This one has been brewing in my head for months now. Although I think the first part of this Caskett story came together pretty well, I'm still struggling with the middle - and don't even ask me about an ending! ;) I just wanted to share with the Castle-dom, and hope that you'll offer some feedback and comments that will join Kate and Rick in inspiring me to get this one altogether!

Hang on for a few twists and turns - and thank you for reading!


Moments of Always

Chapter 1 - That Moment When…


Her mind was going in circles. Katherine Beckett Castle took yet another deep breath and hit speed-dial on her phone as she cautiously approached the traffic light. Her eyes shifted left and right judging the traffic that seemed to be darting in every direction.

"Hey, what's up?" the younger voice on the other end of the phone call answered cheerfully.

The older woman laughed. "I'm just nervous, I guess," she heard her female counterpart chuckle quietly. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Kate asked as she felt her stomach quiver.

"Stop asking me," 24-year-old Alexis Castle instructed her stepmother. "Just like when you and dad started living together… I really don't have a lot to say about this, do I?"

Kate was quiet for a moment.

"Kate?" Alexis prodded, "That's not a bad thing, seriously!" She turned to an encouraging tone. "I'm honestly excited. Aren't you? I mean forget the nerves for a second. You and Dad - well, I've seen enough that I won't fully go down that path…" she joked and was happy to hear her stepmother laugh a little. "Wait, are you heading to your appointment?"

Kate breathed in and out slowly. Just chatting with her husband's daughter calmed her down. Alexis was certainly beyond her college-aged years when it came to being an adult. And for some reason the two of them had connected years before the inkling of romance sparked between Kate and Rick Castle.

"I am," Kate bit on her bottom lip with a smile widening to reveal the dimple in her left cheek. She glanced up one more time as the light turned from green to yellow just feet in front of her. She kept her foot level on the gas pedal making the decision to go on through the intersection.

"I'm just rethinking this 'going alone' idea. I'm thinking now that maybe I should have your dad -"

Her statement cut off suddenly to Alexis's ear. The next thing the 24-year-old heard was the squeal of tires, a terrified "NO!" from her stepmother and then the sound of crumpling metal.

"KATE!" the porcelain-skinned redhead held the cell phone away from her face and stared at it. "Beckett!" Her breath felt more and more shallow as she heard nothing but random noises. The sound of strangers, mechanical inconsistencies, but the most horrifying was the lack of Kate's voice, a veritable silence that made Alexis's heart drop to her stomach and tears immediately formed in her eyes.


Richard Castle sat in the waiting room at the e.r. waiting for news about his wife. The call from his daughter had been startling. He was glad for the preemptive phone call but Alexis's emotions did little to quell his immediate anxiety.

After seven years of chasing each other, falling in love, denying that love and then finally giving in to fate, or faith or the gods above, Rick and Kate had started making a life together.

Following kidnappings, injuries that were nearly fatal and inner turmoil that now filled the novelist's many best-selling works, the Beckett-Castle coupling was at long last getting a well-deserved rest.

Or so he thought.

Now, here he sat again in the hard plastic chair that had supported him years ago when Kate had been shot in the chest. It was the same chair where he had camped for nearly three days until he was sure she was going to survive that particular incident.

He hated thinking about that. Hated that it took such a violent action to make him realize how he had felt for his Detective Beckett from the moment he met her. And he hated the memory of holding her in his arms as blood drained from her body and his tearful statement of "I love you, Kate…"

But that declaration had led to changes in both their lives that ultimately brought them together.

Now he traded the thoughts of tragedy for the more recent memories of holding her in his arms as he peppered kisses across her unclothed chest and paying especially close attention to the scar from the bullet wound that sat between the swell of her breasts.

It was an unspoken reminder of broken hearts that were mended. Hearts that now filled with fire for one another; love, lust, passion and determination all rolled together.

Rick found himself smiling gently, until he remembered why he was again sitting in this chair.

After Alexis's panicked call it had taken the two of them another 90 minutes to figure out where the accident occurred and the status of now-New York Police Captain Kate Beckett. Even with the police ties, it took the 'Find My Phone' app and a dozen calls to determine that Kate had been loaded into the back of an ambulance and was headed to Mount Sinai Hospital.

The only other thing the officer could tell them was that Kate was conscious but in immense pain, likely from broken bones. And, that she was asking for her husband…and Alexis - the young woman in particular.

