A/N: So it turns out I'm a liar. It's only because so many of you begged, and I am weak, and bow to peer pressure. Plus, I wanted to know what happened, too. This chapter is dedicated to AnnieXMuller, who has evil powers of persuasion and used them against me to make me write chapter three of a 2-chapter fic. Once again, thank you to everyone who read or followed or favorited or reviewed- you've all left me grinning like an idiot for the past two days. Warning: contains pure, unadulterated fluffy fluff.

This really is the last chapter this time. I mean it. No more. :-)

They held hands in the cab.

She felt like a fourteen year old hanging out at the mall with her crush. Every gentle stroke of his thumb against her knuckles sent tremors through her frame, had her gasping for air. She turned her head to face out the window, unsure she would be able to restrain herself from flinging her arms around his neck and having her way with him in the back seat of a cab for all the world to see, should she make the mistake of catching his gaze. He was watching her. She could feel it as surely as if he was tracing his fingers across her skin- the expanse of her throat, the curve of her cheek, the line of her jaw.

He came up with her to her apartment, but hung back near the kitchen as she moved quickly into her room and threw some clothes and toiletries into an overnight bag. While not normally one to pack too heavily, she decided this time to bring both options- some sexy and some comfortable, as she really wasn't sure which way events would take them. She was fast- just a few minutes- and she watched him straighten up as she emerged, sweeping his eyes over her, roving hungrily. She would have thought it ridiculous with anyone else, but she had missed his touch in those scant few moments they had separated, and wasn't surprised he was behaving as if he felt the same way.

He held out his hand for her bag wordlessly, and while she offered it to him, she didn't let go of the handle, allowing him to use it to tug her into his chest and wrap his other arm around her. She pressed her nose into his collar, inhaling his scent, taking a moment to revel in the feeling of being wrapped in him.

"The cab's waiting," he said. Although he was the one to make the observation, he sounded about as eager to move as she was. She shivered as she felt the rumble of his voice beneath her cheek, and finally, reluctantly lifted her head.

"We should go," she agreed, her gaze sweeping from his midnight blue gaze down to his lips. She leaned in almost unconsciously, and he more than met her half way, plundering her mouth with his own, tasting and seeking and loving. She released her hold on the bag so she could drag both hands up his chest and around his neck, into his hair.

When he finally released her, they were both panting, wearing matching mussed and dazed expressions.

She pulled her kiss-swollen lip into her mouth, savoring the lingering taste of him. "Cab?" she breathed, peeking up at him beneath her lashes. He nodded, apparently having temporarily lost access to that portion of his brain containing his somewhat extensive vocabulary, and slid his free hand down her arm to capture her fingers, unwilling to lose contact with her completely. Locking her apartment with only one hand wasn't the easiest task, but she had done it before and wasn't willing to disengage her other hand.

Somehow, he managed to open the car door with the hand carrying her bag, and allowed her to slide in first. He kissed the back of her hand after he gave the cabbie his address, almost in punctuation- a gentle brush of his lips that she felt down her spine. When he caught her staring, he grinned at her, taking in her parted lips, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Tugging her closer so that he could nudge her temple with his nose, he murmured "I don't know how I'm going to keep my hands off you in front of my family."

"You don't have to. Not that... I'm not saying..." she fumbled, knowing his mind well enough to know it would plunge to the gutter given the smallest encouragement. He didn't disappoint.

"Why, Detective Beckett, I never took you for an exhibitionist! For the sake of my daughter, though, I must insist that you restrain yourself..." he teased, and she laughed, her cheeks blooming.

"I didn't mean that, Castle, and you know it. I only meant... We need to keep this quiet at the precinct, because Gates will use any excuse she has to throw you out. But your family... if you want to tell them..."

He pulled away from her so he could read her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with them knowing? Because as much as I'd like to shout it from the rooftops, part of me wants to keep it to ourselves, you know?"

"I'm good with whatever you decide, Castle. I'm not going anywhere, so you'll need to break it to them at some point," she said.

He broke out into a grin. "I could get used to hearing you say things like that," he said. She smiled and leaned her cheek on his shoulder. It was always so inviting, and she had no reason to stop herself any more.

