Take the Stairs - Chapter Twenty

One of the downsides of moving – besides the stress, the difficulty finding anything in a sea of boxes, and the bone-deep aches and pains, of course – was establishing a new running route.

Her route in their old neighborhood at been tried and true; she had run it as often as possible both before getting pregnant and after the twins were born, and she knew it like the back of her hand. Here, it became painfully obvious when she stepped onto the sidewalk that she would have to think about each turn, and would have to consider a route that would allow her to avoid as much of the SoHo congestion as possible.

She would break out a map before her next run and actually plan where she wanted to go, but for now she decided to head toward the familiarity of the old neighborhood. It was out of her way, but it would get the job done this time.

It took a few minutes, and required dodging other pedestrians and orange construction barriers, but she was able to find a good pace, a steady rhythm that matched the beat from her headphones. By the time she reached Gramercy Park, the sun was beginning to crest over the taller of the surrounding buildings, glinting off the high windows and making her wish she had remembered to retrieve her sunglasses from the pile of dress-up clothes her daughter had tossed them into in last night after she made it home from work. She would be fine without them, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to not have to shield her eyes with her hand. Instead, she changed course, putting her back to the sun and pushing herself a little harder.

An hour later, she was starting to feel the workout. She had practically walked the final half-mile, but her legs trembled from the sprint she had indulged in once she had spotted the loft from down the block. She took a moment to lean against the rough brick of the building before fishing her key out of her bra and making her way inside. Her shoes squeaked against the marble tile, and the older man at the security desk looked up, ready to offer her assistance.

Eduardo smiled, relaxing his stance when he saw who was walking through the lobby.

"Welcome back, Ms. Beckett. Have a good run?"

Wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead, Kate gave an easy nod. "Not too bad, Eduardo. It was a good way to explore the neighborhood."

"I bet. And the weather was good for you, too. You picked the right morning to get out."

"That it was. I don't think I would've been able to make myself go if it had been rainy like last weekend."

Thankfully, the rain had blown through mid-week, leaving only clear skies predicted for the near future. It was still early enough in the day that the chill of the night hadn't yet dissipated, and though the breeze had raised goosebumps on her sweaty skin once in a while, she had been comfortable as she ran.

Eduardo nodded. "I understand that. How are you settling in? How are the children settling in?"

Kate smiled. "It's been strange for everyone, being in a new place, but I think we're getting there. Hopefully the little ones will start sleeping through the night again soon."

For all of their sakes, she hoped so.

Eduardo smiled. "Hopefully. They could be at one of those ages, too."

Oh, they were. They definitely were. Rick had looked it up the first night, almost two weeks ago, when Eli had woken the entire house with his screech. Within minutes, Anna had followed, and they had walked the floor with them until their little bodies finally succumbed to their exhaustion. The same thing had happened nearly every night after that. The twins weren't in pain as far as anyone could tell, so unless things got worse, they were determined to just ride it out, but it didn't make it suck any less.

"I remember going through something similar with my daughter when she was their age. She was a handful, and there was only one of her."

"God help us all," she joked, shifting her weight to ease the cramp she could feel building in her hip.

She liked Eduardo. She liked that he had taken the time to learn her name and Rick's, but hadn't blinked an eye when her boyfriend had spoken to him about preserving their kids' privacy. It had even been the doorman's idea to create a list of visitors who were approved to take the children from the building.

But as much as she liked the man and appreciated his commitment to discretion, she wanted to get upstairs and into the shower to rinse the salty remnants of sweat from her skin.

The doorman offered her another smile. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Kate smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ears. "Thanks. We'll probably see you in a little bit. I think Rick wanted to walk around this afternoon."

Eduardo nodded once again. "If you're interested, there's the Manhattan Children's Theater on White. My grandkids are four and two, and they love it there. I think they're doing The Three Little Pigs this month."

"Oh, I think the kids would love that, too. Assuming they can sit still that long." They both chuckled. "Either way, I'll mention it. If nothing else, it'll be good to keep that in our pocket for when they're older. Thank you."

"Any time, Ms. Beckett." Eduardo returned to his work, giving her the chance to slip to the elevator and make her way upstairs without feeling rude.

