She stepped slowly off the plate, holding her breath, her eyes locked on the orange line marking off the danger zone. One foot off, she stumbled into his arms, breathing in a sigh of relief and him. She tilted her head into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply. "You stayed," she said, her voice wavering, a subtle mix of awe, affection, frustration, and appreciation rolled into two words. He held her shoulders gently as he pushed separated them just far enough for him to bend down his head and make eye contact, raising his hand to the back of her head so she had no choice but to face him head on. "Where else would I be?" He asked before returning her smile and pulling her back to his chest, rocking slightly.
"Thank you," she sighed, melting into him. He pulled her tighter and whispered an "always" into her hair.
She felt him shudder slightly and she pulled back, her questioning look replaced immediately with one of concern as she saw his crumpled face, struggling to maintain composure. She reached her hand slowly to his cheek and this time it was her forcing him to meet her eyes, glistening with tears. "You almost…" he started, looking towards the ceiling as the words trailed off.
Kate looked at him tenderly and waited patiently for him to lower his eyes back to hers. "But I didn't. We didn't." and she raised herself on her toes, pressing her lips against his. His arms around her waist lifted her slightly off the ground, crushing her to his chest. "We're still here." she said, wriggling slightly to loosen his grip which he did with a slight huff of laughter. He spun her quickly so she pressed against the wall behind them.
"We're still here" he reaffirmed before catching her lips in a kiss that left her moaning into his mouth, toes curled. He pulled back slightly, panting, "Together."
"Always," she replied, pulling him back to her impatiently, opening her mouth to him and she clutched one hand at his shoulder and the other passing through his hair. His hand at the small of her back pulled in and up, bringing their bodies still closer together, her left leg wrapped lightly around his calf and as his hand reached down to unvelcro her vest, they both froze in response to a throat clearing.
"We've got to, uh, deal with the bomb now. You guys should probably head out." said the head of the bomb unit, hiding a smile and looking anywhere but at the two of them wrapped tightly around one another. Kate lowered her leg and hid her head in Castle's chest. Then she lifted her chin and faced him. "Right, bomb. Thanks for all of your help. Be careful," shaking his hand firmly and, blushing, heading down the stairs her hand left hand still tightly clasped in Castles.
They were two flights down with one more to go when Castle pulled her hand, bringing her to a stop. She looked back at him confused. She could see the dust motes swirling in the light from outside, hear the bustle of the cops waiting for them. He placed both hands firmly on her shoulders, turning her to face down as he moved a few steps below her, bringing them to eye level.
He took a deep breath, composing himself, before meeting her eyes. "Enough of this. Enough of the dying declarations, the not acknowledging what we have until we've almost lost it. I don't care who fell for who first, I can't even pinpoint when I fell in love you. The sensation was so complete and overwhelming it hit me out of nowhere, it built out of banter and friendship and partnership and no small amount of lust until one day it knocked me off my feet how remarkable you are. The way I feel when you look at me. That day I made that list. Marry me. I…" and Kate cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips.
"Castle," she said stepping down under their bodies were flush and then arching her back slightly to look him in the eyes. "I'm not saying anything until I see the ring," delicately arching one eyebrow before snaking her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"Beckett," he mumbled into her mouth. She hummed in response. "I started looking the day you told me I could pull off the zombie makeup." And at that she laughed. A deep throaty laugh that left him grinning at her, clearly satisfied with her response. "I bought it my first free moment after you showed up dripping wet on my doorstop."
She rolled her eyes and muttered "so sure of yourself" before she kissed him once more, chastely, and took his hand again. "Come on, let's continue this later," her airy tone and brief wink belying the frantic beating of her heart. He stumbled after her down the flight of stairs before squeezing her hand as they plunged into the sunlight.