Codes and the Crown - Epilogue

"Hey, Mom? Mom?"

Kate blinks, turning away from the hypnotic twinkle of the lights on the Christmas tree to find her daughter waiting by the couch, the cat circling her legs. Lily tilts her head, smiling quickly before she speaks again,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me come down."

"You didn't," Kate murmurs, flexing her fingers around her now-cold mug, glancing at her feet to find Branko still sacked out beside her. He doesn't attempt the stairs anymore, which saddens the kids and Zosia, but he's a good companion for Kate on late nights like this, when she doesn't want to wake Rick. "I just spaced out looking at the lights. What's up?"

Lily bites her lip, shifting her weight on her bare feet. "Can I sit with you?" she asks, sounding so young, so much like the little girl she used to be instead of the bright-eyed college freshman she is, it steals Kate's breath.

"Of course, little flower. You don't need to ask."

Her daughter grins, almost to herself, closing the distance between them without a word. Kate opens the blanket to her as soon as her knee hits the couch, and despite the long sleeve shirt and fleece pants the girl wears, Lily slips underneath the throw, tucking herself close. Zosia follows a moment later, hopping onto the back of the couch and taking her preferred spot at Lily's shoulder.

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Kate asks once they're settled, brushing her hand along Lily's arm. They'd all retired to bed early – except for Jake, of course, whose video game she'd heard blasting until just a little while ago – but sleep seems to be evading at least part of the house.

Lily lifts a shoulder. "Just stuff. Lots of stuff."

"School?" she tries, not wanting to interrogate her daughter, but not wanting to let something fester if Lily needs help expressing it. It's how her mom had approached things, too.

"Kinda. I keep thinking about this past semester. What if I didn't do as well as I think I did? What if I lose my scholarship? What if I get kicked out–"

"You won't," Kate soothes, touching her fingertips to Lily's temple. "You did great, and the classes you maybe didn't do great in, you did enough. That's what matters."

Her kid nods, releasing a sigh.

"I declared my major last week."

Kate smiles. "Yeah? Like we talked about?"

Lily exhales. "Yeah, and it felt right at the time, but now all I can think is that maybe I've made a mistake and I'll hate my classes, and I should take it back and wait a little longer. And I don't even know if you can undeclare, and I just–"

"Baby, breathe," she murmurs, cupping her daughter's cheek, getting her eyes. "You are going to be amazing in the math department. But if you get a couple of classes in and you realize you hate it? You can change to something else. Something you find more interesting, something you have a greater passion for, whatever you want. Until the ink is dry on your diploma, nothing is set in stone."

Her daughter blinks, sucking in a deep breath that Kate helps her release.

"College is hard," she continues once Lily looks a little less panicked. "It's not going to be smooth sailing all the time, but you'll get through it. And you'll be okay. And Dad, the boys, and I will be here for you the whole way."

"Thanks, Momma," Lily murmurs, knocking her forehead on Kate's shoulder. Kate holds her tighter, remembering having a similar conversation with her own mother that first Christmas break after she'd started at Stanford. The last Christmas she'd had with Johanna.

"What else?" she asks, diverting her attention from her memories back to her own kid. "What else is on your mind, I mean?"

Lily curls closer, looking around the loft, taking in the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, the garland and the lights. The house doesn't look the same as it has in previous years – with Alexis across the country, Lily at school in New Jersey, and the boys rather apathetic to Christmas cheer, decorating had fallen on Kate and Rick, which meant it's been done piecemeal over the course of the month instead of in one fell swoop the way it used to be. But it's still good; it's still joyous and warm, everything they've needed with their lives being so crazy right now.

"Can I give you one of your presents now?" her daughter asks.

Maybe that's what she'd intended to say and maybe it isn't, but Kate nods nonetheless.

"Sure, honey. We won't tell your dad that we're breaking the time-honored tradition of presents on Christmas Eve night, though," she murmurs.

"Probably for the best," Lily says on a quiet laugh. "What Daddy doesn't know won't hurt him this time."

