The second and final chapter. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.

Since Beckett's visit a few hours ago, Castle had been in his room thinking, wondering how things had become so screwed up and desperately wishing that they hadn't. But she didn't love him and he just had to face that and move on with his life, which meant he probably shouldn't shadow her anymore, there was no way he'd get over her with her so close all the time.

It was after 8am when Castle ventured out into the kitchen, intending to get a glass of water but stopped short when he saw the figure that was on his couch.

It was Beckett. And she was asleep.

Castle's heart ached at the sight of her, her face looking more relaxed than he thinks he's ever seen it, wishing he was the one that got to wake up to that beautiful face every morning. But no, he shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts, they were dangerous and would only make it hurt more when she left him.

As much as he just wanted to stand there and stare at her forever, he couldn't. He had to wake her, to tell her to leave so he could at least attempt to get over this woman who had come to mean so much to him.

Beckett was on her side, arms pulled up under her chin so Castle settled his hand on her upper arm and resisting the urge to stroke her arm, he lightly shook it instead.

"Beckett?" he whispered and the combination of him shaking her arm and her whispered name was enough to rouse her.

"Castle?" she replied, voice heavy with sleep and confusion on her face as she wondered why Castle was waking her. The previous night (well morning) flashed before her eyes as she remembered everything that had happened, what she'd come here to say and why she was now on his couch and waking up to him in front of her.

Beckett sat upright quickly, knocking Castle's arm off hers so that he stumbled back.

Castle took a moment to recover before he spoke, "What are you still going here?"

"We need to talk and since you didn't want to earlier, I'd thought I'd wait around and see if you did in the morning," replied Beckett, she wasn't going to let this go until he knew, he really needed to know how she felt about him.

"I thought we had talked, I told you I'm over you and that's that," answered Castle, his voice sounding strong while he felt anything but that on the inside. He wanted nothing more than to step forward, wrap his arms around her and hold her forever. But she doesn't want that, he had to remind himself because it was getting very difficult to hold himself back.

"Castle, talk to me, why are you doing this, why are you shutting me out?" Beckett asked. She had to know, what had she done that made him hate her so much?

"Why should I when you haven't been talking to me? And you're the one that shut me out! For months I heard nothing-"

She cut him off, "I thought we'd talked about that already, I apologized and you forgave me." She still felt guilty for not calling, for shutting him out for so long. She wished she'd just called him, told him she'd needed him and he'd have been there in a heartbeat. She wasn't strong enough then but she is now, to admit that she needs him, that she wants him.

"I did forgive you because you were healing and I know you needed time but I don't know if I can do it again," Castle replied, both of their voices rising now.

"Forgive me again?" What did she do that hurt him so much? Although she thought she now had an idea of what it was.

"You lied."

"I lied?" Oh god, he did know. Everything made sense now, why he'd been treating her the way he had, why he'd been pulling away. Why had she not just told him at the beginning that she remembered and they could've worked through it together instead of her trying to figure everything out by herself and hurting him in the process. She couldn't believe how selfish she'd been and how much her actions had hurt him.

"All this time you remembered. You knew how I felt about you and you still pushed me away. All this time I've been waiting for you, waiting to tell you again and then I find out you've just been stringing me along and don't want me," Castle replied and she could hear the hurt in his voice, see it in his eyes and she's never regretted something she's done so much in her entire life.

"That's not true at all!" she replied. How could he not see that she felt the same in return? But since he obviously couldn't, she'd just have to tell him instead.

"Isn't it? Then how come I had to hear that you remembered through you telling someone else? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth!" Castle replied, trying to hold his voice steady and not yell at her. Why couldn't she have just told him the truth to begin with? That she'd heard him and didn't feel the same. At least then he would've had more time to get over her and not have fallen even more deeply in love with her since then.

