"You did the right thing."
Castle's arms tighten around her shoulders, pulling her back against his chest as they lie on the couch. She drops her head back to his shoulder, but her gaze remains fixed on a blank spot on the far wall.
"Kate…" He falls quiet then, waiting her out.
Several long moments go by before she breaks the heavy silence. "I got fired."
"But–"
"I knew the possible consequences, and I did it anyways. I screwed up the biggest opportunity of my life."
Castle bites back a sigh. He can't help but be stung by her choice of words, but he knows they're just born of frustration, so he swallows his hurt. "You didn't screw it up," he says gently. He's not really trying to convince her – she's not ready to hear it quite so bluntly – but he feels like he needs to say it anyway. "You saved someone's life."
Finally, she looks away from the wall and twists her body around to bury her nose in his shirt. "And lost my job."
Castle doesn't respond right away, giving her a chance to let her disappointment melt away with her words. Instead, he simply rests his chin on the top of her head. "Were you happy there?" he asks after a minute.
"I could do so much more to protect people—"
"That's not what I asked," Castle interrupts softly. "I asked if you were happy."
Kate lifts her head to look at him, but she doesn't say anything. She chews on her lip, gaze unfocused as she considers the question. Then she drops her head back down, ear pressed to his heart. "I thought… I hoped that I would be able to save lives, or when it was already too late for that, that I would be able to find justice for those left behind – even if the suspect seemed untouchable." Her mother and Senator Bracken hang heavily in the air, but neither of them dare give voice to those demons. "Instead, I found that politics run deeper than justice. And then being back at the precinct today reminded me of what really mattered," she admits.
A smile tugs at the corner of Castle's mouth. He gently scratches his fingertips along her scalp, soothing her. "Do you want to go back to the NYPD – to the Twelfth?"
"Yeah," she replies without hesitation. "They're my family. I miss them." She nuzzles deeper into his chest before adding, "I miss you."
Even now, as his ring presses against her skin, her words still cause his heart to flutter. The open, unmasked emotion in her voice tightens up his chest. His own words catch in his throat, so he just presses his nose and lips into her hair and holds her a little tighter. "I've missed you, too," he finally chokes out. "But you know what? We're not even going to need that place in DC, because you're already home."
For the first time since they opened the door to McCord, a brilliant smile dances across her face. "I'm home," she agrees.
Castle's fairly sure that the sting of being fired won't fade immediately, but her shoulders aren't quite so tense any more. The silence surrounding them isn't quite as heavy as it was a few minutes ago. And as her breathing evens out, it's not long before she's asleep, curled up against the warmth of his chest. Despite everything that happened, he can't remember the last time he was as content as he is right now.