The elevator wall was cool against her back, and Kate felt the last of the tension in her shoulders melt away. Maybe if she was lucky, she would be able to entice Rick out of their bed and have him join her in a steamy shower before everyone woke up.

Of course, that dream only lasted from the elevator to her front door, because as soon as she stepped into the loft, she heard the hum of quiet chatter coming from her bedroom. One of the kids was awake.

Or all three of them, she found out soon enough.

Four innocent (okay, mostly innocent) faces lifted as she came padding into the room.

"Hey," Rick greeted, casting a conspiratorial glance at his three companions. "You want in on this?"

"Is there room?" Kate teased, lowering herself into the armchair across from her boyfriend's side of the bed to loosen the laces on her shoes. Every muscle in her body wanted to crawl in with them, to enjoy the soft moment with four of the most important people in her life, but she couldn't. Not yet.

"Always," he rumbled, cupping the back of Eli's head when he exhaled. "And if not, we can squish."

"Mmm, true. I'll take you up on that in a sec. I need to shower first. Otherwise I'll make everyone stinky," she added, winking at Alexis. The girl giggled, her cheek smashed against Kate's pillow.

Rick's lips lifted. "Yes, absolutely. No stink here; to the shower with you."

Narrowing her eyes, Kate stood. "For that, I should climb in right now."

"Noo," he argued on a whine, tickling a finger across Anna's side. "Tell Mommy to take a bath before we all end up needing one."

Anna squealed, rolling away from her father's wiggling fingers. But Rick wasn't to be deterred, instead his fingers curled deeper against her sides, creeping into her armpits as well.

Not to be left out – or to let his sister down – Eli squirmed across the barrel of his father's chest, offering himself up to the tickle monster as well.

"Careful," Kate warned, leaning over to scoop her shoes off the floor. She would deposit them back on her side of the closet on her way into the shower. "Nobody needs to laugh so hard they vomit, Rick."

"I guess," her boyfriend drawled, his eyes sparkling with unfettered mischief.

She pretended not to notice the lazy way his eyes trailed over her body, taking in her sweat-darkened running shirt and the crops she couldn't deny made her ass look fabulous. Instead, she straightened her shoulders and cocked her head to the side, one eyebrow moving upward.

"Puke in your bed sheets, Castle. Puke in your bed sheets."

"Touché." He turned his attention on Alexis. "Well, pumpkin, that means you're the tickle monster's next victim."

Alexis's squeal bounced over the walls as Kate made her escape into the bathroom.

The quiet was the first thing she noticed when she emerged from the shower. Whatever early morning energy they had summoned seemed to have disappeared, and the four of them had settled back in their original spots – Alexis and Anna taking up Kate's side, Eli cuddled against Rick's chest.

As soon as she padded into the bedroom, Rick's eyes slid open, pinning her with a look so tender, her heart stuttered against her ribs. Her fingers fumbled with her cell phone, eager to snap a photo and capture their peace before she let herself join them.

Instead of displacing anyone, she slid her knee onto the bed and crawled into the center, resting her cheek on Rick's blanket-covered thigh.

Gentle fingers slipped over her temple, pushing her wet hair away from her face. A contented hum rose in her throat, popping the bubble of tranquility they had created. Rick chuckled, pressing sure fingertips against her skin, repeating the motion until the lingering throb in her head had started to abate.

"Good run?" he asked after a while, slipping his fingers into her hair to concentrate the massage on her scalp.

"Mmm, not great. Not terrible. It felt good to get out there again. Gonna have to get a better route, though; I ended up running to our old place and back."

He hummed, letting her know he was listening, even if he didn't have anything to add.

"Saw Mrs. Lewis with her new puppy. She lamented the loss of her summer dog sitter."

Rick chuckled, his body shaking under her.

"Don't tell Alexis; she loved getting paid to pet a dog for a few hours a day. If we're not careful, she'll make us take her back so she can do it anyway."

"Just ask Eduardo if he knows anyone in this building who needs the help. The commute's a little easier."

"Oh, good idea."

"Mhmm," she agreed, settling a little more firmly against him.

