It took Rick's eyes a moment to adjust to the lower lighting as the door clicked shut behind him. He could make out the form of someone in the bed and he could hear the steady beep of the heart monitors but there was also a familiar presence in the room. Taking a few steps closer to Alexis, he waited while the darkness lifted from the edges of his vision. That's when he noticed the woman sitting in the corner of the room.
"Kate?" He spoke the name like it were a life saver in this sea of uncertainty.
Kate lifted her head and stared at the man she never thought she would see in person again.
"Castle?" Kate asked locking eyes with him.
"So I'm 'Castle' again?"
"What are you doing here?" Kate squared her shoulders bracing herself for whatever may come of the conversation.
"I should be asking you the same question." He gestured to the form in the bed. "That is my daughter laying there."
"I got a call from the doctor," Kate explained. "They couldn't reach you and I didn't want Alexis to be alone. Now that you're here, there's no reason for me to stay." Kate stood and gathered her purse running a tired hand through her hair.
Rick watched her defenses go up and tried one last time."Thank you."
Kate paused at the door and turned to look at him. "Any time."
Rick let a small smile cross his lips. "Not quite the same as always."
Kate nodded. That had been their word. It meant everything from I've got your back to I love you.
Rick let out a sigh. "Look I know I screwed up. I-"
"You lied to me," Kate interrupted.
"I should have never done that," Rick amended.
"You promised me Rick, and then you went and broke that promise," The hurt in Kate's voice came out in that statement.
"I just thought that with my connections, maybe I could find something in the case that one of the other detectives missed."
"You mean that I missed. Or are you forgetting that I reviewed that case too?" Kate spat.
"No I could never forget that. I just wanted to help. I reviewed that case almost a hundred times before I contacted some of my sources and turned the case over to them. I never imagined that they would find a lead. I never wanted to hurt you Kate."
Kate stood and listened to his story with a tight jaw. Silence fell between them as she processed the information that he was telling her. "Well Castle you did."
"So is that just it? You go back to calling me 'Castle' and pretend like none of it happened?"
"I didn't say that-" Kate began defending.
"You didn't have to, Beckett." Rick turned and took a few steps away before doubling back. "Let me just ask you this, did you forget the passion we shared? Or was all just a game to you because damn it Beckett I was in it! You said one and done and I believed that."
"Yeah sure," Kate rolled her eyes more out of self defense then attitude. Hearing him call her Beckett was like a slap across the face. "One and done my ass. You were keeping secrets from me! The last few months all you did was hide in your office and any time I came near it you panicked! I always wondered what was so damn important that I wasn't allowed in there."
"It's my office!" Rick yelled back at her. "My personal space! I go in there for privacy. You can't be mad at me for that?"
"Like hell I can!" Kate huffed. "Ma maison est ta maison or did you forget that too?" When Rick remained silent, Kate's anger fumed. "You humiliated me. I thought we were building something and the whole time it was built on a lie!"
"I never based our relationship on anything," Rick defended. "I tried to tell you what happened but you would listen! You wouldn't take my calls or even talk with me in person."
"I didn't want to hear about it," Kate turned to open the door.
"Well you're here now so you'll have to listen to me," Rick reached out and grabbed her arm making sure she listened to his whole speech. "I never imagined when I looked into your mother's case that my guys would find a new lead. I thought they were going to come to the same dead ends everyone else had. When they came back with new information, I panicked. I tried asking you about reopening the case but you refused. So I stuck the papers in the folder and never looked back."
"Then why was it in your office?"
"That was just a copy. If anything happened to the one at the precinct, I wanted there to at least be a copy to fall back on," Rick said dropping her arm.
"Was the folder the reason you didn't want me in your office?" Kate asked her hands on her hips.
"No," Rick shook his head taking a step closer. "Honestly I forgot all about that folder. I didn't want you in my office because I didn't want you to go through my desk and find what I had hidden in my top drawer."
"And that would be?" Kate asked crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was starting to shake with every step Rick took closing the gap between them. Rick hung his head and gently shook it.
"The honest truth?" He asked picking his head up slightly to see her continue expression. "It was an engagement ring. I was crazy about you Kate. I still am. I believed in 'one and done' and wanted to be your one and done. I never planned on any of this happening. The only plan I had was of how I was going to ask you to marry me. I even went and talked with your dad. I hate myself for hurting you. If there was a way I could go back and stop this all from happening I would do it in a heart beat. Maybe this is how it was supposed to be. You're clearly happier without me around."
Rick took a deep breath. "I left a copy of the case at the precinct. All of the added notes are there. This is where I bow out somewhat gracefully. Good-bye, Detective Beckett." Rick turned around and began walking towards Alexis in the bed.
