Title: Always
Author: coralozar
Rating: T
Disclaimer: This is all for personal recreation, I'm just a deeply invested fan really.
Summary: AU 8x22/Series Finale. After everything they've been through together, they sure as hell deserve a happy ending. I want to give it to them so here's my version.
Author's note: It's been a tough month ever since I heard the news about Stana and now this week with the cancellation of Castle (thank god but damn it, it hurts).
I have to say I'm not ready to let them go. I don't want to.
Castle has been a part of my life for five years and silly as it might be, it's changed me. Kate Beckett will forever be an inspiration, a beacon of hope and strength & the amazing love story between her and Rick Castle will warm my heart every time I can't contain my love for someone because it is real. I have lived it. Just like they did for those incredible 8 seasons (or more like 7 plus some extra episodes that went a little off track).
Anyway.
There is a universal truth we all have to face, whether we want it or not, everything eventually ends. Tonight everything will be wrapped up and we will have one last chance to fall in love with Castle, all of it, all over again. And whatever happens, whatever ABC has decided to give us for the finale, this is the way I want to remember them: happy & completely in love with each other.
Always.
P.S. Sorry for the Angst, I couldn't help it. If you don't want to read it feel free to skip until the happy ending, I don't mind. Enjoy.
"That's why we need fairy tales, in the face of too much reality, to remind us that happy endings are still possible." –Kate Beckett.
Kate was lying on the ground, a high pitch sound ringing loud in her ears and her body stiff, trying to endure the pain. Her left hand was in a flimsy fist over her chest and she was gasping for breath, trying to find her voice to call for her husband but her throat was just so dry and if only she could see him, make sure he was okay.
Everything had turned into a blur after the gunfight. The two SUVs that had appeared with half a dozen armed men, suddenly stopped the fire after emptying their guns and tried to disappear. If it hadn't been for the boys and the extra back-up they brought, they might've gotten away for good.
Beckett and Castle had managed to get away intact from the struggle, but when they got the word from Vikram that LokSat's location was only a couple of blocks away they did not hesitate for a moment to chase him down, followed by a group of Special Forces and Castle in his ridiculous vest and a gun. Beckett had tried, but she couldn't convinced him to stay away.
When they arrived to the address Vikram had given them, they all felt like something was off. The warehouse looked abandoned and getting close to what was probably the headquarters of such a powerful organization as LokSat was far too easy. They stuck to the plan anyway, being careful about their steps after entering the building, knowing they needed to preserve all the evidence they could find. It didn't take them long to encounter a large group of highly trained, deadly man on every corner, getting into some nasty fights with so many bullets passing by Castle, threatening his life, that it was hard for Kate to focus on protecting herself.
The closer they seemed to get to the main offices, the more complicated it was for them to get through but when they finally did, things got out of control. There were too many of them. They were moving too fast, dismantling the facilities and taking all the evidence of their crimes. Computer equipment, paper stacks with names and numbers and everything Kate needed to seize them.
For a moment, she though Caleb was right, this was bigger than her. She couldn't handle it, she couldn't make it stop, couldn't be safe again. But even worst, she couldn't keep Castle safe. And then, when they were almost certain they weren't going to make it out alive, the miracle happened.
Castle's father, along with Rita and a bunch of other secret agents came into the scuffle. Bodies dropping dead along their way, a group of them making sure to grab a hold on the information that was going to be used as evidence to imprison everyone in LokSat. And things got bright again, under control, until she got distracted looking for Castle and felt a dreadful pain hit her shoulder, making her collapse while Castle ran towards her.
She had been shot, again.
When she regained consciousness she was in an ambulance. Lots of medical equipment surrounding her, a loud monitor shouting out with her heartbeat and her body felt limp and exhausted. A dull ache was pounding on her head and her left shoulder was scorching where the bullet had struck her.
Her eyes were cloudy when she turned around and found Castle hovering over her, his broad palms cradling her right hand and his lips moving fast, repeating her name like a mantra and telling her that everything was going to be okay, that she was going to be okay. He looked shattered. Slumped shoulders, big bruise on his jaw, a slightly red bandage on his right arm and endlessly dark eyes focused on her. There was not a single glimpse of that beautiful blue in his gaze, all hidden behind the fear of reliving the same scene from so many years ago.
Once again, she tried to speak but a sudden warmth running down her arm made her vision go blurry on the edges and her attempt of whisper was too weak, the "I love you" caught up in the tip of her tongue.
She wakes up again in the hospital, feeling numb and tired but in no more pain.
