A/N: Last chapter, as promised. :) It's bittersweet, as ending a story that's gone on for this long always is... but I legitimately didn't think I was gonna finish this one for awhile, so I'm actually kind of excited to see it end. I hope the ending does the rest of the story justice. And... I really don't have much more to say, so... enjoy. :)

He didn't want to go upstairs. He didn't want to leave this spot, maybe ever. For right now, in the dim one-time office hidden beneath his bar, he and Kate were together, in the truest sense of the word, and everything was perfect. The second they left, or even moved, reality would begin to descend. Upstairs was a bar full of cops who couldn't know about the burgeoning relationship, at least not right away. In the world above their seclusion, they would go back to being partners: and the kind of partners they'd been before all of this, not the kind of partners they'd been in the Hamptons. Even outside of work, they were going to have to be careful. It was a sacrifice that he was willing to make, but he didn't want to make it. And by the fact that she seemed perfectly content to sit there with him, sharing the desk chair that was only meant for one, he gathered that she didn't either.

"People are gonna wonder where you went," he finally said, bursting the bubble.

"Let them," she murmured.

"But then they'll start wondering where I went, and almost everyone up there is a trained investigator. Remember, we're supposed to be keeping this quiet?"

She sighed. "You're right, but I wish you weren't."

He smirked. "And this is unusual how?"

She rolled her eyes. "You might want to keep in mind that kissing you doesn't make me immune to being annoyed by you."

"Well we wouldn't want everything to change, now would we?"

"I guess not." She looked at the stairs. "Okay, me first. You come up in a few minutes."

He frowned. "I don't have to avoid you for the rest of the night, do I? Because I'm willing to pretend that we aren't in a relationship, but not seeing you at all... I don't think I'm okay with that."

She half-smiled. "No, you don't have to avoid me. But in case someone's noticed how long we've been gone, I think it would be better if we didn't go back together. And since it's supposed to be my party and I've hardly spent any time there, I think I should probably be the first to appear. But as soon as you come up, you can find me. Okay?"

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Feel free." She kissed him once more, quickly but softly and on the lips. "My place when we're done here?"

"Good thought."

"See you in a few."

When he got upstairs he went straight for the bar, and remembering Kate's preference, ordered two vodka martinis. Even in the crowd, it didn't take him long to find her. Even though it was her party, she wasn't in the middle of the action, but rather off to the side, out of the way, talking to Ryan and Jenny. He sidled up to the subgroup and handed her the drink. She sipped it, testing to see what it was, and then smiled. "Thanks, Castle."

"No problem."

"Can't wait to have the two of you back," Ryan remarked. "The precint's been weird without you. When do you start up again, Beckett?"

"I don't know, guess I'll have to check with the boss. He's around here somewhere, isn't he? I thought I saw him when I came in."

"Yeah, he's here. And he was looking for you earlier, might wanna track him down. I don't think it was anything important though, he probably just wants to congratulate you. We all kinda separated right after the hearing."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Catch up with you guys later."

"Sounds good."

Castle was torn. He wanted to follow her, but he wasn't sure how that would look, especially since he'd hardly spent any time talking to the Ryans. He'd just made the decision to stay here, at least for a few minutes, when Beckett turned to him, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Coming, Castle?"

"Uh... sure. Yeah. See you guys." He waved a bit awkwardly and followed Beckett over toward the other side of the room.

It didn't take long to spot Montgomery. He was standing near the bar, chatting with a couple of beat cops who Castle recognized but couldn't name. When they saw him and Beckett approach they walked away, both with polite congratulations for Beckett, leaving the captain free to approach.

"Where have you two been all night?" he asked as they met.

"I, uh, just got here a little while ago," Beckett explained.

"I know, I saw you come in. About an hour ago." He raised his eyebrows, as if awaiting an explanation, but before Castle could begin to formulate one, he smiled. "So, you two ready to come back? We're looking forward to having you back at the precinct... our closure rates are gonna skyrocket."

Beckett grinned, rolling her eyes. "I don't know about that, sir, but thanks for the vote of confidence."

