Lily Castle

She was grateful for so many things.

That sweet, earthy new-born smell that she couldn't quite put into words. Some unique mix of milk and freshly baked bread.

The tiny, deep mahogany irises that kept disappearing behind fluttering eyelids as sleep takes hold.

The little groans that rumble in Lily's throat as she wriggles and stretches.

Each small, uneven huff of breath that skirted along her chest as her daughter curled up against her skin.

Kate peeled her eyes away from her daughter and looked up at Rick, who was watching them both adoringly.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

This was perfect.

This was love.

The Bet

She was barely off the elevator before she heard her name. She looked up to see Castle rushing toward her, they boys' lingering by their desks but watching intently.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she picked up her pace, striding toward him to meet him by her desk.

He planted his hands firmly on her - one on each shoulder - and she looked into his eyes; wild, desperate... scared?

"I'm so sorry," he started, his words rushed. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an absolute emergency but..."

He looks back over his shoulder, almost as if to double check that no one had followed him. She looked, too, but all she saw was Ryan and Esposito.

Castle's head turning back to her brought her eyes back to his. She didn't understand what was going on, and her stomach was knotting more and more with each second of silence.

"Castle, talk to me," she urged. "What's going on?"

"I need money," he confessed as his head hung, ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I need two thousand dollars and I don't know who else I could ask."

Money? She sighed, relieved. God, she thought he was about to confess to a murder or something.

She shook off her shock and nodded.

"Uh- of course. I, um-" She checked her watch, it was only mid-afternoon and she could probably get to the bank in time. "When do you need it?"

"Seriously?" she heard grumbled from a distance.

Castle's hands dropped from her shoulders and a smile brightened his face. Confusion flooded her mind and she momentarily forgot how to function, how to form a simple thought.

"Told ya, boys," he bragged as he spun around to face them. "True friends don't ask questions."

"He's a millionaire: why would he be asking you for money?" Esposito asked her as he pulled a twenty from his wallet and slapped it into Castle's open palm.

She shrugged, mouth open but no words came.

Honestly, she hadn't even thought to ask questions.

Because he wouldn't question her. He would just help her, in any way he could.

That's what they did.

They were friends. True friends.

Fic prompt: 5x06 "what if firing that blaster made me infertile?" "You want more kids?" "Well I'd like the option" I thought they were so nonchalant about this when it was kind of a *big* deal so the fic request is Beckett kinda panicking in a good way even though she didn't show it

With you

"I've been stressing," she blurted from the doorway.

He startled, having assumed she would be fast asleep by now. She had gone to bed over an hour ago while he had stayed up to finish off the latest Heat chapter.

He looked over to where she stood dressed in sweats, an oversized shirt, fluffy slippers and a concerning half-scowl on her face. He couldn't help but smile - he really did love this less put-together side of her.

"Why are you stressing?" he asked, reminding himself to focus.

He pushed back from the desk, rolling his chair just far enough back to twist his knees in her direction. She walked toward him and lowered herself onto his lap.

"What's bothering you?" he encouraged, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her securely against himself.

She focused her attention on the plastic button of his shirt and began toying with it as she mulled over the thoughts wreaking havoc in her mind.

"Most of my friends are having babies," she told him.

His brow creased, confused.

"The ones that aren't are gushing about how much they can't wait until their day comes," she continued.

"And you're feeling... pressured?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't."

Realisation dawned on him. "Is this about what I said earlier? About the blaster making me infertile?"

He covered her hand with his, stopping her fidgeting fingers so that she would focus on him.

She looked up to meet his gaze. "I just- I'd like the option isn't really an answer."

"Kate, I want whatever you want."

"Well, that isn't really an answer, either," she complained. "I don't know what I want, Castle."

Her eyes flitted back and forth, trying to read his expression.

"What if I don't want kids?" she asked hesitantly.

This question was... big. A make-or-break kind of question, a discussion she wasn't sure if they were ready for. But thanks to this case, thanks to an off-hand comment that had been carelessly thrown out there on a whim, it was something she couldn't stop thinking about.

But he smiled; a genuine, reassurance. "Then we won't have kids."

"But you want more kids."

"Not if you don't."

She sighed. "Castle-"

"Right: not an answer. Look, I've done the kid thing. Did I love it? Yes. Would I do it again? With you, yes. But I accepted a long time ago that there was a good chance I wouldn't have any more children and I am fine with that. When I say I'd like the option, it's for you. If you decide you do want children I want to be able to provide you with as many as your heart desires."

