The limo came to a stop in front of Kate's building a few minutes before ten. Lanie had called her an hour earlier to make sure that Kate hadn't changed her mind and when to expect the car coming for her. The driver greets her and takes the small carry on bag from her, placing it into the trunk as she climbs inside the limo. Lanie is already inside, drinking a cup of coffee and enjoying a pastry.
"I could get used to this." Lanie comments with a grin as she gestures towards the cup of coffee and bagged pastry for her friend.
Once inside, she has to smile seeing how happy her friend was. She had to admit that this was pretty impressive, almost as nice as her last ride in a limo. It was with Rick when the two went to a charity event to catch a killer that had targeted the city's social elite. She remembered how he made her feel like a princess, complete with a gown he purchased for her that probably cost about three months of her salary. How lucky the other socialites told her she was to have landed the white whale.
Yeah, lucky.
Kate grabs the extra large takeout cup of coffee and takes a sip. It was good and she really needed it as sleep had eluded her for the most part. But it wasn't as good as the coffee that he brought her.
Lanie had spent the cab ride back to her apartment on the phone with Gina as the two worked out the details. One thing was certain, Castle's ex still cared about him and would do whatever she could to help. A limo was arranged to take them to and from the airport, first class tickets would be at the airline's counter in their names, and a suite would be reserved in the same hotel where Rick was staying. Gina also provided her with the alias that he used to book his room, Alexander Rodgers.
Little was said between the two women as the limo made its way to the airport. Kate seemed content to sip her coffee and stare out the window while Lanie exchanged text messages with Javi. They had managed to close the case a few hours ago and he had been hoping to continue the date that had been interrupted the night before. To say he was stunned to learn that she and Kate were on their way to Vegas was an understatement and she was forced to reveal the plan to him.
While he clearly thought that the idea was crazy, he was proud of the effort that she was making for her friend. Javi was convinced that things would end badly for Kate as he was sure that Castle had probably found someone that would help him forget Beckett. Once again, Lanie scolds him, telling him that he just doesn't understand women and that Rick had real feelings for her. They agree to disagree just as the limo comes to a stop at the arrivals terminal.
True to her word, they pickup their tickets at the counter and work their way through TSA, finally arriving at their gate with nearly an hour before boarding. With time on their hands, Lanie walks back to one of the gift shops, grabbing a box of mints and a copy of the Ledger. While Kate may not care about the stories on Page 6, she loved to read the gossip column.
Returning to her seat facing Kate, she opens the paper, immediately turning to the gossip section. "No way!" The woman nearly shouts, startling not only Kate, but a few others sitting nearby. The headline, 'The end of Nikki Heat?' sat above a what appeared to be a picture taken by a cell phone of Kate and Tom exchanging a kiss while standing near her desk. The article went into detail that reliable sources had confirmed Richard Castle had ended his relationship with the NYPD. They went on to say that he could not be reached to comment on the story further fueling speculation that it was related to the woman who had inspired the character Nikki Heat choosing another detective over the writer.
She closes the paper and looks to where her friend is seated. The questioning look on Kate's face has her wondering again how she had let herself become involved in what she is certain is a disaster.
"What's wrong?" Kate questions after seeing a sympathetic look on Lanie's face. She opens the paper to the page with the article and hands it to her. Kate gasps as she reads the headline and sees the picture below it. The look of utter defeat on her face as she finished reading the piece spoke volumes and she starts to sob. "I've ruined everything."
Lanie moves from where she was seated and sits beside Kate, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "In five hours you'll be on the other side of the country, away from all of this and by the time we return, this will have been forgotten."
Kate couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal, somebody had taken the picture of her and Tom together and it somehow made its way to this article. It wasn't as if they had to sneak around to get a picture, she had made it far too easy by her frequent PDAs with Tom. No, she had no one to blame but herself.
Kate was silent the entire flight to Las Vegas. She turned down the meal but did accept her share of complimentary cocktails. Lanie tried to nap after the meal as she had gotten little sleep herself the night before and fully intended on taking in all that the city had to offer while she was there.
Upon arrival, they were met at the exit terminal by a driver carrying a placard with Lanie's name. The ME had never been to the city before and Kate's memories of her lone time there were not very clear, or fond.
