a.n. Here's the final chapter! Thanks everyone who has been following and reviewing this story. I really appreciate all of you, and I hope to see you around in the future!
Disclaimer: The more I learn about what's going on, the less I'm convinced that we'll ever see season 8. If I owned Castle, there would be no doubt.
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Chapter 11
Previously…
"Have dinner with me tomorrow? As friends?"
She looked up at him from where she sat on the couch, and though she wanted to be more than friends, she would take what she could get from him. She smiled, "Sure. Out or in?"
"I feel like cooking. Come around six."
She got up and walked him to the door. Opening it he made his way out, but turned before he made his all the way through. "We'll get there Kate. I promise."
She took his hand and said, "I know. I love you, Richard Castle. I'll wait for you as you've waited for me."
He gave her hand a squeeze and walked towards the elevator, never looking back.
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Six Months Later…
The last six months of Kate Beckett's life had been some of the best of her life, yet she was still waiting for what she wanted most. She and Castle had gotten so much closer over that time, spending almost every day together. They had dinner, or lunch, sometimes both. They went to the museum, baseball games, Broadway shows, and long walks in Central Park.
But they weren't a couple, and that's what she wanted more than anything. But she wasn't pushing for more. She wanted Castle to let her know when he was ready this time, and she was willing to wait for however long it took.
She had been so happy the last six months, getting to know him like she never had anyone else before, that she hadn't even cared all that much when the IA investigator had come back with their findings and recommendations. She had been suspended for 100 days and would have to undergo psychological evaluation and retraining. She knew that she deserved that punishment and accepted it gracefully.
When she finally walked back into the precinct, she felt awkward like she didn't belong. It had felt so weird at first to stay at home all day, but she had gotten so used to being out of work, able to spend as much time with Castle as she could, that coming back into work felt wrong. Over the next month that feeling never went away. Part of it was that Castle had decided not to come back to the precinct with her. During his recuperation he had finished the last Nikki Heat novel, and had decided to start a new character. He had talked over the decision with her.
xxxx
"Hey Kate?" Castle said one day while they were chilling on the couch in his loft.
"Yeah?"
"I have a question for you. I'm working on the next Nikki book now, and I'm thinking of making it the last of the series."
"You're getting rid of Nikki?" she asked, a shocked expression gracing her beautiful face.
"I'm not going to kill her off, I'm just going to have her move on, get promoted, maybe get married. It's not that I couldn't go on after she gets hitched to Rook, I just would like to start something new."
Kate was worried. Nikki and Rook were his representations of them. If he was no longer going to write Nikki what did that mean for their relationship? In a small voice she asked, "What does that mean for us?"
"Personally? Nothing will change. We'll keep moving forward. Professionally it means that I probably won't come back to the precinct when you go back. I was there for almost five years, and they were some of the best times of my life, and I'll never regret them because they led me to you. But I'm over 40 years old now. I'm too old to play cop, and I think it's time to stop putting off the things I've been avoiding both personally and professionally."
"I'll be sad to see it go, but you should do what feels right." She would miss her partner, she knew that much. But as long as he was still in her life, and she was still in his, she could deal with anything.
He smiled at her then, happy with her approval. "You, Kate Beckett are extraordinary. And you will always be my muse and inspiration."
xxxx
After a month of simply trying to regain her feet at the 12th precinct without Castle by her side, Kate Beckett made a decision. She tendered her resignation. Her mom's case was solved, and while she had always enjoyed getting justice for other people, she didn't feel as connected to the job as she once did. Not without him by her side. So five months after their fight, she walked out of the 12th precinct for the last time.
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Kate thought about her decision, about Rick and his decision to end Nikki Heat, and about the last six months as she made her way to Rick's loft for dinner. When she had told him about her decision to quit her job a month ago, he had been initially shocked, but he had been supportive as he had always been. She hadn't decided what she was going to do yet, but she knew that no matter what she did, he would always be there by her side.
When she knocked on the door of the loft that Saturday evening, she felt her pulse quicken as it always did right before she saw him. He had been gone on a book tour for the last two weeks, and she had missed him so much. They were closer than ever, and those two weeks without seeing him had felt like torture.
When he answered the door he gave her a bright smile and said, "Kate! You're early! Come in."
She walked into the entryway and wrapped her arms around him. "God, I missed you," she confessed.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "I missed you too." They stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled back. "Now, let's say we get some dinner, I have something I need to talk to you about."
Taking off her jacket, she asked, "Did you decided what you're new story is going to be about?"
"Yeah, but that's not it. Come on, dinner's ready."
She followed him into the kitchen, but stopped when she saw the table. It was covered with a red table cloth, and rose petals were strewn all over its surface. Two large candles were lit in the center. "Rick? What is this?"
