The first chapter is a recap of their last scene in "Always" . The following chapters will fill in the gaps of what happened that night. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Castle deleted the murderboard from the smartscreen. He felt hollow and angry, helpless at the choice Beckett had made, knowing he couldn't stop, or save her. But he could do this. He could stop trying to pretend that he had any control or influence over Beckett. Over the fate that she was inviting.

He looked up, suprised, when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and slid right back into righteous anger and misery as he faced Beckett. He didn't want to deal with her tonight. "Beckett, what do you want?"

Kate stood there, the rain water pooling around her feet, as she found her courage in the ravages of his face.

"You," she stated simply. She stepped inside and pushed him back. Her hands moved to his face as she rose on her toes to kiss him.

Ric stood poleaxed, stunned into inaction as Kate pressed her lips to his. His anger and his mind wiped clean for the moment, all he could was hold onto her shoulders and try to find his breath as she lifted her lips from his.

"I'm sorry, Castle." She quelled the panic she felt that he hadn't kissed her back as she touched her forehead to his, apologizing for her accusations of betrayal, for her reckless determination without considering him. "I'm so sorry." She cupped his face in her hands, knowing she was also apologizing for the past year and what she'd put him through. "I'm so sorry."

Rick closed his eyes as she kissed him once again. He could hear his breathing getting choppy as he responded to her touch, but his mind was catching up to the moment, promising though it was. He pushed her back as she reached for him, making her look him in the eyes. He could feel himself soften as he watched a lone tear track down her cheek. "What happened?"

There he was, she thought with relief. Her Rick. Not the angry stranger who'd answered the door. "He got away and I didn't care." She saw the import of that statement on his face. "I almost died tonight on that rooftop and all I could think about was you."

She stepped forward once again and reached up tentatively for a kiss, keeping her eyes open as she gauged her welcome."I just want you."

Castle stared into her eyes, looking for the truth of it, the promise of what she was saying. And what he saw shattered the wall he'd begun to build around his heart.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her with all the love, fear, and frustration he'd carried with him since he'd said goodbye. He wasn't even aware of moving until they slammed against the front door, shutting it closed. Even that barely blipped on his radar. Their last kiss had just been a ploy to rescue Ryan and Esposito and it had easily been one of the best moments of his life.

But this...even he couldn't write a kiss like this. There weren't enough adjectives in the English language to do it justice.

Oh, thank god. Kate closed her eyes as passion and relief flooded her system. He still wanted her. She'd never had anyone kiss her like this before. She could feel his own relief and desperation as he kept her pinned to the door and drove her crazy with his mouth against her skin.

He couldn't get close enough. He relished the feel of her pressed against him, the taste of her, the heat of her a dizzying contrast against the cold wetness of her clothes. He wanted all of her at once and couldn't keep his hands from either running over her or clutching her to him.

They pulled back a fraction when Castle slowly unbuttoned her shirt, running his hands along her collar bone and down, separating the edges until both her bra and her wound were visible.

Kate watched him as he gazed at the bullet scar on her sternum. She knew he was thinking about losing her...and loving her. To help bring him back to the present, she took one of his big hands and placed them at the sides of her breasts even as she touched his face, leaning in for a slow, sweet kiss and bringing him back to her.

She pulled back and smiled at him. He looked back at her, dazed. So serious, she thought. Like he couldn't quite believe this was real. Well, she could fix that.

With one last kiss and a smile, she took one of his hands and wove their fingers together, then stepped away to lead him to his bedroom.