He ignored her comment. "So, the schedule's already been set for this week, so you'll have to wait until Monday. Think you can find a way to keep yourself occupied until then?"

Castle could've sworn that Roy's eyes met his own for a fraction of a second, complete with a knowing glint, but it didn't last even long enough for him to be sure that it had happened.

Beckett nodded. "I think I can manage."

"That's what I like to hear. Now go, have fun. This is your party, after all. And you've certainly got something to celebrate: it's all over."

It seemed to take a second for what he said to dawn on her, but then she nodded. "It is. It's over." She looked at Montgomery. "Thank you." The words were simple enough, but Castle got the feeling they were meant to encompass more than the short conversation they'd just had.

"You're quite welcome, Detective. I'll see you Monday."

"Successful end to a successful evening," he sighed, unable to wipe the grin from his face. Even when Kate had suggested they come here, to her apartment, after the celebration, it hadn't occurred to him that the evening would end in this way. He'd thought that maybe they'd talk some more, or get something to eat, but this... this was so much better.

"Mhm." She turned to face him, smiling, her hair splayed across her pillow.

"So the chances of repeating this are...?"

"Mandatory."

"Good. Just... making sure we're on the same page."

"Castle?"

"Yeah?"

"Shh."

He sighed. He didn't want to 'shh.' And not just because he rarely did. There was so much he wanted to talk about. Thoughts, plans, logistics, details from the hearing that he'd never quite managed to wrap his head around... there was a lot to discuss, and he wanted to discuss it. "Can't we just-?"

She interrupted. "Shh."

"But I want to-"

The vocal shushing not working, she pressed her finger to his lips. "Castle. We're not low on time, here. I don't work 'til Monday. There'll be plenty of time to talk. Let's just enjoy the moment."

He smiled. That, he could do. He mimed locking his lips, but rather than throwing away the key, he offered it to her.

"I don't have pockets," she pointed out. And she certainly did not. "Where should I put this?"

He shrugged, maintaining the charade of not being able to open his mouth.

She shifted a bit and hid the invisible key under her pillow. "There. Now, where were we?"

He slid toward her and held up his arm, making a place for her. She took it, leaning into his chest, and he let his arm rest on her side, silently marveling at how perfectly their bodies folded together. Enjoying the moment.

When he woke up the morning before, he'd never imagined that now, just a day later, he'd be waking up here, in Kate's bed, in her apartment. For a moment he wondered if he was correctly separating dream from reality. Had he dreamt the last two weeks, or only the last twenty-four hours? Was he dreaming now?

She wasn't here with him, so as a way of checking himself he got out of bed, put on his clothes from the night before, and wandered out of the bedroom. He found her in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee that must've just finished brewing. When she saw him coming, she got out a second mug.

"Good," he said, inhaling the coffee scent. "I'm not dreaming."

"Not unless I am too." She finished pouring and slid a cup to him.

He gave her a quick smile of gratitude. "Well, in that case, it's a pretty good dream. Wouldn't you agree?"

It was a pretty obvious way to persuade her to stroke his ego, and he knew she'd see it that way. Which she did, as her smirk confirmed, but she played along. "Not too bad."

He pretended to be insulted, aware that she was trying to bait him. "Not too bad?"

"Yeah, you know. I think we should... practice."

He grinned. "Practice. Yeah. I like the sound of that."

"Not right now, though." She nodded toward the couch, and he followed with his coffee. It wasn't quite the same as it had been in the Hamptons, sitting on the deck in the sunshine each morning, drinking coffee while staring out at the waves, but in a more everyday, domestic way, it was almost as nice.

As had been their custom then, neither said anything until the coffee was almost gone, the morning jolt beginning to take effect. But when it was time, he did. "So, no work 'til Monday, right? Want to go back up to the Hamptons for a few days? Relax a little?"

She half-smiled. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because. Listen. Your place in the Hamptons is great. It is. I loved being there. And maybe someday we can go back and... have a real vacation, or something. But I live here, and so do you. It's where we work. It's where our friends and our families are. And we don't need to leave all of that behind every time we get a little time off."