Alexis insisted that Rick make his way to the e.r. following that information while she wrapped up loose ends at their private investigation office. She promised she would be there as soon as possible.

And so he sat.

Rick's head turned at every body that moved through the doors separating the waiting room from the actual patients. Besides confirming that his wife was, in fact, somewhere behind those doors, no one had told him anything…yet.

He sighed. Where was she going? Kate had taken the day off work after several days of feeling pretty puny thanks to food poisoning, they suspected. The thoughts of conspiratorial reasons had hit them both - if they were being honest.

Rick knew Kate had run through lists of cases that she had overseen in recent years and suspects that hadn't been put behind bars for whatever reason. He was familiar with most of those cases and suspects because he had been right by her side for the majority of them.

He coupled those thoughts with ideas about a few of his p.i. patrons but nothing pointed to her illness being anything but some random bug or virus.

That's why it didn't make sense that she had even left their posh loft. She was supposed to be sleeping and he was going to bring home chicken soup and ginger ale to try and help settle her stomach.

Mr. Castle couldn't even conjure up a reason in his writer's brain. The only thing that kept gnawing at him was the fact that Kate was apparently asking for Alexis…on the phone with Alexis…when the accident happened.

His daughter obviously held answers that he needed. Alexis's presence would refocus his attention and give him something else to think about besides his wife's broken body and the fact that he wasn't by Kate's side at this very moment.

He stood from the chair yet again and walked to the nurse's station. "Hi…again…" he gave the nurse at the desk a serious look. "Please, is there anything you can tell me about Captain Beckett… …my wife. Is she alright? Is she in surgery? I'll take anything, please," he practically begged.

The woman gave him a gentle smile. "I'll go check, Mr. Castle. Several patients were brought in from that same accident. I know that's kept our attending physicians busy, several patients in triage at the same time. But I'll see if I can find out anything."

She stood from her chair and turned toward the emergency room innards just as a blue-scrub outfitted woman came out.

"Castle?" The scrub-wearing medical personnel pulled latex gloves from her hands as she spoke.

"Me," Rick looked at her hopefully. "That's me. I'm Richard Castle. Kate Beckett…Beckett Castle…Kate Castle…that's my wife," he stuttered slightly.

"Alright," the physician paused and looked around. "Is there an Alexandra or Alexa here with you?" she furrowed her eyebrows before looking back at Rick.

"Alexis?" Rick mimicked her expression, "That's my daughter. She's on her way here but hasn't made it yet, why?"

The doctor nodded, "Alexis, yes, that's it." She pointed toward the chairs where Castle had been sitting and ushered him back to the seat. "Ms. Beckett, was asking for her - she's insistent that she sees Alexis before we take her back to surgery but we need to put her under asap."

"Surgery?" Rick looked at the doctor with eyebrows furrowing. He shook his head as the sheen of tears formed over his irises.

"Surgery?" A second female voice stepped quickly to her father's side and looked down at the doctor who had seated herself beside Mr. Castle.

"Alexis?" The doctor looked away from Rick and into the young woman's face.

"Yes," Alexis scrunched her eyebrows as well, mimicking her father's look, tears included.

"Ms. Beckett - "

"My stepmom," Alexis corrected easily, "Mrs. Castle…"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, , wants to see you before we take her to surgery."

"Why me?" Alexis put a hand on her father's shoulder and felt him tense even further as the doctor took a deep breath. "Dad should be back there with her right now. Why is he - why are you still out here, Dad?"

The doctor interrupted the look between father and daughter before Rick could say a word.

"I'm just telling you what she requested. Why don't you come back with me. We need to get her to surgery sooner rather than later. Her femur is broken and displaced right above her kneecap. They gave her morphine in the ambulance but she is fighting it with everything in her, insisting that she needs to see you before we do anything else."

Alexis's eyes widened and she looked away from her father with her focus on the doctor's words. It was beginning to make sense.

"I'm going back with you," Rick insisted, quickly becoming frustrated at the idea of being kept away from his wife and more than worried that she wasn't asking for him.

"No!" Alexis and the doctor answered at once making Kate's husband even more agitated.

"I want to see my wife," he stated definitively.

"Dad," Alexis took a deep breath and thought for a split second. "Doctor, can I go see Kate - Dad, just let me talk to her for a minute. I think I know what this is about. Just give me a minute and then maybe you can see her before they totally put her under."

"I want to see her now," Rick insisted as he looked at his daughter who was mothering him to the best of her abilities.

"Dad, please," Alexis instructed him.

