A/N: Oliver and Gigi were born on this day, exactly two years ago. I could have never imagined that what had started as a lovely image that simply popped into my head would become the beginning of a story that has developed and grown over two whole years, both in real and fiction life.

I'm profoundly thankful to everyone who has followed this story with such fidelity, and I thank enormously every single one of your reviews. I wish, more than anything else, that you've enjoyed reading this just as much as I did while writing it (even though I've made you wait very long between updates; thank you for your endless patience).

I must say I've had this final chapter sketched almost since the very beginning, and I've wanted to keep it simple and relatively short, just as I'd originally pictured it, honoring how the story started, adding no details that weren't essential (although, I must admit, I've been very tempted to). With this last chapter, a period of Oliver and Gigi's lives comes to an end, and they must say goodbye to you. But just for now, because I can assure you that they'll be back, in other stories.

Therefore, if you haven't had enough of Castle and Beckett's children, may I suggest you keep your 'Story Follower' activated. Thus, when I publish something new about them, I'll announce it here to let you know.

(I was just a teensy bit dramatic, wasn't I? Haha)

Anyway, enjoy this last scene.

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.

8 weeks and 4 days later…

Kate didn't need to look down at the book open across her lap to recite the words written on the page. She'd read the story to her kids so many times already that she knew it by heart, from beginning to end. Hearing the barely audible tinkling of the drizzle falling outside, the detective simply stared down at her daughter as she told her the story, softly and unhurriedly, watching in the dim pinky glow of the night light how her delicate eyelids slowly drifted closed, lulled by the sound of her voice.

Oliver was already sleeping, and Castle, who'd been the one that had put him to bed that night, had lingered in the dark hallway upstairs. He'd been spying at his daughter's bedroom door for the past five minutes, hidden in the shadows. Oblivious to his presence, Beckett continued narrating the last couple of paragraphs, lowering the volume of her voice as she did until it became the faintest whisper that faded out completely. Gigi wasn't fazed by the silence that fell upon the room; her breathing remained rhythmic and her eyes stayed closed. With an inner smile of achievement, and a motherly sense of pride and relief, Kate shut the storybook silently and bent forward to put it down on the rug under her feet.

"Mama," Gigi's high-pitched voice broke the quiet all of a sudden. "Again," she said.

Still doubled over her legs, Beckett buried her face into her knees as a feeling of disappointment invaded her; she'd obviously celebrated her victory too soon. A small hand touched her shoulder. Kate turned her face and peered through the curtain of her own hair. Her daughter was looking at her with her head cocked and her eyes wide open.

"No, sweetie," Beckett said with a sigh and sat up, pushing her hair back. "We've read it twice, already. Now it's time to go to sleep."

"Lass time."

"No. Tomorrow."

"No," the toddler repeated with an obstinacy that apparently knew no bounds. "Now."

The detective started to say something but grew silent when she thought she'd heard something in the hall. She turned her head to the door but saw nothing but darkness. Out of view, Castle stood completely still, the hand he'd used to stifle a sudden chuckle still covering his mouth. Attributing the sound to the rainy weather, Kate brought her attention back to her daughter.

"Romy. No," she said firmly. "Close your eyes and go to sleep. It's school day tomorrow."

"Pleeeease," the toddler begged in a sweet, little voice. Like most kids her age, she often resorted to tantrums to get her way. But, with her two and a half years of age, she was also acutely aware that her unyielding perseverance —that worked best with a sweet smile and puppy dog eyes— had gotten her lots of things in the past as well.

Beckett threw her head all the way back and stared straight up at the ceiling, releasing a long breath of air through her mouth. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to lose her temper and get mad. "I'll sing you a song," she finally relented, wearily. "One," she emphasized, "and no more."

The girl grinned, delighted. "The stars and birdie'song."

