A/N: Beta by Anika and Iris. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
The elevator door slid open smoothly a second after a light 'ding!' sounded. Alexis stepped out, walking down the familiar hallway. Getting to the front door, she stopped to dig out her keys from her purse.
Locating the correct key, Alexis slid it into the lock. It turned smoothly even though she hadn't needed to use this particular key as often as she used to. But Kate had insisted she keep it even when she moved out almost a year ago.
You're always welcome home.
That was what Kate had said. Alexis would always be grateful for that. No matter how different life was, staying in a dorm, she always had a physical token to remind her of home; something that kept her linked to her family even though they were drifting apart – not so much by choice, but that was just where life's trajectory had taken her.
Alexis entered the loft, calling out, "Hey, anybody home?"
"Lexi?"
Alexis walked further in, heading toward Arriana's voice, which had come from the kitchen. She stepped into view, immediately seeing Kate and Arriana.
"Lexi!" Arriana exclaimed gleefully, scrambling down from her perch on the high kitchen chair by the island bar.
"Hey Arri," Alexis greeted her sister, gathering her in a hug. Picking Arriana up, she slowly walked over to where Kate was. "Oof, you're getting too big for me to carry. I won't be able to do this much longer," Alexis complained, depositing her on the high chair once more.
As Arriana giggled, Alexis crossed the counter to hug Kate in greeting. "Where's dad?" she asked, looking around.
Kate looked better than yesterday, but Alexis would like to see how her dad was holding up as well, and if her parents had hashed things out like Kate promised to do.
"Shower – he'll be out in a bit," Kate answered easily, adding some seasoning to the dish.
Sliding her eyes over to Arriana and then back to Kate, Alexis asked, "So you guys… talked?"
Kate smiled, appreciating Alexis' discretion in front of Arriana. "Yes, we talked. We're good, Alexis. Everything's good."
"What's good?" Castle's voice arrived slightly ahead of him. He rounded a corner, finally seeing Alexis.
"Hey! It's my firstborn! Thanks for coming, pumpkin," Castle immediately went over to embrace her, giving Alexis an extra tight squeeze as he remembered what Karen Stone did to her daughter, Bree.
His daughter was all right. Here she was, living proof right in front of him.
"Yeah, I thought I'd come home and give you guys a surprise," Alexis replied, tilting her head towards Arriana as she stepped back.
Castle kept an arm looped around her as he leaned toward Kate, asking, "Is it done yet?"
He swiped a spoon off the counter to try and steal some food, but Kate smacked it away with her spatula, telling him, "There'll be none left for dinner if you keep doing that! Go set up the table, I'm almost done here."
Watching the easy banter between them, Alexis could tell whatever was bothering them yesterday had been resolved. That was good.
"Always so bossy, Mrs. Castle," he teased, pulling Kate towards him by her waist.
Kate laughed, surrendering to being enclosed within his embrace all too willingly. "You make it so easy, Castle."
She tilted her head back to look at him, and Castle took that opportunity to steal a kiss.
'Time to get out of here,' Alexis thought.
Her parents were exchanging dreamy looks and staring at each other with googly eyes full of love, completely oblivious to the two girls across the counter.
"Come on, Arri, let's go set up the table."
Alexis had spoken softly, but it got Kate's attention anyway. She blushed, suddenly self-conscious, taking a step toward the stove and away from Castle.
"Thanks, pumpkin," he said, maintaining his stance.
Shaking her head, Alexis brought out the plates and began setting up the dining table with Arriana. She passed the individual plates over to Arriana as they walked around the table.
"Hey Lexi, can I really wish for anything on my birthday?" Arriana asked, setting Daddy's plate in the centre of his placemat.
"Erm, sure, but sometimes our wishes don't come true, or they end up being slightly different. Why do you ask?"
Arriana continued to the next seat, taking Mommy's plate from Alexis and setting it on the placemat as all.
"Will you be coming to my birthday party?"
They moved on to the next seat. It was Arriana's so Alexis handed her the plastic plate.
"I'll try my best to attend. You can count on me if nothing important turns up that day."
"If I make a wish, will I get it immediately? Or do I have to wait for the birthday fairy to prepare my wish? Because we write letters to Santa Claus longgg before Christmas so his elves can prepare the presents, right? But I'll only get to make my wish when I blow out the candles, so how long would I have to wait?"
Arriana asked her older sister seriously, or at least as seriously as a seven-year-old could ask.
Alexis looked at her younger sister, unsure of how to handle this question.
