I've decided to stop apologizing for taking so long to update cause all it does is cause me stress and unnecessary guilt. I just want you guys to enjoy.

Chapter Fifty Two

Castle had forgotten about this part. In hindsight, he might have been able to warn Kate about it, as well.

"Why won't he stop crying?" she practically whined, shoving her face into his neck as he held the fake baby out in front of him, like some diseased creature. "We fed him and changed him and rocked him and played with him and held him and he's still crying!" She sounded on the verge of tears. "Am I a bad mother or something?"

"No," Castle said, immediately, bringing the baby back to rest in the crook of his arm. "Of course you're not a bad mother. You're not even his mother. He's a robot, remember? He's probably been programmed this way."

"So Alexis never cried like this?" Kate asked, pulling away from his chest to look up at him.

"Well…she did, but—" He struggled to find something—anything—that might make this a little easier. "She never cried for this long."

"But you did," a high voice said and both parents turned as Rick's mother entered, an amused and serene look on her face. Alexis, who walked next to her, had her hands clapped over her ears. Martha grinned at their confused looks. "You were a screamer," said Martha. "All day and night. Used to drive your father insane."

"And you?" Kate asked.

"Too late," Castle scoffed under his breath.

Martha glared at him. "I can still beat you, you know," she threatened.

"In front of my children?" Castle gasped. "And my fiancée? You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me," Martha deadpanned. Alexis and Kate giggled and he glared at them, then handed the baby back to Kate. She grimaced.

"Maybe he needs another diaper change," he grumbled, and then reached for the toddler at his feet. "I'll be with my good child, if you need me." Alexis rolled her eyes, her hands still clapped over her ears as RJ wailed. Rick carried her in the direction of his office and Kate sighed, turning to Martha as she bounced the baby on her hip.

"What do I do?" she asked, desperate. "We still have ten days with this…demon. And Gates wants us to meet tomorrow to discuss our 'progress' with him. We very well can't do that if I throw this thing against a wall."

Martha laughed and shook her head. "I felt the same way when Richard was small. That boy kept my husband and I up all night, catering to his needs. I thought it ridiculous that I had to take care of such a…whiner." Kate snorted and continued to rock RJ, who just would not stop. "But we got through it."

"How?" Kate asked. "How do you get through…this?"

"Patience," said Martha, "which you can just imagine I don't have very much of. And affection. Just remember how much you love your baby; how much fun you'll have watching him grow and learn."

"That's going to be a problem," Kate retorted. "This RJ will never grow, never learn anything but how to further annoy me. He's not real."

"Well, just pretend he is!" Martha exclaimed. "Pretend he's the product of yourself and Richard and that he's going to grow into your little boy. The child who will want you to read bedtime stories and sing songs and push him higher on the swings. Pretend that he's going to rely on you all his life and trusts you will everything he has. Pretend that you gave birth to him and held that tiny fist on his first breath. I know, as an actress, this is all very easy for me to say, but it shouldn't be too hard for you, either. Not if you imagine him with Richard's eyes and your smile."

Kate found herself so mesmerized by Martha's words that she almost didn't notice the baby quieting in her arms until she glanced down and saw the little eyes closed. And then she could see it; RJ, though a baby doll, did seem to have Castle's nose and a rounded face like Alexis's. His skin tone matched hers almost exactly and the soft smile and lips mirrored her. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he was hers, biologically.

She felt something inside her warm at the thought that, one day, she would actually be holding their baby in her arms; a baby that was a little bit of both of them. She took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Okay," she said. "Okay; I can totally do this."

Then RJ's eyes opened. And his lips parted. And he let out a shrill scream.

Kate's shoulders deflated as Martha let out a large guffaw.

CBCBCBCB

"So, Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett," Gates started, settling on the easy chair next to the couch in their living room, "how's the assignment going?" She eyed the baby in Kate's arms and the disheveled-looking woman herself.

"It's a little rough," Kate admitted, "but we're getting through it alright."

Castle nodded in agreement. "He's a lively one," Castle laughed, reaching out to pat the baby's head.

Kate pulled RJ away from him. "Don't," she hissed, "or he'll wake up again." Castle retracted, turning to Gates and pasting on a large, fake grin.

She grinned back, almost evilly. "Is one of the ones that cries too much?" she asked.

"Not at all."

"A tad."

Kate and Castle answered a the same time and shared an embarrassed look.

"He doesn't like to sleep at night," Kate admitted as she turned back to the judge. "But a lot of babies are like that, right?"

Gates nodded. "Of course. My test baby was," she informed them. "My husband called him Crier because of it; he wanted to name our actual child that." She shook her head. "But not all infants are Criers."

"Really?" Kate asked, relieved.

Gates nodded. "Some fill their diapers more often, some tend to wreak more havoc than most, and some even—"

"Your Honor," Kate interrupted, "as much as I would like to hear the rest of your horror stories…well, I really wouldn't."

Gates laughed. "Well, it's of no consequence," she said. "The point is, not every baby is going to be a perfect little angel, but humans are built to handle parenthood as it comes our way. I'm sure you'll do fine once your own child arrives in a few years' time, so I wouldn't worry about it. After all, you seem to be doing rather wonderfully with this one."

"You think so?" Castle asked, looking down at the rarely quiet RJ in Kate's arms.

"Well, I don't see any broken limbs or bolts sticking out, so I'd say you're doing better than about, oh, 75% of all my applicants." They both relaxed at that and Gates chuckled again. "So don't worry too much. Just enjoy the little monster while you've got him and I'll see you in two weeks."

They all stood. "Thank you, Your Honor," Castle said, shaking her hand. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem, Mr. Castle. You just take care and, for heaven's sake, take a shower or something."

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