Disclaimer: I do not own the characters!

A/N: So this is a five part story that I think might be a good season 5 premiere. I may be the only person in the fandom that didn't like the finale, though in my defense, I may be full of it! I wasn't going to write anything else for Castle, but a friend of mine challenged me to do this, and as I did, I rediscovered how much I loved Richard Castle and Kate Beckett.

It is equal parts case, relationship, and healing. I get five parts to solve JB's case and keep Caskett together and out of one. Should be a fun ride! I've written three parts of the story already, and I'll have them up soon. Enjoy!

Omnia Vincit Amor

Part I

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.—Judy Garland

For one of the few times in her life, Kate Beckett was scared, "I can't believe you talked me into this."

Tethered to the man she loved, she looked into the eyes of Richard Castle, "I am a master of words."

When she looked down on the beautiful blue lagoon two-hundred feet below them, she marveled at the place she had achieved in this life. She was standing with Richard Castle at 'The Rock', twenty minutes outside of Ottawa, and she was terrified. Two-hundred feet down!

"No, somehow you made me do this!"

"Since when have I been able to make you do anything?"

"Oh, I am certain that you did something."

"I must really be good then."

"I will of course, say nothing to that."

Castle moved his arms to Kate's back as the instructor continued to tether them to each other and to the cliff, "Beckett, you should embrace my…adventurous side!"

Kate smirked at Rick, "I thought I did that last night?"

"Oh yeah…that was…"

"Focus, Castle. Two-hundred foot drop remember?"

Even Rick was a little frightened now as he looked down, "Right, gotcha."

The instructor turned to both of them, "We are secure. Are you both ready?"

Kate nearly turned white, "I am literally going to die a painful death."

"I am totally ready!"

"Oh sure, the kid has no qualms about a giant rubber band."

"Try not to think about it like that."

"How am I supposed to think about it?"

"We are diving in together…"

Castle wriggled his eyes at Kate and then tipped them over the edge of the cliff, and as he did, Kate gripped Rick's back with her hands and closed her eyes. As they began their rapid descent together, Kate screamed, "CASTLE!"

6 days prior…

As Michael Weaver, the man who now existed as Mr. Smith, sat tied to a chair in his own house; he knew this would be his end. And now, none of it mattered…

Cole Maddux was cool and calm, "So, Michael…if I can call you that now. Let's make this so easy, even you could understand. I need all of the files Montgomery sent you and all the evidence you have about my employer, and you need not to feel an excruciating amount of pain."

"You can't possibly think that is going to force me to give you the files, right? Threatening me?"

For a moment, Cole considered his move, and then with a cool certainty, placed his gun just above Michael's knee and pulled the trigger. The scream which came from Michael's mouth reverberated throughout the house, and though Cole hated to do this, hated physical violence, this was a pleasant compromise.

When Michael calmed down a little, though still seethed and moaned at the pain, Cole spoke again, "I don't threaten Mr. Weaver. When I say I am going to put Beckett in the ground, I mean it."

Cole then kneeled down next to Michael and allowed his gun to caress Michael's face. With the barrel, he quietly and calmly drew patterns, "And when I say I am going to get the files, I mean that too."

Through gritted teeth, Michael Weaver looked the devil in the eyes, and began to laugh. A full hearty sound filled the opulent house in lower Maryland, "You…you think…you can get…them all! I have contingency…upon…contingency. You may get two, you might even get three, but you will never get them all. Your employer will fall, just like all the rest. Killing me…only speeds his descent."

Cole stood from his perch next to Michael Weaver and saw the futility of his mission, "Well, at least you will not be alive to see it."

With that, Cole Maddox raised his gun to Michael Weavers head and pulled the trigger.

"Sir, Smith is dead. And we have a problem."

The next morning…

Well this is certainly unexpected. Of course, it's not like she hadn't believed she would end up here some day, but time and circumstances are uncertain variables. Especially after the past month. The past month, that ends today.

They are in bed together, Rick snoring softly next to her, with his arms firmly wrapped around her stomach as if she might run if he lets her go. There are so many things they still have to deal with, things that passion and sex and love simply do not fix, but she realizes then that this one will be easy. She won't run from him, she has never run from a fight or a challenge, and this turn of events will be no different.

Of course, she did run from her job, from her obsession, and that is something she will have to deal with. She wonders why it was so much easier to run towards destruction than love, why it was always easier to chase this case, and allow herself to be chased by this man.

