She walked down the sidewalk, the melting snow adding dampness to the pavement around her. Kate sighed inwardly to herself, eager to be back in the warmth of the loft after an afternoon out and about. Despite being mid-April, the New York air was still very cool. She longed for a hot bath and the warmth of her husband's arms as she turned the corner and made her way towards the building she called home.

It had been a long day, but a good one. After having a long conversation with Gates she had resigned from the force, pursuing the decision to try for law school. She would remain a consultant, pulled in on special cases where her skill set was needed. She knew that change wasn't going to be easy, especially with two little ones at home under the age of 2.

However, she also knew that Rick had her back and would support her in any way possible. She smiled to herself as she entered her building, waving to the door man as she shook the moisture from her boots and stepped towards the elevator. She was also lucky because she knew she could focus on her studies and internships when the time came. She wouldn't need an outside job to support herself.

Gates was understanding of Beckett's decision, citing her own children as a major factor in her eventual decision to transfer to IA and get off the streets. She'd even gone as far to offer Beckett a letter of recommendation for her law school applications when the time came. The fact that she'd made this major life choice made it all so real. Beckett was filled with excitement.

For her father's part, Jim Beckett was ecstatic to learn of his daughter's decision to resume following in her mother's footsteps. Part of his happiness came from the sentimentality behind it all, but most from the safety that his daughter would have when she was no longer chasing criminals in the dead of night.

She rode up the elevator, feeling like her life was starting anew. For the first time since before Kate was diagnosed with cancer, she felt like her future was wide open. Her cancer was another area of great news for Kate. Shortly after the birth of Audrey, she'd gone to see her oncologist to have her first thorough scan since before she became pregnant.

There was a great deal of anxiety surrounding it because of the sheer amount of time that had passed without being able to glimpse inside of her. They couldn't check her chest wall, her bones or her lungs while she was pregnant. Therefore, a full examination was overdue. Despite the dramatic hormonal changes and bodily stress of carrying a child, as well as the long period of time between scans, Kate was found to be completely cancer-free.

On their way home from the oncologist's office Rick and Kate listened to the radio. As they made their way through the city and back towards their children, a familiar Beatles song came across the stereo. As she listened to the lyrics and the melody of Here comes the sun, she smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she'd felt that way, but it really did feel like things were getting a lot brighter for both she and Castle.

Taking a deep breath and allowing the heat from the building to settle into her cold frame, Kate pushed her key into the door and turned the knob. Stepping inside, she removed her jacket, scarf and gloves and put them away. She walked further into the loft and was greeted with the noises of rapid, tiny feet, scurrying towards her. She saw him come around the corner and laughed out loud as she saw her son, clumsily running with his arms extended out towards her, and dressed in not a stitch of clothing. His face was all smiles, as he eagerly shouted "mamamamamamama."

The delighted voice of the naked boy in front of her was soon followed by an out of breath,

"Naked boy on the loose, naked boy on the loose!" Soon followed Richard Castle, clad in a t-shirt and sweat pants with a towel draped over his shoulder. He grabbed Christopher before the boy could reach Kate and swept him up, planting kisses on him and tickling his sides.

Kate laughed at their antics, taking Christopher into her arms as Rick drew close. He gave her a kiss of his own while he explained to her the circumstances of her arrival.

"We were drying off after bath time and I heard the door close. I made the unforgivable mistake of telling him that mommy must be home and that was it. He was off. I think he fell 20 times between the bathroom and here, but would not be deterred." Kate smiled at Rick and leaned into Christopher, placing more kisses on the boy's cheeks.

"It's good to see you my love." Kate spoke warmly, "but it's cold. I can feel your little feet, cold as popsicles." She laughed at him as he simply grinned at her. "How about we get you dressed my little popsicle?" She took him back to his bedroom and placed him in his diaper and pajamas.

They walked back into the living room and Castle was holding their two month old daughter, rocking her lightly in his arms. He smiled at Kate and walked to her, while placing another gentle kiss on his wife's lips and smiling softly. There they stood, each with an infant in their arms while they shared light kisses and allowed their noses to lightly brush against eachother.

"Welcome home my heart," he warmly spoke to her. She laughed, but didn't break contact, "it certainly feels welcome now." She answered with a grin. As they leaned back from eachother, Audrey started to cry. Knowing that it was nearly dinner time for the girl, both Castle and Beckett looked at eachother and down to the respective children in their arms before simultaneously declaring "switch!"

Christopher was the first to go down that evening, able to adhere to a sleeping routine much more readily than his younger sister. She lightly bounced her daughter in her arms as she watched her husband gently rock their boy to sleep. She never tired of watching Richard Castle, especially when he was being a father.

Audrey remained in her mother's embrace a bit longer, following her feeding and burping, they gave her a bath, and fresh clothing. Then Kate sat with her in the rocking chair that Alexis had furnished in the baby's room.

