What We Do For Love

A Castle short by: Chelsea Marie Clark (chelseamariec)

"Ugh, Castle move." Kate pushed him off her and his heavier frame was draining her strength before she even had fully awakened. She kicked at the tangled sheets between her and Castle.

"Mhmm…" He rolled off her but made no other attempt to wake up. His foot kicked out and Kate slid right out of the bed. That woke him up, the sound of her body slamming against the floor. "Kate?"

"I am down on the floor thank you." She slid her legs out of the covers and wished she had worn pajama pants rather than a nightshirt. "Seriously though?" She successfully got herself upright and looked at his barely awake face inches from hers. "Thank you for worrying so much that you didn't even get out of bed for me." She huffed and made her way down the hallway.

"Wait." He followed after her, taking the bedding with him. "I'm sorry. I just got home really late last night and well, I'm sorry." He pulled her by the waist and up against him. "You do know that we don't have to get ready for awhile right?"

"I was going to get an early start on the paperwork for the case I just wrapped up. I have a lot ahead of me, but you can do something without me." She smiled deviously and was thankful that he couldn't see her.

"Not funny. Come on, you could get there an hour later and you'd still be early. What is it five in the morning?" He let her go and walked further into the kitchen, "Yeah it's just now five. Please?" He started to slide his fingers under her nightshirt and he stopped just at the middle of her back.

"No." She pulled his arm out of her shirt and started brewing her coffee. "I am tired and I, I um…" She started rummaging through the fridge even though her creamer was right in front of her.

"What?" Now Rick wanted her full attention, "Kate?" He sat down on the counter and waited for her to turn around.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to him, the chill of the fridge causing goose bumps to rise along her flesh. "I am pregnant." She waited out his reaction. She expected the scared panic in his eyes and the speechlessness. What she didn't expect was his utter enjoyment.

"We have a little Castle growing inside you? This is wonderful! Oh my gosh, I have always wanted to have a child. We haven't been trying for very long and well… Kate? This is the best news ever!" He ran right to her and lifted her into his arms.

"Even better than all your writing awards?" He stopped spinning her but held her still in his arms.

"Of course, why would you need to ask? This is amazing news! I can't wait to tell the whole world about our future Castle."

Now she panicked. "Whoa, I don't want the whole world knowing our business. Friends and family are different but this," she laid her palm on her stomach, "this is ours, not the worlds baby."

He nodded like he understood but part of him was too busy making room in his life for another person. He shuffled his hair and mumbled under his breath and tried to sound coherent.

"Um, Rick? Are you sure you are ok?" Her warm palm landed on his shoulder. "If you are freaking out I understand. If you need time alone, I…"

"I'm not freaking out, I am so excited because in the first time in a long time, I feel like I have control of my life. You are everything to me and this baby, our baby, means more than I can say. Are you scared?"

She leaned herself up against the kitchen counter, her hair fell loosely around her face and she slowly smiled to herself. "Yeah but that's why I am so excited. I've always loved kids and couldn't wait to have one of my own and now I, we, are so close to it." Her hand slowly rubbed her stomach and his hand rested on hers. "We can do this Rick."

"I know." He lifted her nightshirt and leaned down over her stomach. "Hey little buddy, you are going to have the best mother in the world."

"And the best father." She bent down a little, until her lips were lost in his hair.

There was a light tap on the door and when Kate opened it, Alexis stepped in. In her arms, she was struggling with her baby carrier. Rick ran right over to help take little Michael from her. She got all the way in the door, dropped her diaper bag and shoved the door closed after her.

"Ugh, when are they going to fix that elevator dad?" Alexis ran right to Kate, gave her a kiss on her cheek and ran to plant one on Rick. "Do you know how hard it is to have to carry a carrier all the way up the stairs?"

The look he gave her said it all. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He sat right next to Michael and was already taking him out and holding him close. He made goofy faces in hopes that Michael would laugh but he was silent. "Is he broken?"

"Dad… I thought you and Kate agreed to watch him. Is it not your day?" Alexis frantically whipped out her phone and pulled up her calendar. "Is it possible I made a mistake? I have those exams today and…" her voice leaked her nerves until she found today's date. "I was right. Dad, you and Kate were supposed to be watching Michael today. Did you really forget?"

Kate slid back out into the living room, this time fully dressed. "Come on Castle. When I am done with the paperwork then I will take over." She took Michael in her arms and he immediately reached for her finger. "Hey little man. How are you?" Kate looked down at his perfectly round face and his little, soft, pink, lips and thought of the little one growing inside of her.

MORE TO COME…