So this will be a collection of one-shots based in and around the Castle universe. In Frozen Heat, Nikki Heat remembers her mother's wisdom: "Don't rush. Like Mozart said, 'The space between the notes is music, too.'" And that's such wonderful advice, because even though we define our lives by the big moments - the birth of a child, a promotion, a graduation, the death of a loved one - it's the little moments between that make it all worthwhile. And that's what I wanted to explore here; hence, the title. So enjoy these moments, and your own, as they unfold before you.

"Uncle Rick?"

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the towheaded child at his elbow. "Yes Gracie?"

She giggled as she always did when he used his nickname for her. Everyone always called her Sarah Grace; everyone except for her Uncle Rick. Her little fingers gripped his sleeve lightly, and he berated himself silently for not washing her hands after giving her a bag of Cheetos with their deli dinner. The girl was a regular visitor to his loft whenever Kevin and Jenny needed to get away, and he was more than happy to stay home and entertain his niece for a few days. His eyes were still on his screen as he typed out Nikki Heat's latest adventure, but he divided his attention dutifully as the five year old next to him took a breath to ask whatever question had popped into her head.

"Is God gonna put a baby in Aunt Kate's belly?"

Jameson Rook stumbled mid-stride as Castle's hands jerked on the keyboard in response. His head turned to the innocent blue eyes waiting patiently for an answer. Finally he managed to find his voice and pivoted his chair around to face Sarah Grace Ryan.

"What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Daddy says that when mommies and daddies are ready that God puts a baby in the mommy's belly, and you and Aunt Kate kiss like mommies and daddies do, so I thought God was going to put a baby in her belly."

He listened to the rapid-fire (and well thought out) reasoning of the preschooler with an amused expression, but inside he felt his heart clench. He and Kate had been trying for over a year to have a child of their own, and after many months of heartache and false alarms they'd finally gone for testing. The news had devastated them both, and some nights when Sarah Grace stayed over Rick couldn't help but notice the pain in his wife's eyes as she watched the girl sleep in the room that should have been for their child.

"Uncle Rick?"

"Sorry, baby girl," he blinked a few times to clear his head and reached down to lift her into his lap. He spun around a few times to get a squeal of delight from his niece, and when they were both sufficiently dizzy he stopped and turned them toward the picture window. Night fell early in January, and the city lights were twinkling beyond the balcony. He took a deep breath and relaxed as she leaned back against his chest, and he recalled a moment long ago when Alexis would do the same. She was off at law school now, embarking on her own journey. Pi - who had surprised him by not only staying with Alexis for so long but actually helping Castle talk her into pursuing her passion for law - was working full-time to allow her to focus solely on her studies.

He returned his attention to the five year old in his arms and struggled to explain their situation in a way she would understand.

"The thing is, Gracie, that sometimes God doesn't put a baby in the mommy's belly because it wouldn't be safe for the baby. But that doesn't mean that they can't be mommies and daddies. It just means that they have to find a different way."

Sarah Grace thought about his answer for a moment, then nodded. "Aunt Kate would be a good mommy."

Her matter-of-fact statement brought tears to Castle's eyes, and he let out a soft chuckle as he kissed her curtain of blonde hair affectionately. "Yes she would, Gracie."

"She gives me an extra cookie after dinner even though she says I can only have two," Sarah Grace's hands danced in front of her face idly as she listed her reasons, and Castle was content to let the girl ramble. "She always reads me an extra bedtime story, and she checks for monsters under the bed and in the closet."

"Hey, I thought I was your favorite monster-hunter," Castle pouted childishly and Sarah Grace laughed.

"You are!" she exclaimed. "But Aunt Kate says that monsters are sneaky, and she checks two times."

"Well tonight I'll check three times," Castle countered, earning a satisfied grin from his niece. "What else does Aunt Kate do?"

"She lets me pick out my own clothes when we go to the park. And whenever Mommy and Daddy go visit Grams and I can't go she takes me out for cheer-up ice cream." Just the thought of the sweet confection made Castle's stomach grumble, and Sarah Grace giggled again.

"Well, I think it's time for some ice cream of our own," he stood up with the girl, slinging her upside down over his shoulder. She shrieked in delight as he stomped across the loft toward the kitchen. He sat her down on a stool and moved to the freezer, opening the door and peering inside curiously to the amusement of his niece. He shook his head sadly and closed the door.

"I think we're out of ice cream," he said, and Sarah Grace laughed at the familiar game.

"No we're not!" her usual line came out on top of a giggle. "You said you always have ice cream."

"Okay," he shrugged, "let me check again." He opened the freezer door and stuck his whole head into the cold, turning it side to side as he pretended to look for the snack. Finally, after a few minutes, he lifted both arms into the freezer and bent them at the elbows, creating the illusion that most of his upper body was deep within the small space.

"Uncle Rick!" The petulance in her voice made him laugh; she sounded just like Kate did whenever he was doing something she found exasperating.

His hands closed around the cookie dough ice cream and he let out a triumphant "Aha!" He nudged the door closed with his shoulder and set the box on the counter before grabbing two spoons from the drawer. He opened the lid and slid the treat between them before handing her a spoon.

"Aunt Kate says we shouldn't eat out of the box," Sarah Grace told him bossily.

"Well Aunt Kate isn't here," he countered, "and Uncle Rick is too tired from hunting wild ice cream to bother with bowls."

"You won't tell?" she glanced at the front door, expecting her aunt to come through it and catch them red-handed. Castle raised his free hand and used his index finger to trace an "x" over his heart.

"Cross my heart," he winked. "But only if you promise not to ask Aunt Kate the question you asked me today." It was almost seven, and Beckett would be home any minute. He didn't want Sarah Grace's innocent question causing her more pain.

