Chapter 9: My Life Is Extraordinary

I do not own Castle!

Precinct

A very pregnant Kate Beckett-Castle sat at her desk counting down the time left at work. She's roughly seven and a half months pregnant and her negatives thoughts of being pregnant at this stage is; being big, unable to do as much of the physical police work as she used to, and the paper work she has to do since she cant do many of the said physical things. It's the fact that Ryan, Esposito, and even Captain Gates restrict her from doing many of the physical things she used to do. She was tired of being restricted to the precinct most of the time during active cases but she made do. She might as well take maternity leave instead. But today was going to be different. So far on this sunny Friday morning there hasn't been any murder calls and Captain Gates said her and the team would be able to take the weekend off if there were no cases by noon. That means no paperwork to do and no crime to solve behind a desk.

Kate smiled as she anxiously waited as she watched the clock tick slowly away. She remembered the first time when Castle and her took a little trip to the Hamptons; she was doing something similar to this. In fact Castle would be coming down to the Precinct with the car packed for a weekend trip to the Hamptons. It'll be perfect. She shook her head remembering that they got stuck solving a murder case down there; she hoped it wouldn't be the same again. Right now she wasn't writing, she wasn't typing, and she pretty much was avoiding her work until noon.

Ryan and Esposito walked in from the break room smiling at Kate for her lack of productivity. Esposito laughed, "Miss him already huh?" He stopped next to Kate's desk and nodded at her, "where you guys going?"

Kate smiled, "We're going back to the Hamptons for the weekend."

Ryan nodded remembering how AWSOME that place was. He was staring off into the distance when he spoke, "Ah yeah. The Hamptons. That place was magical…"

Kate shook her head, "Yeah it is." Esposito shook his head smiling. Kate noticed and asked, "What are you and Lanie going to be doing on this weekend?"

Esposito shrugged, "Who says I was spending it with Lanie."

Ryan shared a look with Kate. Kate shook her head; "Lanie told me that she was spending a very 'romantic' weekend with you." She emphasized the word "romantic".

Esposito looked forward breaking eye contact, "I knew she'd spill." He looked back at Kate, "It's none of your business." Kate and Ryan laughed.

Kate smiled and looked at Ryan, "So Ryan. What are you planning."

Ryan leaned back on his heels and sighed with ease, "Ah. Spend some quality time with family. Since I have been working to make sure I can get Sarah Grace into college I haven't been around too much."

Kate nodded and said sincerely, "You know Ryan." She tapped her finger on her desk, "You know I'm not a parent of experience, but I've been a parent of a step daughter for a while now and I'm going to be a parent very soon." She paused then continued, "But I am married to a very dedicated family man."

Ryan nodded, "That Castle is."

Kate nodded too, "What I'm saying is…Castle was always there for his daughter even when times were hard. He always made time for his daughter regardless what he was doing." Ryan nodded. Kate continued, "The point of this is not to over work and not figure out what's important." She remembered Zhang and what she said and Kate wanted to make sure Ryan does it right. She wanted to make sure she does it right too. Kate smiled at him, "You can always figure out how to get your baby girl to college, but you can not make up for the time lost. So spend more time with her than working in other jobs."

Ryan understood, "Right. Thanks Kate." Kate looked at the clock and saw it was 12:01. Their weekend starts now. But all of a sudden the phones rang causing everyone to grumble.

But Gates walked out of her office and said, "Go. We got the backups working this one." Everyone smiled and thanked the Captain and gathered their things to head out for their vacation.

Kate walked outside and down a block to see a waiting Castle leaning against his silver Mercedes. She walked over with a happy smile and kissed him on the lips tenderly. She smiled, "Hey."

Castle greeted her, "Good morning my darling." He opened the door for her, "Care to go for a little ride." She smiled and nodded. Castle took her hand and helped her into the car like he was a stagecoach driver in the old days. He closed her door then walked around and jumped into the driver side. He closed his door and looked at Kate lovingly. She smiled and reached for his face gently and slowly brought her lips to his for a long soft kiss. They broke off so Castle could start the car.

Each time they go to the Hamptons, Kate feels like she's going to a fairy tale in a far away land. It was perfect to her in every way.