She deliberated his words carefully, the silence stretching out for several long seconds. "So... you don't care?"

"I wouldn't say I don't care. I mean, if you're going to have children you should care. Very much," he explained. "I would say... I'm happy either way."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head down on his shoulder.

"Does that ease your mind at all?" he asked.

"It does."

They stayed, still and silent just basking in each other's embrace for several minutes before she spoke again.

"I think I'd do it with you, too."

"Hmm?" he hummed, bringing his fingers up to brush through her hair.

"The kid thing," she clarified. "If I was going to do it... I'd like to do it with you."

He tilted his head to press a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Morning, Baby.

"Morning, Baby."

Lanie hummed as she plodded down her hallway, toward the kitchen.

Esposito turned his head in her direction, but kept his eyes glued to whatever had caught his attention. His finger lifted to his lips and a sharp shhh slipped through his teeth.

"Oh, you did not just shush me," she said firmly; the honey-sweet tones in her voice suddenly non-existent.

But Esposito was unfazed.

"Shh," he hissed again, eyes still glued to that one spot, but he curled his finger in a come here motion.

She obliged, inching closer to peek around the corner, eager to see whatever it was he was seeing.

Her eyes scanned from the kitchen to the dining room in search of something that seemed... off. The place was tidy, undisturbed, exactly how they had left it last night before bed. It wasn't until her eyes drifted to the living room that she found the only thing that wasn't as they had left it: Castle and Beckett, snuggled up on the couch. Together. Fast asleep.

"Do we... wake them up?" Esposito asked, his voice hushed.

Finally he peeled his eyes away from his friends and looked at his girlfriend with a wickedly excited smile.

"Don't you dare, Javier Esposito!" she warned. "They spent the whole evening trying not to flirt too much or seem too comfortable; let them have this."

His shoulders slumped as he sulked, "Fine."

She grabbed his hand, led him a few paces back up the hallway and pulled closed her bedroom door: loud enough to alert their friends that their alone time was coming to an end.

After a few seconds, they walked back toward the living room, smiling knowingly to each other when they saw Beckett snuggled up under the blanket on her own couch.

"Well this is/was certainly unplanned."

He fell back against the pillows, his chest rising and falling heavily with each short, shallow breath he took.

"Well, this was certainly..."

"Unplanned?" she finished his sentence as she curled into his side.

"Yeah," he panted. "I was going to say a nice surprise but that works, too."

She chuckled and patted his chest as she pulled herself upright.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she slipped out from under his sheets.

"I just dropped by to see how the writing was going," she explained as she slid into her jeans and put on her shirt. "I have to get to work."

"Don't go," he pleaded as he sat up and reached for her hand.

He laced his fingers through hers and pulled her hand closer, pressing soft kisses along her knuckles.

"The writing is... getting there." The movement of his lips tickled the back of her hand as he spoke. "I need my muse."

With a smile she kneeled on the bed and inched closer to him.

"Nikki would never miss work to stay in bed with Rook all day," she teased.

"She would," he argued. "In fact, that is exactly what I've been writing."

She hummed her amusement. "Good. Keep writing that."

Castle's shoulders slumped.

"Let me know when you're done and maybe we can have lunch?"

"Lunch?" he questioned with suggestive undertones.

"Food, Castle," she deadpanned. "I need food. Actual sustenance, you know?"

"That's fair, I guess."

She leant in and kissed him; long and slow.

"Write," she commanded.

He called his response as she walked out of the room. "Yes Ma'am!"

Flannel

He woke to find her side of the bed empty, but he wasn't surprised.

His hands scrubbed over his face in attempt to wipe the tiredness from him, and he blinked several times to clear the blurred edges of his vision. As he scanned the room, he found her standing by the large floor-to-ceiling window that looked out across the lake; her silhouette outlined by the blue glow of moonlight.

He pulled himself from the warmth of the bed and slipped into the boxer shorts that laid hastily discarded by the foot of the bed. He plodded toward her, careful not to startle her from her thoughts.

Gently, he reached out for her; his old flannel shirt gathered between his fingers as he gripped her waist and pulled her body closer to his.

She stepped back without hesitation; melting into his embrace, soaking in the warmth of his body as his arms wrapped around her torso.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

She hummed her response, her eyes still lost in the reflection of moonlight on the lake.

"Just thinking," she confessed, then turned and looked up to meet his eyes. "I didn't want to disturb you."

She turned in his arms, placed her palm to his cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He pulled back to look at her. "Thinking about...?"

