Hello! Here's a little OS I wrote in French back in 2011 in French and I just translated it so English Esplanie fans can read it. I think 3x13 totally deserved an Esplanie scene and I wanted Lanie's reaction to what happened to Ryan and Esposito soooo bad! So...here's what I wrote. And also because I LOVE when Lanie takes care of him and we really need to see that in the show lol... Hope you'll enjoy. Again, I apologize for the mistakes if there is a few, I really try to do my best.

Enjoy your reading =)

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When a smiling Lanie Parish opened the door of her apartment and saw Javier Esposito on her doorstep, a bandage around his neck, and looking totally shot down, her gorgeous smile froze quickly.

Javier noticed she was wearing his favorite black nightie, the one he especially loved. Her long black hair was perfectly straightened and she even had blackened her beautiful eyes a little ; She had made herself beautiful for their date.

But seeing the bandage on his neck had made her smile vanished and she didn't seem to wanna have fun anymore.

"Oh my god, Javi? But what ... "

"Don't worry… It looks worse than it really is. It's nothing. " Javier said, raising his hand, as he entered her apartment. Lanie looked at him as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

"It's nothing… you explain me? "She dryly replied. She was always dry like that when she was worried.

He nodded, approaching her.

"If you want. But right after that. "he whispered, leaning towards her. He kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"The best moment of the day. "He smiled when he broke away from her lips. Lanie smiled slightly, but her gaze remained serious.

"Now tell me… What happened? "She asked gently laying his finger on the wound on his neck.

Javier sighed.

"Long story…""We screw up on the case… that's all you need to know ... But Castle and Beckett are okay... That said, Ryan is worse. '

"Worse how? '

"He almost died drowned. We both almost died...but we didn't." He concluded in a tiny chuckle.

Lanie crossed her arms and angrily stared at him.

"Esposito, I'm about to you give you the biggest slap of your whole life. " She threw, upset.

"Nah don't do it, you might hurt my neck..." he replied, smiling at her lovingly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Well you'd deserve it, really. '

Then, she started studying his injured neck.

"What is it, exactly? '

Javier shrugged.

"A sort of burning ... a guy shook a belt around my neck, I almost suffocated...and the leather burned my skin.'

She looked at him more tenderly.

"Poor baby…and what did they give you at the hospital?

Javier took the prescription out of his jacket and handed it to her. Lanie quickly read it in detail and sighed.

"That's a lot of medication."

"Yeah, I almost passed out with the pills they already gave me... '

"You've been to the drug store already? '

"Nope… I wanted to see you so bad ..."

Lanie gave him the look.

"That was stupid."She retorted, making him chuckle.

"Thank you, glad to see you too."

"When someone gives you a prescription, the first thing to do is to pick up the drugs, Javi!'

"Yes, doc. I promise to go first thing tomorrow morning. '

"You're lucky, I have everything you need here. "

Lanie added, folding the prescription in her hand.

" You already have taken the painkillers at the hospital, right? "She added.

"Yep."

"Good. You'll take the next one within three hours. And now, you're going to bed." She ordered. Javier nodded with a smile.

"Yeah ... I think I'm going to collapse soon..."

"Doesn't surprise me."

"I'm sorry Lain…I feel bad to cancel our little date…"

"Shh" she replied, shaking her head. "You're not cancelling anything."

"Yeah ... but it shouldn't happen like that ..."

Lanie frowned.

"So what? Who cares ...What matters now is that you have some rest, we will catch up on what we were supposed to do later." She smiled. He smiled back and ran a hand through her long hair.

"Even forgot to tell you how beautiful you are tonight." He whispered, mesmerized by her beauty.

Lanie put her hand on his cheek stroked it gently.

"You scared me ... you know that? "She whispered, staring intensely at every inch of his skin.

Javier said nothing but stared into her eyes, speechless. Then, she suddenly removed her hand and smacked him quickly on the same cheek.

"Ouch…" he frowned.

"Don't you ever do that to me again ..." she added simply, before going away to her room.

Esposito looked at her with an half-smile, amazed by the fact she actually dared to slap him, even if it wasn't a big one. Still smiling, he followed her to her bedroom.

…

Nearly three hours had passed. Javier Esposito couldn't sleep anymore, despite the fact that he was physically exhausted, which was quite weird. Instead, he lit his lamp and start watching Lanie sleeping, tirelessly. She slept on the left side of the bed, her breathing slow and serene. Javier kept watching her sleep for many minutes. He could not get tired of her curves, her long hair that hid her face a little, the slight noises she made when she breathed asleep ... He just couldn't believe he was there, sleeping in the bed of Dr. Parish, he started dating a few months ago…Almost three. All this time with Lanie was the most pleasant months of his whole life. Because with her, he was never bored. He felt alive. Lanie Parish was gorgeous, even sexy, intelligent, witty and incredibly interesting. Never a girl had let him in such a state. He was completely hooked on her.

Suddenly, he saw her moving a little and turning her head slightly towards him.

"Not sleeping? "She muttered with a tired voice, barely opening her sleepy eyes.

"I'd rather look at you. You're so cute when you sleep. "He smiled.

Lanie opened her eyes and smiled. Then she slowly sat against her pillow.
"No Lanie, go back to sleep, you…" he started, shaking his head, embarrassed to be the cause she was now awake...but didn't finish.

