Let's forget that "Surprise it's Caleb" scene ever happened, okay? Okay. Also, I'm gonna go ahead and use my own headcanon Caskett children for this because it's FF and I can, so…

Seven Years Later…

Castle's hand was beginning to cramp. He must have signed nearly a thousand books by now, with no signs of the crowd letting up anytime soon. Thankfully, most of his audience this time around was not composed of giggling thirty- and forty-somethings, but rather of giggling six-year-olds, many clutching stuffed animals that bore a remarkable resemblance to his latest character, Detective Kat.

He'd made the decision when RJ—his and Kate's first child together—was born to try and focus on slightly happier work. He'd wanted to write children's novels around the time that Alexis was born, but his contracts only allowed for the grisly mysteries and thrillers. So, this time, he compromised, keeping the same mysterious tone (without all the blood and macabre) and combining it with a kid-friendly character, named Kat the Cat, who was a detective in the fictional city of Meowhattan. It was cheesy, yes, but the kids loved it and it was nice to be surrounded by so many happy, chubby faces all day, even if his hand did cramp.

Especially since he was able to read these stories to his own children every night without worry of giving them nightmares. And it helped that his muse—and wife of nearly a decade—was still able to inspire him, as were his colleagues at the Twelfth Precinct. Both Ryan and Esposito were Sergeants now and both had families of their own. Ryan and Jenny had six children now (three girls and three boys) and Javier and Lanie had shared custody over their two daughters, Nia and Claudia (two happy accidents, though Espo and Lanie had never gotten married or stayed together for keeps). They were all still good friends, despite Kate's decision to leave the precinct in pursuit of politics.

And as for Castle and Beckett? They had three beautiful children—four if you counted Alexis, who was well on her way to having her own children soon—and had never been happier. Kate was running for House Representative for the state of New York and juggled that with helping to take care of their six-year-old son, and twin three-year-old daughters. Turning slightly, Castle could see them lounging in the sitting area of the bookstore they were in, the girls draped over their mother's lap and RJ at her side as she read them their father's latest Detective Kat book. He felt a swell of pride and happiness in his chest and turned to his next young fan with a warm smile.

The little girl was shy and had a few gaps in her teeth where he assumed they'd only recently fallen out. Her hair was short and dark brown, falling in messy curls around her head. Her eyes were a startling green, which contrasted well with her dark skin. Castle estimated her to be around five or six years old and she was wearing an NYPD hoodie that dwarfed her. She pushed up her sleeves as she set her book on the table for him to sign.

"Hello, there," he greeted, kindly. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Zhané," the girl replied, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"That's such a pretty name," he complimented and she flushed even more.

"Thank you," she said. "My mommy said it means fairy in Swahili." The woman behind her ran her fingers through Zhané's hair and the two shared a bright smile.

Castle nodded. "Well," he said, "I guess that means you must be magical then."

"No," the girl said, with a shrug. "I'm just Zhané." Then she smiled. "But, maybe one day, I'll be Detective Zhané!"

Castle's smile widened so much it hurt and then he nodded, vigorously. "The NYPD would be lucky to have you," he said. "And, from the looks of it, I don't think you're ever going to be 'just' anything. You look pretty extraordinary to me."

The girl beamed at him then, her smile lighting up the room. "Thank you, Mr. Castle!" she exclaimed and he chuckled, warmly, handing back her book.

"You're very welcome, Detective," he said and the girl's smile widened, her arms pressing the book to her chest. He watched her curls bounce as she walked out of the store, smiling to himself the whole time, before he turned to the next child in line with a great big grin.

When at last the customers thinned out, Castle stood and cracked his back, waving over to Beckett, who now had two sleeping children in her arms and a dozing son against her side. He smiled at her and made his way over, scooping the girls out of her arms and resting them against his broad shoulders, pressing kisses to both of their cheeks. Kate gave him a thankful smile and stood, stretching her own limbs out, before reaching down to pick up their son. They'd been trying to break the habit of carrying him (having inherited his parents' height, he was already getting tall) but she didn't think he'd be able to make it all the way home without falling asleep mid-step (as had happened before). She placed the book into her tote and secured him on her hip, before following her husband out to the street.

"So what do you want to do for dinner?" Castle whispered, turning his torso so that he could see her between the twin piles of reddish-brown hair of their daughters, Joey and Marti. They slept like the dead, so he wasn't too worried about waking them, but he still didn't want to risk it.

"Thai?" Kate suggested. "I don't feel like cooking tonight. We could invite Alexis and Hayley over, too."

"Sounds like a plan," Castle said, trying to reach for his phone. He jostled Joey slightly and froze as she snuffled against his neck. "You mind calling?" he asked, giving her a look of desperation.

Kate smirked at him and pulled out her cell phone, hitting speed dial number five. "Already on it, babe," she said.

"You're amazing,"

"Aren't I always," Kate huffed, lifting one brow at him. He grinned at that and nudged her a little with his elbow.

"Always," he said.

THE END

The ending last night confused me so goddamn much that I just needed to write this. For me. And for the friend that I promised I'd write this for. I hope you all liked it.