Kate watched him walk away. Her brain working in over drive to process everything that just transpired. "You're wrong, you know."
"Excuse me?" Rick asked turning around to look at her.
"You heard me," Kate nodded in his direction. "You're wrong." She began walking towards him slowly. "I did love you. I do love you. I'm only happier because I'm pretending to be. Everyone at the precinct stays out of my way. The guys call frequently to check up on me. My dad stops by to make sure I have food in my apartment. And Lanie tried to get me out of my apartment. Most days I either work until the middle of the night or I sit around my apartment in your Notre Dame t-shirt."
Rick's eye brows shot up at her admission. "Thought you lost it didn't you?" She smirked. "I pretend to be strong at work but even there people see right through me." She stopped in front of the famous author. "So where we're you that the doctor couldn't reach you?"
"I was picking out a Christmas tree with my mother. She erased your message off of my machine and I almost lost it. Then she suggested we shop for a tree so Alexis wouldn't have a horrible Christmas."
"You saved a message I left you?" Kate asked surprised.
"You saved my shirt," Rick smirked. "It was a short message. One that ended with you saying you love me. I just couldn't erase it. I didn't think I would ever see or hear you say it again. Wait why did they doctor call you?"
Kate blushed slightly. "Well he said that he couldn't get a hold of you and I was next on the emergency contact list. Apparently you never changed it."
"It was a hard few months. It honestly never crossed my mind," Rick shrugged.
"And what did cross your mind?" Kate challenged taking a final step closer.
"You," Rick said sincerely. "So how did you get here before me?"
Kate bit her lip. "I was leaving my apartment with my dad. We were heading to his house in Jersey for a party and actually, he erased all the messages off of my answering machine too." Kate looked up at Rick realization dawning on her.
"Did you have one from me on there?" Rick asked cocking his head to the side.
"Yeah," Kate blushed. "It's almost like they planned it. The erasing of the machines I mean. The fact that Alexis got hurt is just a coincidence."
"A very convenient coincidence," Rick said slowly as his mind began piecing together different puzzle pieces.
"What do you mean?"
"When did you get the phone call about Alexis being in the hospital?"
"Right after I got to my Dad's house," Kate shrugged.
"Right so you were already in Jersey," Rick nodded. "I got my call when I was out shopping for a Christmas tree. It took me a few minutes to get a cab that could take me out to Jersey. Which is how you were able to get here before me."
"What is your point?" Kate asked not following his train of thought.
"When I got here, you were already in the room with Alexis. And yet she hasn't woken up yet."
Kate's eyes went wide. "You think we've been set up."
"I think that's exactly what happened," Rick leaned over the hospital bed and pulled the covers down to reveal the dummy laying in the bed. "Just as I thought. That's not Alexis."
Kate shook her head. "I never even checked on her in the bed. I just sat in the chair and waited for you."
Rick shrugged and took her hand in his. "It's okay. I'm touched that you would even make the trip. Now let's get out of here." Together they walked to the door and Ricked grabbed the doorknob but the door wouldn't budge.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked leaning over his shoulder.
"The door is locked," Rick whispered to her.
"That's impossible," Kate muttered as she tried the handle. "What the hell?"
"I bet this was Alexis's idea," Rick shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed. Kate followed and sat next to him close enough to rest her head on his shoulder.
"She's smart but not that smart," Martha's voice came from another room. Soon she appeared in the door way.
"Mother?" Rick asked surprised to see her.
"Took you two long enough. When we set you, we didn't think it would take all evening," Alexis appeared next to her grandmother.
"What do you mean by we?" Rick asked studying his daughter.
"For a Detective Katie, I'm surprised you didn't figure something was strange sooner. Maybe you need a vacation," Jim appeared behind the two women.
"Dad? What are you talking about?"
"You two were so miserable without each other that Martha and I decided to intervene," Jim explained walking into the room.
"But we needed some help, so I wrangled Alexis into our plans as well," Martha smiled joining everyone else.
Kate looked up at Rick as he looked down at her. A small smile traced his features before he leaned in to brush a kiss across her lips . The moment they touched a fire erupted within them fusing them together once more. The passion they once shared hadn't died. It was just lost and shaken. Breaking apart they started into each other's eyes.
"You know what?" Rick asked with a smile wrapping his arms around her waist.
"What?" Kate asked wrapping her arms around his neck
"We made it. We're unstoppable," He smirked. Kate rolled her eyes but found herself laugh at his cliché joke because in the end she had wound up in his arms once again.
