The TARDIS landed on a street corner in New York City, very close to Castle's apartment, five minutes after it had left. Castle and Beckett stepped out onto the street, blinking at the bright rush of sunlight after the door was opened. The mundane sight of crowds milling about on the familiar Earth street seemed almost more alien to Castle now than the varied aliens and strange skies of Swametel. But there was a warm familiarity to it as well. He took in a deep breath, the smoggy New York air somehow sweeter than he remembered.

"Here you are then." Castle turned back to see the Doctor leaning against the TARDIS door. The Time Lord wore an unreadable expression, sparing only a soft, sad smile for the humans. "Back home, five minutes after you left. I made sure this time."

"This time?" Beckett repeated, but the Doctor didn't reply. Castle sobered as he realized that this was probably the last time they would ever see the Time Lord.

The writer couldn't help but ask, "You ever going to come back here?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, you know me, always banging around the universe. I'll probably wind up in New York again at some point." Castle and Beckett exchanged a glance. They both knew he was really saying no. The Doctor didn't revisit his past, not even to see old friends. It was frustrating, but there was nothing they could say to change his mind. They had decided not to join him on the TARDIS, and he could well decide not to come back to visit.

"Well, if you're ever in the city, feel free to drop in," Beckett told him. "You're always welcome."

Something glinted in his eyes. "I'll keep it in mind." His expression grew softer, his smile more genuine now. "Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett. You two were fantastic, you really were."

Castle felt a rush of warmth, and a tinge of sadness. He would miss this strange, alien friend he had made. "Thank you for taking us with you, Doctor," he said sincerely. "Swametel was amazing. We'll never forget it."

"Of course," the Doctor replied. He glanced briefly between the two of them. "Take care, you two."

"You too, Doctor," Beckett said with a warm smile. Castle remembered back to when they had first met the Time Lord, when Beckett had been so suspicious of him. So much had changed in just a few short days.

He gave them a final nod, then turned back to his ship, passing through the door and closing it behind him. Castle and Beckett stood side by side, hand clasped together, as they watched the TARDIS disappear from sight forever.

They stood there for some time, staring at the place where the box and her owner had gone, both wrapped up in their own thoughts. Finally, Beckett gave Castle's hand a squeeze. "We should get back," she told him. Castle knew she was right. The last few days had been amazing, but it was time to return their lives, in the real world.

They made their way through the throng of people, heading into the building and up to Castle's apartment. Martha was in the kitchen, putting something together for dinner, while Alexis was coming into the living room from the hall. Both of them looked up as Castle and Beckett entered. "Darling," Martha said in surprise, coming out to greet them, "I thought you'd be out late working on your case."

Castle had almost forgotten about the Wyvern and the murdered Arondian. "We wrapped that one up." At Martha's curious expression, he hastily promised, "Tell you about it later." He didn't want to have to explain that they'd written it off as gang violence just yet. To change the subject, he turned quickly to his daughter. "I thought you'd be back at college by now."

"Just dropping off some laundry," Alexis explained. She glanced between her father and his girlfriend with clear confusion. "Are you guys alright? You look like you've been in a fight or something."

Castle looked over himself and Beckett briefly. She was right; both of them looked disheveled, with minor cuts and scrapes. Beckett in particular had a few cuts on her arms and shoulders from broken glass. "Er, trouble with a suspect," he explained smoothly.

Alexis looked uncertain for a moment, then shrugged and started towards the kitchen. "So, Gran, what's for dinner?"

As his daughter and mother chattered about pasta, Castle felt a sudden surge of warmth. The last few days had given him aliens, time travel, grand adventure, new skies. It had been a mad, wonderful rush of danger and excitement. But that was over now. Right here, in his home, next to the woman he loved, with his family there and the job he adored waiting for him... this was where he belonged.

Here we are, two years later, at the end of this story. Sorry again that it took so long. It is nice to finally have it finished, and not have it hanging over my shoulder waiting to be completed. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

As stated, I'll probably be popping in and out, working on my Warriors fic and a new crossover, but I'll probably be focusing the majority of my energy on my original project. I'll try to get that Moffat seasons rewrite started eventually, though.