Please note the change in rating.

Kate pads barefoot out of the bedroom, the bottoms of her pants sweeping across the hardwood floors. The loft is warm, maybe too warm for the two decade old Stanford sweatshirt that she's bundled into, the oversized fleece pajamas that once belonged to Castle. She pushes the sleeves up, scrunching them at the elbow and walks into the kitchen, the fresh smell of warmed up food greeting her as Castle pulls the croque-monsieur from the oven.

"Were you preparing for the apocalypse when you ordered all of this food?"

"No," she responds, lifting herself onto the counter, "but I was thinking that we have the place to ourselves tomorrow and neither one of us would want to go out and get something."

"We could have ordered something in."

"And ruin your plans to seduce me by having to put on clothes?" He's standing just to the right of her and she reaches an arm out, wrapping it around his neck. He comes easily, willing, the smile he gives her the same one he first did nearly a decade ago. She bites down on her lip, watches as his irises burn dark. "I don't think so, Castle."

"I knew I married you for a reason," he mutters, slanting his lips over hers in a light kiss. "You're so smart."

She grins against his mouth and nods her agreement before pushing him back. The ground is cold when she hops back onto the floor and she shivers, pulling the sleeves down again. She grabs the bottle of champagne off the counter as well as the two flutes and the basket of fries and walks into the living room. He's set the coffee table with candles, some of the food she bought already there and the Princess crown on display. She smiles because it's ridiculous how much he loves it, runs her fingers over the soft pink feathers and slips onto the couch, grabbing the blanket over the back. She must have fallen asleep quickly, unnoticeably, because she startles at the shift in weight when he sits down close to her, stretching across the extended area on the edge.

Castle's hand grips her calf, fingers kneading deep into the skin. "You're exhausted."

"And that's why I married you," she teases, resting her head back. "You're so astute."

"Look at that, Beckett. The wiseass has rubbed off on you." She lets out a laugh and forces herself forward, grabbing a handful of fries. Castle grins, watching her and she lifts an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You have grabby hands like our daughter."

"Shut up. I'm hungry."

She pops a fry into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he pours them glasses of champagne. She watches the bubbles, the smooth gold settling into the flute. He hands her one and she takes it gratefully. It usually makes her tired - in this case it'll probably put her to sleep in seconds (again) - but she wants to feel it in her bones, the way it settles and warms.

"Happy New Year, Kate."

It's almost three, the start of the year past, but it feels more right now than it would have surrounded by family and friends. She taps her glass against his. "Happy New Year." She takes a long sip and it has the desired effect: warm, sweet, so very very perfect. "So, tell me about the party. What did I miss while Ryan regaled me of stories of Christmas in Florida? Did you know the four of them drove down there?"

Castle piles food onto a plate for her, and truthfully, she's too tired to protest. Despite the strange hour, he knows just what she wants, how much she wants of each item. She's almost forgotten that he's spent so long following her, studying her moves so his characterizations of Nikki were spot on. There's a tinge of sadness in that, his last Nikki Heat book completed and on the shelves this spring but it's fine, it is. It's for the best anyway; the character was losing steam and really, she had pushed him to end it, to start something new because it was good for him career wise. He had been long overdue on his drafts with this last one, too afraid to let it go as if he was somehow letting her go. She had coaxed him into bed that night - for nights after, when the calls from Gina to finish were beginning to grate on them both - and promised him that she was here, that no matter who he wrote next or what he did, she was always beside him.

He looks at her now in question, wondering what she's thinking, as he hands off the plate to her. She shakes her head with an almost imperceptible nod and his lips lift in a small smile: acceptance.

"Jenny mentioned it. I've never been so grateful that all of our family is here. But speaking of the party, something did happen you might be interested in."

"What?"

Castle glances toward the stairs, his voice lowering. "Scott pulled me aside. He asked for my permission to propose to Alexis."

"How hard of a time did you give him?"

