The Epilogue is written! Yay.

Her heels clacked against the wet sidewalk, the umbrella only doing a modest job of keeping her dry against the storm. The wind blew the rain horizontally, making her wish that she'd worn a heavier jacket. As if it would fit, she thought sardonically to herself. By social standards Kate Beckett was still thin, but her baby weight prevented her from getting into some of her tighter clothing. This was especially true of tops, as she was still breastfeeding. Rick complemented her each day, reminding her that he thought she was beautiful regardless of, and perhaps because of the fact that she'd given birth just shy of 8 weeks ago.

The past two months had been a blur, and the loft was a mad house. Martha and Alexis were there often, helping with the boys and keeping Lucy entertained while Castle and Beckett caught themselves up on sleep. She loved her sons with all her heart, but sleep deprivation was something that she hadn't been prepared for. Sure, she'd known that not sleeping through the night was part of motherhood, but nothing could have prepared her for those little cries every 3 hours. Those were the good nights too, the nights where the boys were in sync with their feeding and changing habits.

Regardless of the exhaustion, of the sleep deprivation, dirty diapers and chaotic environment, Kate's heart swelled as she thought of her family. It had been an incredibly long and difficult day and she was ready to be home. She picked up her pace, eager for her husband's arms, her daughter's kisses and the sweet smell of her infant sons. Afterall, it had been her first day back at work and she'd longed to hold them in her arms and cuddle them. Being away from their sweet faces and their soft skin for an entire day had been much harder than she thought. Kate sighed as she thought back on that morning.

"Beckett, you don't have to go back, you know?" He'd whispered to her softly as he paced the floor, bouncing Jacob slightly in the rhythm that seemed to calm him.

"Yes, I do." She asserted, "I love this part of my life," She kissed Jonah's soft forehead as she rocked him, "but I'm a detective and I'm not willing to give that part of my identity up." In spite of her words, Kate unconsciously held Jonah's warm swaddled body closer to her.

"I'm not saying never go back, Kate." He crossed the room to place a Kiss on Beckett's forehead, mimicking the gesture for baby Jonah's as well, "I'm saying give yourself some more time to get adjusted to this role."

Kate sighed, lowering her voice, "If I don't go back now, I'm afraid I never will." She admitted.

He nodded, understanding her need for something familiar in this time of change.

"Well then, the boys and I will bond today, and when Lucy gets home from school she'll help. We'll have dinner on the table for you when you get home."

Still, she nearly didn't make it out of the house. Each step away from the loft tore at her heart even more, and it didn't get easier as the hours passed. Now that the day was over, her paperwork done and the sun setting behind the storm clouds covering the city, she quickened her pace. Kate needed to be home, she needed her boys and Lucy, she needed Castle.

Kate nodded politely at the door man as she entered her building, bringing her umbrella to a close and shaking the water from it slightly. She made her way to the elevators, pacing as they slowly made their way to her floor, to her home.

She opened the door to a variety of sounds. Martha was at the piano singing loudly, Alexis had a movie on and appeared to be typing away at her laptop, Lucy was banging on a pot loudly as she "helped" rick prepare dinner. Tiny whimpers could be heard from the pack and play next to where Alexis sat. It was apparent that the red heads were on diaper duty while Castle and Lucy worked in the kitchen.

The noises of her family clashed loudly and she couldn't help but smile. She was home.

"Mommy!" Lucy called to her as she ran to greet her.

"Hi little one!" Kate offered, holding her tightly. She reflected once again at how tall Lucy was getting. "How was your day, love?" She asked.

"It was ok mommy. The stinky boys cried a lot, but then I got to play with them." She informed Kate.

Beckett smiled. When Lucy was initially informed that she would have little brothers and no sister she was upset. However, after a long talk with Alexis, she warmed to the idea. Her older sister explained that because they were little boys, Lucy would be the only princess. She soon warmed to the idea of being a princess, her loyal diapered servants becoming future playmates instead of just annoying brothers.

On more than one occasion, Lucy provided support to her parents. She sat on the couch quietly, holding a baby on her lap securely as her parents would calm another. She sang to them and kissed their foreheads, telling them all about life at the loft. She was also fantastic at keeping Mr. Peanut away from them.

"Are you and daddy making dinner?" Kate asked Lucy, lowering her back to her feet and making her way to where Alexis sat.

"We're making bascetti." Lucy informed her, causing Kate to smile at the young girls attempt at pronouncing 'spaghetti'.

"Bascetti!" Rick called excitedly from the kitchen before coming to stand behind Kate. She approached her sons' pack and play, watching the rise and fall of their tiny chests as she felt Castle's arms wrap lovingly around her from behind.

"How was your day?" He asked waiting for his wife to turn and face him.

"It is much better now." She smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips. Their lips joined and she smiled against him, coming back in to kiss him lightly several more times.

"Eew. Go to your bedroom." Lucy complained, causing her parents to smile yet again.

They looked down at the sleeping boys, curled around one another as if they were once again in the womb. Covered hands and feet, Jacob in mint green and Jonah in light blue, they rested.

"It is almost time to feed them." Castle informed her.

"Why would you wake them up?" Lucy was exasperated. "They cry and cry when you wake them up."

"Oh, baby. They just cry because they have lots to say and they don't know how to tell us yet." Kate rubbed her fingers through Lucy's hair.

"We have to wake them up now so that they can go back to sleep at night." She continued to explain.

"Well I'm going to go play with Mr. Peanut, with my music on… really loud!" Lucy spoke dramatically, earning herself an eye roll from her parents.

