Chapter 21: Enchanted

Taylor Swift's Enchanted helped write some of this c: & The Vow (movie) helped inspire some parts toward the end.

"You were the love of my life, my girlfriend, a homicide detective, and my best friend... To sum it up." I whispered while looking down.

Her eyebrows knit together as she processed what I had just told her.

I grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, "Let me take you out? Please? Let me help you remember." I whispered.

She smiled slowly, "Okay."

She wrote down her hotel number on my hand and walked away.

R POV

I walked into the loft, started unbuttoning my dress shirt and kicked off my shoes.

I ran into my bedroom and turned on the shower.

"Dad, what're you doing?" Alexis asked while I ran around the living room without my shirt, my bare chest showing, looking for my comb.

"I have a date tonight." I practically shouted rapturously.

"With Lily?" She asked, "I knew you two couldn't only be friends. You two were too close of frie-." She rambled.

"With Kate!" I grinned, cutting her off.

"She's back?" Alexis's eyes bulged out of her head.

"She stopped me after I dropped Lily at her apartment and told me that she wanted me to explain how I knew her." I explained.

I found my comb and started smiling.

"Oh my gosh!" She jumped up and down.

I nodded and ran back into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

I began singing Enchanted by Taylor Swift in the shower as I lathered my hair with shampoo.

The amount of joy I had without was practically running through my veins.

"It was enchanting to meet you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs while I rinsed my hair off.

Wow, I sounded so gay singing such a girly song.

"Dad, stop screaming!" Alexis shouted from the living room after five minutes of hearing my singing.

"Sorry!" I shouted once more as I turned the knob in the shower.

"Pumpkin, the red tie or black tie?" I asked holding up the two ties.

Alexis held two fingers to her chin as she thought about the difficult decision.

"Red on black looks really nice so that one." She said pointing to the tie in my left hand.

I nodded, kissed her cheek and ran back into my room.

I left the tie around my neck, not yet tied and slipped on my dress shoes.

I glanced at the clock.

7:15

I panicked slightly as the time continued.

I fixed my hair, parting it and then began tying my tie.

"You need help?" Alexis noticed how I was struggling and started to dust the crumbs off her hands.

I nodded and thanked her before making my way out the door.

I felt my coat pockets and realized that I didn't have my car keys.

"Here," Alexis held them up in front of my face before squeezing me, "Good luck, Dad. Tell her I said hello." She gave a dazzling smile and opened the door for me to leave.

I smoothed my coat with my hands and held my hand up to the hotel door.

It opened before my fist could reach the cool wood.

I breathed out a laugh, "Hey." I smiled.

"Hey yourself." She smirked

I gave a small smile before holding out my hand for her to grab and follow me out the door.

"Kate?" a woman asked from inside the hotel room.

"Yes, Danielle?" She turned around to a woman around Kate's age.

"I'll call you if anything happens, okay?" Kate nodded and took my hand.

I gave her a confused look but brushed it off once she smiled and took me down the steps.

"So, Mr. Castle, where are we going?" She asked.

"You don't have to call me "Mr. Castle" y'know? You used to just call me "Castle"." I explained.

"Oh," She looked up at me with those hazel green eyes, "My apologies. You see, I don't remember." Her eyes wandered to the stars into the twilight sky.

"Yeah, I know." I gave a reassuring smile and continued walking her down the sidewalk.

After moments of silence and the constant glow of headlights hitting our faces, Kate spoke up, "So, you never answered my question." She mumbled.

"Hmm?" I stopped and turned to face her, "What question?"

"Where are we going?" She flashed a smile.

God, did I miss her.

I couldn't believe that in the matter of four hours or so she was with me again.

I haven't seen her in almost two and a half years and she comes up to me and lets me take her on a date?

No questions, nothing.

Just because she wanted to know more about the Kate she was before the accident.

"Well, it's a surprise." I finally answered.

She lightly punched my shoulder, "Such a tease." She giggled.

"Well, at least you remembered that much." I winked.

A light pink painted her cheeks and neck as we continued walking.

"So, what is there to know about myself?" She questioned.

"Well, your mother died when you were a teenager, that's why you joined the force. You've been trying to solve her murder case for years." I told her.

"Well, I know that. Sadly, that stayed in my mind. I know about her death and the years before that. I just can't remember the past seven years." She confessed.

"So, you pretty much can't remember me?" I asked rhetorically, but she answered anyway.

"Yes. I wish I could remember, though. You must've been really important to me. The doctors said that I'd be able to remember if someone helped." She took grasp of my hand and continued walking with me.

"We're here." I pulled her back from walking onward and looked up at the sign.

"Remy's?" She looked up at me.

"We used to go to this place all the time." I reminded her, as if she'd remember.

She shrugged and waited for me to guide her in to the diner.

I walked her to her seat and ran to the back of the restaurant.

K POV

I looked around the burger joint.

Man, New York hasn't changed much. I honestly don't ever remember coming here.

Castle walked back with two shakes in his hands.

No wonder I fell in love with him, he's gorgeous.