"I didn't!"

"Castle-"

He sighs, and he's like a little boy who's been caught doing something he shouldn't be. "Okay, I may have messed with him a little, but come on! I'm not going to have the opportunity to do this for another forty years."

She nearly chokes on the sip of champagne she's just taken. She sputters out a cough and her husband is adorable, truly adorable if that's what he believes. Then again, she was practically in her mid-thirties. "You think Ava is going to get married in her forties?"

"Wishful thinking. And thank you for not making jokes that I'll likely be dead by then."

"You're not that much older than me, Castle. I won't be that far behind you." She hopes. It's blinding sometimes, that realization that her mother will never see her hit forty, that she missed so much in Kate's life. She doesn't let herself think of it often, that realization that she could somehow do the same thing to her daughter: get shot, get stabbed, leave before Ava is ready. She quickly brushes it off, takes another drink. "You okay with that?"

"With being dead? I don't have great feelings about it, no."

"I meant Alexis getting engaged, smartass."

He grins at her. "Smartass and wiseass. I like it."

"Just wait until I break out jackass."

He leans forward, lips skimming over hers. His hand slides through her tangled hair, and she opens her mouth to him, sighs as his tongue hits hers, slow and easy in its ministrations. She rests her cheek against his when the kiss breaks, inhales the sweet scent of their daughter that must have washed off on him during the midnight celebration, the taste of champagne that surely matches her own on his taste buds.

"You wouldn't dare," he murmurs.

"Pretty sure I did last week." She leans back, picking her plate back up. The food is delicious, and she has to remember to order the chicken again next time instead of her regular croque-monsieur. "You didn't answer my question."

"She's not much older than I was when I married Meredith."

"You think she's too young."

"She's more mature than I was at that age, but I'm afraid that she's not done growing, changing. What if she's still discovering herself and she gets married and in five years she is a different person?" She doesn't say anything, lets him work through his oldest growing up inside his own head for a moment. "I like Scott, a lot. He's good for her. If she says yes - and I know she will - then I trust her."

"And if you didn't have a younger daughter who's too young to leave you?"

"Oh there's no way in hell I'd give Scott my permission."

Kate laughs, finishing off the last of her fries before putting the plate back on the coffee table. He hands his over and she places it on top of hers. His arms are open and she leans back into him, melting against his chest. Castle's arms envelope her, his lips gliding over the top of her head. She closes her eyes, but it's not about exhaustion anymore, merely him and the way he eases her. "Is he doing it here or when they get back to London?"

"He said he wants to do it before they leave. He knows how much it would mean to her to be around family."

"Ava will love that." She tilts her head to look up at him. "Is he proposing at dinner tomorrow night?"

"I think so. We have reservations but depending on how exhausted AJ is by that point I figured we could always do something here. Or I can give them the reservation and we can celebrate here afterwards."

"Offer the reservation if he wants it. There's no way Ava is going to make it through dinner if she doesn't get a nap tomorrow and knowing our parents she won't."

She can tell he's nodding by the way he moves behind her, the slight shift in his body. It remains silent between them, nothing but the music she had forgotten was on, the dishwasher that's seconds away from shutting off. Castle's hand slides underneath her sweatshirt at her waist, his palm a soothing balm against her skin. She hums a sigh of contentment, and she hates to ruin the moment, but she has to. She rests her head back on his shoulder, lifting her eyes to him.

"You know we have to discuss your talk with Patterson eventually, right?"

"You're tired. Maybe now isn't the time."

"I'm capable of holding a conversation."

Kate watches the change in his eyes and she shifts out of his embrace. She's facing him, her legs crossed Indian style, and he's back to squeezing her calf with gentle fingers, summoning whatever words he needs to get out.

"Two and a half months."

"Where?"

"U.S. Europe. Parts of Australia. Maybe South America. I told him no."

