When they reach the bathroom, Castle softly places her down on a stool in the corner of the room. She watches as he warms up the water, periodically running his hand under to make sure the temperature was just right. He moves over to the cabinet and pulls out some bath salts. As he lifts the top to pour them in, she senses a soft hint of vanilla. He returns to the cabinet, removing several candles and placing them on the edge of the marble tub. Leave it to him to have all the makings for a romantic bath on hand she thinks to herself as he lights a flame on each of the candles. She continues admiring him in silence, grateful for all he is doing just to make her more comfortable. As he moves over to dim the lights, Kate begins to strip off his shirt.
It is then that Castle gently grabs her hand, and breaks the silence. She stops moving for a moment, as he whispers, "Please, let me help you, Kate". She stares into his eyes for a moment, before nodding her head, symbolizing she will allow him to assist her. Kate Beckett was born independent, yet somehow, sitting on this stool, looking into his eyes, she realizes she wouldn't mind letting him take care of her. Not now… not ever.
She is pulled out of her daydream as she notices the change in lighting. She looks over to see Rick turning a black knob, allowing only a small amount of light to remain, other than that produced by the candles. She then sees him reach a little to his left, and turn another knob, this one is white. She spots a soft white light illuminating the water in his Jacuzzi-style bath tub. This man has it all, doesn't he? Even in the dark, romantic lighting, she still sees a sparkle in his eye as he slowly walks over to her. This man loves her. And despite being a best-selling author, the look in his eyes in that moment conveys more love and affection than any words ever could. Kate meets his gaze, and she can't help but smile. Once he reaches her, he bends down onto both his knees in front of her, holding her small hands in his, never once losing eye contact with her.
He is now at eye level with her, gazing into each other's eyes in comfortable silence. She removes her hands from much larger ones, and slowly reaches her arms above her head, maintaining eye contact. He takes her hint and places his hands at the top of her thighs, and begins moving his hands up her sides, taking the shirt with him. He moves with such grace, and is extra gentle as his fingers slide over the bruises he had becomes painfully aware of only moments ago.
As the shirt reaches over her head, her fingers get stuck in the sleeves. He hears her chuckle softly, and he smiles back at her as he lifts himself up to untangle the shirt from her fingers. He knows he doesn't have to be perfect, because she already is. And she still wants him. Before going back down to eye level, he places a kiss onto her forehead. She closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips, and allows a slight moan to escape from her lips. Seeing the pleasure she is getting from this he decides to continue. He slides his face down to place a kiss on her nose, before he moves over to her cheek, and continues grazing his lips over the underside of her jaw, placing soft wet kisses there, as another moan escapes her.
He places his hands on her shoulders, and runs them down her back, then back up her arms. He feathers kisses around her shoulders, moving down toward her heart. He places his hand on the skin next to her scar and slowly moves his mouth onto her skin, placing a kiss so soft upon the scar that she can barely feel his lips on her. She shivers at the gentle touch, and he looks up into her eyes. He is instantly reminded of the bullet that nearly took her from him a year ago. He is reminded of the glare he saw in the distance, and his failed attempt to save her from her fate. He can still feel the sun beating on his back, as he held her limp body in his hands. As she bled out on the green grass right in front of him. Of his desperate confession of love, and begging her not to leave him. The long summer without her, and the many phone calls to her father, checking on how she is doing. Then, her confession that she had heard what he said, and his downward, heartbroken spiral that followed. The day he told her those walls were finally coming down, and she wanted him to be there when they did. And finally, last night, when he showed up at her door, desperate to show him how she feels. The last year of their lives, that occurred all because of one little scar.
Even in the darkness, she could see a tear escape from his eyes. She reached her hands up and cupped his cheeks, squashing the tear before more could appear. As if she was reading his mind, she gazes into his eyes and says, "I know Rick. I promise I'm not going anywhere anymore. I want to be here with you, always". She places a kiss on his forehead before lowering her lips to his, and they embrace in a passionate kiss. When they finally part, he lifts her up and places her gently into the bathtub. He begins to undress himself and carefully climbs into the tub behind her. He places his hands on her thighs, and begins tracing patterns on her skin. It's not an arousing touch, but rather a comforting one. She sighs as she leans back into his broad chest, comfortable in his embrace. She closes her eyes, beginning to drift off to a relaxing sleep. The last thing she hears is Castle softly whisper into her ear, "I know, I love you too Kate".
Hey guys I hope you like where this story is going! I have a lot of ideas on how alexis and the crew at the precinct are going to handle all of this and definitely plan on incorporating some funny stuff in the future! As always reviews are appreciated and I would love to hear your feedback! I try to respond to my reviews in a timely manner, and update as much as possible! Thanks!