"Why?"

"Because it might make her sad," Castle answered simply, scooping a rather large glob of ice cream onto his spoon and into his mouth. Sarah Grace copied his movement, shoveling a too-large portion into her own mouth. He laughed at the expression on her face as she tried to chew the cold confection, no doubt fighting a brain freeze as it worked its way down her throat. Finally she managed to swallow, and she mimicked his heart-crossing gesture in an unspoken promise.

They managed to work their way through half of the container, though Sarah Grace had gotten a fair portion of the treat on her face, hands, and shirt. Castle just watched her happily, glad to be sharing a quiet moment with the smallest member of his rather eclectic little family.

"What's going on here?" Two spoons clattered to the hard surface of the bar as Beckett walked in on her husband and niece devouring ice cream straight from the box. Castle scrambled around the countertop and scooped the girl up into his arms.

"Run for it, Gracie. It's the cops!" The girl squealed as her uncle raced up the stairs with her, and Beckett could only shake her head as she watched them go. She put the lid back on the ice cream and stowed it in the fridge, and as she dropped their spoons into the sink she heard the bath running upstairs. Satisfied that Castle was cleaning up his mess, she poured herself a glass of water and moved to the sofa to decompress. Days without Castle at the precinct seemed to drag on forever, and she was grateful when no body turned up to interrupt her plans for a quiet evening. Ryan and his wife were due home the next day, so she settled down for one more night filled with the laughter and love of a child.

Her eyes opened quickly, and she lifted her head from the back of couch where she'd dozed off. Checking the time she realized she'd only been out for twenty minutes or so, but there was no sound coming from upstairs. Usually bath time with Uncle Rick was a raucous and rug-soaked affair as he told tales of pirates and mermaids and brave princesses.

Beckett stood and stretched lazily on her way to the stairs, moving quietly in case Castle was mid-story. She found them in the spare room, furnished wall to wall with everything a five year old girl could possibly want. Ryan had complained that they were spoiling her, but Castle had just shrugged and told him that's what semi-rich uncles were for. Beckett kept them grounded - for the most part - but a small part of her enjoyed the way Sarah Grace's eyes lit up whenever she discovered a new toy or outfit.

As she neared the half-opened door, she heard Castle's voice floating down the hall. "And while he rocked her he sang, 'I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.' The end."

Beckett watched as Castle closed the book he'd been reading and adjusted masterfully until the sleeping child was transferred from his arms to her miniature canopy bed. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead, and the sight brought tears to Beckett's eyes. She tried to wipe them away, but the movement caught Castle attention and he looked up at her. She could see her own pain reflected in his eyes, but he finished his night-time ritual by re-shelving the book in the rather impressive library of children's books. As he did, Beckett moved quietly to kiss Sarah Grace goodnight, and they met at the door.

Wordlessly he took her hand, guiding her back downstairs to the living room. He sank down onto the couch and opened his arms, smiling as she tucked herself beside him snugly. His arms came around her and she pressed further into his warmth. They breathed together for a moment, each marveling at the simple silence. When they'd first started out, Beckett had thought it impossible for Castle to just sit and be, but she'd been surprised to learn that he had no trouble sitting quietly for hours just holding her. In moments like these, she could let everything else just slip away and allow herself to just be Kate.

"I think it's time, Kate," his voice was quiet in reverence to the stillness around them. "We've waited long enough."

"Okay," she agreed just as quietly, and she felt his entire body tighten in surprise. They'd been talking about it for a while - almost six months now - but he was right; it was time.

"Are you sure?" he asked, earning a playful chuckle from her.

"Castle, you just said it was time, that we'd waited long enough."

"I know," he pulled his head back to look down into her eyes. "It's just every time we've talked about this before you seemed hesitant. I didn't push because I wanted you to be one hundred percent sure this is what you wanted to do." He brought his hand up and brushed a stray lock of brunette hair away from her face, using the motion to trace her cheek lovingly.

"I want a baby, Castle. I want your baby." He kissed her forehead and let his lips linger there for a moment as he breathed her in. When he pulled back there were tears in both of their eyes.

"So we're trying the surrogate thing first?" They'd talked over a multitude of options with the doctor and come to a simple conclusion: if surrogacy didn't work, they would adopt. There was no other option for them. They wanted a child that was the perfect blend of the two of them and then, if that just wasn't in the cards, they would open their home to a child who needed one.

"Let's call the doctor tomorrow," Beckett agreed. The smile he gave her lit up his eyes, and he leaned down to kiss her deeply. Her fingers carded through his hair as she returned the kiss wholeheartedly. Passion had never been an issue for them, but sometimes she was still in awe of the power she felt whenever he touched her, held her, kissed her. They barely kept it from evolving to something more bedroom-appropriate, and when they parted they were both breathing heavily.

"Tomorrow," Castle confirmed. "And when Sarah Grace goes back home, we'll celebrate this properly."

She kissed him again, nipping his lower lip playfully. "Count on it," she whispered before settling back in his arms. He laid back on the couch and brought her with him, stretching them the length of the cushions. She hummed contentedly as he lightly brushed his fingers up and down her back.

As they dozed in the quiet of the loft, Beckett thought about a dark-haired boy with bright eyes and a mischievous grin. Suddenly, she couldn't wait until tomorrow.

Each chapter will bear the name of a musical note, chosen from a study that relates musical notes to emotions and moods. These are taken from Christian Schubert's Ideen zu einer Aesthetik der Tonkunst, published 1806.

A MAJOR: "This key includes declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one's state of affairs; hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God."

Reviews are appreciated. They fuel the fire of imagination. Until next time...