Sorry that it has been so long, I've had this part written for a while but it was hard making it not seem too similar to the last chapter. It took ages to get it right but I hope that I've done it justice.
For Larry, because he's amazing.
Chapter 18: Redheads
It was in fact the next day that Beckett and Castle would be able to tell Martha and Alexis the good news. However, Kate was wary of how the teen may react. They all felt like family, an odd one at that but she hoped that Alexis wouldn't feel as if she was being replaced.
The four of them were finishing dessert when Kate took Castle's hand under the table giving him the go ahead to tell them. "Mother, Alexis, we asked you to both join us today because we have some news that we'd like to share."
Castle looked to his wife with a smile before being interrupted by his mother. "Well out with it then?"
"I'm pregnant." Kate responded quickly. "Rick and I will be parents to either a boy or a girl in about six months' time."
"What she said." Castle finished. Martha was clearly overjoyed with the news as she began clapping and cheering whereas Alexis' reaction was more subdued.
"Well done kiddos, this is fantastic news." Martha responded.
"Yeah it is, congratulations you two. I'm really happy for you." While Alexis' voice was not as loud as Martha's there was genuine happiness at the news that she would soon have a sibling.
As Rick and Martha started to clear the dishes away Alexis took Kate to one side, "Kate, I want to thank you for making Dad so happy. He always wanted another child, for me to have a sibling. He's the best father any child could ask for."
"I know that, I only have to look at you to see how great a parent he is. I only hope that I can be half as good as he is."
"Well you care and no doubt quite a lot of the advice that Dad gave me after he met you came from you, then you'll do just fine. After all you've dealt with the biggest kid of them all, him." Alexis replied nodding at her father.
"Yeah well whatever happens we'll figure it out between us. Nothing can go that wrong, can it?"
Alexis considers for a moment intending to scare Kate "Between the two of you, probably not. If it does, you've at least got the good cop bad cop routine worked out."
"Unfortunately I'm gonna be the bad cop."
"Maybe, maybe not. Dads usually end up being good cop but I don't really know about that."
"Whatever happens between your father and I, I will always be a part of their lives and yours. I hope you know that."
"I do. I love my mother as any kid does but she's not been there for me. From where I am standing looking at your relationship, neither of you will cheat and I doubt either of you are the people to do something so bad that it couldn't be worked out."
"I hope that you're right."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a plate crashing on the floor. Kate turned around to see the guilty look adorning her husband's face.
"My bad." He said.
"Oh Castle, you're going to have to learn, we can't have you dropping the baby." The other two occupants of the room started laughing at Rick.
"I'll just clear that up then." Rick said as he reached for the pan and brush.
"Yeah you do that." Kate smirked.
It was only when the couple were settled in bed that night that they were able to have a conversation about the evening.
"Well that went well." Kate started.
"Did you really think that it wouldn't?"
"No but there was that small part of me that wondered if they wouldn't accept it." Kate confessed.
"So how do you think everyone else will take it?" Castle questioned.
"They'll take it well, I'm pretty sure there's been a pool going on when I'll be pregnant since the day we got back from our honeymoon and the first conversation I had with Lanie after we got back from Corsica was, well let's say that girl has no boundaries.
"Hey girl, how you doin'?" Lanie greeted Kate as she entered the mortuary.
"Lanie, I've got something to tell you."
"Oh my God, when will he or she be here?"
"What?" Kate asked confused as to what her friend was asking her.
"You're pregnant. Isn't that what you were here to tell me?"
"No." Kate answered quickly. "I came here to tell you that it is Captain Beckett now."
"You're what now?"
"Erm...I'm the new Captain of the twelfth precinct?"
"Wow girl that's fantastic. I'm so proud of you." Lanie said excitedly as she came around to hug her best friend.
"Thank you."
"I really thought that you were here to tell be that you were expecting." Lanie continued as she rounded the table to stand on the other side once more.
"No, I am not." Kate answered even if she wished she was.
"So when are you gonna ditch the protection and get working on the little person for me to spoil?"
"Lanie!" Kate exclaimed, shocked by her friend's audacity.
"What? You can't blame a girl for asking."
"No but there are less overt ways to ask."
"Yeah but I ain't gonna do that."
"No." Kate says with a frown and hand on her hip. "I wouldn't ever think that."
"So are you?"
"Am I what?"
"You know."
"No I don't."
"Girl, I'm a smack you."
"What?"
"Trying for a little Castle?"
"This conversation is over." Kate says as she turns away, it's just that she doesn't want to talk about something like this so early on. They've been trying less than a fortnight but what if she can't have kids, if she waited too long to try to have a family of her own?
"Captain?" Lanie said as Kate had one hand on the door facing away from her nosy friend.
"Yes Doctor?"
"Don't you want to find out about the vic?"
"Ah, yeah." Kate replied turning around to return to the table where their victim was lying.
As Lanie was finishing up she asked her friend once more, "So how's the sex? I'm guessing you guys are going at it morning, noon and night?"
"Urgh, I'm outta here." Kate said as she made her exit.
"Yeah she certainly isn't afraid to speak her mind." Rick agreed.
"Nope, so we'll know she'll be happy."
"What about the boys?"
"They'll be happy too, I imagine. How much depends if or how much they've won on the pool." She said smiling. Kate pulls the duvet back to lift up her shirt, she begins to run her hand over her still flat abdomen. "When do you think I'll begin to show? And not just look chunky."
"Soon probably, at least according to the pregnancy book."
"I can still wear nearly all of my trousers." She groaned as her hands rested on her abdomen above where their baby was growing.
"Yes but it might be longer because of you strong abdominal muscles."
"I guess I just want a bump so it feels more real, I know that doesn't make any sense and in the later stages I'll probably wish it to be smaller again."
"Hey, calm down. The baby is fine, you're fine and it will happen."
"I know." Kate contemplated for a moment, gathering the courage to ask her husband something. "Rick, you told my dad that it felt different to when Meredith was pregnant with Alexis, how?"
Wow, it wasn't a question he was expecting.
"Well, it just feels so much more controlled I guess. Firstly, this baby was planned so we're ready or will be whereas with Alexis, Meredith and I were panicking because neither of us felt ready to be a parent. Secondly, this time around the mother is much more of an adult than last time and I've grown up too. We're not going to have to worry about having enough money to provide for our child as we have stable jobs, well you do. With Alexis, yes I had released a few books but there wasn't a long term guarantee. This time, I know that if I never wrote a book again then we will still be fine."
"Thank you, that's what I hoped to hear." She replied snuggling her head into her pillow. "I know it is kind of forward but do you want to find out the gender?"
"I do not mind either way. How about you?"
"Yes, I would like to, it is one thing that we can control through the pregnancy. One less surprise we can go without."
"That is fair. What about an amnio?"
"Yes. I'll love this baby no matter what but if for some reason our baby has a condition I think we should be prepared."
"That's also fair. What about sex?"
"Gender sex or sex sex?"
"Sex sex."
"Until I don't feel comfortable anymore."
"So I'm guessing that your opinion on 'sex to induce labour' theory is let me say that it is not positive towards it."
"We'll see how desperate I am."
"So anything else in this little chat?"
"For now, no. I'm just happy that our families know and are looking forward to having a new family member. I also really need to go to sleep, this growing a human bit is really tiring." Kate joked as she pulled the duvet back up.
"Sleep Mrs Castle, sleep." Rick said as Kate snuggled into him.
Okay there's one maybe two chapters because of the length of it then Lockdown will actually be finished. They only need little bits of editing so I hope to get them up before I go away.
Thank you for reading and please review :)