Here's a third part of "I accept", hope you enjoy it!

"Hey there you... are."

Kate felt a small satisfaction grow in her as her cheeks turned hot and she put the robe over one of the loungers. As soon as she turned towards the pool, where Castle was, she did absolutely not regret deciding on the bikini because his look was priceless.

"What do you think?" she couldn't help but swing her arms out and twirl around for him to see her whole body, but she wasn't really sure where her confidence came from.

When she was turned to him again she saw his eyes staring at her in shock. She felt as though she was blushing with her whole body, which was a feeling she'd never felt before, not even the first time she had been naked with Demming or her past boyfriends. But then again, Castle was not like Demming or her past boyfriends, he was different. They hadn't thrown themselves into dating or anything like it when they first met, they had learnt to trust each other way before this. Before she decided to admit to having feelings deeper than their 'professional partnership', if that's what you can call it.

"Beautiful," Castle mumbled, not really aware of what thought his mouth was voicing.

It wasn't until she heard her ask "what?" that he bit his lip and shook his head to gather his thoughts.

"You look good," he cleared his throat before quickly adding, "you coming or not?"

Kate was almost positive she'd heard him mumble the word 'beautiful' but was so caught of guard by it that she became insecure.

"Yeah, coming," she said walking to the edge of the pool.

He was in the middle of the pool and she felt an eagerness to get to him that she would most definitely deny if someone ever said it out loud. Kate carefully put one foot in front of the other as she let the water slowly surround her legs, her hips, her belly and lastly her chest. Castle was observing her from the middle, not sure if he should stay, swim towards her or swim to the opposite side of the pool, he was not sure if she wanted him near her in that bikini. Sure, they'd been close to a kiss before, but he didn't want to risk overstepping and loosing her. No way in hell would he move too fast, not now, not ever. Kate took a deep breath before she dove under the water, swimming towards her partner, enjoying being engulfed by the pool and its water. It was peaceful down there, and she opened her eyes under the water, just like she always did when she was a kid, to be able to see how close she was to him so that she wouldn't swim right into his body. To Castle's big surprise she broke the surface of the water only a few feet away from him, close enough for him to be able to put his arms around her, and it was a big challenge not to. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her into his arms but still he didn't want to push her away. She wiped her face from the water before she splashed some water on him, knowing he wouldn't suspect a thing, and she burst out laughing when he quickly ducked away, raising his hands in defense.

"You think that's funny?!" he shouted with a big hint of a chuckle deep in his throat.

"Yep!" she laughed before she dove under the water to shield herself from the water he tried to splash back at her.

She was about to swim away from him when she felt his arms surround her and he pulled her above the water, keeping her close to his body.

"You're gonna regret that," he stated and she shook her head.

"Really? And what will you do about it?" she questioned and let go of a shriek when he threw himself backwards into the water, pulling her with him down under.

Kate immediately struggled to get free from his arms and after a few seconds he let her go, afraid she might not have had the oxygen she needed to be able to stay under longer. The second she was above water she spit out the water she got in her mouth and took a deep heaving breath. She turned towards where he got up and splashed some water onto him.

"What the hell Castle!" she shouted with fake anger and his eyes looked at her, suddenly filled with fright.

"I-uh-I," he didn't know what to say, so he stumbled on his words and she couldn't help but find him adorable.

Without much thought she closed the distance between them and put her lips on his, holding his lips with hers enough for it to be considered a kiss and not just a simple peck. When she realized what she was doing she pulled away as fast as a lightning would struck a tree in the middle of an open field. Their eyes met, both mirroring the exact same amount of shock, not really sure as to what had just happened. Kate suddenly felt really exposed, and that wasn't because she was in a bikini, no, it was because suddenly she had put herself out there, them out there. Suddenly that last line was about to get crossed over and she hadn't even thought twice this time, it just happened. Not like in the kitchen, then at least she'd taken her time, even if she hadn't been able to stop herself then either it felt weird how fast she had moved towards the line, eager to cross it, to get it over with. She bit her lip, feeling anxious and nervous about what would happen next. Castle's mouth opened and it took quite a few seconds before he actually got anything out.

"Maybe I should pretend to drown you more often."

