After the week was over, they were packing up to return back home. Kate could honestly say that she wasn't ready to leave yet. When she had mentioned that to Castle, he reminded her that they had to get back home. Reminded her that they had a wedding to plan for.

They had decided to get married in May. In the Hamptons. With all of their family in friends in attendance. Then, shortly afterwards, Benny's adoption would be finalized.

However, before either of those could happen Castle and Beckett's world would be turned upside down. Possibly forever.

It happened when Castle was on the way to the wedding. Beckett received a call and she rushed to the scene of the crash. She felt as if she was in that car with him. She honestly wanted to be in the car with him. Because as bad as her mother's death had been, watching the car burn with Castle possibly inside was so much worse. He was the love of her life. Her one and done. She would never find another love.

He was Benny and Alexis' father. And the father of... She couldn't think about that right now. It hurt too much to think about it. No. It was best if she focus on what she did best. Looking for her missing fiance.

However, that was easier said that done. There were absolutely no clues whatsoever. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. The worst part was the news she had gotten a few days before he went missing. At the time, she had thought that it was wonderful news, but in the days following Castle's disappearance, it was devastating.

Two months. Castle had been missing for two long, lonely months. Months that left Beckett wondering if she would ever see him again. Months that she spent searching for him. Months that were some of the hardest of her life. Due to Castle going missing, Benny's adoption was thrown into jeopardy. So, her father had gone to bat for them. Ms Whitman ended up being reprimanded because of her obvious bias against Kate and Rick not being married. She knew that she would never be able to thank her father for everything he did for her.

She had shown up at the loft the morning after Castle had gone missing. She and Kate had strong words. Luckily, Espo and Ryan were both there and they called the CPS offices and spoke with the supervisor. He spoke with Ms Whitman and she was immediately removed from the case. The new caseworker told Kate in confidence that Ms Whitman had been scolded about her tactics several times in the past. Apparently, she had wanted to adopt a baby for years now, but was denied because she was unmarried and her past history was spotty. So, she held a grudge against all unmarried couples wanting to adopt or foster children.

Martha gave up a good amount of her time to stay home with Benny when Kate couldn't be there. Even Alexis had pitched in to watch her little brother.

Beckett still had custody of him, but she insisted on waiting until Castle was back to adopt him also. Because despite there not being any signs of him, Beckett was still convinced that Castle was coming home to them. To all the them. She needed him home. She couldn't do all of this without him.

Benny turned one on the day that Castle reappeared. He was found in a fishing boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When Ryan told her that they had found him, her heart had stopped for a moment. She wondered if they had found his body. If he was dead. Then Ryan told her that he was in the hospital. Her whole world became new again. She rushed there and into his room.

She leaned down and took his hand. Calling his name, he didn't move. Didn't wake up. She took his hand and then she whispered, "I need you to come back to me Castle. Need you to come back to us."

Nothing happened. Despite her wishing for him to wake up, he remained still. She put a hand on her rounded stomach and a tear slipped out of her closed eyes. She needed him to wake up. Needed him to realize that she still loved him and wanted him. Still wanted to marry him despite him going missing on their wedding day.

When Alexis and Martha rushed in wanting to see him. However, for whatever reason, his eyes remained closed.

Kate remained at his beside for the next twelve hours. Hours that she wondered if he was ever going to come back to them. She sat by his bedside and held his hand. Telling him all about what happened during his missing two months. Waiting to tell him the important news when he woke up. Something she should have told him when she found out the day before they were to be married. She had made the foolish decision to wait until their wedding night.

Now however, she wished that she would have told him. Maybe that would have given him a reason to come home to her before now. She knew that she couldn't second guess every decision she had made since that day. No. She would have to hope that he would understand why she had chosen to wait to tell her until they were married.

Her reasons seemed petty now, but she wanted to wait until their wedding night to tell Castle that he was going to be a father again. Then she had been planning on telling Alexis and Martha. Planned on him being the first, besides her, to know about the newest member of their family. However, her plans had fallen through and she'd been forced to tell Alexis and Martha first.

She had tried to wait for as long as possible. However, when Martha found her hunched over the garbage can one morning losing the contents of her stomach, she had been forced to come clean. Martha had held her hand while she told Alexis.

Of course, Alexis was thrilled with the news about their newest addition to their family. They all wished that Castle was there to share the news with them.

Benny took Castle's disappearance the hardest however. He didn't understand where his father had gone. Why he was there one day and then gone the next. Their son had been so very fussy over the past few months. Kate had taken so much time off to look for her missing partner and to spend time with Benny. Sitting beside his bedside, she just wanted him to wake up.

Sighing, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. Then she whispered in his ear, "You're going to be a daddy again Castle. I'm pregnant. So. You need to wake up and get out of this hospital bed and come back to us. Benny needs us Castle. I need you. Our baby needs you..."

Unfortunately, all of Beckett's pleading did nothing to wake him up. He remained asleep and her tears ran down her face.

Sighing, she got up and went to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she shook her head. When she was done, she walked back into his room and saw that he was starting to wake up. His head was thrashing side to side and he was mumbling her name.

Beckett sat down beside him and took his hand. She smoothed her hand over his forehead and whispered, "I'm here Castle."

His eyes opened and he looked at her and whispered, "You're here..."

Smiling, she whispered, "There's no place that I would rather be Castle. Right here. Beside you."

Castle coughed and she gave him some water. He looked at her, "They told me that you were dead. Said that you had been killed in the car crash. Said that I needed to help them and avenge your death. They...They lied to me..."

