To my faithful readers
I apologize

I forgot to remind everyone my stories are very, very much AU

I use the players but not the canon. I have Gates and Montgomery in this and he was not a player in Johanna's death.
Just remember Not Canon
Just my weirdness

EPILOG

No wild and crazy theory that Richard Castle has ever dreamed up in his head about having Kate even comes close to what is taking place in his living room at this moment

This day and evening is finishing much different than how he considered it wrapping up.

Definitely not the two of them standing just inside his loft doorway with Katherine Beckett's hands caressing his neck, her lips pressed firmly on his, their breath mingled, his arms wrapped around her waist, and her body firmly pressed against his.

The sounds that she is making deep inside her mouth are smothered by similar noises coming from his own throat. His hands are drifting up and down the light flimsy material of her dress. He feels her body just inside the ultra thin material reacting to his every touch. And the more he touches her, the more of her reaction comes back to him ten fold. He knows that if someone doesn't take control quickly, this coupling will rapidly become unstoppable

He finally is able to regain enough of his wits to try and get a grip of himself, and the situation. He raises his arms to her shoulders and gently, softly pushes her away, if only slightly. She is just far enough away so that he can see her face

When she opens her eyes he sees that they are filled with the same level of tears that he has in his own. He knows his tears of pain and hurt have been replaced by tears of joy. He is hoping hers are matching his and from her reaction they must be of happiness as well

He speaks gently to her, almost in a whisper "What happened? Did you say no to Josh's proposal?"

A soft sweet smile crosses her face and for the first time he sees something else in her eyes that has been there for a while but not in this intensity. He sees what looks like Love "I said yes to his question"

It is very evident that Castle does not understand "You told him you would marry him and now you are here?"

She shakes her head no, then speaks "His question was not a proposal"

"What was it then?"

She looks down to their linked fingers and starts pulling him in the direction of his bedroom "Follow me and I will tell you all about it"

He finds himself a willing follower as she pulls him into his own room and she closes the door behind them

When she reaches the bed, she stops, turns back to him, and in one swift flick of her hand, the soft, red material of her evening attire descends to a pile on the floor

"Can that discussion wait until tomorrow morning?" She asks in a deep breathy voice

Richard Castle is a goner

Saturday morning

Castle opens his eyes and sees a mass of chestnut hair on the pillow next to him. 'Did I get drunk last night and pick up some chick at the bar?'

Then his brain joins him in his now fully awake status 'No I did not. This mass of hair belongs to Kate he reminds his heart

He reaches over gently and pulls a few of the strands away from her uncovering her face so he can look at her.

"Good morning babe" she mumbles into the pillow

"So it wasn't a dream"

"No you weren't dreaming" she rolls over on her back so she can look up at him and he is now just above her face

He leans down and gives her a kiss

A soft hum comes from her throat "This is better than the coffee kisses at the precinct"

"The what?" he almost chokes because that is exactly what he thought about them every day when he handed her a cup

She chuckles. Then after a pause "Hey! She says

"Hey yourself" he responds

She reaches up and touches his face "This is nice"

"Yeah it is" he waits a second but he has a look on his face that she recognizes. The look she saw on him every time she was with another man. The look that was asking a silent question

"WHY?"

The question was "He asked me if I was in love with you"

She pauses for a moment to let that information soak in "…and I told him yes. Yes I am in love you. Richard Castle I am in love with you"

He is having trouble understanding "You are?"

She gives him the smile he has received in exchange for coffee for the last four years "Yes, Mr. Castle! I am"

"So the answer to Josh's question was…"

"Yes"

"How? I mean if he planned this whole fancy dinner to ask you…?"

"I thought he was going to propose"

"Is that why you have been upset all week?"

"Yeah" she turns and pushes Rick onto his back then lays her head on his shoulder

"Kate?"

"Hum?"

What you have said? I mean if he had proposed?"

She closees her eyes "I am glad he didn't"

"But what would you have said?"

A deep breath followed by a sigh "I would have said no"

"Why Kate? He's a good man. He has been good to you"

"I really, really liked him…" She feels Rick stiffen "But that wasn't enough" she feels Castle relax ever so slightly

She raises her head "I need a man who will be there for me and I can be there for him…" she looks Rick in the eyes "Someone like you"

They lay together for several more minutes just basking in the afterglow of the previous night's activities

"Kate?"

"How did he know? I mean why would he ask if you were in love with me? I never knew it. I mean I was hoping you were, but…"

"You remember when Roy was wounded in that gunfight last year?"

"Yeah. That's what caused his early retirement"

"It seems that one of the nurses who took care of him was in Africa with Josh and she had overheard some of my conversations with Roy. And then she passed that infomation to Josh"

"How did that change anything?"

Kate props herself up and grins down at Castle "When I visited Roy in the hospital we talked a lot about things at the station and several times the conversations circled back to you and me"

"What kind of conversations?"

"Captain Montgomery told me he kept you around because he saw how good you were for me…how I wasn't having any fun before you came along and how much you and I were meant for each other and how he, along with everyone else saw it"

"But helping you to have fun is not the same as being in love"

She comes down over his face "I might have said something about being in love with you but being afraid you wouldn't love me back"

"So how did we get here?"

"At dinner, Josh told me you were madly in love with me. He said he is a trained medical professional…and a man. And it was easy to see your hurt and pain every time he came by to see me"

"Oh" Rick says softly

"So last night I decided I needed to find out if everyone was right…about us that is"

"And what do you think?"

"Make love to me again and I will let you know"

FINIS

There you go. Got that out of my system. Now back to my other story