So this idea popped into my head and I thought that I would post it and see what response it got. It's set in the future, sometime, all the events of the last 4 seasons and the 15 episodes of season 5 we have have happened. Castle helps Beckett move in with him, but while packing up her personal belongings and nick-nacks, they take a loving, and sometimes painful trip down memory lane. I dont know how long this story will be but I had some ideas that i wanted to work into my other stories but this is just easier.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.


They parked in her usual spot outside of her apartment. She hesitated only for a moment before taking a deep breath, relinquishing her grip on the steering wheel and unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door, flinging it shut behind her. She simply stood there, in the mid-February chill, squinting at the early sunlight hitting the snow shining off of the idle cars parked along the side walk in front of her. She was taken out of her stillness with a soft touch to her forearm.

"Hey, you sure you want to do this?" Castle asked, in a low, worried voice.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." She replied, covering his hand with her own hand, and smiling warmly back at him. With a warm smile back, and a quick squeeze of his hand, he went around and opened the back passenger door to the car and grabbed a large stack of cardboard boxes. She watched him with a giggly smile on her face as he tried to fumble with grabbing the bag that held the masking tape and markers. She loved it when he would try and do things like this. He would stick his tongue out to the side and grab it in between his teeth. She couldn't help but smile. After several failed attempts, and even more dropped boxes, she strolled around and grabbed the bag for him. With a deep sigh, indicating defeat, he straightened up, rolled his shoulders back, trying to act smooth, and said "Thank you," with a small smirk.

They walked through her doors and stepped into the elevator, the cold metal of the railing making a clinking sound against the single metal that boar her ring, as she tapped her hand against it, waiting for the elevator to arrive at her floor. Walking down the hallway, and stopping at her door, she turned around, and set her gaze upon the door mat that she had bought herself when she first moved in. She opened her mouth to speak but the only thing that was heard was a small crinkling sound of her throat, indicating that she was chocking on her own words.

"Hey," came is once again low voice, meant only for her, "I'm here. I'm always here. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

"No, I want this." She responded, lifting her gaze up to his. "It's just these past two years have been... unbelievable. I know that sometimes I can be a little high maintenance. But I love you, Castle. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Now, let's get this over with so we can go home."

With the fact that she had just referred to their loft as home, when they were standing outside of her apartment warmed his heart. She leaned up to kiss him briefly, and some what awkwardly, trying to lean over the stack of boxes he was still gripping. She turned on a heel and unlocked her door, stepping inside and dropping the bag on the floor, not caring where it landed. With Castle on her tail, she paced into her living room and slowly scanned her walls, taking into account the number of boxes they had come with, and the sheer amount of stuff she had.

They were going to need more boxes.

"So, where to start, where to start?" He asked, coming to rest by her side, and placing his hands on his hips.

"Well, the boys are coming over tomorrow to help you out with the heavy stuff, but their isn't much heavy stuff that I'm taking."

"Yeah, I think you and I have both grown accustom to my bed. Have you decided what your doing with the stuff your not taking? You can always stick it in storage." He offered.

"I think I might just give it to charity, it's better than having it sitting in a dark storage unit never to get used again. But we are here for everything else. Why don't we start over there." She said, pointing over to her book case.

With a heavy sigh, he picked up a few boxes, unfolded them and set them up next to her book case. "You know I have most of these books, right?" He pointed out.

"Castle, what did I tell you. A girl likes her stuff. Haven't you ever had a favorite stuffed animal when you were a kid, but then something happened to it, and then your mother got you a new one, but it just wasn't the same? Same concept here, okay? And besides, I know your just trying to get out of moving heavy boxes of books." She said, smacking him lightly on his chest.

