AN: GUYS YOU'RE ALL SO AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK ON THIS STORY! Also, I started this story before it was announced that the baby in 6x10 was a boy, so that is why Izzy exists. Enjoy!

Izzy was giggling, reaching her tiny palms up towards Javier's face. He puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes, making the little girl's laughter grow louder. She looked so sweet, lying on his lap.

It made Kate smile.

She held onto her cup of coffee, peering absentmindedly through the break room window. Javi, beneath his rock hard exterior, was a really sweet-hearted man. As she watched, he tickled Izzy's chest, making her squirm with delight. His smile was bright, his eyes almost twinkling, and he scooped the baby into his arms and held her close. Kate turned around, putting a hand against the counter and leaning against it. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to her, but, honestly, she didn't mind. It was her job, for one thing. And then there was the sheer fact that holding Izzy, looking after Izzy, made her happy. She knew it made Rick feel the same way, and it made her really wonder if they could actually handle a baby someday. That crazy man who had claimed to be a time traveler had said they would end up with three kids, anyways. Rick had joked with her about that numerous times since.

But Izzy was a special little girl. She was always smiling, always giggling, and had adapted to different arms very quickly. She could easily fall asleep, nestled into the crook of Kate's elbow, leaning against Rick's chest, or even on her blanket on the floor.

She saw Kevin Ryan walk through the break room door, and moved away from the counter that had previously been holding her weight.

"Hey." She said, sipping her beverage and relaxing as she felt the hot liquid fill her mouth. He moved towards her, and the closer he came, the more noticeable the bags under his eyes became. "You look tired."

"Jenny was super uncomfortable last night." He replied, adjusting his slightly crooked tie and moving to stand next to her, starting the coffee machine. "I stayed up with her until about four in the morning."

"Only a few more days until her due date, right?" He nodded, and Kate's smile grew. "That's so exciting, Kev." He smiled, biting his lip and looking at the fresh drink brewing in his mug.

"So Izzy's aunt's flying in on Monday." Kate raised an eyebrow, moving to sit on the couch and running a hand through her loose hair.

"Is she actually going to take her?"

"Looks like it. She signed adoption papers this morning." He sat next to her, resting the mug on his thigh, and looked at her almost tenderly. "I know you love Isabella, Kate, but this is her family."

"I know." Her voice was quiet, and she stared down at her coffee, trying to hide the slight unsettlement in her face.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The little girl was pressed against her chest, whimpering softly as she adjusted her little blanket over her. Her back was pressed against the sofa, and her hands supported Izzy very gently.

"You still tired, little girl?" Kate murmured, pressing her lips to the baby's temple. "One nap just isn't long enough for you, huh?" Izzy, in turn, closed her eyes and yawned, scrunching up her tiny face. She giggled, running her thumb down the baby's torso. "If you need to fall asleep, just fall asleep."

Gates, after seeing Kate sitting in the precinct with Izzy in her lap, had told her rather strictly that she should go home. The detective had looked up to protest, but there was tenderness in the woman's eyes that Kate had hardly ever seen before.

"Your job in this case, detective," She had said simply, looking down at the baby's head supported by Kate's elbow. "Is to take care of Isabella. Let the boys deal with this one."

"Are you sure, sir?" Her reply had been had gentle; it had seemed as though Izzy had begun to drift off in her arms. Her boss had nodded, her lips pulling into a slight smile.

"You're looking after her for a reason." Kate had nodded, beginning to stand up while pulling the little girl even tighter against her chest. "Now get going, detective. Work on planning that wedding of yours, if you have time."

It always felt odd being in the loft during the time that she would usually be at work. But at the same time, she could use the break. Stress had been extremely high the past couple of weeks, and being in a different setting helped her relax a bit.

She adjusted Izzy so that she was lying lengthwise on her thighs, and placed a supportive hand on her chest. The swing that Rick had pulled out from Alexis's childhood was only a few steps away, but Kate couldn't bring herself to place the little one in it. Even though she only had a few more days with Izzy, she was going to absorb every moment of being with her.

The doorbell rang loudly, making the baby begin to whimper again. Kate sighed, pulling her close, into a cradle hold, and began murmuring to her softly as she stood up. Rick was still at a publishers meeting, so she was the only one in the loft to answer the door. Adjusting Izzy to one arm, she twisted the modern doorknob and pulled the door open. Standing in the hallway, a smile on his face and a bag in his hand, was her father.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Katie." Jim Beckett surveyed his daughter, and a look of confusion appeared on his face as his eyes fell on the baby against her chest. "You got something to tell me?" She laughed, beckoning him inside and shutting the door behind him.

"Vic's daughter. Gates wanted Rick and I to look after her." He visibly relaxed, and the two consecutively moved towards the sofa. She sat on the far side, still softly bouncing Izzy in her arm.

"How are you, Dad?" Her voice had gone back down to a murmur, still calming the little girl. He smiled again, placing his bag on the ground with a soft thud. "What brought you here today?"

"I'm really good, just dropping off a few christmas gifts that I picked up the other day." Jim moved closer to his daughter, and looked closer at the girl in her arms. "A baby looks natural in your arms, Katie. If I didn't know any better I would've thought she was yours." Kate's lips curled up slightly in a smile that matched his almost to a t.

"She's such a sweetheart." She replied, leaning into Jim very softly. Her father absently wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and held her close, like he had since she had been just a little older then Izzy. "Her aunt's coming to get her on Monday. I'm gonna miss her."

"Maybe someday you'll have one of your own." He replied, and she looked up at him.

"You think so?"

"Maybe." She looked down at the little girl, whose bottom lip was stuck out in a pout. It made her giggle, and then she exhaled softly.

"Maybe someday."

AN: Okay, honestly I don't like this chapter and I have no clue where this story's going. But I hope you all liked it! Please leave reviews, and tell me where you want this story to go!

xoxo,

J