Kate knew that voice, he was trying to joke to hide the fact that he had no idea what to say, or maybe even it was to protect himself from showing too much emotion. His eyes told her he wanted something but she couldn't figure out what it was, and she cut their eye contact by looking down into the water. Her fingers fiddled around under the water, hands moving back and forth, trying to think about anything else but how much she missed the feeling of his lips on hers. It was like she could still feel the ghost of them and she kept biting her lower lip to try and get it to stop, she felt exposed enough and the blush set on her cheeks didn't help one bit either.

"Kate?" his voice was soft, careful, and there was a hint of fear in it.

Castle wanted to kiss the woman in front of him, wanted to feel her lips on his again, but seeing her pretty much crawl inside her shell again scared him. It gave him a feeling that said she might regret the kiss, that she regretted accepting his offer to come here. What if she did? What if she regretted coming with him to spend a whole weekend at his beach house with only him and her? It took a few seconds before he heard her take a deep breath and look up at him, meeting his gaze, and there he saw it. It wasn't a sign of regret, but a sign of determination.

"Rick, I'm not the easiest person to get to know," she said and he held up his hand to stop her.

"I know, you already told me," he said but she shook her head.

"Yeah but I need you to know that... I want to let you in, believe me I do, but I'm not sure I can. I haven't... I haven't been able to let people in completely after my mom's death. I swore to never let myself that vulnerable again, to never be able to feel that pain again."

Her voice quivered, and she had a hard time focusing on one point so her eyes kept flicking between his ocean blues. Castle saw the insecurity and wondered how she was able hide that under normal circumstances, how was this woman not breaking apart when it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders? Kate observed him as he looked down in the water and slowly he closed the distance between them, carefully and gently putting his hands on her hips before he opened his mouth.

"Kate, I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you really want me to, and you don't need to let me in all at once, we'll take it one step at a time, just like with the rest of our relationship," he reasoned and she couldn't understand how she had ever thought of him as an egotistical jackass.

Though he had been, right? In the beginning? Now he had changed, become a better man, a gentleman.

"Since when did you become so sweet?" she questioned and he narrowed his eyes.

"I've always been sweet," he insisted before he smiled and let his eyes wander to her lips.

The giggle that escaped her mouth took her by surprise, and by the look of his eyes it surprised him as well. His hands still on her hips they continued to just stare in each other's eyes, it felt like they stood there forever without saying a word, both comfortable in the silence because even if they weren't talking out loud their eyes had a conversation of their own. Eyes which told each other how much the other meant to them, how deep their relationship had gone. It was Castle who decided to interrupt the silence and his eyes told her he was nervous of the question he was asking.

"One step at a time, so... does the step we're at involve kissing?" he blushed at his question, feeling shy.

The smile growing on her lips sent further warmth to his cheeks, deepening the blush he already had. Instead of answering his question verbally she put her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to be able to let their lips touch in a soft kiss. Once they pulled away she couldn't stop the laugh coming up her throat because he had the goofiest expression she had ever seen on his face. Castle's eyes glowed with happiness and a small hint of teasing, before she could react he had let her go and splashed water on her again.

"Really?" she laughed and a whole water war broke out between them.

She took off underwater and created some space between them to be able to splash water on him without the risk of getting water splashed back. It didn't take long before they were both exhausted and Kate was, surprisingly, the one to give up first, saying she'd give him the victory if he promised to make her lunch. It was a deal she knew he couldn't resist, because when would he ever truly win over her in battles? They shook hands and interlocked their fingers as they got up from the pool, making their way towards the towels and then the house. Castle told her she could go change into clothes if she wanted to while he was making lunch. Soon he found himself alone in his kitchen with the idea that he would make her a great sandwich with ham, cheese, sallad and slices of tomatoes and cucumber, he would also add a sauce, the recipe being one of the many things he had come up with himself. The sauce being one of those that his mother and Alexis actually agreed with him being good, which was why he felt confident the detective would enjoy it as well.

"What are you making?" her voice startled him into a jump before he turned around and found her trying to suppress her laughter.

"Shut up," he mumbled before he served the sandwiches he's made.

