a.n. Is it sad that we're all happy Castle got cancelled? Thank goodness they actually did it. Now we might get a happy-ish ending instead of the tragedy it might have been. I figured that this would be best posted right alongside the series finale.

Anyways. This chapter skips a lot of time from beginning to end. Oh. And this is also the last chapter.

I know this story sucked. I'm sorry about that.

I'm also playing around with the timeframe. Somehow in canon, Kate managed to get a degree, go to the NYPD Police Academy, move from an officer to a detective, and work to Detective First Grade between January 1999 and March 2009 when she 'met' Castle. I'm going to go along with that, but I think that's very quick.

xxxx

8 June 2003

NYPD Officer Kate Beckett sighed as she took off her shoes after closing the door of her apartment behind her. It had been a long first day on the job, and now she just wanted to soak in a warm bath then curl under her husband's arm while watching their three-year-old daughter play with her alphabet blocks.

After giving birth to Alexis, Kate dedicated herself to living life to the fullest. In addition to raising her young daughter with Rick, she finished her associate's degree in Criminal Justice, and started at the police academy. While she had done a good job of putting her quest for justice behind her, she still liked the prospect of getting justice for the victims of violent crimes. She had managed to graduate from the academy a year earlier than normal, and had just started her stint as a NYPD Officer assigned to Vice.

"Hey, Kate," she heard from the right. She looked and saw her husband and daughter in the kitchen covered in what appeared to be flour. Smiling to herself, but putting on a stern expression, she walked closer to them and took a look at the kitchen. It was a mess.

"What are you doing, Rick?"

"It wasn't me," Castle said pouting. "It was all the little monster. We wanted to make cookies for you for your first day, but it got a little messy."

The smile breaking out on her face was inevitable, no matter how much she wanted to be stern. Rick was a fantastic father, never complaining about her long hours or anything to do with her dreams; always supporting her. He stayed at home with Alexis, writing best sellers when he was able, and making sure Alexis had the best childhood he could offer her. Kate couldn't have possibly been prouder of her husband than she was when he got his first multi-book contract after his first book became uber successful. She loved his writing, just like she always had, and hoped his career could continue after killing off his Storm character.

Seeing her smile, Rick leaned over the counter and kissed her, managing to smear flour onto her face as well.

"Hey, look Alexis! We all match now!" Rick pointed out gleefully. Kate groaned, and scurried away from the kitchen counter before the two loves of her life could ruin her uniform or goodness forbid get flour anywhere near her holster and pistol.

"I'll get you guys back for that," she shouted over her shoulder, making Rick laugh and Alexis giggle.

Life was far from perfect, but it she was happy.

xxxx

9 March 2009 – 10 March 2009

Never in her now six years on the Force did she think she would be bringing her husband into the 12th precinct to answer questions regarding murders based on his fictional murders. But it had happened. He had left Alexis at the loft with Martha (who had moved in with them after being swindled out of her life savings), and had come into the precinct. Kate couldn't to the questioning herself, but watched as Esposito put her husband through the normal (at least for this situation) questions.

She was worried. Even though Rick put on a brave face, and often tried to make light of the most serious situations, she knew that someone murdering people with scenarios he had created would hurt him badly. She knew he'd feel responsible.

What she hadn't expected was for him to work the case alongside her. In a way, she was excited to finally work with her love. On the other hand, her job was dangerous. It was bad enough she went to work every day, always taking a risk of not coming home to Alexis. She didn't want Rick to take that same chance.

However, she knew how the case must be affecting him, so said nothing when he got permission from Montgomery to work the case with them.

When they found Kyle Cabot, Kate thought that she had their man, and had sent Rick home to spend time with Alexis.

The argument they had when she got home, while not their first, was very loud.

"Of course he's our guy, Castle!" Kate yelled, "The evidence is all there. Trust me, this is my job, not yours."

Rick was silent for several moments, then said, "Fine. If you want to send an innocent man to prison, do it. Hell if I care!" Then he walked out of the kitchen (where they had been arguing) and up the stairs, where Alexis was watching them with wide, fearful eyes.

