A/N: So now, I'm gonna start the whole time skipping thing, not any drastic amount of time, but like … a week or a month or so? Yea, hope that's okay with you all Also this is a short chapter because my head is killing me, but this needed updating.
He descended the stairs, breathing heavily, he had just lugged Beth's crib back up the stairs. He and Kate had agreed since she was sleeping through most of the night, they could just set up a baby monitor, in case she woke up and needed either of them.
Although the crib could be dismantled, it was still heavy and then to put it back together again had been a bit of a task. She offered to help, but he told her he could do it, she should stay with Beth.
He walked into the kitchen, reaching in the fridge for a bottle of water and slumping against the counter. His eyes found Kate lying on her stomach across from Beth in her playpen. She had grown so much since she was born and was beginning to become more active and got over her colic, thankfully.
He sipped water as he watched Kate play with her, she had a toy dangling in front of her face, holding it up, causing Beth to raise herself up just a bit and smile a gummy smile. She had just started doing this not too long ago and Kate had found it fascinating, watching her little girl develop as she should.
He capped the water and put it back in the fridge and then made his way over to her, carefully opening the small door to the pen and coming to sit beside Kate. Elizabeth pushed up and looked in his direction, smiling when she saw him, cooing and effectively drooling all over herself.
"Hey now," Castle said softly, using her bib to wipe away the drool that ran down to her chin, "You don't wanna ruin your new outfit."
Kate had sat up during the interaction between Castle and Elizabeth and was now watching the two of them in amusement. Castle picked her up and rolled on to his back, raising her above him.
"If you start singing Lion King Castle, I swear to God." She laughed right as he opened his mouth.
He turned his head to her and shut his mouth with a pout and then looked back to the baby he held above him, "Party pooper." He mumbled.
She thumped him on the head, "What was that?"
"Elizabeth did you me say something?" He spoke to the baby who stared at him with her hand shoved in her mouth, "That's what I thought," He grinned as he sat up and placed her back on her stomach.
He looked up to Kate who was glaring at him, but by the twitch at the corner of her mouth, he knew he wasn't in any actual trouble.
"What?" He asked, taking up a toy and dangling it in front of Beth, resuming the game she and Kate had been playing earlier.
Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes, "You're trying to turn my daughter against me already."
"Well, you, Alexis and my mom are all against me and in a house full of women, it would be nice to have at least one on my side."
She just nodded and turned back to Elizabeth, "Beth, no don't put that in your mouth." She said, reaching over to grab Castle's forgotten play toy that she had shoved into her mouth and was now drooling around.
"What time is your dad supposed to be coming over?" He asked as she dried off the toy and put it out of Elizabeth's reach.
"About another hour." She told him.
"You fed her already?" He asked, not sure if Kate would want to have to breastfeed when her father came to visit his granddaughter.
She nodded, "While you were … dealing with the crib."
He picked up the tease in his voice and looked offended, "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.
She raised her eyebrows and lay on her stomach, tickling the gurgling baby, "What's what supposed to mean?"
He poked her in her side, which made her giggle and flash his hand away. He dove for her again, tickling her sides, making her double over in laughter, while Elizabeth looked on, wondering just what her parents were up to.
She had rolled on to her back as he tickled her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she begged him to stop, but he just kept at it, laughing with her as she fought against him.
He moved over her, straddling her and continued tickling her sides. She dug her fingers into his hips trying to push him off, but he wouldn't budge. She was laughing so hard, her sides were beginning to hurt, luckily Castle knew her enough and he ceased his tickling and stared down at her.
She turned her head to check on Elizabeth, making sure she wasn't trying to roll away, sure enough she was still there, staring at her parents, with that Castle spark in her eye as she chewed on her hand.
She looked back to Castle who was still staring down at her and straddling her, she reached up and cupped the back of his head and brought him down to her, sweetly kissing his lips. A soft moan came from him and he lowered himself against her body and deepened the kiss, his hands cupping her face as her other hand roamed his back.
Always wanting the attention, Elizabeth gurgled, tearing her parents' attention from each other to her. She was trying to push off with her legs to get closer to them, but humphed in frustration when she couldn't.
Castle laughed and rolled off of Kate, after pressing one last kiss to her lips and reached over to lift Beth into his arms. Kate raised herself up and took a hold of her hand, wiggling them around while making faces.
Elizabeth watched from her father's arms, reaching out to her mother and holding on tightly when Kate gave her her finger to hold.
"So I was thinking." She began, wiggling her finger in her daughter's tight grasp.
"About?" He asked.
"The wedding?" She said, sounding more like she was asking a question than giving her answer.
He turned his head to her, eyebrows raised, "What about it?"
"I know I said I wanted to get married after we had Elizabeth – "She started.
"But?" He asked, turning to face her, sounding concerned.
"No, no, nothing bad," She smiled, "I'm just thinking that now we have her, we can actually start planning."
He smiled, "You wanna start planning now?" He asked, sounding excited.
"Yea, we could start with deciding when we're gonna have it?" She said, "Maybe after Elizabeth here is a year or so? When our lives aren't that hectic anymore, although having a one year old is still hectic, but you get what I mean."
"Definitely, I think a year from now would be awesome Kate." He grinned, leaning over to kiss her.
At that moment there was a knock at the door, which had them both turning towards it.
"I'll get it." She told him, pushing herself up and walking over to the door.
He turned his attention back to Elizabeth who was just staring around, for her first weeks she had been unsettled and now she was mostly quiet and happy, which was great for them.
"Did you hear that Beth? Mommy and I are getting married next year and you get to be our flower girl. Isn't that great?"
Her only response was to reach up and thump him on the cheek.
"Where's my granddaughter?" He heard Jim's voice approach.
"Look who's here Beth, grandpa Jim!" He exclaimed, holding Beth up to her grandfather.
She reached out for him and smiled as he took her in his arms, bouncing her around the place, "Hey little one, how are ya?"
Castle left the playpen and walked over to Kate who was unpacking some bag in the kitchen.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Dad decided he wanted to celebrate and brought stuff over to cook for us and also brought some books and toys for Beth to possibly chew on." She told him, folding the bag and putting it away.
He smiled at Kate's answer, their daughter had taken to putting things in her mouth, that didn't belong in her mouth, drooling all over it. He thought it was cute, she thought it was dangerous, often replacing what she had put in her mouth with a pacifier.
Castle turned and leaned against the counter as Kate put away her father's items, watching Jim interact with their daughter.
"I'm just happy she's welcoming and doesn't start screaming when people hold her." He smiled.
Kate around the counter and leaned beside him, bumping into him. He looked down at her and leaned down to place a kiss on her lips, smiling with her.
"Yea me too." She whispered.
End A/N: Not my best, prolly a lot of mistakes, sorry, my head is killing me and I can't focus. Here's to hoping next chapter will be better