Kate was released from the hospital two days after the accident. Kate fell asleep on the way home and it gave Castle a lot of time to think about the events of the past few days. He meant what he had told Kate. He would be there for her and her baby. A baby who was currently without a father. It wouldn't be like that for long if he had anything to say about it though. He was going to do everything he could to show her that he could be the kind of guy that her baby deserved. The kind of man that she needed in her life. The kind of man that Josh wasn't.

He drove up to her house and parked the car. He smiled as he shook her awake and she turned and smiled at him. He smiled back and whispered, "You're home."

She nodded, "Thanks for bringing me home. I'll call you in the morning."

Shaking his head, Castle told her, "You're not staying here."

She did a double take and asked, "What?"

"I said that you're not staying here."

She laughed, "Okay then. Where am I going to stay?"

"With me and Alexis of course."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you have a broken arm and you're pregnant. You need someone to take care of you."

"I'm a grown woman Castle. I've been taking care of myself for years. Before you . Before Josh. I don't need..."

Castle held up his hand and stopped her, "I know, but if I come home without you Alexis is going to keep bugging me. Until I have no choice but to come back here and get you anyways. So, I'm just going to take you home with me and save us all a lot of trouble."

She laughed and said, "Alexis huh? That's who you're going to blame?"

"What can I say? She's six and she's cute as a button, but she's a redhead and she has a mean temper when I don't do like she says. And in all honesty, do you really want to disappoint a little six year old girl?"

Kate laughed and shook her head, "You're impossible. You know that Castle?"

He gave her a big smile and then told her, "So I've been told. More than once."

"I don't even want to know."

He walked her to the door and she said, "Let me pack my things and I'll be right out."

"You know I can help you. Right?"

"And I'm a big girl. Look Castle, I've agreed to stay at your place. Don't push it."

He held up his hands in front of him, "I'll stay right here. I promise."

Before she could say anything else however, she heard a phone ring from inside. She ran to get it and didn't realize that she left the door open and Castle could see inside. He could see the absence of furniture. He walked inside and heard her arguing. Apparently with Josh.

"I'll sign the divorce papers and get them to your lawyer tomorrow."

She sighed, "You know I can't afford to buy your half of the house. The realtor can come by anytime. I don't really care Josh. I just want to get on with my life. And get over you."

Shaking her head, "Fine. Goodbye Josh."

She laid her head up against the wall and sighed. Then she heard, "What happened to all your furniture?"

"Castle... I asked you to wait outside."

"Like that has ever worked before."

"No it hasn't. I should have learned my lesson a long time ago."

"So, where is all your furniture?"

She shook her head and the tears fell. She finally managed, "Josh took everything when he left."

"Everything?"

She laughed, "Yeah. He even took the bed. Not that I would have wanted it."

Castle took her in his arms and held her lightly. Careful not to hurt her arm. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Oh Kate. Believe it or not, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when Meredith left. She might have given birth to Alexis, but she hasn't been there. Not really. I've been taking care of her since she was a tiny baby."

She laid her head on his chest. It felt good to have someone to lean on. Someone that seemed to understand what she was dealing with.

He walked her back out to the car and told her, "You stay here. I'll get your clothes and then we will go home."

She smiled at him, "Thanks Castle."

Castle shot her a smile, "Always."

After awhile, Kate saw Castle leave her place with practically every piece of clothing that she owned. She smiled and he struggled with getting the door open. She smiled, "Having trouble there Castle?"

"Nope. You just have a lot of stuff. How can a woman have so many clothes?"

She laughed, "Just wait until Alexis gets to be a teenager."

Castle gasped, "She's only six!"

Kate laughed, "It's only a matter of time Castle."

"You're mean."

"I'm realistic. Teenage girls are a special breed."

Castle put his hand over her ears, "La la la la... I don't wanna hear this."

Kate laughed and decided that it felt good. It felt good to laugh with him. She'd had very little to laugh about in the last few months. She decided to tease him a bit more, "Just wait until you have to buy her first bra. Talk about shocking."

Castle shot her a look, "Stop it! She's only six. I have at least ten years."

"It's more like six or seven."

She laughed at the look on his face. It was a mix of horror and shock. He finally whispered, "I think I'm going to be sick."

She laughed, "Don't worry Castle. When the time comes I'm sure you will find someone to take her."

He looked over at her and thought to himself, "I want it to be you..." Instead he said, "Possibly."

She smiled and closed her eyes. She was tired from the drive and from the emotions of the day. She opened one eye and said, "Lets go home."

Castle smiled and started the car. He already loved Kate and he knew that he would love the baby that she carried. If she could only teach her to trust her emotions and open her heart to love again. He wanted to be there for everything and he would prove to her that she could count on him to be there and not walk away like Josh had. He would worm his way into their lives and into her heart. Because in the end, she would need to take a chance on love again. He wanted to be a father to the baby she carried and a husband to Kate. If she would let him that is.

He would start with baby steps. He would prove that he was in it for the long haul. And he would start by making sure that she knew how much he loved her and how much both her and Alexis needed her in their lives.

When Kate and Castle walked into the loft that night, she was immediately tackled by Alexis, "Kate! You came home with daddy! I didn't think you would, but you did!"

Kate put her hand on Alexis' head and smiled at Castle. She shook her head, "Yeah. Your daddy threatened me if I didn't."

Alexis turned to her father, turned her head to the side and told him, "Daddy... That wasn't nice."

"I didn't twist her arm." When she heard Kate clearing her throat, he whispered, "Much."

Kate laughed and smiled at her partner. Then Castle told his daughter, "Okay my darling daughter. Can you show Kate to her room please?"

Alexis nodded and said, "It's upstairs. It's right next to my room. So if you get scared or need anything I can be right there to help. Okay?"

Kate laughed, "Okay..."

Castle just smiled at the exchange between Kate and Alexis. Seeing his two favorite girls together melted his heart and made him smile. Alexis led her upstairs chattering the entire way.

Walking into the kitchen, Castle smiled and whistled happily as he made dinner for them.

When Alexis came downstairs, she smiled and told her father, "Kate is taking a nap before dinner. I told her that I would wake her up when it's ready. What are we having daddy?"

"How about baked macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and green beans."

Alexis made a face at the last part and asked, "Can we have peas instead? I don't like green beans..."

He smiled at his daughter, "Fine. We will have peas."

"Yay! Thank you daddy!"

Castle simply shook his head. He knew that his daughter had him wrapped around her little finger and he knew that the same thing would happen with Kate's baby.

Kate laid down on the bed in Castle's guestroom and thought about how her life had changed in the span of a few days. She'd come to realize that she never loved Josh. Laying her hand on her stomach she found herself smiling and she realized that she loved this baby already. She wanted this baby. Most surprisingly of all, she found herself wanting this baby to have a father like Castle. Maybe having him involved in their lives wouldn't be such a bad thing. She still wondered if the baby deserved to know it's father, but having Castle as a father wouldn't be a bad thing. He had done a wonderful job with Alexis. She was a smart, funny little girl and Kate found herself falling in love with her. But she wondered if it was fair to Castle. She decided that she was overthinking things again. She decided that maybe she needed to start thinking with her heart instead of her head.

She realized that she loved Castle as more than just a friend, but could she open herself up to heartbreak again. She knew that they could be something wonderful. She would take it day by day and see what happened. Maybe they could be something great and she knew that Castle already loved her. She felt herself smile and decided that maybe he was worth taking the risk for...