"Very well." Kate scooted a few inches down the edge of the mattress and leaned over her daughter's body, placing an elbow at either side of her small shoulders. Gigi particularly liked to feel sheltered by someone's proximity, cocooned in the safety of an affectionate embrace, so the detective moved very close to her, until their faces were only inches apart, and cradled her cheeks tenderly between her hands. Her daughter's freshly washed hair smelled strongly of baby shampoo, and the air around her was permeated with the sweet fragrance. Beckett started moving her thumbs back and forth across Gigi's temples, and then began to sing, "Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper I love you, birds singing in the Sycamore tree…"

Gigi had already closed her eyes, apparently willing to go to sleep. But even in the faint light of the pink plug-in elephant, Kate noticed the slight tremor of her eyelids and the hint of a cheeky smile at the corners of her lips, a smile that widened ever so slightly after Kate kissed the toddler's nose when the lyrics suggested it. Far from letting it affect her patience, the detective continued stroking her daughter's hairline and soon witnessed how the smile vanished from her face and her eyes stopped moving under her lids. The girl's breathing slowed down and became deeper, and the small, chubby hand she had had draped over her mother's forearm slipped off and sunk down into the comforter. Kate had to sing the whole version of the lullaby, but after almost three minutes of slow melody and delicate caresses, Gigi seemed to have finally fallen asleep.

Beckett rose to her feet slowly, very careful not to jostle the mattress too much and wake the girl, and tiptoed away from the bed. Still, it wasn't until she reached the door without hearing Gigi's voice at her back, that she really convinced herself she'd done it. And then, as she set one foot out in the hallway, two hands appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her by the arms, spun her around and forced her back against the wall, leaving her breathless. Before she could start complaining, Castle was kissing her, softly but firmly. He invaded her space, pressing his body up to hers, and leaned a hand on the wall beside her head, slipping the other one around her lower back to circle her waist. Once she was past the dazing stupor of her husband's sudden assault, Kate's lips melted against his and she kissed him back.

A minute later, when they parted to catch their breath, she whispered, "What was that for?"

Castle shrugged and answered in the same low voice, "Just… felt like kissing you."

"Uh-uh…"

"You know?" he mused and pulled her just a tad closer to him, resting his forehead against hers. "I would love it to have you lull me to sleep like that from time to time."

Kate looked him full in the face. "Have you been spying again?"

Castle's affirmative answer was a broad smile. "I really enjoyed the way you told Gigi the story," he said, leaning in close again to brush a tender kiss on her jaw. "The voice you make for the turtle is so very adorable…"

"You're incredible," she exhaled, her tone exasperated and disapproving at the same time.

"Thank you," he replied, boastful, languidly moving down her neck, leaving a trail of tiny kisses along the column of her throat. "I do what I can." Castle lifted his gaze just in time to see Kate roll her eyes in the dark. He seized the opportunity to steal another kiss from her lips.

"Oliver asleep?" she whispered when her mouth was again free to speak.

"Hm-mm… Of course." The tip of his nose grazed across her left cheekbone and the closeness of his face made her eyelids slide shut. "For quite a while, now, actually," the writer added, his warm breath rolling down her cheek. "So I guess I scored myself yet another point."

"Since when did putting the kids in bed become a competition?" Beckett demanded.

"Since you make it so easy for me to win, honey. But, hey, tonight it took you seven minutes less than last Tuesday," he remarked in a deep voice, full of amusement and taunting. "You're getting better."

"God. Don't you ever get tired—" she started to retort but the rest of her complaint was swallowed by him again. This time, Castle was bolder and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between her lips. "Rick..." she mumbled unintelligibly. "The kids… A little decorum, please."

"What? I'm only kissing you," he murmured. "Completely innocent."

"There's nothing innocent… about the way… your hands… are squeezing… my ass," she said intermittently between kisses.

Castle smirked widely against her lips, not pulling back. She tried to wriggle herself free from his strong embrace but he resisted and a maleficent chuckle rumbled deep in his chest.

"Seriously, Rick," she insisted, her tone sharper now, trying harder to push him away from her. "What if they wake up?"

But it was already too late. Both of them caught the faint rustle of sheets and then the unmistakable sound of soft footsteps approaching the open door right beside them. Castle jumped back away from his wife just as Gigi's silhouette appeared at the doorway. She barely hesitated for a second before she stepped out into the corridor and crossed in front of her parents. Writer and detective followed her with their gaze as she padded away barefoot, keeping her eyes straight ahead, acting as if they were not there, perhaps naively believing that if she didn't look up at them, they wouldn't be able to see her. They watched her walking into her brother's bedroom, and when they peeked inside, the soft light of the lamp on the nightstand outlined her shadowy silhouette climbing onto Ollie's bed. Castle and Beckett stood watching from the doorway, each leaning against one side of the wooden frame. The toddler twisted and turned under the covers until she was comfortable, and Oliver, in his sleep, rolled toward his sister and draped an arm over her.

