There we go.
"Hey girl, what are you doing here?" asked Lanie, surprised her friend was here in the middle of the afternoon. She could see the distressed look on Kate's face.
"Hey Lanie. I… I just… I needed to talk to you. Sorry I just came by without calling, but do you have a few minutes?"
"Sure, just give me 5 minutes and then I'll be all yours." Lanie said with a sympathetic smile. She knew her friend was going through a huge life change and it was at times tough on her, and she wished she could be of help in whatever it was that was bothering her.
Meanwhile Castle had been trying to make sense of what happened with Kate and why she just practically ran away when they were having a moment, a good moment, if you asked him.
He thought things were progressing between them but he saw that she was almost haunted by something. He wanted to be there for her but sometimes it felt like she retreated right when he thought they were getting somewhere.
Then he thought of the one person who was almost as close to Kate as he was, who could maybe help him make sense of things and he got up to give Lanie a visit.
"So, girlfriend, tell me what's going on." Lanie prodded with a soft grip of Kate's hand.
"Lanie, I don't know what to do." said Kate. "It's… It's about Castle."
She stopped, and then continued after a moment of hesitation.
"I love him Lanie and he's so sweet and caring… He's there whenever I need him, he shows that he cares about me, about the baby, continuously, day after day. But isn't it too much? How can he be willing to be and do this much? He's such a selfless person that I sometimes think he's doing all this just out of the goodness of his heart, and I feel like I'm taking advantage of how good a person he is. He has a life, a child, his own responsibilities, I can't ask him to do this much for us." Kate said in one breath.
"And… And I don't know how to not have him around me anymore, Lanie. I love him. I just love him. But I don't want to be a burden to him, I don't want to complicate his life."
Rick was about to enter the room to find Lanie when he heard Kate's soft, shaky voice and he froze on the spot. She loved him? He was stunned for a moment but then he couldn't control the smile that appeared on his face.
He just closed his eyes, trying to process what he heard. He didn't even think to wait and listen to what else she had to say. He simply wanted to run inside and pull her into a crushing embrace, tell her how much he loved her and how he wanted to be there with her every step of the way. But he couldn't move for some reason, it was as if his feet were glued to the floor and he couldn't take a step.
"Kate" Lanie said on a sigh. "Kate, I understand some of the things that you are saying but girl, you need to realize something. He loves you. He doesn't have to really tell me that for me to see it. He's been in love with you forever, if you ask me. And you love him too, Kate. You were the one who came to me, telling me how it was unfair to Josh to be with him when you realized that Castle was the one you truly loved. You were the one who broke things up with Josh, who was trying to find a way to tell Castle how you were feeling before you found out you were pregnant. And I understand that this complicates things Kate, but it doesn't have to get in the way of something potentially beautiful."
"But…" Kate said but Lanie shushed her, continuing "Kate, he may or may not end up being the one, he may or may not be able to accept you with your baby, he may or may not be able to carry that responsibility, but given how you feel about him, you should give him the chance to decide for himself. He's a grown man who can and should make his own choices, Kate. You love him. He should know that, at least."
This gave Kate hope, maybe she could tell him, maybe she could have him. But she was scared, so scared all of a sudden.
"What if he doesn't want me anymore, like that. What if I am no longer anything other than a friend in need? I don't know if I can handle knowing that, Lanie."
"Oh, come on girl!" Lanie exclaimed but was interrupted by another voice.
"I couldn't ever not want you Kate, and you could never be a burden to me." They heard Castle say. The girls were both surprised, not expecting company, and definitely not expecting Rick Castle to show up right now.
He walked across the room and stood in front of Kate, holding her face in his palms. Kate was shocked, couldn't come up with any words. She just sat there, looking at Rick with big, nervous eyes.
"I love you, Kate. I love you, all of you. I love your spirit, I love your soul, I love your strength and your determination. I love your playfulness. I love your eyes, I love your smile, I love your voice. I love the way your lips curl upwards when I hand you your morning coffee and I love how soft your skin feels when our hands accidentally brush each other. I love how your hair glows in the morning light. I love the look you get, this mixture of serenity and love, when you think about this baby and I love the way you gently rub your belly. I love the way you freak out at times and I love the way you bit your lower lip when you are nervous. I love the crease that forms between your brows when you're in deep thought, trying to figure something out." He exhales shakily and continues. "I love this tiny bump, and I love this baby, Kate. It's your baby, it's a part of you. And I love each and every part of you."
Kate was full on crying now, tears blurring her vision. He couldn't resist the urge to embrace her and hold her tightly, so he wrapped his arms around her and held her, putting little kisses in her hair.
"Oh, you guys!" Lanie exclaimed after a few moments. "You two are just so beautiful." She sniffled.
Kate pulled back a bit to look at Castle's eyes and after watching him for a few seconds, she whispered, "I love you too, so damn much."
And then it was as if everything else just disappeared when their lips found each other and they shared their first real kiss.
:)