Woman in White

Part 12

December 24, 2013 — Christmas Eve
"Richard, are you sure Katherine is up for having people over tonight?" Martha asks. The couple had returned home a little under a week ago, and ever since returning to New York, Beckett's morning sickness has accompanied them. "She says she wants to have everyone over." Castle tells his mother. Keeping this a secret from his mother and Alexis the past few days have been a struggle. They are telling them tomorrow when her dad comes over for Christmas morning. Castle leaves the kitchen and goes to his bathroom where his wife is hunched over the toilet.
"Beckett, are you sure you want to have everyone over?" He asks, "If we cancel it'll look suspicious." She argues. He sighs and decides to bring the subject up when she's not throwing up. He kneels down and rubs her back, "How about some tea and crackers while you lay down for a little bit?" He asks. She scrunches her nose, "No tea." She says, "Ginger ale?" She nods. He helps her up and over to the sink where she brushes her teeth before crawling into their bed. Castle grabs her saltines and fills a glass with ginger ale before taking it to her.
Once she's settled, he shuts the bedroom door and lets her rest. "Dad, what's wrong with Beckett? Did she pick something up in Italy?" Alexis asks, "She must have." He lies. "Now that's strange, darling. How did she catch something that you didn't? I don't imagine you two spent much time apart." Martha questions. Castle sighs and shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know. Maybe it's something she ate." He says before moving further into the kitchen to begin prepping the food for tonight. Alexis decides to help her father while Martha begins preparing the Glogg.
Beckett emerges from the bedroom two hours later in a pair of sweatpants and one of Castle's t-shirts. Her hair is a mess, but she looks well rested. "Hello Katherine. How are you feeling?" Martha asks, "A little better. Just really tired." Kate tells her mother-in-law while Castle rounds the countertop to provide her some comfort with his nearness. "Is your dad coming tonight, Kate?" Alexis asks, "No. Christmas Day is enough celebration for him. He'll catch up on some files and go to Midnight Mass before coming over tomorrow morning." Beckett explains to the young redhead.
She sometimes thinks the Castle three forget how difficult this time of year is for her and her father. Last year was the first time Beckett had celebrated Christmas since 1998. Castle rubs her back, "You gonna be okay for tonight?" He asks and she nods, "Yeah, I'm going to go shower and start getting ready. Unless you need my help with anything?" He shakes his head, "No, go get ready for tonight. We can handle the kitchen." He smiles and kisses her forehead before sending her into their bedroom so she can get ready for an evening of mingling with their friends.
A couple of hours later, their precinct family is in the loft. She feels Castle move to stand behind her as their gazes both fall onto Jenny whose heavily pregnant with her and Ryan's first baby. "That'll be you in a few months." He whispers in her ear before kissing her cheek. She blushes and smiles, "Hey, lovebirds, why don't you come socialize?" Esposito calls out which earns him a smack in the chest from Lanie. The newlyweds join their friends in the living room where they sit in complete bliss with their little secret of theirs.

December 25, 2013 — Christmas Day
To say they had a rough night would be an understatement. After the gang had left, Martha and Alexis went to bed and Castle sent Kate to bed while he cleaned up. He had just put the last of the food away when he heard Beckett emptying her stomach. He had rushed to her side and they didn't move for nearly three hours. By the end, Castle had to carry Beckett to bed because she was too weak from pure exhaustion and shaking. This is one of the times that he's thankful Alexis is older.
He wakes around 7:00 that morning. He stares down at his wife whose arms are wrapped tightly around one of his pillows. She said the smell of his cologne made her nausea go away. He tucks a curl behind her ear and kisses her temple before going to the bathroom and brushing his teeth. He then goes to the kitchen where he prepared five cups of steaming hot chocolate. He can sense her presence before he spots her. He feels her walk up behind him and wrap her arms around his waist before kissing his shoulder blade.
"Good morning, beautiful." He whispers before turning around and pulling her into his arms, "Morning." She smiles. He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips, "Merry Christmas." He mumbles against her lips, "Merry Christmas." She responds. They hear footsteps and look towards the stairs to see the two redheads, "Good morning, all. Merry Christmas!" Martha exclaims. They all reply and then the buzzer buzzes. Alexis opens the door to let Jim in, "Hello." Jim greets them, "Hi Daddy." Beckett smiles as she rushes over to wrap her father in an embrace. It's been 15 years since they celebrated Christmas together.
Castle distributes the hot chocolate and they all take a seat in the living room. Beckett sits next to her husband on the love seat while Martha, Alexis, and Jim sit on the couch. They take turns exchanging gifts and by the end, Castle places the last present in Alexis' lap since she's in between Jim and Martha. "Alright, this is a present for all of you, so make sure you can all see it." Kate tells them. Alexis unwraps it to find a clothing box and then opens the clothing box and Castle and Beckett watch as all of them register the news.
In the box is a white onesie that says 'Handpicked By My Nonna In Heaven' with a heart underneath it. "Katie, is this-? Are you-?" Jim can't even form the question, "I'm pregnant. We're having a baby." Beckett announces. Jim and Martha stand and exclaim as they pull the two into their arms. Castle pulls away from his mother who goes to join Jim and Kate in celebration. He walks over to Alexis and sits next to her on the couch. She's staring down at the onesie, "What do you think?" He asks her.
She looks up at him, "You're having another one." She stages and he nods, "Yeah, I am, but that just means my heart is going to grow two times the size." He tells her. She smiles and leans into him when he wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her forehead. Alexis notices her stepmother standing off to the distance, watching them. She stands and makes her way over to Kate before wrapping her arms around her in a hug, "I can't wait to meet the little one. Congratulations." Alexis says, "Thank you, Alexis. This little one definetly lucked out in the big sister department."
Alexis smiles as Castle wraps both of them in his arms and kisses their foreheads. Beckett can't believe how much her life changed in a year. 365 days ago she was trying to avoid this holiday as Castle's jolly demeanor overtook the entire month. This year, she's a newlywed who just announced her pregnancy to her family. Her family. After her mother died she never thought she'd get to say those words again. Now, she and Castle are creating their own.
Part 12! Comment please!