The limo comes to a stop in front of the Bellagio. Of course Castle would be staying at the five star complex. Both she and Kate's eyes were as big as saucers taking in the outrageous opulence of the hotel. Lanie walks up to the front desk and gives the cheery young woman on the other side her name, telling her that she has a reservation.
The clerk types in her name and replies. "Yes, here it is. A two bedroom suite on our executive level... two nights, correct?" Lanie nods and smiles, pleased to hear that she would be staying in a room that costs per night what she makes in nearly a month.
Even Kate is in awe hearing about their room, thinking about the sleazy place she stayed at her last time here. The clerk hands Lanie her key cards and wishes them both a pleasant stay there. She hands her one of the key cards and asks Kate to wait for her by the elevator while she asks the concierge for directions to the Hard Rock hotel.
Kate complies and she follows up with her question to the young woman. As soon as Lanie was sure she was out of earshot, she asks for the room number of Alexander Richards. The concierge was polite, but informs her that she couldn't give out that information, but would connect her to his room if she wanted to speak to him. Lanie declines the offer, but thanks the woman anyway. She had the confirmation she wanted that Castle was here.
The two gasp in awe seeing the decor of the high roller suite that they were staying. Almost as impressive was the view of the city from their corner room in two directions. The bedrooms were equally impressive, each with their own en-suite with sauna, shower, and hot tub. As it was still early in the afternoon here thanks to the time change, the two agreed that a nap was in order in preparation for their night on the town. While Kate had little interest in doing anything even remotely related to a night on the town, she felt an obligation to her friend and would whatever she wanted.
Stripping down to her bra and panties, she crawls into massive bed laying between the sinfully soft sheets. Within minutes she is asleep, the exhaustion from the last two days finally winning out. The truth was, after reading the Page 6 article she accepted the fact she had lost Rick and would never see him again. Her subconscious had other ideas, as her sleep was filled with pleasant dreams of her and Castle together, quickly replaced with what could only be deemed nightmares of him and his ex together, making love while she is forced to watch.
Lanie's knock at her door finally puts an end to her attempt at sleep that felt more like a roller coaster ride than rest. The ME tells her friend to get dressed that they had 7:00pm reservations at the hotel's five star steakhouse. She then informs her that she has snagged them seats for the Celine Dion show, so dress accordingly.
Kate assures her that she will be ready in time, crawls out of bed and makes her way into the en-suite. This room was nearly as big as her bedroom in New York. Returning to the bedroom, she opens up her luggage, extracting her plum cocktail dress, black silk hose, her best bra and panty set, laying them out on the bed. Grabbing her toiletry bag, she returns to the bathroom to prepare for her night out.
The multiple massaging shower heads left her feeling better than she thought was possible. She wished that she had a shower like this in New York, but knew her building had barely enough water pressure to support one head. After brushing her teeth, she dries her hair and carefully applies her makeup before returning to the bedroom.
A quick glance in the floor length mirror confirms that she is as ready as she was going to be. Walking into the living room, she sees that Lanie is ready as well, and speaking to someone on the phone. Judging by the hushed tones of her voice it must be Javi. Kate grins and tells her to tell Espo that she'll keep an eye on her. Lanie laughs at whatever was said on the other end of the line and ends the call.
"A dinner at the best steakhouse in the city, followed by a show, followed by drinks and dancing. What more could a girl ask for?" Lanie teases.
Kate hears the words and thinks to herself how much better it would be if she was doing those things with someone she loved. Someone like Rick. Instead, she feigns a smile and replies. "Let's go. The night is young and so are we..."
Their dinner was perfect. The food and service was excellent. Their next stop was the lounge where Ms Dion was performing. They were seated at a table near the stage and Kate had to remark that whoever put this trip together truly went first class with everything.
Lanie simply smiles and replies. "You have no idea."
The two women enjoyed several glasses of wine as the opening act, a comedian that neither of them had heard of, entertained the crowd. Soon Celine appears performing many of her hits to the approval of the audience.
It was during a break at the mid point of the show, reserved for the performer to call out to those celebrities and high rollers in attendance that the relative calm that Kate was feeling at that moment vanished.