She gave him a smile before she sat down at the counted and dug into the food. Kate complimented him on the sauce, at first not believing him when he said it was his own recipe but after some convincing she withdrew. After they'd eaten they Castle suggested they could take a walk on the beach, just looking at the water and Kate agreed. While he went upstairs to change into something other than his swimming trunks she looked around house. Kate couldn't help but wonder what stories that laid behind all the pictures in the place. She found pictures of Alexis as a kid and Martha was in some of them too, there were also a lot of pictures of a young single dad who seemed to do anything to keep his kid happy. Kate couldn't stop but find him adorable, and handsome, and fetched her phone to be able to snatch a few pictures. She found one picture in specific which she set as his contact picture. It was a photo of him with a huge grin on his face, looking straight at the camera, the picture wasn't really the best one taken but she figure it was one of the first pictures Alexis had managed to take without any help because in the eyes of the writer she could only see pride and love. When she heard footsteps she quickly dropped her hand with her phone still in it, making sure she got out of the camera so he wouldn't be able to even suspect what she had been doing. Not a chance she would let him know, ever, that she technically stole pictures of him from before they met. On the contrary she had nothing against him seeing her looking at the pictures, that actually only made it feel more real, getting a glimpse as to what his life was like before they met.

Walking down the stairs Castle had figured he'd find Kate still in the kitchen or sitting in the couch, waiting for him, so imagine his surprised expression when he found her walking around his living room. At first he couldn't really see what she was doing but the closer he got the clearer the picture was as to what she was doing, she was looking at his pictures. She must've heard him because he could see her body had tensed when he came into the room, and as he got closer she slowly relaxed every muscle in her beautiful body. Castle couldn't help himself but to run his hands down her naked arms, grateful she had decided on wearing an armless top, and he could sense the shiver his fingertips sent down her spine. Slowly his fingers found hers and she was the one to lock their fingers together, raising his hands to put them around her.

A fear closed in her gut but it was kept small thanks to how right everything felt. It felt as if they were supposed to stand in this position, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them. When they had stood there for a few silent minutes she carefully turned in his arms, careful as to not push him away, and as soon as they stood face to face she stepped on her toes to seal their lips. It should be an unfamiliar feeling but somehow it felt as if they had done this for years, as if this was a natural move they'd practiced on for forever. They pulled away at the same time, both needing the fresh air because somehow it felt as thought their breath was taken away from them every time they were so close. Yet they couldn't help but stay close enough to breath in the same air, both enjoying the feeling of the other's breath panting against their skin.

"So, the beach?" Kate panted out her question.

"Yeah," Castle panted out, just equally as out of breath as the woman before him.

Before any of them could even start to move away Kate attacked his lips again, this time she went more forceful, a fire in her had started and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to put it out. She tried to find strength to pull away from him but she had a feeling the reason it was so hard was because of all the tension they had built up, unintentionally. To her benefit he could feel her struggles and decided to, instead of giving in to his own fire, end their kiss by slowing it down before he pulled away from her. He grabbed her hands on his way and tugged her with him as he set their steps towards the backdoor. Kate could feel the blush on her cheeks were the worst one she'd ever had in front of him, thinking it was so embarrassing to be so exposed to him, knowing that he knew she was blushing because of the evident fire in her body.

"Thanks," she whispered as they got outside and walked beside each other.

The fire inside her was starting to calm down, and she was grateful he had given her the opportunity to get it there. He could've just as easily given into it and taken it to the next level even though they had agreed to taking it slow. She was kind of mad at herself for not being able to keep it down. Castle stopped her when they came to the beginning of the beach to be able to look into her eyes with a small smile spreading on his lips.

"Always."

A warmth spread through her veins and she managed to contain herself enough to stand up and settle with a peck to his cheek, which turned his small smile into a huge grin. She intertwined their their fingers and gently pulled him with her into the sand. They walked down to the line where the water began before they turned and walked side by side with the ocean, in the beginning with a comfortable silence between them. At first none of them wanted to disturb the silence but after maybe ten to fifteen minutes Kate was almost scared for him not having said anything in that long.

"You're oddly quiet," she commented low, sneaking a glance at him by her side.

He looked like he had been in deep thought when she had voiced her question because she could see he rearranged his look as if he'd been staring at something that hadn't been there.

"Uh-yeah," he replied before he turned his gaze to her."

"How come? What are you thinking about?" she asked carefully, knowing full well that he didn't have to answer her if he didn't want to.

When he looked straight ahead again at her questions she figured she wouldn't get an answer, that he didn't want to tell her his deeper thoughts.

"I was just thinking about us, about what's to come, I have a feeling we'll have a few more obstacles to overcome before we'll find our rhythm," he said in a low voice, probably not really wanting to admit to it.

