A/N: It's 2:27 am and I have to be up for work in three and a half hours, needless to say there are probably some errors in here. All errors are my own and I sincerely apologize for them. The promo for 'Always' struck a chord in me and I was compelled to write this. Don't read if you don't want to potentially be spoiled.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own or make any profit from anything recognizable.

Katherine Beckett was exhausted; her body ached from the battle she had fought, the war she had finally won. A shiver chased down her spine, following the rain water that had made it past her leather jacket, and she raked away the hair that had matted to her face with a shaking hand as she came to stand in front of his door. Her fingers trailed from her face down to find that the chain was no longer hanging like an albatross around her neck; the beloved ring was locked inside the glove compartment of her car. Finally, after more than a decade, she was free of what had defined her for so long and relief mixed with grief inside her.

You can't let one moment define your life, Katie. Johanna Beckett's words echoed inside her daughter; they reverberated and bounced, danced and swam, across and through her until they consumed her nerves and she settled. One moment, one extraordinarily painful moment, has defined her for so long that she was scared to figure out who she was without the pain. Her mother's case had been laid to rest and in it's place was left the hole in the heart of a motherless daughter who no longer knew what her life was supposed to be. He was the only thing that made sense anymore. With him was the place where she still knew herself and believed that he knew her, who she was now that she was no longer haunted.

All her resolve went into knocking on his door and the soft staccato of his feet padding across the hardwood floor soothed her shaking limbs. The door opened slowly and he looked unsurprised to see her standing on the other side, as if he knew it was her all along. Kate's eyes drifted up to meet his, allowed him to read the emotions that she couldn't vocalize, then her body propelled itself forward. Her hands reached out for his face and her body careened itself towards him because he would always be the one to catch her. Hurt rumbled through her when he stepped back and her damp nose collided with his shoulder; pain and rejection swirl quickly through her. He brought his hand to thread his fingers through her damp hair as his thumb traced gently over the strong curve of her jaw. His lips ghosted over her forehead and caused her eyes to close. "Kate..."

"Rick," she whispered and forced herself to look up at him. Everything was laid bare in his eyes and she knew what he needed, what she was finally able to give. "I love you.

The soft pad of his thumb gently traced over her lip and caused her to shiver before he dipped his head to press his lips to hers. They kissed passionately; swaying like a pendulum between ravenous and languid. Kate pressed up onto the toes of her sneakers and snaked her arms around his neck to keep him from pulling away from her. He carded his fingers through her rain tangled curls before slipping his hands underneath the damp shirt, his warm hands spanned across the cool skin of her lower back as she moaned softly against his lips. She nipped at his lower lip and pulled back slightly with her arms still locked around his neck. "I love you, Richard Castle."

"About damn time," he teased as he gently nudged her into the loft and closed the door. Rick brushed the back of his hand over her cheek and kissed her. "I love you too, Katherine Beckett."

"Kiss me again," she instructed and he did as he was told. He danced them gracelessly through his apartment; knocking into every obstacle that dared to get in their way as they trekked towards his bedroom with their bodies connected. His shirt was undone and hers was halfway off by the time he pressed her against the doorway to his bedroom; he gently lifted the shirt over her head and peeled it off of her arms before discarding it on his bedroom floor. Reverently he cupped her jaw and tipped her head up to press a kiss to her lips before chasing a drop of water down the column of her throat. Kate's fingernails dug into his scalp when he stopped to worship at her collar bone before dropping his head to pay his respects to the scar above her heart. "Rick, please..."

He pressed a final kiss to the scar; a prayer to the reigning deity for not ripping her from him before they had a chance for this, a chance for love. Then he forced himself to take a step away from her as he reached to twine his fingers with her. "Come with me."

"Castle, c'mon..." Her pleas were almost too much and he wanted to give in but he wouldn't.

They were going to do this right.

Rick gently nudged her into his dimly lit bathroom; her head tilted to one side in confusion and he pressed a chaste kiss to the tip of her nose. His nose traced along the apple of her cheek before nudging away the hair to reach her ear. "Let me love you."

Kate's slight, almost imperceptible nod was her acquiescence. With a restraint that he wasn't aware he possessed, Richard Castle removed his partner's bra before he fell to his knees to undo the button of her jeans. Water made the denim heavy and hard to remove as it clung to her body like a second skin but he managed and tossed them with a squishing thump across the room. He pressed a butterfly of a kiss to the inside of her thigh before removing the last shred of fabric that covered her. Their eyes locked as he reached behind him and retrieved a fluffy white towel, beginning to dry her from the feet up. Rick trailed the soft fabric over the pad of the bottom of her foot, over her muscular legs, the soft expanse of her stomach. He took time to towel dry her hair the best he could before slipping out of his button down shirt and wrapping her inside of it.

She offered him a soft smile as she slid her arms into the too long sleeves and buttoned the essential buttons on the dress shirt. Kate pressed onto her toes again as she reached up to kiss him gently. "Bed?"

"Yes, dear."

This time she smiled a full on Katherine Beckett smile and it made his heart skip a beat.

"Lead the way."

They maneuvered their way through the dark of his bedroom until they reached the large bed; he pulled back the covers and she slipped underneath and pulled his arms around her as he slid in behind her. She leaned into his touch and wove her fingers with his that rested on her stomach. "Tell me again."

"I love you."

"Good." Her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing slowed. "I love you too."