A few minutes later, his fingers paused, and she lifted her eyes to find him easing Eli onto the mattress beside him. Their son murmured, but otherwise didn't wake. A quick glance at Anna told Kate that she had drifted off, too, her tiny hand clasped around her sister's.

"C'mere," Rick hummed. "Made room for you."

Lips quirking, Kate moved up the bed. Rick took a moment to squirm the kinks from his legs before motioning for her to settle her head on his chest, returning his hand to her hair once they were both comfortable.

"Gonna put me to sleep," she mumbled, burying her nose against the cotton of his shirt.

His cheek brushed the top of her head. "Coulda been asleep this whole time, but somebody just had to go exercise."

"Yeah, remember that outrage the next time you ogle my legs."

He grinned, craning his neck to nuzzle her forehead. "I do love your legs."

"Yeah, I thought so. So no complaining, buddy."

His lips curled against her skin. "Never. Shut your eyes, Kate. I'll make breakfast when you wake up."

"Mhmm," she hummed, draping her arm over his belly to keep him close. "Spoiling me. Or buttering me up – which is it?"

Whatever response he had for her was lost as she gave into the easy lull of slumber.

She emerged from the cocoon of sleep some time later to find herself alone in the bed, her head on Rick's pillow and the covers pulled up to her chest. Since nobody was crying, shouting, or calling for her, she was content to roll onto her side to watch the golden trails of sun flit through the blinds.

She might have to convince Rick to get curtains when they were out exploring. He had wanted to shop around a little more, but being able to make their bedroom darker would be helpful for sleeping in after his book launch party next week.

After all, it was their anniversary and her father was taking the kids; they deserved to be able to sleep past sunrise if they wanted.

Of course, if they didn't want to sleep in, there were always ways to pass the time. Delicious, exhilarating ways.

Kate licked her lips, her toes curling in anticipation. Yeah, next week would be good for them; she would make sure of it.

"Kate?"

It was a careful whisper, and she turned to find Alexis leaning into her bedroom, looking hopeful.

Kate leaned her cheek on the pillow, holding out an arm to her. "Hey, bud. Morning again. I didn't find out who won the tickle fight earlier."

The little girl grinned. "Morning. Me! I won!"

"You did, huh?"

Alexis nodded, her chest puffing. "I used the move you showed me. Remember it? I bounced away and went for his feet. Daddy didn't stand a chance."

Kate grinned, wiggling her fingers. "Atta girl. C'mere, come sit with me. Tell me how you slept and what else do we need to do to your room to make it more comfortable for you."

The girl stepped back, thrashing her head from side to side. "Can I tell you later? I gotta tell Daddy you're 'wake now. He said ta check."

Right, Rick had said he would cook when she woke up.

"It's the next phase of the plan!" Alexis added, scampering back into the living room, leaving Kate to stare at the space she had occupied with furrowed brows.

Plan?

"Daddy, she's awake!"

She didn't have to be in the room to know Alexis was bounding to her father's side. Nor did she have to be there to see Rick's tender eyes and lopsided grin.

"She is? Good. Excellent scout work, pumpkin."

"And don't worry, Dad. I didn't say anything."

Kate's eyes narrowed. What were they conspiring to do?

Rick knew how she felt about most surprises, but she would let them have this one. It couldn't be too absurd if he had brought the kids in on it, and the mattress under her body just felt too good to throw back the covers and march into the kitchen to find out what was going on.

"Perfect. And here is your reward for your hard work: the Stirring Spoon of Mightiness. Commence phase two."

After that, conversation gave way to giggles, hums, and the clatter and clang of cooking. A few minutes later, she heard the sizzle of bacon, and the buttery sweet scent of pancakes curled under her nostrils. Whatever it was they were up to, it sounded like they were preparing a feast to accompany it.

Her stomach rumbled a loud, almost mournful sound in her quiet room and a laugh puffed from her lips without her permission. Apparently, she was more than a little hungry.

Finally, the commotion ceased and she heard Rick doling out instructions once more. The twins were in charge of something – hopefully not the food unless he was helping them – and Alexis had apparently claimed carrying the coffee as her task.

She waited to sit up until the twins cleared the threshold, giving them the opportunity to feel like they had surprised her.