The way his dark brown hair went messily against his forehead, the way his dress shirt fit snuggly against his broad chest and the way he floated over to our table like a Greek god.

"You okay?" His eyebrows furrowed.

I nodded, heat went across my cheeks – most likely it was because I was blushing – and I noticed how I must've been drooling over him like one of his fanatic fan girls.

"Ooooookay." He teased.

I waited for him to sit down before he slid the milkshake my way, "What flavor is this?" I asked looking at the iced milk in front of me as I swirled the straw around in the chunks of chocolate and caramel swirls.

"Just drink it, Beckett. We used to do this all the time. Ever since I started coming here with you, we try out new shakes every Saturday. And today is Saturday…. So drink it up, Kate." He gave a small smirk and waited for my lips to go over the straw and take a sip from the abnormal looking drink.

He chuckled as my face must've beamed as I drank the cool shake, "It's really good!" I exclaimed and offered him some, "Want some?"

He put a hand up to stop me from continuing, "I've tried it before. You already know that I don't like that one."He articulated.

"No. Actually, I don't know that you don't like it, remember? So, maybe you should try it again." I teased, using my amnesia against him.

"That's right." He admitted and leaned forward to take a sip.

I dabbed my finger into the whipped cream and put some on his nose.

He leaned back, crossing his eyes to see the white dot on his nose, mouth dropped wide open in shock and gave a boyish grin, "Katherine Beckett, you haven't changed one bit."

I finally let him take a sip once I controlled my giggles.

His face cringed and twisted in disgust which didn't help the fact that everyone was looking at us laughing over nothing more than silliness, probably sounding like a couple of lovestruck teenagers.

A pimpled boy walked to the table - around the age of seventeen – and set two burgers and curly fries in front of us.

R POV

I took a bite out of the greasy burger in front of me, "This is the best burger in Manhattan, Beckett." I explained with a full mouth of beef.

She took a huge bite into the burger and looked up at me with eyes as big as an owl, "Mmmm!" She practically moaned.

"Good?" I grinned.

She nodded, leaned over with a napkin and wiped the corner of my mouth romantically.

I looked into her hazel green eyes remembering the stupid romantic things we took for granted.

Almost two years, yet, I feel like she never left.

"I'm really happy that you're joining me on this date or whatever this is." I looked down before snagging one of her curly fries.

"Castle, you have curly fri-." She started before noticing that I had finished my fries already, "Damn, that was quick." She giggled.

I took another fry and dipped it into my shake, gaining a gawked looked from Kate, "Don't knock it till you try it." I smiled.

She raised her eyebrows before dipping a fry into her own shake, "You should get your taste buds checked because this isn't as great as you're making it out to be."

My mouth dropped, "My taste buds?! Whaaa--. You need help, Ms. Beckett!" I laughed.

"Are you trying to give me diabetes?" She giggled, "Because I'm going down that road after tonight."

I laughed with her.

I missed her so much.

"Well, I'm done. And since you usually finish eating before me, I assume you're done, too?" She spoke up.

My eyebrows knit together, "You remember that?" I asked shocked.

"I…" She smiled slowly, "I guess things are slowly coming back to me."

"You're truly incredible, Beckett."

She gave a smile that went from ear to ear and looked down, "Thank you, Rick."

I reached across the table and took her hand, "There's something I want to show you."

I unlocked the door, turned on the light and led her in.

"Isn't this my apartment?" She asked.

Man, was she starting to remember.

"Yeah, I've been paying for the rent ever since I heard you were in that plane crash." I confessed.

"That's so," She sighed and wiped her hand across the marble counter, "Sweet." She finished.

"I've been coming back in here ever week to clean and make sure everything was okay. I used to come every other night and just lay down in your bed." I confessed once again, "I know how creepy that sounds, but it was the only way I could cope."

She walked towards me and placed her hand on my cheek, "I wish I could remember faster because I know that with a guy as great as you, I must've been in love with you instantly." She whispered.

I chuckled, "Well, it took you four years to finally say it." I told her.

"Four years?" She gasped, "Why so long?" She asked.

I shrugged and took her hand in mine.

I led her to an empty room filled with pictures and boxes with the name, 'Mom' scribbled on the side.

"This room is new. I kind of got bored one day – before you get upset like you usually would right now – I think this'll help you remember if you look at some of the things.

She let go of my hand and started walking towards the box and picked up my first book, "Richard Castle," She smiled before opening the hard cover and let her eyes glance over the writing in the inside, "I remember going to your conventions and waiting in line for hours just to get an autograph." She turned her head in a 45 degree angle to look at me from across the room.

"You've told me before, but it's nice hearing it again." I smirked.

I really hate to cut you all off from such a romantic moment but sadly, I must get to the AP work staring at me from across the table -,- Anyway, I hope you guys like it. I really wanted to get to the parts where Castle had to help her remember. *Spoiler* This happiness may not last forever. I'm planning on introducing some old characters from the ORIGINAL Castle c: Leave a review and maybe I'll upload another chapter tonight! :)