Another Dinner at Remy's
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: I own me no Castle, ya hear? Rating: K Time: AU between Seasons Two and Three.
Rick walked into his loft with a smile on his face.
"And where have you been?" Martha asked.
"I was with Kate." He said proudly.
"All night?" Alexis asked.
"All night long." He replied happily.
"And…?" Martha asked.
"I asked her to marry me."
"Oh my God! Dad! You're getting married?"
"Oh, Richard. I'm so happy."
"Um, she said no."
"What?" Martha and Alexis gasped. "Why?"
"It's purely temporary. She won't marry me until she's convinced I'm marrying her because I want to and not because we're having a baby."
"What?" Martha asked. "Having a baby? She's pregnant?"
"Hard to have a baby if the girl isn't pregnant, Mom."
"Dad! You got Beckett pregnant? You are so busted. You are grounded. You are grounded for life. And your ice cream privileges are terminated. Haven't you listened to anything I've told you? How could you do this? To us? To her? What will her father say? I'm so ashamed of you! What were you thinking? Of course, you weren't thinking, were you? Dad, you are hopeless!" Alexis said very dramatically.
"Alexis, you're having far too much fun with this." Rick was trying to keep from laughing.
Alexis grabbed her backpack and coat. "I have summer school to get to. We'll talk about this later." She swept out of the loft, shaking her head.
"Beckett is pregnant and she won't marry you?" Martha shook her head sadly. "Richard, what have you done to that poor girl?"
Rick put his arms around Martha and hugged her. "Don't worry. This is purely a temporary setback. I love Kate and she loves me. And, she's pretty much agreed to move in here so we can raise out child together. She'll be my wife in no time. You'll see."
Martha stood back and looked at Rick, concern clear on her face. "You know that I didn't think that much of your first two wives. But being the supportive mother I am, I didn't say anything…"
"Didn't say anything? What about the all the times…"
"Richard! That's in the past. Now where was I?"
"Being a supportive mother?"
"Now, I thought with Kathryn, that things would be different. She's a wonderful woman and exactly what you need. And she needs someone like you as well. That poor girl hasn't had much fun in her life. But now, getting her pregnant? Richard, how could you do that?"
"Mom, don't worry. It'll all work out and soon. Now if you will excuse me, I have to call my interior decorator. I'm going to turn the guest bedroom into a nursery. I have lots of ideas and I want to get started on this as soon as possible. We only have eight months or so."
Martha grabbed Rick and stopped him. "You will do no such thing!"
"Mom! Look, I know you live here, and I realize this is going to crowd you a bit, but…"
"This has nothing to do with me. Now you raised Alexis entirely on your own since Meredith has the maternal instincts of a large grey rock. But Kate Beckett is different. You're not going to be able to make all the decisions about this child without consulting her. Not if you expect her to stay with you."
"And so I should…?"
"We'll go online and look at some options to present to Kate. This is going to be fun, Kiddo."
Kate called Lanie as soon as she entered the precinct. "Lanie, can you meet me at my desk now?"
"What's up? Problem?"
"No, a solution. Come on up and meet with me and Esposito and Ryan. Bye."
When she got to her desk, Kate called her two detective partners over. "Lanie will be here in a sec. I need to talk to you three."
"Is it about a case?" Ryan asked. "Should I get a file?"
Kate shook her head. "No, it's personal."
Lanie came out of the elevator and practically ran to Kate's desk. "Wait. You look almost happy. What happened?"
Kate smiled. "I am happy. Very happy. But I have something to tell all of you. You know I've been miserable for several weeks."
"Tell us about it." Espo said under his breath, getting a nasty glare from Lanie.
"Anyway, I want to explain everything to you. But I don't want to talk about my personal life here in the precinct where anyone can overhear us. So, I'd like us to go to Remy's after work for a burger and a beer. My treat. Does anyone have any problems with the time?"
Ryan and Esposito exchanged glances. "I'm good." Ryan said. "Me, too." Esposito said at the same time.
"You bet I'll be there, sweetie. And I'm glad to see you're happy."
Kate smiled at her three friends. "Okay, we still have work to do. Espo, those records I asked you for yesterday?"
"Ryan and I are still looking them over. There were a lot."
When Ryan and Esposito went back to work, Lanie stayed at Kate's desk. "After Remy's, why don't we go out? I know this great club with loads of cute guys, nice guys. You need a night out."
"I have a date tonight."
Lanie shook her head. "Girl, a date is not a glass of wine, a bubble bath, a mystery novel and your finger. You need a date with a man."
"I have a date with a man."
Lanie stared hard at Kate. "You know, your father doesn't count."
Kate smiled at the thought of her date that night. "I have a date with a man tonight. A very special man. Someone I think I'll be with my whole life."
"Really?" Lanie asked happily. "You found someone that quickly? You're sure about him? You're not just throwing yourself at some guy are you?"
Kate shook her head. "Sometimes you just know about someone."
Lanie leaned over and hugged her friend. "Good. And I'm glad you're over that Castle. He wasn't for you. Oh, sure, he was handsome, well dressed, had a great home, and lots of money, but that was all on the outside. Inside he had nothing. No heart, no soul, and when he dumped you he proved he has no brain. He was all flash with nothing inside."
Kate's hand went to her stomach. "You'd be surprised what's inside some people."
Kate watched the clock all day, hoping that there'd be no body drop to interfere with the meeting at Remy's. At long last, five o'clock came and all four friends left for Remy's.
When they walked in, Espo spotted a familiar face sitting at a table at the far end of Remy's. "What the hell is Castle doing here?" He growled. He put his hand on Beckett's arm. "You stay here. I'll take care of this."