Their eyes lit up the moment they saw she was awake.

"Mama!"

"Hi peanuts," she murmured, reaching out to help lift them onto the bed when they were close enough. Eli accepted her assistance, wiggling beside her as soon as his knees touched the comforter, but Anna grunted a no and continued climbing on her own.

"Okay then, you do it yourself." Kate left her hand close to the edge just in case she needed to catch her.

By the time Alexis and Rick came padding into the bedroom, the twins were happy and settled at her hip and in the space between her bent knees.

"Hey there, chefs," Kate greeted, leaning over to take the steaming mug of coffee from Alexis's hands before it could slosh over the rim. "I don't know what you have on that tray, but it smells delicious and I am starving."

"In that case you are in luck, because voila." Rick settled the tray in front of her, brushing a hand over Anna's hair before squirming onto the mattress beside her and pulling Eli into his lap. "Also there's a lot, so we're going to help you eat it."

Her lips twisted into a grin. "Very selfless of you."

"I know, isn't it?"

Kate rolled her eyes, looking to Alexis. "Daddy's so modest, isn't he?"

The girl gave a sage nod. "The modestest."

Rick huffed at the made up word, lifting the first plate to serve their breakfast.

Alexis giggled, bumping her cheek against her father's arm. "We're just playing, Daddy."

He paused to smack a kiss on her forehead. "I know pumpkin. I am, too. Now, would you like some bacon before I take it all?"

"You better not," Kate muttered just as Alexis said the same. "One, that's not even fair, and two, I'd like you not to keel over because you decided to cement your arteries closed."

He should've laughed at the comment. Instead, he reached for her hand, engulfing her fingers without hesitation.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised, gruff with far more emotion than was warranted by one offhand, teasing statement. "Not if I can help it."

Kate turned, bumping her lips across his jaw. "I know that, Rick."

For so long after her mother's death, she hadn't been able to say that. Not with any sense of confidence. Her father had disappeared into a bottle and she had told herself it was better to avoid it all; stave off pain by avoiding even the potential for happiness.

Then she had met this man, and he had given her the hope that there could be more than fear, more than being terrified of losing the people she held dear.

And she knew he would do everything he could to keep her hope alive.

"I know," she repeated against his skin, squeezing the back of his neck before releasing him. "But, Rick," she added, unable to disguise her chuckle, "I think a few someones beat you to the bacon."

It wasn't just the bacon, either; the kids had already started eating breakfast. Alexis was nibbling on a strip of bacon, Eli had chosen a pancake, and Anna had helped herself to a fistful of eggs.

Suffice to say, they would be changing the linens before they left the house.

Rick laughed, shaking his head. "Look at you guys. C'mere, let's get you cleaned up."

Kate waved him off. "Leave them for now. They're just going to get messier as they eat. We'll throw them in a bath and wash the blankets after we're done."

"You sure?"

"I gave up on things being spotless long ago, Rick. Everything will survive for a little while."

Rick's head bobbed. "Fair enough. Okay, let's eat, then."

"Let's eat," Kate echoed, handing Alexis a plate. "Take what you want, honey."

Alexis attacked the tray with gusto, sending a sly grin in Kate's direction.

"You'd think we hadn't fed them this week," Rick joked, breaking Eli's ill-gotten pancake down into smaller pieces while Kate brushed egg out of Anna's fist.

"Growth spurts all around," she hummed, offering her daughter a bite of strawberry. "Even Alexis."

It surprised her sometimes, how much Alexis had grown in just a year. The girl's cheeks had lost some of the roundness of early childhood, and her hair fell down her back in long waves. She was at least an inch taller than she had been that first day in the hallway, if not more, as well.

In another year, she would be even more grown up. All three of the kids would be.

"Hey, you okay?"

Kate lifted her eyes, blinking twice to bring him into focus. One side of his lips twitched; of course he was amused to have caught her spacing out.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about how large our grocery bill is going to be in a few years."

Rick laughed, shaking his head. "Eh, it'll be fine. We'll be rich by then, right? Now here, eat up."

Her fingers closed around the proffered fork, spearing a piece of sausage and dragging it through the pool of syrup before lifting it to her mouth.

