Alerts are up! Which means you should all see this one and I really want you're thoughts on it because it's out of the order that I had but it came pouring out of my fingertips before I could stop it and I wanted to post it ahead of the The Limey.

Obviously Castle isn't mine, if it were I wouldn't find this necessary.

Shoulda – Hinder

"I love you."

That's all she said, when I opened the door. She was wringing her hands but she didn't take her eyes off of me. "I'm sorry?" I managed to ask since it appeared that my brain couldn't keep up with her.

She huffed just a little bit and said it again. "I love you." I didn't know where to go with that and apparently neither did she because we just stood there looking at each other for a moment. "I should have told you," She broke the silence.

"That you love me?" My heart was beating too fast, and my brain was working too slowly in comparison.

"That I heard you." She's wringing her hands again.

"Oh." This was not what I expected happen after the last few weeks, we'd fought last week so she knew that I'd found out. Ever since we'd been really careful around each other, mostly I just avoided her, "shadowing" Ryan and Esposito instead.

Kicking my brain into gear I stepped back from the door, making room for her to come inside. She hesitated for a moment before stepping inside the door waiting for me to close it, and then she followed me to the kitchen perching on a bar stool as I went mechanically through the motions of making coffee.

"I wish I had an explanation for you," she started slowly, "I had all these reason… all these silly reasons that made sense before you knew and … they don't make any sense and now they're all these silly reason that mean I'm going to lose you."

I hear the sobs between the phrases, and the tight control she has on her tears, and I have to turn around. "Kate…" I try and get her to stop talking but she seems to be on a roll.

"I'm sorry Rick… I'm sorry it wasn't fair for me to live for a year knowing that you loved me and you not to know how I felt about you… Knowing you did love me was the only solid thing I had to hang onto some days…" She pulled in a deep breath, steeling herself, "Anyway I'll go but I thought you deserved to know that I love you… that I'm in love with you… and that I'm sorry."

And then she was standing and making her way to the door while my brain caught up, "Kate!" I managed to call just as she laid her hand on the door knob, and I jogged over to her, "You love me?"

Her eyes were wide, "So much."

I stepped closer to her a hand coming to rest on her hip, "And I love you…" she bit her lip but didn't say anything, "so can that be what matters?" I asked.

She's starting to smile, and look just a little relived. "Please?" slips from her lips.

I step closer so that our chests are touching, and she's backed up against the door. "Anything for you Kate."

She's the one that closes the distance.

Molly is tweeting about the finale, and they've named the season ender, and I'm struggling to breath but these are keeping fangirling attacks at bay. How are you guys doing out there? Inboxes flooded I'm sure but if you have a second drop me a word or too!

Babyrose