Castle is sitting on a chair next to her, eyes closed and parted lips, softly snoring, left hand resting over her right one on the side of the bed. She moves her wrist so she can link her fingers through his, caress his palm with his thumb, a faint smile pulling on the corners of her lips before she succumbs to fatigue and the ridiculous amount of pain killers and medication the doctors must have given her.
The next time she wakes Castle is not there and she panics for a second until he enters the room with a cup of coffee to go in his hand, eyes bright when he notices she's awake and she can see the blue from the distance.
"Kate," he pronounces her name with such relief she feels her eyes getting wet and he quickly reaches the chair beside her, placing the cup of coffee on the table by the bed, "Hey it's okay. Everything is okay, I'm here."
"Castle."
Her voice is low and raspy, she swallows and moves her hand to cup his cheek covered in a soft five o'clock shadow. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch letting a sight past his lips.
"Castle, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Hush Kate, everything is alright. It's over, we got them," he says, turning to press a kiss on her palm, "It's over."
The lack of interest about whatever happened with LokSat surprises her for a second, the rush and need to bring them down no longer a relevant issue on her mind and she realizes that that was it, that was the last time, the last case she was ever going to put ahead of herself, her family and her future.
"It's over," she repeats, her voice firm and her eyes trained in his, wanting to apologize again and again for letting all of this get out of control, for leaving him in the first place so she could chase a ghost she had been too afraid to let go. For stopping their future when they were just about to start building it. But she knows he's forgiven her and he doesn't want more apologies. He wants his wife, that's all.
"How are you feeling? Do you want anything? "
"I'm good, just tired. And a little thirsty," she answers.
"There is some water right here," he says, handing her a glass and helping her take small sips. "Your surgery went well by the way. Doctor said you were lucky since the bullet hit on the edge of your vest and it managed to deviate its trajectory so it didn't hit any nerves and the damage was minimal. He still gave you some pretty hard meds to help you sleep because you did lose a lot of blood…"His voice falters and Beckett can see the phantom of a memory from the last time she bled out in his arms could his eyes and she wants to distract him from that thought, tell him she's here and she's okay but he carries on before she has a chance to do anything, "He also said you'd only be wearing the cast for a month, so that's good right?" the smile he gives her doesn't quite reach his eyes.
"Castle, I'm here and I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted our happily ever after."
She places the empty glass on the table beside her and stretches her arm to cup Castle's head, fingers curling at the base of his neck, softly pulling him in so she can kiss him, hoping to erase some of the pain from his beautiful face the only way she knows how to.
"I love you so much, Rick," she whispers against his lips, "And you're right, it's over. No more LokSat, no more chasing ghosts. I promise."
Castle pulls away then, cradling her face and brushing his thumbs over her cheek bones and then her lips before he speaks again.
"I love you too, Kate."
The next couple of days go by in the middle of a haze, all too fast and blurry.
Beckett has to stay two nights in the hospital until the Doctor finally agrees on discharging her and her husband who, apart from some bruises and a cut on his right arm, seems just fine. Castle takes advantage of that time to reveal to her all the things that are happening in the Precinct, the interaction with the Federal Forces on the long prosecution of LokSat and how they are taking their time to keep things under control since a lot of important people seems to be linked to the criminal organization and they can't just arrest them all at once. Many trials need to be held, a bunch of investigations have to be launched and from the look of it, it is going to take months before this whole situation can be properly closed.
Still, Kate Beckett cannot care any less about it. She has to answer a lot of questions to her superiors about the how's and when's and why's due to her intimate involvement on a case that very few people knew about, however, when she's done with all the necessary stuff, she uses her power to delegate and places a team of her best people on charge of the case, detaching herself from it all as much as she can, wanting nothing more but to go home, to her husband.
Six weeks later she's sitting comfortably on the couch, legs stretched out and crossed feet, a book in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee on the other, sipping from it, waiting for Castle to wake up so they can figure out what to make for breakfast.
The loft is quiet and peaceful but for some reason she couldn't stay in bed any longer, her brain working too loud, forcing her to give up on sleep and get up.
"Hey, how long have you been awake?" She hears Castle's footsteps behind her, grinning when he stops and leans in to kiss the top of her head just before moving toward the kitchen where he pours himself a cup of coffee and sights, coming back to sit at the end of the couch by her feet, lifting and placing them on his lap.
"A couple hours. I didn't want to wake you."
