The Invitation

Summary: Kate/Rick. An envelope arrives at Castle's house and changes their entire relationship.

I had no intention of writing this fic, or even thinking about what it would be like if Kate and Josh were engaged. But, while I was in the shower, a plot bunny attacked and I just had to write it. I thought it would only be a few hundred words and I thought I knew how I was going to end it, but then it was 2000 words long and still growing. I am actually quite proud of this one seeing as it was born, written and edited in less than two hours!

This is a one shot but I could be persuaded into writing a similar story where Kate finds out that Rick and Gina got engaged again during their summer at the Hamptons and her reaction to it.

As always, reviews and comments are loved! Xx

It was mid morning when a thick envelope was slid under the door of Richard Castle's apartment. He might not have noticed right away, but he had been walking by on his way to the kitchen for a refill of coffee. He had been writing since Martha and Alexis had left hours ago, but when he had read back what he had typed he realised that he would have to delete most of it anyway. He couldn't seem to focus on his writing much anymore. It wasn't as bad as the dry spell he had experienced after killing off his major hero Derrick Storm, but it was still pretty dire. He felt like the river of words he usually drank from had suffered a drought. The plot of his latest book 'In Heat' was coming along quite nicely but he seemed to have lost the knack of writing the character of Nikki Heat, and especially her relationship with his fictional counterpart Jameson Rook. Art was definitely imitating life because his real life relationship with the living, breathing Katherine Beckett was suffering too.

To Castle's dismay, Kate's relationship with Josh seemed to be going from strength to strength. He knew he was biased but he really couldn't put his finger on what attracted Kate to the attractive, intelligent, motorbike riding heart surgeon. The two of them had been through so much this year, the kiss, nearly freezing to death together and the sexually charged moments during their trip to LA but Kate seemed to be oblivious to what those times meant to him. In fact she seemed to be ignoring him entirely, it had been two weeks since she had called him in to help investigate a case, and Castle found it hard to believe that no violent crimes had been committed during that time period.

Bending down, Castle retrieved the thick parchment envelope from the welcome mat. He expected it was a fancy invitation for himself or for Martha, requesting their presence at a charity fundraiser or a book launch. Turning the envelope over, Castle saw that it was his name scrawled in calligraphy on the front. Intrigued, he hurriedly opened the envelope trying not to destroy it too much in his haste. A thick card fell out and he studied in for a few moments, not really seeing the words emblazoned on the front in lavender and silver lettering.

"Katherine Beckett and Joshua Davidson invite you to their wedding at St James' Church on June 4th at 12:30."

After reading it for the third time, he closed his eyes and let the card slip through his fingers to land on the floor. Was this why he hadn't heard from Kate in weeks? It could explain her silence but if she was marrying someone else that meant she was acknowledging that she didn't have romantic feelings for him. Unless she had been keeping it from him the last few times they had worked together, the engagement was fairly new and she and Josh seemed to be wasting little time in taking their trip down the aisle.

What hurt him the most, even more than trying to accept that Kate was about to pledge the rest of her life and love to another man, was that she hadn't told him in person, not even on the phone. Even though his heart was currently shattering into smaller and smaller pieces, Rick would have put a smile on his face and told her that he was happy for her. The fact that he, Richard Castle, would have been prepared to do that made him realise how very much he loved her.

He retrieved the invitation from the floor and studied in again, turning it over and looking at the RSVP information. He was pleased to see that Kate hadn't moved from her apartment in the last two weeks. Perhaps one life altering change was enough for her, he thought a little bitterly. An idea seizing him, Rick dialled Kate's home number, if she didn't answer he would know she was at work and if she did he could hang up without speaking. With the wedding just over three weeks away, Rick hoped Kate might be a home, planning or whatever. He had never really understood the crazy way women behaved when planning for a wedding, and he had been married twice. He was pleased to find that Kate answered and he quickly hung up. Abandoning his slightly feeble morning's writing and the coffee he had been about to make, Castle put on shoes and left his apartment. If he thought through what he was going to do he would back out. He didn't really expect to change Kate's mind about them or about marrying Josh, but he would never forgive himself if he didn't say or do something.

On the way to Kate's apartment, he stopped and bought a bouquet of flowers from a street vendor. He wondered if Josh might be home too, but he decided to risk it anyway. If he was there he could just drop off the flowers as a congratulations gift and ask Kate to call him when it was convenient.

The door to Beckett's apartment building had been left open an inch so Castle pulled it open and snuck inside. In the elevator on the way to her floor, Castle tried to put words together in some sort of sane order but he really didn't know what he was going to say, not until he saw her anyway.

Kate opened the door almost soon as Castle had knocked on it, surprising both him and her.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were going to be Josh."

"Sorry to disappoint you." He said, a little coldly, thrusting the flowers under her nose. "Congratulations are in order, I suppose."

Kate took the flowers through to the kitchen, Rick followed, noticing a few more masculine items dotted the apartment now. How he wished that those belongings were his, not Josh's.

"Thank you, Castle." She replied, concentrating on arranging the flowers in a vase of water. Rick suspected that it was to avoid having to meet his eye, and he was right. "I was going to come over and tell you myself, but...I thought just sending an invitation might be best."

"Why?"

Kate frowned. "I didn't know how you'd react. I know that you're not exactly Josh's number one fan."

"No," He agreed. "But I am high up on the membership list of the Kate Beckett fan club. You don't think I could have put my petty thoughts about Dr. Motorcycle Boy aside to be happy for you."

"I wasn't sure. You and I...things have been strange for us lately and I didn't want to hurt you unnecessarily."

"When did Josh propose?" Rick asked instead, not sure why he was torturing himself with this.

