Hey sorry everyone. I know it's been a long time since we posted and we are soooo sorry! There has been a lot of family stuff and we haven't gotten around to writing the ending. We just kind of quickly wrote this chapter, so sorry if it seems a bit abrupt. Hope you enjoyed reading this story!

-CrimeShowTwinz13

The only sound in the room was the steady beep of the machines. Kate had been standing awkwardly a few feet from Castle's bed for what seemed like forever. In reality, it had only been a few minutes since she had come in to the room. She looked down at her shoes, unsure what her next move should be. Clearing her throat, she brought her gaze up to meet Castle's.

Castle stared back at Kate. He noticed she looked very uncomfortable. She kept fidgeting, and playing with the hem of her jacket. That was a new one for her. She rarely looked so apprehensive.

"Kate."

That one word broke the staring contest. Kate stepped up and lowered herself in to the seat beside the bed. Castle raised himself up on the bed a little more, and hissed in discomfort. The motion jostled his sore shoulder and ribs.

"You okay, Castle?"

Kate looked at him with concern shining in her hazel eyes.

"Fine, Kate. Never better," Castle ground out through clenched teeth, waiting for the shooting pain to subside.

"Castle…" Kate trailed off, her mind whirling with things left unsaid. Clearing her throat, she began again; albeit with a more determined quality to her voice, "Castle. There are so many things I could say right now. I don't know where to start-"

"I find it's best to start at the beginning," Castle interjected, his face void of any expression. Except for his eyes, which gleamed in the bright hospital lights, brimming with pent up emotion.

Kate looked deep into those eyes and felt the fear begin to worm its way back into her stomach. The flight or fight moment was approaching, and she wanted desperately to bolt for the door. But the time for childish games and naïve beliefs was over. Because she knew if she left now, he wouldn't chase after her. This was a battle she had to fight all on her own. She knew she couldn't run away anymore, it was time to be honest with Castle, and finally with herself. Clearing the emotion from her throat once again, Kate let the words she had been turning over in her mind all evening in the waiting room flow out.

"Castle…Rick…I am not very good at this kinda stuff. I never have been. With matters of the heart…I have avoided them ever since my mom died. I built up these walls to protect myself, and I thought they would always be there. I put them there because I didn't want to hurt again. I shut everyone out. But then you showed up, Castle. And day-by-day, piece-by-piece, you started to break those walls down. For four years you beat away at the walls I was trying so desperately to keep up. And that scared the hell out of me. I couldn't keep you out, I put up roadblock after roadblock and you still found your way through. I didn't know how to handle it. And for the first time in a long time, I was beginning to feel something, something strange yet familiar, and that terrified me. I was so afraid Rick. I was afraid of the truth, the truth of how I felt about you."

Kate wasn't sure whether to continue, and glanced up for a sign that he was listening, that he still cared. But her gaze was met with a cold stare and silence from her companion. She knew this wasn't over, she had so much more to say, and now was the time to let it pour out.

"I almost lost you Rick. When I saw you lying there, beaten and bloody and not moving, I couldn't breathe. I can't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without you. You've always been there, no matter what. And the thought that I might not get to see you again, well it scared me. I thought I was afraid of being honest, and of allowing those walls to come down. But what I realized is that, no matter how afraid I was of letting you in, I was more afraid at the possibility of losing you. So my first thought was to protect you. I had to act quickly, and the only way to save you, was to put myself into the line of fire. And the only way to do that was to lie. I had to convince him to kill me, to spare you. I couldn't let you die for me. I couldn't bear braving this world without you. And I couldn't let you die, never knowing the truth. You deserved to know the truth. And I am not afraid anymore, Rick. The walls came down and I am still here. I am not running away. I am right here, and I am sorry it took me so long to realize it. But I want you, I want this, I want us."

With a sigh of relief, the truth was out. The weight was off of her shoulders. It had all probably come out in this convoluted, babbling mess, but she told him how she felt. She had given it her best shot, she had finally come clean, and now she had to face him. Rejection or not, she had to accept his decision. Because maybe she was too late, or maybe she wasn't. She just had to trust she had said the right things. Returning her eyes to Castle's, she waited for a response.

Silence stretched between them. The beeping of the machines and the ticking of the clock on the wall seemed to mock her, with each passing moment telling her she had said the wrong things and had been too late. With every moment he stayed silent, fear twisted deeper and deeper in to the pit of her stomach. Beckett stared at Castle, waiting and praying. Waiting for him to say anything, and praying it would be what she hoped it would. Castle however just seemed to stare back at her, with his brow furrowed, as if in deep thought. Suddenly, his hoarse voice pierced the lengthy silence.

"All this time…all this time and it took me almost dying for you to realize how you felt?"