He nodded. "I guess you're right. It was nice though, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was." For a fraction of a second, her eyes flitted over toward the wall behind him, almost involuntarily. Following them, he saw a frame on her wall that she'd never noticed before, housing a sand dollar. Upon closer inspection, he saw a label in her neat handwriting on the white mat beneath it: "Hamptons with Castle, 2011." It was the one he'd given her.

She cleared her throat, changing the subject. "I talked to Montgomery yesterday. After the hearing. He called me."

Castle frowned. He wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. "Yeah? What about?"

"The hearing and... everything. And you."

His frown deepened. "Me?"

"He looked into Gates's investigation through some contacts he has, trying to find out how she knew about us being in the Hamptons together. She didn't have me followed, exactly, she's big on protocol... but she knows a lot of people. Including people in the Hamptons. He's talked to some of her 'sources,' and he thinks she'll be a little less... eager... now that the hearing is over. We'll still have to be careful, but he kept assuring me that my personal life is personal, meaning it's none of IA's business."

"He knows, doesn't he? That we're together."

"Not officially. You've been with me almost constantly since we made it official, so you'd know if I'd said anything to him. But... he knows me. And you. And I think he knew that after my mom's case was done, it was just a matter of time."

After everything that had happened, it was easy to... not forget, exactly, but overlook the fact that this hearing had only been the very last chapter in the story of Johanna Beckett's murder. It wasn't a separate entity unto itself, but a segment of Kate's long and recurring nightmare. And he realized it had been awhile - a long while - since they'd talked about it. "You doing okay with that? I mean-" he stopped himself, because he could see it on her face. "You know what I mean."

She nodded. "I do know what you mean. But I am. I think it's... time to move on. And now that it's over, I think I can. Start a new phase of my life."

He smiled, although he wasn't exactly trying to make light. "One that includes me."

She echoed his smile. "Yeah."

"So... what do you think about me telling Alexis? I know we're supposed to keep this under wraps, but I don't like keeping things from her, and she's gonna find out at some point anyway."

"Oh yeah, absolutely. Tell her, and your mom too if you want. That's what Roy meant, I think. We'll have to be careful at work, but it doesn't have to be top secret."

"So tomorrow night, you wanna come to my place?"

She nodded. "Sounds perfect."

"Perfect," he repeated. And it was. Finally he could be with the woman he'd been dreaming about for so long. Finally the timing was right. And maybe most of all, finally she'd been able to see her mother's killer brought to justice, and without any negative impact on her career. He'd seen it all happen, beginning to end, from the moment she decided to reopen the investigation until the end of yesterday's hearing. It had been quite a ride. But now, finally, they'd reached the end. He knew that being the daughter of a victim would always have a place in the back of her mind, and that it would always affect her detective work, but that, he thought, was a good thing. It was what made her who she was. What made her great. But while the case had remained unsolved, it had always consumed a part of her consciousness, and often it wasn't a small part.

"I couldn't have done it without you, you know," she said, jolting him from his thoughts.

"Done what?"

"Caught Carson."

But he knew Kate Beckett, and he had to disagree. "I'm sure you could've."

"Maybe. But I wouldn't have. I was too afraid... that I'd lose myself again. You kept me grounded."

He shrugged. "I'm happy I could help. But you know what the best part is?"

"What?"

"The best part is that it's over."

She shook her head, her bottom lip catching between her teeth. "I disagree."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded, leaning into him until he could feel her coffee-scented breath against his cheek. "The best part is that we're together."

A/N: Another story down. :) And considering how long this one took me to write, I just wanted to take a second to say that if you've stuck with it from the beginning, you're awesome. And very patient. If you picked it up somewhere in the middle and kept reading, you're also awesome. If you just read the whole thing today, you're awesome. If you've ever reviewed, you're awesome. Basically, if you're reading this right now, there's a pretty good chance that you are awesome. :) Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, and even though this particular story's over, I'll keep writing. :)