She took a deep breath before she spoke, "the part about me pushing you away is true, and I'm so sorry for that Castle but I needed time. I was broken and I've been trying to get better and you've helped more than you know. And I didn't mean for you to find out that I'd been lying to you like that. I was going to tell you, I was so nearly ready and then you started pulling away and I knew I'd lost my chance."

"I forgave you for the summer, but I don't know if I can forgive you for this, for lying all this time," Castle said, tears forming in his eyes, thinking of what his life would be like without her.

Beckett was about to say something, to argue, to say anything but she realized that he was right, that she'd hurt him and if he didn't forgive her it would be her own fault, a consequence of her own actions and she'd just have to live with that.

She knew she had nothing left to lose in telling him how she felt now. She'd tell him and then leave, let him think alone for a while and hopefully he'd eventually call her and maybe one day they could at least be friends again.

"I love you," she blurted out before she could change her mind, "and I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through and I know you may never forgive me for what I've done but you have to know how much I care for you, how much I love you."

She said all of that while looking Castle in the eyes, letting her love for him pour out of her, to show him how much he really means to her. But once she had finished speaking she turned and started walking towards the door, away from the person she loved most in this world.

She'd barely made it two steps when a hand on her arm stopped her and she turned to see Castle with a pained expression on his face, all the hurt he'd been trying to hide from her now evident on his face.

"Don't go," he whispered, the pain that she could see on his face audible in his voice now too.

"But-"

"Just, please, don't. I don't think I can handle losing you again," Castle said, using his hand still on her arm to spin her around until she was face to face with him again. Now that he knew she felt the same, he wasn't going to let her go. She'd hurt him, but he'd hurt her too and if he wanted to be with her he'd have to forgive her, just like she'll have to forgive him for his actions as well.

"You never lost me," Beckett whispered as Castle leant down and rested his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes.

Beckett wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them but she'd let Castle do that if he wanted to. It was his move, she'd hurt him and it had to be his choice if he still wanted her or not.

"I'm sorry," Beckett whispered as Castle moved closer to her, their bodies almost pressed completely together.

"I know," Castle said and then his lips were on hers.

Their kiss didn't last long, it was a lot shorter than either of them wanted, but Castle had pulled back and she was letting him take the lead on this.

"I forgive you," Castle said and Beckett felt the relief wash through her, not thinking this could ever be the outcome once he knew the truth, "and I hope you can forgive me too."

Wait, forgive him, what did he do?

As soon as his lips had touched hers, Castle had realised he couldn't do this, he couldn't start something with her when she still didn't know his secret. He couldn't handle it if they became something and he broke them.

And then the words were tumbling from Castle's lips before he could stop them or change his mind, "I've been investigating your mother's murder."

"What?"

"After I told you to stop, I kept investigating." There, he'd said it, and hopefully she'd understand why he'd done it. Because now if she left because of what he'd done, he'd never forgive himself for it.

Beckett couldn't breathe, this could not be happening.

"Castle?" His name came out sounding weak.

"Kate, I-" She held up her hand to stop him speaking.

Beckett turned and took a few steps, ready to leave but she stopped. This is what she usually did, she ran. When things got tough or she got scared, she ran. But she took few deep breaths and started to think. She thought of all the mistakes she'd made and how Castle had forgiven her, even this last one that she was sure was going to ruin them but he'd forgiven her anyway.

Because this man loved her, and she loved him, and she should at least give him a chance before she took off and left him again.

Beckett turned back to Castle who still had tears in his eyes as he watched her leave.

"Kate?" Why wasn't she leaving, he thought as a flash of hope ran through him at the idea that this may not be over just yet.

"Promise me you'll stop."

"I-"

"Castle, promise me you'll stop, I don't want you getting yourself mixed up in this. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me." She couldn't believe that he'd been investigating without her, how dangerous it was for him. And to be honest that was probably the part that angered her the most, that he'd put his life in danger for her when he shouldn't have to.

"But-"

"No Castle, this in non-negotiable. I don't want you involved in this." This was certainly not the reaction Castle had been expecting.