"Rick, I'm sorry. I meant to tell you sooner…I was just afraid. I didn't think I was ready, well I knew I wasn't ready for this, for us. But I'm finally at that place where I can be in the kind of relationship I want to be in. And I choose you Rick, it's always been you."

Castle leaned back and rested his head on the pillow. His head was pulsing, and not just from the concussion. He brought his right hand up, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Did you really mean all that?"

"Kate. Did you mean all that?"

"What?"

"Did you mean everything you just said."

Kate looked deep in to Castle's eyes.

"Every word, Rick. Every last word."

Kate's words hung in the space between them. They stared profoundly at each other, unable to break the contact.

"I think umm…I think I need some time Kate."

Oh, that's not what I was expecting…okay it's fine. That is a good answer…he just uh he just needs time. No need to panic. No need at all. Just stay calm. Perfectly calm, Kate. You just poured your heart out to him and he wants time, perfectly okay. Perfectly understandable.

"Of course. I will talk to you tomorrow then."

"Mind if we don't? I need some space Kate, I just uhh I need some time."

"Sure Rick, feel better."

Kate rose to leave, feeling she should say something more. But she had said it all, she had been truthful, and there was nothing more to do, nothing more to say. It was all in Castle's hands now, her part was over, done. She desperately wanted Castle to say something, to stop her from leaving. But fairytales don't exist in real life, and she was foolish to pretend otherwise. So she stood and walked towards the door, letting her fingers graze the top of the hospital blanket, feeling its scratchy surface against her skin. So many emotions flitted through her, and she was unable to act on them. She was once again behind a wall, but this time she didn't want it there. This time she wanted nothing more than for that wall to come down. But Castle had built his walls up, and now it was her turn to break those down.

Reaching the door, she glanced back at her partner. She saw a disheveled, ghost of the man she loved. She couldn't spend another minute in here, too much pain and hurt and heartbreak. So she left, closing the door behind her. Closing the door on him, on them, on their future. It was all in his hands now, and she had a bad feeling she had waited too long.

One month later…

*Ring Ring Ring*

God who is calling me right now, I'm right in the middle of such an important investigation.

Kate looked at her phone and saw Martha's number on her screen. Her heart started to pound, her stomach twisted into knots, and her breathing came in short gasps. This was Castle's mother calling, Castle…Castle. God I haven't heard from him in weeks. He said he would call…and he never did. Is this how he felt? When I took months to call him back? The thoughts made her chest tighten, and she could feel her heat breaking into pieces all over again. Damnit, get yourself together. You are over this, over him. Knowing full well it was a lie, she answered her phone.

"Hey Martha what's up?"

"Beckett? Oh thank god. I need your help."

"My help? Martha…"

"Kiddo I know you're hurting, and I am sorry I have to call you with this, but it's about Richard."

His name brought a fresh wave of pain over her senses. She couldn't do it, she had to get off the phone, distance herself from him, everything about him, or she could never pick up the pieces and move on. Even when all she wanted to do was stay and fight for him.

"Martha I can't-"

"Kate you are unhappy, and if you're as unhappy as Richard is you will stop whatever you are doing and go see him. I am worried about him, he hasn't called me in days. I know when he is writing in the Hampton's he loses track of time, but oh Kate, please. Please go check on him. Please."

"Martha…I…can't. I can't face him. He told me he would call and he never did. He all but broke my heart and I need to…move on."

"Kate you aren't a fool, so don't give up when the going gets rough. Take it from me, just try. One more time. And if it still doesn't work, fine move on with your life. But don't throw away the chance at happiness because you're afraid of hurting."

Kate sighed heavily. She didn't want to see him, but Martha was right. Maybe she should just check up on him for Martha, use that as an excuse to see him one last time. It was time to say goodbye, the right way and this was the best way to do it.

"I have some time off today, I will go see him. He is in the Hamptons?"

"Oh thank you dear, this is so wonderful. Yes he is up there writing! Call me after you see him!"

Martha hung up the phone with a click, leaving Kate alone once more. Suddenly her case didn't seem so important. She ran to her desk, packed up her things and rushed to the elevator. She wanted to get on the road as soon as possible; it was going to be a long trip to the Hamptons. She just hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake.

Castle had just finished his next chapter in his final book of the Nikki Heat series. It was a rough go typing with just one hand, as his left arm was still in the sling. But he had done it; he was finished. Castle was headed to the kitchen to crack open the nice bottle of red wine he had bought on the way up here when the doorbell rang. Startled, he walked towards the door. No one visits me up here…who could it be?

He grabbed the door handle and pulled, swinging it open to invite his guest inside. But then he saw who it was on his front porch. She was there, standing stiffly, with her hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, and an apprehensive look on her face. Yet he was struck with the same feeling of awe he always got when he saw her. She looked as beautiful as ever, right now, standing on his doorstep. And he couldn't be more shocked.

