A.N.: Major spoilers for last night's episode, the season finale. Please don't read if you haven't watched it yet.
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xi. defining moments
There are moments in life that define a man. Moments which shape him. Moments which make him into the man he will become.
Rick Castle has not had that many moments in his lifetime. In fact, he can count on one hand how many significant, earth shattering moments he has had. Two of them involve Alexis; the other two his character, Derek Storm. At his age, with all he's seen in life, he never thought he'd have another moment again. But then again, he'd never imagined meeting someone like Detective Kate Beckett.
So here he stood in a hospital hallway, ready to tell the one person in the world who was actually starting to trust him that he had done the only thing that she had specifically told him not to do. It wasn't an easy decision but there are moments in life that define a woman as well. And despite everything, Rick Castle knows he owes it to Kate Beckett to give her that moment.
"It's about your mother……"