The next chapter of this story is the last chapter of this story, and because of that, because I want to make the conclusion of this epic the best conclusion it can be, and I have most of the coming week off for vacation, and also due to some computer issues I've had this week, especially today, I will be finishing it up and posting it next weekend. There will be a significant time jump (but the kids will all still be kids), and I've known since I wrote the first chapter of this story a little over two years ago that this point is where this story would end.

There is more story to be told, however, after this story concludes, and after I take a bit of a break to recharge. I'll never be able to thank all of you enough for your support, enthusiasm, and encouragement as I've told this story. I hope you enjoy the conclusion, and I will be back with more stories in this universe after a short hiatus, and those stories will cover a large range of years and characters...and they'll each be significantly shorter than this story. I don't know if I'll ever write a Castle story as long as this one again, but I WILL keep writing Castle stories that take place in this universe, and I hope you'll enjoy them.