Potions of Love
Epilogue
Holiday Season 2022
Rick and Kate's relationship is flourishing following the University's Halloween event. They strive to spend as much time together as possible, even during the midterm finals in early November.
Kate continues to be overwhelmed by Rick and the many ways he displays his compassion for her and her needs. A day never passes that Rick doesn't check in with her to ask how she is doing and feeling, if there is anything she needs, and as they prepare for finals; if there is any way he can help her study, even though he is deep into his midterms.
A new twist Rick & Kate have added to their time together is their sharing of homemade evening meals. Kate prepares her mother's homemade meat sauce and pasta for Rick on one such Saturday. With her current schedule, it's rare for Kate to have a full day open where she can spend the needed time creating and simmering her thick and creamy tomato creation. She's also preparing wedge salads with a tangy Mediterranean salad dressing and slices of elegant and richly layered Tiramisu that she picked up earlier from Terza's Italian Restaurant.
After many hours of worry and anxiety, Kate has also decided to tell Rick the whole story about her last encounter with Josh. Rick has never asked, but she knows it's a troubling topic for him, and as she watches their relationship continue to grow, she wants to clear that dreadful night from her memory and the only way she can have a clean break from that nightmare, is to share what happened with Josh. She hopes that explaining the remaining details to Rick will give both of them much-needed closure.
Rick arrives at Kate's promptly at 6:30 pm on Saturday as planned. He quickly knocks on her door to alert her of his arrival and makes his way into her aroma-filled apartment. He pauses just inside the door as he watches Kate put her finishing touches on an elegantly set dining table and inhales her Italian creation's savory smells.
"If I didn't know better, I would say, this is heaven!" Rick stated as Kate walked up to him to give him a welcoming kiss. "A beautiful woman, an incredible looking dining table, and Italian spices that could exceed the talents of any chef in Rochester."
Kate chuckles, "Wow, did you take a writing class overnight so that you could come up with that line?" But then she slightly bows her head and says, "Thanks, Rick. That is very sweet. Come on in and pour us some wine while I get the salads out of the fridge."
As requested, Rick pours two glasses of wine. He sets the glasses on the table and walks into Kate's kitchen area to assist in bringing the salads and bread to the table. Their conversation is light as they banter back and forth while enjoying their salads and warm garlic bread. Kate then says, "I'll drop the pasta, and we should be able to have our main course in about 8 minutes."
Rick again helps Kate bring the pasta dish and clean plates to the table, and then they both sit down to savor the Italian dinner she had prepared for them.
Rick is very impressed and says. "Kate, this is one of the absolute best meat sauces I have ever tasted."
"Thanks, Rick. It was my grandmother's recipe, and she passed it down to my mom, who then taught me how to make it. I am so happy you like it," Kate shyly responded.
Once they've finished their meal, Rick and Kate clean up the kitchen and do the dishes before heading into Kate's living room. Both of them are quiet for several minutes before Kate says,
"Rick, I know our relationship is growing and taking on new dimensions as we get to know one another better. I treasure every minute we have together, and before we go any further, I want to tell you about my last encounter with Josh so that we can clear that dreadful topic from both of our minds. I don't mean to put a damper on our evening, but I feel it's time I told you the full story."
Rick is quiet now, and Kate can tell he has some intense thoughts just by the way he is looking at her. Then he says, "Kate, I have always told you, you can tell me whatever you want to share about that evening, whenever you are ready. So if you feel that time is now, please go on."
Kate spends the next 45 minutes outlining to Rick all that happened on that horrible Sunday night. She has remained seated next to him during the entire time, and Rick can tell this conversation is taking a toll on Kate. He scoots closer and slides his arm around her shoulders as he senses she is coming to the end of her heart-wrenching story about the atrocious encounter with Josh.
Nothing is said for several minutes after Kate concludes her description of that fateful night. Rick speaks with all of the restraint he can muster, "Kate, I am so sorry for what you went through, especially for the months of agony he caused you. Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to tell me the whole story. I hope this discussion can now give you some much-needed and deserved peace of mind."
Rick then bows down and gently kisses Kate's forehead before pulling her into his side for a fierce hug, which he hopes affirms the ever-increasing love and compassion he has for her.
Kate turns to put her arms around Rick, and the two of them sit quietly for the next several minutes, simply enjoying the closeness that has so profoundly grown between them over the last few months.
Finally, Kate says, "Rick, thank you for being patient with me. You gave me the courage I needed to share my past about Josh and remove all thoughts of him from my mind and heart. I want nothing more than to have this be the last time we mention his name. Moving forward, I want what we have to be the center of my life and hopefully yours too," she states with extreme boldness.
Rick leans back from the iron-type grip that Kate has had on him and gently kisses her soft lips, hoping she understands that what she just said is what he also wants for them and their future.
After several minutes of sharing sweet kisses, Kate asks what has been on her mind all day. "Rick, would you spend the night with me?"
