A/N: Sorry for the super late chapter! I had some personal stuff going on! And erm, in the chapter, I wrote that Raymond flipped over during birth. It happened to me and my brother and we caused great pain to my mum during labour haha. (Oh! I messed up the dates. I am so sorry. D:)

Birthday

23 December 2020

Raymond scrunches up his face in dead concentration. His nose is all wrinkled up, reminding Kate of a little kitten trying to chase after the laser point. Raymond will most probably scream at that, preferring to be thought of as a lion.

He takes in a deep breath and his cheeks puff out.

Everyone stops and stares. Anticipation cackles in the air.

He pushes out his chest and blows with all his might, his eyes disappearing into slits. The flames on the two candles flicker but never truly extinguishing. Disappointment settles on Raymond's chubby face, his face twisting into one of a mournful puppy, with his eyes wide and glistening.

Uh oh.

Kate and Castle rushes forward and with a small puff of air from each of them, they extinguish the flames with tremendous speed. In their mini panicked state, their lips almost bumped. They pull away, a tinge of pink on their faces.

"Look! The cars are flying away!" Alexis saves the night by exclaiming with joy, distracting Raymond long enough to make him forget the fact that it was his parents who blew out the candles for him. He stretches out his arms and tries to grab the marzipan car figures Alexis is dangling in front of him.

They sigh in relief while Joanna looks at them with suspicion.

She catches Castle's eyes and they promptly burst into pelts of laughter, connected by a queer sense of humour. Soon, everyone joins in, except for the two clueless children, who are staring at them like they have all gone half-mad.

As the laughter subsides, Kate cuts the cake and Raymond serves them with the aid of Joanna. Soon, it is time for the highly anticipated present unwrapping. Kate thinks that he must be one of the luckiest around-Christmas babies. Instead of having a combined present and party, he gets to have two separate parties and two different set of presents. It doesn't hurt that everyone around him loves to spoil their little prince, showering him with all sorts of presents, ranging from toys to clothes. He already has a wide range of toys and Kate is certain that he can open his own toy shop with Joanna.

Raymond runs towards the pile of birthday presents while holding his sisters' hand.

"Sissy choose," he pulls Joanna to the small hill.

Joanna frowns, thinking rather seriously. She eyes the pile and pulls out a particular present wrapped in a blue paper with rainbows printed on it. Raymond nods in agreement and together, they carefully tear open the wrapping, revealing a brand new kitchen set from Lanie.

She gives him a little wave. "Do you like it?"

A grin breaks across his face and he nods furiously, failing to suppress his excitement.

Kate sighs, a smile on her face. This is his second kitchen set. She really has to find a way to prevent Lanie and the boys from overly pampering the children.

"Lexi! Choose!" he tugs on his oldest sister's sleeve. Alexis purses her lips and thinks, before picking up a huge box with red polka dots on it. Together, they took of the lid and reveal a humongous bear soft toy. Kate shoots a glare at Castle, who puts his hands up innocently.

"Sorry Katie," her dad gives her a sheepish grin. "I couldn't help it."

Joanna's and Raymondl's rooms are filled with soft toys of varying sizes, ranging from palm sized to are-you-sure-it's-not-a-real-giant sized. It looks like Raymond has a new addition to his collection.

The party continues on with laughter as Raymond continues his present unwrapping. He never cease to be amazed and has a look of absolute delightment with every object he has received. Not forgetting his manners with some prompting from his parents, he totters to everyone and thanked them with a shy smile.

He starts playing with the kitchen set, inviting Joanna, Sarah Grace and Alexis to be part of kitchen team. Raymond and Sarah are the chefs while Alexis and Joanna are the waitresses, much to Joanna's unsatisfaction.

As they make imaginary food to serve their "customers", the adults enter a heated discussion over the latest political situation.

"You should get into politics, Kate," Jenny suggests. "We need politicians like you. Not those greedy…" She trails off in an attempt of self censorship.

Kate shakes her head in shock, brushing her words off with a laugh. She doesn't think she is suited for the crazy world of politics but the words have been said and they have planted a seed of what-ifs inside of her mind.

The conversation changes, now focusing on family and friends, aimless gossip that provides a form of entertainment.

She averts her attention to her children and smiles.

Joanna was a difficult pregnancy but a easy birth. Raymond was an easy pregnancy but a difficult birth.

She sighs, remembering the pain.

...

23 December, 2018

"Breathe!" Castle held onto her hand. She sucked in, her face dotted with sweat.

"I can't!" she cried. She didn't remember that it was so painful to deliver a child. Joanna's birth was painless and easy. A few pushes and she was out.

But now, it was hurting like hell and she was pissed.

"Push, babe, push," Castle tried to be encouraging. It backfired. Instead of calming his wife down, it fueled her anger as she yelled profanities at him that rendered him terrified.

"Shut. Up!" She screamed, her face twisting with anger and pain. "Fuck you!"

"You can do that later, Kate. Let's concentrate on this now," he had to say. To his defence, he was trying to crack a joke to lighten her up, only to be rewarded with a painful yank on his nose.

"You can do this Kate," he pushed her hair back and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"The head is coming out," the doctor said. "Just a little bit more…"

The pain increases and Kate feels that something was not right.

"Kate," Castle whispers. "The baby turned."

Well, that explains the sudden stab of pain.

With a lot more screaming and cursing, Raymond was finally born.

Kate squeezed her eyes shut, collecting herself before holding the infant in her arms.

He was beautiful.

...

They spent Christmas in the hospital that year. As usual, Richard Castle made sure that Christmas was special. He took it upon himself to decorate Kate's room with a wide assortment of festive decors, creating a mini version of the usual decorations he set up in the loft.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered into her mouth as Joanna looked in disgust. She tottered to her brother, observing him curiously.

"Funny," she wrinkled her nose and pointed at Raymond. They burst into laughter and called Joanna over and pulled her into a big hug.

"You are a big sister now," Kate murmured into her daughter's hair.

"Like Lexi?" she asked, her eyes wide with happiness.

"Yes, just like Lexi," Castle nodded with pride.

Joanna cheered and bounced towards Raymond. "I protect you! Like Lexi!" she announced.

Kate loved her family.

…

The party had ended and the children are in bed.

Kate takes a long sip of her wine, enjoying the bittersweet taste it leaves.

"Hi," she says as Castle walks in.

"Hi."

Silence.

"You should consider," he breaks the silence.

She looks at him curiously, a tad confused by his words.

"Getting into politics. You are strong, kind, have a strong sense of justice…" he trails off.

"Thank you," she smiles a little. "I will consider it."

"Good," he rubs the back of his head.

"Good night, Castle," she is soft and gentle, her eyes speaking volumes, telling tales of love and regret.

"Until tomorrow," he smiles, a smidge of disappointment snaking into his voice.

He disappears behind the door and loneliness takes her.

She closes her eyes and breathes.

A pair of warm hands envelopes her and for a moment, she thinks she is dreaming. His scent surrounds her and she breathes it in. Her eyes flutter open and there he is, in flesh and blood, holding her.

"The promise, remember?" he murmurs. She nods silently and they pull away.

The promise.