Here we are, Castillions. The Heat Exchange launch party. Beware of fluff! There's kind of a lot, so I might be getting into the out of character range, but I needed to write massive amounts of fluff. I've had that kind of week.

Oh, there is a recent spoiler in this part - for the title of the next Castle book. It's just the title, since we really don't know what it'll be about yet.

Enjoy! (More notes at the end)

Epilogue

The SoHo club where the launch party was behind held for Heat Exchange was only about three blocks from where Kat Harper worked, Kate realized as she stepped out of the limo Castle had gone out of his way to arrange for her.

When her cane hit the pavement, she heard the first call from a photographer. Thinking of the cane in her hand and the note that came with it made her smile as she braved the flashing lights; It's not hospital issue, but Nikki Heat has got to have some fire, right? The cane was black and had flames painted on the bottom, making her think of the days where she'd have to have House on her DVR.

She walked through the press gauntlet, flashing a few smiles their way, and inside the party she was met by an excited Alexis. "Kate! How's your leg?" She asked with a smile.

"It's doing just fine." She answered. "How are you doing?" She asked, sharing a hug with her. "Did you get caught up on your classes? I feel bad I made you miss them…"

"I wanted to be at the hospital for Dad. And for you." She said. "It's okay. I mean, I've already got them made up except for a test tomorrow. There's someone I want you to meet." She grinned, pulling Kate over to the stools set up by the bar as fast as her leg would let her. "This is Brad Gavin. We met in our Italian class. Brad, this is Detective Kate Beckett."

Kate shook his hand, and smiled warmly at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I have read all the Nikki Heat books. It's so thrilling to be here with Alexis." He said. "She's told me so much about you; I feel like I know you."

"He hasn't met Dad yet." Alexis explained. "He's backstage, waiting for Gina's introduction. Grams is making the rounds, so we're just hanging out before everything gets started." She said, sitting back down on the stool next to Brad. "Esposito, Ryan, Lanie and the Captain are here," she gestured around the party. "Lost track of all of them, though." She said.

"That's okay. I'll just hang out with you two if that's all right." She smiled as she took the stool next to Alexis, gesturing to the bartender for a drink. "What was your favorite book, Brad?" Kate asked. She didn't expect Alexis to start laughing when she asked. "Did I miss something?"

"Tell her, Brad." Alexis said with a smile.

He was blushing. "Naked Heat was actually my favorite book." He confessed. "I thought it did a really good job of getting into the backstory of Rook and Heat more, and showcasing how their relationship was changing."

*****

"We've seen Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook through thick and thin over the past four years, and in Heat Exchange, the gripping conclusion to the Heat series, we see the pair take on Detective Heat's most personal case, the death of her mother. Faced with insurmountable odds, the pair travels through the underbelly of New York as they try to solve the case and deal with their working relationship coming to an end." Gina introduced to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, our real life Rook, Richard Castle!"

He came out to a standing ovation, trying his best to ignore Gina as he stepped onto the platform.

"I still can't believe you're not taking the deal." She whispered in his ear.

"Believe it." He said, making eye contact with Alexis and Kate, sitting side-by side at the bar. "Hello New York!" He said with a grin, addressing the crowd.

*****

"I never thought when I started writing Heat Exchange that life would imitate art." He told the reporter. "Nikki Heat has been my favorite character to write, and I just hope that I've done Detective Kate Beckett and the NYPD proud by her."

She smiled in return, turning off her voice recorder. "Thanks, Rick. The piece will be up on the site just after midnight."

He nodded, waving her farewell. There weren't many people left at the party, mostly just the event staff and a few stragglers to finish out the bar. He was pleasantly surprised to see Kate sitting at the bar, scanning the room for someone. "Looking for me? I'm surprised you're still here." He told her.

"I'm surprised I didn't see you signing any chests tonight, Castle." Beckett said, smiling from her perch on the stool, twirling the cane in her left hand. "Rook's transformation rubbing off on you?" She asked.

"Something like that." He said, returning her smile as he took the stool next to her. "How's the leg?"

She smiled again, playing with the skinny straw in her drink. "You know, a bum leg at one of these parties is like a golden ticket. Everybody comes to you. It was kind of nice."

