A/N Sorry for the delay and for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to my little story. A giant thank you for all the lovely comments.
where we left off:
"I think Royce was right."
There, he said it. What they have is real, and he does think she's afraid. Afraid to take a chance, to risk her heart and dive in and truly be happy, with him. But he hopes that one day she will be able to.
"I think so too," she says to his amazement.
He sucks in a deep breath, obviously not prepared for where this conversation has led them.
"You have no idea - no idea," he emphasizes, "how much I want to continue this conversation right now, but Beckett, we have to get down from here," Rick says extending his hand to her.
She seems to take in the situation then, peering over the side of the rocks at the water level. Kate takes a step towards him and reaches for his hand. She holds tight as he turns and leads the way back to the path he took to get up. Her fingers tangle with his as she hovers at his back, checking over his shoulder, following his gaze.
"Ok, I think this is the best spot, but we're going to get wet," he says, turning to face her.
She nods, seemingly content to take his lead. He's forced to let go of her hand as he turns and starts down the crevasse path. A moment later he reaches the bottom, landing in water shin deep and gazes back up at her.
"Castle, take these for me please?" She asks, extending her shoes to him. There's no way she'd make it down wearing the wedge heels without getting stuck.
He takes them, and tries not to stare inappropriately at her body as she turns and slinks down the side. Castle reaches up to place a hand on the small of her back to help steady her as she nears the bottom, and soon they are face to face again, a near breath away from each other, the ocean dancing at their feet.
"Thank you," she says reaching out to take her shoes from his grasp.
"Yeah, you're welcome."
They stare at each other for what feels like forever. When she says nothing more, he awkwardly makes a show of checking his watch.
"So, we should...we should go," he states.
"Right, we don't want to miss our flight," Kate says, but somehow it sounds more like a question than a fact.
He gathers his bags and they silently walk back to the sidewalk that leads to the rental car. Both lost in their own thoughts.
It's when they are finally seated on the plane, a glass of wine on each of their drop-down trays, that she releases a breath and feels like she can finally relax. They'd stayed too long at the beach, traffic had been a nightmare and they had nearly missed the flight.
Castle kindly offered her the window seat this time and she took a moment to glance out at the fluffy clouds that lingered below them and watched the glow of the setting sun in the distance.
How does she get them back to that moment on the beach? Back to the moment when she felt brave and had a chance to lay out all she's been feeling before him?
He's been quiet ever since then. It feels like maybe it was a mistake. She gave him a hint of what she wanted without being able to give it to him. Was that even fair of her to do?
Kate looks over at her partner, the man who she knows deep in her soul would do anything for her. She feels warmth spread through her chest at having him near. The desire to grab his hand and connect with him is so strong. But she can't be unfair, unjust to him. So, she lets the feeling pass. She leaves him to finish scrolling his twitter account and turns to open her own book.
The flight is short in terms of measurable time, but it feels agonizingly long.
Something has changed between them, Castle had noticed. She opened up, she threw a clue out there for him but so unlike his nature, he let it go. He didn't push, he didn't investigate. Even once they were settled on the plane, he just - can't.
What is he going to say to her? She is still spoken for, and that phrase is on repeat over and over in his head. It paralyzes his tongue in a way that he never thought possible, a way that would make Beckett proud of him in certain other circumstances he is sure.
But, he can feel it. He knows now she was giving him a sign, a prologue to the first chapter of what could be their story. He needs to trust what has been growing between them, trust her, and he needs to wait.
She's sleeping the next time he looks over at her and he hopes that soon he'll be able to wake up to her sleeping by his side every day.
It's late when they arrive in New York and they share a cab home from the airport. Castle insists that she be dropped home first even though the cabbie will have to back track to take him home. They roll to a stop at the curb by her apartment and Castle reaches to unbuckle his seat belt when she stops him, a warm hand to his forearm.
"I'll get my bag," she assures him. "Castle, I just, I want to thank you. What you did for me...going out there with me, it really means a lot." Her wide eyes meet his and lock. "So, thank you."
"Partners, remember?" He responds with a nod.
"Yeah, partners," she replies quietly, making no attempt to leave the car.
That is when he makes the mistake of looking out the window behind her and his face falls.
"It looks like you have company," Castle sighs, nodding towards the street. She turns and sees Josh standing right outside the security door. The look on his face suggests he has seen them as well.
"Right, I should go. Thank you again Castle."
"Kate," he's says grabbing her attention as she reaches for the door handle, "I know we have a tendency to not talk about things, but I hope we get a chance to finish the conversation from the beach."
Turning back she gives him a small smile, "Me too."
He looks away as she gets out and retrieves her small bag from the trunk, but makes it a point to not watch her leave. He can't stand the thought of her being welcomed home by another man.
"Josh," Kate calls as she approaches him. "I've been trying to get a hold of you."
"I know, I got your messages, but I just got off shift a few hours ago. I got worried when didn't answer, so I came to see if you were home."
"Yeah, I was still in the air. Listen, why don't you come up. I think we need to talk."
He hasn't seen her in two days. She was off the day after they got back and had texted on Monday morning that she would be stuck catching up on paper work all day. Montgomery had found a little extra grunt work for her, what she assumed was his attempt at a gentle reprimand for her going rogue.
Castle spent most of the day writing - make that attempting to write, but found focusing a near impossible act.
Writing Nikki Heat always made him think about Beckett.
