A/N: When I finally finished this family fic, it turned out to be longer, than I thought. That's because I couldn't help, but adding more and more details)).

Disclaimer: Seriously? Do I look like Andrew Marlowe to you?

The long day was slowly coming to a close, all the shades of sunset blossoming in the summer sky. The beast had finally been defeated, justice had gotten its victory and the whole outcome was just perfect to call it a happy ending. But the only thing Nikki Heat felt at the moment was exhaustion.

Her body was aching, her soul - turned upside down and absolutely empty. All the emotions seemed to be gone, melted in the darkness. As if someone wicked turned them off, like a switch.

Nikki knew by experience, that it wouldn't be forever like that. All she needed was some time to adjust, to get through, to move on…or whatever else.

Only now she didn't have to do it alone.

Richard Castle saved the file with his latest soon-to-be- bestseller and shook his head, as if waking up from a dream. He stretched in the office chair he was sitting in and groaned contentedly, working all the kinks out of his back. Sitting like that at his age was not really healthy, especially sitting for the last – Rick looked at his watch – four hours.

Four hours?! Oh, crap! His wife was coming home from work any moment now and somebody still had to cook dinner. It wasn't like the girls couldn't handle this. They had turned 16 not so long before and both twins inherited his perfect cooking skills. Not to mention Kate and Alexis sharing with them some very useful tips.

It was just that cooking for this rather large family had been his favorite past time for the last 17 years. Castle couldn't help but smile. Seventeen years and his life was everything he wanted it to be.

Going out of his office, Rick suddenly registered the lack of noises. A complete silence, which was rather unusual for Casa de Castle at this time of the day. The usual things would be sounds of the kitchen, mixed with Andy's voice claiming his independence or the girls telling him off for yet another little joke he played on them.

Well, in fact, most of the time it was Jo doing all the "telling off". After all, she was three and a half minutes older than Jess and two and a half years older than Andrew and thus, had every right to call herself "the elder sister".

Speaking of "elders" and "eldest". He had been going to call Alexis and invite her and Simon for dinner. And Cosmo, of course. Castle chuckled and shook his head. His little grandson was, hands down, everybody's center of attention. Every time he appeared in the house, even Martha would put her "aging woman's melancholy" aside and be as cheerful as ever.

Some unfamiliar, but very delicious smell reached Castle's nostrils. He came around the kitchen counter, looking for the source and saw a slip of paper, pinned to the fridge. A note, from his girls.

"Dad, you were "in the writing zone", so we figured it'd be better not to disturb you. The dinner is in the oven and yes, it's smth new ;) We are at Grams'. BRB for the dinner, hopefully with Grams, if she is persuasible."

J & J

Castle smiled, his feelings a mixture of adoration and sadness. There had been times, when his energetic mother would be more persuasive, rather than "persuasible". She would always be the main initiator of all the family dinners, mass picnics, collective days-off and etc. But, as she was getting older, Martha Rodgers preferred to stay "out of the harm's way" more and more often. She confessed to Rick once, that she just didn't want to be anybody's burden and stubbornly rejected any attempts to change her mind. He felt guilty for letting her be alone, but at least now his mother lived only two storeys down and the twins took every opportunity to keep an eye on her.

Castle sighed and looked at the note in his hand. It had a P.S.

P.S. Andy is in his room. Pretty upset with smth.

Castle frowned. If his youngest son was upset, it had to be something really serious. Andrew was an endless source of irrational optimism in most situations, with his father's charming grin and constant intention to pranks. This intention however, didn't prevent him from taking his studies seriously and being one of the best in his class. Add to this his mother's green eyes and you'll cross off any problems with girls as well. In other words, to be really upset Andrew Castle needed a reason.

Rick cautiously knocked at the door of his son's bedroom.

"What?!" That sounded, indeed, frustrated

"Hey, buddy! How are you doing?" Castle entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Fine" his son answered, somewhat defensively. The teenager was sitting at his writing desk, a pen clutched in his sweaty hand, a considerable amount of crumpled bits of paper under his chair.

"Well, your sisters think otherwise. And this-" The man nodded his head in the direction of what seemed to be fragments of a whole notepad, scattered all over the floor. "This doesn't look like "fine" to me"

Andrew huffed. "That's just my essay. All the 25 failed attempts"

"Twenty six". He added, crushing one more piece between his fingers and adding it to the pile.

"Wow, that's serious." For Rick, as a writer, it looked very familiar.

"Yeah, you bet." And this ironic smirk also was something Richard Castle knew pretty well.

"Let me guess. You want to do something really perfect, but whatever you are doing doesn't seem too perfect to you. And everybody around just keeps saying "Wow, Andy, man, you are good!" But you don't see what they see and it makes you even angrier at yourself. The fact that you don't know what you want from your life doesn't help, either. "

Andy was clearly surprised.

