A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, or left a review of this story. I'm glad so many people trusted me enough to go down this very difficult road.


Six Months Later

She unlocked the door slowly, taking a deep breath as she slid the key in the lock and turned it.

"Momma, Momma," Johanna called as she jumped down from the couch and rushed to meet Kate at the threshold. Castle followed at a more sedate pace.

"Hey, baby girl," she said, quickly placed her service piece on a high shelf before scooping the child up in her arms.

"I'm not a baby," Johanna insisted with great indignation. "I'm a girl."

"Yes you are," Kate agreed. "Did you have fun with Daddy today?"

The child nodded but did not elaborate.

"Today we went to the aquarium and saw the turtles," Castle stated.

"Yeah, we saw... we saw turtles," Johanna echoed.

Kate locked eyes with her husband. Ex-husband. Fiancé. They were still figuring that part out.

And for once, she did not ask him the question she always asked. She did not wonder if there were any mysterious men tailing them or any suspicious vehicles parked outside the loft when they left. She did not ask him about issues or problems or anything of the sort.

Instead, she said, "Well maybe tomorrow the three of us can go to the park. Mommy solved her case so she gets a long weekend."

Castle beamed at her as Johanna gave an excited shriek at the prospect of having an extra day with both her parents. Kate set the girl down and suggested that she play in her father's office until dinner was ready. Because he spent so much time writing in there, she had a number of toys and books piled in one corner.

As soon as Kate's arms were free, Castle pulled her into a tight embrace, the same way he greeted her home every night. "So you solved your case?" he asked, speaking quietly into her ear.

"You were right," she acknowledged grudgingly. "It was the ex-girlfriend who tried to set up the brother. But not for the reason you thought."

"She didn't kill him in a fit of rage when he accidentally dropped a red shirt into her load of whites?"

With a snort, Kate responded, "No. She killed him because she caught him with another woman. The red shirt that dyed everything pink? That belonged to the other woman."

Castle nodded, taking in the information about the case they had been discussing over dinner for the last three nights. "I'm glad you're home," he said finally.

A moment later, he let go of her and turned to head into the kitchen. Kate could smell the lasagna in the oven and could see a loaf of Italian bread sitting on the counter next to the makings for a salad. But as he stepped away from her, Kate reached out and grabbed his hand, gently tugging him back to her. He turned, raising an eyebrow at the gesture.

"I have some news," she said.

His eyebrows shot up in immediate understanding.

"About...?"

"Yes."

"And?" Castle asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"The FBI made the arrest about an hour ago. I got the call from Agent Shaw as I was driving home."

He stared at her for several seconds, as though the full weight of what she had just said hadn't hit him yet. But then he asked, "Are they sure?"

"They're sure. They searched his house and office and found everything they need for an indictment. We probably won't even have to testify."

And then his arms were around her again, squeezing her so tightly that she worried he might hurt himself. He was healed from the bullet tearing through his stomach, but his recovery had been long and arduous and he still wasn't back up to the level of strength he had been before.

But then Castle's lips were on hers as he pushed her up against the door, kissing her with desperate abandon. The position reminded her of that first night together, of longing fulfilled and apologies accepted.

It was finally over. The threat which had hung over them so long was finally gone.

Once the guys had identified Cole Maddox - and it was amazing what an autopsy could tell you about a man - they had taken the whole thing to Gates. And with her backing, they called the FBI with what they knew. The FBI was able to track the clues back to his employer, a politician more interested in power than people, a man who had begun his career as a New York City Public Defender who caught wind of the schemes of a few corrupt cops from a client.

As it turned out, the man who ordered the hit on Kate's mother and on Kate herself was already under investigation for public corruption charges. He had long been under suspicion, but their investigation was the closest they'd gotten to real evidence on the guy. His ties to Maddox, while tenuous, proved enough to get a warrant for a wire tap, which over months of careful listening and follow-up by federal agents produced enough evidence to finally make an arrest. Shaw wasn't the agent in charge of the case, but as a personal friend, she had been quietly keeping them up to date on developments.

"God, Kate," Castle said when he finally pulled away from her, just enough to speak but still close enough that his nose brushed against hers. "I can't believe it."

"I know," she agreed. "We're finally safe."

"And you'll finally have justice for your mother."

"And you," Kate pointed out.

"And you," he sent back.

"He has a lot of crimes to pay for," she agreed with a nod.

Castle looked at her - stared into her eyes the way he did sometimes when she knew he was deliberately keeping something to himself. But then his mouth burst into a grin and he suggested, "We should celebrate."

With a bashful glance in the direction of his office, she said, "Not when Johanna's still awake..."

"No, not that. Well, yes, that too, later. But I mean we should really celebrate. Do what you didn't want to do before now."

Kate blinked at him as his meaning hit her. "You want to get married?" she asked.

"As soon as we can. What is it, three days to get the license? We can do it the middle of next week."

"Rick-" she began to protest, and then stopped.

They had been together again for six months, ever since Maddox shot Castle. When he was released from the hospital, she moved into the loft to help take care of him and look after Johanna during his long period of recovery. While taking a leave of absence from the precinct, the move was more than just about nursing Castle back to health and letting her own injury heal. It was also to watch over the two of them and keep them save in case Maddox's death caused a backlash. Even though Kate insisted that they would be in less danger if she stayed away, Castle would not let her go. He threatened to crawl out of bed and go after her, gunshot or no.

And so, she stayed. Every week she brought more clothes and more books to the loft until her apartment was more of an afterthought than a home. Johanna settled right in to having both of her parents with her and after a few weeks could not remember the situation ever being otherwise. Even Alexis and Martha acclimated to the change without comment.