Rick is not necessarily shocked by Kate's request, but he is concerned about where her mind is right now. He knows that she wants the final events she experienced with Josh to be behind them, but he feels she may need time to come down after re-living such a harrowing experience. So he replies,
"Kate, I would love to spend the night with you, but for tonight, will you allow me to hold you and continue to tell you how much you mean to me. I want our first time together to be all about us. I want neither of us to think about previous relationships or happenings when we share those treasured moments."
Kate admits that she is a little disappointed, but she is also very grateful for Rick's understanding and how he handled what she shared with him, so she says, "Rick, you are probably right. And falling asleep in your arms and having you be the first thing I see in the morning will be wonderful." She then stretches up and returns his sweet kisses before rising and closing her apartment for the night.
Once the door is locked, and all lights are off except for a small table lamp, Kate reaches out for Rick's hand and leads him into her bedroom.
As the morning light shines through Kate's bedroom window, Kate finds herself still wrapped in Rick's arms, with him fast asleep. She smiles as she watches his eyelids twitch and notices he has a smile on his face. After a few minutes, Kate begins to kiss her boyfriend awake and watches as his beautiful deep azure blue eyes open and focus directly on her.
"Morning, beautiful," are Rick's first words as he returns Kate's sweet kiss. "You realize, this could become a habit very quickly," he smiles as he gives her another peek on her slightly swollen lips.
"I know what you mean, Pharmacy Man. I don't think I have slept this well in months, and waking up in your arms is more incredible than I ever imagined," she says before beginning to pepper his jaw with little butterfly kisses.
Rick says, "As much as I hate to, I need to make a quick trip to your facilities. I'll be right back," he says with a massive smile.
Once Rick is finished in her restroom, Kate takes her turn. When she returns, she sees that Rick is making the bed and stops in the doorway with a questioning look on her face. Rick can sense her disappointment, but he says,
"For my own sake, I think we better have some breakfast. I am not sure how much more control I have now, especially seeing you standing there in my t-shirt."
Kate understands as she feels the same, so she laughs a little and says, "You are probably right. If you finish up here, I'll scramble us some eggs and get the coffee going." She then turns and walks out of her bedroom, leaving Rick with an image of her gorgeous legs showing from beneath his t-shirt.
Rick exhales a deep breath and says to himself, "Woman, you are going to drive me crazy!"
Before leaving Kate's bedroom, Rick slips his black jeans back on over his boxers and puts his blue button-down shirt back on, minus his t-shirt. He then heads out to the kitchen to help Kate with their breakfast.
Since it's Sunday morning, neither of them has any place they need to be, so they enjoy a leisurely breakfast together and share the morning newspaper over some of Kate's unique blend of Caribou coffee.
As they sit on the couch reading the paper and drinking their aromatic brew, Kate glances at Rick and silently laughs to herself, "Wow, this is quite the domestic scene, and I am truly enjoying every minute of it."
The easygoing morning continues, and noon comes and goes. Finally, around 1:00, Rick moves next to Kate and asks, "Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?"
Kate looks at Rick, a bit surprised, and says, "No, I have no plans. My folks wanted me to fly out to California for the break, but I told them I'd rather go out there when I'd have more time to spend with them. So what's on your mind?"
Rick grins and asks, "Would you like to come to my place for Thanksgiving? It's one of my favorite holidays, but it would be so much fun if you would join me. I will even make a turkey and all of the trimmings for you."
Kate smiles and agrees to join him for the day, but only if he will let her bring her 'killer corn casserole.' They both laugh and shake on the deal before Rick invites Kate to go with him to pick up a sandwich for lunch.
The rest of November flies by, including their finals. Both Rick and Kate are satisfied that they did well on all of their tests, and they are both ready to celebrate Thanksgiving together.
Their day goes off without a hitch, enjoying the delicious food they prepared together. Kate had no idea that Rick was such an excellent chef and asked where he had learned some of the techniques she watched him do during their preparations.
Rick shared that learning to cook was a life-saving venture he learned early. Being a Broadway star, his mother did not have time to prepare many nourishing meals, so he needed to learn to fend for himself if he didn't want to survive on TV dinners. In fact, during middle school, Rick took a free young adult cooking class put on by students from the Institute of Culinary Education. It was a two-weekend class, but he learned a lot about techniques, herbs, and spices and how to put together some simple meals.
"I found cooking to be enjoyable, and it gave me a release from some of the things that were happening in my life at that time. And I soon discovered that I was pretty good at it. I wouldn't say I am a chef, but I have tried to keep up my skills, and the Food Channel has become one of my favorite sources of knowledge," he modestly shares.
"Well, I would say you have some mad chef skills. This turkey is one of the moistest I have ever tasted, and those sauteed brussels sprouts were out of this world. Not to mention the incredible pumpkin cheesecake you prepared yesterday. You can certainly cook for me anytime," she says as she kisses him on his cheesecake-covered lips.
Rick smiles as he returns her kiss. They finish their delicious Thanksgiving feast and divide up the leftovers so they will both have tasty meals for the entire weekend. After their kitchen tasks have wrapped up, they move into the living room to watch a couple of football games before it's time for Rick to take Kate back home.