"Two weeks ago. He'd treated a woman at work and saw how devastated her husband was when she nearly didn't make it. It made him realise that he didn't want to lose me like that man had nearly lost his wife."

"Oh." Castle replied, it was touching but he still felt he could have written better; done better.

"Well, congratulations to you both. I hope you have a very happy wedding, unfortunately I'll be out of town that weekend." He couldn't read Kate's expression, her back was turned to him as she set the flowers on the shelf and her body language wasn't revealing much.

"It is a bit short notice." She admitted. "But I'd like you to be there."

"I'm sorry, Kate." He turned her around so she was facing him, his hands gripping quite tightly at her forearms. "But I could not sit there and watch you pledge to love and cherish another man; a man other than me for the rest of your life. I just couldn't do it."

Kate opened her mouth and shut it again, seeing the emotional rawness in his bright blue eyes. Her heart ached when she saw how much this was affecting him. Yes, there had been sparks of sexual tension from the beginning and yes, she trusted him with her life but she never really believed that he wanted to be with her in a proper, committed relationship. Part of her had always feared that after the novelty of a sexual relationship had worn off, he would get bored of her and move along like he often did with other women. She had no idea of the real depth of his feelings for her and was only now getting a true glimpse. She had wanted to believe that he could really love her and make her really happy.

"Answer me one thing," Castle said when a good full minute of silence had gone by. "Why did you say yes?"

"I love him." She replied, but it sounded defensive to them both.

"That's all I needed to know." He released her from his grip and turned away to leave.

"Wait, Rick!" Kate seized his arm and pulled him back. "I said yes because he makes me feel safe and happy and loved. It's no secret that I'm getting older, thirty five isn't far away now and I want a husband and children and a home. I said yes because I want all of that and Josh offered. But mainly I said yes, because if I'm married to someone else I can stop thinking about what it would like to be with you all the time."

It wasn't often that Rick Castle was left speechless but this was one of those rare times. He opened his mouth but no words came out. "Kate, I...I don't know what to say except that I love you and I want all those same things you want but with just one difference, I want them with you."

She swallowed. "Rick, what are you saying?"

"If you love Josh and you want to marry him then do it. I only want you to be happy. But if you have any doubts, any doubts at all about him being the one for you, please give me a chance. I would do anything to make you happy, to give you what you want."

He leaned down and kissed her very gently on the lips, knowing very well that it might be the very last chance he ever got to do it.

"I'll let you think about it."

He made a move to walk away and this time Kate did not stop him. She didn't know what to think, let alone what to say to him. She sighed, sliding down the kitchen cabinet to sit on the floor, her head in her hands. Josh would be home soon and she did not have a clue what she was going to say to him.

Lost in thought as he was, Castle barely remembered his journey home. One moment he had been leaving Kate's apartment and the next he seemed to be arriving outside his. Letting himself inside he went and poured a generous measure of expensive whiskey. It was supposed to be for special occasions but right now he needed it. The liquid burned his throat but he welcomed the slight sting of pain. The rest of him felt numb and confused; very confused. The things he had said to Kate he had meant with all of his heart, yet part of him was still surprised that he had openly admitted them to her when he had never really acknowledged them to himself before. He knew what he wanted though. He wanted her, always. He didn't know what he would do if his words didn't change Kate's mind and she went ahead with her marriage to Josh. Perhaps he would extend this summer's trip to the Hamptons indefinitely. He certainly knew he wouldn't be able to write about Nikki Heat without her in his life, two weeks away from her had proved as much.

His cell phone rang as he was debating a second glass of liquor. Kate's picture came up on the display and he smiled in spite of his current heartache. The photograph was so natural and candid, he had snapped it while Kate was laughing at something Ryan or Esposito had said. He wished they could go back to those simpler, happier times but then he realised that things between him and Kate had never really been simple or easy.

"Can I come over?" She asked without preamble.

"Uh, of course."

There was silence on the line, both of them waiting for the other to speak.

"I ended it, Rick." She finally said. "I called off the engagement and gave Josh his ring back."

He noticed that he hadn't be breathing while she said those words and let the breath out slowly.

"Kate, I love you." He said, not really knowing what to say. He was beyond ecstatic that Kate was no longer engaged to Josh but she didn't exactly sound happy.

"I'll be there in half an hour." Was her reply and she hung up, leaving cancelled still confused.

The thirty minutes that it took for Kate to get to his apartment were hell for Rick. He thought he would tidy up the place but realised there was very little to do. He debated making coffee but he was jumpy enough already. The Times crossword didn't hold his attention either so he settled for pacing the strip of carpet by the front door instead. If Martha had been there she would have told him to stop, that he would wear out the carpet, even though it was his own home.

Finally she arrived and Rick noticed that for the first time he felt uneasy around her. He didn't appreciate it at the time, but this one meeting was the make or break point of their entire relationship and future together.

"Hi." Kate looked as awkward as he felt.

"Hi. Thanks for coming."

"Rick, I, we need to talk." He nodded, leading her to the couch. They sat at opposite ends with a wide neutral zone in the middle. "I know I was all set to marry Josh until you turned up and I know I said I wanted marriage and children with someone I could grow old with, and I do. I'm just not sure I am actually ready for it. With Josh, he offered it to me and I thought it was what I was supposed to want and have, so I said yes. I don't want to rush into anything with you too soon."

He absorbed her words. "When I said I wanted to have a future with you, I didn't mean right now. We don't have to go rushing down the aisle or starting picking out baby names. I want to be with you, Kate. I want to see how things go with the two of us, just spending time together and enjoying each other. The rest will work itself out later." He was surprised to see tears from in Kate's eyes. He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly in his.

"I think I love you too, Rick."

He brought their twined hands up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. "That's sounds like a good place to start."