He nodded, gesturing to the bartender for a drink. "Alexis had to take off too; she's got an Italian final in the morning she's making up."

"And Brad?" She asked with a smile.

"Seemed like a nice boy." He said in return. They sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in thought before Castle spoke again. "You think your leg could stand a dance?" He asked.

She laughed again. "Dance, Castle? Where are we going to dance?" She asked.

He let out a small breath. Well, she didn't say no. "Come on." He said, standing up and holding out both his hands for her to help her off the stool.

*****

Beckett raised an eyebrow as he produced a key for the door that lead to the roof. "Do I have to worry about solving another murder?" She asked. "They don't just hand those out."

He smiled. "They do in exchange for enough money. Close your eyes." He ordered.

"What?" She said, laughing gently. "Come on, Castle. What's going on?"

"Close your eyes and you'll find out. We'll stand here until you do."

She finally relented, making a show of closing her eyes for him. "If this is like page 76 in the book, I'm going to hurt you."

He unlocked the door and used her free hand to guide her through the door. His heart pounded in his chest, hoping that she would enjoy what was waiting for her there. He'd put a lot of time, money and energy setting up what he hoped was the perfect scene.

"You can open your eyes." He said, letting go of her hand and eager to watch her face.

She was absolutely stunned at the sight in front of her. White string lights were laced up the sides and through the rafters of the pagoda that framed a dance floor. She guessed that there had to have been a hundred roses in the vases around the makeshift dance floor, and the glow created by the string lights, candles, and the natural lights of New York City made the picture even more beautiful. On another table sat his iPod in a speaker dock, a bucket with champagne and two glasses, and a large box with a bow on top. "Castle," she breathed, "I don't know what to say."

"That's good, because I don't expect you to say anything." He said with a smile. "This is my way of saying thank you." He said. "Nikki Heat has been the biggest hit I've ever hand, and I wouldn't have had any of it without you. Since everyone has been making the night about me, somebody should make it about you, too. This series is as much yours as it is mine. I know I've been having a hard time since my last day at the precinct, so I figure we can toast, I'm having some food brought up when we get hungry and have our own goodbye to the Nikki Heat era."

She couldn't help the lump that grew in her throat and avoided his eyes. During the past week she'd taken duty back at the station, the fact that the Nikki Heat series was ending hit her hard. She was going to miss her shadow, and while she might get a new partner, they were going to have big shoes to fill trying to get in Castle's spot. "So," she sniffed, "when's that dancing starting? I think I've got more than one in me."

He remembered the remote in his jacket pocket and pressed play as she propped her cane against one of the tables. "You need to lean on me?" He asked.

She nodded, limping back over to him. "Probably the best idea." She said. "Not sure how steady I'll be when put to music."

They swayed for a few moments in silence, two friends leaning on each other and enjoying the moment. "I wanted to tell you something before you read it in the newspapers. Since you read the book sections and all." Castle said, gathering his courage about a minute into the first song. "Back Pawn offered me a big chunk of change to write three more Nikki Heat books, and I turned them down."

She lifted her head up from his shoulder. "What?" She asked.

"The second day you were unconscious, I got a call from Paula. The pre-orders for Heat Exchange were through the roof, and they offered me a deal for three more books. It was three times as much as they had paid me for the first four. I turned them down the night you woke up."

"Why?" She asked.

"I can't shadow you any more. If it hadn't been for me,"

"If it hadn't been for you, no one would have connected the dots and realized that the same person that killed Kat Harper killed my mother and everyone else. You went to Dr. Murray behind my back, and even thought I hated you for it then, he was the one who saw the connection with Kat now. I got to call all of those families and give them closure, which was probably the most rewarding experience of my life." She said. "Yes, I got shot. But Castle, I'm a cop. It's a job hazard, and I'm going to make a full recovery. I'll be back to busting bad guys in no time."

"I had a lot of time to think while you were unconscious. Nikki and Jameson got their happy ending. Anything else with them is just…" He let the thought trail off. "It wouldn't fit. They deserved it."

Her breath hitched in her throat for a moment. "I wouldn't want her to meet a Derrick Storm ending, but you know, I'm biased." She tried to lighten the moment as they stood inches apart, contemplating the other.

