A/N:

Prompt from Caskettjunkie337: Castle and Beckett are finally ready to tell everyone that she is pregnant. How will everyone react?

Okay, I'm not sure when you wanted this to take place, but i figured i would do it while they're still only dating, so in mid-season 5, just to make it a bit more stressful on them.

It had been a month and a half since suspicions started arising. Two months since Kate got the guts to pee on the white stick, the one that would determine her fate. Three months since the symptoms started showing. And in about two hours, she would tell Castle. Her OB confirmed that she was indeed pregnant, 3 months to be exact, and she would need another ultrasound at 12 weeks, but she didn't want to do it alone. She needed Castle there with her, she couldn't do any of this alone. She was done running.

They had only been dating for six months, and she was already pregnant. What would people think? It was bad enough that she was pregnant out of wedlock-not that she cared-but they weren't even engaged yet. And her dad... he would know that she was having sex with Castle. Oh no.

As she approaches the ending of her first trimester, there is a greater chance that she won't have a miscarriage, so she feels like getting peoples' hopes up is a good idea. And there is no way in hell that Kate would be able to hide a baby bump, no matter how hard she tried. She would have to tell everyone, but he would need to be there with her. The only person who she couldn't tell with him was him, but she had the perfect way to break the news.

"Hey Rick?"

"Hmm? What's up?" he paused realization falling across his face. "Rick? You called me Rick."

"Yeah, so?"

"You never call me Rick." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, I just did... we need to talk." the color in his face immediately drained, leaving him a crisp white color. "Not like that." she rolled her eyes and started chewing her lip. Luckily his face started to take on a tan shade, rather than the ghostly white. Beckett let her lip free of the bloodying grasp her teeth had on it, and took his hand in hers to lead him to the couch. "Do you remember... the Nebula 9 case we worked?"

"Yeah." he replied, nodding.

"And remember how you were afraid the because you didn't wear the proper protection when you shot the phaser? That you were going to lose your hair, or become infertile?"

"Yes, and might I say," he started stroking a hand through his hair, "Nothing happened to my... exquisite hair! Though, I'm not sure about becoming infertile..." his voice slowly drifted off, his eyes landing on Kate's.

"Nothing happened."

"What?"

"I can tell you for certain, that you are not infertile."

"Huh? I told you to wake me up when you do things like that." she gives him a deflated look.

"Really, Castle?" I thought you were a writer, you should have caught on by now."

"To what exactly?"

Beckett giggles-she never giggles-"Castle I'm preg-" she didn't even finish her sentence before his lips were on hers. He pulled back way too soon for either of them, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"Go ahead, continue."

"-nant" she finishes. With that, Castle let out a high-pitch squeal, that would usually be coming from a teenage fan girl's mouth. He falls back onto the couch looking at Beckett with a gleam in his eyes that says everything.

"Say it again."

"What?"

"Say it again."

"I'm pregnant." she repeated grinning.

"I love you so much." he breaths.

"You. You aren't mad?"

"Mad? Kate, I've known since we started dating, and even before then, that I wanted you to be the mother of my kids, if I were to have anymore. I know it is a bit soon, and you are probably scared out of your mind, but we are in this together. I know what it's like to raise a child on my own, and it's not easy. But I will be here for you, only if you don't run, and allow me."

She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes, "And that's why I want to marry you."

He pulled her into a hug, only to pull back and stare at her for an eerily long amount of time. "What... wait... marry me?" she blushed fiercely. "Oh. My. God. You want to marry me. Me! I don't think I could ever love you more than I do now."

"Just, please don't do what you did to Meredith, to me... I want us to last, and get married when we're ready." she said smiling softly at him.

"I promise."

"Oh, and by the way, I love you too." they sat huddled together on the couch for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, before they both broke it.

"What are we going to tell everyone?" they looked at each other.

"I think that is the longest sentence we've ever said together." Castle said.

"I think you're right."

"But I'm serious, what are we going to tell them? When? How?"

"OLD HAUNT!" they screamed, before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"We can say that we are celebrating a new chapter, but we won't tell them of what. They will assume it is from a new book that you're working on, but it will really be in our life."

"That's an amazing way to tell them, oh my god, I can't event think about the look on their faces, and all of them questions." he rolled his eyes. "Speaking of which, how far along are you?"

"Three months." she murmured.

"What?" he questioned.

"Three months..."

"And you didn't tell me? Kate, I thought we said no secrets." his voice was still soft.

"We did, but I didn't want to have a miscarriage, and with you knowing about the baby... I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Oh no, no no no, Kate I wouldn't have been disappointed, I would have helped you through it. You don't need to do this alone, I told you that."

"I know, anyway... we need to plan. You, go call everyone. I will, think of creative ways to lead them into finding out themselves."

