Sorry it took so long, things have been kind of hectic lately. Here's the fourth Chapter!

Review replies:

bellemmie - Thank you. That was also my personal favorite part of the Chapter to write.

ValzBrownie - Glad you liked it!

dhurley - Thank you, glad you liked it. Hope you enjoy this new Chapter too.

Disneynut - Glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, that was a mistake. I've fixed it now.

TORONTOSUN - Thank you. Glad you're enjoying the story.

12precinct42344 - You're welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

Guest - You're welcome.

Chacha - Thanks, glad you're enjoying it!

Guest - Thank you Bianca (yes, I know it's you). Glad you liked it, since it was also my favorite part of the chapter to write!

Molly - Will do!

Twlightbella - Well, it's a little too late to guess that now, but yes.

Twlightbella - Glad you like it.

Disclaimer - I thought I owned Castle for a few hours last night. Turns out I dreamed the whole thing.

For Bianca. Thank you for everything.

~A couple of hours later~

She woke to the touch of her husband's gentle hand on her shoulder and the press of his lips against her forehead. Looking up, she smiled as she met his eyes with her own. "Hey".

"Hey. What time is it?"

Her husband glanced quickly at his phone, then back at her. "It's just after 11. You've been asleep for about two hours".

Kate sat up slightly. "Where is everyone?"

"Mother is in her room, and your father is in the guest bedroom. He said something about wanting to spend more time with you, and I suggested he stay here for the night instead of going home" her husband replied.

"And what about Alexis?"

As she spoke, the weight that was pressed against her side shifted, and a loose strand of red hair fell into her sight. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes".

Blue eyes, so much like those of the writer who was currently kneeling next to the couch, opened, staring sleepily at the brown-haired detective. "What time is it?" the red-haired girl queried.

"Almost twenty-past eleven. How about you go and get some sleep, we can talk more in the morning if you'd like" Rick replied softly, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to his daughter's forehead.

Alexis smiled at her father. "Sounds good. Good night, dad".

She leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her dad's cheek, and then smiled at Kate, pulling the detective into a brief hug. "Night, mom"

Kate smiled back, a slight thrill going down her spine at the term Alexis had just used for her. "Night, Alexis. Sleep well".

As her step-daughter stood and walked towards the stairs, Kate's husband turned to her, a look of surprise on his face. "Did Alexis just call you mom? And you didn't mind?"

"I told her she could. She sat down next to me on the couch while you were talking to my dad in the kitchen and asked if I would be okay with her calling me mom. I told her I'd be happy for her to. I know she already has a mother who loves her in her own way, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her not to" Kate replied softly.

"Of course, if you'd rather that she didn't call me that, I could…" she added, though she was cut off mid-sentence as Rick lowered his head to hers, sealing his lips against hers in a quick, though fiery, kiss.

After a couple of seconds, he pulled away, and the detective could see the gratitude and happiness in his eyes. "Truthfully, Kate, you've been more of a mother figure to Alexis since we met than Meredith has been since Alexis was born. You're always there for her when she needs to talk to someone about anything she doesn't feel comfortable talking to me about, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for her. Anyway, my point is that I am overjoyed that Alexis wants to call you mom".

She smiled warmly back at him. "Me too, Rick. Come on, we'd better get to bed ourselves. It's been a long day, and we both know we're going to need to have a good night's sleep if we're still going to tell the others our good news tomorrow like we wanted to. Especially since we both know exactly how happy Lanie's going to be at the news…"

Her husband grimaced at her words. She was right; both of them knew how loud the ME could get when she heard good news. A couple of seconds later, he nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Agreed. I'd offer to make the coffee, but we do need to be well-rested and coffee isn't exactly going to help with that. Plus it wouldn't exactly be good for you in your condition" Rick replied.

She elbowed him playfully as she got to her feet, grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of their bedroom.

~The next morning~

Her husband's side of the bed was cold when she opened her eyes, and for a single second that she had imagined the entirety of the previous day's events. Then the sound of quiet laughter from the lounge hit her ears, and she smiled, recognizing one of the voices as her husband's (and, by listening very carefully, she could only just make out Alexis's voice as well). Just a couple of minutes later, the door to their room opened, and her husband stepped in, carrying two steaming cups in his hand. He smiled softly at her when he realized that she was awake. "Morning Kate".

"Morning. You know I'm not exactly allowed to drink coffee right now, right?"

The brown-haired writer gave a gentle laugh, walking around to her side of the bed to give her one of the cups, before crossing back to his side of the bed and setting the cup down on the table. "It's tea, Kate".

As her husband slipped beneath the sheets to settle into the bed beside her, she took a long sip of the steaming liquid, sighing in satisfaction and settling back into the writer's side. This, enjoying a simple hot drink in bed with the man she loved, was by far her favourite way to start the day.

So there we go, another chapter up. Hope you all enjoy like the previous chapters.

This week's songs:

Drive - The Cars

Take Me To the Mardigras - Paul Simon