Title: The Collector

By: greygoose70

Chapter Twelve/Epilog

Six weeks later

It has been a busy time for the 12th Precinct since that day when Detective Suskin failed to show. Both Becketts and Karpowski's teams have solved multiple homicides that involved long days and sleepless nights…this had been one of them.

It is nearly midnight Beckett and Castle are clearing the murder-board from their latest case, a case where once again their live were put a risk. It was only when the rest of her team arrived that they were able to subdue the killers and place them in custody.

Just as Castle took down the last photo his phone rang. Retrieving it from his coat pocket he saw Emily's picture on the screen. "Hey Emily" he answered putting it on speaker knowing Beckett would want to listen in.

"We got him" Emily said then hearing contented sighs from her two friends in return.

"How" Kate and Rick asked collectively.

"Believe it or not he returned to old ways, this time though he did something stupid, snatched a girl in broad daylight. He was seen by London Metro who tailed him to an old, dilapidated castle along the North Sea coast, they called for backup went in captured him following a brief shootout and rescued two girls he had imprisoned there. I'm doing the paperwork now to get him moved to Interpol. I'll just need paperwork from the NYPD to transfer him to you."

"You'll have it within the hour" Beckett announced.

"When can we expect him" Castle asked immediately afterwards.

"Sometime tomorrow, I just need a Magistrate to sign off on the consignment order which I should have by the end of the day. I'll let you know. See you then."

"Wait! You're coming too," they clamoured in unison.

"Of course; Rick's buying me dinner."

"Best restaurant in town" he told her just before the line went dead.

5:15AM, the Loft

Kate sat straight up in bed, startled, tears beginning to form in her eyes and run down her cheeks. She had been having a nightmare, a nightmare in which Rick never made it out of the warehouse alive. And because of that he would never propose. She would never become Mrs. Katherine Castle. "No, no, no" she cried out and began shaking him vigorously shouting out "Rick wake up, wake up" in the process.

"Huh, huh" a still half asleep Rick Castle stammered trying to respond to the joggling of his body and Kate's shouting. "Kate, what's the matter" he was finally able to ask as his eyes opened and he saw the look on her face, a look of pure fear. "Kate…Kate are you okay" he said rising to his knees taking her face in his palms swiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"Ask me" she said.

He stared at her a look of confusion on his face.

Kate slipped her arms between his put her hands on his face in much the same way he had his hands on hers looked into his cerulean blue eyes and said it again, "ask me."

He watched as the look on her face changed from one of fear to one of pure love and he knew immediately what she wanted. "Wait here, don't move" he told her removing his hands scooting out of the bed running to his study returning with a blue velvet box in his hand.

He crawled back on the bed flipped open the lid of the box removed the ring then took her left hand in his and proclaimed "Katherine Haughton Beckett you are the love of my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Without a nanosecond of hesitation Kate replied, "yes a thousand times yes."

Rick slipped the ring on her finger wrapped his arms around her pulling her to him placing his lips close to hers saying "I love you Katherine Beckett."

"And I love you Richard Edgar Castle" she responded before letting his lips meet hers in an all-consuming passion filled kiss.

It was nearly 7:00AM before they were through celebrating their engagement.

THE END (maybe)