Hamptons

Castle pulled up to the Hamptons and Kate still stared excitedly at his house like it was her first time. Castle got out of the car and ran around to go open the door for her. Kate looked down and rubbed her belly, "this is going to be your playground someday little one." To be honest neither Kate nor Castle chose a name for the baby yet. Her reverie was interrupted when her door opened, revealing an extremely happy Castle. She smiled as Castle offered his hand to her. She took it and was gently helped out of the car. She is indeed a very strong woman who could do all these things by herself, but she rather enjoys being pampered by Castle. It was rather entertaining.

They both stood outside the car and for a moment enjoyed the view of the massive house before them. Castle placed his hand at the small of her back and kissed her cheek. He laughed lightly and said, "Welcome home." She smiled at him. He kissed her again, "this is your home too."

Kate smiled at him, "Are we going inside or what?"

Castle raised his eyebrows, "Whatever the lady wants." They both laughed as they made their way to the door. Castle opened up the door for Kate and said happily, "I'm going to get our bags. I'll be right back."

Kate smiled, "Alright. I'll be out in the back."

After Castle unpacked the car and most of their bags in the super duper master bedroom he went out to go find his wonderful wife in the back. He walked down stairs and out to the back and Kate was nowhere to be seen. He looked confused and turned around to go back in the house to see if she was there, but then spotted a white note on the wall and a brown box under it. He approached the note and it read, "Babe, I'm around in the house somewhere. Take what's in the box. Loser makes dinner. Three hits equal a win. When you pick up what's inside the box, the game starts." Castle looked even more confused and opened the box at his feet, and saw a Nerf gun with an eight round magazine. He laughed lightly and picked up the toy gun. Got the best wife ever. He thought to himself. All of a sudden there was a thud to the back of his head. He turned around and saw Kate smiling at him with a Nerf gun in her hand hands. He looked down at his feet and saw an orange and red Nerf bullet.

Kate laughed and jogged off, "Game starts now!" Castle laughed and decided to try to cut her off by making his way into the house….

Its now early evening and the Castle's have been waging all out war for hours. Castle was ambushed on the second floor and barely made it down stairs with one life point left. But as Kate pushed down stairs into the kitchen, Castle shot off a cork from a wine bottle to distract her. As she tried to figure out where the cork came from, Castle was able to nail a shot on her belly. She turned around and shot back and barely missed Castle's head by an inch. The long firefight came to an end when Kate breached Fort Richard in the family room. Fort Richard was Castle's secure pillow fort that took up two couches. Kate was able to break down his walls and shoot him in the forehead with her Nerf Gun. She officially won the game. It took a lot longer than any of them expected. A great way to spend their first day at the Hamptons…

Castle was spread out on his back staring at the ceiling reevaluating his life. How could he lose a Nerf Gun fight to Kate! Granted she is a cop who's an expert marksman with a variety of weapons but only HE could make a Nerf gun dance. He wrote the book! He saw Kate's massive pregnant form cover his light; she was smiling down at him. She slowly kneeled down onto her knees and said with a gentle voice, "What's wrong babe? Disappointed that I beat you at another thing you were good at?" She laughed, "A pregnant woman…beat you."

Castle replied with defeat, "I'm just going to lay here and rethink my life."

Kate laughed, "Alright Babe." She grabbed his hand and kissed it gently then said again, "I'll be back in a bit. Going to use the bathroom then come back down here to read."

"You got it." Castle said plainly.

An hour late Kate walked down the stairs back into their large luxurious family room carrying a handful of hardcover books. She walked over to the pair of couches that formed an "L" shape. She spotted her husband still lying in the same spot as before, she looked down at him, "Have you seriously been sitting there sulking about losing."

Castle smiled gently up at her, "something like that."

Kate smiled and shook her head and sat down on the couch and placed a nice soft pillow on her back for support. Being pregnant sure took a toll on her body. Kate laughed, "If it makes you feel any better, it was a pretty close match." Castle laughed. Kate sighed as she tried to get comfortable.

Castle sat up and looked over at a struggling Kate. He smiled, "Hang on. I'll be right there." He got up and kissed her cheek then moved her legs over so he could sit down then put her legs back onto his lap. He then proceeded to massage her lower body to try to make her more comfortable.

