AN: Once again, I apologize for the long wait in between chapters and because of that I made this chapter a time jump to help begin setting up for the end of this story. Also, this is just a quick filler chapter until I, hopefully, have time to write some more.

On a side note, if you guys have not noticed by now, I write in third person point of view where it switches from a character's general thoughts and view to an outsider who's looking in and their thoughts and views on particular situations.

By time he got in the car with his seat belt on, it took him a total of four minutes.

"See, I told you that it wouldn't take me too long." He said with a cocky grin on his face as he checked to make sure that everyone was buckled up properly, especially Emily as they had problems with her car seat at first. "Now, let's go back home and just relax for the rest of the afternoon."

"Mowie marwthon!" Emily shouted and threw her hands in the air.

"Sounds good to me." Alexis said from her place behind the driver's seat.

"Sounds wonderful to me, Castle." Kate said lacing her fingers threw his as he rested their joined hands on the armrest.

He threw a smile to each of his girls, momentarily grateful for each person seated in his SUV, as he pulled out into traffic and headed back to the loft.

*May of 2010*

He sees her on the main couch in the living room with a book held tightly within her grasp, and not just any book, one of his he notes with a smug grin on his face. Though, it does not last long as he sees a quick flash of pain cross her face when she extends her body to reach for her water cup. It has been a few months since the arson/homicide investigation had been wrapped up and Kate had insisted on going back to work in less than a month of being in recovery. He knows that he can ask her how she is feeling, but he has a pretty good idea of how she would answer. "I'm fine," has been her general response to everything and anything, putting on a brave face when the girls or anyone else is around. But he knows her body, her tells, her level of pain resistance and the list could go on.

"Are you going to keep standing there in the doorway or actually walk over to me, Castle?" She has a sly look on her face. "I don't bite. Much."

"Why, Detective Beckett I could have never guessed. Of course, we could go test out this theory right now." He responds with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he crosses the threshold to sit on the seat beside her. "Although, I am almost certain that we already have multiple times. Or at least tried to."

"Castle, you know what my doctor said." She narrows her eyes at him, but he can see the lust growing in her eyes and her grip tighten on the novel. She can deny it all day long; she wants him just as badly as he wants her.

"I know Kate," he turns his body so he is facing her and leans his head in closer, saying her name on a gasp. "I am only teasing you." He places one finger under her chin and tilts her head as she leans in. She can feel all of the heat in this moment pooling low in her stomach, their lips ghosting over one and another right before he pulls back. "What do you want for dinner? I was thinking fettucine alfredo, is that good with you?" He asks as he stands up and walks towards the kitchen, the smug grin reappearing on his face. She growls at him, throwing her head back against the arm rest and letting the book fall from her lap, hitting the ground with a hard thud and the title mocking him.

"Hey! That was my ruggedly, handsome face!" He holds a hand over his heart and pouts.

"And here I thought I was the one who was the biggest tease in our relationship," she says.

"But Beckett that would take the fun out of everything if I did not surprise you sometimes. However, my ego appreciates your body's response to it all."

"Your ego does not need any appreciating." She states while removing the blanket from her legs and folding it up neatly before placing it back on the top of the couch. Her plans of having a quiet afternoon of reading have already been interrupted so there is no point in trying to finish them now, especially with her boyfriend standing so close to her in proximity. Yup, she thinks to herself, she much rather be helping Castle cook dinner then reading their love life on paper.

"Kate, go sit back down and rest while the girls are both laying down. I can cook dinner by myself perfectly fine." He begins to intersect her plans to the kitchen and place his hands on her shoulder, yet even in her "healing state" she is more flexible then him and swoops underneath his arms to the cupboards. "It has been a long day-"

"For us all, you included." She interrupts him and he ignores.

"And you know you are still supposed to be taking it easy."

She turns around and levels him with a glare. "I passed my physical and everything to go back to active duty at work, starting tomorrow nonetheless, and I am fine!"

"I know Kate, but we spent all morning at the zoo and you were chasing Em around for the better part of it." He is no fool, he knows that he can insist and they can have this argument again, but it will change nothing and she will still help him make dinner. "Fine," he relents. "But you are making the sides and then sitting down ASAP, okay?"

"If it makes you happy, Castle," she gives him a peck on the cheek and wraps her arms around his waist feeling him squeeze her in return. It is a silent acknowledgment between the two that he worries about her more then she thinks he should. She would never tell him but she hates the amount of guilt and sorrow that he feels for her and she seriously wishes for it to all to just disappear and take itself somewhere already. Preferably, a place that is extremely far and away from their lives.

They pull apart at the sound of bare footsteps coming down the stairs and are not surprise when Alexis skips in to the kitchen to sit down at the bar. Her footsteps are faster and heavier then Emily making it easier on both adults to detect which one of them is coming and from where.

"Hey, Pumpkin. How was your movie?" Castle asks his daughter.

"It was good, Emily fell asleep halfway through and once the movie ended I turned it off and put the disc away before coming downstairs." Alexis replies while watching the two move around the kitchen with a practice ease and comfort. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"I am making fettucine alfredo and Kate is making-" He goes to place the noodles on the oven when his girlfriend interrupts him.

