A/N: Sorry if there's some grammatical errors/typos. I wrote this quickly in between classes.
August 22
A loud crash from the kitchen followed by fits of laughter startled Kate from sleep. Her husband's side of the bed was cold. Glancing at the two baby monitors by the bed, she knew her husband and her son were bound to be getting into trouble. Kate pulled herself out of bed before making her way to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before she went to access the damage. Once finished, she grabbed the baby monitor off the nightstand, deciding to make a pit stop to check on her daughter. The noise from the girl's sound machine engulfed the whole room, calming ocean waves being the only thing that would lull her to sleep. Kate smiled to herself knowing that only her and Castle's daughter would still rely on the artificial sounds of the ocean when the real thing was right outside her door. Kate stared at the small girl, her curls matted to her forehead with sweat. Just like her father, she constantly felt like a little furnace no matter how cool they kept their home. Her right hand was drawn to her mouth, sucking on her thumb. The action causing the dimple, that was identical to her brothers, to be a more prominent part of her features. Kate knew they would have to break the habit soon but the thought of her daughter growing older made her heart ache. Castle had been talking about "last" firsts for awhile now. Their "last" first Easter. Their "last" first Fourth of July. Their "last" first Christmas. Their "last" first birthday. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't taking it harder than Rick was.
Another crash followed by fits of laughter pulled her from her wallowing. Opting to let the girl continue to sleep, Kate headed down the stairs bracing herself for whatever damage the Castle boys had managed to create at seven in the morning.
Kate was prepared for a lot of things. Her husband, son, and kitchen being covered in flour was not one of them.
"Mommy!" Reese yelled from his place on the counter. "Daddy and I are bakin a cake." Kate made her way to her husband, slowly wrapping herself around him, careful not to get any flour on her. "I can see that, baby. Why are you and daddy making a cake?"
"I don't remember. Daddy?" The boy questioned, looking at his father like he held the answer to every question in the universe. Rick pulled his wife closer to him. Kate ignored the flour handprints that now covered her shirt when he placed a quick kiss to her lips and dotted her nose, causing the flour from his hands to transfer to her freshly washed skin. Kate gave him a glare before wiggling her eyes at him in an attempt to draw out the answer her and Reese were patiently waiting for. "It's Lily's half birthday today. That means she's been a part of our family for half of a year and we always need an excuse to eat cake, right?" Rick questioned his son who gave an enthusiastic cheer at the mention of cake. He untangled himself from his wife, stopping to place a quick kiss to her temple and whisper quietly in her ear. "Our last first half birthday." Castle turned to grab their son off the counter before he could realize his grin did not match the somber look on his wife's face. "Come on buddy, let's go get you washed up so you can hang out with mommy while I clean up our mess."
By the time Castle had finished bathing their son, Lily had decided to finally wake up, instantly demanding to be fed. The girl babbled happily as her mother continued to spoon baby cereal into her mouth. Kate heard the footsteps bouncing down the stairs followed by a "Reese, no running on the stairs!" She watched as the recognition hit her daughters eyes, a happy shriek filling the entire kitchen when she saw her brother round the corner, their father right after. Reese quickly climbed into the chair next to his sister, his voice barely a whisper when he leaned over to her. "I'm all clean. All clean, sissy"
Rick searched for Kate's eyes, ignoring the mess in the kitchen and the breakfast he started preparing just for a moment. Her expression matched his, the love for their family evident from the twinkle in their eyes. Their son. Their wild, mischievous son who never slowed down, seemed to have taken a hushed tone when it came to talking to his little sister. The boy, who wrestled with his older sister at every opportunity and was often reminded that he was being listened to in an attempt to get the toddler to lower his voice without withdrawing completely, had started to mimic the comforting tone his mother used on him. Kate ruffled the boys hair, whispering a soft "I love you" to both of her kids. Castle finally joined his family when breakfast and a cup of coffee for Kate had been gently placed on the table.
"You eat, enjoy your coffee. I'll take over feeding baby Kate and when you're finished, I'll get the rest of this mess cleaned up." Castle shifted the baby's high chair so he could pull up a seat for himself before taking the small spoon from Kate's hand. She flashed him a quick smile, "we'll get it cleaned up together."
Kate was exhausted. What started out as a birthday cake had turned into a mini birthday party. The entire Castle family, her father, and their friends from the twelfth had all made their way back to the Hamptons. Castle had grilled while the kids swam and laughter filled their backyard. She caught up with Lanie and Jenny and dodged all of Esposito's attempts to get her to spar with him. She watched as Alexis held her baby sister, whispering words that could only be heard by the two of them. Both girls ignoring everyone around them, lost in their own world. Kate made a mental note to plan a day out with just her and her step daughter. She was thankful her kids got to experience the unconditional love of an older sister, something she longed for in her childhood. Alexis easily fell into her role as an older sister and being apart from her the last few months left their family feeling like a piece was missing.
Kate was exhausted. After hugging their family goodbye, bathing both kids, and fighting a wired toddler to go to bed, Kate finally sank into the comfort of her own. Castle joined her soon after, slipping into bed and allowing his wife to rest her head on his chest while he ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you ready for tomorrow? We can stay longer if you need to, we don't need to rush anything." Kate sighed, knowing their return to the city was inevitable. "I'm ready. I'll be okay. You'll make sure I'm okay." Kate wrapped his shirt into her fist, pulling herself as close as possible to his warm body. They allowed silence to fill the room, but before Rick could fall asleep, Kate whispered five words that would wake him up faster than any cup of coffee ever could.
"Do you want another baby?"
Kate was exhausted.
But she had never been happier.