"Castle-"

"Beckett, I'm not leaving the two of you to go on a tour for almost three months. I'm more than happy to give my proceeds to Cannell's charity, but I'm calling Paula in the morning to tell her no. I'll do my usual month long tour in the states and that's it."

"So you just made this decision without talking to me?"

"That's not-"

She shakes her head, cutting him off. "When is it?"

"Beginning of June to mid August."

"Okay, and if we send Ava to camp like we discussed then that's the entire summer. She won't even be home."

"What if AJ hates it? What if she gets sick in the middle of the day?"

"First of all, have you ever met your daughter, Castle? She's you. She walks into a room and has a hundred friends in less than a minute. But if anything happens, Jenny will be there working and while they're not the same age, Erin is going too. That girl has been protective of Ava since the day she was born. If she needs it, Erin will be there." She rests her hand on his cheek, doesn't speak again until he's looking at her. "What else do you got?"

"I'll miss our anniversary."

She smiles, shrugging. "I missed it last year because of work. From what I remember I more than made it up to you."

"You made it up to me alright. Antigua will never be the same. Should I buy the tickets to Aruba now?"

"Aruba, Bora Bora. The Bahamas." But the lights dim behind his eyes, the worry returning and she kneels, braces both hands on his face this time. "Castle, it's okay," she says, softly.

"But-"

She presses another kiss to his lips, settling back on her haunches. "I'm not talking about the summer. It's okay that it's the last Heat novel. You had reasons for walking away. I understand that, I respect that. You leaving us for three months to go on tour at the same time the last book is released doesn't mean anything. Stop thinking that just because you walked away from the one on the page means you're walking away from us."

"When did you become a shrink?"

"I don't need to be a shrink to know you." She slides a leg over his waist, straddling him. Her tongue slips over the corner of his mouth, his arms tightening around her, and she bites down on his lower lip, eliciting a groan from him. "I love you. I love you for all the years you followed me around and waited until I was ready to do this." She motions around the room, the evidence of their life together. "For sticking with me through everything I once put you through. For marrying me and giving me the most gorgeous, smart, creative, incredible child who reminds me every day how far I've come. I love that you've written ten books for me, about me, but it isn't why I love you. So, you had to give Nikki and Rook up, but you will always have me, Castle. You will always have this life that we created."

"I let her lose steam. I couldn't keep her interesting-"

"You have to stop this. Characters lose steam. James is a great writer - you know I adore him - but he keeps series going way longer than he should. It's better you stop Nikki before she becomes Alex Cross. I know you're still interested in me." She rocks against him and she smiles, unbuttoning his jeans. She slides a hand inside his pants and he gasps when she wraps a hand around him, hard and straining and desperate already. "I can feel it," she whispers into his ear.

His hips jerk up and she doesn't expect the way it slams into her, didn't know how badly she wanted him tonight until right now. She draws in a sharp breath, swears that she whimpers on her exhale. Castle's hands slide over her ass, lowering the pants that were once his, the ones that barely fit her to begin with and he slips a finger inside of her, then another curling them until she pitches forward.

"Cas-"

But then they're gone and over her lips, smelling of her.

"Shh," he mutters. "There are people upstairs."

She rolls her tongue over the pad of his fingers, tasting herself, her teeth skimming the length of them. "It's never stopped us before."

He leans forward, and she doesn't know what he's doing until that damn crown is on top of her head again, the combs fastened securely in her hair. It makes her smile though, makes her feel like a princess despite it being ridiculous, and then her mouth is on his, all teeth and tongue and roaming hands. She pushes him back so he's laying flat on the cushion and unzips his pants, pulling them down and over his ass. He's grinning up at her, smugly, and she can't help but smile. She lifts herself until she's sinking down onto him, her eyes closing because she's so tight around him and oh this is going to be fast. He's all around her, filling each crevice of her before either of them move, and she bends down, resting her forehead against his, breathing.