"... and also in attendance is my favorite author, having written over twenty best selling novels including the soon to be motion picture, Heat Wave, Richard Castle. Take a bow Ricky." She calls out as the spotlight shines on him. The buxom blonde in a skin tight, hot pink cocktail dress releases him from her grip long enough for him to rise to his feet, smile at Celine and wave to the crowd.
Kate can only stare, gobsmacked, unable to process what she has just witnessed. 'He was supposed to be in the Hamptons with his ex, doing god knows what, not here in Vegas with some blonde slut.' She thinks to herself and then looks at Lanie to see if she is equally surprised.
The ME is surprised, but not for the same reasons as Kate. Gina was right to be worried about the type of trouble he could get into left alone, broken hearted in a place like this. The time for simply hoping that the two will see what they mean to each other has came and went.
Time to take matters into her hands and bring this thing to its conclusion, regardless of the outcome.
For the remainder of the show, Kate's eyes never looked anywhere but where Castle was seated and towards her best friend. The longer she sat there, the more she drank. The more she drank, the angrier she got, convinced that Lanie knew that Castle would be here with another woman to prove he had moved on. She wondered if this was how he felt watching her and Demming together.
The show ends and the house lights come up. Kate looks to where Rick was seated and sees him rising to his feet, the blonde clinging to his arm like a Kudzu vine. Kate gasps and Lanie growls, tired of these two acting like children. Granted, he had no idea that she was there, but to Lanie that was no excuse.
Kate is trying to move away in the opposite direction of Rick, when Lanie grabs her hand and begins to move towards him while calling out. "Writer-boy!"
Rick stops and immediately turns to look in the direction that the sound was coming from. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. 'What in the hell is she doing here?' It's then that he sees who she is dragging behind her and he is unable to mask his surprise. He reflexively shrugs his arm, resulting in the blonde losing her grip on him. She gives him a confused look as he stares at the two women approaching him.
"Richard Castle. Imagine meeting you here... weren't you supposed to be in the Hamptons with your ex?" Lanie challenges with her usual sass.
"I don't believe that Gina ever actually said that we were going to the Hamptons together, only that she asked if I wanted her to go with me. There was only one person that I asked to go with me there..." Rick replies while looking past Lanie and directly at Kate.
Lanie's grip on Kate's hand tightens as she tries to pull away, too embarrassed to face him.
"So what are the odds of me running into you two here in Vegas?" Rick inquires with a little more sarcasm than what he intended. He knew that Gina was behind this and they would have a long talk about boundaries upon his return to the city.
"You two need to talk. You know, like two adults, using complete sentences and not double entendres, or innuendos." She fires back with an equal amount of sarcasm while she pulls Kate closer to him.
A myriad of emotions seem to be fighting for control of him seeing her standing there. He turns to look at his date and remarks. "I'm sorry Jacinda, but this is something that I have to take care of." He reaches into his wallet and hands her a hundred. "This should cover your cab fare."
She growls in frustration, knowing that any chance she had with him had vanished and quickly walks away. Rick actually smiles, seemingly relieved to see her gone.
The smile quickly dissolves as he turns to face the two women. Tired of the games, he reaches out, taking Kate's other hand in his. "You're right Lanie. It's time to talk. This is your one chance. Take it or leave it." The tone of his voice confirmed his seriousness.
She looks to Lanie, who releases her other hand and remarks. "Don't think about it. Do it." The two start to walk away and she calls out. "If one of you kills the other, I won't help hide the body..."
"It's up to her, but I make no promises." Rick replies, as the two walk away.
They walk in silence out of the lounge and back into the hotel lobby, Rick still holding her hand. He stops as if lost in thought as she inquires. "Where are we going?"
"Someplace where we can talk without interruptions... my room." He replies, tugging her arm and walking to the elevators. Once inside, he loosens his grip as he looks out of the glass elevator and into the light show that was Las Vegas at night. Instead of pulling away, Kate squeezes his hand with her small delicate fingers, missing his touch.
They exit the elevator and walk to the one that went to the penthouse. Castle keys in his code and the doors open as Kate thinks. Of course he would be in the penthouse.'