"Hmm, I'm not too sure about that, Arri, I just make my wishes and sometimes they come true, sometimes they don't. Sometimes, you get something even better than what you wished for. What were you thinking of wishing anyway?" Alexis asked, trying to see if she could make her sister's wish come true.
They had begun setting the cutlery when Arriana began speaking again.
"I was going to wish for a baby sister. My friend Clara has one, and she gets to dress up the baby, and she says it's even better than playing dolls! But sometimes she cries and won't stop, but Clara says it's still fun." Arriana shrugged, continuing, "Or maybe a pony. I could wish for a black one, and I could name her Apple Blossom." Arriana stated it matter-of-factly, leaving her poor older sister in stunned silence.
A baby or a pony.
'Yeah, good luck there kiddo, can't help you with that,' Alexis thought wryly. She opened her mouth, trying to suggest wishing for something that was more probable when soft laughter distracted her.
Kate was still wrapped in her dad's arms, and they were smiling and talking in hushed tones, fooling around as Kate tried to transfer the dishes onto serving plates.
Alexis watched on as Kate entwined her fingers with her dad's, their hands resting low on her abdomen as she leaned back against him, saying something that made his eyes twinkle.
No. Way.
But then again…
Alexis looked at them again, taking interest in all the details, regardless of how small they seemed.
Her dad had just pressed a kiss to the base of Kate's neck, and they were heading for the dining table with the dishes.
Could it be?
Alexis didn't even know how she felt about this. She was practically an adult by now, and to expect a baby brother or sister… It would be great, sure, she would love any and all of her younger siblings, however many her dad and Kate chose to have, but Alexis just hoped they wouldn't go for too many. Her dad was… old.
Okay, that was unfair, but it was weird, thinking of her dad who was already in his forties expecting a baby. Eww, the images were flashing in her mind now – her dad and Kate doing…
'No, Alexis! Stop it! Stop thinking-'
"Lexi, why are you frowning?"
Alexis turned to her sister with a surprised look. She hadn't realized that she had so little control over her facial expressions.
"I'm not…"
"She wasn't frowning, Arri, she was grimacing," her dad supplied, a grin matching his teasing tone.
"Lexi, why are you grimacing?" Arriana corrected her question, eager at having learnt a new word.
"Nothing you'd want to know," she muttered under her breath, saying loudly instead "Lets eat. I'm starving!"
"Wine, Alexis?" her dad offered, holding up a bottle.
Time to see if her hunch panned out.
"I'll have whatever Kate's having," Alexis answered, looking at her stepmother.
"Kate?" he asked, opening the cupboard to reach for wine glasses.
Kate was already seated at the table, asking if Arriana had washed her hands. She looked up, telling him, "uhm, not tonight. Water instead?"
'Hmm. Interesting,' Alexis thought.
"Just me, then," Castle said, pouring a glass of wine for himself and filling two additional glasses with water.
Dinner was a simple affair, the conversation flowed smoothly and everyone had a little to share with the rest of the family. Alexis kept throwing furtive looks at her dad and Kate, trying to continue building on her theory.
By the time they were clearing the plates, Alexis was eighty percent certain of her suspicion. Maybe she should try and get her dad to spill the beans.
She took the rest of the empty glasses, heading for the kitchen. Kate was helping Arriana with some homework in the living room, so that made the situation even better. It was always easier to wheedle things out of her dad when he was alone.
"Here, Dad," she said, sidling up to him as she handed the empty glasses over.
"Table's cleared?" he asked.
Alexis nodded. "Yep."
"Thanks pumpkin."
This was her opening. Nothing to it then.
"So, Dad, is there anything you'd like to share?"
He spared her a curious glance, diverting his attention back to the task at hand as he asked, "Like what?"
"Are you really going to pretend you don't have something to tell me? Come on, Dad, I'm your firstborn, remember? You can tell me."
He chuckled, picking up the first glass to wash.
"Alexis, honey, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
Alexis bumped him lightly with her hips, tilting her head so he'd see where she was gesturing, or more specifically, whom she was gesturing toward.
"Kate?" he asked, "What about Kate?"
"Come on, Dad, you can say it. I won't tell anyone, I promise. After all, isn't that why I'm here tonight?"
Her dad looked puzzled now.
"What? But Kate wouldn't tell you about the case, would she?" he was musing out loud, talking to himself. "Did she?" he suddenly asked her.
"Case? What? Dad, don't try to change the topic here. I'm happy for you guys, I really am!"
"Thanks?" he sounded unsure of himself now. Yes, it was nice to know that his daughter was so receptive and invested in caring about his third and final marriage, but this was getting a little strange.
