Kate Beckett is ten weeks pregnant, and she's having her first ultrasound, much earlier than she'd thought she would. Everything seems to be going well, but because of the damage to her heart when she was shot four years ago, her OB/GYN is being cautious. Beckett is lying down, with Castle standing next to her, and she flinches a bit when the doctor squeezes gel onto her abdomen.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Watch it! Go easy with that slimy stuff. It's really cold. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I don't have any clothes on in here. Not even a bathing suit, and I'm swimming around, you know? And now you're rubbing some transducer thing that's bigger than I am, right across Mom's stomach. Is this going to be over soon? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

When a whoosh fills the room, Kate gasps. "That's the baby's heart, Castle!"

"Cool, right? Listen to how fast it's going!" He's squeezing her hand and squinting at the screen. "How fast is it, anyway?"

The doctor smiles at them. "A hundred and sixty-eight beats a minute, which is perfect at this stage of development. Everything else looks great, too. Completely normal." She runs through a few things for the prospective parents, and wipes the gel from Kate's skin with a Kleenex.

"It's about time you got that goo off. I don't know what you used to do it, Doc, but it was nice. Nice and soft and soothing. I'm tired after showing off for Mom and Dad, so I might take a little nap now."

A quarter of an hour later, with the next regular doctor's appointment booked, they're in a taxi on their way home. "I can't believe the baby's already an inch long," Beckett says, running her hand over her flat, goo-free belly.

Castle puts his hand right next to hers. "Size of a kumquat," he announces cheerfully, before bending over to kiss her just below her navel. "Hi, baby," he says, and sits back up.

"A kumquat? Really, Dad? That's an inedible piece of fruit. Totally sour. Couldn't you have compared me to, I dunno, a grape? They're sweet and juicy and come in a lot of colors. Think about it. Also, next time could we go in our car? The shocks are much better. This thing is knocking me around so hard that it woke me up from my nap. I'm surprised you haven't noticed, Mom."

TBC