The day soon came for Castle and Beckett to break the news. Castle had closed the Old Haunt to the public, but he, Beckett, Espo, Ryan, Lanie, Jenny, Martha, Alexis, Jim, and even Gates were all there, seated at the bar. they all had champagne, while Jim, Alexis, and Kate had sparkling cider. No one noticed, except Castle.

Everyone had congratulated Castle on his new chapter, and with every time the look in his eyes grew more and more mischievous. They were all in a heated conversation over who would get pregnant first, Jenny or Kate. Throughout the whole discussion, Castle and Beckett kept sharing knowing glances thinking that they were keeping it small. But as small as they thought it was, it didn't go unnoticed by Lanie. She excused herself from the bar and walked up to Kate, grabbing her hand and pulling her off of the bar stool, but not before dipping her finger in Beckett's drink and tasting it, only to find out that it wasn't champagne.

"Spill." Lanie ordered when they reached a part of the bar where no one could hear them.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Beckett said innocently.

"Oh c'mon Kate, I tasted your drink, you are not drinking champagne, you are drinking the same thing as your father, and the only reason I know that is because you have told me about his past. Don't even try to come up with an excuse for those looks you kept giving Writer-Boy, and-"

"Writer-Man." she corrected.

"See what I mean, you are head over heals in love, and might I say. CONGRATS."

"Lanie, quiet! This is the new chapter."

"What?"

"In our lives, Lanie, a new chapter in our lives."

"How poetic." Lanie joked.

"You know what? Just keep your mouth shut until we tell everyone. Okay?"

"Fine." with that, they left the back room they were in and reappeared at the head of the bar. When Kate sat down Castle gave her a look, which she understood immediately.

"She figured it out."

"Oh," he paused, "Well than, we better tell everyone now... she won't be able to keep her mouth shut for much longer." he stood up, clinking a spoon to his glass.

"What is this, a wedding toast?" Espo asked snobbishly.

"Not now, Javi." Lanie whacked him in his arm. Kate also stood up, and put her arm around Castle's waist, he did the same.

"Kate and I are partners in everything, as you all know. Except marriage." Beckett waved her left hand in front of Castle's face, and everyone laughed at that. "So Espo, Ryan... don't kill me when you figure this out."

"What now, a scavenger hunt?" Espo snapped.

"Shut. Up." Lanie growled.

"I would like everyone to take a sip of Beckett's drink." he swiftly picked it up, and handed it to Espo, then he passed it to Lanie, Lanie to Ryan, and so on. After every person tried her drink, their faces distorted, before quickly regaining composure.

Ryan was the first to speak, "Really?" Lanie, Kate, and Rick nodded, "Wow, congratulations." he got up from the stool with Jenny behind, obviously on the same page. After he was done, Martha realized what was going on.

Everyone heard an over-exaggerated gasp, and their heads snapped to her direction. "Darlings that is just wonderful!" she squealed, slowly standing to give her congratulations. Next was Jim, but he didn't show anything, so no one knew. As far as they could tell, Gates and Alexis were next, also standing and giving their short speeches.

"Oh, daddy," Alexis mumbled into her father's chest, "leave it to you to knock up your girlfriend."

"I heard that." Kate called out, breaking her conversation with Gates, which mostly consisted of her upcoming desk-duty days.

Alexis giggled, "Thank you."

"For what?" Castle asked.

"Everything, for life, for making Detective Beckett so very happy, and most of all... my new baby brother or sister." Castle kissed his daughter's forehead, and she returned to her seat, Gates hot on her trail.

"What?" Espo was still extremely confused.

"My baby's pregnant. I'm going to be a grandfather." the word 'pregnant' had sparked Esposito's curiosity, and when he heard the second part, his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh. My. God. MY LITTLE SIS' IS PREGNANT!" his sudden outburst startled everyone. He jumped up and grabbed Kate around the waist, she hugged him back. "If you ever hurt her, I will make you bleed." he explained to Castle.

"And I know how to cut bodies open, so." Lanie added, getting up to do her second round of congrats'. Beckett saw the distant look on her father's face, and walked up to him.

"Dad?" he looked up at her with tears falling down his cheeks.

"I love you," he said hugging her, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, dad." he peered over her shoulder, and scanned the room, before his eyes fell upon Castle's worried ones.

"Just remember, I have a remote cabin upstate, and a carrying permit. You break her heart, I'll rip your apart." Jim said with a chuckle.

"KATE!?"

"Hmm?" she replied, turning in her dad's embrace.

"You have too many people that love you and own guns."

She laughed and sauntered up to him, "You don't own a gun." a chorus of "Awwww"s broke out across the room, and she grasped the lapels of his jacket, and pulled him in for a long, slow kiss.

This was their family, no one, nothing, could separate them. And they would always be there for each other. No more running. No more hiding. Only love.

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-S