"Kate,"

"Rick,"

They laughed, the tension between the two diffused for the moment. "I want to give you something." He said, leading her over to the table with the box. "It's nothing too extravagant. Scout's honor." He promised.

"You were never a scout." She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Just open it." He said after sticking out his tongue at her.

She slid the ribbon off the box and opened the top, taking out a framed picture of the two from the Cosmo photoshoot a week ago. "The photographer kept the cameras rolling through the whole thing; they got a lot of outtake shots. Alexis helped me pick this one out."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you picked me up like that." At one point during the shoot, Kate had commented that her leg was in pain and a break would probably be in order. Castle had picked her up much in the same way as he had in the warehouse and set her in her chair.

"You said your leg hurt, so I thought I'd be a gentleman." He said.

"That you were." She told him with a laugh. "What's this?" She picked up a blue folder from the bottom of the box, opening it to reveal papers with lots of legal jargon on them. "What are these for?" She asked.

"There's been an offer made to turn Heat Wave into a movie." He said. "Those are what those papers are." He explained. "I'm not going to sign them unless you want me to. You've had enough people poking into you life since I started writing the books, and this would bring a whole new mess of that in." He closed the folder in her hands. "Think about it as long as you need."

She looked from the folder and back to him. "I'm touched, Castle. I really am." The gesture was huge for him. Four years ago, he probably would have signed those papers without a second thought to what she had to say. And now, he was putting the entire decision in her hands.

"You know, when we started this, I had no idea that the end was going to be so hard." He said, pouring the champagne.

"What's a copy of Heat Exchange doing in here?" She asked, pulling the book out. "I already have a copy." She said.

"This one is special." He said, handing her a glass. "Go ahead." He said.

She started thumbing through the first few pages of the book, stopping where the dedication page should have been. The dedication was still on the page, but in addition, Castle had written a long letter wherever he could squeeze in a word on the pages with pen. By the time she had finished the letter, she didn't try to hide the tears in her eyes. "Me too." She told him in a whisper.

He set his glass on the table, and then put her glass and the book on the table. Wrapping his arms around her to support her weight, he swept her up in a kiss he'd been wanting to give her for years. When their lips parted their arms stayed locked around each other as they tried to catch their breath.

"What about Alexis?" Kate asked when she found her voice.

"Alexis? Other than the fact she adores you, what are you wondering about?" He asked in return with a smile. "You'd think she'd be alarmed by this shift? Meredith hardly calls her to see how college is going. You got a twitter account of your own free will just so you could keep in touch with her. When Meredith wouldn't fly out on parents weekend, you cleared your schedule to fly out with me. She barely let go of you that whole weekend. She's going to be more than okay with having you around outside of work. I might have to steal you away from her when I want a date when she's home. And the fact she's thinking about finishing up at Columbia doesn't bode well for me." He said with a smile.

"She and I are getting together tomorrow to watch Fame and have ice cream tomorrow night."

"She's at home now…" He said.

She shook her head, resting it again on his shoulder. "I don't want to leave just yet. And she's probably working on studying for her test."

"Good. Me neither." He said. "And you're right. Probably shouldn't disturb her."

*****

The rest of the night was spent under the stars of New York City, reminiscing about the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. With one kiss, there hadn't been a cosmic shift in the universe, it wasn't awkward, and there was no regret.

What there had been was acceptance. Each had their own flaws, each brought their own share of baggage to the table. The Nikki Heat era was over, but they weren't over. Crazed fans, bookcover fiascos, title fights and gunshots hadn't ended their working relationship, and if they could survive all of that, they could survive the worst that New York, and the world, could throw at them.

*****

So, we're here at the end! Been reading the reviews for part 2 of chapter 8 – I'd been trying to fake as much medical knowledge as I could from years of faithfully watching House, but I guess some things did fall through the cracks. Thanks to everyone who pointed that stuff out to me, and I will make sure to be more careful next time!

Once again, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my story, and I hope this doesn't disappoint!

My soundtrack for this chapter was the song "Manhattan From The Sky" by Kate Voegele. If you don't know the song, find it on iTunes or YouTube. I think it's the perfect song for Rick and Kate.