I struggled a little with this chapter and also with getting it ready to upload. Because: My kids are sick. Again! So I apologize if this chapter didn't turn out so well. I didn't have much time but I didn't want to keep you waiting that long.
And regarding the question about Alexis: Funnily enough, she makes her appearance in this chapter. So far, there's just been no reason to mention her in particular. This story started from s6e10, at that point Alexis wasn't living at the loft and therefore she didn't see much of Castle and Kate's behavior or how Kate was doing. In the show, Alexis moves back into the loft in s6e16. And although this storyline is obviously AU, it follows the timeline of the show in some aspects (for example, the birth of Sarah Grace). Of course Alexis will play a role in this storyline but I have to introduce that first (which I'll start with in this chapter). I hope the explanation is understandable.
Oh, and enjoy the happiness and the cheesiness in this chapter, because after this one things will change, at least temporarily.
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Standing in front of the mirror in the bedroom, Kate pulled the sleeves of her dress into place and straightened the fabric over her hips and stomach. A small smile played over her lips at the thought that it wouldn't be long and she wouldn't fit into this dress anymore. She liked that thought.
She heard Castle's steps walking up to her and looked up to meet his glance in the mirror. He smiled back at her and came to stand directly behind her. Keeping his eyes locked on hers in their reflection, he whispered, "You look amazing."
Kate replied with a soft smile. She was used to his compliments, but still, they didn't fail to have their effect on her and made her feel flattered.
"But I think something's missing." He said, and she saw him reaching into his pants pocket. "I have a gift I would like to give you a little early without our families looking." Removing his hand from his pocket, he lifted it up to her neck and carefully placed a thin silver necklace around it.
She knew she shouldn't be surprised; this was Castle, after all. With a little grin, she shook her head. "Castle, we agreed not to get each other things we didn't talk about."
"This one is special." He mumbled as he closed the little clasp on her neck and ran his hand back to her throat. Looking at their reflection her eyes followed his finger as it pointed to the first of three small diamonds.
"This one is for you." He whispered into her ear and let his finger wander to the other side of the necklace, pointing to another diamond. "This one is for me." His finger trailed along her skin and finally met the slightly bigger diamond in the middle of the first two.
"And this one is for you." He whispered and placed his other hand on her stomach, gently stroking over the spot beneath her belly button.
Kate felt a lump forming in her throat and tears rising in her eyes as she leaned against him. His eyes wandered from her belly back up and locked with her gaze again. Kate fought the tears back with a low, strangled chuckle.
"Now I have to feel bad because I only got you what you wished for." She said with a slight sniffle, but still smiling, her eyes looking at the beautiful sparkling necklace.
But Castle shook his head and pulled her closer against him, his hand still pressed to her belly. "You're giving me more than I ever could have wished for." He turned her slowly in his arms, hugging her to him and leaning his forehead against hers.
"I love you, Kate." He kissed her tenderly. "And I've never been this happy in my entire life."
She closed her eyes to keep the tears that threatened to fall from them locked behind her lids. Maybe she needed to add this to her list of changes she noticed: usually, she wasn't someone who cried that easily. And she wasn't sure whether it was the rising hormone levels that made her so emotional or if it was simply her own happiness that she had never felt so clearly before.
"Me either." She mumbled back and felt his lips brushing against hers.
Hugging him tightly, she let her head sink against his shoulders for a moment, then slowly pulled away and wiped the dampness from the corner of her eye, trying not to ruin her makeup. She noticed Castle's little smirk and laughed.
"I can't help it! The baby is turning me into a softie."
With a broad smile, Castle slowly shook his head, still looking at her, his eyes full of amazement. "I still can't believe we're having a baby." He pulled her close again, gently lying his arms around her waist. "Can you imagine that next Christmas, we'll be celebrating with our three-month-old?"
Kate shook her head. She knew how fast a year could go by but found it hard to imagine how very different their lives would be in a year from now.
"I can't." She smiled. "But I can't wait to see it."
"Me neither." He whispered back, just leaning in for another kiss when the sound of a knock on the door met his ears.
He let his shoulders sink a little, disappointed this wonderful moment was over. "That'll have to be your Dad."
Kate nodded her head, brushed another quick kiss to his lips, and stepped away. She once more looked at herself in the mirror, making sure she wouldn't look like she had been crying, then walked out of the bedroom, brushing her hand over Castle's chest as he followed her.
