A/N: And finally we come to the last chapter. If you're still with me, this one is for you. Please note the rating does go to M in this one.

A huge thank you to the haters and frustrated guest reviewers. You were the inspiration for this story and therefore it has served its purpose. In other words, haters gonna hate. People are predictable if nothing else. To the guest who said that I write more drama than Marlowe himself, thank you. That was the goal of this fic. The actual prompt that was given to me will be at the bottom of the page. Thanks for all of the reviews, follows, favorites and encouragements. Happy reading! :)

Disclaimer: The words in italics are directly from the episodes. They are not mine and I intend no copyright. I do not own Castle or anything associated with the series. I just love to write about it.

Never Without You

"I found the tape. I found it. It's over."

Speaking those words to Senator Bracken as she interrupts his press conference is quite possibly the most rewarding things she's ever done. The look on his face as she walks into the room as a free woman is priceless. Only a few hours ago he was facing her in that seedy hotel room, expecting her name to show up on the news later that night. He thought he would get away with making it look like she committed suicide. He thought wrong.

"Senator William Bracken, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, and the murder of my mother, Johanna Beckett."

She's been waiting years to say those words, years to finally put the man that killed her mother in handcuffs. As she snaps them closed, justice is officially served.

She escorts him to the police car, surrounded by other officers and the public, all of them finally aware of who he really is.

Castle waits for her on the sidewalk, right by her side like he's always been. He knew this was her moment, and although he's been a major part of this, he knew the take down was hers.

She lets Ryan and Espo put Bracken in the car, and she watches as they take him away. Finally, she turns her attention to Castle, who's watching her with nothing but pride.

"She's proud of you. Wherever she is, she's proud." His words are laced with the happiness he's currently feeling and she smiles at him. She closes the distance between them.

"I never could have done this without you," she says as she wraps her arms around him. He holds her tightly and she closes her eyes, breathing in all that he is and has been to her.

She holds on to Castle's hand for the entire drive back to the precinct. She needs the anchor that he provides. She finishes her paperwork in record time, serving as more proof that this day has been long awaited. He hovers close by all day, never letting her out of his sight.

Finally, she hands her completed paperwork to Gates who in turn gives her the next day off. She's more than happy to oblige. "Let's get the hell out of here." She flashes Castle her million-dollar smile as she takes his hand and they walk towards the elevator, ready to go celebrate.

They exit the building and walk towards her car, neither of them speaking as the sexual tension begins to build. They almost break out into a run at the thought of getting to the privacy of their bedroom. They've just rounded the corner on the building when Castle can't stand it anymore and he pulls her to a stop before slowly backing her up against the wall.

His lips have only just connected with hers when they hear a throat clear somewhere to the right of them. Castle groans his disappointment and pulls away from her so that they can turn their heads towards the interruption.

"Fuck, this is getting ridiculous," he mutters as he steps fully away from Kate.

She rolls her eyes, reaching for Castle's hand before turning towards the person who interrupted them. Doctor Motorcycle Boy, to be precise.

"Josh?" She spits his name out exasperatedly. "What do you want?"

"I saw on the news that you finally caught your mother's killer. I wanted to come and congratulate you. I almost missed you, but I saw you guys walking out."

Castle turns his head away, his grumble of "Yeah, unfortunately," not missing Kate's ears.

Kate smirks as she steps closer to her partner. "Well, thanks Josh, but you didn't have to come all this way."

Josh clears his throat before speaking again. "Actually, I did. I remember when you broke up with me, you said it was because you wanted to be more. You said you couldn't be that until you put this case to rest. You've done that now, so?"

Her eyes widen when she realizes why he's really shown up there. "Listen, I don't know why this is so hard for you to understand, but I'm with Castle now. We're engaged, getting married. There is no other man for me than him."

Josh steps closer, his mouth opening to reply, but Castle has had enough. He's tired of these interruptions and he's tired of this man continuously trying to stake claim on Kate.

He pushes her back against the wall and before she can say anything, he crushes his lips to hers. He ravishes her mouth, his tongue seeking and gaining access inside. She's letting out these soft little moans and he loves it.

Josh clears his throat again and Castle stops kissing her for only a second as he turns towards the man. "In case that wasn't enough proof for you, let me make this very clear. Kate is mine. She's always been mine. Even when you were together, her heart was mine. She doesn't want you now and she will never want you again. Get the hell out of here."

Castle doesn't wait for a reply before he turns back to Kate, leaning in to capture her lips again. The longer he kisses her the closer they get, until his leg is wedged between hers and she's rocking against him with urgency. He finally pulls away from her and looks around to find that Josh is gone. He smirks at her and grabs her hand as he tugs her towards the car. "Think he finally got the picture?"

She laughs as she climbs into the car. "I would hope so. Especially after the way you kissed me back there. Marking your territory were you?"

