For The Love of Kate Chapter 4
A/N: I know it's been awhile and I'm so sorry. As most of you know, I'm dealing with health issues and write when I'm able. Please, be patient with me and know that I love Castle and writing fan fiction brings me great joy.
For a while now, I've been thinking about where I wanted this story to go next and a couple of days ago I got this idea and it took root in my brain.
To Guest Reviewer Cha Cha, Thank you so much! You made my entire weekend when you read and reviewed every thing I've written. I hope you are still with us.
I take every review, comment, constructive criticism to heart, however, I've become aware of trolls hiding under the guise of anonymity. Let me make myself very clear. I fully respect my fellow authors and stand behind them and fully support them. If you are a troll, your comments will be deleted. You will eventually slip up and be caught.
I respect the show and everyone associated with it so please be respectful and keep your comments to the story and the way it is written. Constructive criticism is always welcome as it helps me become a better writer.
Many thanks to WRTRD who gave me information on the area and who also writes fantastic fan fiction. If you haven't checked out her stories, please do. You'll be glad you did. Okay. On to the story.
Montauk. She and Rick were spending the day in Montauk. She had once taken a field trip to Montauk in Junior High School to visit the state's oldest, working lighthouse, but she hadn't been back since and she wondered why Rick had chosen Montauk for today's date. Was this a date? She didn't see the appeal, but she'd go anywhere with him. Montauk was a lovely tourist attraction with state parks and it's beaches and landmarks. She just wished she knew what his plans were once they got there.
Well, with most of the tourists now gone, there might not be much of a chance that Rick would be recognized, therefore, drawing little to no attention or paparazzi they could have their privacy and that would be so nice.
The days in New York in mid- September were still warm, but the evenings often turned cooler, she thought as she contemplated what to wear. It was that time of year when the seasons were changing and you never knew how to dress. And to top it off, she wasn't sure what his plans were.
She ran her hand through her hair and sighed heavily in frustration. "Okay", she said to herself. "It's supposed to be a day of relaxation and just spending time together. It will be quite a drive so comfort and casual." She opted for a soft heather gray pullover, skinny jeans, her Doc Marten Pascal boots with a light blue denim jacket.
He arrived earlier than planned. He wasn't supposed to pick her up until 9:00 so she was surprised when she heard his knock at 8:15. It was a good thing she had already dressed.
"Come away with me." he said, pulling her into his arms the moment she opened the door.
"Wh- What? I already am. We're going to Montauk for the day, remember?" she asked, laughing at his exuberance.
"No, not to Montauk and not for just the day, either. In Maine. I have something I want to show you in Maine and I thought that if you agreed to coming with me, we could spend a couple of days there. I know this is spur of the moment, completely unsuspected and seems weird and I know I promised that we would take baby steps. None of that has changed. We'll have complete privacy, our own separate rooms and it's gorgeous up there. Please, please, will you come?"
She had just returned from her dad's cabin bored out of her mind, but going to Maine with him would be the exact opposite of her dad's cabin and it would give them more time to spend together and the thought of being completely alone with him…Besides, she had never seen Maine and it would be a change of scenery. Still, she wasn't so sure if this was a good idea or a bad idea, but it had it's advantages.
"Please, Kate." he pleaded when she hadn't answered right away. He looked so boyish and so excited. This was obviously important to him and what was important to him was important to her.
"Okay. Just tell me what is in Maine and why the rush? I'm not saying no, I just need to know."
"Of course, you do." he said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. "While you were away, I started online gaming with an older gentleman from Otis, Maine. He and his wife had lived there their whole lives, but with no family, no kids, and now both retired, they wanted to move to warmer climate and retire in Florida. With Alexis about to graduate and probably leave home, I thought about my own retirement…"
"Wait! What? Are you thinking about retiring, Rick? I think you have a few years to think about that and what about your writing? isn't that what your house in the Hamptons is for?"
"Well, not exactly. The truth is that I can write from anywhere and the house in the Hamptons was more like a vacation home, but with the possibility of Alexis leaving home soon and mother-well, let's just say that she's always into doing her own thing- I just thought about how large the house would be for just one person…"
"So, you bought their place, didn't you?"
Rick hesitated a few moments, contemplating his actions, wondering if he had made the right decision.
Nodding, he replied, "Yes, I did. I love the house in the Hamptons, but it's way too large for just me."