Opening the door, Kate greeted her father with a warm smile and a hug. Jim Beckett walked in and greeted Castle as well, and then Martha, who came down the staircase at the sound of their guests arriving. Castle threw her a quick glance, his brows slightly lifted to remind her of their agreement, and Martha replied with a soft nod. Only a minute later, the door opened again, and Alexis walked inside. And even though Kate didn't have an early Christmas present for Castle, which he didn't mind, Alexis did as she showed up alone and told him she had called it quits with Pi.
Castle had trouble pretending to be sad about it, at least for a moment, and when he pulled Alexis into a tight, comforting hug, he gave Kate and his mother an excited glance. Both of them struggled to keep their features under control as well, and Kate was sure Alexis noticed it. But the young woman didn't say anything about it. She just told everyone she didn't want it to affect the holiday mood and that she was feeling alright. For Castle, this Christmas had just gotten even better than he would have thought was possible.
Since they had decided to keep this year's Christmas celebration small and in the immediate family, they didn't have to wait on any more guests, and after chatting a little, they sat down at the table, and Castle served the Christmas dinner he had been preparing all day.
Kate tried her best to keep the smile on her face while breathing through her mouth instead of her nose. The various smells that hit her nose made the queasy feeling flame up again and soon caused a dangerous grumble to roar through her stomach. She knew she should eat something, and she wasn't sure whether the grumble in her stomach was caused by hunger or the feeling that she was close to being sick.
As everyone was busy loading food to their plates, Castle leaned over and whispered, "You don't have to eat anything if you don't feel like it."
Kate slowly shook her head and whispered back through her choked throat, "I have to. All I ate today was a chocolate bar. And I can't keep sitting here with an empty plate."
Castle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You didn't tell me it was that bad. I could have gotten you something you feel like eating." He said, sounding a little concerned.
Kate softly shrugged her shoulders. "I guess that doesn't exist right now." She mumbled as she eyed the plates and bowls on the table. With a sigh, she reached out for a plate of baked potatoes, trying to hold her breath so as not to inhale their smell. She put two of them on her plate, cut off a small edge, and hesitantly put it into her mouth, all the while feeling Castle's eyes on her.
Very slowly, she started chewing, then swallowed down the tiny piece, waiting for her stomach to react. To her surprise, the nausea didn't worsen, so she tried a second bite and a third. By the time she had finished her plate, the rumble in her stomach slowly started to settle down, and now she could clearly identify what she was feeling as hunger.
She couldn't eat everything on the table, and when Alexis handed her a plate of ham, she had to swallow hard to keep what she had already eaten down. She quickly handed the plate over to Castle. But all in all, she was surprised at how good it felt to finally eat something and how it helped calm the nauseous feeling she had been carrying around for a few days now.
Castle looked over at her once and then, also surprised by her sudden burst of appetite but relieved she seemed to be feeling a little better. When the dinner was slowly coming to an end, she smiled at him and reached for his hand under the table, squeezing it softly. He returned the gesture, and looking at her face, he found her looking better than she had in days. It made him happy to see that she was able to enjoy the evening.
All together, they carried the dishes to the kitchen, leaving them there to be taken care of the next day, and then headed to the living room. Sitting on the couch and armchairs, they started to exchange their gifts, and Kate couldn't stop her fingers from wandering along her new necklace as Castle pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss into her hair.
"That is a beautiful necklace, Katherine." She heard Martha's voice and turned her head to find the smiling face of the older woman. "Is it new? I think I never noticed it before." Martha added as she eyed the piece of jewelry curiously.
Kate didn't notice the glare Castle was giving his mother over her shoulder, and Martha proved her acting skills by keeping a perfectly straight face.
With a smile, Kate softly nodded and intertwined her fingers with Castle's. "It is." She answered Martha's question, and as her fingertip met the slightly bigger diamond in the center of the necklace, her heartbeat sped up a little. The urge to explain the necklace's meaning washed over her.
Insecurely, she looked over at Castle but then lowered her gaze again, thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea, no matter how much she longed to share her happiness with the people surrounding her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Martha opening her mouth to probably ask her exactly what Kate longed to tell. But she was interrupted by Alexis's voice.
