A/N: Hi there guys! Long time no talk :)

This is something that I wrote a while back, that I forgot about and have since found, and it seemed like such a waste to just leave it on my computer, so I'm posting it :)

Pretty sure nothing else is coming after this (Now I say that and there are plot bunnies kicking up all kinds of fluff). I make no promises that there will or will not be another chapter after this.

But anyways, I hope you enjoy this extra last chapter to my first baby :)

The sound of retching filled the apartment and Rick Castle wondered just how much more of anything is left in his wife's stomach. She had been at this all night, swearing she was fine and it was nothing to worry about. But he knew it was something huge; he's not as stupid as he looks. She'd stopped taking the pill months ago without telling him – yep, he was a sticky beak, so he knew – so they'd never been particularly careful about protection. With that and the vomiting, Rick was pretty damned sure it's morning sickness making her relive her meals.

With his head against the doorframe of the en suite, he looked at her, crumpled on the floor, resting her head on her arm, eyes closed. His heart ached for her, and as much as he hated seeing her so ill, he's going to love this baby so damned much.

Quietly, he snuck back into their bedroom and picked up his phone, pressing 4 on his speed dial.

'Captain Gates?' Rick asked when the phone was answered.

'Castle,' his wife's boss acknowledged curtly.

'Kate's not coming in,' he sighed.

'Please tell me this has nothing to do with a certain anniversary coming up,' Gates half asked him, half warned him with her pointed tone. Given how they got together – and yes, it had leaked that it happened on their joined sick days – it wasn't unreasonable for Gates to think that they were trying to wrangle some more time for the upcoming weekend. All of that would be plausible if it wasn't Katherine Beckett they were talking about. Come hell or high water, that woman was working, and he had tried to convince her, in all kinds of naughty ways, to take a few sickies. Not once had she listened bar that first time.

'No, sir. She's been sick all night, and would probably skin me if she knew I was calling.'

That earned him a small chuckle from 'Iron Gates'. 'I'll let Ryan and Esposito know they're on their own for this one.'

'Thank you, Captain.'

'Take care of her, Castle. I want my detective back soon.'

'Of course,' he promised, hanging up the phone.

As he turned back to their bathroom, he found a weary Kate looking back at him, leaning against the wall, arms folded with an eyebrow cocked.

Busted.

'Who was that?'

'Alexis,' he gulped. Bad idea.

'You call Alexis 'Captain'?' Kate challenged. Even paled, sweaty, looking like she was going to throw up again, Kate still looked terrifying while in interrogation mode. And the sickness hadn't made her brain any slower that its usual warp speed. Rick on the other hand, was tired from spending all night with her on the bathroom floor, and as much as he loved his wife, he needed sleep and rest, and he wasn't going to get that because she would kill him in the next minute. He wasn't a silly man, he knew anything he threw at her wouldn't fly, even with his flair for the details.

'Well yes,' he gulped. He was also Richard Castle, so he had to try. 'When she wants to play space cowboys with me, taking over her fathers' ship Serenity, when the infamous Captain Tightpants finally goes into retirement, even though she wouldn't technically be my captain, I humour her-'

'You called Gates,' Kate interrupted his flustered ramble.

His shoulders sagged and nodded wearily in defeat. 'You're sick, Kate, you can't go into work like this.'

'I know, but I would rather have done it myself,' she sighed, the exhaustion finding its way on her features.

Castle opened his mouth to say something, what he has no idea because what she said finally digested in his brain. He stood there like a stunned mullet for a good 10 seconds. She's admitting she's sick. She's given in…. What?

'Who are you and what have you done with my wife?'

Even with her stomach swirling and rolling like she was in monsoon weather, Kate managed to laugh at his comment. Truthfully, she knew she was twice married, to Rick and her job, but even she knew her limits and there was no way any of her work would get done if she was interviewing the porcelain bowl for the entire day.

Kate walked forward towards her husband, slowly wrapping her arms around the man she loved and found comfort in the embrace.

'I know my limits, Rick, and today is one of them. This food poisoning has done a number on me.'

Under her touch, she could feel his entire body stiffen, frozen like a deer in the headlights. She frowned and looked up at him. Rick was looking down at her with a confused frown, disbelief mingled in the expression.

'Are you sure it's food poisoning?' he asked her slowly, almost encouragingly.

Kate scowled at him and his disbelief that she would lie to him. She wasn't lying. He just wants it be something else.

The sickness that had plagued her from one in the morning to that very second had everything to do with suspicious looking Chinese food left over from many nights ago.

Honestly, it had nothing to do with her pregnancy.

Two tests later and weeks of cravings, she knew it to be true. The cravings were the reason why she was in this mess in the first place. As far as she knew, her mother never suffered any symptoms and so far, neither had she. Just funky chicken reruns.

Kate had been saving the doctor's appointment for their anniversary tomorrow, as a present for him. She knew how much he wanted another baby, one he could call theirs. He was getting cluckier and cluckier by the day, especially with Jenny and Kevin's little girl. It was starting to get embarrassing.

'Ok, ok,' Rick conceded under her gaze.

