He wakes up to the sound of a crying baby. He makes his way across the room to the basinet in the corner. He lifts the wailing baby out of the basinet, and presses her warm skin to his lips. His lips touch her forehead, and she stops crying. He flips on the lamp, and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. He stares at the perfect creature with downy like light brown hair. She's swaddled in pink blanket. She peers up at him with slate blue eyes. He grabs the pacifier off the bedside stand. He carefully places it in her mouth. She considers sucking on it for a second, but spits it out in disgust instead. She looks up at him, wearing a bewildered look. He glances over at the clock.
"I know, three o'clock in the morning is an odd hour to be up, isn't it? Why don't you and I go in the other room, and let mom sleep a while long?"
The newborn stares up at him. He expects to hear the person on the other side of the bad stir. He doesn't hear any rustling of covers. He doesn't hear her breathing. He rises from the bed, and turns to face it. He finds the other side of the bed empty. He calls out softly.
"Kate?"
With the newborn in his arms he pushes the bathroom door open. "Kate?"
He calls out, eliciting no response. He pulls back the shower curtain and finds that the shower is empty. He exits the room in a panic. He searches each room, frantically, looking for her. He calls her phone, and finds it lying on the coffee table in the living room. He gets a nagging feeling at the pit of his stomach. His phone rings, and he presses it to his ear as he holds his newborn daughter in his other arm.
"Hello?"
"Rick," a raspy voice says on the other end.
"Kate? Where are you?"
"Tell her goodbye," another voice insists.
He wakes up in a panic. He sits up in bed, finding that he is drenched in sweat. He flips on the lamp, and finds that he's alone. He looks towards the corner of the room, and finds that it is void of a basinet. He swallows hard as he heads into the bathroom. The scene in his dream seems to replay itself. He takes a deep breath, and ventures out of his room. He heads into the living room, and stubs his toe on the coffee table.
"Oww!"
"Shh!" A sleepy voice insists.
He is able to make it to the lamp. He flips it on, and finds Kate half-asleep on the couch.
"Turn the light off," she growls.
"No," he lifts her legs, and slides underneath.
"Castle! I'm tired. Go away."
"No."
"Please," she whines.
"Not until I get this off my chest."
"Can't it wait until morning?"
"You walked out. You left."
"I'm here now."
"Just listen, please," he begs.
"Fine," she snarls.
"I need you in my life. I don't want to lose you. I don't know who I am without you anymore."
"Where is this coming from? Rick if you're afraid that I am going to take her away from you, I have already said that..."
He cuts her off, "I'm not afraid of that. I know that you're not going to take her from me."
"Why are we having this conversation now? What time is it?"
"Three o'clock."
She chucks a throw pillow at his head. "I am afraid of losing you."
"I don't know how this is going to work out."
"I am afraid of losing you to the job. I dreamt that someone took you. I was all alone with this brand new baby, and... you were gone."
"What do you want me to say?"
"I would never ask you to give your job up. I..."
She cuts him off, "What are you asking me?"
"Come to bed."
"Rick," she growls.
"Stay with me."
"Just for tonight," she agrees, too tired to argue. She tosses the blanket off her legs.
"No, forever."
She sits up, rubs her eyes, and looks at him. "Forever?"
"I know we have had our ups, and downs. I know we have had a rough time lately. I still love you. I want you. I want to be a family."
"I'll stay."
"For tonight?" He questions, trying to figure out her true intentions.
"Forever."
"Really?"
"On one condition."
"Okay."
"Let me solve it."
"Solve what?"
"Her murder."
"Kate we've talked about this. It's too dangerous."
"Let me solve her murder, and I'll be done. I will hang it up. I will give the badge up."
"I am not asking you to do that."
"The dreams will keep coming until I do."
"I can handle the dreams."
"Unless they come true."
"They will if you pursue this."
"Mine will never end if I don't."
"What about our daughter?"
"How can I be there for her completely if I spend the rest of my life wondering what happened to my mother?"
"How can you be there for her at all, if something happens to hers?"
"What is it that you want me to say?"
"Just trust me," he begs.
"Trust you?"
"Have I disappointed you yet?"
"I have disappointed you," she points out.
"So make it up to me. Just trust me. For once in your life trust someone else completely. Can you do that?"
She looks him in the eyes for several moments. Her gaze shifts to her stomach. In ten days their daughter is due to join them. The little girl kicks her in the rib, as if goading her to make the right choice. She looks up at him.
"Okay," she agrees.