'Wow, it's really coming down out there!'

'I know, I can't even see the other side of the bay.'

From her spot on the cozy queen sized bed, Meredeth stared out the window of the boathouse, Esposito laying beside her, his arm around her waist to keep her close to him. They'd been in darkness in the main house for little more than two minutes before the back-up generators kicked in and gave them enough light to finish eating and tidy the kitchen. Shortly after they'd finished, Esposito had told Meredeth he was going to rest in the boathouse, and she'd gone with him. It hadn't been a euphemism for sex, though Meredeth wondered why they bothered with even those since everyone in the house knew when they were faking it so they could be alone together. Indeed, the minute they'd gotten in the door, they'd taken off their wet clothes and laid back down on the bed, just listening to the rain coming down hard outside.

'Think they'll believe us if we say we weren't up to anything funny over here?'

'Not a chance.'

Esposito laughed, then ran a hand up her back. She really did have the smoothest skin, he thought, like buttered silk and lush as ripe peaches. She hadn't tanned the day before but just added blooming colour that made him want to bite her in all kinds of unexpected places. And yet he couldn't help feeling there was something he was missing. Throughout the meal, which she hadn't dug into with her usual enthusiasm, she had barely participated in any of the talk about Ryan and Honey-Milk's baby. Even when she told the story to the others of how Arturo was prepared for an alien invasion when he'd seen the baby kick inside the belly it lacked her usual flare.

Well, he'd just have to worm it out of her. They didn't keep things bottle up; it wasn't their style, and he be damned if it they'd change that.

'You've been awfully quiet since breakfast. Something on your mind?'

Meredeth started to brush it off but the feel of his hand on her body made her reconsider keeping it to herself. 'I was thinking about what you said about us having babies.'

'Too soon for that kind of thing?' he asked her, bubbles of panic in his stomach.

'Not at all. I think about it too. Kinda hard not to be around Ryan and Honey-Milk and not ask myself, what'll it be like when it's my turn for that?'

'You don't sound too happy about it.'

'It's not unhappy.' Meredeth rolled onto her back, stared at the ceiling. 'I get scared that you wouldn't think I'm...well, that I'm pretty anymore?'

'Have you been inhaling gas fumes from Castle's boat?'

'Just hear me out.'

Esposito wanted to laugh it off, but he could hear the need to be understood in her voice. 'Okay, why in this unholy, upside-down, ass-backwards hypothetical universe would I find you unattractive?'

'I'm not a slim woman, Javi, I know that, and women gain weight when they have babies. Thinking about it, I get scared that I'd pile on pregnancy pounds and not be able to lose them.'

'Oh, baby, come here.' Esposito gathered her close. 'How long have you felt like this?'

'Only since this morning, between your comment, and then Ryan joking about Planet Jenny. Yesterday when we all went swimming, too, I was feeling more than a little insecure around Beckett in a tiny bikini. It's stupid and tragically female, but I can't help it.'

'It's not stupid if it's how you feel. And let me tell you something.' Esposito took her chin in his hands. 'When we have our own babies, if it's still something you are worried about, then we'll talk to a nutritionist or a diet specialist along with the baby doc. And let's say you did gain a few more extra baby pounds, we'd figure out a way to get through losing them. But as for the whole not being attractive thing, that would never happen.'

'Really?'

The single word, asked so sweetly and hopefully nearly undid him. 'Meredeth, you are the most gorgeous woman in the world, and if you ballooned up so you'd fit in the Macy's Day parade or you shrank down so you're the size of a finger-puppet, you will always be my Meredeth and you will always be beautiful in my eyes. Hey, come here.'

He took her face in his hands, placed his lips on hers. A kiss was an amazing thing, he mused, it could be hot and passionate, it could be part of a daily routine to show constant affection, or here, it could be used to reassure the woman of his dreams that no matter what happened, she would always be the woman of his dreams. He felt her lips yield under his and she made that little sighing sound that told him whatever was on her mind was becoming a distance memory.

'Do you remember our second date? When I went to your place for pizza and the hockey game?'

'How could I forget? My brain practically turned to Jell-O from kissing you.'

'I remember that too, but I also remember you digging into the pizza you'd made for us like you were one of the guys and it amazed me you did that. Most women I knew, they'd have spent the night poking at one slice and bitching about calorie-count this and carbohydrate that. You weren't afraid to be yourself around me, you still aren't, and that's very hot.' Esposito tugged at her shirt so she was lying beside him in her bra and shorts. 'The first time I saw this uncovered-'

'That time in the shower.'

