His mother and Alexis knew Beckett's case was taking quite a toll on him. Most days he would be upset, frustrated or drunk. But today, he was over the moon happy. He was that nine year old on a sugar rush Richard Castle again.

"Got a break on the case, dad?" Alexis asked as Rick joined the ladies in the kitchen.

"Yup," he replies. "And it' not just a break but a real confession."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Martha questioned, puzzled. "Are you saying you're happy because she confessed to the crime? That she murdered him?"

"No," he replies. "Instead, she confessed to not committing the crime. Kate was forced to own up but it wasn't her who murdered Doug Maclain. She was doing this to protect our son."

"Wait, Kate has a son?" Alexis asked, surprised.

"Yeah," he answers. He was still overwhelmed with the fact that he a kid with Kate Beckett – the woman he love more than his life. "Didn't I just say that?"

"With you?" Alexis continued.

"Yeah," he flashes a puzzled look.

"I can't believe this!" Alexis scoffs. "Dad, how are you positively sure that he's your son? I mean you haven't seen each other since I was like what? 9? 10?"

"She's right about this one, kiddo," Martha spoke. "Kate lied to protect the child, what if she lies again?"

"I know this is shocking news. Even to me it is but I trust Kate," he explains. "I saw him, mother. And she wasn't lying. That kid is definitely mine. And Alexis, don't you want a younger sibling?"

"Yes," she answers. "But not like this."

Alexis storms out of the kitchen. Martha gives Rick a pat on his back.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Richard," Martha said as she left to look for Alexis.

The conversation about Kate suddenly gave him the urge of seeing her or at least hearing her voice. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and called up Kate's number. His fingers hesitate for a moment as if he was unsure about calling her. Rick said he'll meet her tomorrow but he really wants to talk to her now. He's sure Kate won't mind. He gathers up the courage and calls her. It goes straight to her voicemail. He calls her house. It rings for a while and it goes to the answering machine.

His heart beat accelerates. Where is she? Why isn't she answering?

He said he'd kill him if I didn't confess to the crime, he recalled.

The hospital! Now that Kate had told him the truth, he figured whoever was behind this would stick to their part of the deal. Rick was having a bad feeling about this. Instantly, he picked up his keys and sped off heading towards the hospital. He tries for Kate again. No answer.

"Come on Kate," he muttered to himself. "Pick up."

He calls again. Still no answer. The writer in him conjures a million worst case scenarios. He silently prays that none of them will happen. He speeds up trying to waste as little time as possible.

As soon as he reaches the hospital he rushes to his son's ward. He stops by the door. The heart rate monitor was still beeping which means Caleb is still alive. But what about Kate? His eyes scan the room a little more before finding the brunette, sleeping, tucked in a chair her head leaning against the wall for support. He loosens up a little.

Looks like someone is going to have quite a sore neck, he thought as he walks up to her.

"Kate," he whispers into her ears. She flinches but does not open her eyes.

"Kate," he whispers, a little louder this time. Slowly, her eyelids flicker open revealing her soft green emerald eyes. Now he's convinced that she's alright.

"Hey," she mutters under her breath.

"Hey," he replies.

He saw her wince. Her neck was definitely sore. She lifts an arm and rubs the back of her neck trying to ease the pain a little.

"How long have you been here?" Kate asks.

"I just got here," he answered. "I tried your cell and house but you didn't answer so, I figured out you must be here."

She pulls out her phone from her pocket to check for his miscalls but the battery was flat.

"Battery's dead," she told him. "Why? Was there anything important?"

He sat on the arm of the chair. Half of his body rested on the chair and the other was supported by his grounded leg. He lets out a sigh.

"I told Alexis and mother about Caleb," he spoke.

"How did it go?" Kate asks.

"It was alright, I guess," he replied. "Although Alexis was mad at me."

She lets out a chuckle. She was glad that it didn't go as bad as she though. But Alexis IS angry at Rick.

"Something you want to share with the class?" Rick asks.

"No," she replied. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was hoping for the worst. I'm not saying that I'm happy Alexis is mad at you, but at least things didn't go south like what happened to us."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm glad too."

The both of them stared at the boy wondering how it would be if he was awake. Then, he remembered.

"I know this might sound crazy but what if we put a detail on him," he suggested. "I mean just for security's sake."

Kate was taken aback by his suggestion. She knew where this was heading. Her boy would never be safe if she told him about the killer.

"For how long?" Kate stated more than asked. "How long do you expect us to have someone watching over Caleb?"

"Until this case is over," he replies, unsure about his answer. He knows the moment Kate confesses, their son's life will be threatened. It was a long shot but if this was a chance to free her of all charges, he had to take that chance.

"Rick, how can you be so sure that once the case is over Caleb will be safe?" Kate questions.

"Frankly speaking, I'm not too sure myself," he replied. "But we won't know if we don't give it a try. Right?"

"Rick…" her voice trails off. If she walks and her son is harmed, she doesn't know how to cope anymore. However, if ends all her fears, it's for the better. She stands up and distances herself from him.

"Rick," she answers, a little frustrated. "I know you want to help but my son's life is at stake."

"Do you think I don't know?" Rick questions. "Do you think I WANT to risk Caleb's life? For God's sake, Kate! He's my son too."

"No!" Kate snaps. "He's NOT your son, Rick! You lost the right to be called his father the moment you left!"

"At least he'd be fine if I knew!" Castle retaliates.

That was it! He knew he had just pushed it too far. Too far across the boundaries she had set to protect herself. He gets off the chair and envelopes Kate in a hug. Slowly, tears roll down her face but this time she doesn't flinch.

"Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." he starts before Kate cuts him off.

"No, I guess you're right..." her voice softens as she pulls away. "If I had told you about Caleb, none of this would have happened."

Rick scoops her in for another hug. This time he plants a kiss on the top of her head. She pulls away and looks at the ground. She didn't want to look into his eyes. They reminded her too much of their fight years ago.

"Hey, look at me," he says as he lifts her face. Their eyes meet for a brief moment. She shrugs his hands off and looks away. He sees the pain in her eyes. She had already lost her mother, almost lost her father and is on the verge of losing her son. If she loses Caleb, he knows she will never recover.

"This is not your fault, Kate," he continues. "You raised Caleb all by yourself, you did your best for him and that's all that matters. You're a great mother, Kate. Never doubt that."

"Rick, I…" Kate started before Rick places a finger on her lips silencing her.

"You don't have to explain anything," he says as he reels her in for a third hug. "I'm here now. Everything is going to be just fine."

She takes comfort in his words. Words that he himself was unsure of. He might not know about the future but for now he knows everything is fine. Kate is in his arms, Caleb is alive, Alexis might be mad but she's going to melt when she sees him, right? And his mother is well… His mother. He's fine, they're all fine.

Sorry for not updating as regular as I want to. Sometimes real life can be quite hetic...

Thank for your kind reviews. I really appreciate them.