"Alexis, I'm glad that you're happy Kate and I are fine now, but we're bound to quarrel and make up – you don't have to worry about it, okay?"
"Quarrel? Dad, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about Kate being pregnant! Wait, what did you think I was talking about?"
"Wait, what?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Dad!"
"Alexis!"
Now they were both confused.
Shutting off the tap with a flick of his wrist, Castle rested his hand against the sink, clenching the wine glass tightly by the stem.
"Start from the top, Alexis, what do you mean Kate's pregnant?"
"Well, isn't she? I mean, look at her. She's been touchy-feely and all motherly – not that she isn't usually motherly," Alexis interjected hurriedly, "just more than usual – with me and Arriana. Don't tell me you didn't notice that."
Castle thought back to the lingering gazes and soft touches Kate had been displaying the past few days. He had attributed it to the case, and he was right, wasn't he?
"Alexis, Kate had a hard case a few days ago," he explained, trying to brush of Alexis' observation.
"I know, Dad, she told me she had a case that hit close to home. But, that's when I figured the second clue. Kate's usually rather well at keeping work and family separated, her feelings included. But, what if it was the pregnancy hormones that are making her all emotional? Besides, that would explain why you guys were arguing yesterday but all lovey-dovey today. The hormone surge could be causing emotional swings."
"We had a fight, yes, but we're fine now because we talked about it last night and solved the problem," her dad argued. However, he was speaking more softly and was slowing his speech as though he was gradually being proved that the evidence was stacking up against him.
Alexis continued passionately, oblivious to her father's impending meltdown, which was sure to occur, when the shock would finally hit him in full force.
'When was Kate's last period?' he thought. He couldn't even remember how long ago it had been.
"And," Alexis announced, "Kate skipped wine for dinner. You know who else skips wine for dinner? Expecting mothers!"
Alexis was sounding too triumphant for Castle's liking. His vision was beginning to tunnel, focusing on Kate and only Kate. He opened and shut his mouth, but nothing came out. He was going into shock, and there was nothing he could do to turn around. It was a one-way street with no U-turn signs up ahead.
"Lastly," Alexis said, reaching out a hand to rest on her dad's arm, "lastly," she repeated, softly this time, "I could tell from the way the two of you interact. It's probably subconscious, but you guys keep gravitating to her abdomen, touching or hugging and just resting your hands there."
She turned to redirect her gaze back at Kate, telling her dad, "I'm really happy for you guys, Dad. Really."
After a pause to just appreciate the beauty of the moment, Alexis released a soft laugh, admitting, "I gotta tell you, Dad, it was hard trying to wrap my head around it at first, but when it finally sunk in, I'm just-"
A crash interrupted her, causing Alexis to jump in shock. Kate and Arriana's heads snapped up at the sound as well. The both of them were standing up from their positions in the living room, heading over to the kitchen to see what had happened.
Looking down, Alexis saw that the wine glass her dad had been holding was now shattered to pieces, the broken shards scattered on the hardwood floor. He looked pale and clammy.
"Dad?"
"Castle, what's wrong?" Kate asked, looking worriedly at his pale face and the glass, eyes darting between father and daughter.
"Kate, is there something I should know?"
"Is there something I should be telling you?"
'Keep calm, Castle. It's no biggie, you've raised Alexis and now you've got Arriana. You can handle another kid,' he told himself.
"Why does Alexis seem to think you're pregnant?" he asked, deadly soft.
And just like that the maelstrom was released.
Everyone else started talking at the same time, and the mental pep talk Castle had just given to himself flew straight out of the window. Keeping calm could go find someone else – he was in full-on panic mode.
"What?!"
"Mommy's pregnant?"
"Isn't she?"
"Castle what are you talking about?"
"Yay, I don't have to wish for a baby sister now, I can save my birthday wish for Apple Blossom!"
The chattering went on for a few minutes – Kate indignant; Alexis confused; Arriana excited. Castle, still in shock, was unable to process any new information.
"Quiet!" Kate finally shouted.
It was time to sort this out once and for all, and they couldn't do it with everyone talking at the same time.
"First off, I'm not pregnant. Arri, when did you ever wish for a baby sister? Who put that thought in your head?"
"I was talking about my birthday wishes with Lexi."
Kate turned a murderous glare at Alexis. "You put that thought in her head?!"
"No! If anything, she was the one who put the thought in my head!" Alexis protested.
Kate threw her hands in up frustration. Great, now her almost-adult daughter was bickering with her younger child, pushing the blame at one another. They really were becoming sisters.
