Epilogue

The kick gets Kate under the rib cage and her hand flicks out to grab the leg before it can do any further damage.

"So you think you're tough huh? Try that again and I'll show you who's tough," she warns him.

The growled threat is only met with by a gurgling laugh as the cherubic face blinks innocently. Of course at six months of age he can be forgiven for not understanding anything that his mother says. The only thing that Harrison James Castle – or Harry to his family – knows is that his mother is grinning as she wrestles his flailing limbs into his footed onesies pajamas. He's lying on his back on the changing table, doing his best to impede her efforts.

The actual words maybe a string of nonsensical sounds but the infant knows that the voice means food, warm hugs and a safe haven when anything frightens him. At six months he knows who mommy is.

Kate loves this part of the evening after his bath-time. Harry is fed, clean and content. She buries her nose in his tummy, inhaling the smell of baby soap, talcum powder and the moisturizer that she's just rubbed into his skin.

"Hmmm, you smell so good that mommy could gobble you up right now. Yum, yum, yum." She pretends to take bites out of him before she blows a big raspberry into his stomach which sends him off into another giggling fit. Harry slaps his hands against the top of her head as he tries to wriggle away from her tickling but Beckett has got a firm hold on his hips and keeps blowing until they're both out of breath.

"That looks like child abuse to me, I'm going to call child protection services." The rumble of Castle's voice pulls the attention of both mother and son to the man who is leaning against the door frame. His blue eyes twinkle with love as he watches his family.

Kate turns back to the baby and informs him solemnly, "Daddy's just jealous, he wants to have his tummy tickled as well."

Harry blows a spit bubble back at her which she takes as a sign of his agreement.

"See that Castle? Even your son knows that you're all bluster," Kate crows triumphantly.

He walks up to her and engulfs her in a hug from behind. "All bluster huh? I'm going to make you eat those words later on in bed tonight," he whispers in her ear.

Kate pushes back into him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. "Shhh, not in front of the baby," she scolds him but the effect is ruined by the fact that she turns her head to nip his ear. "I'm looking forward to it." The heat in her eyes promises that Castle will get his own belly rub later.

As much as he'd love to take her up on that now, there are children that need to be seen to first.

"Alexis sent to me to get you guys," he explains. "Apparently you were taking too long, it's seven o'clock and that means that it's story time. I've only got fifteen minutes before bedtime," he mimicked his daughter's piping voice. "She's really more your daughter than mine," he grumbles. "The way she follows all the rules and insists on drawing inside the lines, it's like she's a mini-Beckett."

Kate chuckles at the fake hurt in his voice. "Come on then Harry, we can't keep your big sister waiting." She hefts him up with a grunt. He's big for six-months, tracking well above the ninety-fifth percentile for his age in height, he takes after Castle in that respect. She has to juggle him slightly so that she can take most of his weight with her right arm, the left one will never be as strong as it was before her shooting.

It had taken a lot of physical therapy to regain the use of that arm and it was about eighty percent of its pre-injury state. The proximal muscles in her upper arm had been more severely affected and slower to recover than her hand and forearm. If you looked closely then you could tell that her left biceps and triceps were slightly wasted and smaller compared with the right arm. She used to be able to do fifteen chin-ups, now she'd be lucky to manage two.

But Kate had learned to compensate for the loss of strength so that it was barely noticeable most of the time. She'd had to adjust her shooting stance and learned to rely on kicks and knee jabs more in her sparring. It had also meant having to adjust her role in the company. She did security consulting now, looking at systems and identifying potential areas of weakness. She left the bodyguard work to the boys.

It had been a big adjustment at the time but she wouldn't go back now even if she had two completely normal arms. Marrying Rick, formally adopting Alexis and then having Harry meant a one hundred and eighty degree turn in her outlook. Her life wasn't about just work anymore, it was about family.

They found Alexis sitting on the floor in the family room, a selection of books spread out in front of her as she tried to make a decision. Her hand wavers as she almost picks up one book but then changes her mind at the last-minute.

"Ok Pumpkin, which story are we going to have tonight?"

"This one!" The declaration is accompanied by an emphatic head nod.

"Ohhhh, 'The Cat in the Hat.' That's one of my favorites," Kate smiles at the girl.

"I know, that's why I picked it," Alexis beams her own smile back.

They settle onto the comfy couch with Alexis sandwiched between her parents and Harry on Kate's knee. Alexis turns the book to the first page and then Rick's low rumble takes over. No wonder he ended up being an author, there's just something in his nature that was meant to tell stories.

Alexis mouths the words at the same time as Rick says them aloud. She could've read the book by herself but it's not as much fun. Daddy is so good with all those funny voices that he does, it makes it twice as good.

Kate will pipe up from time to time, adding her own commentary to the story. Even Harry gets into the act, making a grab for the book and trying to bring it up to his mouth for a chew.

"No Harry! Books are for reading. He's such a baby," Alexis says it with all the wisdom of her seven years.

Kate has to tuck Harry's arm under hers to stop any further snatch and grab attempts. "Harry's just like his father; he always wants to be the centre of attention." Her finger taps his nose twice which makes his eyes cross as tries to focus on it and then he blinks and looks up at Kate with a bewildered expression. "Ha! He is such a Castle, he looks just like you Rick."

Alexis nods in agreement and even Rick has to concur. It's true he does look at his wife like that sometimes, a mixture of bewildered adoration as if he still can't believe his luck.

"Well I'm glad to hear it. After all that I did to win you, he'd better be mine. Most men wouldn't have been able to put up with all that you put me through Kate." His eyes are dancing with amusement as he teases his wife.

"Win me?" her eyebrow goes up in challenging look at his choice of words, describing her like a prize. She knows that it's deliberate; Castle is clever and precise with his statements. He's just trying to get a rise out of her and she seems to go for the bait every time. At first it used to annoy her but now she can admit that she actually enjoys it. This banter that they have is just part of the dance their chemistry.

"Sorry, I meant win you over." The smile on his face says that he's not sorry at all.

Kate plays her part, she huffs as if only partially mollified by his apology. Later when they're alone, she'll make him pay for that later. Castle smirks because he knows that the heat in her eyes isn't anger.

"Back to the story Daddy," Alexis pulls their attention back from the bedroom.

"Sorry Alexis. Now, where was I?" Rick looks down at the book again as he goes back to the land of Dr Seuss. He's content to put his lust on hold for now. They've got plenty of time, they've got the rest of their lives.

A/N: This little chapter is for all those people who reviewed and told me that they wanted to know what happened next. Sorry there won't be a separate sequel but I hope that this makes you happy.