Kate purred in contentment as Castle worked his massaging magic on her feet. She opened one of her baby books to a marked page and laid it over her stomach then reached to caress Castle's left arms lovingly. She smiled at him, "Perfect day?"

Castle nodded with a smile, "Perfect day…mostly." Kate laughed and shook her head. Castle gently took her hand and kissed the top gently then looked over curiously at the book she was reading. He smiled and asked as he returned back to massaging her feet, "What book is that there."

Kate picked it up and showed it to him, "Oh, just a book about parenting. You know, how to be a good mother." She smiled at him, "I want to be just a good of a parent like you."

Castle leaned over and kissed her belly, knowing all to well that Kate couldn't reach him. He smiled at her, "Kate, you'll make a great mother. I know it."

"You're just saying that." Kate said smiling.

"No, I'm serious. You will!" He caressed her thigh, "Think about it Kate." He smiled at her, "You were raised by an outstanding mother. You are dedicated, caring, and loving." He kissed her hand again, "An already outstanding step mother."

Kate smiled, "Thanks Rick. But, I wasn't there when Alexis was a kid."

Castle smiled, "No, but you handled college girl drama very well. That alone says you will be a great parent." Kate laughed. Castle held her had and said lovingly, "Plus. You already have three kids. Me, Ryan, and Esposito, so…"

Kate laughed, "That's true huh?" She smiled. Castle always knew what to say to make her feel good. He really does have a way of words. He is also very good with other…intimate things she likes. She smiled at him, "I love you Rick."

Castle smiled at her, "I love you too." The both stared into each other's eyes and simultaneously said, "Always." They both laughed. Castle looked at her book and asked curiously, "Do they have baby names in that book somewhere?"

Kate looked through the book for a moment and found a long list of boy and girl names in the last hundred pages of her parenting book. She smiled, "Yeah there are some. You feel like choosing a name right now?"

Castle nodded and asked for the book, "May I?" Kate handed him the book and Castle flipped to the last hundred pages where the names were and started hunting for a very…important name.

Kate smiled, "Choose a girls name first! She's going to be a girl. I know it."

Castle shook his head, "He's going to be a boy for sure." He smiled at her, "Obviously…" He then spotted the name he was searching for. He grinned from ear to ear, which Kate took immediate notice of.

Kate looked at him suspiciously, "Uh oh… what is it?"

Castle turned the book to show her and pointed at the name in question, he made sure the book was out of her reach. The name he found was indeed "Cosmo". He laughed, "Ha, found it."

Kate's jaw dropped with a smile as she tried reaching for the book, "No Castle. If our child is a boy, he will not be named Cosmo!" She kept trying to reach but she couldn't because of her new lack of flexibility with a pregnancy belly. She smiled as she tried to reach for the book and said playfully, "Castle, give me the book!" Castle kept his finger on the name Cosmo as he kept the book away from her grasp. She slapped his left arm playfully, "Castle, He will not be named Cosmo!"

Castle laughed, "Ha! You admit he will be a boy!"

Kate shook her head, "I admit nothing. If he is a boy he will not be named Cosmo."

He laughed and took Kate's hand and gently kissed it. He smiled, "Alright…Fine. Lets choose a girls name first." Kate nodded victoriously.

The lovely couple spent the next few hours deciding on a girl's name. Castle was looking through the book he found Cosmo in, while Kate used another book that had a variety of names in it. She also brained stormed to find names because they both decided to give their child a unique name. Because the Beckett Castle duo are unique in there own right. As it got late Castle reluctantly had to get up off the couch and make dinner for the two of them. Kate continued to lie in her comfy position thinking of names as Castle made dinner for the two of them.

Castle was cooking up some of his famed Castle Spaghetti in light of Kate's request. The pasta was cooked and now he was just doing the finishing touches on the sauce. He knew probably all to well that he made a little too much. Left overs for Kate's cravings. In between cooking, Castle and Kate conversed over name ideas. Kate found a unique name that she liked so she decided to ask Castle about it, "Hey Castle, what do you think about Serena?"

