Worth It
Title: Worth It
Author: hazel_eyes_86 and digitaldesigner
Word Count: 1121
Prompt: secrets
Rating: PG
Spoilers: A spoiler-free zone.
Pairing: Castle/Beckett
Summary: Castle and Beckett can only keep a secret for so long.
Disclaimer: If you recognize them, they belong to Andrew Marlowe. Otherwise, they're mine.
Author's Note: Written for castleland.
Beckett wondered how much longer they could keep their secret. She knew it wouldn't be long before they put two and two together. The so-called stomach flu, the frequent trips to the bathroom, declining any kind of caffeinated beverage. She'd even begun to have food cravings over the last few days. Yes, no doubt about it. They'd figure it out before too much longer. She was pregnant.
She snuck a look over at the man who stole her heart and didn't let go, unconsciously resting her hand on her stomach. Only a few weeks along, there was not any indication of the child she carried. Not yet. Lost in thought, she imagined what their baby could look like. A little boy with his father's smile and her eyes. Or maybe a little girl with her nose and Rick's long fingers.
From the other side of the room, Lanie watched her friend silently, her suspicions growing. She watched the protective way she stroked her stomach, she watched the smile on her face and the look she exchanged with Castle. It wasn't just the look of two people in love. Oh, she'd seen that look pass between them on countless occasions. No, this was something more. This one spoke of a secret shared, something special.
Just as she was pondering these things, Kate suddenly sprung from her chair and made a beeline for the bathroom down the hall for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. Lanie decided to follow.
When she pushed open the bathroom door, she heard Kate in the last stall, emptying what remained of her lunch. "Kate, are you okay?" she asked from the other side of the door.
"I'm fine," came the soft reply, followed by a flush. A couple of minutes went by before her friend emerged. She studied her for a moment. Kate looked peaked and exhausted, like she'd been on an overnight stakeout.
"You are not fine," she announced. "What's wrong? Really?"
Kate felt light-headed and swayed on her feet. Lanie noticed and gently guided her to the only chair in the room, silently wondering if her suspicions could be true. "I'm--" Kate started, but Lanie didn't let her finish.
"Pregnant."
Kate looked up in surprise. "Yes, but how did you know?"
"Girl, I'm a medical examiner. I may spend my days with dead people, but I am also a licensed physician." She paused, smiling. "Did you really think you'd be able to hide it from me for long?"
Kate smiled for the first time since she'd entered the bathroom. "No. I'm surprised we hid it this long, actually."
Feeling a bit better, she pushed herself to her feet and was soon enveloped in Lanie's arms. "I am so, so happy for you," Lanie told her softly.
"Thanks, Lanie. I'm still a little in shock," she admitted with a laugh.
"How long have you known?"
"Just a couple of weeks. We haven't even told our families yet. You're the first to know. We're still having the when should we tell everyone debate."
"Who's winning?" Lanie asked.
"I'm not really sure."
"Let me guess. Castle wants to shout it from the rooftops and you want to wait a little while?"
Kate nodded. "That about covers it."
Lanie chuckled as they made their way out the door and back down the hall to the squad room. When they got there, they stopped dead in their tracks. The entire room was staring at them. Or, to be more precise, they were staring at Kate. Her eyes found her husband's; it was another secret they hadn't yet shared with anyone. "What's going on?" Kate asked.
Castle stepped forward, smiling that irresistible smile of his. She had a hunch she was going to want to smack him for whatever he was about to tell her. She waited patiently for him to speak, feeling anything but patient.
As he got closer she could tell that, though his smile was genuine, there was a bit of strain in his eyes. When he reached her he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It's not my fault; please don't shoot me."
Her gaze then traveled to the two detectives on her team, who were grinning like idiots. Proudly, they held up copies of the NY Ledger gossip section. Staring back at her, in black and white was a picture of her and Castle leaving the city clerk's office and an oh so creative headline: Fiction Becomes Reality.
"Is there something you want to tell us, Detective Castle?" Esposito asked.
"Girl," Lanie protested next to her, "I can't believe you had a shot-gun wedding and didn't invite me!"
The entire room dropped into silence. "Lanie!" Kate hissed, while Castle inched slightly behind her, purely on instinct as a room full of cops started looking at him with much less friendly stares. He sometimes forgot how many 'big brothers' Kate had.
Ryan, having more practice in this kind of situation, being the only brother of several sisters, was the first to step forward. "Castle, we'd like to have a word in private."
Castle audibly gulped, and started to move forward, but Kate caught his arm to stop his progress. "No, you cannot. You can, however, go back to being as happy as you were a second ago. This is a good thing!" She paused, giving them a stern look until they appeared properly abashed. "And, Esposito, if you call me Detective Castle again you'll be riding a desk for a month."
"Sure thing, boss."
There was another awkward silence, until Lanie finally broke. Letting out a laugh of delight and hugging both her best friend and her new husband. Soon everyone was rushing forward to congratulate the couple. Phrases like: "It's about time", "Congratulations", and "You just won me $20", was repeated often.
"And you were worried they wouldn't take it well," Castle murmured, when the crowd had thinned out a bit.
"Uh huh, you're smiling now, but wait until we get home. I'm sure Alexis and Martha have heard about this by now."
Castle paled, and she was worried for a minute that she'd have to find him a paper bag to breathe into. "Maybe we should just move out of the country now."
"They'd find us."
"Damn." A small grin peeked out on his face. "It was totally worth it though."
Silently, she pulled off the necklace that was holding both of their wedding bands and tenderly slipped his on his ring finger before placing one on her own. "I suppose."
She barely had time to laugh before he claimed her mouth in a sweet kiss that had the precinct cheering and catcalling.
It was totally worth it.