Kate shook his hand off. "No, you stay here. I've got this."
As she walked towards Castle, they saw him stand up and smile at her.
"I'm going to love seeing her wipe that smile off of his face." Lanie said with a cold smile.
Kate did wipe the smile off of Castle's face, but not in the way Lanie had imagined. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, long and hard. When they broke their clinch, they sat down and Kate waved for her friends to join them.
"Did she just kiss him?" Ryan asked.
"Bro, if you have to ask that, you need to get out more."
"What the hell is going on here?' Lanie muttered.
The three sat down at the table, noting that Kate had moved her chair as close to Castle's as possible and was holding his hand in both of hers.
Before anyone could say anything, a waitress appeared. "The usual? Five beers?"
Four people nodded, but Kate said, "A diet soda for me, please."
"What is going on here?" Lanie asked when the waitress was out of earshot.
Kate looked at her friends and smiled. "Last night, Castle…I should say, last night Rick asked me to marry him."
"You're getting married?" Lanie blurted out. "Oh my god, that's wonderful. Sweetie, I'm so happy for you. For you both."
"I said no."
Lanie's smile faded at once.
"A temporary setback." Castle said confidently. "Kate will be Mrs. Castle quite soon. You're all invited to the wedding. There'll be an open bar."
"I said no arguing, Rick."
"I'm not arguing. I'm explaining my point of view to my friends."
"I'm not marrying Rick because I love him too much to let him marry me just because we're having a baby."
"You're pregnant?" Ryan said, shocked.
"Of course she's pregnant, Bro. How else do you have a baby? Can't I take you anyplace without you embarrassing me?"
Lanie looked back and forth between Kate and Rick. "But…I don't get it. You broke up with him. You were absolutely miserable. Now you're pregnant by him and you won't marry him?"
Kate gripped Rick's hand harder. "When I found out I was pregnant, it was just too much for me. I thought I needed some time away from Rick to figure my life out. I was wrong. What I needed more than anything was Rick. We will be raising our child together and if he can convince me that he's not marrying me because I'm pregnant, we'll get married."
"No problem." Rick said, smiling.
"I know I made a horrible mistake when I allowed you to think that Rick had done something to cause our breakup, even though it was all my fault. I'm happy to say he's forgiven me."
"We owe you an apology as well, Bro. We owe you an apology big time. Friends? Partners again?" Espo held out his hand.
"Yeah, we do owe you, Castle." Ryan held out his hand. Rick shook both of their hands.
Lanie held her head in her hands. "Oh, Castle…I'm so embarrassed, so sorry. How could I have…Oh, god!"
"I forgive you too, Lanie." Rick looked at the three across the table from him and his love. "But that doesn't mean that I won't get all of you back at a time and place of my choosing, and in a manner that can only be called Castlesque. Revenge is a dish best served cold."
"Revenge is a dish best not served at all, in this case, Rick." Said Kate quietly.
"What?"
"I told you, this is all my fault. If you need revenge on anyone, it's me."
Rick looked at Kate and smiled. "Okay." He turned to look at his three friends. "You now also owe Kate big time. You have no idea the horrible, dreadful Castlesque consequences she's saved you from."
"We can imagine." Ryan said.
The waitress reappeared. "Do you want to order some food?"
Kate nodded. "I'll have my favorite: A Cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry shake."
Castle smiled. "I guess I have to have my favorite, too. A double chili cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake."
After dinner the waitress asked if they wanted another beer.
Espo looked at Ryan and Lanie. "Actually, we should be going. Leave you two alone."
"Actually, we have a date tonight." Kate said. "You three should stay here."
"I told the waitress to put everything on my tab, so you three enjoy yourselves." Castle added.
When Kate excused herself to go to the ladies room, Lanie saw her chance. She grabbed Castle's arm. "I was nastier to you than anyone and I owe you more. And I'll pay you back. Kate needs to marry you and soon. The poor thing doesn't know what she's passing up."
"What, a guy with no heart, no soul and no brain?" Castle teased.
Lanie dropped her head, looking at the floor. "She told you? Oh, damn! She told you! Castle, I was trying to make her feel better about losing you."
"It worked. She really thought it was funny. I was just a little bit less amused."
"Any way, I'm going to be on Kate every chance I get to convince her to marry you. Between the two of us, we'll change her mind."
Kate and Rick left Remy's arm in arm. "Where are we going on our date? I didn't make any plans you know."
"I told Lanie I had a date with a man tonight. A man that I thought I'd be with for a very long time."
"Anyone I know?"
Kate swatted Rick's shoulder. "It's you, dummy."
"Just making sure. I can't be too careful. You might get away, and then where would I be?"
Kate looked down at her stomach. "Where would I be then?"
"You'll always be right here with me." They walked back to Rick's car. "I have an idea. Why don't you come to the loft? I know that Mom and Alexis are dying to see you and I want to talk to you about turning the guest bedroom into a nursery. And I'd like you to stay the night."
Kate looked worried. "Are you sure? Won't they feel this is kind of sudden? Too soon? Like I'm trying to take over you home and life?"
Rick shook his head. "Of course not. They've known about us, they know you slept with me in the Hamptons and they know you're pregnant. And they know I'm dying to marry you."
Kate took several deep breaths. "Okay, I'll have to face them sooner or later. Take me home so I can pack some things."
An hour later, Kate and Rick came out of the elevator by the door to his loft. Kate stopped. "This isn't going to work. I know it. They'll hate me. They'll think I got pregnant on purpose to trap you. Can we go back to my place for the night?"