"Oh," she thought about his words, "yeah, it's probably not going to be easy."

"But if we're both willing to get through it together, I have a feeling we can get through anything," he added and she couldn't help but smile at the hope and confidence she could hear in his voice.

Kate's eyes were drawn to the water, it was sparkling and she felt she did the right thing coming here. Breaking up with Demming and going with Castle felt like the right decision, maybe not logically but her heart was definitely satisfied with it.

"I've forgotten how beautiful this is. You know, I haven't really been at a beach since the day of my mom's funeral," Kate thought out loud.

"What?" Castle's high pitched voice was filled with shock. "How can you not have been to the beach in ten years?" he questioned after clearing his throat.

She shrugged her shoulders, not really sure why she brought it up but there was a part of her that felt like there were so many things she'd kept to herself and that part told her if she was to ever tell someone it would be him.

"I always found an excuse if my friends tried to bring me, it just wasn't the same after my mom died," she answered.

"But, what were you doing there on the day of her funeral then?" Castle asked, still in shock but managed to keep up with their walk anyway, probably because it was a slow rhythm.

"Me and my dad were miserable at the reception of the funeral, so we left. We went to Cooney Island and walked on the beach there," she said, leaving out the part with the small figure she and her dad had made.

He 'oh'ed and she leaned her body into his, snuggling closer with her free hand on his arm as she kept their already tangled hands intertwined.

"I'm glad I'm here with you," she admitted with a shyly smile set on her lips.

"Me too, you have no idea how much," he agreed in a smooth tone.

They spent the rest of the day at the beach, not knowing how fast the hours went by as they just talked and walked. Soon they found themselves eating dinner with candles lit everywhere, Castle really trying to impress Kate with his romantic side while Kate kept on distracting him by kissing his lips every now and then. He didn't understand that she didn't need him impressing her, because she was already impressed by all the things he had done for her in the small amount of time that she'd known him. When it got to bed time Castle got nervous, because he wasn't sure she wanted to share his bed again. Something told him that ship had already sailed, as in that she had already slept with him once so why wouldn't she do it again? But still, he was both nervous and insecure, which was something she immediately noticed. Of course she did, she was, after all, one of the best detectives in New York.

"What's wrong?" she asked him and he gulped, not really wanting to admit his worries.

He felt silly for even thinking too much about it, he should just let it go and let it go as it goes. If she wanted to sleep in the same bed as him then she would sleep in the same bed as him. And if she didn't then she wouldn't.

"It's nothing," he tried to brush it off but she could see through his charade, just like he often saw through hers.

"Come on Castle, tell me," she asked, trying not to sound too demanding.

She didn't want him to associate her with a clingy, demanding... girlfriend? But she did want him to know that he could talk to her about anything, without worrying she would want him any less. Because boy had she tried to like him less for the past year, before she had finally realized only a day ago that it was an impossible task. When he still didn't look like he was going to step down she walked up to him and pressed her lips to his, trying to put as much reassurance as she could in the kiss. Pulling away he followed with to keep his forehead against hers, not wanting to loose their touch.

"Tell me," she insisted in a whisper.

She could feel his sigh on her face and waited patiently for his answer.

"I just... will you uh... are you going to stay in my room or, uh, take the guest room, now that Espo and Ryan aren't here to occupy it?" he stammered, not wanting to voice his fear but he had a feeling she wouldn't give, plus he would need to know at some point if he should prepare the guest room or if they were good.

Kate tried to look into his eyes but since he had closed them she gently put her right hand on his cheek, stroking her thumb across the corner of his lips.

"If you don't mind I'll stay in your room," she bit her lower lip as soon as she'd let out the words.

His eyes popped open and she could see a small glimpse of shock, but also excitement.

"Nothing more than sleep, no funny business though," she warned and he grinned .

"Promise," he guaranteed before putting his hands on her back to pull her closer and kiss her lips.

She giggled into his mouth, shocked to hear it herself but she always seemed to get surprised over herself when it came to what Castle could make her do and feel. As they pulled away this time they went to his bedroom to make themselves ready for bed, Kate fled to the bathroom to change into her pjs while Castle simply changed in his room in the meantime. In the bathroom Kate kept thinking about her choice, and decided she it was the right one. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms, and to stay that way until the morning. Which reminded her, she'd have to leave the next day, back to the city, and she felt a sorrow fill her body. They'd just gotten here and she'd be gone again in less than 24 hours. She let him into the bathroom so they could brush their teeth together, not seeing as to why they wouldn't be able to share the room for that. She found him staring at her through the mirror and felt a blush on her cheeks, and forced out at "what?" between her toothpaste-filled teeth.

