THREE

As they rode up the elevator to his apartment, Castle could feel Kate trembling beside him and he began to formulate a plan. If they worked together, they could have her stripped out of her wet clothing in a minute or two, and then he'd send her directly to a hot shower—or his tub if she preferred, though the shower would be faster as it didn't take time to fill. Then, while she warmed up in there, he would make them coffee and he was pretty sure he had some microwavable heat packs lying around somewhere. He'd look for those and she could sit with them under a blanket if she still felt chilled.

When they stepped off the elevator, she stumbled, and he put his arm around her back to guide her. "Oh, Kate I'm so sorry. It was so stupid of me to tackle you into that snow…I wasn't thinking."

"'s fine Castle," she said through teeth nearly chattering. "You didn't know snow was going to fall on me."

"I know, I know, but we've got to get you warmed up."

He quickly unlocked the apartment and after kicking off his own snow-packed boots, he began to help her pull away the layers of ice-covered clothing. "You'll feel much better after a shower. And I'll get coffee started—maybe even a little snack. I've got plenty of blankets so you can feel—oh." Castle was so focused on helping her remove her icy coat that she was stunned when he felt her press her lips against the corner of his mouth. So stunned, in fact, that his initial reaction was a rather clinical one.

"Your lips are so cold, Kate. Here, wait, if you put on my coat it'll keep you warm up while I help you with-"

"Castle." She grabbed on to his hands before he could unzip his coat all the way. Her hands were freezing, but he held on tight, infinitely curious as to why she was gazing at him in such a devoted way. In all his life he never could have predicted what came out of her lips next.

"I'm in love with you."

"You…" He actually found himself leaning away from pure shock. His heart rate spiked to triple digits and her merely stared at her, wondering if he was having some sort of hallucination. "You…you love…" He repeated dumbly as his brain tried to process. She loved him? She loved him!? That was amazing, and incredible, and—oh…what if she had a concussion? What if that lump of snow that fell on her had been heavy enough to rattle her brain?

"Kate are you sure you're—"

She cut him off by pressing her mouth against his, that time giving him a proper kiss. After the instant shock of her cold lips wore off, Castle found himself leaning into her and letting out a small groan. "Kate…" he sighed when their lips separated. When he realized his eyes were closed, he opened them to see that hers were sparkling. Her gaze was not entirely new, for she had been known to give him such a sappy look during one of their highly emotional moments, but there was something different about it. It took him a moment to put his finger on it, then he realized: it wasn't fleeing. This gaze was strong and steady and…permanent.

Feeling his heart swell so much he feared it might pop out of his throat he sighed, "I love you, too."

She grinned a bit wider and dropped her hands from his, returning to the task of removing her now-soaked coat. He unzipped his own coat, dropped it to the floor, and kicked it away before dropping down to help her with her boots. Once they were both sock-footed, she grabbed his arm and encouraged him to follow her, to which he dumbly asked, "Where are we going?"

She threw him a look over her shoulder and said, "Don't you want to help me warm up?"

"Shit," he muttered beneath his breath as he felt a significant portion of his blood begin to flow southward. God—was this really happening? Or had he been the one hit by an awning full of snow and now he was having some sort of bizarre hallucination?

By the time they crossed the threshold of his bedroom, Kate had dropped his hand so she could reach down and peel the sweater up over her head. When the navy-blue item landed on the floor of his bedroom, Castle looked down at it and decided that he wasn't going to question his reality anymore; he was going to live in it to the fullest.

He reached down for the hem of his own sweater and then the long-sleeved shirt underneath. "We have so many clothes on." He laughed at the realization that every part of both their bodies was covered in at least two, but mostly three layers.

"I know."

He heard the chatter in her teeth when she spoke, so he instantly ignored his own clothes and helped her divest herself of hers. "Here—you're shaking. Just get all this wet stuff off and get under the sheets. They're flannel so they should warm you up."

She nodded but said nothing more as she stripped down to her bra and panties. Much to his disappointment, Castle didn't get much of a look at her before she dove under the sheets and pulled them tightly around her. He took another minute to strip down to his boxers before joining her. When he felt the coolness of her skin, he actually forgot about how much he was enjoying being so close to nearly-naked-Beckett, and simply began to rub his hands vigorously across her arms and upper back.

"Come closer to me. I'm hot I can—ah!" he whimpered when he felt her ice-cold fingertips grab onto his waist.

"Sorry," she mumbled and yanked her hands back.

"No, no here—give them to me." He reached down and grasped both her hands with his, then brought them up to his lips so he could blow hot breath onto them while rubbing them on the outside. After several moments of this they no longer felt critically cold, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tightly. They settled with him on his back and her spooned against his side, her head against his shoulder and her right leg slung over his.

"Is this helping?" he asked quietly.

"Mmhm." She hummed and burrowed herself just a little bit closer to him.

He turned his head and pressed his lips against the top of her hair. When he looked down, he could see a red mark on her skin where her hair had separated and left the scalp visible. Frowning, he asked, "Are you sure your head is ok?"

