It was October 21st, the wind blew strongly all over the Oakwood cemetery and Castle felt miserable. Every time he visited her grave, he didn't know what to do or what to say. He closed his watery eyes and a few tears fall on the ground. He sighed deeply and put the bouquet in the vase.

- "I brought you some lilies. I know they're your favorites" he said, wiping his tears.

The only thing that came to his mind was a very distant memory of his mom

-"Come on honey, you should save those tears for sad moments. Tomorrow I'll buy you a new one". She said those words, while she was picking the pieces of some broken toy.

Rick put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and felt some tiny rounded object on it, which brought him bittersweet memories. He remembered it, as if it had happened yesterday. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx It was December 16th 1999; the temperature was at 29 F°. There was snow all over the place. Rick was throwing stones to the Onondaga Lake. One of those rocks accidently hit a girl that was near to the lakeshore. -"What the hell! Are you out of your mind?" said the girl, who seemed very upset. He turned to the angry girl. He just raised his hand and yelled "sorry" in a childish way. He thought that he knew her from somewhere else, but he couldn't remember. -"You're a jerk!" the girl was really pissed off. That voice was so familiar to Rick. He stared at the girl and suddenly a name came to his mind. -"Kate ?" "Wait! I'm sorry. Are you ok?" he tried to fix his mistake. -"Have we met before?" Kate asked intrigued. -"Yes, at Javi's Halloween party" he answered instantaneously. -"I don't remember you. What is your name?" she replied drastically. -"I do remember you. You were the slutty nurse" he said with a huge smile. When Kate was about to walk away he added "I'm Rick. I was the vampire". "Yeah, right! How you've been? " She replied. -"I've been great, you know, with all this snow and rocks and…" as soon as those words came out of his mouth, his cheeks began to redden; Rick felt like the dumbest person in all Syracuse. -"Yeah, I know you're doing pretty well with the rocks" Kate started laughing at him. -"Yeah, right" He tried to laugh too, but he was really ashamed. -"May I buy you a beer? You know, to patch things up" he added nervously. -"I'm a Mormon, I don't drink. So…" Kate answered with a serious expression on her face. -Rick nodded and replied instantaneously "It… It can be a coffee, right?". -"I can't drink coffee either" she answered. -"Really?" he asked surprised. -"No, I'm just messing with you. I'd love some black Duff". Kate said with sparkling eyes.

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For a moment, Rick forgot that he was on the grave yard. Those memories made him feel alive. A woman that was passing by gave him a disapproving look. Then he realized that he was smiling at the ring like a wacky person. He had forgotten the last time she had smiled. He noticed that the ring had a scratch, but it wasn't just a scratch. It had the same shape of the scar in Kate's leg. All of a sudden, another memory came to him.

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It was the summer of 2002; Rick and Kate were vacationing in Long Island. Rick wasn't a beach guy, but Kate loved the sun and the wind in her face. They were lying in the sand, watching the sea when a bunch of kids started running near them. Kate adored seeing so many children playing and laughing. -"I would like to have 3 children" She let her thought out. Rick's face turned pale as soon as he heard those words. -"THREE? Don't you think it is too many kids, babe?" he squealed. -"No, I think three is enough. So they could dress up as the three musketeers and play together. I don't know. Things like that." She replied with a huge smile on her face. Rick loved seen her radiant smile, but three children was an insane idea. -"Kate, what if God send us just one kid? Don't you think it'll be better to focus all our attention in one child? I mean, my parents raised six children and they were a total mess" he said. -"But you went well and your siblings too". She confusedly replied. -"What? Are you kidding me?" he yelled. When she was about to walk away to avoid the fight, a piece of metal of the chair cut the skin of her calf. -"Ouch! What is that?" she said. - "Let me see. Something cut you" he answered. - "I think we should go to the hospital. That doesn't look good" he added instantaneously. -"Come on Rick, it's just a scratch. It's not a big deal" she replied while she was putting a bandage on her leg. -"You just like to contradict me in everything, don't you?" he said bitterly.

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His phone rang and Rick came back to the reality. It was a text message from his boss, but he didn't pay much attention. The white lilies of the grave reminded him, the white sheets of the hospital's bed. Kate really hated hospitals. She was furious when he took her to a hospital, so that a doctor attends the injury of her leg. The doctor began to do routine testing to Kate to check that everything was normal. Rick didn't understand why the doctor did so many tests if it was a minor injury in the leg. He and Kate were sitting in the same room for hours, waiting for the tests result; but none of them said a word until the doctor came in the room and gave them a shocking notice

-"Mrs. Beckett, the result of your tests shows a malignant tumor in your left lung" the doctor said softly.

Before the doctor could say something else, Rick asked with nervousness "But she will get better, right? There's a treatment for that? ".

-"As a matter of fact Mr. Castle, there is a treatment but is…" the doctor couldn't finish his sentence, because he was interrupted by Rick "Well, let's do this! When can she start the treatment?" He said effusively.

-"Castle! Let the doctor tell what he came to say." Kate replied abruptly.

-"As I was telling you, the treatment is very aggressive Mrs. Beckett and it would leave permanent side effects like infertility; but as soon as you start the treatment, you'll have more chances to survive. So, you must think about it. I'll give you the appointment for next Saturday. Are you ok with that?" the doctor said soothingly. Kate didn't say a word, she just nodded soundlessly.

After a long ride home, Kate's silent tears began to worry Rick.

"Come on Kate, everything is going to be ok. I'll promise you. The doctor said that there's a treatment. Don't be afraid." Said Rick as he held Kate's hands.

-"This is awful, I have to choose between been a mom or my life. Why is this happening? Why me?" said Kate sobbing.

-"You don't have to choose anything! You're life must be your priority, Kate" he replied seriously.

-"But I've always wanted to have kids, raise them with you, in a beautiful house, with one or two dogs. I just wanted…" Kate was interrupted by Rick.

-"How do you plan to raise children, if you're going to be sick and tired all the time?" She took a deep sigh and answered

-"I don't know. Maybe if I have a child, I will find the strength to get over this".

-"For God sake Kate, don't be ridiculous! You can't…" Rick was interrupted by an enraged Kate.

-"Ridiculous? Ridiculous is that freaking treatment that will leave me infertile! And I can have a child, of course I can and I'm going to do it with or without you".

-"What? You're definitely out of your mind!" said Rick agitatedly.

-"Are you seriously considering cheating on me just to have a kid?" Rick seemed disappointed.

-"I'm not going to cheat on you, but you know I want to have children. So, you're in or you're out?" said Kate as she caressed Rick's face.

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Four years later, Castle visited Kate's grave; he left a bouquet of white lilies and a photo of the second birthday of their son Matthew.

END