A few minutes later they were pulling up outside his building. Eduardo stepped forward and opened the door, bidding them a good evening. Castle paid the cabbie and maneuvered them and her bag out of the car, exchanging pleasantries with the doorman on the way. As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Castle unceremoniously dumped the overnight bag on the floor and tugged her into him, wrapping his frame around hers and just breathing her in. She snaked her hands around his waist, enjoying his comfort and warmth. She could feel his reluctance to part as the doors slid open, and brushed a kiss across his jaw in sympathy. Being with him was already so comfortable. There had been a lot of silence between them on the way here, but it was because they were both basking in the rightness of being together this way.

He unlocked the door and paused, hand on the handle, looking at her. "Ready?" he asked with a shy smile. She felt herself melt a little at how eager he was to bring her into his family, his most protected part of himself. She nodded, smiling back at him, and he bent down to brush one last feather light kiss across her lips before opening the door and tugging her inside.

"Kate! Welcome! Come in!" Martha caught sight of them coming in and glided over, embracing the Detective warmly. It was only as she pulled away that she noticed their joined hands. "And what's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the pair. Kate smiled sheepishly, squeezing her partner's hand.

"We closed the case today, Mother," Castle said as if that explained everything, lifting Kate's hand to his lips and brushing a kiss against the back of it before releasing her so he could deal to his coat, before helping her off with hers- all as if it were the most normal thing in the world to kiss his partner's hand. Alexis swiveled around from where she was working at the breakfast bar.

"You caught the bomber?" she asked, eyes wide. Coats dealt with, Castle moved to his daughter's side, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Yes, we did. It's all done with," he reassured her.

Martha raised an eyebrow as she led Kate towards the kitchen. "Richard, that wasn't what I was talking about, and you know it. When did this happen?" she asked, wiggling her finger between the two of them pointedly.

Kate glanced shyly at her partner before putting his mother out of her misery. "Just this evening," she said quietly. Martha halted her movements to look Kate in the eye seriously.

"I'm so glad, Kiddo," she said, before whirling to the cabinet behind her. "This calls for celebration!"

"Why does everything need to be celebrated with my wine?" Castle complained, eyes twinkling at the "Oh, hush," his mother threw at him over her shoulder. Alexis turned wide blue eyes on her father and his partner as Kate gravitated to his side.

"What's Gram talking about?" she asked suspiciously. Castle wrapped his arm around Kate's waist, pulled her into him in answer.

"Kate and I are together now," he replied proudly. Alexis' eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Are you... okay with that?" Kate asked tentatively.

Alexis was silent for a long moment, glancing from Kate to her dad and back again shrewdly. Kate found herself holding her breath, knowing that no matter how much Castle cared about her, his daughter's disapproval could potentially end everything before it began. He would always choose Alexis.

"Pumpkin...?" Castle's voice was hesitant, the lost little boy seeking approval.

Finally, Alexis smiled. "I'm glad," she said simply, and the two adults breathed out simultaneous sighs of relief. "There's leftovers in the fridge," she added casually as she turned back to her work, as if her father announced he was finally in a relationship with the woman he had been pursuing for four years every evening.

"You hungry?" he asked, and Kate nodded, stepping to the side so he could move into the kitchen to organize dinner.

"What are you working on?" Kate asked Alexis quietly, sliding onto a bar stool and accepting the glass of wine Martha passed her.

"I just wanted to finish this catalog. I'm nearly done. I asked Dr. Parish if I could do it at home, since I didn't quite get it done today," the girl replied, glancing up to see Kate's eyebrows raised in surprise. "She told me I didn't need to bother, that I could do it tomorrow, but it's for the victim's families, so I wanted to, you know? It seems important."

Kate couldn't stop the slow, slightly sad smile that spread across her face. "You're right, Alexis. It's very important. I'm really glad you feel that way about your work."

"Well, this internship has shown me so much about why following you around is so important to my Dad. It isn't just research for his books. Not any more. He loves working with you."