Around seven, he's pulled from his edits at the sound of a knock reverberating through the empty loft. He rises from the chair and hears the knock again as he reaches the living room.
"Coming!" he calls, reaching out to open the door suddenly finding himself face to face with his partner.
"Beckett," he says in surprise. "hi."
"Hey," she says, a timid smile claiming her face.
"Um-come in, come in." He opens the door wider for her and allows her pass before locking it again. "Would you like something to drink? I was thinking of opening up a bottle of wine."
"Yeah, that sounds nice, Castle." Kate kicks off her heels at the door and wanders into his apartment, following him into the kitchen. He retrieves the wine from the fridge and turns to see Kate reaching up on her toes for the glasses, expertly retrieving them from the correct cabinet. A flutter passes through his chest.
"So," he muses as he passes her half a glass of red, "to what do I owe the honor of your presence detective?"
Kate takes a long, slow sip before setting the glass down on the counter. "I was hoping to talk with you about something," she starts, eyes gazing around the loft. "Are you home alone?"
"Yeah, Mother and Alexis are out tonight. Alexis' study group has turned into a sleepover at Becca's house apparently. Is everything ok?"
"Yeah. Everything..everything's good, she reassures him the sides of her lips edging up into a small smile.
His shoulders relax at her words. They both take another sip of wine. He's doing his best to be patient tonight, content to simply be in her presence. It's a rare event that Beckett invites herself over to his place so there must be something important on her mind.
"I broke up with Josh."
Oh. Oh!
"Are you alright?" He asks, eyes raking over her face, analyzing every expression.
"Yeah. It actually was a long time coming. We never really even saw each other anymore."
"Well, I am sorry, I know breakups can be rough."
"Actually, I think we were both relieved. I think we both just stayed in the relationship because it was easy. It was safe," she says, eyes transfixed on the wine she is swirling around in her glass. "But, for quite awhile I've known that isn't want I really want."
His eyebrows rise in silent question and curiosity at that. "Oh really?" He nearly squeaks out, trying his best to keep his composure. His heart is pulsing double speed at the direction this visit is taking.
"Yes," she breathes out. "Castle, that day, on the rocks..."
He places his wine glass on the counter beside hers and slowly walks to join her on the other side of the kitchen island. Rick watches her as she tilts her face down, her silky curls falling over her cheek and hiding the side of her face.
Rick feels the hope rising up inside of him.
He knows her pulse must match his by the way her chest is rising and falling rapidly. He sucks in a breath full of anticipation. "That day on the rocks…" he says in encouragement.
When she doesn't continue, he runs his hand over hers where it's laying flat on the counter top. She watches him caress each of her fingers for several seconds before her eyes raise to meet the sincere eyes that beckon her to him.
"You."
That is all she says, and then she realizes by the crinkle of his forehead that she's not being clear.
"You are the reason I broke up with Josh. You are who I want to be with Castle. I-"
The crash of his lips against her own cut her off. The soft press of his body pushes her back into the counter and the gentleness of his tongue slides past her lips and steals the words from her mouth.
His broad hands slide around her sides and land low on her waist. He's brushing her hip bones with his thumbs, sending heat straight to her core. Kate lifts her hand around his neck and plays with the soft hairs she finds as she angles her head to kiss him deeper.
A moan escapes him and the hands at her waist tighten and draw his body even closer. The move allows her to feel more of him - makes her want all of him right now.
He pulls his lips away from her but doesn't stray far, gently brushes his nose against hers as their chests heave together.
"Kate," he whispers.
"Mmm?" she hums, a soft hand caressing the side of his face.
"Is this too soon? Is this ok?" He implores, eyes wide and insecurity written on his face.
She swoops in for a fast kiss. "It's not soon enough. Rick, I've wanted this for a long time. This - being with you, it finally feels right," she smiles reassuringly.
"It feels perfect," he agrees leaning in to kiss her again.
This time it deepens quickly. He brings his hands up to cradle her face, one slipping into her hair to angle her head for his exploration of her mouth.
Her hands slide over his chest and she begins to open each button in his soft flannel shirt, desperately seeking the warmth of his skin.
She reaches the bottom and tugs his shirt up, finally free to roam exposed chest and causing him to shiver. He pulls away with a pop of their lips and placing his hands on top of hers, pressing them into him.
"Kate, if we do this, I-I won't be able to go back."
"I know, and I don't want to go back. I just want you Rick. I want - us."
She's never seen him smile wider than this moment, but she stops him with a palm to his chest just before his lips catch hers again.
"But, I need you to help me."
"Help you with what?" He asks with furrowed brow.
"I don't want to mess this up. What if we don't work Castle? You mean so much to me, our partnership means so much, what if this doesn't work?"
His hands are making small circles on her back, a sensation that soothes and drives her blood pressure up at the same time.
"Listen, I can't guarantee that everything will be perfect. My track record with relationships isn't exactly shining, but Kate, with you it's always been different than any relationship I've ever had. We've already gotten through tougher situations together than most couples go through in a lifetime. And we're just getting started."
She's quiet for a moment but her eyes are dark and sultry when she looks up at him again. "You do have a point, Castle. And just think, now when we fight, we get to have amazing make up sex."
He chuckles, his smile reaching up and making his eyes crinkle in delight. Castle draws her body back into his embrace and kisses her again. "We're going to be extraordinary."