Disclaimers: No, although my computer has been taken over by my 'Castle' screensaver.

A/N #1: In Chapter 20 of 'Mind Games,' I wrote about a ring that Castle had given Kate as a late Mother's Day gift. I'll write about that ring in this chapter.

A/N #2: I want to thank Missy52061 for the idea for this chapter. I hope that you enjoy it.

Chapter 3: Gifts

End of May

"I'm glad that you could meet me, pumpkin," Castle kissed his daughter as she sat across from him in the small restaurant near the loft.

"It sounded important. Are Kate and Ariel okay?"

"They're both fine. Ari's getting bigger by the day," he smiled proudly.

"I know, daddy. I just saw her yesterday," the young redhead reminded him.

"Anyway, the reason that I wanted you to meet me is I know that I didn't get Kate anything for Mother's Day and I probably should have even though Ari wasn't here, yet. I just wasn't sure what to get her. I could really use your help."

"Well, let's see what we can come up with," Alexis brought out her tablet and booted it up. She brought up her bookmark for Tiffany's, giving her father a wry grin.

"You have learned well, grasshopper," he complimented her. Every piece of jewelry he'd ever bought had come from the world famous jeweler's. Why should his wife's Mother's Day gift be any different? "Go to the rings. I have an idea."

Alexis brought up the rings and they perused them, finally finding something that they both liked. "This is perfect. You can add a stone for you, Kate, and Ari."

"And you," Castle added.

"Daddy—"

"No. Kate would agree with me on this one. You're Ari's sister, and as such, you deserve to be included in on her gift. Come on, let's go to Tiffany's."

Kate had just put the baby down for a nap and was lost in a book in the corner of the sofa when Castle walked in with Alexis. "Hi, Alexis," she got up and greeted her with a hug. "I just put Ari down for a nap."

"Kate, I don't just drop by to see my sister," Alexis grinned at her father.

"I was thinking that maybe we could take the baby and have lunch one day next week," Kate suggested.

"That sounds great," Alexis agreed. "There's a new bistro that just opened near Columbia. It's small and quiet."

"Small and quiet sounds great, especially for a day out with Ariel."

Castle was cooking dinner for everybody a little over an hour later when Martha blew in like the hurricane that her son often likened her to. "Good evening, mother. Just in time for dinner, I see," Rick smiled indulgently at his mother.

"Hello, Richard," she kissed him before going over to greet her granddaughter and daughter-in-law. "Where is my baby?"

"Asleep. She should be waking up soon," Kate smiled.

"Katherine, you must be so tired of being cooped up," Martha sat down. "How about if we get together tomorrow and have lunch? I'm anxious to show off my newest granddaughter."

"Wow, two lunch dates in one week," Kate smiled at Castle. "I'd love to."

They made plans for the next afternoon just as Kate heard the first squawks coming from upstairs indicating that Ariel was awake. Kate excused herself to go upstairs. "Dad, did you tell gram about the ring?" Alexis whispered to her father.

"What ring?" Martha asked.

"Daddy and I picked out the most beautiful ring for Kate," Alexis explained. "It's a belated Mother's Day present. It'll be ready next week. I can't wait for her to see it."

"Alexis, it's supposed to be a surprise," Castle reminded his daughter. "Keep your voice down."

Martha and Alexis were both thrilled when Kate came downstairs with baby Ariel. "Come here to grandma," Martha held her hands out for the baby.

"Be careful, mother," Castle warned Martha as she began to bounce the baby. "She just ate."

"Richard, I've never had a baby spit up on me in my life. Not you, not Alexis, and certainly not this one."

"I've also been lucky," Kate told Martha, "although Ari's nailed Rick a few times."

"Well, there's always a first time," Rick said as he walked over and set the table. "Dinner will be ready in about five minutes."

"So, Rick never spit up on you?" Kate asked in amazement.

"No, although he did pee on me a few times and he ever managed to poop on me once."

"Gross, gram," Alexis made a face.

"Rick's been on the receiving end of that, too," Kate burst out laughing, remembering a night a few nights previously when the diaper change had come seconds too late.

"Karma's a bitch, Beckett," he reminded his wife.

Kate was still laughing hysterically when Rick called them to the table. "Alexis, you can put Ari in her carrier," Kate instructed.