"Nothing," Castle shook his head but had one of those adorable looking smiles plastered on his lips.

He couldn't help but observe her, but really who could blame him? She was beautiful, and knowing she was here with him made her even more beautiful in his eyes. He couldn't believe the fact that she was letting him in, he never thought this would happen. Before they knew it they found themselves in his bed again and Castle was scared since he had no idea how Kate wanted this to play out. He didn't know if she would want him to keep his arms around her or if they should stay on 'their' sides of the bed. Sure, they'd woken up together that morning but that didn't mean she really had wanted that. So, instead of just laying plain on his back he turned to his side, facing her, and decided he'd let her take the next step if she wanted to.

Kate felt when he turned in the bed and moved her head so their eyes met. She could see the many questions he held back in his deep blue, and somehow she knew he held back because of her walls. The fact that he didn't want to push her in any way made her fall even more in love with him. Because she knew, deep down, that that was what is was. She was falling in love with him. There was no other explanation to the feelings she had towards him which she had never ever felt before. Kate let her hand wander to his and carefully moved it as she snuggled her body closer to his. When she was close enough she turned and put his hand around her, and that's when he understood she wanted them to spoon. Once he got that he pulled her closer and she could feel his nose in her hair, taking a deep breath.

"How do you smell like cherries? Shampoo? Soap?" he mumbled close to her ear, taking another breath.

She couldn't help but giggle before she answered it was the scent she used on all her products, especially since he had mentioned it months ago.

"Oh, so you're just driving me crazy with it now?" he questioned with a fake upset tone.

"Yes," she teased turning her head to be able to give him a small smirk.

Her smirk made his heart wrench and couldn't help but nip at her ear with a teasing growl rumbling his throat and she chuckled snuggling closer to him. At that they hugged closer and fell silent, enjoying each other's company. Castle closed his eyes and took another deep breath to smell her hair, smell her. He couldn't believe he was actually sleeping with Kate Beckett, the Kate Beckett he had been shadowing for a little more than a year and had practically fell for the same instance she flashed her badge in front of him. His breath slowed down, deeper and deeper breaths as sleep crept over his body. Before he could give into it, though, he felt her squirm and he heard that sound of her lips parting.

"Are you going back?" Kate carefully asked in a whisper.

"What?" he stumbled awake, trying to understand what she was talking about.

"Will you come back with me? To the city I mean," she whispered, still in a careful tone.

The silence and the comfort of being in his arms made her once again think about the fact that, in less than 24 hours, she wouldn't be in that bed with him. She already hated the thought of leaving, especially if he was going to stay in his Hamptons house the whole summer. That's why she voiced it, but she was also afraid of his answer. What if he chose to stay? What if he chose not to come with her?

"What do you mean?" he mumbled and she felt him rise onto his elbow to be able to look at her.

She sucked her lower lip into her mouth to tug on it with her teeth before she laid onto her back to meet his eyes.

"Are you saying you want me to... uh..." she saw him rubbing his eyes to be able to wake up, "you're asking me to come with you?"

"Yeah, I-uh-I don't think I can..."she closed her eyes to gather courage, "I don't want to not see you for the whole summer," she confessed with her eyes still closed.

Castle was surprised to hear her confession, but couldn't help but feel happier. She didn't want to leave without him. She didn't want to leave without him.

"Kate, look," his hand landed gently on her cheek, and she opened her eyes to look at him, "I was only leaving for the summer because I couldn't stand seeing you with someone else anymore. But if you want me to stay as your partner," he paused to look deep into her hazel green eyes, "there's nothing I would want more than to go back with you."

A sparkle was spotted in her eyes as her lips pulled up in a smile and he mirrored it as he leant down and put his lips over hers, kissing her with the love he knew he couldn't tell her about. Yet. But there would be one day soon when he could. They both knew it would be hard, and that they would have many obstacles. Though, they also knew that no matter how hard those would be, they would find their way back together because a love like theirs could only be what they've read about. True love.

The End