AN: It has been more than 2 years. I have no excuses, I just really suck.

6 weeks later

Castle's fingers hovered in midair, poised above the laptop keyboard as he debated whether to press the final punctuation mark or to add another sentence to the latest chapter. Re-reading the sentence he cocked his head, squinted his eyes, then firmly pressed the period key, followed by the save short cut three deliberate times. His hands hovered above the keyboard again while he debated about going back to proofread his work. He sneered and pulled up the internet browser and began an email to Gina's office to turn in the current installment that had been due four days ago. That's what she paid editors for he thought and quickly sent the document out of his hand and into hers.

He shut the laptop, rubbed his eyes and stretched, trying to work the tightness out of his shoulders from sitting hunched at the desk. As he cracked his fingers, he glanced around trying to locate his wife. Looking through the book shelves into the body of the loft, he encountered darkness. He saw the door to the bedroom was cracked and that light spilled out of the room. Beckett must already be in bed, weird that it was just after 10:30pm on a Friday, but it had been a rough week for her at work, especially since he wasn't there because he had to finish his chapters for Gina.

He stood suddenly feeling tired himself as he listened to his body creak as he stretched. Maybe she had the right idea hopping into bed early. He walked into the bedroom and smiled at his wife stretched out in bed, re-reading the first Nikki Heat book for the umpteenth time.

"All finished?" she asked as he entered.

"Yes," he responded enthusiastically, "finally!" with a beaming smile. "Let me just brush my teeth and I'll come join you."

He hurried at the task, eager to join his wife in bed, hoping they could talk a while before calling it a night. He hadn't been in the precinct all week because of his late novel chapters, so Castle was eager to catch up on her week's events.

He padded out of the bathroom when she called out. "Hey Rick? Did you floss?"

"No," he sheepishly replied "I flossed yesterday."

Beckett gave his a withering stare. "Remember that conversation you had with the dentist last week? Oral hygiene. Only floss the ones you want to keep."

He rolled his eyes and shook his body like a petulant child, but turned around to finish his night time routine, deliberately pulling the string between each tooth twice before coiling up the floss and tossing it in the bin.

That's when he saw the pregnancy test poised on top of a stack of tissue; he picked it up and held it in his hands, flipping it over to read the results. A pink plus sign proudly displayed. He froze, amazed at what was in front of him. A wave of emotion washed over him, and he felt suddenly overcome. He didn't even hear Beckett come up to him in the bathroom, merely felt her arms wrapping around his waist, her front pressed against his back and her forehead tapping his shoulder.

A tear accompanying a wide smile fell down his cheek as he whispered, "Is this right?"

The smile on her face matched his in intensity. "I think so Rick. That's the second positive. I'm going to call the OB/GYN in the morning just to be sure. But we're pregnant, I mean, I'm pregnant. No. We're going to have a baby. I like that one best." her voice went up in pitch and tears of joy filled her eyes.

He dropped the used test in the trash and turned around to wrap her in his arms, reality truly hitting him as he did so. He was going to be a dad again. He stiffened and froze, feeling fear creeping up his spine, infecting his brain.

She felt the tension and pulled back from his embrace, reaching her hand up to stroke his face, hesitantly asking, "What's wrong Rick?" As his fear began to spread through her body and mind, suddenly terrified that this wasn't what he wanted anymore.

The answer was a soft and low murmur, almost like he was afraid to say the words out loud, "What if it was just a fluke? What if I'm not really a good dad and Alexis was just a really good kid?"

She huffed out a soft laugh, then immediately felt bad because of the look of devastation on his face. "Oh Rick, Alexis is no fluke. You're a wonderful father Rick, and I don't think you're suddenly going to forget how to be a dad when our baby arrives."

He let go of a sigh, some tension leaving his body. "But Kate I'm going to be so old. When the baby is 18 I'm going to be—"

She suddenly kissed him, cutting of his train of thought. "Rick it doesn't matter how old you are. You hate clichés, but age is really just a number. Besides I Googled it. The oldest guy to be a father was some 96 year old man in India. You're not anywhere near that Rick."

