15. More Then Friends-We're Family

(13 Weeks)

"Where's Beckett," Alexis asked as she came home in the evening, noticing that her dad's girlfriend wasn't around.

"She's with Addison."

"Her OB, that's weird."

"Not really. She and Addison actually have a history. They've been friends since middle school. Chalk it up to fate I guess that she turned out to become Beckett's doctor."

"Wow that's pretty cool. Some people are lucky if they have friendships that long."

"That they are," Castle replied.

"So why are you still up? Having trouble writing or being all parental and waiting for your girlfriend to come home so you're sure she comes home safely with your kid?"

Castle reached a hand out to his daughter, "Hey, come here," he said motioning her to the couch.

She took a seat on the couch next to him.

"Alexis, I love you more than anything in this world. And me having a baby with Beckett isn't going to change that."

"Dad, I'm sixteen, I know that. I'm not some little kid who thinks you're going to throw me aside while you have another family."

"Are you sure because the last thing I would want, the last thing I'm pretty sure Beckett would want is for you to feel unwanted and do something drastic."

"Drastic like what?"

"I don't know, change your hair color, get a tattoo-,"

"Beckett has a tattoo."

"She told you that?"

Alexis shrugged, "We have talked a few times, dad."

"Okay fair enough, maybe a tattoo then but if you do we'll talk or worse go live with your mother."

Alexis laughed, "Dad, it's fine really. Besides someone's got to be around to help Beckett and make sure that kid turns out normal."

"Hey!"

"Kidding. Sort of. Why are you so worried about this anyways?"

Castle took a deep breath. This was part of the conversation that he was hoping would come. He needed to tell his daughter first before anyone else.

"You like Detective Beckett right?"

"Of course," Alexis said with a smile.

"Are you okay with her living here? If you had a problem with that, you'd tell me right?"

"I'm more than okay with it."

"You're sure?"

Alexis nodded, "She's not mom and she's definitely not Gina. I never felt comfortable with them around but with Beckett it's different. It's not weird having her live with us. It's kind of nice actually. Dad, what's going on?"

Castle smiled. His daughter was mature in ways he failed to give her credit for sometimes.

"There's something I want to run by you," he said to her.

"Jesus girl," Lanie jolted back the next morning as she saw her best friend taking a seat on a chair when she entered her morgue slash office, "What are you doing here?" she asked as she turned on the lights.

"I need a reason to come see my best friend?"

"At seven in the morning when I'm barely getting myself going, yeah a reason would be nice."

Lanie looked at Beckett who looked pretty nervous.

"Okay," said Lanie, "What's going on? You're finally dating Castle aren't you?"

"No, that's not all of it," said Beckett, "Wait how did you even know I was involved with Castle?"

"Kate please, ever since you broke up with Josh, and yes I knew about that too since I've got contacts at the hospital, and ever since then you've been the happiest I've ever seen you and the only guy who can potentially make you that happy is Castle even before you two were dating."

Beckett smiled as did Lanie.

"Thus proving my point," said Lanie, "Wait a second, back up, what do you mean that's not all of it?"

Beckett rubbed her palms on her pants and stood up. She then just said it, "I'm pregnant."

"Shut the front door, you are not! Oh my god, girl, you're pregnant!" Lanie said as she gave Beckett a huge hug. "Wait is it Castle's," she asked when they pulled back.

"Duh of course!"

"Good. You'd be crazy to have someone else's baby. Speaking of which, let me see it."

Beckett smiled as she shook her head. She figured as much. She removed her jacket and then lifted the sweater and tunic so that Lanie could see the baby bump protruding from her white blouse.

"I'm guessing thirteen weeks," said Lanie.

"You'd be right," Beckett replied.

"I may work with dead people but I know my way around the living too. Back in med school I even had to do an OB rotation so I remember a thing or two. May I?"

"I thought you would, go for it."

Lanie smiled and placed her hands on Beckett's belly. Her voice turned into baby gush as she talked to it.

"Hello little one, hello. I'm your auntie Lanie, yes I am. I love you all ready and I am so excited to meet you soon." Lanie took her hands off and looked at Kate who lowered her sweater and tunic and put her jacket on. "Now why would you want to hide such a beautiful thing?"

"Because the only person at work who knows is my boss."

"The boys haven't figured it out yet?" Beckett shot her friend a look which made Lanie laugh, "Men: so clueless when it comes to the female body. And they call themselves detectives."

"Well I do plan to tell them soon. It's not like I can keep this little guy a secret for much longer."

