518Lightning Flashes Epilogue
She's late.
It's not her fault, not entirely. She'd been delayed by an arrest that had gotten complicated and the paperwork that went along with it had kept her from leaving exactly when she'd wanted to – when she'd planned to – but she can at least be grateful that she'd been able to finish her DD-5s and give the rest of the report to Ryan and Esposito to finish. They owe her anyway for covering for their ridiculous video game night a couple of weeks ago.
Though if she's assigning blame to that one, her husband might be shouldering some as well. There are times when she still regrets officially introducing her team to Rick, and when she'd been stuck at the precinct while they played video games had been one of them. Now, though, the responsibility falls to Esposito and Ryan, and she can skid into the auditorium and seek out her husband in the crowd.
He spots her almost immediately, waving her over in the dimmed lights and moving his jacket from the seat he'd been saving for her, putting it under the seat in front of him and patting Martha's hand. Kate's mother-in-law and her father both turn in their seats, offering her a little wave as she settles into the end spot. Reserved just for her.
"Thanks for not sitting in the middle of the row," she murmurs, pressing her mouth to Rick's cheek. Her hand curves around his arm, squeezing gently.
They're not in a bad spot – it's still sort of the middle of the auditorium, though not dead center which she knows would be Castle's preference – and she's just grateful to be sitting with her family instead of having to hover in the back because she'd come in after everyone was seated.
He grins, covering her knee with his hand. "Whatever made it easier, Kate. We can still see her from here, and that's what matters."
She exhales, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Perfect."
Once upon a time and she might have rolled her eyes about being at a graduation for anything other than twelfth grade or college, but here she is, eagerly awaiting the moment when their sweet little girl graduates pre-k.
God, Alexis is going to kindergarten next year. It feels like just yesterday she was barely walking, crawling, teething, and sleeping soundly in a carrier at the base of Rick's couch while her poor parents paced the floors and tried to figure out how the hell to take care of a baby they'd known nothing about up until that very moment. And now she's going to kindergarten in the fall.
Rick lifts her hand to his mouth. "Believe me, Kate, I know."
She thumbs his knuckles in return, trying in vain to keep tears from pricking the edges of her eyes. It's a constant battle lately to keep her emotions in check, especially when she starts feeling sentimental. "How'd she get so big?"
"I ask myself that every day," Castle murmurs, lowering his chin to rest on her hair at his mother's quiet shush.
Kate grins, leaning across her husband to squeeze Martha's hand and then grasp her father's fingers in greeting as well.
"Sorry for interrupting," she says, tongue planted firmly in her cheek.
She sits back as the music changes and the audience turns toward the entrance of the auditorium.
A pair of children emerge from the doors with their heads held high. Their white robes flow behind them, but the pint-sized mortar boards on their heads are unwavering.
Kate bites her lip. It's overkill of epic proportions – playing Pomp and Circumstance, the caps and gowns, the determination she sees on their little faces, all of it – but god, they're cute.
And she's only a little bit biased, but her daughter is easily the cutest. Especially with the way Alexis's face lights up when she spots them, but she sticks to her mission of making it up on stage without incident – though the girl does offer a little wave as she passes.
Castle's lowers their joined hands to rest on her thigh, ever the nervous papa, until the moment Alexis takes her place on the risers and doesn't wobble even a little bit. Kate squeezes gently, letting him know she's right there with him; impressed by the way Alexis keeps her cool among her jumpy-looking peers.
"The spotlight suits her," Martha says from Rick's side as the children start singing their songs and doing their dance motions. "She gets that from me, of course."
Kate chuckles, nodding along in agreement, her eyes never leaving the stage.
The ceremony is long, longer than probably necessary, but it's worth it to see the silly message on Alexis's mortar board when she lowers her head to step down from the riser – the "Hi Mom!" written in Rick's blocky script and colored in, no doubt, by the graduate herself. It's doubly worth it to see Alexis march across the stage with pride in her step and see her cheeks turn pink when they cheer for her.
Their silly, shy, sweet girl.
Alexis waits with her class after the ceremony, as patient as she can be when there's so much energy and excitement in the room, and happy to run to them when her teacher releases her.
"Look at you," Kate praises, cupping Alexis's cheeks before pulling her into a tight hug. "You did so good, honey."
"I sang so loud, Mommy. Daddy, did you hear me?"
"We heard," Rick assures, leading them over to where Martha and Kate's father are waiting with flowers and slices of cake. "You knew all the words and all your dance moves. Gram is so proud."
"We're all proud," Beckett adds, just in case that wasn't obvious, releasing their girl to let her run to her grandparents.
"You up for dinner?" Rick asks after a moment, interrupting Kate's observation. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he draws her closer.
She hums. Yes, she'd been up early and hadn't taken the time for a real break so she could be here, and yes, she is tired, but there's no way she's going to put the kibosh on Alexis's celebratory dinner.
"Course I am," she says. "I've been looking forward to this meal all day."
Her husband grins. "Kay. Let's go have some cake and then get some real food in our kid."
His hand slips down her arm, moving along her ribcage to settle in the curve of her waist, fingertips brushing her belly. To the observer, it's just an average touch, an affectionate gesture, but she knows better.
She swallows, lifting her eyes to meet his. He smiles, his gaze knowing and soft. She should've known he would figure it out. They've been in each other's lives for too many years and know each other too well for her to be able to keep a secret like this for very long.
"I was going to tell you," Kate starts, dragging her teeth over her lip. "I thought about doing it tonight, actually. Didn't want to steal Alexis's thunder, though."
His lips drop to hers, painting joy against her mouth. "Believe me, Kate. The future kindergartener will love nothing more than to find out she's going to be a big sister."
Her fingers lift to brush his chin then his cheeks, keeping him close. "What about you? Ready to do it all again?"
"From the very beginning."
She nods. "From the very beginning," she promises, giving his mouth another soft peck. "At least we'll know what the hell to do this time around."
Rick laughs. His forehead drops to hers, steadying them both. "You've got that right."
"Uh huh. Now come on," she murmurs, taking a step back, "the graduate awaits."
They don't say another word about the secret they now share, but they're both still smiling when they make their way to Alexis, their parents, and the rest of their lives.
To say this has been a journey would be an understatement. When I posted the first chapter on my 6-year Castle Fic anniversary, I never expected for it to take 3 full years to finish this story, but life ever since has been a strange, crazy trip. I appreciate your patience and your encouragement throughout all of the ups and downs, the quiet months, and the times when I've been too busy and burned out to even think about writing.
I hope you enjoyed this epilogue and that you've enjoyed this story as a whole. Thank you.
Here's to 9 years writing Castle and hopefully many, many more as well. Until next time.