They worked sluggishly, still trying to get through the fatigue of sleep. With both of the boxes the had set beside each of them full, Beckett went to grab the tape that had been left beside the door in the plastic bag. Right as she got up to leave, his gaze was set upon a certain section of her book case. An evil grin formed on his face as he read the first title that lay stacked in its place. Flowers for your Grave. He knew she had read his work, but seeing is believing they always say. He slipping the book out and held it up to inspect it. It was well worn. The cover was torn at the top, the pages felt old and rogue, the spine was cracked in several spaces, someone had definitely read this piece more than once. Slipping it back, he grabbed the next title, his first Derrik Storm book, A Gathering Storm. He inspected it just as the previous. Again, well worn, pages felt rogue, but printed on higher quality paper. Thumbing the book, to check for other notes, he stopped at the dedication page. He did a quick double take, to make sure he was seeing what he was really seeing.

To Kate-

Never let a storm dampen your sky

Richard Castle

He was in a slight state of shock. True, he had held hundreds of book signings, and release parties, and other event where he would sign books. Even getting the occasional fan-girl on the side walk, asking for him to sign her book, among other things. But someone like Kate was sure to stick out. Even if he was going on auto-pilot. He searched his memory, trying to remember if he had seen her. Could it really be that he had met Kate Beckett before she was detective Kate Beckett, before she was his Kate Beckett?

"Hey, what's the hold... up." She asked, as she glanced at what was open before him. "I thought we agreed that the right side was my side and the left side was yours." He turned his head and offered her a surprised look, as if to say 'no way'.

"I signed this?" He asked, holding up her copy of his book.

"Uhmm, well, yeah." She offered shyly.

"No, no. In all these past years, never once have you ever mentioned that you had come to one of my book signings before we actually met." He said, getting up from his seated position.

"You didn't ask. Besides, aren't I allowed a little privacy?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, yes. But I mean, come on! You, Kathrine Beckett, stood in a line of people, for hours, just to meet me."

"And you ask why I didn't tell you?"

"I knew you were a fan but I didn't know you were a... fan." He said, using air quotes.

With a light sigh, she relented. "Look, if I tell you something, you have to promise me something in return."

"Anything." He replied quickly, oblivious to what he had just agreed.

"If I tell you this, you have to promise me, promise, that you won't let it go to your head." She warned, poking him in the chest.

Narrowing his eyes at her, and hiding behind a quirk of his lips, he agreed. "Deal."

"It was about a month after my mom was killed. I was a wreck. I went into her home office to try and, be with her, and she had a copy of A Rose for Ever After open on her desk. So I picked it up and started to read it. And soon, it was the next one, and then the next one. Pretty soon, I was rereading everything she had of yours. So I went out and picked up a copy of the first Derrik Storm. The only times I would feel, normal is when I was reading your books. I wasn't tied down by grief, or shackled by feelings of loss, or hopelessly trying to cope. It was a way out. It helped me a lot. One day I was passing by a book store and they were advertising that you were going to be holding a book signing there, so I decided to go. I must have stood in line for at least two and a half hours. I told you that your books helped me out a lot, but I could tell that you had been hearing things like that all day. But I read what you had written on the page, and I felt better."

He understood why she was hesitant to tell him this, but he was glad she did. He knew it was hard telling him about her times of grief, her times of trying to cope with the sudden and violent death of her mother. All of the times that she had fallen apart in his arms and proven that no matter what you do, the pain will always be there, and the only thing that he could do was be there, and be her life preserver when she thought she was drowning. But knowing that he was doing it long before she would come to him in sweats and no make up on just to have his arms wrapped safely around her as she would stifle her sobs into his shoulder, it only served to cement his adoration for this woman.

"I love you, Kate." He said simply, bringing a hand to rest upon her cheek. He guided himself down to her lips, placed a soft, lingering kiss upon them.

"I love you too, Rick." She echoed, and came to wrap her arms around his mid section and place her ear on his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat. After sitting idle for a long moment, neither of them wanting to pry themselves away from one another, Kate finally spoke up. "You broke the promise didn't you." She said, in a flat tone.

"Just a little."


A/N: Most people have kate just tell castle one day in a certain situation that his books helped her through her mothers murder, but I always thought that it was something that castle would have to work at. Like it isnt something kate would tell him willingly, kind of. Anyway, REVIEW!

and for those of you following The Impression That I Get, I will post the next chapter ASAP! Im still writing/ figuring out the case work in it, and how it will tie into castle and becketts relationship. but i will get that posted by the end of this week.