Always home.
Sunlight in Kate's cheeks, she wakes up next to him, Rick is already awake. They smile to each other. There's no need to say anything more. He goes out of bed and into the kitchen while she takes a shower. They meet again in the living room. He handles her usual morning coffee.
She smiles to him. That's when she realize that this is it, there's no turning back. He can hear her thinking, because they always think too loudly and smiles at her in return.
Pancakes are starting to burn, so she laughs. He remembers now how much he loves it, her laugh is one of the best noises he enjoys listening to.
They eat breakfast without having to say a word. The loft was quiet, silence everywhere, until she says, "thank you".
He frowns. "Why?" he asks.
"For waiting, for being here, for everthing." She responds.
Rick answers her with his loving cocky voice, "ALWAYS Kate". She can't help it, a tear runs down her cheek, she has been holding all her emotions and now they were everywhere.
There is no way out, the only thing she can do is let herself feel it. She have known for a long time now that here, in his home with him, she finds peace, she's at home too. At this realization more tears are starting to appear in her face. When he sees that she is not holding back anymore he stands up and hugs her.
He knows she had a rough week,so he doesn't say anything. But there is something she needs to tell him, it's eating her three little but significant words, Kate needs to tell him,he has the right to know. She wants it to be special, cause once you say them, that's when it becomes real. Even though she is not ready to say them she knows he will wait, because he has been waiting for her for the past four years. That is one of the main reasons she need to tell him, he has been waiting too long.
Suddenly he stops hugging her, she looks up to find his eyes, filled with love, hunger, emotion and hope. It is one the most amazing things, how they can look at each other and see what the other is thinking, what the other wants to say without really saying it.
Kate is in love with Rick, now she can let herself embrace it, act on it, because she knows that he will be there, no matter what, he will always be there for her.
Kate stands up and kisses him and he returns the kiss. It's soft, simple, like they have been doing it forever.
After finishing breakfast, they put everything in the dishwasher and he leads her to the couch, they need to talk. If they want this relationship to move forward they need to say all those things they think but are hard to say, because they don't talk. It's their thing, not talking. They both open they mouths to say something, the realization makes them laugh. They're back in sync. They already found it out last night, after the most amazing night in their lives. But it's nice to see that they still have it, it is not awkward or weird, it's just them. Kate Beckett an Rick Castle.
He opens his mouth to start talking and she's ready to open up to him. She is willing to answer every question she knows he has for her.
"What happened Kate?" he asks smiling, but she can see in his eyes that he is concerned, last night he saw her bruises and finger marks all over her body.
"We found him. Espo and I went after him, we fought and he almost killed me. I was hanging from the rooftop seconds aways from dying, when all my life passed through my eyes and all I could think about was you. I just couldn't die without letting you know how I trully felt." Her eyes were starting to get teary, she was telling him she loved him without really doing it.
"I- I just didn't want to die alone, in an alley, like…" she couldn't continue the sentence cause he stole a kiss from her. He knew what she was trying to say and didn't want her to relive it. He knew, she didn't want to die like her mom, alone in an alley in the middle of nowhere.
"Kate, it's ok you know?, it is ok to feel this way. I'm here now, I know now what you feel. I won't be going anywhere without you. We are in this together". She smiled cause she knew he was telling her the truth. Rick was more than she ever imagined. She never thought she could find a guy that loved her like that. She really was a lucky girl.
"I know Rick, now I do. You were right, they are going to kill me if I don't stop but I don't know how it is going to end up. I want to catch them, I want to finally give it an end. I don't want to die fighting for it, I been fighting for the last thriteen years and it drove me nowhere. I don't know if I'm ready to give it up right away". She didn't want him to think she didn't love him enough to stop, but the truth was that she need it to be done, she wanted to catch them and made them pay. Kate knew it wasn't going to be right now, but either wanted it to be ten years from now.
"Listen Kate, I won't say you need to stop, cause I know you'll continue on it anyway. But like I told you before, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, so I will help you find them, but this time we are going to do it my way. I don't want to lose you, i cannot lose you Kate." He said. She kissed him, it was all she could do. Her thoughts were driving her crazy and the only thing she wanted was for it to stop and the only times they did were when she was kissing him.
"What happened next? How did you end up here?" he need to know the whole story, it was the writer in him that need the full story to undestand.
"I was hanging with one hand, when I heard you, it was your voice screaming my name. I thought you forgive me and came back to me. I was sure it was you." He was confused but he could see the hope in her eyes, she never stopped thinking about him, them. It made his heart grow bigger, he knew she loved him.
"my hands where starting to give away when Ryan grabbed my wrist and pulled me up. He saved me." She said, proud to have Ryan and Espo in her team, they were her brothers, she knew they would have her back no matter what.
"then I ask him if you where there,but you weren't" she said disappointed.
"I- I'm sorry Kate, If I hand't let my ego and pride get in way…"
"There's nothing to be sorry about Rick, I think I need that. I need that wake up call." She told him proudly, giving him the smile she knew he loved.
"either way, Gates was there. Espo got suspended, and I resigned" she said, trying to sound as casual as posible.
"You did WHAT, Katherine Beckett?" he said. He was shocked; she was crazy, the 12th had been everything to her, he would never ask her to give it up. The 12th came with her, it was part of the Beckett package.
"Don't sound that shocked Castle, it's not the end of the world" she said rolling her eyes, as usual.
"I would never ask you to do that Kate. If you did it for me, I will kicked you out of here and take you back there to talk to Gates. You can't resigned Kate, what about the boys?. they need you there, and Lanie?. It's not just you Kate. You're a family, you can't give up on family." He sounded like he was really angry with her decision, even though she thought he would be glad to have her all to himself. But yet again, he had a point, she was being selfish.
"I know that, Rick but it's just what I need. I joined the force to find them and I did. I almost die, twice because of it and I don't need them now, I know I will have to go back if I want to catch them but all I really want now is you, just you." She was starting to cry again. Damn she thought, she was really having problems holding back her emotions, but she didn't care. He saw her in her weakest times and he was still here. She let the tears roll down, while he hold her up in his lap, they were cuddling.
Kate had found her place in the world, with him, there in his loft. She was safe, she wasn't afraid of what was coming next because now she knew what she wanted, to be with him. And she also knew who she was. She is Kate Beckett.