Author's Note: Surprise! Yes, I know, I finished this story almost a month ago. And I was pretty sure that I was going to be completely done with it, but sometimes the inspiration strikes, you know? I had quite a few people hint that they would be interested in a sequel, and since I don't actually have one of those planned, I decided to turn my sudden burst of inspiration into an epilogue...consider it a compromise, I guess. You guys definitely deserve it for sticking with me the whole way! Enjoy!

Epilogue

Memorial Weekend 2012 (One year later)

Kate stepped out onto the porch and shielded the sun with her hands as she searched for Castle. Squinting into the sunrise, she spotted him a ways away, squatting in the sand, and for a moment she thought he was making a sand castle. She kicked off her sandals and padded towards him, relishing the feel of the sand beneath her feet. As she neared him she saw that he was holding a stick and it appeared as though he was drawing a picture.

He placed the finishing touches on whatever he was doing and stood up to admire his handiwork before glancing up at her. "Hey," he said and Kate almost thought he sounded nervous.

"Hey," she responded as he walked over to her, stopping in front of her and blocking her view. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Writing, of course," he said. "I mean I am an author."

"And what? You couldn't find any paper?" she teased.

"Well I wouldn't say that, exactly." He stepped aside allowing her to see what he had done.

Kate's mouth dropped open as her brain registered what she was seeing. She had read every single one of Castle's books, some of them multiple times, but there on the ground in front of her were the four sweetest words he had ever written.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Kate's eyes filled with tears as she looked up to find Castle down on one knee on the ground next to her, gazing at her expectantly. She nodded her head frantically, unable to choke out a simple one syllable word. She could not believe that after all this time he could still render her speechless, especially at the one moment that she most needed to respond.

Her nod was all he needed and before she knew what was happening she found herself wrapped in a giant bear hug. She squeezed him tightly as he picked her up and spun her in a circle, before setting her gently back on her feet.

She loosened her grip on him enough that she could lean back and meet his eyes and she could tell that he had teared up as well. "Yes," she finally managed, smiling through her tears, and he kissed her sweetly before pulling away and taking her left hand in his. Kate watched him pull a ring from his pocket and slip it onto her finger. Everything looked blurry but she could tell that the ring had a white gold band with an inset of five diamonds, the middle one being the largest. It was simple yet elegant and not at all over-the-top as she had always expected from him. In short, it was perfect.

He watched anxiously as she admired it, hoping that he had made the right choice. He knew she was not into flashy and expensive things so he had opted for something smaller and more modest. "Do you like it?" he asked nervously.

"I love it, Rick," she breathed, pulling him to her and kissing him again. "It's perfect." They quickly lost themselves in the kiss, pouring all of their emotions into it. Only when air became a necessity did they finally break apart.

A movement off to the side suddenly caught Kate's eye and she turned to find Martha and Alexis not far away, grinning broadly. "They were watching weren't they?" she asked, turning back to Castle.

"I may have given Alexis my camera," he said, grinning.

Kate was about to protest when she suddenly found herself wrapped up by a small arm and a lot of red hair. Alexis hugged them both tightly, jumping up and down in excitement as she did so. She finally pulled away and looked up at her father. "Told you she'd say yes," she said happily.

Meanwhile, Martha approached them and pulled Kate into a tight hug. "Welcome to the family, kiddo," she said.

"Thank you, Martha," Kate said with a smile, Martha's words warming her heart.

After a moment, Alexis came bounding back over to Kate, camera in hand, insisting that they take pictures of the writing in the sand and the ring as well as a few posed pictures of the two of them. By the time Alexis finished, Kate's face hurt from smiling so much, but every time she caught a glimpse of the shining diamonds on her finger, she could not help but grin like a little kid.

While Alexis was looking over some of the photographs, Kate peered over Castle's shoulder just in time to see him typing something on his phone. "Please tell me you're not putting this on Twitter," she said.

"Of course not," he said. "I was just letting our fan club know that we're throwing a party." He matched her giddy grin and pulled her in for another searing kiss.

"Wait, fan club," Kate sputtered as they separated.

