A/N: So, I decided to write another story about the whole "I love you" thing but I approached it differently. You know, another scenario that could happen. I also really needed a Lanie/Kate girls night out, so I wrote one. I hope you like it. Also, I just wanted to ask: if anyone knows of a good fic for "Cuffed", can you please send it to me? I've been searching, but I can't find any!
Anyway, please read and review. Hope you enjoy it!
"Cut it out!" - Kate gave Lanie's hand a friendly slap. They we're at The Old Haunt after a long day of work.
"What? I'm just saying you shouldn't waste your time thinking about Castle but actually being with Castle."
"Lanie, it is not that simple and you know it!"
"Of course it is, you just like to complicate things cause you're afraid of getting hurt. Newsflash, Katherine, it doesn't mean you're actually going to get hurt."
"And what if that's exactly it, huh?" - she felt a single tear starting to form at the corner of her eye but kept it from falling - "What if the idea of dating him and possibly getting hurt because of him scares me to death? What if even thinking about how complicated it can get and how I can screw it up makes me want to die? What if I'm not good enough for him?"
"Kate, if you never try, you'll never know. What if he's the one who's not good enough for you, huh? Did you ever think about that?"
"Lanie, that's not possible. I'm damaged goods, ok? I can't be in a relationship with him right now."
"Honey, he can make it better. He can fix you. You don't want to be an old lady with thirteen cats thinking 'I should've kissed him when I could'."
"I did kiss him. And it was amazing. And till this day I can't get over it."
"You... you what?"
"I kissed him. He kissed me, actually." she let a small smile form in the corners of her mouth.
"Again, what?"
"When Ryan and Esposito we're kidnapped, we couldn't get past the security guard. We either shot him and alarmed everyone in there or called for backup, which would cause the same thing. Either way, they'd both be dead. So Castle had an idea..."
"Yes?"
"We pretended to be drunk. But that wasn't working and I was reaching for my gun when Castle slapped my hand away, brought his hand to the back of my neck and kissed me."
"Oh, he didn't!"
"Yeah, he did. And when I started to kiss back, I found myself confused so I pulled away. When I finally understood what he was doing I kissed him again and..."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! You guys kissed twice?" Kate could sense the hurt in her voice now.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I really am."
"Kate, it's been almost a year."
"Lanie, I had a boyfriend back then, I couldn't tell anyone, ok? I'm so sorry."
"How could you? You know me better than to hide this kind of thing from me."
"Again, Lanie, I'm sorry."
"You know how I get, you can't just hide this from me, wait a year to tell me, not give me details and..."
"You want details? Ok, details! It was the best kiss I've ever had, ok? I never had something like this. Not with Tom, not with Will and definitely not with Josh." Kate said, nearly crying. "I can still feel it sometimes, you know? Sometimes I just let myself think about it. About how safe I felt, about how I can still taste it, about how insanely good it was? About how much I want it to happen again, about how perfect and handsome and sweet and a good kisser he is? About how damaged I am and how every single night I go to sleep thinking about it. You know, when we we're undercover at a club just a couple of weeks or so after the kiss and I caught him checking me out, I wanted to tease him enough so that he would just grab me and kiss me? How on Valentine's Day I didn't want to go to a romantic dinner with Josh, but with him? How when we got trapped in the freezer I nearly told him how I really felt about him? How when that bomb almost blew up and I thought I was going to die I was glad that at least I'd die by his side, not anyone else's?" She was now practically sobbing. "How I almost went to bed with him in L.A.? And how guilty and angry at myself I felt when I actually didn't sleep with him?"
"You what?"
"How after he got out of that bank alive last month all I wanted to do was to kiss him senseless? And how cute he looked in that Elvis outfit and how much I just wanted to hug him and cry last week when I went crazy about that sniper case? I feel it, Lanie. That feeling people say they get when they find their one and done? I feel it with him." - She swallowed hard because she almost couldn't believe what she was about to say. - "And when I got shot and he leaned on top of me as I bled out and he begged me to stay alive and told me he loved me..." – Lanie's eyes popped out - "I wished so bad that I wasn't almost dying just so that I could get the chance to kiss him, to have him hold me in his arms, to tell him I loved him too and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him though I still don't think I'm good enough."
"Kate?" - They both turned around and saw him. Yes, him. Richard Castle was standing there and it appeared as if he had just heard the entire thing.
"Rick?" She quickly wiped her tears away.
"You actually... how do you? How long have you..." He couldn't really find the right words. "You remember?"
She nodded shyly.
"You lied to me?"
"I'm so sorry, Rick. I know you're probably so angry at me that you don't want to ever see me again. I just couldn't deal with this right away and I should've told you, you deserved to know."
"Yes, I'm mad, but I will never not want to see you."
"Good, because I wouldn't be able to stand that."
"You... you love me?" he asked hopefully though he already knew the answer and pulled her close to him.
"I do. How could you not notice that? I love you more than anything in this world." she smiled. "And I'm never going to be good enough for you but I can't stop myself. I can't fight it anymore."
"What? Kate, you're the most beautiful, intelligent, sexy, perfect woman I've ever seen my whole life." - he looked at the medical examiner behind them who was already crying. - "Sorry, Lanie!"
"That's ok."
He returned his gaze to Kate. "I love you. I love you, Kate, and I always will."
"I love you too. So much." she smiled.
He pulled her in for a passionate kiss.
As the medical examiner watched her best friend finally be with the man of her dreams, she let herself wonder. Kate's words echoed through her mind "I feel it, Lanie. That feeling people say they get when they find their one and done? I feel it with him."
Lanie sighed. "I feel it too." she whispered to herself as she got the phone and texted Javier a sorry "I miss you".
A/N: Thank you for reading it! Hope you liked it and don't forget to review.