Rick slouched back into the chair. "Can you at least tell me if she's going to be alright?" The unshed tears finally spilled over his bottom eyelids making Alexis bend down to give him a hug.

The doctor sighed quietly and nodded in understanding. "She's conscious. Broken bones and we need to make sure there's no internal bleeding. We're operating on her left leg to reset the bone. Her left arm is also fractured and her pelvis might be as well. We'll know more once we can get her in the operating room. She's a strong woman, Mr. Castle, and a lucky one."

Rick's slight smile formed on quivering lips as he looked up at the doctor and his daughter.

"Let me take Alexis back to see her and then yes, we'll let you see your wife before we put her under completely," the doctor began ushering Alexis toward the doors between the two areas before he could disagree.

Rick Castle watched them both, feeling a little better about his wife's condition but still fragile and frustrated at not being able to see her with his own eyes.


Alexis knew Katherine Beckett was in pain the moment the doctor pulled back the curtain of the emergency room space. The older woman's face was marred by a grimace, tears, plus cuts and scratches from the accident.

The redhead approached the bed slowly and went to Kate's right side before attempting to take her hand. "Kate? I'm here," she spoke softly.

Kate groaned as she looked into Alexis's beautiful face and began to cry. "Our baby," she shook her head.

"Hey, hey," Alexis shook her head as well. "You're in too much pain, Kate. What did the doctor say?"

"I can't tell them," she sobbed with words coming out quietly. "If I tell them, they'll tell Castle and… and…"

Alexis felt the tears rolling down her own cheeks. Suddenly this whole scenario fell onto her shoulders…

She had encouraged her stepmom to take a home pregnancy test two days ago. Together they decided that Kate wouldn't share the news with Rick until her ob/gyn confirmed the results.

That appointment was supposed to happen an hour ago. That's where Kate was heading.

Alexis had insisted that Kate surprise Rick with the news at dinner this evening .

"Kate, we have to tell the doctor before you have surgery on your leg," Alexis finally got her mind focused on the present moment. "Did you…the baby…you don't know then, do you - I mean…" The young woman's eyes widened gently as she failed to ask the question that lodged in her throat.

Kate winced with pain. "I want our baby," was all she could say as she removed her uninjured hand from her stepdaughter's hold and put it on her abdomen. "I just want our baby." She blinked and turned her face away from Alexis.


Alexis sucked in a shaky breath as she watched tears leaking from the corners of Kate's eyes.

Castle's daughter had come into adulthood at a much younger age than most children. But she had accepted her role and played it proudly.

That included being hesitant when Detective Kate Beckett came into their lives, but the then-teen had soon found that Kate was a friend and a confidante.

When the woman truly became part of their family Alexis hadn't been the most enthusiastic. Kate wasn't like any of the other women her father had dated. She was far more responsible than Alexis's own mother. She was more accepting and open than Rick's second wife.

It hadn't taken Kate long to confront Alexis about her feelings. Before becoming a stepmom and police captain, Detective Beckett had put the younger woman's feelings in front of her own, wanting to be part of the Castle family without disrupting the bond that Alexis and Rick shared.

Alexis easily recognized the effort and it didn't take long for a heartfelt connection to bond and grow between them.

So now the two women not only loved, but also respected each other. The fact that Alexis had insight to her father's man-child mind strengthened that bond more than either had expected, but appreciated immensely.

That's why Alexis had quite forwardly asked Kate, two days ago, if pregnancy might be the cause of her illness.

The thought hadn't crossed Kate's mind but she didn't hesitate to take the pee-on-a-stick test that the 20-something handed her from a pharmacy bag. Rick had gone to the private investigation office to pick up files leaving Kate in Alexis's care.

Alexis had laughed at Kate's tense posture when she emerged from the bathroom and simply said, "Three minutes…but let's give it five just in case. Maybe 10 or 15…"

"I thought you guys were careful about this stuff," Alexis had commented, trying to lighten the mood. Her voice, however, had given away that bit of the little girl/only child idea that was running through her.

"Careful?" Kate had chuckled a little sarcastically. "Have you MET your father?"

"And he's rubbed off on you now?" Alexis stared at Kate with a smile on her face.

"Well, he rubbed something…" Kate stopped, remembering who she was talking to and buried her embarrassed face against her arm.

"Ew!" Alexis had cringed and both women had laughed, dropping that part of the conversation.