When they arrive at Kate's apartment, Rick takes her hand before getting out of his Jeep and says, "Thanks for today. You being with me made this Thanksgiving so very special for me."
Kate thanks him for the invitation and echoes his feelings about the day being extraordinary for her too. She can sense he wants to say more, so she squeezes his hand as an encouragement, and Rick continues,
"I don't want to sound selfish, as I know your parents would love for you to go home for Christmas, but I wondered if there is any chance you would consider spending the Christmas /New Year Holiday with me in New York? You know, no place does Christmas like NYC. Between the window displays in stores on Fifth Avenue, the Rockefeller tree, the skating rink, all of the shopping options, and the New Year's Eve ball drop, it can be an amazing experience." Rick finally stops and takes a breath, looking at Kate with a hopeful expression on his face.
Kate had thought seriously about heading back to California for the holidays, but she wasn't looking forward to being away from Rick for that long. Their relationship is moving in a very caring and romantic direction, one she is genuinely enjoying and doesn't want to be separated from him for two-plus weeks at this time.
Kate smiles and says, "Yes, I was considering going home for Christmas, but what you just shared about New York sounds amazing, and I have never been there, especially during Christmas. How about we make a deal. I will go with you to NYC for Christmas and New Year's Eve if you go out to California for an extended Spring Break with me in March?" Kate knows her parents aren't going to be excited to learn that she's not coming home for the Christmas holidays, but she also knows that once she tells them about Rick, they'll understand her decision. And the promise of an extended Spring Break may help them to better deal with their disappointment.
Rick's face breaks out into the biggest smile she thinks she has ever seen, and he reaches over the Jeep console and pulls her into a tight hug, almost yelling, "You have got a deal," then gives her an intense and passionate kiss. They break apart to take a breath, and Rick then walks Kate to her door with one final kiss goodbye for the evening.
Kate does her usual routine of watching Rick prepare to leave and returns his wave before going into her apartment, feeling like she is on top of the world.
Rick and Kate's trip to New York City was everything she had expected. They not only did all of the activities that Rick had described to her, but they were also able to have third-row center seats at his mother's Broadway production of "Mame," which was her revival of the beloved character of 'Auntie Mame.' Martha had arranged for them to join the cast backstage and attend the cast party following the final curtain call.
Their two-week vacation included many planned activities and some much-needed downtime at the Rodgers' Loft in Manhattan. Kate was able to join Rick in their Christmas Tree decorating extravaganza that was a tradition for the Rodgers household and join him in the kitchen to learn more about some of the Christmas treats he loves to make over the holidays.
Before they left for their New Year's Eve celebration at Times Square, Martha told them that the Loft was theirs as she would be attending a party with some of her castmates and did not plan to see them until New Year's Day afternoon. She promised them she would join them on New Year's evening for a special catered dinner she had planned from Shoo Shoo Nolita's.
Attending the ball drop on New Year's Eve exceeded Kate's previous ideas about how the event would unfold. She had never seen this many people in one location in her life, but bless Rick's mother; they had a birds-eye view of all of the festivities. Martha had friends who owned a penthouse overlooking the Square who was out of town and invited the couple to use their home for the evening. Rick and Kate missed the bone-crushing experiences at ground level but had a magnificent view of the infamous crystal ball dropping at the stroke of midnight.
They shared a flute of champagne and several special kisses as they welcomed the New Year together.
Martha had also reserved a car for them to use for the evening, which made the travel back and forth to downtown New York much simpler. The experienced driver still had his challenges, but he made the ride as enjoyable as possible for the lovely couple.
Once back at the Loft, Rick opened a chilled bottle of champagne and invited Kate to dance with him to a playlist he had made especially for her. As the night turned into the early morning, Rick extended his hand to Kate in a silent invitation that she could read just by looking into his loving eyes.
She accepted his hand and let him lead her into his bedroom, where they shared one of the most precious nights either had ever experienced. Tonight was positively a night of love, one where they both shared their deep feelings out loud and showed each other the depth of their passion. Both now knew what it felt to be genuinely in love with their partner, a feeling that words could never describe. And one that Rick and Kate never dreamt was possible, recalling it all began because of a crazy secret love potion.
The two lovers returned to Rochester with a renewed sense of purpose and the confidence they could work through any challenge that was ahead of them, knowing a lifetime of love was on their horizon.
A/N #1 - The reference to the play "Mame" came from the Castle Series, Season 7, Episode 6. All credit for that reference belongs to ABC and the creators of the Castle TV Series.
A/N #2 - I would be remiss if I didn't again share my thanks and deep gratitude to another Castle FanFiction writer, Pen to Paper Writer, who, without his support and encouragement, this story would never have seen the light of day. P2P, you are the best.
A/N #3 - A very special thank you to all of the Castle fandom readers who followed, read, and reviewed my first multi-chapter story. I appreciate your support beyond any words I could ever place in an author's note. Writing this story has been a learning experience and one that I have truly enjoyed. Thank you again. dkcfan