He growls at her as he latches his seatbelt and it sends sparks straight to her core.

She makes it to the loft faster than she ever has. They're a mess of tangled limbs as they ride the elevator up to their floor and he nearly drops the key as he fumbles to get the door open.

She smirks once they're inside, the quietness of the loft telling them that they have the place to themselves. They leave a trail of clothes behind them as make their way towards the bedroom. By the time they reach the bed, only their undergarments remain.

He reaches for her, sliding his tongue into her mouth as he backs her onto the bed, crawling on top of her as she scoots towards the headboard. He leaves her mouth in favor of her neck as he trails hot open-mouthed kisses down the side of it. He reaches behind her with one hand, releasing the clasp of her bra and sliding the lacy garment away from her body.

She cries out when he takes a hardened nipple into his mouth, laving it with his tongue. He lets go of the tender peak with a soft pop and moves his attention to the other one. She threads her fingers through the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, holding him to her body. She writhes beneath him until she's had all the teasing she can take and then she reaches for him, guiding him back up her body.

She kisses him hungrily as she reaches for the waistline of his boxers, shoving them down his legs as far as she can reach. He kicks them off and reaches for her panties, pulling them down her long legs and flinging them to the floor. She spreads her legs as he settles between them, moaning when his erection brushes against her inner thigh.

He trails a hand down her body, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. Her hips buck off the bed when he runs a finger through her drenched folds, pressing against her clit in the way he knows she loves. "Castle, stop teasing. I want you. Now." She reaches for his hand, pulling it away from her sensitive nub and bringing it up to her mouth, softly sucking his fingers clean.

"God, it's so hot when you do that, Kate," he says as he lines himself up with her entrance. She wraps her legs around him, pressing him into her and he complies as he slides the rest of the way into her grasping heat. Their mutual moans fill the room as he sets up a punishing rhythm, sliding in and out, filling her completely. It's not long before they're both racing towards the finish and she pulls him closer, leaving no space between their sweat-soaked bodies. "Kate, are you close?" His pace is starting to increase as his release nears and she moans when he hits that perfect spot inside of her. "Yes, I'm close, touch me, please."

He moves his hand to the place where they are joined, pressing his thumb against her clit and rubbing circles over it. She cries out and tightens around him seconds before she comes, hard. Her clenching muscles are all it takes to send him over the edge as well and he calls out her name as he spills inside her.

He rolls onto his back and pulls her with him. They take a few moments to catch their breath, basking in the afterglow of their love-making. He wraps his arm around her body and pulls her closer as he reaches for the sheet and slides it over their rapidly cooling bodies.

"I love you so much, Kate. I am so proud of the woman that you are. Your strength never ceases to amaze me."

She smiles and places a kiss on his chest. "I wouldn't be the person that I am without you, Rick. You're so much a part of who I am and I'm so lucky to have you. I can't wait to marry you."

He wraps his other arm around her, holding her close. "I can't wait to marry you either, babe." He's quiet for a minute and she thinks he might have fallen asleep until he clears his throat. "Kate, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she says as she lifts her head to look at him.

"All those times that Josh interrupted us, you were going to tell me how you felt, weren't you?"

She smiles at him and nods. "Yes. So many times I wanted to tell you. I wasn't ready for this back then, but I wanted you to know I had feelings. I wanted you to think that I was worth waiting for."

"Oh but Kate, you were always worth waiting for. Always."

She brushes away a tear as it slides down her cheek. "None of the interruptions ever mattered, Rick. Even back then, I loved you. It was never about anyone taking your place; it was about waiting for the right time. We ended up here, together, and that's all that matters to me. The best part about it is, there will be no more interruptions, because you're mine and I'm yours."

He rolls her onto her back as he kisses her, pouring everything he feels for her into the kiss. He doesn't miss her whimper of protest as he leaves her mouth and starts a journey of kisses down her body, taking the sheet with him as he goes.

He stops momentarily to kiss each of her breasts and the fading scar between them. "We beat The Dragon, Kate. You're safe now and they're never going to take you away from me."

"No one will ever take me away from you, Castle. Ever. You're my one and done and I love you with all of my heart."

He smiles as he continues his path down her body, settling between her legs. He uses his hands to nudge her thighs apart. She looks down at him, shivering with anticipation.

"We're about to see just how many times I can make you scream using just my tongue. You up for it?"

Her answering moan tells him all he needs to know as he leans in and presses his tongue against her clit. She fists one hand around the sheet and the other in his hair as he works her like a fine-tuned instrument.

She loses count at around the eighth scream, collapsing into the mattress as her one and done brings her fireworks of pleasure, over and over again.

The actual prompt was: The five times that Josh interrupted a real or possible Caskett moment and the one time he didn't.

I had a blast writing this and my cheerleaders were the best!

Thank you so much to Bri, her friendship and beta was everything I could ever ask for.

Hugs, xo.