"Too late." She eyed him with a smile. Leaning into her pillow, she quickly looked at her alarm clock, then turned back her head towards him.

"Almost three am…you have to take your pills, and disinfect the wound if you don't want it to get even uglier tomorrow" she half smiled, still a bit serious…she always was when she was talking about medicine.

Javier nodded and was about to get up when Lanie put her soft hand on his bare arm.

"Don't, I'll go."

"Lanie, I can…"

"Stay in bed if you don't want me to smack you again." she finished for him.

"Okay." He laughed.

He looked at her while she left the room for a few seconds. Then she returned, holding a small black leather case.

"Woa…looks like a real doctor's briefcase." He teased her as she climbed onto bed, on the right, where he was leaning. She sat near to him, so near that she almost was sitting on his thighs.

"Well, maybe because I am a real doctor."

"That'd make sense." He smiled, as she opened her briefcase. She pulled out a stethoscope and Javi's eyes widened.

"You really think it's necessary?"

She gave him the look.

"You have suffered an emotional trauma tonight ... You've got to tachycardia, must be careful with that. "She explained as she put the stethoscope on the bed.

"But for now you're going to take this ..." she added, taking out a plate of a painkillers from her briefcase. She immediately put three pills in his mouth and he let her doing it, silently. Then, she handed him his glass of water, which was on the nightstand.

When had sipped the water and swallow the pills, she put the empty glass on the table and took out cotton and antiseptic to disinfect the wound.

"Still hurting?" she asked, gently removing his bandage.

"It burns, actually."He admitted, and gnashed his teeth when the bandage was removed. Lanie didn't stop looking at his wound for a few seconds. The skin was burnt indeed…Very red, and a little mattery.

"It's okay. It's not that bad." She whispered, with a reassuring voice.

"I trust you, chica ..." he replied with a smile, mesmerized by her.

Lanie tried to ignore his eyes on her so she could focus, and she put a disinfectant lotion on a cotton, then she put it on his neck, gently. But the sensation of the frozen liquid on his burn made him suffer way more than he wanted to show.

"Damn...it hurts..." he moaned.'

"Next time you won't be such a badass " she mocked him.

"Not funny…"

"Oh come on, detective ... nobody would believe you were a soldier..."

"Hey, stop being mean." he replied, yet without being angry. Lanie smiled even more and and kept taking care of his wound. Silence settled for a few seconds while the detective was staring at her intently, without blinking. Her eyes, nose, mouth ... every inch of her beautiful face.

After a few seconds, Lanie noticed his look and knocked away her gaze from his wound to his eyes.

"What."

He frowned.

"What what?"

"Why are you looking at me like that, Esposito?"

He shrugged.

"Oh, dunno... Maybe because I love you ..."

Lanie stopped dabbing his injury, taken aback by his words. She stared at him with widened eyes.

"What…did you just say? ' she stammered. He slowly stroke her arm and took a deep breath.

"I love you, Lanie Parish. "

Then he grabbed her hands.

"You know when I was tortured tonight ... The only face I was seeing was yours. And my only fear was to die before I told you what I feel about you. '

Not daring to interrupt, Lanie felt chills spread through her entire body. He always did this to her, but that night, much more than usual.

"I've never been so happy since we're together. You make me laugh and just…feel better, each day …You're the best thing that ever happened to me...the sexiest thing, too..." he smiled, making her roll her eyes and slightly laugh.

"I love when you laugh...and not only when you laugh…I just...love you like crazy." he mouthed with a sigh.

Esposito was still looking at her when he managed to identify some tears in her deep eyes. She bit her lip, preventing herself from becoming more emotional.

"Javi ..." she stammered, placing her hands on his cheeks. She hastily approached his face to his and kissed him passionately. Esposito immediately answered her kiss, pulled her closer, running his hands through her long black hair.

When they parted a few seconds after languorous exchanges, he leaned his forehead to hers.

"Means you love me too, right? "

She nodded, smiling.

"Pretty much." she said with a mischievous smile. "What you just told me, baby...nobody told me the same before. I mean, not like that...it's just...so cute." she stammered.

"So after saying that, you better watch out even more and don't you dare getting hurt again like tonight, okay?" again like tonight, okay? Otherwise I'll kill you myself and believe me, I will." She added, giving him her special "angry Lanie Parish" look.

Javier chuckled.

"Oh I know you'll do it ... you're ruthless with me ... "He whispered, before kissing her on the forehead. Then Lanie grabbed her stethoscope, and slipped the tip into his ears, then began to listen to his heart beating. In contact with the cold metal on his bare chest, Javier jumped slightly.

"Your heart's still beating fast ..." Lanie noticed, keeping attention to his slightest pulsation.

" Not because of the case...you make it beat like that ..." Javier replied giving her a wink. Utterly charmed by his reply, the ME chuckled and quickly took off her stethoscope just before swinging it far on the bed.

"Excellent diagnostic, Doctor Esposito ..." she whispered with an adorable smile just before jumping on him to capture his lips with hers again.

The End

Aren't they cute? :) I think it's possible they didn't use the "three words" before this episode, because in 3x12 they're only dating for about 2 months. So I love to imagine he told her he loved her after what happened in 3x13! Hope you liked it as well! Esplanie forever :D