It saddened her to know that Rick was imagining himself all alone in the near future rambling around in a large house with no hope. It was a pretty bleak image, but perhaps he was having a mid - life crisis and feeling the empty nest syndrome, but she got the point. Mid- life crisis or not, he needed to be reassured.
"Hey," she said, squeezing his fingers lightly. "I get it, I do, but you don't know what the future holds. Yes, Alexis will be leaving for college, but what about that? She'll probably meet some nice guy, fall in love, get married and have kids of her own, but that doesn't mean that you won't be around to enjoy that. And what about your future? You may decide to remarry and have more kids."
"The only future I want, is one with you in it and when you were gone and I didn't hear from you-" he said, his voice trailing off dejectedly.
Pangs of guilt and remorse washed over her in waves. Her radio silence over the summer had nearly cost her to lose this amazing man. She just hadn't realized how close she'd come. God, she had hurt him so much. She never meant to make him feel this way. But in retrospect, she understood why he felt that way and it was all her fault.
She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. "Rick, I- I-" she stammered.
"No, Kate. I didn't tell you that to make you feel guilty for leaving, but that was where my head was at that time."
He didn't want to make her feel guilty, but the real reason he'd bought the place was to seclude himself, remove himself as far away from the city and any reminders of her and live the rest of his life alone and in privacy since he'd told her he loved her and then she'd fled without a word to him after she'd told him she needed time and would call him. Only she hadn't. Three months of longing and hoping and waiting to hear from her, jumping each time his phone rang- and nothing-until a few days ago.
But that was in the past and he needed to let that go. The important thing here was that she was here with him now and she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.
She smiled up at him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Rick, I want that, too, but we won't know unless we give ourselves the okay to take that chance and that's a chance I'm willing to take."
"So there's really hope for us?"
"Yes. There's a lot of hope and I could see a future with both of us in it. Together."
Rising, he tugged on her hand, pulling her into his embrace, tugging her closer making her hyper- aware of every line and plane of his body and kissing her deeply causing chills of want and need to run through her body, her knees growing weak and her breathing to become shallow and ragged. Nope. She didn't mind spending a few days in seclusion with him at all, especially if it meant having moments like these.
"So, still all in?" he asked, huskily, pulling her even closer.
" Still all in." she replied, breathlessly wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling even deeper in his embrace.
"Still up for going to Maine with me?"
She laughed softly. "What part of 'all in' do you not understand?" she teased.
"Thank you." he whispered in her ear, sending electrical shocks through every fiber of her of her body, causing her to tremble. "Everything is very casual, laid back there and we can do whatever we want to." he continued, nuzzling her neck and oh, God, he'd found that sensitive spot just below her ear.
"So, tell me. Does our time alone include moments like these?" she asked, seductively in between intoxicating kisses.
"You'll be in charge, Kate. As little of this or as much as you'd like." he said still dropping soft, tender kisses along her neck.
Damn! Why were they still standing in her living room? Why didn't they just go to her bedroom and finish this conversation? How the hell was she still standing?
"Mmm. Sounds like a good plan to me. All in. So all in." she replied, whispering the last few words in his ear..
"Me, too. All in for me, too."
She didn't know how they made it out of her apartment without going to the bedroom first, but she had a vague recollection of going into her room and throwing a few articles of clothing into a small pull along suitcase and she had no idea what she had packed.
The car service he had called while she was stuffing who knows what into her case was waiting at the curb when they left her apartment.
Rick had called for them to be picked up outside her apartment to be taken to JFK to catch the next flight out of the city to Bangor, Maine where he would pick up a rental car to drive into Otis and have at their disposal until their return two days later.
When the limo driver received Rick's destination, he rolled the privacy window between the seats up so they could talk in private and pulled away from the curb.
"So, tell me about this house you've bought in Maine and why you would want to relocate to Otis, Maine." she said, as the car pulled away from the curb.
Rick turned and gazed out of the window at the city streets passing by. It had been a rash, impulsive thing to do, but at the time he'd bought this place, he'd wanted to put as much distance between her and himself as possible.
She was it for him and for months, he'd held onto hope, hoping that one day, they would be together. But that hope and dream had vanished when she'd turned and ran away, breaking his heart, tearing it into shreds.