"Come on pumpkin, we'll get you tucked back in," Kate heard before Rick guided their little girl back to her bedroom.

xxxx

11 March 2009

He had been right. But it didn't matter. Sure they had apologized to each other after a night apart, but it didn't matter.

She had grudgingly took a look at the evidence again, and concluded that she needed to dig deeper. Rick's parting comment the night before had hurt, and she knew she'd never forgive herself if he was right and she could have done something about it.

They had talked to Jonathan Tisdale, and then Allyson's brother Harrison, which had led to the current situation, where Kate knew her whole life could change.

Rick had chased after Tisdale after the man had alluded them in his apartment, and was just now being held at gunpoint by the person they now knew was a murderer of at least three people, including his own sister. Kate knew that in the next few minutes, if Tisdale pulled the trigger, she could lose everything. Her mind flashed to how her life had seemed to be over after the deaths of her parents, how the only reason she had survived was the man now only a small finger movement away from death. It took everything she had not to collapse to her knees and beg Tisdale not to take Rick away from her.

The next few moments were a blur for her, but she managed to put the cuffs on the bad guy before she tackled Rick to the ground, and started to punch him in the chest. She felt his arms going around her, as he pulled her closer to him, allowing her to bury herself into his chest and let lose the sobs that had been threatening to break loose since she had entered the alley.

"I could have lost you, you idiot!" She sobbed. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

They held each other for several minutes until Kate finally got herself under control. "I love you, Rick. I…I can't lose you."

"I know, Kate, and I love you too. I'm sorry."

She smiled then kissed him softly. She could never stay mad at him. Though she would revise her thoughts on that the next morning when he told her he wanted to shadow her for research. It'd take him a week before she allowed him back into their bedroom, and even that hadn't disabused him of the idea.

xxxx

Over the course of the next eight years, many things would change for Kate and Richard Castle. For Kate, she would continue her career as an NYPD Homicide Detective. During that time, she would face many harrowing encounters with death. Luckily her husband, and partner, was right there beside her. They faced serial killers, freezers, bombs, and many other things that would turn most people's hair gray. While she had fought hard to keep Rick out of the NYPD Consultancy Program, she was happy to be his partner in all things. She did her absolute best every single day to make sure they both made it home.

The bomb that had torn through the loft in 2010 was perhaps their scariest moment, as Alexis had nearly been killed. Kate's personal horror came true in 2011 when Rick took a bullet for her at the funeral of her precinct captain. He had barely survived. It was that event that caused her to finally put her mother's case behind her for good. She would never again put her family in danger, no matter how strong the pull for her own personal justice became.

In 2013, Kate gave birth to a baby boy, who they named James after her father. The delivery did not go well, and it was determined by the doctors that Kate would never be able to have any more children. While it had saddened them, both Kate and Rick knew that they had been blessed with two amazing children, and were happy enough with that.

It was after James' birth that Kate decided that she needed to leave the NYPD. She still loved the hunt for justice, and she knew that the pull to solve the puzzle would always be there, born as it was from her need for justice for her mother. But she knew that she needed to keep herself and her husband safe, so she tended her resignation to the new captain who had taken over for Montgomery, then (with Rick's help) bought a small bookstore near their new home in Brooklyn.

Kate would always remember her mom and dad. She would always love them, and be grateful for raising her. Their deaths would always affect her, and would always play a part in the woman she was. But it was Rick, and his love for her and hers for him, that shaped her life. It was that love that had conquered all her demons and allowed her to live a life full of laughter and happiness.

xxxx

a.n.2. So there's the end. This entire story was rushed, but that was the nature of the style I chose. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I'll let you judge.

Now. What's next? That's the question isn't it? I had planned (when it looked like Castle was going to get renewed sans Stana), to end my Castle fanfic career. Now, I will likely write some more Castle later this summer (as long as the finale ends somewhat happily). For now, I'm going to bury myself in my HP fics.

Please leave a review, and I'll see you next time.