Our Story: Through My Eyes

Richard Castle,

you'll forever be

my always.

You were my shadow, that's how we started.

I came off cold, a little closed-hearted.

You found your inspiration by my side,

How you inspired me, I would continue to hide.

Time and life had made me hard,

My mother's death had left me scarred.

I was a book, you longed to read,

You were a nuisance I'd come to need.

I knew the 'you', you let them see

Who knew the 'you', you would actually be?

From a womanizing, errant child

The change in you left me beguiled.

As time passed, you came and went,

"See you in the fall," I would resent.

I kept you far to show my strength,

I kept my weakness at arm's length.

Then came others to take 'your' place.

I told you that I needed my space.

I dove headfirst into my past.

It came at me hard and fast.

I couldn't admit to what you made me feel

When your 'dumb idea' went from feigned to real.

To know what I'd missed after years of waiting

I agree with you Rick, it was 'amazing'

Some stood strong and made their stand.

His sacrifice made them show their hand.

I was marked 'next' on the list,

They took their shot and didn't miss.

As my life flashed before my eyes,

I regretted not getting to say, "Good-bye."

To my boys, my dad, and Lanie too,

But the good-bye that hurt the most was you.

"Kate, I love you, stay with me!"

As I was dying I heard you plead.

I drew strength and fight from your admission,

That day would not be my tombstone inscription.

And as I rose, came back to life,

I struggled with internal strife.

How could I tell you that I had heard?

That I could recall your every word.

The coffees and cases came and went,

I'm sorry I couldn't free us from that torment.

I'd spent so long building up my walls,

I did not know how to let them fall.

Then like always you wound up in trouble,

I searched, screaming your name through the smoke and the rubble.

When our eyes met, I couldn't bear to look away,

That look said everything words didn't convey.

But then with my words, I shattered you.

You moved on to Slaughter, said "We were through."

That I was in fact no longer your 'muse'.

This was never a status I thought I would lose.

You tried to warn me, to let the past lie,

Reminded me of your pain of watching me die.

But I thought I was right and had nothing to lose,

So I chased my ghosts, when you forced me to choose.

Grasping for survival your name on my lips,

The last thing I said as I lost my grip.

To say "Thank you," to Kevin, seems a tribute too small,

For he is the reason I can say things at all.

Aimless I wandered as the rain started to pour.

And I found myself drenched, in front of your door.

"What do you want, Kate?" But to you I flew,

My answer? "You Castle, I just want you."

We had no idea, what fate had in store.

Not something just fleeting, we were something more.

My doubts you appeased with your writer's flare.

"None of them were you." You lovingly declared.

Tyson tested our trust with the story he weaved.

We fought for your innocence, until other believed.

When a 'witness' knew much more than he let on.

I was fraught with worry and imagined you gone.

Then the loft became 'home' for a moment in time,

And Meredith conceded in fact you were mine.

The case that once drove me then reappeared.

And my desire for vengeance threatened to interfere.

But you brought me back, my safe place to land,

Little did we know bigger troubles were at hand.

Alexis was taken in a plot far too vague,

If you lost her, your soul would have changed.

You said, 'Don't make promises; you don't know you can keep."

"You wouldn't forgive me," you said through your grief.

It was my turn to hunt, to get back your girl,

Because as we know, she is your whole world.

Alexis came home, with help from your father,

Because your job as 'dad', trumped that of author.

A video warning its victims made you think twice.

But you're easily distracted by my "thing with the ice."

Then along came your party, what a joy to plan,

To set up the perfect crime, without showing my hand.

The caseload kept up at its own rapid pace.

The real crime however, was Vaughn stealing first base.

We looked back at our past as the seconds flew by,

My one last request you found a way to deny.

Forty- eight, forty- seven, we watched them descend.

I declared, "I love you," as we faced the bitter end.

Again you saved us, oh the thanks you were due.

Gates said it all, 'I think he deserves it, don't you?'

So now they all knew, with no reason to hide,

The safest I felt was with you at my side.

But then came the questions, each one of them loomed.

"Where were we going?" "Was our relationship doomed?"

"What about your career, Kate?" "Are you good with this life?"