"Eat," Rick growled. "Don't tease me."

She couldn't help the burst of laughter that spilled from her lips; he was so easy. When the twins joined in, it only made her chuckle harder.

"Not cool," he muttered, distracting himself with a bite of bacon.

Breakfast continued with bursts of silliness, quiet teases, and gentle laughter. By the time the tray was empty and their plates were clean, her stomach felt as though it might burst. So much for the calories she had burned earlier.

"That was delicious," she announced, slumping back against the headboard and rubbing a hand over her belly. "You know you didn't have to go all out like that, Rick."

"I wanted to," he insisted, sharing a long look with his daughter.

Kate smiled, ignoring their scheming for a moment.

"You know, my mom used to make brunch like this on Sunday mornings. As often as she could."

Rick beamed, leaning over to take a kiss from her mouth. "Then consider today a step toward continuing that tradition."

Her fingers curled at his ear, keeping him close as a lazy warmth spread through her. "Kay."

"Kay," he echoed, stealing another kiss before turning to the twins. "You guys are wearing your syrup. And your eggs."

They giggled, bouncing in place. Full stomachs or not, they were ready to play. Which meant someone would have to move, if only to close the bedroom doors to contain the chaos to one room.

Her boyfriend must have read her mind, because the next thing she knew, he was scooting off the bed and offering her a small pile of napkins.

"Here, you wipe them down; I'll get a play area set up. Oh, and I'll get us more coffee."

"Sure, make me the bad guy," she teased, lifting one of the wipes from the stack and turning to the messiest of her children.

It was Anna, of course. Kate knew that she had managed to get food in her mouth, but given the state of her daughter's hands, face, and clothes, that wasn't readily obvious.

The move went over about as well as she had expected it to, especially when one napkin wasn't enough to take care of the mess, but they got through it.

Eli was somewhat more cooperative than his sister had been; he, at least, waited until Kate reached for his hands to make a break for the end of the bed.

"No, no, no. Not yet, mister." She hauled him back into her lap, smooching his still-sticky cheek and reaching for a clean napkin. "Two seconds, then you can play with your sisters."

Her son whined, but he didn't attempt to make another break for it. He also didn't look back once she released him into the wild.

Kate settled against the pillows again, watching the twins bounce around Alexis, chattering at the top of their little voices. Eventually she would suggest playing a quieter game, but for now, it was nice to hear how well they were getting along.

She should get up and help, she knew, but the most she could manage was tossing the remaining wipes into a clean spot beside their stacked plates.

Only to have the entire pile slide from the tray and fall onto her outstretched legs.

Ink markings caught her eye, and she forced herself to stretch forward to snag the paper. Rick wouldn't be happy if she threw away notes he had made during one of his random brainstorming sessions. The man had half a dozen journals and notebooks, and yet when he had an idea, he just wrote on the first thing he could find - napkins, cardboard, the back of bills, even Alexis's homework once. (Only once, because there was no way saying, "My dad plotted out a crime scene on my homework," was going to fly a second time.)

But as soon as her fingers closed around the napkin, she noted that the scribbles weren't plot points, or notes about a potential killer.

It was a phone number.

His phone number. Well, sort of.

She knew this napkin. She had stared down this napkin more times than she cared to remember; there was no forgetting it.

What the hell?

"Rick?" she called, swiping her tongue over her lips when he appeared in the doorway with their coffee mugs in hand. "What's this doing he-"

"Turn it over," he interrupted, licking his own lips.

"Huh?" It was the most articulate thing she could manage. It just didn't make sense that this napkin had found its way into a stack of ordinary kitchen napkins. "I thought this was packed somewhere?"

Her boyfriend lifted a shoulder, padding over to her side of the bed and perching at her hip. "It was, but I found it when I was emptying the box for the 'junk drawer.' Did you realize we packed a junk drawer, Kate?"

Nodding, she watched his face for clues as to why he had chosen to unearth it today. "Actually, we packed two junk drawers, babe. One from your place, one from mine."

"Uh huh. Well I found that when I was unpacking, and I thought it would be useful."

