Author's Note-And so we have reached the end of this chapter in their lives, and thus the end of this story. I thank each and every one of you for accompanying me on this ten month journey and, while I hate to say goodbye, it is time. For everyone who has reviewed, I thank you again for your kind and constructive words and for everyone who hasn't, I am glad you were here reading it anyway. Thanks for reading, NYLF xx

Kate sat against the open bookshelves of the office wall, keeping out of CSU's way, cradling her son to her chest.

The boys had arrived just a few minutes after she had called them, Gates shortly after.

The Captain had an ME, whom Kate had never worked with, take Carter's body away while the team started to process the scene.

Gates collected Kate's weapon from where she had left it on the coffee table when she had picked Owen up to comfort him. It was evidence and they would need to investigate before she would be allowed it back. Not that anyone was doubting it was a justified kill. The serial killer who had taken her hostage and threatened the life of her baby, dead on her living room floor with both a knife and a gun in his possession? Quite frankly, Gates would have been more concerned if she hadn't killed him.

Rick bounced off the door frame as he sprinted from the elevator to his loft.

Kate had phoned him, begging him to come home. She wouldn't tell him why, wouldn't answer his questions, just over and over again begged him to come home, that panicky lilt to her voice that he had heard all too often as of late.

He started to search frantically, his terrified eyes taking in the swarm of professionals- CSU and cops of all stages in the hierarchy- milling around his home, before they settled on the pool of blood beside his couch.

Castle's heart tumbled.

She'd sounded okay on the phone. Well, okay may be a bit of a stretch of the imagination, she had sounded distraught and petrified, but she had sounded unharmed, but that much blood? There was no way she would survive that level of blood loss without immediate medical attention.

Rick felt his chest constrict, his breathing speeding up to the point of near hyperventilation.

Where was his son? Had someone hurt Kate, made her bleed, and taken their son?

Castle was stuck in the never ending cycle of worst case scenarios until Ryan's voice finally penetrated his rapidly numbing senses.

"Hey, Castle!" He called for what had to be the fifth time, his team mate apparently only just now hearing him. The frantic look in his eyes stopped his words before they could form, so he simply pointed to the writer's office.

The author followed Ryan's motion and, when his eyes landed on his fiancé, curled up against the bookshelves that made up the outer wall of his office, cradling her body around their baby, he felt his chest release.

Taking his first deep breath since her desperate phone call, Rick flew to her side.

"Kate." He breathed, falling to his knees beside her. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?" He asked frantically, gently cupping her cheek and turning her head so he could see her face.

He traced the contours of her skin with trembling fingers before smoothing his hand down her neck, across her shoulder.

He looked deep into her eyes, making Kate feel more naked than she had ever felt with him, before he dropped his gaze down to the baby in her arms.

Castle repeated his checks with his infant son, who had now gotten over his fright. Given the tear tracks of his face, Castle could tell his son had been screaming, though the faint smell of milk on Owen's breath when Castle leaned down to rest their foreheads together, having found no injuries on either of them, gave him an idea as to why he had settled.

"We're fine Castle." She murmured, leaning into him. "It's all okay babe. It's over."

Rick gently slipped his hands under her legs and around her back and lifted her into his lap with ease.

Kate sighed in relief, his touch what she had been craving, and tucked her face into his neck, breathing him in deeply.

"Baby, what happened?" Rick whispered, holding her close, cradling them both to his chest.

"He was here, in our home, and he was going to take our baby." She murmured thickly, her tears once again pushing at the surface of her composure. "I told him I'd let him, but he had to let me get a blanket first, so he wouldn't cold, and he let me. So I went into our bedroom and got a blanket to cover Owen's ears and grabbed my gun."

Rick gently kissed her temple. "Good girl." He whispered.

"He had a knife, pulled a gun on me, he was going to hurt our boy, Rick, I couldn't just let him take half your family from you, not again."

Rick squeezed her tighter. "You did the right thing, Kate. You were clever and quick and I'm so proud of you, my darling."

Kate snuggled further into the crook of his neck, a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob breaching her lips as she did.

"The precinct think it was justified?"

Kate kissed his skin softly, relishing the safe warmth of finally being in his arms. "They took my statement, and my weapon, put me on paid leave. They've gotta investigate but Gates is pretty sure it'll all be okay." She sighed. "We may need a new floor though. Not sue that blood's coming out."

Rick chuckled, squeezing her gently. "That can be achieved."

"And new locks." She continued soberly.

Rick nodded, dipping his nose to the top of her head to breathe her in. "And that is a certainty."

He let them sit in silence for a few minutes, to just enjoy and cherish being with each other, knowing their family was safe and sound.

After a several minutes, Rick voiced an idea. "Why don't we get outta here for a while, huh? While they clean up and replace anything that was ruined and change our locks and clear you? How about we go to the beach house. Just you, me, Owen and Alexis. Let's just get outta here and go work on finally being a family, yeah?"

Kate sighed deeply, finally feeling safe for the first time since this all started. "You have no idea how good that sounds."