"Beckett…what are you doing here? What do you want?"

Kate readied herself for the "Martha sent me out here to check on you" speech. She opened her mouth to reply…but no words escaped her lips. It was as if the excuse was lodged inside of her and refused to come out. She was at a loss, standing speechless before him.

"I just…I uhh…I came to see you."

"Well I am kind of busy so…"

"Seriously? I leave the precinct early, drive all the way out here, and all I get is an 'I'm busy' excuse?" Kate's eyes lit up with anger, and all her pent up emotion and stress leeched in to her voice.

Castle took an instinctive step back from the fiery detective. He felt his own annoyance bubbling. "Why are you so mad Kate? I'd just like to be left alone."

"I'm mad because you never called Castle!"

She flung the words at him, putting all her built up anger and frustration into them. It's as if they physically hit him, and he stepped back further.

"I was going to-"

But Kate cut off his flimsy excuse.

"Save your breath Castle. If you were going to call, you would have. I came out here to check on you for Martha. And now that I have, and you seem to be fine, there is no point in me staying."

Kate turned on her heel with her head held high. She had to keep it together until she got to the car. Just a few more steps now, almost there. And then I can cry all the way back home.

"Wait!" Castle hollered, running after her. He grabbed her shoulder and twisted her back around to face him. Fury flashed in her hazel eyes, signaling him to let go of her and just let her leave.

"Wait? Wait for what? I waited for you to call for a month Castle, and you know what, I'm done."

When he still didn't release her shoulder, she threw daggers at him with her eyes. But he had things to say, and now was the time to say them.

"Kate, please just listen to me. Just give me five minutes, there's some things I need to explain."

"Fine, your five minutes starts now."

Taking a deep breath, Castle readied himself for the uphill climb.

"You saved my life Kate. Sometimes I wish you hadn't, because it's so hard to live like this, with all these emotions inside of me. Hurt, anger, fear, frustration. But what's hardest to deal with is how truthful your words sounded, how close to home they hit. Because I am childish, and egotistical and a jackass. And for that, no one should care about me, no one should even love me. You had me convinced of that. So I wanted to die, because I finally knew the truth, and it was too painful to bear. But then I found myself alive, in a hospital room, with you there. I asked myself why, over and over again, why you were there, why you would care. You said you didn't and I believed you. I believed every word."

"Castle I-"

"No, Kate. Let me finish, please."

With a nod from Kate, he continued. This was about to get rough, so he prepared himself for the worst.

"Then you contradicted yourself. You told me things...things I only dreamed you would say to me. It didn't seem real, that you could care about me and feel that way for me. But it was true, and I didn't know how to deal with it. I was in shock- I didn't know what to say Kate. You had made my dreams come true, by wanting me and wanting us. But I got scared, scared that this wouldn't work, that you were saying it just because I was hurt, that you didn't mean it. So I took a page out of your playbook and built up this wall. Because only you can hurt me Kate, the way no one else can. And I didn't know if I could trust you with my heart again. So I ran away, I ran from you and from my feelings. But you started to creep back in, slowly but surely. I spent days trying to forget you, only to have you cross my mind a million times the next day. I can't run from this Kate, because this is how I feel and this is who I am. I needed time and space, but I don't anymore. I am finally ready to face this."

Silence filled the space between them. Kate was looking up at him, a blank expression on her face. She wasn't giving anything away. She began to pace in front of him, not looking his way.

After a few minutes of this, Castle was getting anxious. Maybe he had said the wrong thing, or waited too long. Now it was his turn to second guess and to wait.

Finally, Kate stopped pacing, and she turned to face him. The blank expression still in place, she approached him slowly.

Inches away from each other, eyes still locked, hearts beating in synch.

Kate's expression began to transform. A slow smile crept across her face and the happiness reached her eyes. Looking into Castle's blue eyes, she didn't know what to think, what to say. She only knew what to do.

Going on her tiptoes, she pushed her face towards his. Then she kissed him, with all the emotion inside of her, with all the love she had in her heart. It was more than a kiss, it was a promise, a promise of a future together.

Castle deepened the kiss and they both were swept up in a wave of affection. He encircled his one good arm around her and crushed her against his body. It hurt his shoulder and ribs, but he didn't care. All he could think about was how great this moment was, and how he never wanted it to end.

Finally pulling apart, Castle leaned his forehead against Kate's and smiled at her. His own happiness was reflected on her face. They were both finally truthful, finally honest… finally together.

Castle locked fingers with Kate and led her towards the house. Birds were chirping, the sky was blue, and a soft ocean breeze made Kate's hair dance. Suddenly the world seemed a little brighter, a little happier. Now it was their time, their time to be together. Finally their secrets had been shared and a new time was coming. A time where they were meant to be together. Always.

The End