"We've talked about having kids from the beginning of our relationship. Remember when we watched the baby that had been kidnapped? Your father called him Cosmo. That was eye-opening," Kate had laughed at the memory.

"So you do want kids of your own?" Alexis asked sincerely.

Kate sat down on the bed beside her stepdaughter and nodded easily. "Does that bother you?"

"Well, no…except that I've been the only child for so long now. But I'm so removed from…home…now. I mean I love you and Dad, of course. It's just a little weird to think of him…" her thought drifted away as an entirely different baby scenario crossed her mind.

"What?" Kate ducked her head down to catch Alexis's attention.

"I've thought about him as a grandfather, you know, holding and playing with MY future baby," Alexis admitted with a slight blush to her pale cheeks.

"Ah," Kate nodded slowly.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want this. Kate, it's been me and Dad and Gram for so long," she shrugged her shoulders and smiled gently. "You are a very welcome addition to this family. And a baby…yours or mine…is going to be loved so much," the redhead laughed softly and held her hands up in the air to signify the gigantic amount of feelings she could imagine.

The alarm on Kate's watch buzzed and her eyes widened as she looked back toward the bathroom.

"Go," Alexis encouraged.

Kate blew a breath out through tightly puckered lips and slowly walked back into the bathroom. She pressed her lips together after looking at the test and walked back into the bedroom with the results facing her cohort.

"Those are two plus signs, right?" Kate asked Alexis nervously.

Her stepdaughter grinned widely and nodded with a telltale wag of her eyebrows. "Congratulations!" Alexis smiled wider and wrapped her arms around the older woman.

Everything else had been a whirlwind. Following a call to the ob/gyn the two women had made the easy decision to surprise Rick with their news.

Not long before Kate left for her appointment on this day, Alexis headed to the p.i. office to clean up some paperwork and possibly catch her father to keep him occupied.

Kate had placed a hand over her abdomen as she closed the door behind her stepdaughter. "Why do I feel this insane urge to call you Cosmo?" She looked down at her hand and swore she felt a slight flutter inside her belly. She worked her bottom lip between her teeth and took a deep breath. "You are gonna be sooo spoiled," she declared and looked around the room.

She was ready to get the official word from the doctor and share this news with her husband. And the idea that she could potentially give him a son was one of the most exciting that she had ever had.

Kate's heart practically exploded with the thoughts of having a child of her own. Sharing that child with the love of her life made it exponentially better. All she had to do was get to the doctor's office.


Alexis took a couple of deep breaths to settle herself before turning around to the various people in scrubs who were checking vital signs and the various charts surrounding Kate's bed. She caught the eye of the doctor who had walked her back to her stepmother's bed.

"Doctor…" Alexis stepped toward the woman.

"...Brady," the doctor finished. "Sorry about that, I'm Dr. Brady. And I'm sorry we haven't brought your father back here yet, but she was insisting…"

Alexis looked down at Kate who was obviously beginning to lose the fight with the morphine and sedatives running through her i.v. Her eyes were red streaked from crying, pain and trying to stay awake. And she shook her head, fearful of just about everything in that moment.

The oldest Castle offspring put a finger in the air to pause the doctor's words then stepped back to Kate's side and looked at her seriously. "You let them take care of you and we will take care of everything else once we know you are alright."

Kate blinked slowly and seemed to finally accept the inevitable. She didn't try to say anything else but closed her eyes and placed her good hand again over her abdomen.

With the patient settled the young woman turned her attention back to the physician. "Here's the thing," Alexis started and twitched her nose as she felt the burn of tears forming across her eyes once more. "Kate took a pregnancy test a couple of days ago. It was positive. She was on her way to the obstetrician's office to take the official test. My dad doesn't know yet. And Kate's afraid with the accident that she may have… lost the baby."

The doctor's eyes widened as she nodded in understanding. The morphine, the sedatives, the impending surgery… No wonder her patient was fighting them tooth and nail.

"How far along?" The doctor asked gently.

"Just a few weeks, we're guessing," Alexis answered. "But what can we do? I mean…"

"We can do an ultrasound before we take her back to surgery. That will at least give us an indication - a heartbeat, something to go on. Also, she hasn't complained of any cramping, and the nurses haven't said anything about bleeding. That's a good sign." The doctor smiled softly but then looked toward the outer doors.

"Ms. Castle, I realize this isn't what your stepmother wants necessarily, but while I order the ultrasound, I highly recommend talking to your dad and getting him back here. It's been my experience that in these unexpected situations it's helpful for a couple to be together, especially if…" The slight smile went away from the doctor's lips with the more negative thought.