"I'm going to get myself a glass of wine." She said, rising from her chair and walking towards the kitchen. She turned around and walked a few steps backward to face the rest of the family. "Anyone else, Kate, Grams?"
"Oh yes, kiddo, that sounds wonderful, thank you," Martha answered, and Alexis's smiling face turned to Kate. Kate opened her mouth and closed it once more, just now realizing she should have thought about a situation like this beforehand.
She smiled at Alexis and slowly shook her head, saying, "No, thank you, Alexis."
Brief confusion washed over the young woman's face, and Kate could feel the warmth rising in her cheeks. She turned slightly to find Castle's eyes, lifting her brows in a wordless question. Castle didn't seem to get it immediately, so Kate quickly made the decision by herself.
"Actually…" She started and now saw Castle's eyes light up in realization, his smile growing wider. Kate squeezed his hand as her own lips curled into a smile as well.
She turned to look at the family, all eyes curiously on her.
"Actually, I won't be having a glass of wine for quite some time. At least until August next year."
Her smile cracked into a grin at the puzzled and shocked faces looking back at her. Martha was the first one to get up, pulling Kate from the couch to her feet in a matter of seconds, wrapping her in a tight embrace. When she pulled away, they looked at each other with teary eyes, and when Martha did the same with Castle, Kate noticed Alexis standing frozen a few feet away and her father staring at her with a dropped jaw.
"Katie, are you…" He mumbled, and Alexis said, "You're pregnant?"
Looking from one to the other, Kate nodded, starting to feel slightly anxious at the shocked expressions staring back at her.
But then Alexis came out of her freeze, now brightly smiling and walking back up to her, while Jim got his feet as well. Kate hugged them both, now unable to stop the tears from running down her face, especially when she saw the damp shimmer in her father's eyes. Alexis also hugged Castle tightly, and Kate felt even more emotional at the view. Seeing how her father and Castle briefly hugged each other didn't make it any better either.
After a while, everyone sat down again, looking at them, Alexis had forgotten her plan to get a glass of wine. Kate wiped her cheeks as she felt all the smiling glances on her. Her heart was racing in her chest, light with happiness and joy.
Castle placed an arm around her, pulling her close, and Kate struggled to keep another wave of tears down. She wouldn't have thought she could be any happier than she had been since they found out about the baby, but seeing her happiness reflected on the faces of the people she loved made the feeling even stronger.
Alexis was the first one to break the silence. "August.." She said, her brows slightly furrowed as she seemed to think about it. "That means it's still very early, isn't it?"
Kate nodded and looked at the red-haired girl. "It is. We've not even known for a full week." She shrugged her shoulders, looking around the people surrounding her. "But you are our family, even if something should go wrong…"
"Oh, don't say something like that!" Martha interrupted her. "Everything will be fine, and next year's Christmas, we'll be celebrating with this little soul right here in our middle."
Kate smiled at the conviction in Martha's voice.
"She's right," Jim said with a firm nod, reaching for his daughter's hand from across the chair he was sitting on. "Don't worry." He smiled.
Kate nodded and squeezed her father's hand, still deeply touched by seeing her usually not overly emotional father so happy and excited.
"You may forgive me my curiosity, but I simply have to ask." Martha started, drawing the attention back to herself. "Was this planned? I mean, you are obviously very happy, as we all are, but I can't help but wonder. I would have thought you would want to get married first."
"Mother." Castle groaned, and Kate chuckled, padding her hand to his knee. She softly cleared her throat, feeling a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Actually, it was. But we still were quite surprised." She looked at Castle, who still looked at his mother with a frown but now met her gaze, his features softening again.
"And as for the wedding, we haven't really thought about that yet," Kate said, only now realizing that they hadn't wasted a thought on that matter over the last week. They had been too consumed by the happiness of starting their family to even think about anything else.
"I'm sure we'll find a solution for that," Castle said, smiling at Kate and pulling her close to him. "But the priority has surely shifted for now."
The rest of the evening went by at a wonderful slow pace. The food had calmed Kate's stomach, and for the first time in days, she was feeling somewhat rested, probably because Castle had let her sleep all afternoon. She sat close to him on the couch, his arm wrapped around her waist as gifts were exchanged and unwrapped, and ideas were tossed around about what kind of presents would be added in the coming years with the new addition to their family.
