"It's over." Ryan's voice on the phone sounded like he hadn't slept during the entire week they'd been gone. "We got them all."

"What?" Kate had heard him the first time, but she couldn't entirely process the concept.

"It's over, Beckett. We arrested the whole rotten group. It's safe to come back to the city. Come to the precinct when you get back in town and I'll tell you the full story. No matter what time you get in, we'll all still be here doing the paperwork."

Castle was watching Kate from outside the phone booth with a worried expression. She knew she should tell him the news, but she couldn't think through the sudden ringing in her ears. She stared at Castle through the glass.

"Kate? You there?" Ryan's voice sounded hollow and far away as Kate tried to get her mind to work.

Castle pulled open the door and took the phone from her unprotesting hand. She didn't listen to him talking to Ryan as she stepped out to give him room. Kate sat on the curb and stared at a weed growing through a crack in the road.

The case was done.

The silence was thick with unspoken thoughts as Castle turned off the engine. He'd parked the rented SUV near the spot where they'd hidden it a week ago, but there was no more need for subterfuge. Kate hadn't said a word during the drive back from the nearest tiny town. Castle tried to read the tension in her posture as she stared out the window at the trees. He didn't know if he should say something or just leave her to her thoughts. His own relief was enough to make concentration difficult. He could imagine that Kate's reaction would be more complicated.

"It's over." Her tone held no clues to her mood.

"Yes."

"I can't believe it. I can't get my mind around it." Kate surprised him by reaching blindly for his hand. He tugged it until she turned towards him, her eyes focused on their intertwined fingers. "I've spent most of my adult life chasing this thing. In many ways, it's shaped who I've become, like it's a part of what defines who I am. How do I even begin to let it go?"

"I don't know. But taking it one step at a time is probably a good place to start. You are Johanna Beckett's daughter. Finally solving her case doesn't affect that fact. You no longer need to be her avenger, but you will always be her child. You live your life one day at a time and you find new things that you want to use to define yourself. You honor her by being her legacy."

Kate's eyes were still resting on their joined hands. Castle felt his breath catch when the corner of her mouth twitched towards a smile. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"How is any of that funny?"

"It's not funny." The twitch became a small smile as Kate finally looked up at him. "It's not amusing at all."

Kate let go of his hand and got out of the SUV while Castle tried to work his way through her cryptic mood swing. He finally gave it up and joined her as they started the long trek back to the camp where Alexis and his mother would be waiting.

They'd been hiking along in silence for almost 20 minutes while Kate pondered the situation. Now that the initial shock was wearing off, it was easier to sort through the complicated pile of reactions to label what she was feeling.

There was the relief and joy that their exile from civilization was ending. As much unexpected fun as she'd had this week, she desperately wanted a hot shower, a change of clothes that didn't smell of dirt and wood smoke, and a meal that didn't contain any variety of granola or dehydrated food. She knew Castle shared her feelings about going home because of the happy little spring in his step.

There was also a nameless instinct that she couldn't quite pin down. She'd spent so many months being afraid and confused about why they hadn't tried to kill her again, and then she was afraid and angry when she'd learned why she'd been left alone, and finally there was the moment of sheer terror when she got shot for the second time. Her fear had been such a constant companion for so long that it was almost physically painful to think fear might not be necessary anymore. She worried she wouldn't be able to remember how to let her guard down after so many months and years of needing to be constantly vigilant.

But Castle was right. When someone finds that a part of their self-definition is no longer healthy or useful or valued, the only sane response is to work on changing that part into something new.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Castle broke into song.

"Into the woods without delay, but careful not to lose the way. Into the woods, who knows what may be lurking on the journey?"

Kate almost missed a step in surprise when she recognized the slightly discordant tune. She felt the grin finally make it to her face as she sang the only line she could remember from the musical.

"You go into the woods where nothing's clear, where witches, ghosts and wolves appear. Into the woods and through the fear, you have to take the journey."

Castle stopped in his tracks and turned to her, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open in shocked delight.

"Since when do you know Sondheim?"