"No you can't. It's a miracle you've found clothes to hide it at all."

Beckett let out a small laugh, "I know right. Well I'm glad you know now."

"And I'm glad you told me," Lanie said as both women felt their time coming to a close, both needing to get back to their jobs. "Hey Kate, I'm happy for you and for Castle."

"Thanks Lanie."

A couple days later the detectives at the 12th were close to nabbing their latest perp.

"Is that Alexis," Castle asked later when he saw Beckett's phone buzz on her desk and noticed the caller ID.

Beckett took her phone and opened the message.

"It is," she said to him.

"What does she want?"

"She wants to meet with me."

"Oh can I come?"

Beckett shot him a look, "No. Look just tell the boys I'll be back in about an hour."

"Aw, have someone else do that, please let me come." Beckett began gathering her things without a word to Castle. "Come on at least tell me where you're going."

Beckett only smiled to him as she made her way around the corner to the elevator, enjoying the thrill in not telling her boyfriend what his daughter wanted from her, much like the time Alexis had once called to get her advice.

"Thanks for coming," Alexis said after Beckett had taken a seat across from her at Suttons. "And thanks for not bringing my dad."

"Sure," said Beckett, "You said you wanted to talk alone. What's going on?"

"You and I are close right?" Alexis asked.

"I'd like to think so."

"We've got a good friendship slash mentor-mentee thing going on."

"That's how I see it," Beckett replied.

"Then as my friend and as the daughter of your boyfriend can I ask you a personal question?"

"By all means."

"You like my dad right?"

"Of course I like him."

"Do you love him?"

"Alexis where is this coming from?"

The teenager in front of her sighed, "My dad's been hurt a lot: first by my mom and then by Gina. It's why he was with so many women- trying to fill in that void I guess, being the one to break women's hearts instead of the other way around. And then he met you and suddenly he wasn't really that guy anymore."

Beckett nodded and smiled, "And you're worried I'll hurt him."

"I'm sorry I know you probably wouldn't but with everything that's happened in your own life, with your mom's death and you still not having found her killer, I'm afraid you'll end up pushing him away."

"Alexis you don't have to be sorry. He's your dad, you want to look out for him, and I get it."

"You do?"

"Absolutely," said Beckett, "maybe not in the exact way. After my mom died all I wanted was to look after my dad when it seemed like he couldn't do that for himself. And when he got his life on track and began thinking of dating again I wasn't quite sure anyone could be good enough."

"So you do understand."

"From a certain point of view," Beckett said. She also smiled, "And to answer your earlier question, I do love your dad. We might have our disagreements and arguments every now and then but that's normal."

"Like when you shut him out a few months ago?"

Alexis was sharp. Of course she wouldn't forget that. It wasn't one of Beckett's proudest moments and if she could somehow go back and tell Castle the truth about her pregnancy sooner, she would have in an instant.

"Yeah," said Beckett, "Exactly like that. I know it probably wasn't one of my best moments. What you need to know about that is that I had just found out I was five weeks pregnant. It was so early in the pregnancy that I didn't know how to tell your dad and I was scared to tell him. I thought it was best if I figured out how I felt about it first."

Beckett thought about just how much she should tell the young girl. What could she tell her? That when she found she was completely freaked because it had just been a one night stand? That it would look bad to the public considering that Castle was somewhat famous and people would brush off her one night stand as a way of getting knocked up to have the famous writer as part of her life? That it was obvious the two would end up together considering how much he shadowed her and they got a baby out of it? The last two which weren't the truth at all.

Before getting together that one night in LA Beckett would have been happy to have gotten rid of Castle. She had tried several times over since he first began shadowing her close to three years ago and even on the plane she had asked, 'I'm not gonna get rid of you am I?' and all he had done was raise his eyebrows and smiled.

Beckett looked at Alexis for a moment. Yes they had a sort of friendship slash mentorship and mentee type of thing going on with her as the mentor and Alexis as the mentee but there was also something else there, something that couldn't yet be defined but could come close to being defined due to the fact that the baby she was carrying.

"You know what," said Beckett, "how about I ask you that question."

"You want me to answer?"

"Why not, this baby does share half your DNA."

"Okay, I guess it's a little weird," Alexis admitted. "I've been an only child for so long but I think I'll get used to it. I'm actually a little excited. It'll be cool having a new little Castle running around and if it was anyone else but you I probably wouldn't be as receptive to the idea."

Beckett smiled at the thought. She could all ready picture her child: if it was a boy he would have Castle's looks and her brains and if it was a girl she would have her looks and his brains. It was really hard to picture a girl though.

