore convincing.
[][][]
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you to see Lockwood?" Rick asks for maybe the tenth time in the space of fifteen minutes.
Kate, with her back to him, rolls her eyes while buttering her toast. "Yes, Castle, I'm sure," she answers on a sigh before turning around to meet his worried gaze. Her features soften. "You know I need to do this on my own."
He lets out a breath and rubs a hand over his face. "You don't have to, Kate. You choose to do this alone," he responds quietly, getting up from his seat at the kitchen counter. Things were going so well this morning - they shared a hot, delicious shower and had breakfast together, but now there is this strange, irritating tension that threatens to leave a sour taste in their mouths.
She doesn't want to go their separate ways with dampened spirits. There was just too much to be happy about, too much hope painting the dark corners of her heart with light to let him walk out the door feeling shut out.
"Rick, wait."
He sighs and turns around. "What?"
She desperately wants to tell him, desperately wants to share the good news just to see how the shadows will lift from his face, how the veiled hurt would evaporate from his eyes.
He'd be over the moon. But now is not the time to break the news to him that he was going to be a father again.
"I love you," the words tumble from her mouth, her whole face flooded with adoration, her body alight with the love - the life - they've created. "I love you too much to drag you into this, to drag you into my fight."
She can see the tension drain out of him, out of the line of his broad shoulders. However, she can also discern the stubborn protectiveness that takes up residence in his eyes and throughout his posture. He wants to protect her, shield her and she loves him even more for it.
But this is something that no one can shelter her from.
"Kate-"
She steps forward, placing a hand on his cheek. "Love, just let me do this. I promise this is the last time I'll go alone."
He watches her for a moment, his bright blue eyes caressing her features; he's clearly still not pleased with the situation. "Okay, okay." He nods in acquiescence.
"Thank you," she replies, squeezing his neck and bringing him down to her for a kiss; soft and delicate like a blooming flower.
When they break apart, his forehead creases slightly and the corners of his mouth curve into a delighted smile. "Love, huh? Does that mean I get to call you Snookums? Or how about sweet cheeks?"
She smiles widely. "Shut up," Kate murmurs, before invading his mouth again, her tongue darting out to briefly dance with his in the languid, heated tango of their mouths. When he groans and tightens the grip on her waist, she dislodges herself from him and steps away.
"Will I see you at the precinct later?" She asks, grabbing her coat and tucking it on.
He shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe. I have to go and see some people at Black Pawn. The Derrick Storm graphic novel-"
"-is getting launched today," she finishes, trying to find her car keys in her purse. "Yeah, you told me. Remember?" When she looks up again, he's regarding her with bright, blue, reverent eyes.
"What?"
He shakes his head and curls a hand around her elbow. "Nothing. . . I just love you."
Kate gives him a beaming smile. "Ditto," she says before giving him one more kiss. "Oh and by the way, dinner at my place tonight. I'm cooking."
He laughs because a home-cooked meal at her place is a rare thing. "What's the occasion?"
She can't help the giddiness that suddenly overwhelms her, the ecstasy that sings in her veins.
Because-
"It's a surprise, Castle."
They're having a baby.
A/N: Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking - 'not another pregnancy fic!'. But I assure you, this is not the direction I plan on taking the sequel in. Remember I promised an AU-retelling of the shooting and their secrets? Well, this should give you a taste of what that potentially might be. (Don't ask me when I'm gonna start on the sequel.)
Thank you so much for all the reviews and the support this story got. You guys are the best! Please for the last time, review and tell me what you think.