"She becomes more and more like my mother each day." Castle remarked to Beckett, who grinned wryly at him.

Alexis placed her laptop down, shifting her attention from the online conversation she'd been immersed in and raising to greet Kate, "Welcome home." She squeezed the detective's arm and smiled down at her little brothers. "I'll go warm a bottle." Kate nodded gratefully to Alexis.

As if on a timer, the tiny baby in green began to wiggle, noises coming from his mouth as he began to wake up. Swooping down quickly, Rick picked Jacob up, hoping that he could get him before he began to cry and wake his brother. He held the baby while Kate shed her Jacket, grabbing a modesty blanket from behind the couch as she unbuttoned her blouse.

By the time Alexis returned from the kitchen, Kate had Jacob in her arms. The boy had latched on to his mother's breast and was nursing happily. She waited for her dad to scoop up Jonah and get himself settled on the couch next to his wife. Smiling at her, he reached out for the bottle.

Breastfeeding with twins was quite the task, and thanks to bottles and pumps, was one that could be shared between parents. They leaned closer and kissed briefly, using care to not disturb the hungry infants in their arms.

Dinner was finished and the kitchen cleaned up. Lucy was snuggled in bed with Mr. Peanut and Alexis had returned to her dorm for the night. Martha was sitting on the sofa with a book and a glass of wine when Kate bid her goodnight. She sighed and collapsed onto the bed, removing her shirt and tossing it to the hamper.

When it missed Rick stood to gather the piece of clothing in his hands, tossing it into the basket from a much closer angle. He smiled softly as he took her in, exhausted in her pants and bra as she reached down to unzip her boots.

Silently he approached her, reaching out for her hands. She looked up in question and he simply motioned for her to follow. She reached out and let him pull her up off the bed, their hands joined. He brought her into the bathroom where she saw a bath drawn, filled with bubbles and waiting for her.

She sighed happily, smiling to him as she took in the dimly lit room, candles burning just for her. She felt him move to rub her shoulders. "You've had a busy day." He whispered, sliding his hand to the clasp of her bra. It released and she felt some of the tension leave her body.

He cupped her breasts, enjoying the rounder and fuller texture they took on as he moved to kiss her shoulder blade. He was sure to be gentile in his touch, respecting the tenderness that her body still experienced since the birth of their children. She let out a low, appreciative hum,

"You've had a pretty eventful day here too, I'm sure." She spoke as she allowed the back of her head to rest against his chest. The change in angle gave Castle greater access to her neck and throat and he took full advantage, working his lips along her skin.

He slid one hand beneath her jeans, caressing every inch of her body that he could reach with tender and intimate touches.

"Oh, I have." He spoke as he worked his warm hands across her body. "The boys and I were sharing secrets of being Castle men. That's three times the ruggedly handsomeness, you know." He informed her, his hands moving to push her pants down and off of her hips. She stepped away from him briefly as she slid the remaining clothing off,

"I'm glad you enjoyed your day with them." She smiled as she spun on him, pulling his t-shirt up and over his head. She made it clear that she wanted him naked alongside her, and soon they were stepping into the tub.

Once in the bath she relaxed against his body in the warm suds, smiling contently as he worked her shoulders and arms with a wash cloth.

"Tell me about your day." Castle prompted her, brushing her hair to the side to expose more of her skin. He grazed kisses along the side of her neck as he waited for her to speak.

"Hmmm…" she moaned in response to the combination of cool air and warm lips against her neck. "It was long. Way too long."

Indeed, it had been a long day. Kate Beckett found that she'd been so preoccupied with getting back to work, with re-claiming that part of her identity that she'd underestimated how difficult it would be. At best she was distracted, at worst she was depressed.

She missed Lucy in the days, but because the girl was in school was in school Kate found it easy to distract herself with her cases until the end of the day. This was different though, she knew that during the day her babies were home, they were tiny and vulnerable and in need. Her body ached for them.

"You know," She began to speak again, "I trust you with my life. I trust you with our family, and I certainly trust you as a father." She hesitated.

"I'm sensing a 'but', Kate." Castle prompted her

"But I didn't think it would be so hard to be away from them…from you." She admitted, feeling Castle wrap his arms around her and hold her even closer to him.

"I swear, it physically hurts to be at work, and all I can think about is getting through the day and coming back home to you Castle. It's even worse because I don't have you there with me."

He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "Kate…I know that being a detective is part of who you are. I know that bringing justice to those without a voice is what you do, and there isn't anyone better at that than you. I would never ask you to give that part of yourself up, and I don't think you have to…but it is so early… and the boys…" He hesitated once more, "you know you don't have to go back."

"I know." She affirmed. "That's why I told Gates that I wasn't ready today." She admitted softly.

"You did?" Castle was shocked. He felt her nod.

"I'm not ready to be away from our family yet. I know how to be a detective, and it will always be a part of me, but I want to focus a bit on being a new mother. Infants are something entirely new to me Castle, and I don't want to miss a second of our sons' lives, of Lucy's life. Gates understood and allowed me to take all of my vacation time in addition to my remaining maternity leave."

He couldn't suppress his smile, his joy at the prospect of having Kate safe with him for a little longer, regardless of how much time that would be.

"Lucy is going to go crazy with excitement." Castle pointed out, causing Kate to smile brightly.

"I might just pick her up after school tomorrow and surprise her." She suggested.

"Kate, are you sure about this?" He asked once again.

"Rick, I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

She leaned her head back and met his lips tenderly, secure in the love they shared for one another and eager to start the newest chapter of their lives together.

The End.