Castle removed a steaming plate of lasagne from the microwave and placed it in front of the Detective with a flourish. "She's right about that on at least two different levels," he said, planting a kiss on his new girlfriend's forehead.

"Ew! Dad!" Alexis complained, grinning. He put his own plate in the microwave, and turned to his daughter.

"I don't care how close you are to being done, Daughter. I invited Kate over for a post-case movie night, and your presence is required. Go forth and prepare!" he instructed. Alexis grinned, snatching up her work and putting it away.

Two hours later, the credits were rolling, and Kate couldn't have repeated a single major plot point of the film she had just watched- and that was no comment on the quality of film. By the way Castle and Alexis quoted and argued throughout, and the way Martha threw up her hands and headed upstairs at sight of the title, it was clearly a favorite in this household- but Kate had been too busy enjoying the feeling of being cuddled into Castle's side, his broad, solid chest and strong arm anchoring her to him, his slightly musky scent surrounding her. She found herself staring up at him, amazed that she could finally be here with him, just casually spending an evening curled into his side, his kid stretched out in the armchair with stripey socks resting on the coffee table.

Alexis arched like an adorable ginger kitten when the credits rolled, and stood reluctantly. "I'm heading to the morgue early tomorrow, Dad, so I might not see you til I get home," she said, bending down to kiss her father on the crown of his head.

"You aren't working too hard down there, are you, Pumpkin? Because I can always talk to Dr. Parish if you're feeling overloaded..." he began, but she shook her head.

"I do it because I like it, Dad. And Dr. Parish has already told me that after tomorrow I have a mandatory four day weekend to recover from this case," she said, smiling. "Night, Dad. Good night, Kate."

They replied in kind, and a moment later the sound of light footsteps heading up the stairs let them know they were finally alone again. Castle looked down at her, pressing a kiss against her forehead, her cheek, her eyes, the corner of her mouth, grinning at her as he pulled back.

"I like being able to do that," he whispered conspiratorially. She reached her hand up to run it against the day's stubble at his jaw, angled his head so she could kiss him properly.

"I like being able to do that," she hummed when she finally pulled away. He removed his arm from around her and stood slowly, stretching out a crick in his back, before gallantly offering a hand out to help her up. When she delicately placed her hand in his, he tugged slightly too violently, crushing her into his chest, both of them staggering but managing to right themselves before any damage was done. She glared at him, and he grinned boyishly back. His expression changed to hesitance as he glanced towards his study and the bedroom that was beyond.

"There's still the guest room, Kate. Please don't feel like I'm-"

She slanted her mouth over his, silencing him suddenly, thoroughly, and enjoyably. When she pulled back, her eyes were dark and smokey. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

"Take me to bed, Castle," she whispered, pulling away from his slackened arms, taking his hand, and leading him through the study and into his bedroom.

Once there, she dropped his hand and he watched from where he was leaning against the back of the door as she explored his space. She brushed her fingers lightly over ornaments and nicknacks, some of them obviously collectors pieces and other clearly handmade gifts from Alexis. She paused at his dresser where two photos were displayed in simple, understated frames. One was Alexis, at about 8 years old, dressed up for some occasion or other and incredibly cute, all ribbons and smiles. The other was of herself, in the break room of the precinct, taken a couple of years ago judging by the hair length, laughing at something over a cup of coffee.

She turned to ask him about it, to discover him standing directly behind her, hands at the ready to slide around her waste. "Castle, when-"

He silenced her by brushing his lips against hers. "I told you, Kate. I want to be with you. I've wanted it for a long time," he said simply. She surged into him then, tongue and teeth and warmth, giving and taking. It wasn't long before she was reaching for the buttons of his shirt, but he stilled her hands, pulled back so he could look her in the eye. "There's no rush, Kate. I want to do this right. Will you let me love you?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly, making her insides coil.

She nodded slowly, let him lead her over to the bed where, layer by layer, he gently unwrapped her, before divesting himself of his clothes and slowly and thoroughly loving her until she sobbed out her release.

She couldn't help the smile that adorned her face as she drifted off to sleep with him curled protectively around her, spooning her and holding her right where she wanted to be- no barriers in the way, and close to his heart.

Home.