"You can't investigate either. They said you'd only be safe if you stopped," Castle said, wanting to be clear that she still couldn't investigate either, he still wanted her safe.

"They?"

"I'll explain everything, show you everything I've found," Castle held up his hand when Beckett went to interrupt, "which isn't much but I'll show you anyway. But you have promise me you won't keep going with the investigation, I can't watch you get killed for this."

Hearing the pleading in Castle's voice and the look on his face made this an easy decision for her, "Okay."

"Really?" Castle's voice sounded hopeful as he asked. It seemed like she was going to forgive him for doing this behind her back and this was the best scenario of her reaction to finding out that he could've imagined. That she was still talking to him and she wouldn't carry on with the case.

"Yes, you can show me what you have but that's as far as it'll go for now, okay?" If this is what he wanted from her then she could give it to him. She knew how he felt, it was the same way she felt about him and neither of them wanted to see the other getting hurt over this.

"Okay," and for the first time tonight, Castle smiled at her, a look of happiness clear on his face.

"Can we do that later though? I'm exhausted," said Beckett as Castle reached out and pulled her back against him before resting his forehead back on yours.

"Should I get my driver to drop you home?" asked Castle, reluctant to let her go.

"No..." she trailed off, suddenly looking nervous.

"Beckett?"

"I don't want to leave you, not just yet," said Beckett, cheeks getting pink as she admitted that she just wanted to be with him.

Castle couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at Beckett's words, "you don't have to."

They stood silently for a few minutes before Beckett spoke, "I am really sorry, I should've told you the truth from the beginning."

"I know you are, and I forgive you. But next time, just talk to me, okay?"

"Of course," she smiled at him.

"And I'm sorry too, I was just trying to keep you safe," Castle said as he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, his hand stroking just her eye.

"You shouldn't have to," Beckett replied, leaning into Castle's warm hand and shutting her eyes.

"But I want to," he paused and she opened her eyes to see why he'd stopped talking. Then he said the words that she'd heard just the once and denied hearing all this time, "I love you."

The smile that spread across Beckett's face at Castle's words was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, "I love you too, so very much."

He kissed her again then, his lips moving over hers softly. He pulled back not long later before taking her hand in his.

"Come with me," Castle said as he pulled Beckett towards his bedroom and shut the door behind them.

XXX

Alexis came down stairs a few hours later, wondering how the discussion between Detective Beckett and her father went, hoping she hadn't made things worse.

The loft was quiet so she made her way over to his office and then through to his bedroom to check on him and to say she was sorry for inferring, she just wanted him, both of them, to be happy.

Her breath caught at the sight in front of her as she pushed the door open. There in the bed, curled up together were her father and the detective (and they were both fully clothed, thank God). They were both lying on their sides with Castle's front pressed against her back and he had his arm curled around her stomach, holding her close. They both had small smiles on their faces and Alexis couldn't be happier that they seemed to have worked everything out. She knew that they both loved each other and was glad that they now had the chance to be together.

Alexis pulled the door shut quietly behind her as she left the room, not wanting to wake them. Beckett had mentioned she had work later that afternoon so for now, she'd let them sleep. Alexis couldn't help the smile that was now on her own face. She'd been worried that her intervening would've only made things worse but it looked like it was just the help they'd needed.

XXX

When Castle and Beckett woke a few hours later to Beckett's alarm, Castle couldn't help spinning her around so he could thoroughly kiss her, not be able to remember a time when he'd felt this happy. Beckett grinned in return as a pulled away and she moved her lips to his neck, repeatedly whispering "I love you" against his skin.

One thing lead to another and when they turned up to the precinct half an hour late and Beckett had Castle in tow, the boys said nothing but they could tell that everything had changed between them.

Thanks to Alexis's help, giving them the push they needed, they finally had a chance together with everything out in the open and they both couldn't have been happier about it.

Thoughts?