"Do you always read people like open books, Dad?"

His father chuckled. "Well, it happens sometimes, but I don't need much to understand you. That is, because you are my son."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that sometimes you remind me of myself so vividly, that it scares me. I used to be a schoolboy, too, remember?"

Andy shook his head. "Don't tell me you were this lousy at writing. I won't believe it anyway."

"Why?" Castle started seeing the problem and now it even amused him.

The boy signed. "Because you have a talent. You are a damn good writer, Dad. You do it as easily as you breathe, since your childhood and I…I don't wanna let you down."

Castle was slightly shocked and deeply touched by his son's words. He had considered it to be about his writing career, he just didn't expect this kind of explanation.

"Sonny, you won't let me down by your school grades! You don't have to write literary masterpieces at the age of 13 to make me be proud of you. By the way you write wonderful essays and it's not only me – your teachers actually admire you."

"That's just because I'm your son!" Wow, this stubbornness was more likely something inherited from Becketts. As well as the way he crinkles his nose.

"Now, that is not true. And you know what? I am not that heaven born genius you have imagined. There was time I was actually a fraud."

Castle smiled sadly, his ears turning slightly red at the memory.

"No way!" Andy stared at his father in disbelief "And what exactly do you mean by "a fraud"?"

"Wanna hear the story?"

"I'd love to"

So they talked. About Rick Rodgers' near expulsion from his boarding school. About Jordan Motor Company and that infamous essay, costing him 250 $ and the most shameful appraisal he had ever experienced. About his constant wish to prove being worthy of that applause and about writing eventually becoming his release, private sanctuary and best friend, all in one. Even about "Casino Royale" given by…an unknown stranger. Well, Castle isn't prepared to reveal the story of his father, just yet.

They talk about simple often being the best solution and agree on the fact that the hardest things in life are the ones most worth doing. So when the two of them finally leave Andrew's bedroom, so they could go and serve the dinner properly, the boy is smiling and feels much better. He also got a couple of rather good ideas for his essay.

"Speaking about simple" Castle continued the conversation, while setting the plates and glasses on the table. "You could ask Alexis about that."

"You mean she had the same best-selling author ambitions?" Andrew's good spirits were definitely back.

"Nah, much more trivial. You know, she was a valedictorian at her graduation?" Castle bent down to fetch the roasting pan out of the oven

"Yeah, she told me she had regretted it more than once, before she finally made her speech."

"Well, that was the most beautiful speech I've ever heard. And it was simple, ingeniously simple, but so true. She still has a draft of it somewhere, if I'm not mistaken. You could ask her to bring it tomorrow."

"So, they are coming for Saturday dinner? And Cosmo, too?"

Andrew loved his little nephew. Especially when he called him "Uncle"

"Oh, yeah. Except I keep forgetting to call them. May be you'll do this, while I finish it here?"

"Okay" Andy pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and went to his father's office to make the call.

Just at this moment the front door opened and very exhausted Kate Castle entered the loft. Rick smiled happily and rushed to help his wife with her jacket.

"Captain Beckett. You are home, at last!"

"So you know, babe, Captain Beckett is still at her office. But-" She turned around to give him a chaste kiss "Mrs. Castle is, indeed, home."

"Wow, Mrs. Castle. That's really nice of you." Castle gently hugged her shoulders and led her to the table. "Are you hungry?"

Kate closed her eyes and inhaled deeply "Uh huh. And judging by the smell you have some ready suggestions"

"Well, to tell the truth, it's not me. I was writing and JJs…"

"…Apparently decided to use that cookbook I got them for their birthday."

Martha came in, the girls holding her tenderly by the elbows. "I just have to hope they cook better than me."

Everybody roared with laughter, just as Andy went out of the office.

"No! I have missed all the fun again!" The teenager exclaimed with a dramatic expression on his face, which actually made his grandmother proud. His family laughed, once again, settling down at the table.

"Anyway, Lex, Simon and Cosmo say they are definitely coming tomorrow." Andrew looked at Johanna.

"So you will be able to demonstrate your Michelin-starred skills again, chef"

"And if you are good, I'll let you be my cookee, little bro."

"Hey, Jo! What about me?" Jessica cut in their banter.

Castle leaned in to his wife's ear.

"This scene looks familiar, don't you think?"

Kate chortled "Well, they are our kids, after all"

"Guys, are we gonna eat today? Cause I'm starving!"

So they started their dinner and Andy couldn't be happier, than at that moment, surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him. His essay could wait until later. Just like his father, Andrew Castle found deadlines inspiring.

The end.

Any thoughts?