"Stuff," she said casually as she turned to face the window again.

He noticed the sharp focus of her eyes on the lake, the rough swallow before she continued.

"I had to run," she explained apologetically. "I just- I didn't know what else to do."

She didn't have to explain any further, he understood. Or, at least, he was trying to. He couldn't even begin to imagine how confusing the past few months had been for her.

With a sigh, he dipped his head, rested his chin on her flannel-shrouded shoulder.

"You're not running anymore," he said; more hopeful than certain.

She tilted her head to rest against his, pulled his arms tighter around her body.

"No. I'm not. Not anymore."

Pebbles

He smoothed his thumb across the flat surface of the pebble in his hand.

"Five," he said confidently. "And you owe me a kiss."

She laughed. "No way! Eight and I owe you a kiss," she countered.

"Okay, deal."

He stepped up to the edge of the lake, leant back and then pitched the stone toward the water.

They both watched as it skimmed the surface; bouncing once, twice, three times before sinking.

"Hmm, tough luck," she teased as she skipped toward him. She held out another pebble. "Six."

"And a kiss?"

She rolled her eyes before confirming. "And a kiss."

He flicked the stone and her jaw dropped in disbelief as she watched it bounce - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times - before sinking.

He turned back to face her, grin beaming brighter than ever before.

She clicked her tongue as she shook her head.

"You cheat," she accused.

"Nuh-uh."

"You pretended to be bad at this! You tricked me!"

He shrugged. "You didn't set any rules, I figured it was anything goes."

She shook her head disapprovingly, but her smile only brightened.

"You're shameless," she said, taking a step closer to him.

He took a step closer, too, almost closing the distance between them. His hands reached out for her, rested on her waist.

"Can't blame a guy for going after what he wants, right?"

He pulled her closer and she placed her hands on his chest, running her fingertip along the v-notch stitching of his sweater.

"I guess not."

She smiled and brought her hand up to cup his face, pulling him in for a slow, tender and loving kiss. She took her time, savoured the moment as his hands explored.

"Eww!"

They pulled away from each other and turned in the direction of the three familiar voices. Lily, Jake and Reece stood atop the crest of the small hill behind the lake, giggling at their parent's 'icky' display of affection.

"Sorry," Alexis called out as she led her siblings down the slight slope. "The boys were ready to come find you. And Lily wants to show you the dance routine we've been working on."

"That's okay," Kate said with a smile. "We were just about to head back, anyway."

"Daddy, me and 'Lexis baked cookies!" Jake said excitedly as Castle lifted the boy onto his shoulders.

Reece tugged on Kate's hand. "And we made robots out of cereal boxes!"

"Wow, they've sure kept you busy!" Castle mused; part amused, part apologetic.

Alexis nodded.

"Yeah, if you guys are going to keep sneaking off to make out, I'm going to have to start charging," she joked... kind of.

Family Photo

He would be in so much trouble if she were to find him, but he couldn't help himself. He knew it was in there somewhere: he watched as she tossed it into the top drawer of her desk after he accidentally caught her looking through it earlier in the day. And he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since!

A brag book.

Kate Beckett owned a brag book.

Although, he wasn't sure if he could call it a brag book seeing as there was no actual bragging involved. But nonetheless; Beckett kept a small album of her most cherished photographs in her desk draw and he was determined to find it.

She had offered to make him a coffee, but she was finding her rhythm with the espresso machine so he knew he didn't have long. Trying not to mess up her stuff too much, he dug around until he found the golden spiral-bound album and then lowered himself in her chair to peruse.

He smiled as he traced his fingertips over the messily scrawled wording on the front: family photos. He easily recognised the handwriting and he briefly considered putting it back, not crossing the line and prying on something that was obviously so personal.

But when had he ever resisted the urge to pry?

He opened the book and his heart filled with unbridled joy as his eyes scanned the photo before him: Beckett, probably only eight or nine years old, wedged between her parents in what looked to be the ultimate bear hug. The three of them had their eyes squeezed shut and big, toothy grins on their faces. The image radiated happiness; a perfect portrayal of the childhood she wanted to remember.

He flipped through the pages taking a short amount of time to scan each new image with eagle eyes, absorbing as much detail as he could. Each new page marked a new chapter of her life - her early teens through high school, college, the academy - until suddenly she was surrounded by faces he found familiar. Lanie, Captain Montgomery and the boys, a group photo with most of the homicide department.

After quickly checking over his shoulder to make sure the coast was still clear, he turned his attention back to the book. He turned another page and his heart skipped a beat.