One eyebrow lifted. "Useful? A bar napkin with an incorrect phone number is useful?"

"Uh huh. Because it's where we started."

Her eyes darted to the side, finding Alexis and the twins making silly faces at one another, paying no attention to the adults in the room.

"Not exactly the best start."

Rick's head dipped, conceding the point with a soft smile. "Maybe not. And maybe it's not the best example, but then I could argue that it represents what might be a unique ability of ours to overcome challenges. Think about it, how many couples get the second chance we did?"

Well, he had a point there. Second chances were rare for most people.

"That's true. We did get pretty lucky."

Luckier still that they had actually worked, that they hadn't crashed and burned, or been completely incompatible anywhere other than the bedroom.

His mouth touched her cheek, his lips dry but warm, and her body pitched toward him, eager to get closer.

"Turn it over, Kate," Rick repeated, pressing his mouth to her temple.

He reached for her hand, turning her wrist just enough for her to see the other side of the napkin, and the new words he had added to it.

Kate, will you marry me?

Her heart stuttered, thumping in short, hard bursts against her sternum.

"Oh my God. Oh my go- you're proposing?!"

His hand slipped away from hers, retreating into the pocket of his pajama pants to retrieve a box. A ring box.

He was - oh God, he was really proposing. He was asking her to marry him.

"Just to check, I didn't leave anything out this time, right?" he teased, leaning over her arm to survey his handiwork. "No misspelled words or forgotten punctuation marks?"

Her eyes darted between his lopsided grin, the napkin in her hand, and the ring – holy shit, the gorgeous, large diamond-covered ring – before she managed to shake her head.

"No, it's all there," she croaked, lifting a hand to his cheek. "It's all - you - you're serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," he said, pressing his mouth to the inside of her wrist. "This is the most serious thing I've ever done. I love you, Kate."

"I love you, too," she breathed, licking her lips. "I – when did you buy this?"

One of his shoulders lifted, feigning a nonchalance she saw right through; he was nervous, too. "Couple weeks ago. Right after we found this place. I couldn't find one I thought you would like, so I asked someone my mother knows to design this. Do you like it? I mean is this okay? He said if there's anything you want to change, or if it needs to be resized, to come back to him."

She gawked. "Is it okay? Rick, I love this. It's stunning. It's also huge."

Thankfully, his only response to that was a tiny leer before he grew serious once more. "I'm glad you like it."

She nodded in assurance, swallowing hard as he fidgeted with the box. She wanted to know, but she wouldn't ask how much the ring had set him back. Engagement rings weren't cheap, and a custom design? There was no way it hadn't been insane, even coming from an acquaintance of Martha's.

"I was going to wait to ask you until next week, but with the book coming out, I thought it would just be too much," he continued, pulling her attention away from the intricate white gold band in front of her. "But today just felt perfect. I love mornings like this when we can be lazy, have brunch, and spend half the day in bed if we want. But I also love mornings where it's so frantic we're stepping on each other and can barely stop to think. And I want that to be the rest of our lives. I want the good stuff and the bad, when I'm driving you insane and when you're being so stubborn it makes me nuts. Partners. So Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

"Say yes, Kate! He was so nervous when he was practicing, you gotta say yes!" Alexis urged from beside them, drawing a watery chuckle from Beckett's lips.

Of course he'd gotten Alexis in on the plan. He'd, oh, he'd gotten all of the children in on it, whether they knew it or not. The time spent cuddling, breakfast in bed, all of that had been part of his master plan, his way of showing her what their future could hold.

God, she loved him. She loved the way he offered everything of himself to her, the way he broke all of her rules and never once made her regret letting him into her heart. She loved the way they fit together, the way they worked, even when they absolutely shouldn't.

And she wanted every last bit of the life he was describing for them.

Her fingers flexed against his cheek, thumb tracing the line of his jaw before her hand curled around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers to taste the sweetness and hope, the love, on his tongue.

"Yes."

A/N: I know I've said this before or after every chapter of this story, but I cannot begin to express what all of you have meant to me. This story exists because of all of you, and your kindness, your patience, your belief in it and in me. Thank you all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you'll join me again in the future when I revisit this universe.

Thank you.