"Castle, what kind of New Yorker would I be if I never saw anything on Broadway? Besides, that one's been around forever. My dad took me to see it when I was twelve."

"Fair enough." He'd started walking again after what looked like the tiniest bit of a gleeful bounce. Kate rolled her eyes as she fell in beside him. Her stress continued to leak slowly away as Castle hummed the tune under his breath.

She let that be the only sound for a few moments before she stopped his hum with a touch on his arm.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Castle gave her a confused smile as he slowed his walk to look at her. "What are we thanking me for?"

"Cheering me up when I need it."

"Of course." The look in his eyes stopped the breath in Kate's throat. Then his smile took on a slightly mischievous edge that had her suddenly wary. "What else should I do for my girlfriend but help her when she's feeling down?"

"Girlfriend?"

"Yes. You are Richard Castle's girlfriend." His eyes widened as he stared off into space in an exaggerated impression of being awestruck. "Oh my god, I'm Kate Beckett's boyfriend."

Kate couldn't prevent the laugh that escaped.

"What you are is absurd."

"No, I'm not. We hold hands and kiss and have dinner together. Ergo, we are dating."

"Boiling instant noodles over a fire in the middle of nowhere doesn't really count as a dinner date."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll take you out for real food as soon as we get back in range of a decent restaurant."

"I'm not worried." Kate fumbled around for an argument as she tried to regain control of the conversation. "And I don't remember agreeing to let you call me your girlfriend."

Castle stopped walking and stepped close to her. His grin got wider and his eyes got darker when he saw a flicker of misgiving cross her face. Kate firmly squashed the urge to back away from him. She did not want to admit that he could get under her skin so easily.

"If you don't like the title of girlfriend," his whisper tickled her cheek, "We can change it to fiancee any day you like."

Castle pressed a kiss against Kate's stunned nose and walked away before she could figure out how to make her lungs start working again. Kate felt like the world was suddenly spinning in a different direction. By the time she could get her legs to move, she had to jog for a bit to catch up with him.

"Castle, that wasn't funny." Kate hauled him to a stop with a hard grip on his elbow.

"Though I'll admit the look on your face was hilarious, it wasn't meant to be funny." His eyes were full of something solemn, though his smile still carried the hint of a joke.

"Did you really just propose?"

"No." His headshake was emphatic.

"No?" Kate let go of his elbow and took a step back.

"No. You'll know it when you see a real proposal. That was just an early warning. I've noticed you don't always like surprises, so I thought I'd give you lots of advanced notice."

Kate felt her mouth moving, but no sound came out. She tried three more times before she found her voice again.

"Castle, I'm not ready for that kind of decision."

"I know." Castle was back inside her airspace, looking inordinately pleased with himself. He brushed a hand against her cheek.

"I don't know if I'll ever be ready for that kind of decision."

"I know." His confidence didn't diminish even slightly at her quiet admission.

"So how can you make me an offer like that?"

"Easily." Castle lifted her hand up to kiss the backs of her fingers. He didn't let go as his other hand brushed away the solitary tear she hadn't realized she'd shed. "But doesn't it make the word 'girlfriend' sound more manageable by comparison?"

"No!"

Kate was rooted to the ground as the world blurred and fractured through watering eyes. She took a stern breath and gave herself a mental order to calm down. She might have managed it if Castle hadn't chosen that moment to take her face in both hands and press his lips to hers. When he ended the kiss a long minute later, her eyes were dry and her hand was in his hair. She shifted to put her arm around his neck as she tucked her face into his shoulder. She didn't want to admit how good the hug felt when his arms came around to hold her there.

"See how delightful this is? This can be our status quo until you're ready to change it. Even if that takes another four years." His mouth was down by her ear again. Kate barked a humorless laugh against his shoulder.

"I really hate you right now." She felt the last of her tension melt away as his laugh startled the birds into silence.

"I love you, too. Now let's go collect the rest of our merry band and get the hell out of the woods."

He finally let her go as he turned and started towards their camp. Kate watched him walking away for a moment before she heaved a resigned sigh and started jogging to catch up.