A/N Kind of short, but I had to write it before I went to bed. I hope you don't mind. It's a bit fluffy...

After Lanie left that afternoon, Kate kept staring at the envelope on the table. Part of her wanted to open it before Castle got home, but part of her wanted to wait for him. She had never been so conflicted. She swallowed hard and looked at the envelope one final time. She paced the floor nervously and finally decided that she was just going to open it.

She read the words printed on the page and smiled softly. Then she folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. She grabbed her phone and sent Castle a text message: Hurry home...

Then she walked over to her daughters bassinet and looked down at her baby girl with tears in her eyes. She had known that this was a possibility, but it still overwhelmed her. She kissed two of her fingers and then pressed them to her sleeping daughter's forehead. Then she turned and walked out of the bedroom silently.

She turned on the baby monitor and then laid down on the couch waiting for Castle to come home.

She didn't bother to get up when she heard the door open hours later. She continued to stare into the couch cushion. She didn't move until she heard Alexis walk upstairs to her bedroom. Then, she walked into the kitchen and started taking out the ingredients for dinner that night. She worked silently and she knew that Castle was watching her. He didn't try to talk to her. He knew better. He knew that she would talk to him when she was ready.

That time didn't come until they were getting ready for bed that night. She walked over to her dresser and picked up the manilla folder that her father had given her. Inside were the adoption papers. All they needed to be filed was Castle's signature. She walked over to him silently and handed him the folder. She waited for him to open it and then saw his face fall when he saw what it contained. However, before he could say anything, she took the folder from him and ripped it in half.

Castle was shocked and asked, "What? Why did you..."

She shook her head and whispered, "I have my reasons Castle."

With that, she turned and left their bedroom. Leaving Castle confused and scratching his head. She returned a few minutes later with a plain white envelope in her right hand. She handed it to him and whispered, "Open it..."

She watched as he opened the envelope. Saw the joy that spread from his lips and invaded his eyes. Then he looked at her and asked, "Is this right?"

Kate nodded, "It says that they did the test three times. Just to make sure there was no mistake."

Castle looked over at the sleeping baby and whispered, "She's mine..."

"I don't know how, but she's really and truly yours Castle."

He rushed forward to kiss her so very softly. A thousand different emotions running through him. Everything from joy to disbelief. He whispered, "I just wish I could remember that night."

Kate nodded and kissed him. She let him hold her tight and then she put her hands around his waist and whispered, "I love you. I love our children. I want to remember this night forever. Even if we can't remember the night we conceived her, the here and now is all that matters. This... this is all we need to be happy."

Castle nodded and then he tilted her head up and kissed her so very softly. Then, they both turned their heads to look at their daughter as she slept and neither seemed to mind that the minutes were going by so very slowly. All they could think about was that their love had created something so perfect and pure. And that something was named Lillian Rose Castle.

Castle was sure how long they had been standing there looking down at their sleeping daughter, but soon, she started to stir and started to cry. Kate smiled and whispered, "I think she's hungry."

He kissed the top of her head and let go of Kate. Then she went to sit in the rocking chair to feed her. It always amazed him to watch her with their daughter. She'd never seemed particularly maternal before they had gotten together. Honestly, he had wondered how she would adjust to motherhood. She was handling it like a pro. If a woman could be a pro at such a thing. Although he shouldn't have been surprised. Kate never did anything halfway. Whether it was in her work or her personal life, she always gave 110%... Always. That was one of the things that had made him fall in love with her. That and the fact that she had an incredible heart. Although she sometimes failed to give her heart enough credit for her success in life.

One of the best things he had done in his life, up to this point, had been to take the chance on loving her. He knew that it could have all blown up in his face. Then he thought about what he would have missed out had Josh actually wanted to be a father. To watch another man raise his baby girl would have been the ultimate heartbreak. He said a silent prayer of thanks to whatever fate had intervened in their lives to bring them together. He walked over to stand beside Kate and he ran his hand through her hair. She looked up at him and smiled softly. God. She was so damn beautiful and he was an incredibly lucky man.

When Lillian was done nursing, she looked up at him and whispered, "Do you want to burp her daddy?"

Castle nodded and held out his hands to take his baby girl. Then, he patted her on the back ever so softly and whispered to his little girl, "Daddy's got you and I love you little one. You're my baby girl..."

Kate looked up at him and she couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. She loved this man and she knew that it wouldn't have mattered to him if the results had been any different, but somehow, this seemed to make her birth perfect. She heard the baby let out a tiny burp and she smiled as Castle handed her back to her. Then he leaned down and kissed her softly and whispered, "We love you daddy.. Always..."

Castle smiled and whispered, "Always..."

A/N so, there you have it. the answer to the question that everyone wanted to know. Still more surprises in store for our favorite couple...