He rubs the soft skin of her ankle with his fingertips and takes a sip of his beverage, humming with satisfaction at the taste of it. The low vibrations running through his body, filling the air and she tilts her head, follows the movement of his throat when he swallows and feels the sudden urge to kiss him and taste the coffee from his lips so she does just that. Taking the book and both cups she places them on the table next to the couch and then shifts to straddle his lap, knees at both sides of his thighs.
It's a slow kiss, her hands circling his neck, falling to rest at his nape while his travel from her hips to her shoulders and back to her hips again. They both hum into the kiss when Kate traces his lower lip with the tip of her tongue and crosses the seam of his lips into the hot cavern of his mouth where the dark taste of coffee is stronger.
They part after a long moment with a wet pop breaking the silence.
"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining, at all."
"Can't I kiss my husband good morning?"
"Yes, yes of course. But we could do so much more than just kissing, you know?" he raises his eyebrow, voice dropping to that low rumble that ignites a fire low in her abdomen and she gasps when he slides his fingers under her shirt, spreading his hands to touch as much skin as possible and kisses her again.
Her fingers clutch in his hair, toes curling because god, he is really good at this and she wants to shove her hands under his shirt, feel the muscles of his abdomen ripple beneath her touch and hear him say her name like a plea but at the same time she wants to tell him what's on her mind, why she's been restless these past few nights and how she's been on the verge of buying tickets to Paris on several occasions. How she froze on the street only two days ago when a little girl with dark hair and blue eyes walked by, holding her father's hand and she felt dizzy because she could picture Castle so perfectly like that. And not only that, she could see herself as well. Watching her body transform, holding a tiny bundle in her arms, singing all those beautiful lullaby's her mother sang to her when she was little and the frequency with which these thoughts appear in her mind has become ridiculous over the past weeks.
"Castle."
She nips at his lower lip once and pulls away from him.
"I want to go to Paris," she pants, her breath coating his lips and his eyes are still closed.
"We can go anywhere you want, Kate," he hums, clamming her mouth for another kiss.
"No babe, listen to me. I mean it," she says, separating from him again, "I could take some time off of work, we could pack our bags, leave this weekend. I only need a few days to arrange things at work-"
"Whoa, Kate, what are you saying?" he stops her, "You want to leave your job and go to Paris?"
"Just for a little while."
"What's this about, what did I miss?"
"Nothing, I just wanna go to Paris with you. I want to -" she doesn't know how to tell him, words have never been easy for her, "I want to build our future and I want to start by going somewhere else. We've been through a lot here and I'm not saying we should run away but I want to have a clean start. I want-" she grabs his wrists, guiding his palms to cover her abdomen, "I don't want to waste more time to live our dreams. I am so ready for this Castle, for all of it," she speaks with such faith that Castle feels a little bemused, the meaning of her words so deep and god yes, he wants that too, he wants the bright future. Sun and dreams and their own family, yes, please. Everything.
"I don't want to wait either. I am ready too," he confesses, pressing her body closer to his, scanning her face for doubts but she only smiles, wide and vibrant and so very happy, "Kate I just want to make you happy."
"You already do, Castle," tenderness covers her words, her love for him bursting against her ribs.
"So, this is it, we're doing it?" he questions, needing her reassurance, her firm statement that they are indeed doing this, whatever that means, "What's going to happen with you job -?"
"I can figure out a way to get a leave, and it will still be here when we come back, it's not like we're going away forever. Plus, you said it yourself Castle, we could do it, we could go treasure hunting in Nepal or fly a hot air balloon across the Sahara. I just want to be with you."
The fierce belief reflects in her gaze, all of the things she sees but can't put into words flashing in front of her and she giggles, feeling lightheaded and free and madly in love with this man.
"We could do it," he echoes, and there is so much to be done, but that doesn't matter because they are going to be together no matter what and the prospect of an adventure is electrifying, makes Castle chase her lips to seal their promises. Beckett moans when his tongue invades her mouth and whimpers when he pulls back, missing his mouth on hers.
"Rick-"she gasps.
"It's you and me Kate. No matter what, it's you and me, right?" he pleads.
"Yes, Castle. Always."
The End
So, yeah. This is it.
God, it's really tough to accept it but here we are. Thank you very much for reading, if you want to leave a comment I'd be happy to read your thoughts about the finale whether you read this before or after tonight's episode.
It's been a hell of a run huh? 8 freaking seasons.
Castle and Beckett will forever be in my heart and I hope to keep writing about their adventures for a long time.
I guess that's all. Take care and thanks again for reading (sad author's note included).