He turned back to her and saw the confused look on her face. "I need to talk to you first, but you'll understand the ambiance by the time we're through. Just trust me."
The butterflies were going full force in her stomach because it looked to her that he was maybe, just maybe, finally going to start something more with her. This was the moment she had waited for. This was their moment. She took one of the seats at the table and waited for him to plate and serve their meal. He had cooked his world-famous lasagna with garlic bread. It was fantastic.
While they ate they talked about his book signing tour. He complained about the crappy WiFi at the hotels which had kept them from video chatting most nights.
"So what about you," he asked as they were finishing their meal. "Have you had any more thoughts on what the future has in store for you?"
"Personally I know what I want," she said giving him a heated look. "Professionally, I'm leaning towards going back to school. I don't think being a lawyer is what I want, but I still want to do something to help people, you know? So I'm looking at a majors and then I'll look for a good school here in New York."
He smiled at her. "Not to sound condescending or anything, but I'm proud of you Kate."
She smiled back, blushing. Finished with their meal, they cleaned up and sat back down at the table. "So what did you want to talk to me about, Rick?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk about our future. Six months ago I said I needed time. I needed you to prove to me that you're in this as much as I am, and you've done that. If anything I love you more now than I ever have, and that's saying quite a lot," he paused taking a drink of his wine. "I would say that we should start dating, but we've kinda been doing that for the last six months. We've been doing all the things couples do when they're dating."
"Yeah, I guess we have been dating for a while haven't we? I didn't really think about it that way."
He looked over at her and said, "Yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're kind of past the whole dating/get to know you phase of the relationship."
"So what are you saying, Rick?"
"I have something to ask you. It's a small question with big implications. And I'm probably crazy for doing it this way, and you might freak out and run, which I hope you won't but…God this is hard."
She was getting a little nervous now, wondering where this conversation was going. "I won't run, Rick I promise."
He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up. He walked over to where she sat across from him and got down on one knee. She gasped. "Rick?"
"Kate, just listen for a minute, okay?" She nodded, her hands shaking and tears forming in her eyes. "Katherine Beckett, I love you so damn much. The night we met I knew there was something different about you. I knew right then that you were someone that I had to know. I wanted your story, and at first that was all I really wanted. But it didn't take me long to realize that I wanted to be a part of your story. I fell in love with you before our third case together was closed, and I will never regret the journey we've taken to get to this moment. Through the heartbreak, the betrayals, the gut wrenching terror, and the freezers," he smiled, "we've stuck together. We've overcome so much, and that tells me that there is nothing we can't do if we do it together.
"There are three things in my life that I'm sure of. The first is that I love my family, and they love me back. Alexis is and always will be the best thing that ever happened to me. Second, I know that I'm a good writer. That may sound like ego talking, but I know that it's true, and I thank God every day for giving me the talent that I have. The third is that I love you, Kate Beckett, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't want to wait another minute. I'm done waiting. So, with all that said, Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"
The tears were steadily flowing down her cheeks now. She hadn't expected this at all. She knew that she wanted this eventually. She wanted to spend the rest of her life loving and being with this man. But did she want that now? Shouldn't they wait for a while? Actually be together first, try to make it work as an actual couple before they jumped into a marriage?
The doubts were starting to soak into her, and she worried that no matter what her answer was they would be making a huge mistake. The look in his eyes was so hopeful that she didn't know if she could say what she needed to say without breaking them again, without breaking him. It was then that she remembered the words from Mike Royce.
And now for the hard part, kid. It's clear that you and Castle have something real. And you're fighting it. But trust me, putting the job ahead of your heart is a mistake. Risking our hearts is why we're alive. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder if only.
She didn't want to fight it anymore. She knew that they would be great together, and that an engagement didn't mean an immediate marriage. She knew that he was right, that no matter what happened they would be able to get through it because they would be together. She also knew that no man would ever be able to make her as happy as he could. She hoped that she could make him as happy as he made her. She wasn't going to make this another time where she would have to worry about if only.
"Yes, Richard Castle. Yes. I will marry you," she said through barely contained sobs. He smiled widely then, a look of pure joy on his face. He pulled a ring out of his pocket and slid it on to her left ring finger then pulled her in for a searing kiss.
When they finally broke part she clung to his shoulders and leaned her forehead against his. "We're getting married," she whispered.
"Yeah. Are you really okay with this, Kate? I don't want you to think we have to do this in order to get together."
"At first I was worried, but I'm sure about you, Rick. I know that we're going to be great together. And I don't want to miss this chance."
He nodded and kissed her again. She sighed and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. She had wanted this for so long, and now she had it. Now she had someone who would dive into it with her. They could do anything they wanted as long as they did it together. They were getting married. They were done waiting.
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a.n. That's it folks. I hope you enjoyed this journey. Please leave a final review to let me know what you thought of my ending.
Until tomorrow,
Matt