Castle had finally gotten a hold over his vocal cords, asking Kate, "So you're not p-"
"Don't!" Kate interrupted, shooting him loaded look. She sneaked a glance at Arriana, who was still looking up at the adults with wide eyes filled with longing.
Right. Don't say the P-word in front of the kid.
"Is there a bun in the oven?" he tried again.
"No," Kate grit out, "There is no bun in the oven."
"Oh thank god," Castle blurted out in relief, earning a glare from Kate.
"Thank god?! Castle-"
"Mommy, are we baking?" Arriana asked in that innocent manner that only a child could pull off.
'Whew, dodged a bullet there,' Castle thought.
"No, nobody's baking anything," Kate continued evenly, if a little terse.
'Uh oh, might have spoken too soon. Arriana merely delayed my execution. Fix it, Castle, fix it now with the kids present so she can't murder you,' he thought.
"So, we're not expecting any buns anytime soon?" Alexis asked slowly, aiming for clarification.
"If anyone's planning on baking anything, I sure have no idea," Kate answered.
Silently she wondered, 'How did the conversation even get to this point? Did Castle want more kids? Were they supposed to be planning on baking?'
"I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I'm going to go back to my homework!" Arriana announced, deciding it wasn't worth her time if there was no baby coming along. Adults always spoke so confusingly!
With Arriana safely out of earshot, the grown ups could begin talking again.
"Castle, what made you think I'm pregnant?" Kate asked in a harsh whisper. She still hadn't gotten over the fact that they thought she was pregnant! She was on the pill for god's sake!
"She was the one who put it into my head!" Castle promptly shifted the blame to Alexis.
Alexis looked at him in shock. 'Sure, dad, thanks for throwing me under the bus!'
He shrugged back at her, returning a look that said 'every man for himself.' He was already in enough trouble with his wife. Alexis could take some of the heat for getting him in this mess in the first place.
"Alexis? Care to explain?" Kate asked, looking at her. The red head suddenly felt like one of Kate's suspects in the interrogation room.
"Well, you see, it's kinda funny actually. It… it was more of a- uhm, a string of coincidences, I guess, in… in retrospect, but you don't really get so many, uh, coincidences at the same time, which was how I came to think you were pregnant?"
"What coincidences?" Kate pressed. She needed to know this, so she could squash them before other people began to think she was pregnant as well.
Blushing as red as her roots, Alexis began listing out what had seemed like such good evidence in the first place. Now they just seemed silly. Alexis was utterly mortified and embarrassed by the time she was done.
"That's it?" Kate asked, giving a short bark of laughter in relief. "Oh Alexis."
"You're not mad at me?" she asked in a small voice.
"You? Not so much. Your dad, however, he should've known better."
Alexis smirked at her dad. Looks like she was off the hook but he was still in trouble! Serves him right for throwing her under the bus. Hah!
Her dad shrunk under Kate's withering glare. Now he was the perp in the interrogation box.
"Alexis, you mind helping Arriana with her homework? Your dad and I need to clean up the mess here," Kate said, keeping her eyes on Castle.
He was a dead man. Kate was going to kill him, and then revive him, only to kill him again.
Alexis quickly made herself scarce, retreating to the living room. 'Smart girl,' Kate thought.
"Kate," Castle began, a worrisome smile on his face, "Kate, we're good, right? I mean, only yesterday we were talking about how far we've come. It'd be a waste if…"
"If?" she pressed.
If you killed me now, his mind supplied, but Castle smartly kept his mouth shut.
"You… you said something about cleaning up the mess, I… I'll get right to it," he said, bending to pick up the larger shards of glass. He sure hoped Kate was speaking literally and was not referring to the metaphorical mess when she had said that.
"Castle…"
He tensed, looking up at her slowly, tracking his gaze up her long, long legs and her toned abdomen – hey, what do you know! He could see her smooth, flat, decidedly not pregnant stomach from down here.
Kate cleared her throat and his eyes shot up to her face. Right. He was already in trouble with his wife; better not dig a deeper hole.
She finally smirked, squatting to help him clean up the mess. "You're so easy, Castle."
He breathed a sigh of relief, telling her, "You nearly gave me an aneurysm there, Kate. My poor heart can only take so much."
"Old age catching up to you?" she teased, dropping the shards in the trash and holding the lid open until Castle threw his in as well.
"I'm going to ignore that and get the broom," he told her, heading for the back. Kate rolled her eyes as she watched his retreating figure. Her husband could be such a big oaf and a dummy at times, but she loved him all the same.