"I knew getting maudlin about the end of Nikki Heat would result in sex."

Kate presses her palms down on his chest, rotates her hips and he's groaning deep in his throat. "Castle, now would be a good time to shut up."

"Right. Shutting up."

She rises above him, his hands gripping her thighs and she sinks back down on him again and again, slowly, maddeningly. He's staring up at her, his eyes dark and longing, hand pulling at the ends of her hair that hang down her back and she brushes her finger over his lips, continues to move because she can do this for him tonight.

"You never let her lose steam," she says, her voice hoarse. "You made her invigorating. You brought her to life. She's a part of me. She always will be no matter how many years pass since you've written her. Nikki will always be ours."

And then his mouth is on her, everywhere he can touch. Her sweatshirt is sliding up and he pulls her on top of him, her breast in his mouth, teeth scraping over her nipple, biting until she nearly cries out. He soothes it with his tongue, and god it's been too long and she wants him, needs him and tomorrow they can do slow, but for now -

Kate slams her pelvis against his and he's moaning against her skin, quietly, but enough that she can hear it, enough that it drives her, her body moving lithe and gracefully over him. His hand slides between their bodies and she gasps when he touches her where she aches the most, rolling his fingers over her bundle of nerves while his tongue works wonders on her breast and it's building all around her: the tour, the book, their story, their life and she's biting her lip, drawing blood because his fingers work magic on her where it counts, they always have, and she knows she's about to lose it, feels the spasms beginning low in her stomach. Her head is slung back as she rides him out, her hands bracketing his ankles and he works her harder, harder, harder until she's screaming silently, letting herself go. His hips are jerking beneath her and he's close, so close, he always is after she comes, and she sits up, lifts herself off of him. She can feel how wet she is, her thighs damp with both of them and she slowly lowers herself, inch by agonizing inch.

"Kate-" he manages, but he meets her halfway, slamming up into her and she's kissing him, mouth branded to his as he breaks, and she falls apart again, his fingers marking her skin with biting indentations.

She rests her head on his chest, finding her solid ground again, and his lips brush over her forehead lovingly. Their bodies are damp when she moves and she's going to need to change before bed, get out of those clothes and maybe this tiara that's now lopsided and a little worse for the wear (and might need to be brought back again tomorrow at some point.)

"Ava and I can come visit you," she finally says, shifting off of him. "Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, I'll do my best to get us there. And if you're in London at the end of summer when Ava is out of camp, I'll take the time off and we'll come and visit. She can spend time with Alexis and Scott, we can have everyone together. We'll make it work just like we always do. You need to do this though. You, Patterson, Lehane, Connelley - you're doing it for Cannell. You know he would have for you."

Castle smiles. "I love you."

"I know." She stands up, shimmying her pants up and over her ass. She knows he's watching, and she grins, bending down to pick up a plate. His hand curves around her bottom, and he smacks it gently before standing, pulling his jeans back on. "We should clean up and go to bed. I have a feeling Ava will still be up at seven regardless."

He follows her into the kitchen, placing the plates in the sink. "I can't believe you're not mad at me about that. I was certain you'd want to kill me for letting her stay up."

She stands on her tiptoes, pressing her lips over his. She turns her head, breath hot over his ear. "You needed a Beckett to kiss at midnight. Who do you think asked her to be your date?"

finis

Author's Notes: First, I want to apologize for the lateness of it (although I guess given that it's a New Year's Eve fic, it's right on time) but I appreciate so much everyone who read, reviewed, and loved Ava as much as I did. Second, a very special extra thank you to Laura (x2), Nancy, Heather, Jess (and by extension Charlie) and Nat who were super supportive of this and nagging and perfect and also to actuallyido for bringing the last NH book into conversation and letting me run with it. And last but not least, HAPPY NEW YEAR! This was my first one in this little Castle world and I am overwhelmed by how incredible people have been to me. I am so grateful for it; you really have no idea. I love you all.