Kate chuckles, sneaking a glance into the office anyway. Rick had been sprawled out on his back in their bed when she slipped from beneath the covers, but there's no telling if he's still passed out. She hopes he is, and not just because this feels like a moment for just girls. He's been working so hard these last few weeks, finishing his next book, helping her with her campaign, trying to keep up with the boys and take care of Martha, not to mention distracting her from getting mired in the melancholy of the holidays that never really goes away; he needs the sleep.

"You're right," she agrees, turning to watch Lily scamper across the living room to dig a neatly wrapped gift out from behind the Christmas tree. Tossing the blanket aside, she joins the girl at the tree, lifting a smaller present to give in return.

"Okay," Lily breathes once they're seated again (having made a quick detour to love on Branko first), pushing her hair behind her ear. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They trade gifts, digging into the wrapping with childlike glee. Kate pauses for a moment, watching Lily's face as she opens the box to reveal the alexandrite pendant.

"Mom, it's so pretty," Lily breathes, touching the coil of wire that cradles the stone. "Is it handmade?"

Kate's lips lift. "Yeah it is. I saw it a few weeks ago when Dad and I were wandering a craft fair in the Hamptons, and I thought you'd like it."

Lily's head bobs as she surges forward, wrapping an arm around Kate's shoulders, whispering her gratitude. "I do. I love it, thank you."

Kate holds her tighter, swiping a hand up her back. "I'm glad, baby. I'm so glad."

Her daughter squeezes her once before settling back, leaning her cheek on Kate's shoulder. "Your turn. Finish opening yours."

Her fingers flutter at the edge of the gift, tearing at the wrapping paper to reveal a hardback book.

Codes and the Crown: How Spycraft Saved the Queen

Her heart swells, remembering a summer of ciphers and quests to save the royal family, coded messages in lunchboxes and tucked into case notes. It had been something that was purely theirs, hers and Lily's, and she's never allowed the memories to slip far from the front of her mind.

"Do you remember?" Lily asks as Kate opens the cover to find her daughter's familiar handwriting dedicating the book to her, co-protector of the crown, queen to her grateful princess.

"Our codes," Kate confirms, turning her face into her daughter's hair. "I still have them all. Some here, some in my desk at work."

"Me too. They're in my special stuff drawer upstairs." Lily squeezes her again, drawing herself closer. "I'd forgotten all about them until I saw the book in Barnes and Noble one day. Gonna admit, I read it before I got it for you; it's good. I was afraid it might be dry, but it's good. I really think you'll like it, Mom."

Kate brushes her fingertips over her daughter's cheek, drawing her closer. "I love it. Thank you."

Lily dips her head, leaning into the affection. "Thank you for playing along the way you did. I know it was probably a pain in the butt at times, but you still did it."

As if she would've done anything else, especially knowing how invested Lily had been in seeing the game through to the end.

"You don't have to thank me for that," she murmurs, touching her fingers to the dust jacket. "I had fun, even when it was tough. Most of the time when I was stressing, it was because I wanted to get it done so you could have your turn again. But I'd do it all over again for you. And for the kingdom."

"Me too." Her daughter grins, shifting on the couch as Kate opens the book to read the introduction. She closes the book after a couple of pages, vowing to settle in to read the rest another time.

Kate's not surprised when there's a new cipher waiting in her stocking on Christmas morning, and she's also not surprised when she has to convince herself to finish opening the rest of her presents before she can jump into cracking it.

To his credit, Castle doesn't blink an eye at her distraction once all the gifts have been unwrapped. Instead he convinces the boys to break out their new game system and start playing.

Unlike the first time she and Lily played this game, though, they don't worry about working in secret. This time as Kate works to decrypt her daughter's message (which is arguably more sophisticated this time around), Lily is right beside her, grinning into her hand, eagerly awaiting her reply.

There's no time to waste, after all; they have a kingdom to defend.

And that's a wrap for this tale! This story was inspired by a tumblr post (bunysliper. tumblr post/157547063573/unicornempire-justastormie ) and then prompted as a fic by a super sweet Anon. Thank you so much! I hope you liked it.

Thank you all for reading! Until next time.