Alexis looked at the woman for another moment and then nodded. This wasn't how her father was supposed to learn this news. But she knew the doctor was correct. No matter the outcome, Richard Castle needed to be by his wife's side - for both of their sakes.


Just as she expected, Alexis found her father standing at the nurse's station trying his best to charm his way past the meager security to see his wife. He stood up straight and looked at his daughter with a gaze that simply said, "Spill it."

Alexis took Rick by the hand and led him back to the god-awful plastic chairs in the waiting room. Her mind was still trying to play out this conversation but couldn't come up with a way to even begin it.

Without realizing it she held her dad's hand gently in both of hers, patting it and caressing it, staring down at it instead of into his eyes.

After just a few seconds Rick squeezed her hand tightly. "Alexis, just tell me."

His mind had raced with ideas of Kate needing to get to Alexis for some reason or some call coming in from the 12th precinct insisting Kate come to work while Alexis was still at the loft. It was obvious his daughter was privy to answers. In this situation he shouldn't have to coax them out of her.

Alexis pressed her lips together and both of them knew what was going to happen next. Rick sturdied himself for the flood of information that was going to come pouring from her mouth and prayed that he could understand and keep up with it.

"Kate was headed to a doctor's appointment. Dr. Ange…you probably don't know the name…she's an ob/gyn…" Alexis stopped purposefully and swallowed to give herself an extra second before sharing the next tidbit.

Rick shook his head and squinted his eyes with a shrug of his shoulders.

Alexis swayed her head and took a deep breath. She looked her father directly in the eyes this time to make sure he was hearing her. "The reason Kate's been feeling bad the past few days…the nausea…in the mornings in particular…" she again hesitated and Rick shook his head with silent insistence that she should just spell it out for him.

"Dad, Kate took a pregnancy test a couple of days ago at home. It was positive. She was heading to Dr. Ange's office today to get that confirmed but then this accident happened."

This time when she paused Rick's eyes just stared into hers.

Several long seconds passed with father and daughter looking at each other. When Rick's lower lip began to quiver Alexis saw the tears glazing over his eyes.

"Kate…Kate's pregnant?" He twisted his face to the side, still keeping his eyes on his daughter's face and sucked in a shaking breath.

Alexis nodded hesitantly. "She was going to surprise you with the news tonight at dinner."

"How-" Rick Castle looked toward the doors forming a barrier between him and his wife and now, apparently, his second child. "Alexis, is she okay? Why can't I go be with her? I need to be with her, right now," he insisted with a determination on his face that the redhead had only seen in relation to Katherine Beckett Castle.

"Wait…" Alexis stiffened her body to keep her father from running through the doors for just one more moment. "Dad, Kate's scared, of course. She didn't tell the doctors or nurses about the pregnancy because she didn't want them telling you about it. And, now she's also afraid that… well in all the chaos, she's scared that maybe she lost the baby."

Rick looked at his daughter and felt the weight of her last words deep in his chest.

"I need to get back there," he breathed shallowly and stepped toward the doors. This time nothing was going to stop him.

Alexis was right beside him and both noticed Dr. Brady holding the doors for the twosome to make their way to Kate's bedside.

Rick didn't hesitate to let his tears fall from his eyes when he finally saw his wife, laying so still in the hospital bed. Alexis guided him to the right side of Kate's body where there were only minimal injuries.

He immediately reached for her hand and held it to his cheek before placing kisses softly against each of her knuckles. "Oh, Beckett…" he turned her palm to his lips and held a kiss to her skin.

"Castle?" Kate blinked sleepily, practically unable to open her eyes thanks to the medications coursing through her bloodstream.

"I'm right here, Sweetheart. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he insisted.

"Something I need to tell you," Kate whispered and Rick leaned down to try and hear her.

"Shhh," Rick tried to shush her but Kate squeezed his hand weakly and pulled him toward her.

"No, need to know… I'm sorry…" Kate forced her eyes to open. "Our baby…I'm sorry," she mumbled and her face again crumbled into tears.

Before Rick could say anything else Alexis stepped in placing a hand on his back and looking down at Kate.

"Doctor Brady is ordering an ultrasound before they take Kate back to surgery. She'll be back to talk to you in a moment. They've given Kate morphine for the pain and a sedative just to calm her down. She has to have the surgery to set the broken bone, that's not an option."

