A/N #1: I wanted this fic to be about Rick and Kate, not about information gathering - We all know more or less what they will find; it'd be boring; therefore, I fast-forwarded a bit. Please don't be confused. Or mad.

~No betas were harmed in the production of this chapter~


Chapter 7

Now that he had gathered his "gang", it had been only a matter of a few days until they had enough material to get to the real thing. It was time to confront Katherine Houghton Beckett with the fact that she aged fourteen years over night, lost her mom and became New York's finest detective, without even remembering any of it. Not to forget becoming her favorite author's fiancée.

Castle didn't intend to bring that up anytime soon, though. With any luck, it would come to her before he had to break it to her. Well, that was enthusiastic, he thought. He had made it sound as if it was a bad thing that he convinced her to marry him. Bad choice of words again, Rick, he sighed inwardly. He knew he hadn't really have to convince her; he knew she had really wanted this, wanted them.

He had clawed his way through her defenses for four whole years, almost draining himself of every last bit of strength he had at the time. But when he did finally succeed, oh boy, it was worth it. It took four years of pain, of sexual innuendos, of near-death-experiences which happened more often than they were willing to count (not that they didn't keep track though) to get to that magic year.

Of course, they had hit the occasional bump in the road; but in the end, it was the best thing that had ever happened to him besides Alexis. He knew he would try to gain her heart again.

He just didn't knew if he could endure it again. He now knew what he was missing out on; he didn't have a clue if he could ever go back to anything less.

~~~~~~~~~~ Flashback ~~~~~~~~~~

Most of them had already driven home, finally taking a break after hours of working the details out. Eventually, only Doctor Greg and Castle remained in the tiny chamber.

"Can I do it? PLEASE?" Castle asked.

"I would strongly advise against it, Rick." Greg responded.

"But why?" he whined. "We bonded again already. Shouldn't it come from someone she knows?"

Greg just sighed. "There's a good chance she will be overwhelmed by the news."

Understatement of the year.

"You worked side by side with her for the last few years. How does she react when she's overwhelmed?"

Castle's eyes went bigger and bigger. "Oh, boy. There are so many different 'overwhelmed Kates'."

That let Greg raise his eyebrows almost into his hairline. "You have your fiancé categorized?"

Castle only shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a writer. I'm bound to notice things others don't; especially about my muse." he smirked. "And it's just easier to remember when you put it in categories and write it down. Otherwise it might as well didn't happen." The doctor nodded in understanding.

"But to cut the long list short, she'll get angry because she likes to have control and being overwhelmed takes this from her. However, she won't snap, usually, but rather bottle it up because, well, it would be a loss of control. She knows what could happen to her if she loses control." A shadow lurked over Castle's face when he thought about the reason for that.

"But then again, everything I really know about her is how she was after her mother's murder. So I cannot say anything with certainty." he offered, smiling sheepishly and slightly embarrassed.

The doctor rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I know she's different than what you're accustomed to. Look, Rick. I really appreciate that you want to tell her. It's understandable that you care for her and you love her and you want to be there for her when she gets the news, but as much as I'd like to for you to go in there as a man, I have a professional responsibility first. We don't know how she will react; the information we have accumulated so far is inconclusive at best. I just wanted you to show what you would be in for."

He fixated Castle who began to feel a bit uncomfortable. "When the health of a patient is concerned, we cannot afford any mistakes. I've been bearing the brunt of my patients' anger for quite some time now; I'm used to them having problems with coping. Even so, it doesn't get easier per se."

Castle chuckled which earned him a mild glare. "I'm sorry, but trust me, I've been on the receiving end of her wrath on numerous occasions. I'm used to it, too."

That elicited at least a half smile from Greg, but nothing more. "That, I don't have any doubt of." he replied dryly. "However, this isn't about what you can take. It's about what she can take. The concussion isn't fully healed yet, and we might have to sedate her. The struggles patients put up before they're sedated or even when the sedatives kick in aren't a pretty view."

Castle wasn't going to back down this easily. "I've worked alongside a NYPD homicide detective for five years now. I think I can stomach views that aren't all that pretty." he scoffed.

"I know you do. But can you take it when it's about someone you love?"


A/N #2: I begin to understand the authors who torture their readers with cliffhangers… It's so much fun! As long as you are on the right side of the cliffhanger :P

A/N #3: I know where this fic is going (or at least where I want this to go), and I wanted to let you know that I'm already planning a sequel. Ambitious, I know, especially considering how long it takes me to update, but I tell you this so long in advance because the sequel will be a crossover with Chuck and I wanted you to be prepared. I will however include some details in the sequel so you can get the general gist of it (General gist *salutes*), but it is of course always better to have watched the original.