By the time Ryan and Esposito approach his table, Castle is well into his strawberry milkshake and Lanie Parish has stolen at least a dozen of his fries. He'd only met the woman a few days ago, but they'd hit it off surprisingly quickly and she'd agreed to help him with his plan once she'd heard what he needed and why.

A letter from Kate had helped, too.

Even without half of Kate's skepticism, Castle had wondered how crazy it was to be carrying handwritten messages from a dead woman – scratched out in his bold script no less – to the friends she'd left behind. Still, there was so little she had asked from him during her stay in his apartment and he'd had no interest in denying her this. He decided his first delivery should be to the best friend of hers he hadn't met yet, though he'd been told Lanie and Esposito were dating and had heard plenty of stories about the M.E. from Kate, so he'd stopped by the morgue one evening to introduce himself.

Castle had been greeted with a raised eyebrow and more than a little sass, similar in some ways to Kate, though with far less of Beckett's well-earned melancholy. But once he'd handed over the letter and politely overlooked Lanie's tears, she'd nodded through the rest of their conversation and they'd planned to meet the boys for lunch.

"Since when do you two know each other?" Esposito asks. "And why didn't you tell me you'd be here together?"

"Hi, Detective Esposito, it's so nice to see you, too." Castle quips.

Lanie snags another fry and smiles up at Espo. "We met earlier this week and I didn't say anything because you'd just worry about me being swept off my feet by this very handsome and charming colleague of yours." She winks at Castle. "Now, sit down and relax because he has gifts for both of you."

"Gifts?" Ryan echoes.

"They're not from me, exactly," Castle says, shifting to make room for Ryan as the nerves settle in. "But go ahead and order your food and then I'll explain."

The lunch orders are placed, but Esposito barely stops studying Castle. The two had parted on good enough terms, riding the high of arresting the man responsible for a cascade of murders that had become personal, but tension lingers between them, the wistful shadow of a loss neither really understands. And now Esposito is probably all too aware that Castle is sipping at Beckett's favorite shake while sitting in Beckett's favorite booth in Beckett's favorite diner.

That theory is confirmed a moment later when Esposito leans over the table as though an interrogation is about to begin. "I assume it's not a coincidence that we're at Remy's?"

"Javier Esposito, will you please relax?" Lanie interrupts, swatting at the man's shoulder. "We all know you guys have been busting your asses in the aftermath of Bracken's arrest, but Ryan has managed to be polite and there's no reason you have to act all pissed off just because you don't like making new friends."

Esposito growls, even as he looks somewhat admonished. "Sorry, Castle. Go ahead."

Turning to the bag he's kept close to his side, Castle reaches for two envelopes and the accompanying presents; he's hoping they act as the sort of celebratory bribe he and Kate had envisioned, a way to win the boys over in the face of something otherwise ridiculous. He pushes the gifts across the table first, nodding toward them as he says, "You can start by opening those, then the letters will tell you more."

Ryan, the more eager and less distrustful of the partners, reaches for his and tears through the tissue paper to reveal a bottle of St. Miriam scotch, the sight of which makes Castle a bit envious, even if he was the one who'd wrapped it himself.

"Hey, this is from the Old Haunt case, when we found Beau James' stash. How did you manage to get your hands on one of these?"

Castle says nothing, gesturing at the envelope instead. Esposito straightens as though he wants to say something, but Lanie holds up her hand and keeps him quiet as Ryan unfolds the handwritten note and begins to read silently.

Hey Ryan,

Let me start by saying I know this message seems crazy, but I also know you're far more likely to accept these words and my gift than I would have under similar circumstances. While I always rolled my eyes at things like fate and magic, you allow your heart to lead and you trust it enough to follow. Please keep doing that and don't let anyone make you think your way is wrong. I know I didn't encourage you enough while I was by your side, and for that, I'm sorry. You were always open in the ways I was so damn closed off, and if there's anything I know now, it's that the failure to let yourself love and be loved will leave you with an empty "if only."

As you've probably noticed, the bottle in front of you is from the stash we confiscated almost a year ago. Though the city officially took possession of the scotch – other than the drinks our team shared that night – Montgomery secretly gave me a bottle to save for a special occasion. Lanie was holding on to it for me, so hopefully she didn't give Castle too much grief when he went to fetch it, though I imagine that scene would have been worth watching no matter what. Anyway, I was going to give this to you and Jenny as a wedding gift, but it will work just as well as a toast to your victory over Senator Bracken and the justice you've found for Montgomery, my mom, and me. Expensive alcohol and my eternal thanks will never be enough, but they're all I have to give.

If there's any lingering trouble between you and Espo, I'm sorry that my case had to be the cause of any of it. And while you think I made you a better detective, I promise you managed that all on your own. You don't need to be lost without me, but I miss you, too.

All my best, forever,

Beckett

It's no surprise to find Ryan's eyes red when they finally rise to meet Castle's. "I don't understand. Are you some kind of psychic?"

There's nothing accusing in his tone, just confusion, and Castle can't do much more than shrug. "No, I think she needed some help being ready to leave this world behind and I was in the right place at the right time. It's a long story, but maybe we can have a drink and talk when things calm down."

Ryan nods, but Esposito is growing impatient. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm done waiting," he grumbles, ripping his envelope open without looking at his present first.