"I'm sorry," Kate whispered again, causing Rick to bend over the bed.

He placed his lips on her forehead and then slid his mouth toward her ear and left a gentle kiss there as well. "No more apologizing," he instructed her in the gentlest, firm voice he could muster. "I'm here with you and I'm going to take care of you…and our baby. I love you. You let me worry about both of you, alright? I promise you, Kate…you just let the doctors and nurses take care of you and as soon as I can get you home I'll take care of both of you."

Alexis marveled for just a moment. She couldn't hear what her dad was saying to her stepmom, but Kate's tension finally seemed to truly give way to medicated relaxation.

"I want our baby," the injured woman said slowly.

"I know you do," Rick raised up just a little and spoke to her closed-eye face. He used his free hand to wipe tears from under her eyes first, then from his own, and then he placed soft kisses against Kate's eyes and the tip of her nose.

He looked at Alexis and then watched as a team of three nurses moved toward them with a portable ultrasound cart, a monitor and Dr. Brady. The doctor asked Alexis to give them a little more space to work in the small area but the moment she looked at Rick she knew they would have to work around him.

His grip on Kate's hand didn't loosen in the least as he watched them working to uncover her slender abdomen. The various tubes and cords were shifted away from the tender skin of her belly before they squirted the warmed gel onto the area.

One of the nurses looked at Rick and Alexis as she pulled a rolling stool up to the bed and took a seat. She grabbed for the wand to begin the search for the Castles' unborn child but held it calmly as she asked pertinent questions.

"How far along…who's your ob/gyn…you'll need to contact Dr. Ange…once we get the ultrasound results I suggest you go ahead and call her office while we have Mrs. Castle in surgery."

Alexis answered the questions to the best of her ability, explaining the 'surprise' nature of things as her father's excusable quietness.

And then it seemed the entire area was silent as the nurse passed the wand through the gel, spread it around Kate's stomach and then slowly began swiping the device over her womb.

Rick held Kate's hand to his lips but knew she was unaware of anything that was happening right now. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, all things considered. Still, he watched the monitor diligently, trying not to let the idea of overwhelming disappointment overtake him.

Finally, the nurse's actions stalled. She reached toward the cart and adjusted a couple of the knobs.

Rick thought he could make out a movement of some sort on the screen and held his breath. Alexis put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He placed his free hand over hers and strengthened his grip on his wife's hand as well.

In the next moment a swooshing sound met their ears. Rick and Alexis looked cautiously at the nurse who seemed to press the wand more firmly against Kate's belly.

She looked up at the two family members and nodded. "That's a heartbeat," she offered.

The breath that Rick released was one he didn't even know he was holding. But he sucked in another one quickly and looked from the nurse to Dr. Brady to his daughter and then back to his wife.

He leaned quickly back toward Kate's ear. "You've still got our baby, Sweetheart. You protected our little nugget. Now let them fix your leg so we can get you home. Kate, I know you can hear me. Baby Caskett is fine and I love you both…always."

The nurse looked at him a little sternly.

Rick stood up straighter, stretched his back and looked back at the younger woman. "One step at a time," he told her and then looked at his daughter. "We need to go call Dr. Ange's office while they operate."

He nodded firmly as the team of nurses recovered Kate and prepped her for surgery.

Rick looked into Kate's face and finally put her hand down on her body, purposefully placing it over the spot where they had just heard the fetal heartbeat. "I love you and I will be right beside you when you get out of surgery."

Kate obviously gave no reaction but the doctor nodded at Rick and Alexis with a suggestion that they go back to the waiting room.

Alexis watched Rick swipe at his eyes again as they made their way back to those horrendous seats.

Once they were both settled and took a few moments to breathe normally the young woman looked at her father.

Rick turned to look at her, feeling the gaze of her eyes on his cheekbone. "What?" he wondered. "I think I'm allowed to cry, aren't I?"

Alexis smiled warmly and then wiped a teardrop off his cheek. "Of course you are. You love her and… was it Baby Caskett?"

Rick smiled. Their shipdom name had been an amusing discussion between them years ago.

"That's not really what you'll name the baby, is it?" Alexis wondered seriously.

Rick finally smiled at his daughter genuinely. "I don't know. If all goes well, your younger sibling may just be Cosmo Caskett Castle. What d'ya think?"


Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this first installment. If you would like to leave a comment, please feel free to, or DM your thoughts. I always say, your reviews feed my muse! -adcg