"You know, the people we work with every day who have been waiting for this moment since the day we met," he answered teasingly.

"They knew?"

"That I was going to ask you? No," he replied. "I told them to plan on coming out here for an afternoon to celebrate. And now that you said yes, I was just making it a definite. But they have no idea what we're celebrating. "

"Who all is coming?" Kate asked hesitantly. She had not expected to have a party right away.

"Just Ryan, Jenny, Esposito, Lanie, Ashley and his parents, and your father," he replied.

"Feeling pretty confident of my answer, were you?" she teased.

"Not really," he admitted. "I was more on the terrified end of the spectrum. But since they just think I invited them for no real reason, they would never have had to know."

"Well you have nothing to worry about," Kate said, pulling him in for another kiss. This one was much more fiery and passionate and it quickly made both of them forget where they were.

"Ahem…." Kate and Castle jumped apart and looked over to see Alexis standing with her hands on her hips, an amused expression on her face. "You guys are sickeningly adorable," she said. "But maybe right here is not the place."

"Sorry," Kate said sheepishly, but she was unable to stop smiling.

"So….the pictures?" Castle asked, attempting to diffuse the awkwardness. "How do they look?"

"Really good," Alexis exclaimed. "But I was thinking we could put it on self-timer and get some of all four of us together."

"How about just you three and I'll take the pictures," Martha suggested.

"Skipping out on an attempt to be captured on camera? Mother, what has gotten into you?" Castle teased.

"Nonsense, darling, I was just….okay, fine, we'll put it on the timer, but first let's actually get one with you two and Alexis," Martha replied, taking the camera from the young girl.

Ten minutes later, they were finished with pictures and Alexis and Martha headed back up to the house to prepare for the afternoon's festivities. Their guests would not be arriving for at least four more hours, so Castle and Kate took the time to relax in the sand. Castle sat down and Kate plopped down next to him, her ring catching the sunlight again and shimmering brightly. A huge smile spread across her face once again and Castle wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck.

"We're getting married, Rick," she said, her voice sounding almost foreign to her own ears. She had always dreamed of this but now that it was a reality, she could not believe it was actually happening. She was engaged.

"I know," he grinned. "I can't believe it!"

"Me neither," she murmured, leaning into him more heavily. "I don't think it's sunk in yet." She admired her ring again, suddenly wondering when she had become such a girl.

"You do like it, don't you?" Castle asked worriedly. "It's not too much?"

"Rick, I love it, I told you that," she responded quickly. "I just couldn't see it clearly before because I was crying."

"Just making sure," he said. They fell into silence again, leaning against each other, and were interrupted a few minutes later by a text from Lanie, asking if she needed to bring anything.

A swimsuit and an appetite, Castle replied, before setting his phone aside and laying back into the sand, pulling Kate with him.

"You're not mad at me for planning the party, are you?" he asked suddenly.

"No, although I wish you'd told me that you'd invited them out here," she admitted. "But I'm excited to tell everybody."

"Me too," he enthused, kissing her again. They separated after a moment and lay there in the sand, watching as the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky, before returning to the house to help prepare for the afternoon.

Esposito and Lanie were the first ones to arrive and as they walked around the side of the house, they were met by the delicious smell of hamburgers grilling. Castle, Kate, Martha, and Alexis were arranging food on two large tables that had been set up on the beach.

"Hey guys," Esposito called out as they neared, and everyone looked up happily.

"Hey," Castle yelled back. "Glad you made it!"

"This is awesome, bro," Esposito said, looking around as he neared the group. "I could totally live here."

"Me too," Castle grinned. "You guys found the place without any trouble?"

Esposito nodded and was about to say something when Lanie let out a high-pitched squeal and engulfed Kate in a giant bear hug.

"What the….?" Esposito asked, looking questioningly at Castle, who just smiled.

"Oh my God," Lanie exclaimed as she put Kate back down on her feet. "Let me see it!"

"See what?" Kate could not resist the opportunity to tease her friend, but was unable to suppress the grin that once again spread across her face.

"Girl, don't mess with me," Lanie said. "Left hand."