Castle stirred the pot a little more then leaned his back against the island, "Ah. Serena Castle." He smiled, "Isn't a bad name. But I have an idea." He finished up the sauce then started to pour it on the plates of Spaghetti he made for dinner.

Kate looked over at him curiously as Castle brought over the plates and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couches. She smiled and asked curiously, "What?" She swung her legs back onto the floor so she could eat while Castle sat down next to her.

He planted a kiss to the right side of her head before finally answering, " How does Hanna Serena Castle sound for a girl?"

Kate looked at him surprised at first then looked at him with adoration. She smiled gently, "Something to do with my mother?"

Castle looked into her eyes, "Why not? Hannah short for Johanna. You're mother would love it I'm sure."

Kate kissed him, "She would." She leaned into him and closed her eyes, "Sounds like a great name for a girl." They stayed in that position for a while.

Castle slyly replied, "But…It will be a boy." He laughed as he turned on some music to play during dinner.

Kate sat up again and rolled her eyes, "Romantic moment…destroyed." They both laughed before starting to chow down on the Spaghetti in front of them. After a pleasant dinner full with great food, Frank Sinatra songs, and pleasant and funny conversations it was time to clean up. Castle gathered up the dishes from the coffee table while Kate returned back to her book of names. While Castle finished up the dishes she called to him, "So are we set with the name for a girl?"

Castle smiled, "Oh yeah." He turned on the sink and began to clean the dishes as Kate brain stormed. He called out to Kate, "So are we set for Cosmo Castle?" He laughed.

Kate glared at a grinning Castle. She said sternly, "No."

Castle laughed as he scrubbed the dishes and asked playfully, "Fine. What do you propose?"

Kate shook her head with a smile, "I propose an actual name." Castle grinned as he finished up cleaning the dishes. Kate leaned her back on her pillow on the couch as she listened to the smooth music that was playing. They both remained silent trying to figure out a name for a boy.

Castle finished up the dishes then made his way back to Kate on the couch. He walked over and Kate moved her feet off the cushion next to her so her husband could sit down. Once he took his seat she put her legs back on his lap. Castle smiled at her, "Any ideas?"

Kate shook her head, "Not a clue."

Castle smiled slightly, "We could name our boy after Ryan and Esposito?"

Kate laughed, "I wonder why you would want our child to be named that."

Castle stated to massage Kate's legs, "Well…if it wasn't for them, I'm sure we might've never gotten married."

Kate laughed, "Right. Sure." She said sarcastically. She caressed his arm, "I'm sure they would go nuts if they found out."

Castle nodded, "Kevin Esposito Castle. Doesn't so bad to me." He laughed, "The middle name might throw off some people though."

Kate nodded, "Yeah well, it'll make a great story. I'm sure the father wont mind telling it."

"Absolutely not." He turned serious, "Wait…Won't Lanie go ballistic if she finds out that we named our boy after Ryan and Espo and not named our girl after her. I'm sure she helped a bit with us."

Kate remembered her talks with Lanie about if Castle and her should give it a shot and date. She then remembered her talks with Lanie when they were dating about taking the next step. Lanie actually been there for her too, and pushed her to go with the one of her dreams when she didn't realize it at first. Kate nodded, "Lanie…might've said something." She smiled, "You're right. How does Hanna Lanie Castle sound?"

Castle smiled, "Sounds like a princess to me." They smiled at each other. Then out of the blue a Frank Sinatra song they know all too well. "I've got you under my skin" They laughed together. Kate swung her legs back onto the floor and Castle offered his hand to her. Kate laughed and took it. Castle led her to an open space in the room and began to dance to the song. Soon enough they both began to sing along with Frank Sinatra.

Kate woke up slowly on Castle's chest. The dim morning sun pierced the windows and dimly illuminated the room. She looked up at the sleeping man lovingly then kissed his chest gently. She smiled against his chest. Castle softly spoke, "Good morning beautiful."

Kate smiled wide and closed her eyes and laid her head back on his chest. She thought to herself before drifting off back to sleep, My Life Is Extraordinary…

Hamptons fluffiness!

Got the Nerf Gun fight from a meme on the interwebs

The name Hanna is short for Johanna.

Thanks for Reading.