Author: hazel_eyes_86 and digitaldesigner
Word Count: 1121
Prompt: secrets
Rating: PG
Spoilers: A spoiler-free zone.
Pairing: Castle/Beckett
Summary: Castle and Beckett can only keep a secret for so long.
Disclaimer: If you recognize them, they belong to Andrew Marlowe. Otherwise, they're mine.
Author's Note: Written for castleland.
Beckett wondered how much longer they could keep their secret. She knew it wouldn't be long before they put two and two together. The so-called stomach flu, the frequent trips to the bathroom, declining any kind of caffeinated beverage. She'd even begun to have food cravings over the last few days. Yes, no doubt about it. They'd figure it out before too much longer. She was pregnant.
She snuck a look over at the man who stole her heart and didn't let go, unconsciously resting her hand on her stomach. Only a few weeks along, there was not any indication of the child she carried. Not yet. Lost in thought, she imagined what their baby could look like. A little boy with his father's smile and her eyes. Or maybe a little girl with her nose and Rick's long fingers.
From the other side of the room, Lanie watched her friend silently, her suspicions growing. She watched the protective way she stroked her stomach, she watched the smile on her face and the look she exchanged with Castle. It wasn't just the look of two people in love. Oh, she'd seen that look pass between them on countless occasions. No, this was something more. This one spoke of a secret shared, something special.
Just as she was pondering these things, Kate suddenly sprung from her chair and made a beeline for the bathroom down the hall for the fifth time in the last thirty minutes. Lanie decided to follow.
When she pushed open the bathroom door, she heard Kate in the last stall, emptying what remained of her lunch. "Kate, are you okay?" she asked from the other side of the door.
"I'm fine," came the soft reply, followed by a flush. A couple of minutes went by before her friend emerged. She studied her for a moment. Kate looked peaked and exhausted, like she'd been on an overnight stakeout.
"You are not fine," she announced. "What's wrong? Really?"
Kate felt light-headed and swayed on her feet. Lanie noticed and gently guided her to the only chair in the room, silently wondering if her suspicions could be true. "I'm--" Kate started, but Lanie didn't let her finish.
"Pregnant."
Kate looked up in surprise. "Yes, but how did you know?"
"Girl, I'm a medical examiner. I may spend my days with dead people, but I am also a licensed physician." She paused, smiling. "Did you really think you'd be able to hide it from me for long?"
Kate smiled for the first time since she'd entered the bathroom. "No. I'm surprised we hid it this long, actually."
Feeling a bit better, she pushed herself to her feet and was soon enveloped in Lanie's arms. "I am so, so happy for you," Lanie told her softly.
"Thanks, Lanie. I'm still a little in shock," she admitted with a laugh.
"How long have you known?"
"Just a couple of weeks. We haven't even told our families yet. You're the first to know. We're still having the when should we tell everyone debate."
"Who's winning?" Lanie asked.
"I'm not really sure."
"Let me guess. Castle wants to shout it from the rooftops and you want to wait a little while?"
Kate nodded. "That about covers it."
Lanie chuckled as they made their way out the door and back down the hall to the squad room. When they got there, they stopped dead in their tracks. The entire room was staring at them. Or, to be more precise, they were staring at Kate. Her eyes found her husband's; it was another secret they hadn't yet shared with anyone. "What's going on?" Kate asked.
Castle stepped forward, smiling that irresistible smile of his. She had a hunch she was going to want to smack him for whatever he was about to tell her. She waited patiently for him to speak, feeling anything but patient.
As he got closer she could tell that, though his smile was genuine, there was a bit of strain in his eyes. When he reached her he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It's not my fault; please don't shoot me."
Her gaze then traveled to the two detectives on her team, who were grinning like idiots. Proudly, they held up copies of the NY Ledger gossip section. Staring back at her, in black and white was a picture of her and Castle leaving the city clerk's office and an oh so creative headline: Fiction Becomes Reality.
"Is there something you want to tell us, Detective Castle?" Esposito asked.
"Girl," Lanie protested next to her, "I can't believe you had a shot-gun wedding and didn't invite me!"
The entire room dropped into silence. "Lanie!" Kate hissed, while Castle inched slightly behind her, purely on instinct as a room full of cops started looking at him with much less friendly stares. He sometimes forgot how many 'big brothers' Kate had.
Ryan, having more practice in this kind of situation, being the only brother of several sisters, was the first to step forward. "Castle, we'd like to have a word in private."
Castle audibly gulped, and started to move forward, but Kate caught his arm to stop his progress. "No, you cannot. You can, however, go back to being as happy as you were a second ago. This is a good thing!" She paused, giving them a stern look until they appeared properly abashed. "And, Esposito, if you call me Detective Castle again you'll be riding a desk for a month."
"Sure thing, boss."
There was another awkward silence, until Lanie finally broke. Letting out a laugh of delight and hugging both her best friend and her new husband. Soon everyone was rushing forward to congratulate the couple. Phrases like: "It's about time", "Congratulations", and "You just won me $20", was repeated often.
"And you were worried they wouldn't take it well," Castle murmured, when the crowd had thinned out a bit.
"Uh huh, you're smiling now, but wait until we get home. I'm sure Alexis and Martha have heard about this by now."
Castle paled, and she was worried for a minute that she'd have to find him a paper bag to breathe into. "Maybe we should just move out of the country now."
"They'd find us."
"Damn." A small grin peeked out on his face. "It was totally worth it though."
Silently, she pulled off the necklace that was holding both of their wedding bands and tenderly slipped his on his ring finger before placing one on her own. "I suppose."
She barely had time to laugh before he claimed her mouth in a sweet kiss that had the precinct cheering and catcalling.
It was totally worth it.