Elliot's arms are around her before she's even stepped forward, a vice keeping her anchored, and she rests her cheek on his shoulder. There's a hint of her son on his skin and right now, it's everything. - A post ep of sorts for 17x15 -

It was easier then. Before the lies and separation; before the truth and heartache. *Season 8 spoilers*

A series of unrelated tales about Beckett, Castle and their daughter Ava (who began her journey in auld lang syne, although you don't have to read that to read this.)

There was a coffee house on campus that had once been their sanctuary.

It's been almost thirteen years since she's taken strides without him and she can't – she should quit too, walk away and find bliss on an island, date someone who doesn't remind her of Elliot or the job or a life she had lost because she never said the words when the time was right. She should learn to live without the demons and nightmares and victims she could never quite save.

She's forgotten how light it is up here at night, the way the buildings across the city cast their glow. There's clarity above the city, above solid ground.

She'll always remember the letter that waited for her in her inbox, the pounding of her heart as she opened it and scanned words from a man who had saved her and broken her throughout the timeline of her life.

The late summer breeze is a gentle hum and she relishes in the change of air in Napa, less humid and easier to take in like nothing matters but the grapes and atmosphere. The wine is a pleasant thrum throughout her body, lips moist with remnants of blackberry and chocolate, cedar and cassis.

Insert scene based off of sneak peek #1 for Hunt. Spoilers.

She stands in the shadows watching him. The clench of his fists; the long, strident steps as he paces; the almost unnatural way he carries himself, spine straight and posture impenetrable. *post ep for 5x15 Target, Complete*

Castle smiles, ruffling Ava's hair. She grunts softly but her little hands wrap around his back as if grounding herself to him, staying safe and warm. On the other end of the phone, Kate laughs, but there's something there; longing or regret and his eyes close. "You're not going to be home by midnight, are you?"

"It's been four months, Beckett. Gates finished it faster than you did." "It's not like I've had a lot of time to read, Castle. Not to mention," she turns, a smooth motion that makes her look almost boneless and wraps her legs around his waist. She slides closer, pressing her lips to his ear. "I was having sex with the author. I think you're well versed in how fast I can finish."

He thinks of dark green grass and the blinding of the sun; balmy weather and the promise of spring. The echoing of shots and the way his hands couldn't touch where the bullet landed because then it would be real. The dilated pupils and the way her eyes slipped closed like his do now.

Her feet slide off the raft and into the chilled pool and she breathes, listening to him inside the house; the clattering of dishes as they slide into place in the dishwasher; the music he puts on - Petty or Springsteen - she can't entirely tell with the roar of the ocean in her ears. *Season 5, but no actual spoilers*

He's your favorite author, the only man you've ever loved enough to want to give up all the pain your mother's death has caused you. He's the only man who has ever loved you unconditionally, beyond just the mind or just the body.

"Come on, Birthday Boy. Let's go." Beckett throws Castle a 42nd birthday party. Co-authored with airbefore.

"I'm not quite sure I had a say in the process, but Castle has been very good about the research. He's gotten inside of me maybe more times than I'd like, but all in the name of research right?" Rick chokes out a laugh and then one, two, three, the detective's eyes widen.

She listens to the way his breathing settles, tries to get lost in it but all she can think of is her mother, of the way she had looked fourteen years ago that morning, so composed, so brilliant, the lines around her eyes filled with laughter.

A series of bedroom - and maybe a bathroom and deck and other locations near a bedroom- conversations between Beckett and Castle in the first year or so of their relationship.

Castle and Beckett get stuck inside of Castle's apartment during a snowstorm...

Castle and Beckett's entire life together in 27 frames, 100 words each.

What happens at Ryan's wedding stays at Ryan's wedding.