Epilogue

Three months later…

Castle, Kate and little Aidan walked through the door of the writer's building, greeting Eduardo, the doorman, with big bright smiles.

After three months of interviews, psychological evaluations and hearings at the family court, that same morning Aidan had become officially a Castle.

"Oh, come on, Kate. You can't tell me it's not cool!" Rick chimed. "I'm a writer and my son's initials are ABC!"

The boy laughed and ran, pulling both adults by their hands towards the elevator.

Kate scolded Aidan and turned to Castle, giving him 'the look'. "Castle, you can't call your son ABC. He has a beautiful name. Would you like me to call you REC?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it…"

"Oh, shut up!" She slapped him in the chest, not being able to swallow the laughter.

As soon as they entered the lift Aidan started 'dancing'.

"You ok, buddy?" Castle asked smirking.

The boy shook his head and pursed his lips before talking back. "Potty."

Kate stroked the child's head and smiled. "Don't worry, bug, we're almost there."

They sprinted out of the elevator, Kate with keys in hand, rushing to open the door, and Castle carrying Aidan, holding him by his armpits to run with him to the bathroom as soon as they got inside.

The boy kept squirming in the air, his little hands holding his crotch trying to keep from peeing himself. "Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry." He practically sobbed.

"I'm trying, bug. Just hold it in."

The moment the door was open, Castle dodged Beckett and got inside the apartment only to stop in his tracks making Kate collide with his back.

"Castle! What are you do-"

"SURPRISE!"

"Oh, my god!" The detective exclaimed.

Everyone; from Martha and Alexis to Captain Gates, were waiting for them at the loft, holding a big, colorful banner that said 'Congratulations, Baby Castle'.

"Oh, wow, guys. This is so-"

"Daddyyyyyy!" Aidan gasped, shaking his legs and pointing upstairs towards the bathroom. "Can't hold it!"

"Oh, yeah." Castle mumbled, and rushed upstairs with the boy swinging in his arms. "We'll be right back!" He yelled, before turning the corner and disappearing into the corridor.

Esposito chuckled and let go of the banner, scratching the back of his head. "Well, that was an entrance."

A few minutes after the almost 'frustrated' surprise, they were all sitting at the table, enjoying the succulent lunch that Martha had prepared that morning.

Castle was absolutely delighted. He couldn't help but look at each and every one of the people at that table and feel incredibly lucky for having them in his life. They had all been so supportive and such a big help in the application for custody. Even Gates, the one he thought would automatically decline his help request, had been fully involved in the process.

Kate squeezed his hand and tilted her head in question. "You haven't touched your food. Is everything ok?"

He smiled and nodded, taking another look at his big, beautiful family. "I'm just happy."

Lunch was delicious and extremely entertaining. Martha told them some stories about her Broadway years; Alexis shared some of her adventures as a freshman in Columbia and the boys, Kate, Gates and Lanie talked about recent cases they had been working on. Even Jim and Jenny shared some stories about their respective jobs.

Right before dessert, Castle took his glass and stood up. "I'd like to say a few words." He announced. "The last three months have been some of the hardest, most intense and beautiful of my life. I met this little guy – he said winking at Aidan – had to leave the precinct, which was the hardest part, but I also got to acknowledge the wonderful friends I have."

Espo chuckled. "Stop it, man, you'll make me blush." He joked.

Lanie shushed him and nodded at Castle, encouraging him to go on.

The writer just smiled at her and glared at Espo playfully. "You have all been amazing during this process and I'm immensely grateful to you. So, I wanted to make a toast." He raised his glass and looked at everyone in the eyes before saying, "to my friends, my family, my everything."

Everyone raised their glasses, including Aidan, and drank, all laughing and sharing knowing glances. They really were a family.

"Oh, well. That was sappy…" Castle joked, putting his glass back on the table. "Anyway, I also wanted to say that we're extremely happy to have a new addition to the family." He took Aidan in his arms and smiled tenderly at him. "But we're willing to make room for someone else."