She had never really thought about having kids but now that one was on the way she could only picture a boy. Seeing him running around, acting more like his father, having his father's bright blue eyes. He would be perfect.

"Alexis, this baby is going to be an adjustment for all of us but I want you to know that you're not going to be shut out. Your dad and I created this but it no way means we're starting our own little family without you. We're just adding to it and I don't want you to feel like you're not a part of it. After all, your brother or sister are gonna need a great role model to not just look up to but to look after them and be something that for them that your dad and I can't be. Think you can handle it?"

Alexis smiled. She was grateful to Beckett for reassuring her the way her dad had done earlier. It had been bad enough when her dad married Gina. Gina had never really wanted her, the only reason she was around was because she'd wanted her dad so she had done her best to stay out of the bright blonde's way. It wasn't so much that her father kept Gina away from her though in part it was. She and her father had their own thing and she wanted it that way. She didn't want some other woman interfering.

With Detective Beckett it was different. Alexis had gotten to know Beckett in a way she really hadn't with another one of her dad's many girlfriends- platonic or otherwise. She and Beckett had developed their own kind of relationship, one that didn't involve her father in the middle. They had had private conversations, talked about things that she wouldn't have talked with her dad or her Grams about. Beckett had even shared some things about her own life with her, trusting the young girl enough the way any mother would with a teenage daughter. Alexis had the budding kind of relationship that she'd heard her friends speak about when they talked about their mothers, what she often wanted with her own mom.

"Thanks Detective Beckett," said Alexis. She then looked down and then thought for a moment and then looked up, "So considering how serious you and dad are and not just because of the baby, but what should I start calling you? Detective Beckett, Beckett… I'm not exactly sure how this sort of thing works."

Beckett smiled, "Well for what it's worth this is all new to me too. Why don't we just stick with Kate or Beckett, whichever one you want? The only two people that have ever really called me Katherine are my mother and Martha."

Alexis smiled grateful that she was able to call Beckett by her first name. "Okay Kate."

Beckett felt her phone buzz in her pocket and there was a message from Ryan. He wanted her to get back to the precinct.

"I'm sorry," Beckett said as she looked at Alexis, "I have to get back. Are we good?"

"We're more than good. Thanks for meeting me."

Beckett reached across the table and squeezed Alexis' hand, "Anytime," she said.

She then stood up.

"Good luck," Alexis said to her mentor as she made her exit.

Late in the evening the boys were laughing in the conference room over take out and beers. They were joking about the case they had worked and how their perp, the murderer, had trapped Castle in a sauna and dialed up the heat. Castle had made a serious joke that had it gotten any hotter he could have died and that he was so close to stripping off his clothes because it was so hot.

"That's a show we wouldn't have wanted to see," Beckett said as she laughed when she came into the room after taking a restroom break.

"Are you sure about that," Castle said with a joking sultry voice.

Beckett looked at him and shook her head. Ryan and Espo began to laugh some.

"Ohh," said Esposito, "Look whose blushing."

"You done," Beckett asked.

"Not even close," Esposito replied.

"Well tough," said Beckett. She then thought a second, "Montgomery's not back yet?"

Their Captain had been gone since one in the afternoon. He had given no indication as to when he would return except to say that he needed to take care of a family emergency.

Ryan looked at her, "He did say he would be out of cell range."

"Well I guess we can get started," said Beckett, "since Montgomery all ready knows. Castle?"

"Hey," said Castle, "it's your show. I'm just along for the ride."

Esposito turned and whispered to Ryan, "Do you know what they're rambling about?"

"Not a clue," Ryan whispered back.

"Look," said Beckett, "There's something that I have to tell you guys." She took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to say this but it's not a secret I can keep any longer so I'm just going to say it. I'm pregnant. Three months."

The boy's mouths dropped. Of all the secrets and speculations they had made about why Beckett was being so secretive and feeling like she was hiding something from them that was one that they had never even considered.

"Pregnant," Ryan said out loud. Ryan clinched his eyebrows. "You said three months?"

Beckett smiled, "I think you guys can figure that part out."

"Are you sure," Castle asked, "they couldn't even figure out you were pregnant this whole time."

"You knew," Esposito shot at Castle, "and you didn't think to tell us?"

"Of course I knew," Castle replied, "And where would the fun be in that? Besides, Beckett would have killed me."

"Seriously you guys," Beckett asked, "You can't figure it out? Three months ago where was I?"