Alexis's big, blue eyes and bright smile graced the page in selfie-form. Behind her, he and Beckett stood; arms linked, eyes crossed and tongues poked out playfully.

He remembered the night the photo was taken - just a few weeks ago after a particularly hard case. He had insisted that Beckett join them for a family dinner - as he had many times before - but something about this night had felt... different. There had been a shift of sorts, something that (at the time) he couldn't quite explain.

But now it made sense. That night she wasn't just a guest at their family dinner. That night they all knew that she was family.

And she considered them family, too.

Midnight Swim

(Set after 4x09 - the team go on a much needed break to the Hamptons. And yes, I am aware that this episode was like mid-winter but let's just pretend for a moment that it works in well for this to be a nice, warm summer night. Thanks)

The sand between her toes, the cool ocean breeze against her bare arms, the salt-scented air that filled her lungs: it was the perfect end to a perfect night. A perfect distraction.

She fell back, trailing behind her friends as they walked back to Castle's Hampton house. They took their time - a leisurely stroll along the beach - as they wound down after an ebullient evening; dinner and a drink (or two... or three).

Castle, just a few steps ahead of her, looked back over his shoulder and offered a slight smile. He slowed his pace, allowing her steady steps to bring her to his side.

"You okay?" he asked as he measured his pace to match hers. "You get quiet when you drink. I always feel like you're plotting something."

She smiled at his attempt to keep things light, and shook her head. "No planning, just thinking."

He waited for some quip about his not being familiar with the term, but it didn't come.

"Thinking about?" he inquired impertinently, but she didn't mind.

She locked her eyes to the four people walking several yards ahead of them and tilted her head to refocus Castle's attention.

Leading them home were Ryan and Jenny; walking hand-in-hand, stopping every now and then to add to their ever-growing collection of shells from this weekend away. They were pleasantly buzzed, giggling away and totally immersed in their happy little bubble. To them, the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

Just behind the loved-up couple, Lanie and Esposito walked in comfortable silence. Still working through their issues, the time together wasn't exactly what they'd had in mind for this weekend but when Kate had needed them, needed to get away from the city with people she could trust, they had put their own troubles aside for her. For that, she was immeasurably grateful.

"I have some pretty great friends," she mused aloud.

"Yeah," he agreed thoughtfully. "They care about you."

The I care about you remained unspoken, but she heard it nonetheless.

He stopped and placed his hand gently on her elbow, encouraging her to stop too. When she did, he looked into her eyes.

"Kate, are you sure you're okay?"

"Castle, I..."

Her gaze drifted toward the horizon; the glittering reflection of the moonlight that danced across the surface of the water, enticing her.

"I want to swim," she whispered as she looked back at him with a bright smile.

Any protest from him was silenced as she slipped her dress from her shoulders. He watched, dumbfounded, as she shimmied the material down her lithe body and stepped out of it, leaving it a silken puddle in the sand.

He slowly scanned her body, taking in the long lines of her legs, the slight curve of her hips, her softly sun-kissed skin that contrasted the ivory swimwear that hugged her figure.

His brow arched. "You wore your swimmers to dinner?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored his incredulity. "Are you coming, or not?"

He kicked his shoes off as he pulled his jacket from his shoulders - his hands just couldn't move fast enough - but after several fumbling seconds he stood in his boxers.

With a smile, she grabbed his hand and began to jog toward the water.

"Guys!" she called over her shoulder. "Come swim with us!"

-/-/-/-/-

Golden beams of morning sunlight peeked over the horizon and warmth washed over her as she watched her friends.

Lanie and Esposito were curled up together, having fallen asleep after their midnight swim. Ryan and Jenny - never to miss an opportunity to be sickeningly sweet - had spent hours sitting in the dunes, drawing love notes to each other in the sand.

When she had said she wanted to stay and watch the sunrise she had assumed that they would continue on, that maybe Castle would linger out of this unnecessary sense of guilt he held onto, but she hadn't expected all of them to stay with her all night long.

No one hesitated, no one complained; they just let her do what she needed to do.

Castle sat down beside her and held out a small cardboard cup.

"The coffee cart we passed doesn't open until 5am," he informed her.

She looked down at the cup in his hand and took it gratefully.

"There's a 24/7 gas station just off the promenade, though. If you ignore the aftertaste it really isn't that bad."

Her lips curved into a tight smile as Castle pulled a disgusted face.

Yeah, she really did have some pretty great friends.