All the looks landed on Kate who was staring at Castle completely lost. "What?"

"Oh, my god!" Lanie shrieked. "Are you…" She asked, mimicking a baby bump over her own belly.

"WHAT? NO! Castle, what the hell are you talking about?"

The writer laughed out loud at his girlfriend's annoyance. Then he reached inside his pocket and took out a grey little box. Beckett swallowed hard.

"We wanted to ask you something, Kate." He said, opening the box and revealing a set of keys attached to a beautiful silver keychain. "These are yours if you want them."

The detective frowned. "I already have a key to the loft, Rick." She stated confused.

"I know. This is a complete set." He smirked and passed the box to the boy for him to hold it.

Aidan looked up at Rick, back at Kate, and then took a deep breath before asking, "Will you move in with us, Katie?"

Everyone in the room held their breaths, their eyes fixed on Kate once again, waiting for her answer.

It took her a few seconds to process what was going on. She didn't know if it was going too fast or too slow when it came to her and Rick. Dating seemed too naïve for two people who had been on a relationship like theirs, but moving in after just 5 months seemed a little rushed. It was a big step. It was scary and carried a lot of more responsibility now that Aidan was in the picture. Was she ready for that?

Her eyes traveled from the little box to the boy's face, his familiar blue eyes twinkling with excitement and uncertainty, just like Castle's, and then she knew. She realized that spending all her time with these two people in front of her was all she wanted to do. She bit her lower lip and grabbed the little box Aidan was handing her, removed the keys from it and put them in her pocket, looking smugly at Castle.

"Is that a yes?" The writer asked incredulous.

Kate snaked her arms around both, big and baby Castle, and nodded with a big smile on her face. "Yes, Writer Boy. It is a yes."

Aidan squealed and wrapped his arms around Kate's neck, pressing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Katie's living with us! Katie's living with us!" He chanted all excited.

Everyone in the room started clapping and cheering the couple, which was now sharing a sweet, chaste kiss to seal their new acquired commitment.

Kate smiled at her Castle boys and sighed. "I love you. Both of you."

Later that night…

"What a day, huh?" Kate asked, taking her place on the bed beside him.

Castle was writing on his laptop, the noise of the keys filling the room as he typed. "Yeah. A great one." He replied. "I still can't believe you said yes."

She chuckled and leaned against his side to peer at the screen. "Well, I did." She stated. "Getting cold feet, Ricky?"

"What? NO! No way. You said yes, detective, you're stuck with me."

"Good." She whispered, kissing him just below his ear. "What are you writing?"

"My journal." He closed the laptop and placed it on the floor beside the bed. "I started it when all this began. I read it all last night. So much has happened in three months. It's amazing."

"Yeah." Kate agreed. "You'll have to let me read it sometime. I can't believe we've come this far in such a short time. Who would have thought that we'd be sharing your loft and raising a child together in that span of time."

Castle laughed. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't have believed that in a million years."

"Yeah…" Kate sighed. "I wouldn't change a thing, though."

"Me neither."

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, he was attacking Kate, kissing her hungrily.

Sleep could wait tonight. They had a lot to celebrate.

Upstairs, in a tiny little room, Aidan held his mom's picture against his chest and told her about how he had the greatest family of all, thanks to her.

FIN

A/N: First of all I wanted to apologize for my updating pattern. I know I've been doing it with practically every chapter, but I really felt awful about having you guys waiting so long for an update. That said, I also wanted to thank you for the amazing support you've given to this story. I was blown away by all the alerts, favorites and reviews it's gotten. THANK YOU! You've been amazing.

To CastleWriter16: You've been my beta practically through all this story and it was the thing that brought us together. I'm SO glad I asked you to do this... You have no idea. THANK YOU for being such an awesome person and for giving me your friendship. I love you lots. Also, you better stop being so busy. I want my beta back! :P

To Tshlw: You've been a huge help during the last few weeks. I wouldn't have finished this story if it weren't for your encouraging and your faith in me. THANK YOU! You're an awesome friend. Love you!