"I can't believe how alert she is," Martha commented. "I'd give Richard a bottle and he'd immediately go back to sleep. So would Alexis, if memory serves me right."

"She usually stays awake for a little while now after she eats. But, you're right. She is very observant."

Martha left after dinner with a promise that she and Kate would meet for lunch the next afternoon. Alexis stayed for a little while before she left for the night, leaving the new parents alone with their small charge. "So, Ari's having her first restaurant outing tomorrow," Castle sat down beside Kate. "Are you worried about having to nurse her in public?"

"No. If people don't like it, they don't have to watch me. Jenny's already given me explicit instructions regarding the logistics of nursing in public places."

"I just don't want you getting upset."

"Why would I get upset?"

"Because there are people out there who are insensitive clods."

"Rick, your mother has asked me to lunch. Me and Ariel. Do you honestly expect me to keep your daughter locked up in the loft until she's weaned to a cup? I don't think so."

"I'm sorry," he kissed her. "I'm still getting used to this whole nursing thing. Meredith never wanted to and I never pushed the issue."

"Rick, do you feel like you're being left out? I know that you got to bond with Alexis over giving her bottles. I could express milk and let you have one feeding in the middle of the night."

"Kate, I don't feel left out. I get plenty of time to bond with Ariel. I'll take over one feeding in a few weeks maybe, but for right now I think she should have the time with you."

"You'll let me know if you do feel left out, won't you?"

"I'll tell you," he kissed her, his lips soft against hers.

For their outing the next afternoon, Kate dressed Ariel in a frilly purple dress with the smallest white tights she'd ever seen. She snapped her carrier into the base in the Mercedes and drove to the restaurant to meet Martha. The older woman met her on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. "Oh Kate, she looks adorable," Martha gushed over the sleeping baby. "I got us a table in the back. That way we won't have people bumping and jostling by us."

"That sounds great," Kate said as they entered the restaurant. As they headed for their table, she was alarmed by the number of people who seemed to want to touch Ariel in her carrier. She felt like screaming at them to keep their hands away from her daughter. "Have they never seen a baby before?" She asked as they sat down and she placed the carrier on one of the spare chairs, making sure that it was secure.

"Strangers love to touch babies. When we'd take Alexis out, people always wanted to touch her because of her red hair. Don't let it frighten you, darling. It's just the way of some people."

"I guess the cop in me is a little unnerved by it," she admitted as their waiter came over and took their drink order. "Can you tell me some Rick stories?"

"Richard was a big baby," Martha remembered. "But, he was always so happy. I remember that I was doing a play on Broadway at the time and the rest of the cast absolutely adored him. I never had to look for a babysitter the entire time I was doing the play. Kate, there are a lot of things that I wish that I'd done differently, but the one thing that I never regretted was keeping my son. I could be at my absolute lowest point and he'd always say or do something to make me laugh."

"He still does that," Kate smiled.

"I was doing 'South Pacific' in summer stock in some little town in upstate New York. Richard was about three at the time. I'd just ended things with his first stepfather and was down in the dumps. He came in and started singing 'Some Enchanted Evening.' Of course, he couldn't carry a tune and messed up most of the lyrics, but it was still so sweet."

"I discovered, quite by accident, that Ari is a Beatles fan."

"Richard is, too."

"I know. Now I just need to get her hooked on Coltrane," Kate sighed wistfully as Martha laughed.

"Hey kiddo, at least she likes the Beatles and not disco. Richard will never admit it, but he used to love KC and the Sunshine Band."

Kate enjoyed her time out with Martha. They laughed and shared stories of Rick and Alexis. "Martha, can I ask you a question. Rick doesn't talk about it, and I hate to ask. Why wasn't Meredith ever in Alexis' life more?"

"Mainly because she never wanted to grow up. Being a mother means having to take on responsibility. Alexis was good for Richard. She forced him to grow up a little. But he also stayed childlike for her. They used to have the best times when Alexis was small."

"Uh, I seem to remember a laser tag match when Alexis was about 15," Kate said, remembering the first time she'd ever stepped into the loft that she now called home.

"He put that laser tag gun into Alexis' hands when her hands were so small she couldn't even reach the trigger. I suspect he'll do the same with this one," Martha nodded toward Ariel, who was still sleeping in her carrier, oblivious to the din of diners around her.