The thought about the Christmases that were to come made Kate smile. More than once, her fingers traced along the diamonds on her necklace, or her thumb grazed over her abdomen when her hand was resting in her lap. It was still kind of hard for her to imagine what it would really be like to have a child.
But as they talked about it and her father said he would get his grandchild a model train as soon as it was old enough, the picture easily came to her mind. She could imagine her father and Castle lying under the Christmas tree, next to a little boy with brown curls as they set up the new train set the beautiful little boy had just unwrapped with glowing excitement in his eyes.
And when Alexis suggested she could pass on her collection of dolls, the image of a little girl with a rusty shimmer in her hair, sitting between the other two red-heads of the family, dressing a doll in the new outfit she had gotten for it sent a warm tingle down Kate's spine.
It was still all very abstract and far away. And she was sure life wouldn't just consist of these moments that seemed like they had just escaped from a picture book. Surely, there would be times that wouldn't be easy or happy. But right now, she didn't care about them because right now, she was happy and could see that the people that meant so much to her were, too.
When Alexis and Jim headed home, hugging both Kate and Castle tightly and mumbling their congratulations to their ears once more, Martha did the same and went to bed. Kate started to feel tired again, so they decided to leave the mountains of wrapping paper in the living room to clean up the following day.
Castle helped Kate to unzip her dress, but by the wide yawn she covered with her hand, he could tell that his wish of a repetition of their activities this afternoon wouldn't come true. But he was fine with it, there could hardly be anything that could ruin this evening for him.
When Kate emerged from the bathroom and crawled under the covers beside him, once more yawning and her eyelids already looking heavy, he pulled her close to him and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I was quite surprised." He mumbled into her hair. "I wouldn't have thought you would want to tell anyone so soon."
He felt Kate's movement, shrugging her shoulders against his body. "I didn't plan it. But it felt right, don't you think?"
He pulled her a little closer and adjusted the covers so that her body was completely covered by the soft fabric. "It does." He answered, and for one second, he thought about telling her that he also hadn't been able to keep his mouth closed and had already told his mother in the afternoon.
But he discarded the idea again. He didn't want to risk making her memory of this evening less special. To him, it was perfect. The way they all had been so sincerely happy for them, and now their whole family was looking forward to meeting their child, was more than he could wish for. At this very moment, he felt like he never would have another Christmas wish because there was nothing more he could ask for.
He smiled at this realization as Kate rested her head against his shoulder, and another thought crossed his mind.
"We really have to think about what to do about the wedding." He said and combed his fingers through her hair. Kate remained silent for a moment, and he already started to think she might have fallen asleep when she spoke quietly.
"Would you mind if we waited until after the baby was born? And maybe a couple of months old? I would like to enjoy my wedding day and also fit into a nice dress."
Castle chuckled and tangled one of her curls around his fingers, watching the reflection of the dim light on it. For a moment, he wondered if their baby would have her hair. He hoped so.
"You would look beautiful no matter what." He said, brushing his nose through her hair. "But I get what you mean. And I leave that decision entirely up to you. I just thought you would have wanted to get married before the baby arrives."
Kate lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him, even though it already felt heavy and tired. With a little smirk on her lips, she arched one of her brows and said, "What? Do you think I would rather play it safe and tie you to me before the baby is here? In case you change your mind and leave me with a newborn?"
Even though he knew it was a joke, the thought alone made his smile fade a little. Kate noticed it and instantly reached for his cheek, gently caressing her thumb over his face.
"Castle, I know you would never do that." She pushed herself up far enough to kiss him softly. "I think we are tied together strong enough to wait with the wedding."
Pulling away, she saw that his expression had relaxed again and quirked another brow. "Or do you fear I might take the baby and run?"
Castle grinned with a little snort. "I bet you wouldn't even be able to get the baby into a car seat. I would like to see you try running away."
Kate chuckled and rested her head back against his shoulder. "You don't have to brag about the fact that you know more about babies than I do. I still have nine months to learn everything I need to know, so watch it."
He slowly started lying down, pulling her down with him, and reached for the light switch. Turning the light off and wrapping Kate firmly into his arms, he whispered, "I can't wait to see you with our baby."
Kate replied with nothing more than a soft hum as she was already falling asleep. Castle stayed awake for a few minutes longer, replaying the evening in his mind once more and savoring the happiness he had been feeling for weeks now. He knew it wouldn't always be like this. But until then, he wanted to make sure to absorb every moment.