Excitement bubbled inside her, and Kate wanted nothing more than to tell him. She bit her lip as the battle waged in her mind. The only person Kate had told about the baby, was her mother - she hadn't even told Lanie! - because Rick should be the first to know. Her mother wouldn't be telling anyone, but it had felt like a weight had been lifted once the words had left her lips, and it's the only time the words had been spoken.

He must have sensed a change in her, as he frowned, gently pulling her chin up so he could look her in the eyes. 'What is it?' he asked, cupping her cheek softly. She could see the anticipation in his blue orbs.

Damn it, she was a sucker for the reverence in which he touched her. It was still like that first time, like he was the luckiest guy in the world because he got to touch, kiss and love her.

Ah, screw it.

'The food poisoning has nothing to do with the baby, Rick.'

Chirp chirp, chirp chirp.

He blinked a few times, digesting what she said, and realisation and shock settled on his features. 'Wait, what?'

'You're going to be a father for the second time around,' Kate smiled up at him, gleeful to finally tell the secret he had been keeping for much too long.

She was never scared that he wouldn't be ecstatic about the life growing in her belly. They weren't trying perse, just out of precaution she had stopped taking the pill for when they wanted to have a baby, but she had never been worried about Rick being upset about the prospect of a child.

Alexis had mentioned it in passing when she visited from college, and she had seen the excitement in his eyes at the prospect of a little her and him in their lives. No, Kate knew he would never be disappointed about a baby, that's not why she had kept the secret. She wanted to surprise him, make a big deal out of it the news. She even wrapped a pair of little booties she was going to give him tomorrow before she told him about the doctor's appointment.

Kate had wanted to make it as romantic as possible considering they'd be spending their anniversary there.

'Back up,' he said, confusion all over his face. 'This sickness is definitely food poisoning, and you know this because you know you're pregnant…?'

'Pretty much.'

Rick's face almost broke in two as he grinned at her, a girlish squeak leaving his lips in elation while blue eyes shone in ultimate happiness. 'How come you didn't tell me? How far along are you? Did you go to the doctor's without me?' he burst.

'I was planning on telling you tomorrow,' she said, unwrapping his arms from around her waist. She walked to their closet, finding the little booties she had tucked away. Kate gave him the tiny aqua booties with the little tag 'You're a daddy!' on them and she swore he melted. 'I think I'm about three months along, but we have an appointment tomorrow, they'll tell us then. I wanted to make it a surprise for our anniversary.'

'I can't believe this,' he said softly. He sat down on the bed heavily, his eyes hadn't left the booties yet.

Kate moved in front of him, dragging her nail along his head. 'You ok?' Maybe a little of her confidence had wavered with his reaction. Truthfully, Kate had been overcome with shock when the test had been positive, probably worse than this.

'I-' his voice cracked. 'I'm so much better than ok.' His hands fumbled to pull her sweater up, and she found his lips at her stomach, and then he was standing and kissing her lips – yup brushing her teeth was a good call – and hugging her so tightly.

I can't wait to tell the guys, or my mother, or your father, and Alexis!'

'Calm down, Castle,' she giggled as he kissed her again.

'Nope! You're giving me a baby, I don't think I can contain my excitement right now.'

'Giving is probably not the right term.'

'We're having a baby, Kate,' he said cupping her cheeks, rubbing his thumbs along her skin. 'A baby. A child that part you and me, that is going to be as smart as you and that I can corrupt with nerdiness. We are going to love this kid so much, I just can't wait. I am so freaking excited! You know what else I'm going to love?'

'No,' she said, the joy starting to bubble inside her at his elation.

'Taking care of you when you are too big to move, and you can't say no, because well… you can't move,' he chuckled.

'That's a good way of looking at my inevitable weight gain.'

'Not weight, that's going to be all baby, baby,' he couldn't contain the smile on his face. 'Oh, I'm going to love feeding you too!'

'You're such a dork,' she said shaking her head. 'But I love you.'

'I love you, too,' he kissed her quickly again. 'When can we tell everyone?'

'I'm telling Gates on Monday, she's going to put me on desk duty,' Kate grumbled. 'But I was thinking we invite Alexis over, and your mom and my dad for dinner tomorrow night after the appointment?'

'We'll have pictures then, too!' he grinned again. 'And the guys?'

'Before Gates. I don't they'd forgive me if I told the Captain before them. Lanie would murder me for sure.'

'You haven't told Lanie? I thought women told each other these things.'

Kate shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck. 'You're the only one I've told. I figured you kinda helped with the creation, you should be the first to know.'

He softened, all the excitement leaving his body just to sit in realisation and quiet and pure love as his nose brushed hers gently. Rick bent down and kissed her slowly until the tenderness filled her up.

'I love you,' he said again, against her lips.

'Love you, too. You're not upset I didn't tell you?'

'No,' he laughed softly. 'Best Anniversary present ever. And tied for best sick day ever.'

'Not for me. I like my food to stay down.'

'Aside from that.'

'Just promise me you won't go overboard with baby things until we find out what it's going to be?'

'No promises. Baby Castle Mach Two.'

'We are not calling it that.'

A/N: Reviews give me a happy :)