The room is bathed in the soft glow of a full moon, and as she lies there clad in only her black panties and he in his batman boxers, she feels his breath constantly crawl along the back of her neck. They came together in a storm, the thunder rolled through the loft and them when they finally came together, but she senses that their passion was only the eye of the hurricane. When she feels him stir lightly behind her, when his soft snoring ceases, she lies in his arms reveling in this brief respite.

She wants to ride out the hurricane, she wants desperately to find the other side, but the difference this time is that she wants to do all of that with him, justice for her mother be damned. She isn't worried what that makes her on this day, this day of all days, because she knows that her happiness lies on the other end of the clouds. And finally, after 14 years, she can see the light.

After a few minutes, the sun begins to shine as it rises over the horizon of another day. He is her light, and hopefully, when the clouds break and the light fully begins to soothe her tattered soul, she will be his too.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Rick."

"This is…so…"

"Wow, I've made the writer speechless. If I'd know this was all I had to do…"

"Damn, you figured out my secret."

"Mmmm hmmm. And the word you're looking for is surreal."

"I can handle that."

When Rick began to move his hands on her stomach, Kate grimaced, "Ow…"

Rick looked up immediately, "Kate?"

"Sorry, just…kinda sore."

"That's not from me, is it?"

"No, no, Rick. It's from…"

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"And I'm not ruggedly handsome."

"Castle…"

"Never did get the full story."

Kate sighed as she came back down, "You want it now?"

"This is my own thing."

"I'm not going anywhere, Castle."

"I don't want you too."

"I know. Neither do I."

"Tell me what happened?"

Kate paused for just a moment and debated how much to tell him. Was she ready to deal with what had happened? Was she ready to deal with what she had done? More importantly, was she ready to put all of her hard work in therapy on display? "I lost control and nearly died. Ryan went to Gates and saved my life."

Rick stiffened just a little, "Esposito?"

"Suspended for two weeks."

"And you?"

"I…well…I resigned."

Rick was shocked to say the least, "What?"

"I'm not a cop anymore, Castle. Guess you will have to find a new muse."

"Not a chance. Kate…"

"I know, Rick. I do. Just….just give me some time to figure this out. You are the only thing that became clear last night. Everything else? I don't know. I just don't. I need time..."

"Time away from me?"

The hurt in his consonance and the vulnerability he revealed to her with so few words tore at her heart. This was something she had to fix, this was something that could not wait, and though she may have made a decision that saved them both, she knew how much those three months meant to the man who wrapped himself around her.

You can fix this Kate; you can do this because he is worth it. He always has been.

Slowly, Kate turned in Rick's arms and looked directly into those dark blue eyes that reminded her of the bluest of lagoons. Her hands clenched in his chest, wishing away the pain they had caused each other, for as he had once restored her heart, she wanted so badly to return the favor. She whispered her plea, "Absolutely not. Not this time. This time, if you want, I'd like to try and figure this out with you by my side."

Castle saw the turmoil and fear in her eyes, he saw the hurt, and everything that she was on grand display. Like a classic novel, page after page of emotion swirled across her beautiful face this Sunday morning, and in that moment, he understood the gravity of what had happened. "You've given up your mom's case and your badge?"

"Yes…"

"And you did that…for us?"

"I don't know why I did it, honestly. None of that matters because all I want is you. This case, this obsession. It burned me alive. It scorched and ruined everything, and while standing in the ashes of a life destroyed by a desire for justice, I knew that all I wanted was you. When I was on that roof, I thought that if I could just end this, if I could bring this case to a close, then maybe we could find our way back to each other. What I finally realized was that I didn't have to win. I didn't want to or care about winning anymore. I just wanted you, and you weren't a prize."

"Is that how you almost died?"

"I was foolish. Maddox was too strong, better trained, and he left me there hanging off the roof of a 13 story building without care. I tried so hard."

"And then you heard my voice?"

"I called for you. I heard your voice as I did, and I swear I thought I heard you. The relief..."

Castle was beginning to put the pieces together, "But it was Ryan?"

Kate nodded, "He was with Gates. When Esposito and I went after Cole, Ryan didn't agree with what we were doing, so we went without him. He saved my life."

"I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"For not being there. For…"

"No, Castle. I chose the case over you. I chose that path. You can't be sorry for not wanting to see me die."

Rick had to make this right, he had to make amends and show Kate that she wasn't alone, though there were times when he had nearly made it the case. "What about for Jacinda? Can I be sorry for that?"

Kate was shocked but smiled for the first time, "Yes, you can."

Castle hated himself for the way he had acted, he knew that while he may have been hurt, it didn't excuse forgetting just how much they all had done for him, "I am sorry, Kate. I didn't think…I didn't think I was punishing you. I hate that I reacted that way."

