Rick finally pulled away from Beckett, gazing into her large hazel eyes. They stayed that way for a moment. Rick's breath caught when he realized what had just happened: Beckett had come to his home, and told him she loves him. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Come with me. You must be freezing." He said.
He led Beckett to the bathroom, without any protest. He handed her a towel, and walked her out to the couch. They both plopped down next to each other, without speaking for a moment.
"Hey, Castle?" Beckett finally spoke.
"What's up?"
"I- I need to talk to you."
Rick turned to her, resting his arm on the couch.
"About what you said the other day; about me getting hurt if I were to get involved…" She paused, sighing. "And what you said… about the fact that you love me… d-did you really mean it?"
"Kate, would I have just pounded you in to my door if I didn't? Would I have said so when you were dying in that cemetery? Would I have followed you around all these years if I didn't love you? Kate, I love you more than you will ever know. You're the most wonderful, beautiful, extraordinary woman I have ever met."
Rick looked, and saw that Beckett had cried a little when he said all this. He suddenly noticed that he had begun tearing up as well.
"Castle, I- I love you too." Kate said. She leaned in and gave him a kiss. When she pulled away, she rested a hand on his shoulder, "And I am so, so sorry it took me this long to realize it."
"I'm sorry too." Castle said. They both giggled nervously.
Suddenly, Castle stood, and offered Kate his hand.
"Come with me. There's something I need to show you."
Standing, Castle led Beckett to his office. He pulled up his SmartBoard, and typed in the password.
"Castle, what are you doing?" Beckett asked.
"Something I should have done a long time ago."
Kate was confused, until she saw the screen. She held her breath. Her entire body seemed to have lost sense of motion. She just stood wordlessly at the SmartBoard.
Johanna Beckett.
"Take all the time you need." Castle said, joining her at the front of the office.
Kate opened and closed her mouth a few times. She didn't know what to say. She was furious. She was touched. She felt so many emotions.
"I- I think I'm gonna be sick." She said, leaning against Castle's desk. He quickly handed her a small waste-basket.
She dry-heaved, gagging. Rick closed his eyes. After a few minutes, Kate put the waste-basket under the desk.
"Castle… why? Why are you doing this? Why the hell would you do this?" She said, practically screaming at him.
"Kate, just-"
"Just what, Rick? You opened up my mom's murder case without asking me first! Why?"
"Just listen to me, okay?" Rick paused. "If you couldn't investigate your mom's case, I was going to try. Kate, you could've been killed if you had tried investigating this! I couldn't let that happen! And besides, no one would expect me to be the one investigating it! It's just… safer this way." He took a step back, having cleared the air.
Suddenly, Kate stepped forward and kissed him. The kiss was heated and passionate. He didn't kiss back for a moment. He was so confused; one minute, Kate had been infuriated with him, and now, she was kissing him with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Finally, Rick gave in and kissed back, matching Kate's energy. They stayed there for about five minutes, just kissing. They both needed the release. Finally, Kate pulled away, still holding Castle's face, their noses touching.
"Rick, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you. Thank you so much." She whispered."
She leaned in and kissed again. Suddenly, Rick picked her up, carrying her to his bedroom. She wrapped her legs around his back, kicking her shoes, kissing him all the while.
Finally, they reached Castle's bedroom. Castle backed Beckett up to the end of his bed, and laid her down. She scooted her body up further, until her head smacked against the backboard.
"Ow!" She hissed.
"Here, let me make it better. " Castle said, kissing the top of her head. She giggled and purred as his sultry lips caressed her skull.
Castle's lips travelled down to Kate's lips once again, and he unbuttoned her top. After all the buttons had been undone, he kissed down her stomach. On his way back up, Castle unlatched Kate's bra.
"Ooh, Rick!" Kate gasped, as Castle took a nipple into his mouth.
He sucked ferociously, keeping his eyes on her face the whole time. Kate leaned back and moaned. Castle then took her other breast into his mouth, sucking and nibbling. Kate whispered his name over and over. Castle, Castle, ooooh!
Rick reached down with a free hand and unbuttoned Kate's pants, sliding them off, and tossing them to the side. Suddenly, Kate took him by surprise, and flipped him over so she was on top.
"Time to get you stripped down." She said seductively.
Kate pulled Castle's shirt off, and tossed it off. Then, she used her legs to shimmy Rick's pants down. Bending down, Kate used her teeth to pull his underwear down. When she came back up, she slid her panties off, and kicked them to the side.
Without warning, Rick got his revenge, and flipped Beckett over, regaining his dominant position.
"I love you, Kate." Castle said, before thrusting into her.
Kate arched back and screamed. Castle kept thrusting, harder and faster. After about two minutes, Kate reached her breaking point. She finally climaxed. After her tremors settled, Rick rolled off her, laying next her. They were both panting hard, completely out of breath and energy.
After a few moments, Kate looked over to Rick. She saw that he had dozed off. She smiled at how adorable he was. She stood up, and pulled the comforter over him, and slid in bed next to him.
Finally, sleep enveloped them both, cocooning them in warmth. Dreams of beauty filled their heads, as they slipped into the night.