Taken from a photo prompt, which can be found at castleincalifornia dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 104452279999
The first thing Castle notices is the silence.
The loft hasn't been this quiet in days, maybe weeks, and it's almost surreal. It always seems like someone is making a commotion around here; him playing a video game or Kate banging around in the kitchen, Aaron's delighted squeals and hungry wails. Sometimes it's his mother swooping in unannounced to kiss her newest grandchild on her way to teach an acting class, or Alexis stopping by to update them on her grad school applications and drop off the My Big Sister Loves Me onesie that she couldn't resist. Their home is constantly full of life and noise, but right now? Silence rules.
Castle drops his keys onto the table while shrugging his jacket off, wondering where his wife and infant son have gotten off to. Aaron just celebrated seven months of life and while he's usually a charming, happy baby, he's been cutting a few teeth recently and it's been a brutal process. The poor kid has been miserable and drooling and inconsolable at times, both parents doing their very best to comfort him with extra cuddles and cold teething rings and baby Tylenol.
Stealthily tiptoeing through the open space, he's reluctant to call out in case he'd disturb anyone who might be napping. He has only to take a few steps into their bedroom when he spies them at last. They're resting on the bed together, Aaron curled up at his mother's side, fast asleep and tranquil at last. His head rests on her bosom, one arm wrapped tightly around the stuffed bunny they've affectionately named Peter.
Castle's heart threatens to burst from his chest at the sight, his beautiful son nestled against the softness of his equally beautiful wife. She's always been gorgeous, but perhaps never more so than in this new role as mother. It makes his eyes sting with the emotion it stirs deep within him, because how did he ever get so lucky? He can only shake his head in disbelief; he's a wise enough man not to question it too much, and just revel in his good fortune.
He pulls out his phone, determined to capture the moment before the fragile serenity is inevitably lost. When the shutter sounds, Kate turns toward him, her face splitting with a dazzling smile that makes him weak in the knees and oh-so-thankful to any deity who might be listening for bringing this extraordinary woman into his life.
"Hey," she says softly.
"Hey you," he replies just as quietly, no desire to wake their peaceful son. Any other time and he'd be tempted to declare his adoration for her at the top of his lungs, shout it from the rooftops to all within earshot. How supremely lucky he is to love her, and to be loved in return. What an amazing mother she's become. What a dedicated cop she continues to be. He's written eight books about her, and he feels like he could write one hundred more. She moves him that deeply.
"He's finally asleep, huh?" he whispers as he approaches the bedside, the presence of his wife and child like a powerful magnet drawing him ever closer.
She simply nods, reaching her free hand out to him in invitation, and he doesn't hesitate. He toes his shoes off before climbing onto the bed with them, his body curling around hers and pressing close to her alluring warmth. When she tilts her head in his direction, he touches his lips to hers in a tender, lingering kiss that he can only hope conveys the depth of his feelings. He might never be able to describe all the ways in which she's changed his world; how she opens him up, calms him down, makes him happy in a way he'd never known he could be. She's given him life, in more ways than one.
They smile against each other's lips when they finally break away, their joy positively infectious, and to any outsider, they'd probably look ridiculous with their wide, sappy grins. But they're oblivious to all of that as they turn their attention back to Aaron, this perfect little human being that they created together, the ultimate expression of their love and partnership. And not for the first time since Kate Beckett came into his life, Richard Castle once again realizes that home isn't the loft. It isn't a place at all. This woman is his home, his heart happy to reside with her forever.
Thank you for reading...as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.