She hummed a soft tune to her daughter as she rubbed soothing circles in her back and lulled her into a calm state. Soon Audrey was asleep, sucking lightly on a pacifier as her mother placed her gently in her crib. "Goodnight, my little angel." She spoke softly as she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

She turned around to leave the room and found Castle leaning against the door frame. She smiled at him softly,

"How long have you been there Rick?" She asked.

"Long enough," he answered her, cupping her cheeks with his hands and kissing her forehead. She leaned her head into his chest and allowed his hands to travel down to her neck, where he began to massage the tension from her neck and shoulders. With her contented moans, he slid his hand down her arm and took her hand in his own. "Let's go to bed Kate," he whispered as he pulled her by the hand and walked them to bed.

The adults carried out their own nightly routine, enjoying a bubble bath together before sliding into their night cloths and climbing into bed. Kate lay herself down and started to make herself comfortable, pausing only when she noticed that her husband was not beside her doing the same.

She looked up to question him, but was silenced by his face. The calm and easy expression on his face just moments ago was now replaced with a burning intensity as he looked at her. As she took him in, desire pooled within her, as she immediately felt the need to have his hands on her.

He moved towards her slowly, not taking his eyes off of her as she moved to lie on her back and wait for him. When he reached the bed he kneeled on it and simply sat at her side, gazing intensely at her. Slowly, he moved his hands and brushed his fingers across her face.

He caressed her cheeks and moved down to her jaw, lightly brushing her skin with his fingers. She watched him silently as he studied her body. As he continued to move, he brushed lightly down her neck and over her collarbone. Her back arched on its own accord when the tips of his fingers caressed over her breasts and grazed her nipples.

Her movements and the moan that escaped her did not deter him as he continued to move his hands, slowly lowering them across her abdomen. Her lower stomach quaked beneath his touch and she bit her lips in anticipation of where she wanted him the most.

He did not disappoint her, tilting his hand to the side and brushing directly into her center. He finally made a sound when he could feel the moisture from her arousal through her panties. His response prompted her to act as she shifted her body and grabbed his arms, pulling him on top of her and hooking her legs around his hips.

He finally kissed her, as she raised her hips in effort to make contact with his groin and communicate exactly what it was she wanted from him. His grunt told her that he got her message, as he removed his boxer shorts and her panties in a matter of seconds.

She lifted slightly to pull her nightie off and was still upright when he sank into her. The surprise of the sudden penetration stole her breath, as she was met with the intensity of having him fully buried within her. While still semi-upright, she wrapped her arms around his torso and held to him, wrapping her legs high around his waist.

He used his upper body to scoot the both of them up the bed as he tilted her back and pushed himself even further inside of her. She whimpered with the overwhelming tightness he was causing to build within her as he seemed intent on trying to sink deeper inside of her than ever before.

Desperate to feel himself yet even deeper, he placed his hands on her hips and pushed her down while himself forward yet again; seemingly trying to crawl inside of her and lose himself. The movement created a new sensation within her as she felt something give, allowing him to sink deeper into her than ever before.

The tension building within her became overwhelming, causing her to cry out as her body clenched around him before releasing. Spasms shook throughout her body, radiating from her lower abdomen, but triggering tremors throughout her entire body.

The scream he ripped from her was masked by his mouth, as he moved to kiss her just as she fell apart. As he swallowed her cries he too fell apart, his own release intense enough to draw a loud grunt. They were both completely bathed in sweat as they collapsed; completely overcome by the intensity of their release.

They didn't bother to dress, opting instead for the feel of skin on skin as the snuggled into each other. Once settled they both let out contented sighs, Castle caressing Kate's back as they lay curled and facing one another.

They lay together in silence for awhile, simply enjoying each other and the warmth of their embrace.

When they finally spoke, he simply whispered, "I love you," again and again, earning him a contented moan and light, loving kisses. "I love you too Rick." She smiled as she returned his kisses.

Later, he shifted their focus to the day they'd had and he whispered to her, "How did it go today?"

"It went well," she replied and elaborated, "Gates understood. She's even going to write me a letter of recommendation."

"That's great!" He kissed her forehead.

"It's not going to be easy." She stated, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Things that are truly worth doing never are." He replied.

She nodded and pulled herself closer to her husband, sliding one of her legs between his and placing the other over his hip. She then pulled her torso against his and pulled him into an embrace. She couldn't get any closer to him if she tried.

He smiled and willingly accepted her attempts to get closer, whispering "I love you" into her ear.

"Thanks for having my back, for standing by me no matter what obstacles lay in front of us. No matter what path I seem to choose, you're right there with me and I love you for that; so thank you Rick." Kate lovingly spoke to him.

He squeezed her to him, placing kisses to every inch of her body he could reach. He moved then to tilt her chin so they were making eye contact in the dimly lit room. He leaned in again then, placing a kiss over one of her eyelashes and whispering "always."

He moved to her other eye and kissed her there, whispering "always."

Finally, he moved to kiss her lips tenderly, resting his nose against hers to give her Eskimo kisses as once again he whispered,

"Always Kate. Always."

The End.

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