Castle was getting a laugh out of seeing the boy's make faces as they tried to put it together. He pulled out his cell and took a picture of them.

Castle shook his head, "Okay this is taking too long," he said to Beckett, "Can I tell them, please?"

Beckett smiled at him, "Fine tell them."

Castle smiled in victory. "Guy's come here," he said leaning in across the table.

He placed his right hand up to hide half of his face from Beckett so it could seem like he was whispering to Ryan and Esposito. With his left hand he then pointed a finger at Beckett's belly.

"I made that," he said to them with a sense of joyous pride.

The boy's eyes widened even more so than before.

"That's how you knew," Esposito said, "You're Beckett's baby daddy."

"He is," Beckett said with a smile as she placed a hand on Castle's shoulder and rubbed it, "Boyfriend too actually."

"You sneaky bastards," Ryan said in complete shock. "And Montgomery knew about this?"

"He just found out recently," Beckett replied.

Castle stood up and stood on Beckett's side. Now that their secrets were out there was no point in formality especially since it was after hours. He casually took Beckett's hand and placed his other on her belly. Beckett leaned into his shoulder.

"It was LA wasn't it," said Ryan, "When you two…"

Castle smiled, "Look who finally found his brain." He then took a deep breath of his own and turned to face Beckett, "there is still one thing you don't know yet."

"Castle I think we covered everything," said Beckett.

"Not quite," said Castle. He took Beckett's hands in his. "We've known each other for a long time," he began, "It's been three years but it feels like a lot longer. And I finally realized why. It was during an old book tour a while back for one of my old Derrick Storm novels. You were waiting in line to get it signed by me."

"You actually remember that?"

"How could I forget? Everyone else in the room faded and all I saw was you. I still see you, Kate. And you're the only one I want to see for the rest of my life." Castle reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box and opened it.

"Oh my god," Beckett whispered.

"Oh my god," said Esposito.

Ryan hit Espo to get him to be quiet.

Castle got down on one knee, "Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

"Oh my god," said Beckett, "Oh my god, you're proposing."

"Okay you're surprised," Castle said as he stood up.

"Of course I'm surprised. You threw me completely off guard."

"Is it really that much of a surprise? I mean we live together and we're having a baby and…"

His last words made Beckett pause for a second, "Castle if…"

"I'm sorry," said Castle, "that sounded a lot better in my head. Kate, I'm not proposing because we're having a baby. I mean sure it happened in an unconventional way but Kate, I'm proposing because I can't imagine my life without you. Had we not gotten pregnant I still would have proposed this early in our relationship. That's how much I love you and that's how much I believe in us. I've wanted you to be my wife since the day we met and since the day I started playing cop and following you around. I love you, Kate, and I've never loved anyone this much before. It's for real and it's forever and I want that forever to be with you."

Beckett smiled, "Well in that case, Richard Edgar Alexander Rogers Castle, yes, yes I will marry you."

Castle smiled back as he slipped the ring on her finger and the boys cheered as the couple kissed.

All of this was completely new and unexpected to Ryan and Esposito but the couple had clearly been together before they knew which is why it didn't seem so strange. Plus they had kind of always known that Beckett had a thing for Castle and that Castle had a thing for Beckett so for the two of them to end up together was absolutely perfect.

There was knock on the side of the door.

"Excuse me Detective Beckett," said LT, "there's a call for you on line one."

Beckett pulled away from Castle, "Give me a second," she said to her now fiancé.

"I'll be right here," said Castle.

After about ten minutes and Beckett not returning to the room, Castle turned to see Beckett sitting at her desk. Her face looked as if she had gone into a haze. Castle looked at the boys who also looked at Beckett. He was the first one out of the room and made his way to his fiancé.

"Beckett, what is it?" Castle asked.

Beckett took a deep breath trying to gather her emotions. "I just got off the phone with a uniform down at the NY324 Hangar Bay." She looked at her three best guys and couldn't believe what she had heard and what she was about to tell them. "Roy Montgomery is dead."

Author's Note:

1.) The name of the hangar is completely made up, sort of. Since we didn't get to know the actual name of where Roy

was killed I thought it would be good to name it myself. If you pay close attention to the number you'll notice it's an

easter egg of sorts.

2.) I am currently working on the next chapter. I do ask for patience with this particular one considering the way

this chapter ended. I want to make sure I get the next part right since it's a big loss for our friends at the 12th.

3.) And I do have the end of this story all ready written. Now it's just a matter of filling in, the characters telling

me where they want to go before I get to the end point of the story.

So in the mean time just sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride!