Dear Readers and Friends...our couple's journey continues in Bali...the harsh music of Bali brings back memories of the past year for Kate...see how it resolves...Hope you like it...let me know...

thanks to my wonderful friends and betas...nice job ladies...thanks

XXOO,

Melody

After reviewing several options, they decided to go to Ulu watu temple today, it was located on the side of a rocky precipice cliff on the Bukit peninsula, 200 meters above the ocean. The temple is one of six most prominent in Bali, dating back to the tenth century, and was revered for honoring the protective spirits of the sea.

This part of the peninsula was in contrast to the usual lush vegetation, arid and very rocky.

The guide explained the guidelines for viewing the temple, each visitor was required to wear a sarong, women who were having their period were forbidden to enter. The guide alerted them to the temple monkeys, an aggressive group who grabbed people's belongings, particularly hats, sunglasses and purses. Kate left her purse and sunglasses in the car. Rick insisted he could handle the monkeys. They were each given a stick to strike he monkeys if they got too close.

Kate helped Rick fasten his sarong, he gave her a hip wiggle, lifted on corner of his hem, showing off his leg and wagging an eyebrow at Kate.

"I'm cute, huh?"

Kate rolled her eyes, put her hand in front mouth to suppress a smile and snorted as Rick danced around, swaying his hips.

"Well, you are quite a girl aren't you, Kitten."

Her comment brought Rick immediately to her side, grasping her hands, wrenching her arms behind her and began tickling her throat with his stubbly jaw.

"Stop it, you bastard, come on." She was laughing so hard, she hardly sounded threatening

"Don't call me kitten." He growled in into her ear, followed by a sloppy kiss.

She nodded in acceptance and he released her arms

"You don't play fair." Kate groused, smacking his chest.

"This from the queen of dirty play."

"Come on let's go." Kate attempted to give him the Beckett death stare, but it was met with a Castle hip wiggle and he stuck out his tongue.

Kate wrapped her camera strap tightly around her wrist and proceeded up the path. The path was narrow with a short wall separating them from safety and a long, deadly fall.

They hadn't gotten very far when several monkeys began to get closer, Kate and Rick both swung at them, with no intention of hurting them, just keeping them at bay. The view was astonishing, the three tiers of the temple were right along the cliff, the background of the sky was deep blue. Kate manoeuvred herself in order to change the angle of the sun on the temple, turning she watched the cliff change colors, shooting pictures of the resulting changes.

Rick was busy ensuring Kate's footing was stable when he felt his glasses leave his face.

"You little bastard." Rick lurching towards the very fast monkey who had stolen his glasses and running away. Kate couldn't help but laugh at Castle, he had been warned but chose to ignore the warning.

"Told you to leave them in the car." She responded smugly, shaking her head.

"Humph, yeah, yeah." Rick was pouting, fortunately he had extra sun glasses at the hotel.

The scenery at the temple was fantastic, Kate captured the lines of the temple with the lush vegetation growing through the concrete blocks. She was at peace and focused on the various designs, Rick kept a close eye on her, keeping the monkeys at bay, shaking his stick at the squawking group.

They spent several hours crawling around the rocks, over the temple stairs. They stayed long enough for the beginning of the sunset, watching with not a cloud in the sky, the sky turning as the sun set, shining into the temple, leaving a golden cast. Kate was busy taking shots at various angles, the light of the sunset on the temple and the cliff took her breath away.

"God, Castle, this is...it's magic." She snuggled into his arms as they watched together, his lips dragging through her hair.

"We need to leave, we're watching the gamelan and dancing tonight."

"Hmmmm, okay." Kate agreed reluctantly.

Their evening meal consisted of local fish specialties, a little spicy and ice cold gin and Tonics. Kate had a little buzz from the alcohol on board when they sat in the open area for the music. She was very excited to hear the orchestra play with the brightly dressed young women dancing to the rhythmic sounds. There were no swing instruments in the orchestra, only brass, lots of gongs, bells and other instruments uncommon to most people.

They had travelled to the man who was responsible for manufacturing the various instruments of the orchestra. His workshop was amazing, it consisted of several open air rooms, each room used to create one specific instrument. They watched the local artisans pounding the metal, making each bell, each symbol slightly different to enhance the sounds. Not only were the metal parts of the instruments polished and smooth, but the racks for holding the bells, carved out of teak, some left natural, some brightly painted. Some of the instruments were carved out of bamboo, even including flute like instruments. Kate had wandered around the various areas, watching the men at work, communicating with the English speakers, but making it clear to everyone she appreciated their work. She took a number of shots of the workers, after asking permission.

They ended up buying a beautiful gong and a carved stand with dragon heads on each side. Rick and Kate chuckled after asking the owner what form of payment he wanted and the owner pointed to the American Express sign.

"Don't leave home without it." Rick laughed as he paid for their treasure.

The music began, Kate had her eyes closed as the music transported her, it was harsh, lyrical and somewhat unsettling. Rick adored the sound, she appreciated it, but her preference was the cool jazz of a stringed ensemble.

The dancers brightly clad in costumes represented the mythology of the various Gods of Hindu, a very ritualistic exacting dance, the hand movements were precise, the fingers reaching for the sky, sweeping in unison to the music. There was an abundance of demonology, good fighting evil, this brought a frown to her face, her heart quickened, she was disturbed by the ritualism of the dancing.

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Back in their suite, Rick just finished talking to Alexis who was having a great time at Ku de ta, a local nightspot, promising to be home soon.

"I'm going to bed. You coming?" Rick asked, gazing at Kate, she appeared distant, he knew that look and decided not to push her.

"No, you go ahead, I'm going to review my photos." Giving him a warm, yet distracted smile. He padded over to her, tilted in, kissed her softly once on the lips, then on the forehead, headed to the bedroom, but looked back at Kate before he retreated.

She was already turned away, her elbow on the back on the couch, staring out the window with her thumb at her mouth, a certain sign she was deep in thought. Rick pursed his lips and went to bed.

The night's performance had stirred emotions and memories of the past year. She was compelled to relive these, she needed to get a handle on this before she talked with Rick.

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The year had started on a bizarre note. When she had been notified of her friend Nick's death, panic had taken over and she'd had to let Rick know how she felt immediately. She smiled as she recalled entering the bullpen and kissing him full on the mouth in front of everyone. She was not embarrassed, had actually been relieved, their relationship had blossomed from there and they became an exclusive couple.

Kate rapidly became dependent on Rick and was heartbroken when he left on a book tour. She chose to revert to her old ways for survival, too many hours of work, too much caffeine, too little sleep and food. She was disgusted at herself for mooning over Rick, it was pitiful.

She was exhausted, the more work she did, the worse she felt. Her old injured side was throbbing, hot to the touch, she had chills, but ignored the symptoms. Rick asked her if she was okay when he called. His persistence only served to infuriate her, she dug her heels in and kept driving herself.

She finally collapsed at the precinct, the boys transporting her to Castle's loft since she refused to go to the hospital. Ricks friend and doctor Steve, came to the loft to look at her, her side where she had been shot needed to be drained, leaving her very ill and semi-conscious. She remembered very little of this time. Martha and Alexis nursed her until Rick returned, her illness had been a complication from her initial shooting. She ended up with a difficult and prolonged recovery period. Thinking back over this time left her weak and nauseous just thinking about it.

During her illness and subsequent recovery, Rick was attentive, loving, taking excellent care of her. They spoke of many things, their pasts, the women in Ricks life and the men from Kate's past. She told him of her battle with PTSD, going to Dr Burke, trying to become whole again. She confessed that she had heard his declarations of love after she had been shot, but was terrified she was too damaged to go to him.

Kate tried to describe her recovery after being shot, it was still an emotionally raw time for her, and she faltered, not able to continue, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, Rick pulled her to him and relayed everything to her, how he had been at her side from the moment she was out of surgery until she kicked him out of her room days later. He recalled every detail of those hours, bringing them both to tears, his eyes told it all, he would do anything for her, his love for her was unconditional, the realization made her gasp.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she remembered, the final memory was the most difficult, reliving her beating and torture at the hands of the man who shot her and her mother. Her hands were in her hair, her head bowed as she remembered the events. Maddox had taken great pride on inflicting horrific pain on Kate, her palms grew sweaty, her stomach queasy and for a moment she thought she might pass out as she remembered.

One of the manoeuvres she endured with Maddox was being restrained with her arms above her head and her body naked from the waist up. What angered her the most was how this had adversely affected Castle and her rather unorthodox sexual games. She still could not endure being restrained during sex. Her hands covered her eyes as she recalled the shame.

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She wasn't sure why all of these events had surfaced now. Rick and she had spent hours talking to Dr Burke, both separately and together. They also spent hours in bed talking about the good things and the bad.

She shuddered with uncertainty, she seemed to be regressing. This frightened her more than anything. She rose and went outside, taking deep breaths, trying to lessen her fear. She sat on the edge of the bale's cushion, her hands in her hair, her elbows on her knees, concentrating on her breathing. She was contemplating waking Rick up when her hand was removed from her hair and a coffee mug filled its spot.