At that, Esposito whipped around suddenly, seeming to catch up to Lanie's train of thought. "No way, really?"

"Yeah," Castle grinned.

"When?"

"This morning,"

"Congrats, bro," Esposito said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks!"

"Story time," Lanie said eagerly as she finally returned Kate's left hand.

"Later," Kate promised, holding up her hand to prevent any argument. "Once every one is here, I'll tell the story." Lanie looked disappointed, but she relented and opted instead to look around. "You want to see the house?" Kate asked, following Lanie's eyes.

"Sure." The two headed inside, Lanie talking enthusiastically about the impending wedding.

"So when are you thinking? Spring wedding, fall wedding…?" she asked excitedly.

"Lanie, he asked me this morning," Kate exclaimed. "I haven't had time to think about anything. Actually," she corrected, "I haven't had the ability to think about anything."

"I believe it," Lanie said. "You look so happy. I knew the moment I saw you that something was up."

"My face hurts from smiling so much," Kate admitted. "And I feel like a giddy teenager."

"Oh, girl, you've got it bad," Lanie said teasingly.

"I know," Kate said. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

An hour later, the party was in full swing. Everyone had arrived and after a lot of squeals and hugs and smiles, they were all standing around the grill, drinking lemonade and listening as Kate finally recounted the proposal. Alexis even brought out her laptop, on which she had downloaded the pictures, and they all gathered around to see them. Kate and Castle watched with interest as well, as they had not actually seen any of them yet. There were pictures of Castle drawing in the sand, and pictures of Kate approaching him. There were pictures of him down on one knee, of Kate saying yes, of them hugging and kissing, and of him putting the ring on her finger. But Kate's favorite picture of all was the one from after all of this, where they were standing, arms still wrapped around each other, staring lovingly into each other's eyes. A thousand words had been silently communicated in that moment, and it summed up their relationship perfectly.

As they reached the last picture, Kate found herself tearing up again at the memory. Castle noticed right away and leaned closer. "You okay?" he whispered in her ear.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just really happy."

He smiled back at her. "Me too," he said softly, pulling her into a hug. "Me too."

By evening, the party had died down a bit. After looking at pictures, they had eaten lunch, followed by an afternoon of games and swimming. Castle had even pulled out the beach volleyball net again, and discovered, much to his amusement, that Ryan and Esposito were absolutely terrible at the game. Martha and Jim had bonded surprisingly well, and Castle was thrilled to see that they also seemed to be getting along with Ashley's parents. The two teens seemed to be vying with Ryan and Esposito for title of "life of the party," but so far, the detectives were failing miserably. Not only did Esposito hit Ryan in the back of the head with the volleyball, but Ryan managed to face plant into the net, knocking one of the poles over in the process. It was entertaining, however, and everyone seemed to be very much enjoying themselves.

By six o'clock, the games had long been forgotten and everyone was standing around the back porch, snacking on the remaining food and enjoying the cool evening air. They chatted for hours, sharing stories and just relaxing. It was almost sunset before everyone headed back to the city, leaving only Castle, Martha, Alexis, Kate, and Jim Beckett.

"Would you guys like a hand?" Jim asked as they began to clean up the mess.

"Nonsense, you're the guest here," Martha said, stacking a pile of dishes and taking them into the kitchen.

Jim seemed to know better than to argue, so instead he headed over to his daughter who was leaning against the railing, looking out over the ocean.

"Hey," she said as he joined her.

"You doing alright?" Jim asked.

"Of course," Kate replied. "Why?"

"You just looked lost in thought or something," he observed.

"Just….thinking about everything," she said. "I still can't even believe it."

"Neither can I," Jim admitted. "My little Katie, all grown up." He smiled wistfully.

"I think I've been all grown up for a while," Kate chuckled.

"I know you have, it's just…." Jim hesitated, "it's hard to watch your little baby grow up. Someday you'll understand." Kate snapped back to reality as her father's words sunk in. Would she understand some day? Did she want to have kids? Her job was not conducive to motherhood, but a part of her had always wanted to be a mom. And there was no doubt that Castle was a wonderful father. After a few moments, Jim spoke again, tearing Kate from her internal debate. "Well, I suppose I should head home. It's getting dark and I've got a bit of a drive."