After several months of living together, when Castle was finally healed and had begun to get his strength back, Kate brought up the possibility of her moving out again. There had been no trouble since Maddox' death despite their worst fears, but Kate still worried every day that something would happen, that another assassin would step in to take his place.

Castle simply would not let her leave. She tried to argue with him, to make him see reason, but he gave no ground. "You are staying here with us," he said, ending the discussion.

Even when Kate's leave of absence ended and she began going in to work every day, she always returned home to the loft. She often saw relief in Castle's eyes as she stepped through the door.

A month ago, he had asked her to marry him again. At the time, she told him that they needed to wait, that getting remarried might be just enough of a push to catch the notice of her mother's killer again. But once he was caught, once the FBI wrapped up their investigation… then they could talk about it.

And now, he appeared to be collecting on that promise.

"Rick, you know I would love to marry you," she said.

His face fell as he said, "But...?"

"But are you sure? I mean, with what happened before, what I did... I know you aren't over that. And maybe we should just wait until he's been convicted-"

That was as far as she got before he was kissing her again, silencing her with his lips and tongue and the little piece of his soul he handed over to her as his hands caressed her body.

Kate loved him. She loved him so much that sometimes it hurt. All through his convalescence, she cursed herself for letting him get shot. Some nights she woke up in a panic, pacing the house between the master bedroom and Johanna's room before finally settling down to sleep on the couch. Other nights she did not sleep at all but rather sat in the dark, listening for danger.

But unlike the summer she took to heal on her own in her father's cabin upstate, Castle thrived with his family around him. He would sit and play board games with Alexis for hours, if they let him, or just stretch out on the couch with Johanna watching television. For Kate, it took her longer to get acclimated to being with him so casually again. Every touch of his hand set her skin on fire. Every look made her blush with a mixture of desire and guilt. And every word from his lips felt like a blessing, a gift she could never quite repay.

The night the doctor cleared Castle for regular activities, there were candles lit all over the loft when Kate got home, soft music playing on the stereo. A note by the door told her that Alexis had Johanna for the night and that Martha would be out as well. Next to the note was a glass of wine and the release from the doctor with a sticky note from Castle that said only, "You know what this means, right?"

She found him in the bedroom, the one she had long since begun to think of as 'theirs' rather than 'his.' He was reclined on the mattress with his own glass of wine and a platter of caviar and crackers next to him. After he fed her a few of the delicious morsels and asked about her day, he began to slowly take off her clothes, one article at a time.

That night they made love slowly, gently. Kate was unwilling to push him too hard too fast, but neither of them had any complaints. Afterwards, he told her, "I wanted tonight to be special."

She replied, "Every time with you is special, Castle."

With Castle's proposal still singing through her heart, just as his hands and mouth were doing incredible things to her body, Kate realized something. Not only did she love him, not only was she in love with him fully and completely, but she truly deserved his love in return. Despite every bad thing which had happened to them, she was allowed to feel happiness. Her joy was not irrevocably tied to bad things happening to those she loved, as she used to fear.

She told him very solemnly, "I love you, Castle. So very much." He held his breath as he watched her, waiting for her answer. "And yes, I will marry you."

"Again," he noted gleefully as his mouth broke into a boyish grin.

"I will marry you again," she told him with an answering smile.

Without hesitation, he reached his hands behind her neck, and it took her a second to realize what he was doing. By then, he had already unclasped the chain she always wore, the one with her two rings. Slipping off her old wedding band, he moved to put the chain containing only her mother's ring back around her neck, but she stopped him.

"Wait... I don't think I need to wear it any more," Kate said, giving the memento on last look before slipping it carefully into her pocket. She felt as though her mother could finally rest in peace. And more than that, it was like a slate had been wiped clean, leaving her and Castle with a fresh beginning. She had never felt more free.

When Castle placed the wedding ring on her finger, tears sprung to Kate's eyes. As the cool metal slid across her skin, she made a silent vow never to take it off again. Not for anything.

Kissing her once more, Castle led her into the kitchen. The lasagna was ready to come out of the oven and the salad still needed to be made. As he worked on finishing dinner, Kate pulled herself up to sit on the counter next to him. "We should have a big wedding this time," he told her. "Lavish. Expensive. Lots of guests."

Their first wedding was small and hurried, a justice of the peace at the courthouse with just a few friends and family members. This time, he wanted her to have a dress and flowers and doves and rice – "Castle, they don't throw rice any more." - and every other wedding detail they could come up with. The thought of such a wedding was daunting to Kate, but she could tell it was something that he wanted. And she could not deny him.

"And Johanna can be flower girl," Castle added.

"I think she'd like that," Kate agreed.

As though she knew they were talking about her, Johanna toddled out of Castle's office and across the living room into the kitchen. "Las-a-na?" she asked, not quite able to pronounce the word.

"It's almost done, sweetie," Castle told her, picking the girl up to put her on the counter next to her mother. Kate automatically put her arm around the toddler to steady her and keep her from falling.

"Johanna, how would you feel about me and your dad getting married again?" Kate asked her.

"Married now," the toddler pointed out, sounding confused.

"From the mouths of babes," Castle said, giving Kate a quick kiss on the lips before looking down at the little girl. "You can be a flower girl, if you want," he offered.

"I like flowers," Johanna said very seriously.

With a laugh, Kate stated, "Then it's settled."

"And after we're married," Castle went on, "maybe we can start working on a little brother or sister for Johanna and Alexis."

Kate smiled back at him. "It's a deal."


fin