'-That's the one, I thought you were so sexy. Such an original beauty, no cookie-cutter magazine body for you. Especially because from head to foot, you've got this amazing sweet, soft covering for it.' He ran his hands over her legs, her sides, up her breasts, around and down her back. 'Okay, seriously, how the hell do you get skin like this? My sister would kill you for your secret.'

'Lots of water, limited caffeine and organic soap,' she told him simply.

'It's like cream. Danish whipped cream, with little chocolate-chips-' he tapped her random freckles- 'and a production code-' he kissed her tattoo. 'And the fact there's all of it means one thing.'

'What's that?'

'It's easier, and a hell of a lot more fun, to do this.' Before she could scoot away from him, Esposito lowered his mouth to her belly and blew a gigantic raspberry against her skin, making her squeal and shriek in delight.

'No! No!' she yelped, which only seemed to spur him on as she wriggled like a fresh-caught trout on the bed. 'Ah! Stop it, you goon!' she managed to wheeze between laughs.

'Never!' He wrapped his arms around her and lightly tackled her to the bed as she continued to giggle and squawk.

When she'd finally stopped writhing, she realized she was pinned underneath him like there were about to make love, and he had the very same glint in his eye he'd had the night before. 'Okay, I give.'

'Good.' Esposito rolled off her, then sat up. 'You know what would be good right now?'

'What?'

'Those spiked-teas you make. I brought a bottle of the vodka for them in my suitcase.'

'If you want them, you're making them. I'm all cozy and relaxed right now.'

'Okay.' With that, he popped off the bed, wandered into the kitchen to fill the kettle. Once it was on the stove, he turned around to watch her. She'd sat up, and was hugging her knees to her chest, wrinkling her nose at him.

'I feel a little foolish.'

'You're not a fool, Mere, just human. Everyone gets insecure now and then, and it's a completely legitimate fear. Ryan said Honey-Milk spent two days in tears because she couldn't stop thinking how fat she was going to get because of the baby. Cam, too, he told me Lili thought the same thing when they first started having the baby talk before he found out he was being deployed a second time. And didn't I just get through being two weeks of a whiny little bitch because I was unmanned by my medication and didn't feel like I was good enough for you?'

'Well, as the one who listened to the whining and bitching, I can assure you, you will lose that privilege when I have your babies. After you're there holding my hand while a head the size of a grapefruit fitting through a keyhole between my legs, everything else will pale in comparison, even when I crush all the bones in your hand because I'm giving you a son or daughter.'

Esposito laughed. 'Thanks.'

'For what?'

'Just being you. In the meantime, I have a surprise for you.'

'Another one? I think you being back in fighting form last night was surprise enough.'

Esposito rummaged in his suitcase, shrugged. 'I'm not all the way there yet. That part is, but physio's gonna be hell.'

'Think of it this way: once it's through, you'll be the bad-ass hero cop who was back on the job better than ever.'

'That's true. Close your eyes.'

Meredeth obliged him, felt his lips on hers firm and sweet. 'Is that the surprise?' she asked, still keeping her eyes shut.

'No. This is.'

She felt him take her hand, puts a hard, thin package in it. A square of some kind, she noted from the shape of it. When she opened her eyes, she saw it was indeed some kind of four-cornered object wrapped in light blue paper with cartoon medical capsules forming the words 'Get Well Soon' in bright red. 'What's this for?'

'You've been so good to me, especially when I've been an ass the last few weeks, and I wanted to do something to say thanks.'

'I think you said thanks enough when we were on the boat last night.'

'Okay, then this is a 'just for being you' token.'

She smiled as she tore through the paper, then felt her heart skip a beat. In her hands was a 45 of The Crystals' single 'And Then He Kissed Me'. An original, not a greatest hits or a disc reprint, but the actual vinyl that would have been sold in music stores in sixty-three. Meredeth swallowed as love swamped her; she pressed a hand to her heart as she examined the cover.

'Oh, Javi, it's perfect! I love it! And I love you,' she added, puling him in for a hard kiss. 'But how-'

'Beckett's dad is a collector, I gave him a call and he put me in touch with his guy. And I love you too.'

'It's perfect,' she said again, not at all surprised she could feel little tears forming at the corners of her eyes. He just knew, she thought, he always somehow just knew.

R&R&Enjoy!