When they had cleaned the last of the glass shards, Kate reminded Castle, "You know we still have to talk, right?"
"Mommy, I'm done with my homework! Can Lexi sleep over tonight?" Arriana shouted across the space between the kitchen and living room.
"It's up to her, Arri, don't force Alexis if she doesn't want to," Kate warned. She was aware of how much Castle and Alexis complied with Arriana's demands.
"But it's the weekend!" Arriana protested.
"I'm not the one you should be talking to. Ask Lexi if she wants to stay over. Nicely."
Hearing the sisters talking softly in the living room, the married couple went back to their conversation.
"Yeah, I didn't think I'd get off the hook so easily," he admitted, giving Kate a boyish grin.
"Thank god? For future references, that is not an appropriate reaction."
Crowding her between his body and the kitchen sink, Castle teased, "Oh, for future references huh?"
Kate blushed. That was not a Freudian slip.
"Uhm, will there be a future reference?" she asked. Kate had no idea at all where Castle stood with this – they haven't had the time to talk about possible future children thus far.
"Mommy, Lexi says she doesn't mind sleeping over!"
Kate dropped her head in defeat, resting it against Castle's shoulder. Their kids, or in this case, Arriana, needed to go somewhere else for the time being so they could have a real conversation.
"I got this," Castle whispered to her. "Hey Lex, you mind putting Arriana to bed? You girls can do what you want, but don't stay up too late. Kate and I have unfinished business." He waggled his eyebrows as he yelled his request across the open space, earning a lighthearted smack from Kate.
Arriana whooped in delight as Alexis answered, "Sure, Dad."
"Good night, kids," he announced, leading Kate to their bedroom. He shut the door firmly behind him, locking it for good measure. Their kids won't be interrupting any more conversations tonight.
Castle turned and headed towards Kate, asking, "Now, where were we?"
Kate blushed, dropping her head so her hair would cover up the evidence. "Erm, future kids, Castle. Do you want… any?"
"Do you?" he asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear, forcing Kate to look back at him.
"I guess? But only if you want it – or them – as well," she added hurriedly, continuing, "But if you don't, we have two beautiful girls already, and that's fine as well."
"Kate, I only want children if you want them as well."
"Really?" she asked, hope brimming in her chest. She hadn't even known that she wanted another child.
"Really," he answered, kissing her tenderly on the lips.
"How… how many are we talking here?" Kate asked. She wasn't getting any younger, and if Castle wanted more children, they might have to start planning soon.
"I'm pretty happy with both our girls, but maybe one more?"
"Just one?"
"Yeah. We'll have one more and then see how it goes. I need to try and get a boy to join me, you know?"
Kate laughed. "Even the odds in your favor?"
"Yeah, something like that."
This whole while, Castle had slowly been walking them toward the bed. Kate's knees buckled as she bumped into the edge of the mattress, sitting heavily. She drew her knees up and scooted backwards, inviting Castle to join her.
"So," she dragged the word, stretching that syllable out. "Are we… do we have a time frame or something?"
"We can afford some time to ourselves, right? So maybe next year?" he proposed.
Kate licked her lips. They were really going to do this one day. Some day in their future, they were going to have another kid.
"Are we planning it next year, or are we expecting it next year? I'm going to need to wean off on the pills," she explained.
"Kate?"
"Hmm?"
"You're talking too much."
Laughter bubbled out of her. She had been so nervous over this that she had turned into a chatterbox. However, her nerves weren't the only things to be blamed here. Castle was progressively invading her personal space, and it wasn't her fault that her body's natural instinct was to shut down coherent thoughts.
Castle kissed her, effectively shutting her up and getting rid of any and all remaining thoughts in her brain.
"We'll talk about stopping your pills when the time comes."
He began trailing a path of kisses down the column of her throat.
"And what do you want to do in the mean time?" she asked in a breathy voice.
It was really unfair that he could continue talking when she was almost gone – tipped off the brink of sane thoughts. Time to flip the tables.
Kate hooked her legs behind him, and in one fluid movement, she flipped them so she was now on top, straddling him.
"We could practice."
Pulling him in for a kiss, Kate couldn't help but agree with her extraordinary husband.
Practice. Yeah, they could do that.
A/N: Love it? Hate it? Too much fluff? (I worry about the last one constantly because sometimes when there's too much fluff I find it off putting, but my betas haven't told me to reel it in yet, so... there.) Thoughts? Did you guys love this chapter as much as I did? (It was really, really fun to write!) Ps. Reviews really motivate me to edit and post new chapters. Just sayin' ;)