The doors open and they exit into his massive suite that made the one she had pale in comparison. He offers a smile and remarks. "It's a bit much, but the Nikki Heat movie studio is paying for it..." He walks over to the bar stocked with real sized bottles of every type of booze she could imagine and inquires. "What would you like to drink? We have a pretty fair selection."
Kate offers a sad smile and replies. "Tequila."
He opens the mini fridge and extracts a fresh lime. Grabbing a small plate and knife, he slices the fruit into wedges. Searching the cabinet, he finds a large salt shaker and carries the items to the coffee table. Rick gestures for her to take a seat, which she does at the far end of the sofa. He pours her a shot and slides the glass, along with the lime and salt down to her. She mouths a silent 'thank you' to him and tosses back the shot.
Rick follows suit and the two sit there as the awkward silence seems to overwhelm them, both afraid to speak, but for different reasons. The courage that he felt moments earlier had evaporated and he had no idea what he could say that would make things better.
Kate was afraid that there was nothing she could say that would convince him she cared for him. Deciding that rather than offer an apology for everything that she had done to him over the last month, it was finally time for the truth. The time for innuendo was long gone and she could sense that whatever Rick was about to say to her wasn't happening.
She grabs the bottle and pours herself another shot, hoping to gain courage from the liquid and ignoring the fact that this was the time for clear heads. Wetting webbing between her thumb and forefinger with her tongue, she shakes out a healthy amount of salt. Tossing back the shot, she licks up the salt and then sucks a wedge of lime. Rick is watching closely, the look on his face changing from amusement to concern. He doesn't try to mask his frown seeing her sabotage their last chance to talk.
"Maybe this was a bad idea." Rick remarks to himself more than her.
Kate can see the resigned look on his face and can sense that she's blowing her chance. "I love you, damn it. I tried so hard not to, but I couldn't help myself. You scare me. You see me as extraordinary, when I'm really a mess. I knew that one day you'd see me for the broken person that I am and realize that you could do so much better, so I put up these walls to keep you away from my heart..."
She pauses to see if he is listening to her, hoping that she can finish what she has to say before he escorts her to the door. "But guess what? It didn't work. Somehow you managed to smash each and every one of them. I saw what caring father and loyal son you were while living with you. Your family took me in and made me see what life with you could be like. But once again, I let my own self doubts win out and left without an explanation as to why."
"I know that it was my fault that you ended up with Ellie Monroe. I never gave you any sign that we were anything more than coworkers, yet I was so jealous knowing that you had been with her. And just like a woman scorned, I was secretly pleased to learn that she was only using you to get a part in the Nikki Heat movie."
Kate pauses again and sees that he is now listening intently to every word she says, yet unwilling to make eye contact. "That was bad enough by itself, but then along comes Tom, and like some teenager, I decide to try and make you as jealous as I felt. But instead of becoming jealous, you started to withdraw, which made me act like even more like a child. I made a fool out myself, putting on a show for everyone in the precinct to see with Tom. I sat there listening to Tom ridicule your theories and said nothing. While you may not have been jealous of Tom, he was definitely jealous of you."
"After Maddie called me out about my feelings for you, I amped up my stupid behavior with Tom just to prove her wrong. I knew that it was just a matter of time before you left me, so when Tom asked me to go away with him for the weekend, I said yes. But then you invite me out to the Hamptons. I was stunned that you asked and wanted to say yes, but then I remembered that I had already agreed to go away with Tom. I knew that if I told you the truth, that you would never ask me again, so I lied, letting you think that I would have gone away with you, but couldn't get off of work."
"Tom's revelation that we were going away soon after we returned to the precinct exposed my lie. Rather than apologize for my lie, I make things worse by rationalizing my acts by saying that I didn't want things to become awkward between us..."
Kate lets out a depreciating chuckle after her last statement before continuing. "Awkward was an understatement. I managed to take a bad situation and make it even worse and I saw the light in your eyes disappear as you told me that you were working your last case. While I'd done everything in my power to drive you away, nothing prepared me to hear you actually say the words."
"I lied to myself and said that you'd be back in the fall like you hinted at. Espo warned me that while you may have been there for a million different reasons, he was sure that none of them involved me acting like a teenager with Tom. I realized what a fool I'd been and just how much it would hurt to see you go. I'd like to say that was when I realized I loved you, but I promised not to lie to you."