"Garlic bread and green beans for sides. Unless you wanted something in particular, Lex?" She turns to the teenager in question, raising her eyebrow.

"If it is not too much to ask, can we have chicken with the noodles too, please?" Alexis hops down from the chair and heads towards the cupboards to set the table for dinner.

"Of course not, Sweetie." Castle answers his daughter before she can even check the fridge to see if they bought chicken at the grocery store yesterday.

"Will Grams be joining us for dinner?"

"Nope. Your grandmother called to inform me that she is with her newest, "magical" companion named Paul." Kate and Alexis laugh at the grimace and disgusted look on Castle's face while she shakes her head in laughter at the quotation marks that he uses. No doubt to quote the earlier phone call that he had with his mother, frankly, she is not in the slightest bit surprised by Martha's words and actions.

"Remember Alexis," she redirects the conversation back to their previous topic. This is something that she has been meaning to tell the young adult for a while now. "This is your home, not mine or Emily's, we are only here temporarily as guest. If you ever want something, please do not be afraid to ask on our accounts." She pretends to not see the look on Castle's face at the beginning of her words because they are only here as guest and then they are going back home as soon as she and Emily were one-hundred percent healed and were both cleared by their doctors. Right?! He did not expect for her to move in with him permanently after they had only been dating for a couple of months? Right?! She asks herself.

They finish making dinner in an awkward silence, Alexis running back upstairs to her bedroom after setting the table. She cannot blame the kid either, if she could, she would go run and hide somewhere too. She tries to make small talk with him but the most that she gets are hums and nods of his head in acknowledgment and she feels lost. Is he mad at her? Upset? Shocked? She even attempts to crack a corny joke or two but by that point he won't look at her and she chooses to give up when their kids come downstairs and sit in their seat. She mouths a thank-you to Alexis for putting Emily in her booster seat for her, especially since movement of that type still pulls on her scars.

Once again, she owes the teenager a debt of gratitude for keeping dinner going as smoothly as possibly. Alexis had the conversation jumping from their day at the zoo, asking Emily dozens of questions to keep her entertained. She jumps in from time to time, mainly whenever one of the girls asks her a questions or makes a comment that she feels like butting in at. Yet, her partner speaks less than a handful of sentences and only when asked a question. But still, she says more than him and he's wordsmith between the two which only leaves her concern growing for him.

She had finished watching the dishes a half-an-hour ago and was set on going to find him when her daughter intervened and asked for Kate to tuck her in to bed. She, of course scooped up her little angel and said yes.

"Mommy, where's Caswle?" Her daughter asks and she cannot find it in her spirt to smile at Emily's mispronunciation of her boyfriend's name. She doesn't know what to say at first because bedtime routines are something that they do together, as a team. Like always and she has to ignore the stab of pain in her chest at the thought of their special word.

"Well, baby he is super-duper busy but I promise you that he misses you every second of right now." The words are out of her mouth before she can think about them, even if they are the truth. He does care about her daughter so much and she can feel her shoulders relax somewhat at the reassured look on Emily's features as she lays back down. Though, shouldn't it scare her how much Emily has come to rely on him?

"So, so much that he absolutely could not miss bedtime kisses and hugs." They both turn their heads in the direction of the doorway as the man in question walks though it and over to the toddler's bed. She studies him like a hawk as he kneels down next to her on the side and kisses Emily on the forehead. She does the same and follows him out into the hallway, looking over her shoulder one more time at the little girl in bed before closing the door softly.

Castle is not in the hallway when she turns around but she is not worried about where he went, it's their bedtime routine to put the youngest into bed before wishing the eldest a peaceful sleep. So she walks across the hall to Alexis door and waves at the girl just as he walks out and shuts his daughter's door softly too. Finally, he looks in her direction and jerks his head towards his study and yet, she does not know why she holds her breath at the slightest possibility of hope. But it is not like she did anything wrong? Or to jeopardize their relationship-partnership-right?!

"We need to talk," he says once she walks in and takes a seat on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her and placing her arm on the back of the couch to prop her head up. She really is exhausted. She remains silent and waits for him to continue.

He takes a second to close the door after her before half-sitting on the opposite end and leans forward towards her. He folds his hands in his lap and she recognizes it as him buying time before talking to her, but she tells herself not push him and to be grateful that he chose to open up to her tonight about what is bothering him before going to sleep. Lord only knows that she wouldn't have been able to rest at all. So she sends an encouraging smile his way and for the first time since he went silent while making dinner, he holds her gaze.

"I want you and Emily to move in with me permanently." He states matter-of-factly and there is no way that she just heard him correctly.

"YOU WHAT?!"

AN: So, I did not plan for this chapter to be longer than dinner or take this turn of events. It literally took on a life of its own. The end is upon us and I plan on wrapping up this story with only a couple more chapters and then an epilogue. However, never fear, there shall be a sequel sometime soon!

More so, I am looking for a beta for this story and all future Castle fics that I write. If you are interested, please either PM me or leave it in the review. With that being said, please review and tell me what you think of the story/chapter so far? I take suggestions, constructive criticism, and ideas too!