"Rick said that it sometimes makes him sad that Meredith missed out on so many things in Alexis' life. I find it hard to understand. I see changes in Ariel every single day. I'd hate to miss out on that."

"Well, you've met Meredith. Need I say anything more?"

"No, I guess not."

Castle was on the phone when Kate entered the loft with a loudly crying Ariel an hour later. "Okay, sweetie. Let me get you out of this and we'll have lunch," Kate quickly unsnapped the harness and carefully lifted her from it.

Castle was pacing around the room as he watched Kate settle into a corner of the sofa with the baby. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on her shirt and released the flap on her nursing bra before putting Ariel to her, as the noise instantly ceased. "Yeah, I'll talk to you next week. Bye," he ended his call before coming over to sit beside his wife and baby.

"What was that all about?"

"I have a meeting at Black Pawn next Wednesday."

"Have you ever tried to drive with a screaming baby in the car? It's not an experience that I recommend," Kate made a face.

"Alexis screamed from the beach to the city when she was about six months old. I contemplated driving off of the George Washington Bridge. Why didn't you just feed her before you headed for home?"

"Because she was asleep and I really thought that she'd stay that way."

"Babies never do anything that you expect them to do," he kissed her, smiling as she switched sides. "How was lunch with mother?"

"Wonderful. She told me that you were a happy-go-lucky baby who sang show tunes when you were a toddler."

"My mother was a theater actress. Of course I would know show tunes. It was part of my upbringing."

"So, what's going on with Black Pawn?"

"I might have to go on another book tour," he made a face.

"Might or will?"

"Okay, I'm going to have to go on a book tour. Kate, I'm going to be gone for two months."

"When?"

"Paula said probably September or October. She's getting everything finalized now. I tried to get her to set it up while you were still on maternity leave, but she hasn't budged."

"Rick, I have plenty of accumulated time. I can get my leave extended. That's not the problem. The problem is you're going to be gone for two months."

"Then, you and Ari come with me."

"Come with you where? Where are you going for this tour?"

"London, Paris, Dublin, Madrid. Come with me," he repeated.

"Rick, I can't. Ariel won't have all of her inoculations yet. It won't be safe to take her out of the country. As much as I'd love to make our daughter an international traveler, I think we should wait on that one just a little while longer."

"I don't want to go," he whined.

"I know," she stroked his neck. "And I don't want you to go. But, you're a bestselling author. You knew that this was part of the deal when you sold your first book."

"Paula was also telling me that she's in negotiations for me to write the screenplay for Heat Rises. If I do that, I'll probably by flying back and forth to Los Angeles."

"Rick, relax. Let's take things one step at a time. Worry about the European tour and then see what Paula has planned for you next."

"Two months, Kate. I'm going to miss so much stuff," he continued to whine.

"I know, but thanks to 21st century technology, you won't have to," she smiled at him, holding up her phone. "They call it a smart phone for a reason. Plus, we'll talk on Skype every night just like we did when you left on the tour when I was pregnant."

"The time change is going to make it rough this time."

"We'll work it out," she kissed him gently. "We always do. As soon as you get the dates, I'll call Capt. Gates and get my leave extended."

***CCC***

Kate was getting Ariel ready to go and meet Alexis for lunch when Rick came out of the bedroom dressed to go to his meeting with Black Pawn. "Jerry's going to drop me off first, and then he's going to take you ladies to your lunch date. Call him when you're ready to come home. I'll grab a cab. Oh, mother and Alexis are coming for dinner later."

"Okay." Why was he so concerned? It wasn't like they didn't come to dinner on a regular basis.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Jerry, Castle's usual driver, dropped him off at his Publisher's. "I'll talk to you in a few hours," he kissed Kate and the baby before hopping out of the car. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She waved as he entered the building and Jerry pulled back into traffic. "Congratulations on the baby, Mrs. Castle," Jerry smiled at her in the rear view mirror.

"Thank you, Jerry."

"Mr. Castle's a very proud father. He's always talking about 'his girls' this and 'the baby did that.'"