Rick starts to tense up at her last comment and she see that he's starting to mentally distance himself from her. She scoots closer to him and takes one of his hands into hers. She can feel him tense up at her touch, almost as if it hurts. "No, I started falling in love with you the first time I came to your loft and saw the real Richard Castle. The man who spends his evenings playing laser tag with his daughter, not out with some model or bimbo like the stories on Page 6. That was why I told you about my mom's case. I knew then that I should trust you. That was why I overreacted and sent you away when you told me that you had someone looking into her case. I thought that you had violated my trust, but in the end if it weren't for you and your meddling, my mother's killer would still be free. For that, I cannot thank you adequately."
"Meeting Kyra was an eye opener. She was so different from your exes. Real, and I could see by the way you looked at her, she was someone that you cared for deeply. I was so jealous when I saw the surveillance photos of the two of you together and wished that it was me on that roof instead of her. I tried to deny my feelings, but Kyra saw right through me."
"Yet once again, I let my fear of rejection control me. I figured that it was better to live with the longing rather than risk a broken heart. Then came the Coonan case. You gave a hundred grand to catch my mother's killer without batting an eye. I knew that you did it for me and expected nothing in return. When you told me that you were leaving after that case, I asked you to stay, for me... and you did."
She gives his hand another squeeze and this time looks directly into his blue eyes. His facial expression tells her nothing, which only adds to the anxiety she is feeling. "Every morning you told me how much you cared for me with a cup of coffee, exactly the way I liked it. You made sure that I ate when I became so caught up in a case that I forgot to do so. You saved my life on more than one occasion. You told me how much you cared, yet I was too afraid to say anything."
"Now that I'm sure that I've lost you, I suddenly find the courage to tell you how I feel and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Whatever you decide Rick, please know this, I love you." Kate releases her hold of his hand and waits for his response.
It was times like these when she wishes that Castle wasn't a world class poker player. His face remained an emotionless mask as he sat there evaluating every word she said. The longer he sat, the less hope she felt, sure that he was preparing his rejection.
After what felt like an eternity to her, but in fact was only a minute or so, he breaks his silence. "Thank you for your explanation. I know how hard it was for you to do that."
He pauses for a moment, as if rehearsing what he is about to say in his mind before continuing. "The way I see it, we have reached a fork in the road. The one leg has me accepting your apology and we part as friends, promising that we'll stay in touch, but knowing that it's a lie. I cannot return to the precinct after everything that has happened..."
Kate gasps at the finality in his tone of voice as he speaks and she fights back a sob at the truth in his words.
He then reaches for her hands and takes them into his, giving them a gentle tug so that she will look at him. "The other path is far more frightening. You say that you love me. You claim that you have for quite a while. You've seen what life with me any family would be like. It's time to go all in... I love you. Marry me, tonight, and put me out of my misery..."
Of all the things that he could have said to her, nothing could have prepared her for this. She could see by his expression that he was serious and knew that anything less than an acceptance would be seen by him as another rejection. He was right, the time for bluffing was over. Time to either go all in, or fold.
"Yes..." The word left her lips in a near whisper. She can see by the confused look on his face that he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. She smiles and tugs on his hands as tears begin to flow. "Yes I will marry you if you'll have me."
The smile on his face in response to her reply said it all as she climbs on his lap, her short, and very tight dress exposing her long legs which he begins to caress as they share their first real kiss. Two years of unrequited passion condensed into a single kiss. They both moaned as the kiss ends and Rick fights the urge to carry her directly into the bedroom to begin the honeymoon before the wedding. Kate was willing to follow his lead either way.
"Call Lanie and tell her to meet us in the lobby as soon as she can..." When Kate gives him a puzzled look in response, he smiles and replies. "You'll need a Maid of Honor and I'm pretty sure that she'd kill us both if she found out you got married without her."
The mention of her best friend being there to witness their wedding had an amazing sobering effect on her. It also drove home the fact that he was serious, something she wasn't entirely sure of until that moment. The smile on her face in response has him pulling her back into his arms and giving her another, gentle kiss and remarking. "I love you Katherine Beckett."
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