Javi,

I miss you so damn much it hurts. And please stop glaring at Castle long enough to read what I have to say. He's only doing what I asked.

You were there for me on some dark days, helped me deal with my obsession and grief in ways most wouldn't understand, and I am so grateful to have had you on my side. You're fiercely loyal and I want to thank you for continuing to fight for me even now that I'm gone. You and Ryan have worked so hard on this case and I am so proud of the detective you've become.

Apparently, Castle "knows a guy" and was able to get you a luxury suite for a night at Yankee Stadium after I told him you'd been going to baseball games since you were three, just like me. I hope being there brings back nothing but great memories for you. And hey, if you can drop your phony alpha male act for a minute, maybe you can let Castle tag along. At the very least, invite him over so you can kick his ass at Assassin's Creed or something. He could stand to be humbled every so often, and you could use a friend.

Take good care of Lanie and Ryan, and let them take good care of you, too. You don't always have to be the tough one, I promise.

Love you,

Beckett

Not another word is spoken as Esposito tucks the letter into his jacket pocket and focuses on opening the tickets he now knows await him in the small box resting on the table. As Castle had hoped, the sheer magnitude of the gift is enough to soften the cynicism left behind by Kate's words and Espo won't pick a fight with him now; maybe there's no need to fight at all. Everyone at the table will believe what they want, to the degree that they choose to believe it, and Castle isn't concerned with anything more. Kate needed the peace that came with saying goodbye, and he's delivered just that.

And maybe more importantly, he's also brought some semblance of closure to Jim Beckett, having visited Kate's father a couple of nights before, once the news about Bracken's arrest had faded from the nationwide headlines. That letter had been far longer and more personal – sometimes uncomfortably so – but if there had been any question about the man's reaction to the unexpected message from his daughter, it had been laid to rest when he called Castle the next morning and simply said, "Thank you for giving me what I never got when my wife died. It means more than you know."

After lunch with Lanie and the boys, Ryan having promised to call him as soon as things are a bit quieter at the 12th, Castle stops at the cemetery where Kate is buried. It's not his first time visiting her grave, nor will it be the last, but he feels a shift in the way the wind strikes him this afternoon, the autumn air both peaceful and invigorating. He talks to her for quite a while; at least for now, the memory of her voice is clear enough for him to imagine her side of the conversation, too.

Eventually he returns to his apartment and settles onto the couch with coffee, his favorite pen, and a stack of notebooks he'd kept out of sight for too many years. The official decision regarding his position with the NYPD has yet to be made, a meeting with his captain scheduled for later in the week, and while there's far more hope for leniency in the wake of a huge arrest and a clear reason for having interfered with another precinct's case, Castle has found himself less concerned with the outcome as each day passes.

It's true that Kate's sudden appearance in his home and the excitement of the investigation that followed had reignited a spark he'd thought long lost. At first, Castle had thought he was rediscovering his love of police work, the thrill of being a detective and seeking justice for victims and their loved ones. And now, while at least some of that is true, he's realized that what Kate brought back into his life is so much bigger than that.

She gave him back his love of the story.

Some of it was subtle; he'd found himself lost in observation more than usual, studying everything about Kate in an attempt to understand each of her emotions, memorize every one of her expressions. That grew to a deeper interest in her relationships with her family and friends, the motivation that drove each of them to interact with him in their own way, all influenced by their love for her. The characters in her narrative.

Then there were the more obvious signs, the search for the plot itself, figuring out the way the mystery played out from beginning to end, each answer bringing about more questions and the intense need to finish it off with a satisfying conclusion. Means, motive, and opportunity. The good guys and the bad. And sure, all of that is crucial to good detective work, too, but he's ready to travel a different path after having spent time with Kate, his long-buried dreams back for a second chance.

"Still thinking about trying to write again?" Alexis asks as she sits across from him, running a finger over the worn spines of his notebooks. "Looking back through your old stuff for ideas?"

"I am," he replies. "Though I'm not sure I'll have to look far for inspiration. I think it's already found me."

She offers a careful smile, acutely aware when he's holding something back. "You always did tell the best bedtime stories. And I don't think I've ever seen you as relaxed as you have been since your suspension started, so maybe this is a good thing."

"You think you can handle having a world-famous bestselling author for a father?"

"Well, you're already incredibly modest."

Castle laughs and shakes his head as she wanders back down the hallway to her room. Then he reaches for the notebooks full of a few half-written stories and the ideas for several more, all abandoned when he'd allowed the mother of his college sweetheart to shame him into a more reliable career choice. Grinning at the innocence woven into his words, he realizes he knows so much more about life now, the world full of such highs and lows, and he is ready to embrace them all.

His years of experience as a homicide detective will certainly help with authenticity, and he's not afraid of the effort it will take to reach such a lofty goal. He knows it will all be worth it when some version of Kate – and Castle himself, of course – come to life in the next great mystery novel.

Maybe he can write them a happier ending, too.

A/N: So, we're here at the end of this strange little ride and I want to say a huge thank you one more time. I'm immensely grateful to Kris for the gifset that inspired me to start writing this, and the constant love and encouragement from M and A that helped me finish. And to all of you who have supported me along the way, you've made this experience better than I could have imagined. Many thanks!