"We both punished each other, I think. We both failed. I'm just not scared of it anymore, so amends made."

"We are both really sorry, aren't we?"

Kate smiled once again, "Nice pun, writer-boy."

In return, Castle smiled and wrapped his arms around her, his head resting on the top of hers, "This is one of those critical relationship moments isn't it?"

"Yeah…yeah it is."

And then Castle remembered something, "I think it's appropriate that today is mother's day."

Kate teared up once again but this time it was because of the happy memories of someone so close to her, "I went to see her yesterday. I don't really know about heaven or hell, I'm not a philosopher, but I hope that she is proud of what we did last night. I hope she understands. My life is finally my own."

"I've always wanted that for you."

Kate decided to lighten the atmosphere. She knew they had to have this conversation and she knew there were more to come, but ultimately, she sought the light. "You just like saying we are in a relationship."

"Don't you?"

Kate laughed, "It's growing on me."

Rick smiled again and held her closer, if that was possible, "Still wooing you."

"For one thing, you never wooed me because I cannot be wooed, and for another, you don't have to win me, Rick. Like you, I am not a prize."

"I know you aren't. I just love that you are here, now."

Kate looked up into Rick's eyes as her hand found the dark stubble of his face, "I want to be here, Rick. Please…please don't doubt that."

"Kate…"

Kate began to come out from behind the veil, and as she did so, she began to revel in this new thing they had created for themselves. Yet, she needed him to know this, as he needed her to know how sorry he was for doubting her, "No, that's important Castle. I've wanted to be here, in this place with you, for a long time."

Castle's eyes sparkled at her admission, "So what do we do now?"

"Well, I don't think the moonlight is cursed nor is the sun. I don't really know but there is no one I'd rather face that uncertainty with than you."

"This morning keeps getting better." As Rick said this, his lips found her neck and Kate moaned at the sensation.

"Mmmm, you've got to stop doing that."

While continuing to lavish her neck with his mouth, Rick spoke slowly, "Doing…what?"

Kate closed her eyes as her hands began to roam his back and chest, "Kissing me that way. I'm not going to be able to walk."

"Oh does this…or this…or maybe this…do something to you?" At each pause, Rick placed another kiss to a different spot on the half-naked detective.

"Ye…yeah…does this…right here, do anything for you?" Turn about is fair play of course, but touching Rick there was just not fair.

"Oh God, yes…."

As things began to get heated, a loud knock at the door rang out through the loft.

"Dammit…we aren't at the precinct. This shouldn't happen!'

Kate's forehead met Rick's and their eyes met in mirth, "Castle, put a shirt on, I'll get the door."

As she tried to get up, he wrapped his arms around her again and tried to pull her back into bed, "We could…"

As she laughed loudly, another knock interrupted their play. With all the strength she had, Kate grabbed Rick's hands and pulled him up out of bed, "C'mon, I'll fix you breakfast."

"You are going to answer the door and fix me breakfast?"

"Shut-up, Rick."

"Right, shutting up. Just give me a minute?"

Kate smiled, "Of course."

A few moments later….

As a third knock hurried her along, Kate yelled, "Alright, I'm coming!"

When the door sprung open, both of the people were stunned, "Kate?"

"Kevin?"

"Hey…I mean…Beckett?"

Kate laughed at her friend, "Yes, Kevin. We have met."

Ryan was shocked to say the least, and as his hand came up to run through his tired mane, he looked at the relaxed former detective who stood before him in Richard Castle's loft. "No I just mean…I…so…you and Castle?"

Kate couldn't contain the happiness of this morning, "Yeah…come in, please."

Kate stood back and allowed Det. Ryan to enter the loft, "How are you, Kevin?"

"I thought about asking you the same thing, but it appears…"

Kate smirked and shook her head up and down, "I'm good. How's Esposito?"

The moment Kate saw Kevin, she saw the despair in his eyes and suspected that he and his partner were not on best of terms, "I…I don't know."

Kate reached out and touched his shoulder, "He will come around, Kevin."

"I'm sorry…"

"No, please." Kate shook her head and sighed, "Everyone wants to apologize this morning…."

"What?"

Kate smiled at her friend as she beckoned him to sit on the couch, "Never mind. You saved my life, Kevin. No apologies needed. Actually, I should thank you."

Kevin smiled at the woman he considered a sister, "Anytime…"

At that moment, Castle walked into his living room to a picturesque scene. Kate sat with Ryan on the couch, both smiling and at peace. He hated that he would be the one to break that peace…

"Uh guys? We have a problem…"