Castle let out a small snort of amusement. Kate glanced over at her husband and saw him smile slightly and shake his head with disbelief. She arched her eyebrows inquisitively.

"I don't know why we bothered to buy her a big girl's bed," he whispered under his breath. "She doesn't use it. In these past four months she must have slept in it a total of fifteen nights, twenty at most. I mean, what's the point of putting her in her bed every night if she gets out of it and slips into Ollie's." Castle paused and then went on with a slightly different tone, "Although, all things considered… As long as she sleeps with Oliver and not with us, I have no objections."

Kate made a small sound, agreeing with him. "But, isn't it a bit weird?" she questioned a moment later.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't know…" she mused, pensive. "I can't speak from experience —don't have any. But you always hear how siblings grow up arguing and fighting and competing… I never met a brother and a sister that got along so well."

"You rather they were fighting all day long?"

"No—"

"Because they fight enough already, in my opinion."

Another low murmur echoed in the detective's throat.

"They're still young," Castle continued. "And we can at least be sure that Oliver will always protect Gigi; that they'll always take care of each other."

"I guess."

"What will definitely be concerning is if they continue to share a bed by the time they are teenagers," he joked.

"Oh, no," Kate whispered instantly, not taking her eyes off the kids. "I don't want to think about that —them growing up. They're too cute."

A genuine smile spread across Castle's lips. He tilted his head slightly to the side and stared spellbound at his wife; she was watching their children the same way, with profound adoration and affection. Castle pushed himself off the doorframe and tenderly kissed her cheek, resting his forehead against her temple.

"We should make another one," he whispered warmly in her ear a minute later.

Kate turned her head to look at him, finding herself enveloped in his arms again. "Another what," she asked.

"Another baby," he said. "We're good at it."

She chuckled under her breath. "No way."

"That's what you said last time and it didn't take much convincing for you to change your mind, remember?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well…" she smiled, dropping her gaze briefly to the floor, thankful that the dimness wouldn't reveal the sudden warmth spreading through her cheeks. "I'm saying no this time."

"But, Kate!" Castle started whining plaintively, like a little boy. "That—"

"Shhh…" Beckett frowned with annoyance and gestured toward the kids; one of them had been startled in their sleep by the loud voice of their father. The detective quickly stepped over to the bed and ran a hand gently over Gigi's head, soothing her. Then she gave her and Oliver a soft kiss and walked back to the door. "Come on," she ordered Castle through clenched teeth, pushing him out into the dark corridor.

"Kate, honey," he said in a hushed tone, going back to the subject as she closed Oliver's door halfway. "That guy from the future said we would have three kids."

Beckett needed a second to remember the man her husband was referring to. "That guy said a lot of things," she murmured, walking past Castle toward the stairs. "He was nuts." Rick stopped her in her tracks and pinned her against the wall again, looking at her with pleading puppy dog eyes. "No," she repeated, unmoved and inexorable.

Castle held her gaze for five more seconds, stubbornly determined.

"Maybe…" he mumbled, as if talking to himself, barely moving his lips and purposely averting his eyes from hers. "I should simply switch your pills for placebos."

"You wouldn't," she chuckled, taking it as a humorless joke. But the stern look her husband was fixing in her eyes didn't waver. The smile wiped off her face and she tensed up. "Castle, you wouldn't."

He held the stubborn expression for another few seconds and then smirked innocently. "I'm not gonna give up that easily, you know?" he said and she relaxed again. "I can be extremely persuasive and persevering."

"You can ask all you want. The answer will still be no. "Kate rose on the tips of her toes and put her arms around his neck, pulling him to her until their noses touched. "I'm perfectly happy like this. Here and now."

"You are?" Castle asked very softly over her lips, tightening his arms around her waist.

"Hm-mm… Yes," she asserted, just above a whisper. "I love our life just as it is."

"Well, then… Prove it."

- THE END -

Thank you very much.