"What are you doing up?" Martha asked as she walked into Castle's office.

"I would ask you the same thing…" he replied, watching his mother take off her coat and set her purse on the table next to his couch, "but I really don't think I want to know."

She winked at him then looked at his computer screen. It was blank. "You're not writing."

"Nope."

"What then? Everything OK."

He looked at her, trying to decide if he should tell her or not. Finally he sighed. "I kissed Beckett." He blurted out, looking disgusted with himself.

"What!"

"It was when we were trying to rescue Ryan and Esposito. We were trying to get past the guard outside and we needed a distraction."

"And…"

"And she was going to shoot the guy. I pulled her to me and kissed her."

"What did she do?"

"At first she pulled away and looked at me."

"At first?"

"Yeah, but then she kissed me. It was…" He was reliving the moment, feeling a rush of desire, and so much more.

"It was what?" Martha demanded, sitting on the arm of the couch and smiling broadly.

"Mother, I can't stop thinking about it." He sat next to her. "It was…it went so far beyond anything I have ever felt before." He stared straight ahead, trying to find the words. "I can't describe it."

"Sure you can." She took his hands and turned his face toward hers. "You are in love. Admit it to yourself…finally."

"I've been in love before."

"Have you?" She asked, a knowing look on her face.

"I've been married twice."

"I know. Did you feel this way with Gina?"

Castle shook his head.

"Meredith?"

He started to answer, then thought another minute. "Nothing like it." He confessed. "We had a lot of fun, in the beginning. We liked the same things, for a while."

"Would you have volunteered to follow her around for years and risk your life just to be near her?" Martha touched her son's cheek.

"I used to look forward to her working on location." He looked embarrassed. "Probably not a symptom of true love, huh?"

Martha smiled. "You need to tell her."

"She has a boyfriend."

Martha shrugged. "Maybe they aren't as serious as you think."

Castle stared at her.

"You left for months with your ex-wife. She is a gorgeous young woman. What was she supposed to do? Sit around like a nun, waiting for you to decide you want her?"

"Yes." He said emphatically.

Martha laughed. "Darling, you have never been one to sit around and wait for things to happen to you. You go out and get what you want. Do you want Kate Beckett?"

He looked at the floor for a few seconds then raised his eyes to hers. "Yes." He said quietly. "More than anything I have ever wanted in my life."

"So make it happen."

He kissed his mother on the cheek. "Every now and then you do earn your keep around here."

She hugged him tightly.