"Yes. Feels okay. I don't have a cut, do I?"

"Maybe just a scrape; it's not bleeding."

"Good thing I had a hat on."

"Yeah."

They held each other close for the better part of ten minutes before Kate lifted her head, smiled lazily at him and said, "You're very warm."

He chuckled. "Thank you. Are you feeling better now?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded and shifted her position so that her leg was not just slung over one of his, but completely over his lips. She then adjusted her torso, so she was almost completely lying on top of him. His hands naturally fell to her hips and brushed against the top edge of her panties. When she smiled and rolled her hips against his, he gasped and felt his heart stutter, knowing with one hundred percent certainty in that instant that he was hers forever.

"You, um, just so I know—was this all you had in mind when you wanted me to warm you up?"

"No," she said with a slight laugh. Then, sitting up a bit, she reached behind her, popped the clasp on her bra, and tossed the item out from underneath the blankets.

"Shit," he groaned out quietly when her petite breasts bounced free.

She sat up even further, letting the sheet fall back and expose more of herself. Castle gazed not at her gorgeous breast, which were perfect in his opinion, but at the gnarled knot between them. When he'd tackled her in the snow half an hour earlier he hadn't even thought of that moment half a year before, but the action was mirrored quiet well. He'd almost lost her then, but now he was about to have her in the way he dreamed of for years.

Not wanting a moment of such significance to go by without acknowledgment, Castle pushed himself up so that he was half sitting and she slid down onto his thighs instead of across his hips. This act caused her to brush against the tip of him, the sensation practically setting his skin on fire. He wanted to take her then and there, hard and rough like he'd wanted for so long, but he couldn't. This moment wasn't about three years of pent up sexual tension, but love, devotion, and the beginning of a life-long promise.

He looped an arm around her back and cradled her close. As he rearranged their position, a curious expression crossed her face, but he merely quirked one of his lips in a playful smile before bowing his head to press his lips fully against the scar that remained from the sniper's bullet. She breathed in sharp. "I—I forgot. I can cover it if-"

"Why," he began, lifting his gaze, "would you ever cover it?" He didn't blink, he just looked at her with an intensity he hoped conveyed his feelings—that the scar was proof of her survival, and should be celebrated, not hidden. He loved every single inch of her and was about to show her how much.

Pressing his feet against the mattress, Castle began to lift his hips and moved his arms around her back to support her weight as he rolled them over. Once his weight was arranged so he wasn't crushing her, he kissed her scar again, then the spot just above, and the spot above that until he'd made it to her chin, at which point he moved his lips to hers. She kissed him back, let out a soft moan of want, and settled in, ready to share the best moments of their lives.

After dozing for what she hoped was only a few minutes, Kate opened her eyes to find her companion in a similarly relaxed state. He too was laying on his side with his hands tucked beneath his cheek, but his eyes remained closed. A smile tugging at her lips, Kate nibbled on her bottom one trying to keep it at bay, fearful it might explode not just as a smile but a chortle of glee, for she was so very happy.

She hadn't planned on telling Castle she loved him the moment they made it back to his place. Before the snow hit her, she thought maybe later that day over coffee or hot cocoa they might kiss or share some sort of romantic moment. Then she'd been clobbered by that snow and had mostly focused on getting warm again until the concern on her partner's face fully registered. He was worried about her and taking care of her without ever being asked. Suddenly her heart felt like it was going to explode if she didn't tell him. And then the rest…well, she wasn't complaining, that was for sure.

Unable to resist the urge much longer, Kate reached out and stroked her fingertip very gently across the edge of his jaw and then down onto the interior of his forearm. He grunted in acknowledgment, so she continued to stroke his arm for another thirty seconds until he finally opened his eyes, focused on her face, and grinned. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Are you warm now?"

She hummed and snuggled closer to her pillow. "Yes, very."

"Good." He then moved his hands so he could capture hers and bring it to his lips for a kiss. He held it there for a few moments, just gazing at her before sighing out, "You're so beautiful. I love you."

"I love you." She echoed reflexively, but then felt the niggling of guilt in her belly, so quickly followed it with, "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because I should have told you sooner...I shouldn't have been so afraid. It seems so silly now. but I...I didn't trust it. I wasn't sure I deserved it…"

"What?" he lifted his head wearing an expression of concern. "Why? How?"

She pulled her hands back and tucked them around her chest while confessing, "Because…because I wasn't sure I could love you back the way you deserved. I'm...kind of a mess, Castle." She covered her face with her hands, but he immediately tried to peel them away.

"No, not a mess."

She gazed up at him, a bit guilty. "I didn't know how to open up after my mom died. I was afraid to hurt like that again and I let that consume me. Let it drive me for so long. I've been going to therapy."

"Therapy?" he repeated, his voice echoing with notable surprise.

She nodded. "Since the shooting. I...I heard you say you loved me."

"You..."