Kate couldn't help smiling as Jerry drove to the restaurant. When he dropped them off, she promised to call him when they were ready to leave. She got out of the car and released the car seat before entering the restaurant where she saw Alexis waving to her. "Hi, sweetie," Kate greeted her with a hug and a kiss as she settled the baby before taking her seat. "Your dad told me that you and your gram are joining us for dinner tonight."

"It's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I know that he said that you sometimes still get tired from taking care of the baby."

"I'm fine. Speaking of taking care of the baby, did he tell you that he's going to Europe in the fall?" She asked as the waiter came over to the table.

"Yeah, for two months. That sucks," Alexis made a face. "If you want, I can stay at the loft with you while he's gone. At least that way you won't be alone."

"Alexis, I spent a lot of time alone before I married your dad. There are times when I still like my solitude. But thank you for the offer."

Kate immediately saw how crestfallen her stepdaughter was and felt guilty. Would it really be so awful to have company for two months? It wasn't like she despised Alexis' company. In fact, she loved it. "Alexis, I'm sorry," Kate told her. "You know what; actually having you stay with me would really help a lot."

"Really?" Alexis beamed, her smile so much like Rick's that Kate had to smile.

"Of course, really. We'll have a blast. And I'm sure it'll make your father feel better knowing that you're there with us."

"Thank you, Kate. And if you want to be alone, just say the word. I can go and hang out with my friends."

When Castle left his publisher, he walked to the curb and hailed a cab, giving the driver a familiar address as he pulled out his cell phone. Kate's father answered on the second ring. "Rick, is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I'm calling to invite you to dinner this evening. I've gotten Kate a very special late Mother's Day gift and I wanted the family to be there when I give it to her."

"What time should I be there?"

"Seven?"

"I'll be there, Rick."

When he walked into the loft, Kate and Alexis were huddled together on the sofa watching TV, undoubtedly some chick flick that he had no interest in. "Hey, Castle," Kate breathed when her husband walked over and kissed her, before kissing his daughter. "Martha will be here in about an hour. Can you bathe Ariel after I feed her? I'd like her to be presentable when company arrives."

"I will gladly make our daughter clean and presentable," he kissed her again.

"I like the way that you guys share stuff," Alexis told Kate. "My dad had to do it all alone with me right from the beginning."

"Your dad does a better job at the whole bathing thing. I think that I get too nervous and Ari senses it. I never realized that holding onto a wet, screaming baby is like holding onto a fish."

"We'll figure it out when daddy goes on tour. After all, we can't leave her filthy and unwashed for two months."

"No, we can't," Kate agreed.

Kate came into the bathroom later where her husband was bathing their daughter in her small baby bathtub perched on the vanity. "You do know that you're not going to hurt her," he looked at his wife. "She'll like it a lot more when she figures out that she can splash in the water."

"So, did you get your dates?"

"We'll talk about it later," he carefully removed Ari from the tub and placed her on a soft towel, swaddling her before handing her over to Kate. "I'm going to go and start dinner."

"Daddy's upset because he doesn't want to leave us," Kate whispered to her daughter as she carried her into the nursery. "I think he also gets upset with me because I'm so awful at some of this."

Downstairs, Alexis' eyes met her father's as they heard Kate's words over the baby monitor. "Does she know that we can hear her?" Alexis asked.

"We both forget that it's there."

"Is that true? Do you get upset because she can't do all of it?" Alexis came over and sat on one of the bar stools.

"I don't get upset, Alexis. I just want Kate to relax a little bit. Believe it or not, the newborn stuff is the easy part. It's not going to get any easier from here on out."

"Please tell me that you're not going to take your anger out on her because you're frustrated about having to go on tour."

"No," he shook his head.

"I'm going to stay here while you're gone," she told him as he smiled.

"Thank you, pumpkin."

"I think I'll go see if Kate needs any help."

Kate was surprised when her father arrived at the same time as Martha. "Dad, this is a nice surprise," she kissed her father.

"Rick called me this afternoon and invited me. Where's my granddaughter?" He beamed as he walked over to the couch where Alexis was holding the baby.

"Once he used to come around to see me," Kate made a face as Castle came over and kissed her.

"Sorry, Beckett. Right now, Ariel has the advantage over you. She's little and cute," he kissed her again as she leaned into him.

"I used to be little and cute," she looked over at her father, who was holding Ariel and making funny faces at her. "What is it about a tiny baby that makes grown men make silly faces?"