"You sure you're okay driving at night?" she asked, forcing herself to focus on the present. "I'm sure you could stay here, Rick wouldn't mind."

"No, no, that's okay," Jim assured her. "I'll be fine."

Jim said his good-byes, saving Rick and Kate for last. "You're so good for her," he said as he and Castle embraced. "You make her happy. Keep her safe and treat her right."

"You have my word," Castle said seriously as they separated. "Have a safe drive home."

Jim hugged his daughter then, pulling her to him tightly. "I'm so happy for you sweetie," he said softly. "And I'm so proud of you. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad." Kate watched as her father headed towards his car, realizing that she now understood how Castle felt as Alexis was growing up more and more. She was getting married. She was moving to a new stage in her life, and while it thrilled her, it also terrified her as she thought of what she was potentially leaving behind. But in the end, it was completely worth it. She had a family now, a home, a wonderful step-daughter, a very unique mother-in-law, and a fiancé who loved her more than anything and would give her the world if he could. She thought of her mother then, of what she would think about these recent developments. She knew Castle and her mother would have gotten along so well, and she wished, not for the first time, that they could have had the chance to meet. The ring on her finger reflected the light from the porch and she thought ahead to her wedding day. Her mother would not be there, a fact that Kate had never been willing to accept, but now it was becoming reality. And although it would be difficult, she knew that Castle's family-her family now-would be there to help her through every step of the way.

Kate was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not even hear Castle approach her. He had finished helping Martha and Alexis clean up and they had retired to their bedrooms, deciding to leave the couple alone for the evening. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her hair. She relaxed into him, her head dropping back onto his shoulder and her fingers intertwining with his.

He kissed her temple. "What's going on in there?"

"Just thinking," she said. "About my mom," she added softly after a moment. "Today made me really miss her. Thinking about everything that's changing in my life and how she's never going to see it."

Castle hugged her tighter, knowing that there was not really anything he could say. This was the one pain he knew he could never take away from her, and it killed him to know that. Instead, he simply settled on silently comforting her, being her rock and allowing her to grieve for the loss he knew she carried with her every day.

Castle's fingers were playing with her engagement ring, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She was engaged to Richard Castle. She was going to be married to Richard Castle. It was surreal. She thought back to Lanie's words so many months ago. I'm not saying it's going to be smooth, girl, but you are in for the ride of your life. She remembered being terrified about being involved with Castle, scared to death of her feelings for him. Never in a million years did she think that conversation with Lanie would lead to this. She was right again, Kate thought with a smile. It had not been easy. They had their share of issues, including one fight that had almost broken them, but they had worked through it. After her mother's murder, Kate had thought that she could never be happy, but Castle had reminded her that it was possible. He made her happier than anyone had in years, let her know that it was okay to feel, and stood by her every step of the way. She knew she was incredibly lucky to have him and vowed to show him that every single day.

After a few minutes, Kate broke the silence. "I still can't believe it," she whispered, wiggling her finger against his.

"We're getting married," he said happily, kissing her neck. "And you know what that means, right? You're stuck with me forever."

"Don't remind me," Kate teased, and he tickled her stomach in response. "Hey!"

She swatted his hands but he kept them firmly in place, turning her around to face him in the process. "But that also means that I'm stuck with you," he said. "And I can't think of anything better than that."

It was cheesy, and they both knew it, but Kate was used to it by now. She simply rolled her eyes at him. "You're a goof," she joked. "But I love you anyways."

He kissed her then, and it was sweet and gentle and so full of promise for the future. When they separated, they leaned their foreheads together, holding each other close and staring into each other's eyes. No more words were needed right now. Their love was reflected in their eyes and their happiness in the smiles that once again spread across their faces. They stayed there for what felt like hours, silently communicating their love and affection. The stars had come out now, and the moon was shining brightly, but neither one noticed; they were too caught up in each other. Right now, in this moment, the only thing that mattered was them. Everything else could wait until another time.

They were in no hurry.

They had forever.

THE END (For real this time)

Thoughts?