Her heart stuttered when she saw the hint of hurt cross his eyes. Reaching out to grip one of his hands, she continued with, "I'm sorry I let you believe I didn't but I...it was just too much for me to process and I thought, I thought maybe if you got closer to me you might...I don't know, might not love me when you saw all my scars."

He brought the tips of her fingers to his lips, kissed them, and then said, "Your scars are what make you, you."

From the sincerity in his voice, she believed him, but still felt that tiny twist of uncertainty in her belly, so she tried to explain her viewpoint, knowing that honesty was best. "I just made myself believe that everything was happening so fast. I was dying so of course you said-"

"No," he cut her off, gently shaking his head. "I mean, no, I've loved you for a while. From the moment we kissed. I knew...I knew you were what I waited my whole life for."

Kate felt her heart swell and tears pricked her eyes. Had any other man said that to her, she wouldn't have believed them. She would have been angry at them for telling her what she wanted to hear or, at best, not being honest with themselves enough to know that couldn't possibly be true. But with this man, with her partner, she knew he believed what he said, even though it might take her a little bit longer to get there herself.

Leaning her face into his, she kissed him softly and then confessed her own moment of reckoning. "I knew in LA. That night in the hotel. I knew I couldn't deny what I felt any longer, but I needed time."

He hummed and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. "So why now...writer's curiosity," he added with a small shrug when she quirked an eyebrow at him."

She took in a deep breath and pushed it out slow. Normally she would have never told, but that was the old Kate. The new Kate had to be open, had to challenge herself to be more emotionally fearless; it was the only way she'd find the happiness she wanted. "I...out in the snow: laughing, playing. I just looked at you and knew I couldn't hold back any longer. I want to be happy."

"I want you to be happy."

Nerves flitting through her belly, she asked, "And what about you?" In the past, she never would have questioned it, fear of the answer that might cause her pain, but now she knew she needed to have faith in him. In them. The positively deliriously happy expression that crossed his face told her she had made the right choice.

"Me? Oh, I'm very, very happy." He said as he slid his body over so it half-covered hers. He kissed her softly, then moved his lips to her cheek, where he kissed her again, before lifting his head with an unreadable expression.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing...I just thinking if this blizzard had been weeks ago, we might have been together longer."

She loved that he thought that; it was incredibly sweet, but it reminded her she'd jumped in a bit too headlong, and she still had some healing to do. She wasn't going to backtrack, merely proceed with caution. "That's very sweet but... I still need time. To take things slow."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Slow? I can go slow." She felt his hand graze down her body, lightly skim over her breast, then continue on its path down her stomach and over her hip. Meanwhile, he dipped his head, found the pulse point just below her jaw, and pressed his lips overtop. Just has she felt his tongue lightly graze the spot on her neck, his hand curled over her pubic bone and pressed against her; she gasped.

"Oh! Rick!"

He lifted his head and said deeply, "I like when you use my first name."

"So do I," she said before lifting her head and pressing her mouth against his.

Several hours later after forcing themselves from bed to clean up the mess of wet clothes left behind by their snow excursion, the in-love duo was cleaning up the last parts of their dinner before settling in to watch a movie on the couch for the evening. Their dance around each other in the kitchen was filled with flirtatious glances and stolen kisses and neither of them could have been happier about it.

After everything was cleaned up, they sat on the couch beneath a blanket draped over their laps. His arm was lightly draped over her back and her hand rested against her thigh. Just before the movie started, he brushed his lips against her cheek and sighed out, "I feel like this is how it's supposed to be."

"What is?"

"This. Life. It's supposed to be you and me with our wine under a blanket together."

She smiled softly, unable to disagree on any points. "That sounds good to me."

Two hours later, after the movie ended, Castle took their glasses to the kitchen and then returned to sit beside her. He picked up one of her hands, kissed the knuckles, then continued to hold it as he sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch. "I guess the snow will be gone tomorrow."

An incredulous noise escaped her lips. "Are you serious? It'll take weeks to melt all of this."

"No, I mean from the streets. We won't be snowed in."

"Oh. Yes. I'm sure the roads will be cleared, and subways will be running by mid-day tomorrow."

"You'll go home?"

She nodded and pointed out, "I am out of clean clothes." After all, she was originally supposed to be away from home for just one night.

"I have a washer. And… I don't think you'll need many clothes."

"Castle," she half-scolded at his naughty eyebrow wiggle.

Sitting upright once more he slid closer to her and asked with utmost sincerity, "This is a thing now, right? Us."

"Yes."

"We're dating? Exclusively?"

"Of course," she told him. She hadn't thought about another man romantically in months, and she had no intentions to think about anyone else—particularly not after she discovered how incredible it was to be with him.

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. Then, brushing his thumb lightly against her cheek, he concluded, "I'm really glad it snowed."

"Me too." Kate knew that with the progress she was making in therapy the time for the beginning of their relationship was imminent, but she also was glad to have the push of their snow day to bring it to fruition. That way they could close out the year as a couple and, more importantly, kick off the next year together.

A/N - thank you all so much for reading! Happy 2020 Everyone!