"For the record, Kate, you were long and skinny. But you were cute," her father conceded on one count as Kate rolled her eyes.

They all laughed and caught up with each other over dinner. "So, is Ari still waking you up every four hours?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, but Castle started taking over one feeding, so I get to sleep a little bit more."

A couple of nights before, Castle had decided that he wanted to spend more time with Ari in the middle of the night, so Kate let him handle the two o'clock feeding. It served a two-fold purpose. Kate got a little more sleep and it let Ari get used to a bottle.

"She should start sleeping a little longer soon," Jim told his daughter. "I think you were sleeping through the night when you weren't much older than she is now."

Kate noticed that Castle seemed melancholy during dinner. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "So, do you want to give them the bad news or should I?" She asked him.

"I'm leaving on a European book tour on the 8th of September. I won't be back until November 10. So, I need for you guys to keep an eye on things for me while I'm gone."

"You don't even have to ask, Rick," Jim told him. "I can stay here with them if you'd like."

"Dad, you don't have to do that. Alexis is going to stay here with me. We'll be fine. I'm not totally incompetent," she glared at her husband.

"Kate—"

"It's okay," she shook her head.

"Daddy, give it to her," Alexis hissed at her father, begging him with her eyes to save the evening before it was too late.

Kate looked from Alexis to her husband, wondering what in the hell was going on. "Kate, you missed your first Mother's Day by mere days. I should've gotten you something, anyway. So, Alexis and I had something designed that I think you're going to like."

He smiled as he handed Kate the tell-tale blue Tiffany's box. She opened the lid and gasped. "Rick, this is beautiful," she breathed, admiring the 24 karat gold ring with the four different colored stones.

"They're usually referred to as Mother's rings, but I like to think of it as a family ring instead. The outside stones represent our birthstones. A diamond for April and topaz for November. The two inside stones represent our family. The ruby is Alexis' birthstone for July and the emerald is for Ariel. The jeweler said he can add stones to it as we grow our family."

"Rick . . . Castle, this is beautiful," she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him. He then took the ring and slipped it onto her right hand, much as he'd slipped her other rings on her left hand before. She kissed him once more before slipping her arms around his neck and just holding him.

Kate woke up later that night to find Castle's side of the bed empty. She didn't hear anything through the baby monitor, so she crept out of bed and left the bedroom, padding upstairs to the nursery where she found her husband sitting in the rocking chair, holding Ariel, who was sound asleep in his arms. "Castle, you're spoiling her," she warned him, before walking over and sitting on the floor at his feet.

"I was just thinking," he mused, adjusting the warm bundle in his arms. "That when I come back in November, she'll be almost five months old. She probably won't be waking up in the middle of the night, anymore. I'm going to miss these moments with her."

Seeing how sad he was, Kate regretted that she was still weeks away from comforting him in the way that she knew best. "Castle, do you remember when you told me that there are things that we're each going to miss? This is just going to be one of those things. Think of it this way. This is how you provide for her. For us. You're doing this so that she can go to great schools like her big sister. So that she can have all of those adventures that you had with Alexis. Laser tag and the playground. Although I advise you to not look at those single women," she warned him as he laughed. "Put her to bed and then join me in ours."

Kate was drifting off to sleep when she felt Castle get into bed a few minutes later. "Let's go to the Hamptons house this weekend," he suggested. "I want to spend some time there before I have to leave. Are you going to call Gates in the morning?"

"Yes on both counts," she murmured sleepily. "Thank you for my ring, Castle. I think it's the sweetest thing you've ever given me. Well, except for that small gift sleeping upstairs in the nursery right now."

"You're welcome. I love you."

"Me, too. Always," she kissed him before quickly falling asleep. She knew that six a.m. came much too quickly and that small gift upstairs would be screaming for her breakfast.

As she fell asleep, she said a silent prayer for all of the gifts in her life. Her father, Alexis, Ariel, Martha, but especially for the man sleeping at her side right now.

A/N #3: For those of you who don't know who KC & the Sunshine Band is, Google them. I'm a child of the 70's, so I grew up on disco.

A/N #4: I will include more bonding moments when they get to the Hamptons. I'll also go into more detail about what transpired after Kate's visit to Josh from Chapter 20 of 'Mind Games.'