"Do you want something more? ""Will you be his wife?"

I came to face you my mind full and cluttered.

'Either Rick or the job in D.C." I thought with a shudder.

And then from the swing you got down on one knee,

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

'No. Wait. Not no. Not, not yes." I formed my reply

In disbelief you asked, "You do know how this works, right?"

You hadn't proposed to convince me to stay.

You wanted me as your wife, either way.

So I tried the job in D.C. and oh what a disaster

In New York I was trained that justice should matter.

So I spoke up for the victims, but spoke out of turn.

Rachel's pride was apparent but the dismissal was stern.

Back in New York, my purpose in question.

Did I know who 'Kate' was without a profession?

'Prove my innocence," pled your "Number-One Fan"

When she 'dotted the I', I nearly lost you again.

With my badge returned, my life back on track.

What a joy to announce that in fact, "I was back!'

Then came Doyle, and your, "Best Case Ever'

I still don't believe, but then again, that letter….

Things were falling apart, so it seemed back at home,

Alexis and Pi had moved out on their own.

She asked you to trust her, and the choices she made,

It was difficult to see your relationship decay.

But what you instilled in her, to this day runs deep

She acted out of passion and had a promise to keep.

To prove a man's innocence and she needed your help.

A race against time, the true story to tell.

The team came to the rescue to help clear his name,

And you realized with Alexis, something had changed.

She's a young woman, with goals of her own,

This was new territory vast and unknown.

Then came the case, which the details I dread.

People who looked like our friends were found dead.

Your guilt in this matter I tried to assuage,

Chasing ghosts was a past time that did not pay.

Our suspect, Neiman was one step ahead,

Escaping the consequences, she'd fled.

"Better luck next time," her words stark and clear,

The song, "We'll Meet Again," filled me with fear.

Then 'Cosmo' was found, his origin unknown

We needed to search for his dad and his mom.

He needed to be kept safe, on that we agreed,

Richard, Kate, and 'Cosmo' we now were three.

It made me start thinking of you as a father,

That I wouldn't mind a son or a daughter.

To see your R.H.D. in action was such a delight,

Those 'little Castle babies' will turn out alright!

And on we blaze, (Sorry, was that too soon?)

Ryan and Espo got trapped, the building consumed.

The flames grew steady and our hands were tied.

They got a call out to say their good-byes.

Ryan asked for Jenny, and my heart broke,

We listened on from the side as they spoke,

"Javier if it's a boy, Sarah Grace if a girl,"

Jenny would solely welcome their child to the world.

The perp was discovered and with him a way out.

Would they reach them in time? We had our doubts.

Embracing the boys I will always remember,

Our 'immediate family' was put back together.

Settled into the loft a wedding to plan,

Dates, details, and venues all made my head spin.

June is too hot, and December's too cold...

Then there's the city hall wedding your mother foretold.

Our next suspect had his own share of surprises,

'Anderson Cross' we found out was just one of his guises.

His actions and words, he dealt them callously.

With a solemn voice you said, 'He wasn't family."

I know that you wondered, consumed by your thoughts,

If your mother regretted her actions or not?

Your worry and fears, with her words she relieved.

When she'd said, 'You're the greatest gift I've received."

It's about more than the books, you proved once again,

You set the date for September, in spite of your plans.

Your life as it seems is an open book,

As I read in the paper about Gina and your 'looks'

You again reassured me that some words are not truth,

Your reaction to the next ones printed was cute!

Our engagement announced for the whole world to see,

'Who had done it?" You questioned, the answer was, "Me!"

You saved me from myself, from the despair and the dark,

From chasing the ghosts that invaded my heart.

You broke through my walls, you put in the time.

I wanted everyone to know you were mine.

You're my one and done, of this I am sure,

Thanks to you there's new meaning to "Shut the front door!"

You've filled pages and pages with Nikki and Rook,

But our lives are not lived on the page of a book.

So when it finally happens and we say "I do."

We can look back and smile at all we've been through.

So from my perspective and in all its glory,

I agree with you Rick, I quite love 'Our Story'.

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has read this! I'd love to hear from you!