"Thought you might be ready for a cafe lewatt." His smile tender, open for Kate.

"Great coffee beans that come out of the business end of a civet. How much better can it get?" Rick's approach lightening the mood, forcing Kate to smile at his attempt.

"It's the most expensive coffee in the world, come on, don't waste money."

Kate took a small sip, and raised one eyebrow. "Wow, it's actually very good."

"You doubt me? I'm stunned." Rick's eyes never left Kate's face, attempting to read her expression, her thoughts.

He remained silent, waiting for her to begin. His hand rubbing the small of her back, lightly, barely touching, yet so faint, it aroused her, warmed her.

Her voice started, a mere whisper, hesitant, weak, frightened.

"The performance tonight had a peculiar effect on me. It was frightening, brought up the bad things that happened his year. I...I needed to think...relive those events...I know I'm a mess. That's what scares me. What if these...these relapses never leave me...never.." Kate was obviously agitated, worried. Rick leaned in, stopped her ramblings with a tender kiss. His forehead resting on hers.

"First, you are extraordinary , Katherine Beckett. A lesser person would have crumbled, given up months and months ago. You got stronger with each obstacle that was thrown at you. You have opened up, you express your feelings, your fears, your desires. Even now, you waited until you were clear, but you and I are talking. I can't think of anything better."

Kate sat her cup down and climbed on his lap, curled into his arms.

"I don't deserve you, our life together, I am so lucky, you're the best nine year old on a sugar rush I've ever known." Her lips working their way along his jawline, ending on his mouth, her tongue entering, satisfied, happy and she sighed, her hands roughing up his hair.

They laid curled up together, when Rick broke their spell, jumped up and disappeared, leaving Kate sprawled on the bale, shaking her head, he was a wild man with the attention span of an gnat.

Rick returned, his hands behind his back and a curious smile on his face. Kate was immediately suspicious.

"What's up, hot rod?" Kate had her arms folded across her chest.

"Well, I had planned to give this to you in a different spot, but I think it's a good time now."

With that he produced the black box, it's distinct shape elicited an audible gasp from Kate and her face paled.

"Relax, Kate, this is not a marriage proposal. We're already a committed couple and this is just a gift." With those words, he opened the box, exposing the Emerald ring. It was gorgeous, even in the dim light of the patio, it glistened. Kate was speechless, her mouth dropped open, her stomach flipped over and she felt a little light headed. Rick removed the ring from the box and slipped it on Kate's ring finger. It was a perfect fit and as Rick suspected it looked spectacular on her hand.

Kate was still speechless, glowing inside, her eyes fixed to the ring, her mind whirling.

"Why?"

Rick laughed. "Because." He grinned and Kate smacked him. Her heart was full, now her trembling was from joy.

"No really, why?"

"I remembered the stories your mom told you about emeralds, the magic they held, how they represented joie de vivre, how she compared your eye color to emeralds and how like emeralds, your eye color changes with emotion, you were so animated when you spoke, I knew I wanted to give you that feeling again."

She stood over him, pushed him down, straddled him and fell into his arms. Her open mouth engulfed his, his mouth sweet, welcoming. Their kisses sparked an intense glow, passion built in both of them. Their clothes were peeled off, kisses were being placed everywhere, Rick was using his stubble to tickle Kate's sides and she was working on his neck, jaw and ear lobes.

"What are my eyes telling you now?" Kate leering down at him.

Rick rolled her off of him, laughing and soon he was in the top position.

"That you're ready to be thoroughly and completely..." Ricks last words were halted as Kate drew him to her, her mouth wild, nipping, licking, heightening the foreplay, causing Rick to groan and Kate laughed, wrinkling her nose. She was winning the game. She proceeded to stroke him, bringing him to an erect state and she settled on him, rocking back and forth, they soon gained their rhythm, thrusting and squirming until they both reached a climax simultaneously, collapsing in a heap.

"Rick kissed her head and murmured, "Remind me to give you more presents, expensive ones. I like the thank you." Grinning from ear to ear.

"You're such a child." Kate laid with her head on his chest, teasing him and kissing his chest.

"Now will you come to bed?" He queried.

"Hmmmmm, I've never had a better offer." She reached up to Rick, He picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder and took her to bed, smacking her once on the bottom.

"Try and behave, if that's even possible."

So, what did you think? a few more chapters in Bali, then this trip will be over...QUESTION: Is it time to end this series?