And now? Were they really trying this or was this thing between them a figment of his imagination? Perhaps, it was a dream. It felt real and right.
"Rick?" Kate asked when he hesitated in answering.
"Huh?"
"I was asking about this house that you've bought."
"Oh, yeah. I really don't know much about it."
"Wait! What did you just say? Please, don't tell me that you bought this place sight unseen." she asked, aghast. Surely, he hadn't done that. He was too smart for that.
"Uhh, umm, yeah I did. I ran a search on it and there are no liens, second mortgages or back taxes due on the property, though."
Oh, this could all go so horribly wrong in so many different ways. With distant memories of a 1986 movie written by David Gler and starring Shelly Long and Tom Hanks, a romantic comedy of a young couple looking for a new house, but they can't afford to spend much money meet a lonely old con woman who sells them a beautiful mansion for a ridiculously low price. Madness and mayhem ensue when anything and everything that could go wrong did, the second they moved into the house. The house basically fell apart around them with the stairway collapsing, to the bathtub falling through the floor, the chimney falling into the house and the frame falling apart.
And now Rick had possibly put himself in the same position. This situation had 'The Money Pit' stamped all over it only this time it wouldn't be even remotely funny.
"Rick, how did you pay for this property? Please, tell me that you didn't write a check putting your bank account at risk."
"No! Of course, not. I used a cashier check. Look, I know that this was taking a huge risk, but at the time, the only thing I could think about was just getting away, out of the state. I wasn't thinking straight."
"Tell me, did this decision, in any way, even remotely have anything to do with me or my absence? You can tell me, Rick." she asked, gently squeezing his fingers.
What? Now, how the hell could she possibly know what he was thinking? She must know him better than he realized.
Beside her, Rick's posture stiffened and he inhaled sharply. He took his gaze from the passing scenery and looked at her, his brows furrowed and his shoulders drooped.
"Please, be honest and talk to me, Rick."
That was the key. If they were going to work, they had to be honest with each other, so he had no choice, he had to tell her. He only hoped that she'd understand.
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, it did! It had everything to do with this decision, okay? After you left and didn't call after you promised you would- I love you, Kate and life without you- I just couldn't, can't imagine. So when the opportunity presented itself, yes, I jumped on it."
Tears pricked her eyes and threatened to fall at his acknowledgment. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same way, that she loved him too, and had for years. She opened her mouth to tell him that, but her mouth was too dry and the words got stuck in her throat.
Her gaze flicked down to their joined hands and then back at him. Raising their joined hands, she pressed soft kisses to each of his knuckles.
"I know you do, Rick. I want the same thing, I feel the same way…"
"Do you?" he asked.
"Yes." she replied, bringing their joined hands to the center of her chest so he could feel every beat of her heart. "I do. Every beat of my heart is because of you. You think that this erratic beat is due to me being shot in the heart? That's only part of it. That staccato beat is what being with you does to me, among other things. I know that I have a lot to atone for and I'm-"
"No, Kate. I… I…" Rick stuttered.
"Shhh." she said, putting her index finger against his lips. "As much as I'm concerned about you buying this place on impulse and the reason you bought it, I'm looking forward to seeing it and spending the next couple of days with you. I think that it may be good for us. Whatever awaits us in Maine, you won't be alone and I'll support whatever you decide." she said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Rick deepened the kiss and she melded into his embrace, yielding to his kiss, responding to each stroke of his tongue in her mouth with a stroke of her own, moaning his name.
"Please, tell me I'm not dreaming." he whispered huskily in her ear when they broke for air.
She giggled softly and nibbled on his ear lobe. "Not a dream, babe. This is the real deal, I promise." she whispered.
They arrived at JFK just in time to duck into a coffee shop and down a bagel and a cup of coffee before boarding their plane.
TBC.
Author's Note : There will be a bit of a twist in the next chapter which I will begin writing tonight or possibly tomorrow. I saw the movie "The Money Pit" years ago and while bits and pieces flowed in and out of my brain, I couldn't quite pull it all together, so I referenced IMDB for that reference.
The next chapter will be longer, but to be honest, I'm not sure, but this story may end. It wasn't my original plan, but with the way I've got the next chapter planned, i don't know where else to take the story from there. We'll see how it goes.
Anyway, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas if you celebrated it and I wish ech of you a very joyous, prosperous and happy 2016.