A/N- Just a filler chapter. Figured that Kate needed a bit of girl talk and who better for that girl talk than Lanie... Thank you for all the nice reviews and follows. I really appreciate it since this story is so AU...

Kate woke up early the morning after Christmas. To be honest, she hadn't really slept the night before. She'd replayed the kiss that Castle had given her over and over again in her mind. It was nothing less than magical.

They would be driving back to New York tomorrow, so Kate wanted to walk into town again. She wanted to pick up a few things at the store. Walking out to the kitchen, she noticed that Alexis was sitting on one of the barstools. She looked annoyed and Kate asked, "Are you okay Alexis?"

Alexis shrugged, "I'm bored. Daddy's still sleeping and so is Grams. I want to go swimming, but I'm not allowed to unless an adult is around."

Kate bit on her bottom lip. Surely she counted as an adult. So, she told Alexis, "Go get your suit on and I'll watch you in the pool. Then, when you're done you can walk with me to the store."

Alexis cheered and Kate laughed at her enthusiasm. What she wouldn't give sometimes, to be six years old again.

Kate had grabbed her cell phone and she was sitting by the pool watching Alexis swim. It was a bit cold, but it wasn't too bad.

Her phone rang and Kate smiled when she saw that it was Lanie. She picked it up and said, "Hello Lanie."

"You sound happy."

"Lanie. Don't start."

"What? I'm not doing anything. Simply stating a fact. Are you having a good time?"

Kate watched as Alexis turned a somersaults in the pool and popped out of the water, she laughed and said, "I am. It's nice to get away for awhile."

"Away from Josh?"

"Lanie..."

"What?"

She decided that she could talk to her friend while she watched Alexis, "He served me with divorce papers before I left. He's really going through with it."

Lanie laughed sarcastically and told her, "Of course he's going through with it. Did you think he was going to magically change his mind overnight?"

"No, but I thought he would at least wait until after the baby's born before he made a decision. It just seems so cold and heartless."

"Oh and telling you to have an abortion is right there on the top of the romantic things you tell the woman you love lists."

Kate closed her eyes for a moment and said, "Lanie... Please don't start. It's hard enough dealing with Josh being an ass because of the baby. I don't need it from my best friend to."

"I'm sorry. It just hurts that you are having to deal with this on top of being pregnant. Having a baby should be a happy time."

Kate laughed sarcastically and told her, "Well, nothing new there. My life seems to be one big ball of sadness. Now I can add being pregnant to that list."

"Kate, you don't mean that."

"I do Lanie. If I hadn't gotten pregnant I would still be happy with Josh and I..."

"Were you ever truly happy with him? I mean the deep down, butterflies in your stomach kind of happy?"

Kate sighed and then told her friend, "I was at first, but..."

"But what?"

"I wondered if I had simply settled for him because I thought I couldn't find someone better."

Lanie huffed, "You had someone better right there all along. Someone that followed you around like a little lost puppy dog. At least until you decided to kick him to the curve in favor of that ass of a husband. Which I might add, I told you wouldn't work out and..."

"Lanie..."

"Alright, alright. Have you told Castle about the baby yet?"

"No. I don't know how to Lanie. How do you tell someone that you're having a baby and that's the reason why your husband is divorcing you? I don't want to see the look in his eyes when I tell him Lanie."

"Girl, you just need to tell him. It can't be any worse than when you told him you and Josh were getting married."

Kate closed her eyes as she remembered the look of pain that crossed Castle's eyes when she told him that she was marrying Josh. He had been so very sweet about it. He had kissed her on the cheek and wished her luck. Thinking back now, she remembered wanting him to say something. To tell her that he cared about her and wanted a chance with her. In the end, he hadn't done anything except stand aside gracefully while she married someone else.

Kate swallowed and whispered, "I've made such a mess out of my life. I wonder if I'm making a mistake having this baby. What if I screw up?"

"Girl! You aren't going to screw up. Regardless of what you may or may not have heard, babies don't come with an instruction booklet. No one knows what they are doing at first. It's trial by error."

"I just wish things were different. I definitely didn't pick well when I picked Josh."