Nodding, Beckett took his hand and ran her fingers over his knuckles. Then she leaned down and kissed him softly. Whispering, "They did, but...I don't want to lie to you. Never have and never will."

"I know."

"Did you hear anything I said while you were out?"

Castle whispered, "Did you say that we are having another baby?"

Smiling, Beckett whispered, "Yes. I found out the day before the wedding. I was going to tell you, but..."

"But I went missing. So, how far along are you? Six weeks?"

Beckett gave him a funny look and finally told him, "You've been missing for two months Rick. I'm almost four months pregnant. I'm due in February. "

Shaking his head slowly, he whispered, "I... I've been gone for two months? I don't remember..."

Kate leaned down and put her forehead on his and whispered, "It's okay Rick. We will get through this. Together."

"How, how can you forgive me? I left you. For two months and..."

Smiling, she told him, "Always means always Rick. It doesn't mean only when times are good. Or when everything is going great. It means through the good times and the bad. It means always and forever Rick."

That was when Rick remembered something important. He looked at her and asked, "Did they take Benny away from us? Did we lose him Kate?"

Kate noticed that panicked look on his face and she shook her head, "No Rick. He's at home with Martha and Alexis."

"His adoption?"

"They postponed it until later. I had to hire a high profile attorney. Ms. Whitman started playing hardball. She threatened to take him away from me. From us. So..."

"So?"

"So, I had my father recommend the best attorney in the state of New York. Lets just say that between us we managed to delay his adoption and he was placed with me until you came home to us Rick. I knew you were coming home to us, so..I insisted that they wait until you came home. They replaced that other woman with someone that we can talk to. Someone will work with us. He's missed you Rick. Missed his daddy."

The word woman was said with such disdain, that Castle wondered what had happened while he was gone.

However, Kate could tell that he wasn't up for talking right then and there. She was proven right when Castle said, "I'm so tired Kate..."

Leaning down, she kissed his forehead and whispered, "Sleep Rick. I'll be here waiting for you when you wake up."

Nodding, he whispered, "Love you..."

She kissed his hand and nodded, "I love you too Castle. So, so much..."

Picking up her phone she called Alexis to let her know that Castle was awake. She asked them to bring Benny with them this time. Now that he was awake, Kate wanted him to see his daddy again.

Sitting beside his bed, Kate put her hand on her stomach and for the first time, she felt their unborn baby move inside her. It was as if their unborn baby knew that his or her daddy had come back to them. Kate closed her eyes and let the tears fall from her eyes. She might not have any answers, but she would get them. Eventually. Today was a day to be glad that she had the love of her life back. Somehow, that was enough for now.

When Castle woke that evening, Benny was laying in the bed beside him. He was patting Castle on the stomach. It was almost as if the boy knew that his father was back for good.

Beckett had tears in her eyes watching her boys together. She leaned down and kissed the top of Castle's head and whispered, "Do you remember anything about where you were yet Castle?"

Shaking his head, Kate noticed the tears in his eyes. She knew that he was broken up about not being able to remember what happened during the time that he was missing. There had to be some kind of answer, but Kate couldn't find it. She had been over everything a million times, but nothing made any kind of sense. So, she decided that she would put it on the back burner until later.

Castle was released from the hospital later the next day. He walked into the loft and they put Benny to bed. The boy was practically clinging to Castle and it took forever to put him to bed. Beckett knew that he was afraid that his father would go missing again. So Castle sat beside his crib for the longest time that night. Until he was finally sure that Benny was finally asleep for the night.

Walking into their bedroom, Castle saw that Beckett had fallen asleep waiting for him to come to bed. She was sleeping on top of the covers and had her left hand draped over her stomach. It was then that he noticed her rounded stomach for the first time. He sat down on the bed and moved her hand away gently. He lifted up her blouse and put his hand on her stomach. Then, he leaned down and whispered, "This is so much more than I deserve. I don't deserve you or your mother. She should hate me. I keep expecting her to tell me that she's had enough and that she's leaving me. I don't know how I will ever be able to make it up to her. Up to you. I don't even know what I did or who took me, but..." Castle took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Then he continued, "I will work hard to be the kind of man, the kind of husband and father that both you and Benny can be proud of. That she can be proud of."

Castle didn't realize it, but Beckett heard everything and she had to fight to keep still and act like she didn't hear him whispering to their unborn baby. She wanted to cry at the utter defeat that she heard in his voice. He felt as if he wasn't worthy of her love any longer.

She couldn't stand listening to the defeat in his voice. So, she opened her eyes and laid her hand on his cheek and whispered, "You didn't do anything wrong Castle. It wasn't your fault."

Shaking his head, he told her softly, "You can't know that. I..."

"I know you Castle. You would never leave us. You would never leave your family."

Kissing her stomach, he laid his head down on the place where their baby was currently resting. He just laid there and drank in her presence. He whispered softly, "I wish I knew where I was. What made me leave everything and everyone I love behind."

Beckett let her hands run through his hair and she whispered, "We will figure it out one day Castle. For now, I'm just glad to have the father of my children back home. Where he belongs. We can figure everything else out later."

Castle kissed her stomach one last time and then climbed up to lay beside her. Holding her while he wondered what he had done to deserve this wonderful woman that had fallen in love with him. He knew that he would spend the rest of his life making this up to her. Nothing else mattered to him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Besides Alexis and Benny and now the baby she was carrying. Their life was nothing short of perfect. Castle wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve the love of this incredible woman.