This speculation jumps off from the tiny 6x17 spoiler found in China Central TV News' set visit.
youtu . be / LsZ0Aui57rs
Just take out the spaces. :)
Special thanks to Kylie for putting up with my confused, partially functioning brain all afternoon and for reading this so many times. You are lovely, my dear. xoxo
"Kate! KATE!"
Awareness slowly trickled back in. Sensation returned to her fingers and toes. A buzz in her ears overshadowed any other sound except his voice saying her name.
"Kate!"
She stretched her fingers, smoothing them along the leather of the steering wheel, realizing as she did that it was closer to her chest than it should have been. Blood pounded in her head, behind her eyes, making it difficult to force them open.
"Kate, please. Open your eyes for me, baby."
She groaned at the feeling of his hand coasting along her cheek. "Castle?" Her voice was rough, weak, reflecting the pain that was starting to work its way into her consciousness.
"Kate. God, Kate. Look at me, please. Let me see your eyes." His voice was desperate, panic evident in the quiet timbre.
The light flooded in and it blinded her; forcing her eyes closed again. She turned her head toward his touch, squeezing the steering wheel to redirect the onslaught of pain. "Castle. Hurts."
His palm cupped her cheek, thumb stroking the soft skin along her temple. "I know it hurts, sweetheart. A bus is on its way but I need you to open your eyes. I'm right in front of you trying to block the light. Just look at me, okay?"
She forced her eyes open once more, focusing on the clear blue right in front of her, letting his presence ease the discomfort she was in.
"Hey, beautiful." A pained smile appeared on his face, crinkling the skin around his eyes.
"What happened?" She pushed the words out, past the tightness in her chest and the confusion in her brain.
"Car came out of nowhere. Hit your side. Try not to move, okay? Just look at me."
"Are you okay?"
A small, self-deprecating laugh left his lips and he leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm better now that you're awake. The car only hit your side so I'm not hurt too badly."
The approaching sirens popped their quiet bubble and she winced as the piercing sound exacerbated her already excruciating headache. Someone opened Castle's car door and pulled his attention away from her. She reached for his hand, squeezing tightly as the fear of being left alone in the car took over. He turned back to face her, but spoke loud enough for the EMT to hear as well, "I'm not leaving you, Kate. I promise I won't leave you."
Six hours later she stood in front of the loft's guest bathroom mirror studying the purple and blue spot forming along her temple and the matching ones spreading across the left side of her torso. At the scene, the EMT had determined she was suffering from a mild concussion and a couple of bruised ribs. His recommendation was a hospital visit, but she'd politely refused, knowing she could handle the treatment on her own.
Castle was upset with her for refusing to go to the hospital. Understandable, she supposed, but she couldn't fathom the idea of spending another night in another hospital. She'd had her fill of hospitals to last her a lifetime, and if spending the evening at home making it up to him, proving that she was okay, was her penance then she was glad to do it.
"Kate, bath's ready." He stuck his head through the open door and froze when he spotted the bruises marring the porcelain skin of her abdomen. She watched him in the mirror, watched his expression turn from tightly controlled frustration to agonizing pain. "Kate, please let me take you in."
She looked away from his reflection, dropping her shirt so it covered the evidence of her injuries, and placed both hands against the edge of the counter. She squeezed the marble tightly and blew out a frustrated breath before saying, "Castle, I'm fine."
"You're not – Dammit, Kate," he growled as he came for her. His hands landed on her biceps, grip loose despite his anger, and he leaned his chest against her back, completely surrounding her. He buried his face in the arch of her neck, his cold nose tucked right behind her ear, "Stop saying that. You're not fine."
She turned in the circle of his arms, wincing slightly when her side pulled with the movement, and cupped his jaw with both hands. His eyes were closed tightly, as though he couldn't bear to look at her, and her heart broke at the pain she was causing him. "Okay, babe. You're right, I'm not fine." She smiled sweetly at him when his surprised gaze landed on her. "But I will be. You know I will be. I don't need doctors or the overwhelming smell of antiseptic to make me better. I know how to deal with my injuries and for everything else – this is what I need. This right here. You loving me. This is my medicine. You make me better."
As she spoke, he dropped his forehead at an angle to lightly touch hers, careful of the colors blossoming at her temple. His eyes closed again but this time his face was relaxed, as though he were just reveling in her presence and her touch. She brushed his nose with her own and nuzzled her way along his cheek, stepping closer until their bodies were flush from head to toe. She felt his hands release her biceps and wrap loosely around her back. "Kate. When you didn't wake up. God, I was so scared." His arms tightened, bringing her even closer, his tears creating a wet spot in the fabric of her shoulder.
She reached her arms low around his back, lightly scratching a path up and down his spine, soothing his fractured heart the only way she knew how. "I'm right here, Castle," she whispered in his ear, following it with an open mouth kiss to the side of his neck. "Can't get rid of me that easily."
"Don't want to get rid of you at all. I want you, Kate. I want you here with me all the time."
"I'm here."
He pulled away slightly and locked his gaze with hers. "No, I mean I want you here. I want your stuff here, mixed with mine, surrounding me when you aren't here. I want to know you are coming here at the end of every day. I want you to move in. Officially. We're getting married and you still have your apartment, Kate. I don't – I want you here."
"Okay," she said simply.
The confusion that crossed his face was absolutely adorable and she couldn't help but laugh at him just a little. "Okay? Just like that?"
"Just like that. All you had to do was ask me, Rick."
A deep, full-belly laugh left his throat, the force of it shaking them both as he wrapped her back up in his arms. "All I had to do was ask. Now she tells me."
She groaned when his grip around her got too tight. "Except maybe we should wait to celebrate until after my ribs heal."
He released her so quickly she almost lost her balance. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Mmmhmm. Yeah, I'm fine." She grimaced in apology at the glare he was directing at her. "I mean I will be fine. It hurts but the throbbing will subside. Just give me a minute."
She dropped her forehead against his shoulder, taking measured breaths to work through the initial onslaught of pain. When it finally fell to a manageable level, she peered back up at him, "Now that that's settled, I believe you said something about a bath?"
"Oh. Uh, yeah. I drew you a bath. Figured the heat would help. Poured in some Epsom salt to soothe the bruises."
"Sounds heavenly. Lead the way?"
He looked so proud of himself at her gentle request and it hit her all over again. This man. This sweet, sensitive, compassionate man had chosen her and loved her more than she could ever have imagined. Despite everything she had put him through, he still showed up each morning, still stood by her side as she ran head first into danger.
As he trailed his fingers down her arm and laced them through her own, she vowed to herself that she would make this up to him. She would do everything possible to clear the darkness and pain from his eyes. Now that she finally had him, that they were finally together and working toward a future with possibilities she'd never allowed herself to dream about, she wasn't willing to sacrifice that for anything.
It was him.
It would always be him.
Thoughts?