"Be that as it may, you are having a baby and we will all be there for you. And that includes Castle."

Kate sighed heavily and asked, "How can you be so sure? How can you be sure that he won't tell me to have a nice life and run away screaming in the opposite direction?"

Lanie laughed, "Please! You obviously haven't seen or you have conveniently forgotten how that man looks at you. He's in love with you girlfriend. And don't even try to say that he isn't. Because it's written all over the man's face."

Kate smiled as she remember how it felt when he kissed her last night. There was so much tenderness in that one single kiss. She couldn't deny the love he felt for her. Even if she tried. So, she whispered, "I still don't know how to tell him."

"It's three little words."

Laughing harshly, Kate told her, "The words seem pretty big from where I stand."

"How hard is it to say, Castle, I'm pregnant? Not very hard at all."

"Yeah, because you aren't the one having a baby by a man that's divorcing you because of that baby. Because you won't do the 'right' thing and get rid of it. Most men would be thrilled that their wives are having a baby. And yet I marry the one man in a million that thinks it's a curse rather than a blessing. Go figure."

"Not all men are like Josh. Some men, most men are, in fact, like Castle. You won't know how he will react until you tell him. I can tell him for you if you want."

Kate screamed out, "No! Lanie don't you dare!"

"I'm just kidding. Seriously, what are going to do? Wait until you are in the hospital having the baby before you tell him you're pregnant?"

Laughing, Kate told her, "The thought had crossed my mind. I figure maybe I can just say that I swallowed a watermelon or something."

"What is wrong with you? You take down criminals for a living, but you're scared to tell Castle that you're pregnant."

"I just don't want to see the look of heartbreak in his eyes Lanie. I saw it once and it was more than enough to last one lifetime. Thank you very much."

"You never know, he could surprise you. It could be the best gift you ever gave yourself sweetie."

Kate picked at an imaginary piece of dust on her shorts and whispered, "Or it could be an everlasting nightmare. I've already lost one person I thought loved me. I couldn't stand it if I lost another person. Especially not someone as important to me as Castle is."

"I'm pretty sure he won't leave. Hell, he stuck it out after you married the man. Surely a little thing like having a baby wouldn't drive him away."

"You're right. I know I have to tell him. I just don't know..."

"See, that's where you're going wrong. You're thinking about it way too much. Just march into that house and tell him. Tell him that's why Josh is divorcing you. I promise you that Castle won't leave. He loves you too much for that."

"You really believe that. Don't you?"

"I really do. In case you haven't noticed, Richard Castle isn't like any other man on this planet."

"I will tell him today Lanie. I promise."

She talked with Lanie for a few minutes more and then finally told her, "I need to go. Alexis is turning blue from being in the pool for so long. I'll call you later. Love you."

"Love you to. And don't worry. Everything will work out just fine. I promise."

Kate disconnected the call. She wished that she could be as optimistic as her best friend was, but she had a feeling that Lanie was way off the mark on this one.

"Come one sweetpea! Lets get out and get you out of that pool and get you dressed! You're turning into an Alexis popsicle."

The little girl laughed at her joke and got out of the pool and grabbed her towel. She ran towards the house and Kate followed close behind her.

"Are you ready to go to the store? I heard that there's a piece of fudge with out names on it? And maybe you can help me figure out some of your dad's favorite foods."

"Oh that's easy, he loves steak and potatoes."

Kate smiled and said, "Well, then maybe we will have to make steak for dinner."

"With macaroni and cheese?"

Kate smiled at the little girl and said, "Of course. Are you ready?"

Alexis nodded and Kate took a minute to scribble a note to Castle. Letting him know that they had gone to the store.

Kate hurried after Alexis and smiled as the little girl skipped ahead of her. She missed the days when the promise of a pool trip made her happy. She wished that she could be that carefree again. Sometimes being an adult was a lot harder than it should be. She made the decision right then and there that she would tell Castle about the baby during dinner that night. She would let whatever happened happen. She just hoped that she didn't lose the best person that ever walked into her life in the process...

A/N 2- The next chapter is already written. Just tweaking it a bit before I send it to my beta reader...