She continued to pepper his face and neck with soft kisses. "Besides Castle, you're gonna be a great dad—again."

"You really think so?" came his small voice, muffled from where he had buried his face in her neck.

She huffed a laugh again. "I know so Castle, you're my back up, my partner, my husband. Together we're unstoppable."

Sensing he still wasn't content, and feeling a rising tide of desire to make him feel confident, Beckett backed up until she felt her back hit the bathroom counter. She hoisted herself up until she was sitting on the counter, her legs wrapped around Castle's thighs. She kissed his worried face.

"Castle, you being a dad again is going to be great," she slipped her shirt off and tossed it over his shoulder. "You get to relive your childhood. Again. Just think this is a new little person to teach laser tag to."

She kissed him, but wasn't receiving an equal intensity back, so she slipped off her sports bra and brought his hand up to her breast. "You'll get to be around all the time, being a stay-at home dad again. If anything you'll be the favorite parent because you're always there while I have to work."

She shifted up and slid her pajama pants down her legs, baring herself to him. "And you'll be around all the time to entertain the baby. Kids naturally love you Rick, they instinctively know you're just a giant kid yourself," she slid down his pants and boxers, cupping his erect length "Emphasis on giant," she smirked as she nipped at his jaw.

He began to respond to her administrations, tucking himself closer into her legs, his cock nudging into her leg. "You really think so?"

She tugged at his shirt, pulling it upwards until his cleared his head and shoulders. "Oh I know so Rick. I know so. Besides you're so protective. All the things you've done to keep your mom, Alexis, and me safe? You would do anything to keep our baby safe. That fact alone makes you an incredible father."

She grabbed his penis and gave a few strokes before bringing close to her entrance, teasing her folds with it. "Besides," she whispered softly in his ear tongue teasing the outer shell, "watching you tenderly care for something so small? Unf," she huffed into his ear while sliding his whole length inside and then pausing.

He wrapped his arms around her and brought his mouth to hers before beginning to thrust slowly and rhythmically. They continued to rock together, both content to live in the feelings, moans and pants keeping the silence at bay. Tongues dueled and as Castle could feel himelf lost in emotion, quickly reaching a finishing point. He began messaging her breasts, pinching and playing with her nipples, as he continued to thrust, dragging his length along her most sensitive front wall, feeling her shiver in response. He broke off kisses to glance down at her body, seeing the pink flush of her chest and her chest panting before fusing his mouth back with hers.

They seemed to reach a détente, neither one making a move to push the other over the edge, both reveling in the haze of joy accompanying their status as future parents as well as the creeping desire of their coupling. Beckett shifted her hips with his thrusts a few more times before breaking off their kisses and bringing her lips back to his ear. She tightened her legs around his thigh before whispering, "Besides Castle, I always thought you were the sexiest when I saw you being a dad."

Something inside him finally snapped, and he tightened his arms around her in an almost bone crushing grip, before stuttering in his rhythm as his hot, wet release pulsed inside her. His release combined with a few errant thrusts was enough to send her spiraling over the edge, her arms tightening around him as she rode out her organism.

They stayed clutched together until their panting and erratic heartbeats subsided.

Content and sated, Kate hesitantly whispered, "Rick?"

He nuzzled her neck in acknowledgement.

She took in a deep breath and whispered, "Do you think that the baby was conceived that night a few weeks back when you convinced me that it would happen eventually?"

Rick paused before asking, "I doubt it. I mean was the timing even right?"

After a moment she responded, "Well I took that last test two weeks after I had missed my period. But I just missed it that month I guess—so it could have happened, right?"

She felt Rick's smile against the side of her neck, "It must have been a sign!" making her start laughing as she pushed herself closer into him, content for the moment with anticipation of the future.