Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters... as much as I wished I did. They are property of ABC, Andrew Marlowe and the creators of Castle. Please let me know what you think. I appreciate and crave feedback!
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Richard Castle was a strong man, but knew that today would take all the remaining strength he had with in him. He glances around his office, there were packing boxes everywhere. Preparing to leave his home for the past month or so, closing up on his life up until this point. This loft had been such a huge part of his life; it was where he raised his daughter Alexis, where he lived with his mother Martha. It was the home that served as the world where Derek Storm was born born and died. It was where Nikki Heat came alive on his page and reignited his passion for writing and eventually his desire to have a life outside of his playboy world and one night stands.
He felt as if a small part of him was betraying them as he sealed the last box in his office. It was his favorite place in the world for all these things, but what happened after all those things helped make it more of a home than it had ever been. It was his home with her; it was where he would wake every morning to her beautiful green eyes staring at him, and where he would fall asleep to the scent of cherries and her breathing. It was where they raised their daughter Johanna and where they had the happiest of times and the worst of times. He breathed a heavy sigh looking around the room at the empty walls and bookshelves and grabbed the glass of scotch off of his desk and the photo album and went in to the living room to wait before Alexis and her husband Stephen came to get him and the movers came to take the remaining things he was keeping.
There were so many wonderful times in this home, but, realized just as he knew when he had no more for Derek, Jameson and Nikki to say, all good things must come to an end. No matter how much he loved his home in the city he must soon say goodbye to it. He set the album and glass on his coffee table and turned to grab the remaining bottle of GlenFiddich rare collection and returned to the couch. He opened the album and sighed. The pictures made him smile; they made him laugh and cry. They were a story of his life, of their life together. He opened the album and thumbed through the pictures each bringing a smile to his face. He stopped at the picture he had taken of him and Alexis walking through the park as a small child. They walked hand in hand through the park. He remembered her as a baby, holding her thinking he would love no one more than her. He smiled and continuing forward through pictures of Alexis as she grew. He focused on pictures of himself, his mother and Alexis at various book readings, these were the women who created Richard Castle, they were the women who helped him become who he was and is.
Rick sighed heavily at the next picture and drifted off slowly to the memories in his mind. It was a picture of him, Alexis, his mother and Kate. He thought back on the day he took this picture and how she fought with him about his decision to have her in the family picture. "Rick, I love you so much. But, what if we don't work out or worse what if something happens to me. I couldn't let this be a reminder to you of what had been." She said to him while she wiped tears from her eyes. He proposed to that very night as he had planned. She cried and kissed him; he cried and held her exclaiming to the entire city that could hear him how he loved her and how he would spend the rest of their days proving it to her.
He continued through photo after photos of the two of them until he stopped and picked up his glass of scotch and began to cry. He set down the book, opened to pictures of their wedding day. The one in particular was his favorite picture of the two of them. It was a staged photo Kate had wanted of them sitting in front of the 12th precinct him with his bulletproof vest that proudly stated writer on it, and him handing her hers that said police on it. But instead he handed her a different vest that said Mrs. Writer on it. It originally started as a joke, and the photographer had the correct one handy if she became irritated with his humor (as happened often). He was shocked by her reaction and as she sat on his lap and began kissing and hugging him because she found the beauty and truth in it. He remembered that moment and continued to cry, he often wondered how he was lucky enough for her to have picked him. He had honestly thought he may never have been given a chance, but, she gave him a chance and they changed each other's lives forever.
Deciding that while memory lane was a beautiful place to be he was growing tired. He got up to put the scotch bottle in the kitchen and the glass in the sink and went upstairs to his bedroom to lie down until his daughter called. Upon entering the bedroom he looked in to the mirror on Kate's vanity there were tears in his eyes and he looked back at the blue eyes that met him in the mirror. They were the kind of eyes that could break down walls, which held happiness easily, showed sadness without fear and radiated love unabashedly. He looked at the man in the mirror and wondered when he got so old. He ran his wrinkled hand through his silver hair. He was a husband, a father, a son, a grandfather, a friend, a lover, a confidant and a partner. He laid down trying to get some rest. He closed his eyes as he heard the door open. He sighed and got up slowly walking out to the upper part of the loft. "Alexis I thought you were going to call before you were coming over." He waited a beat before he spoke again "Alexis, Honey. Is that you?" he shook his head because he wasn't sure who else it would be besides her.
Rick stood there awestruck; he took his hands and rubbed his eyes. "Kate, Honey. What are you doing here?" He met her down the stairs of their loft, she walked towards him and kissed him with all the passion and love she could muster. "Rick, darling I love you!" He smiled at his wife and began to cry. "Kate, I'm so glad you came back to me. You have no idea how I've missed you". He hugged her tightly and swung her about their loft. He told her of the packing he had been doing, while he waited for her to return. He held her hand and kissed her lips as often as he could. She looked at him, with a smile and said "oh Rick, I'm sorry I left you to do this on your own. I've missed you, I've missed our life. I've missed our children! I never thought I would miss, or could miss someone or something so much until I found you." Kate kissed him, and they found themselves in a passionate embrace, she led them backward through their home, never letting go of each other. She sat down on the couch and he sat next to her holding each other, staring into the green eyes he had fallen in love with.
She chuckled and brushed her hands across her face. "When did you get so old?" He looked up and saw her just as young as the day they met, He stared at her beautiful face, watched as her brown hair lightly brushed across her bare shoulders. She looked at him and smiled. "Kate, I'm an old man, you were an old woman before you…died." he stopped speaking and turned his head away from hers and realizing what she was doing here, why she had returned to him again. She reached her hand up to his face and caressed it. He sighed and said "I love you Kate. You are everything and I need you with me always." She smiled and said "Rick, I love you more than you will ever know." With that she kissed him again, brushed her fingers across his face stood up and took his hand. "Richard Castle lets go spend the rest of forever together". He smiled and turned back to the remaining apartment as if to take one final look before leaving. He turned looked at the couch and saw himself there clutching their wedding picture and claiming the last bits of air he could and turned to her and said "Katherine Castle, you are an angel and I would love to spend the rest of forever with you." They held each other and glanced in the mirror nearest the fireplace and saw their younger selves holding each other, and walked out the door for the last time arm in arm.