A/N: Surprise! Another update within 10 days! In other news, does anyone want a 17 year old cat? Mine is annoying the crap out of me and refusing to forgive me for going on vacation over a month ago.

Standing in front of her full-length mirror, Kate assessed her outfit. She didn't want to wear something extravagant like she was going to the Met Gala but she also didn't want to wear something that would make Rick think the dinner was just like every other dinner they had together. Maybe Rick would think the dinner was like all the others, but Kate hoped her little black dress would prove that to be false. Kate had a dish of stuffed chicken breasts in the refrigerator ready to put in the oven when Rick arrived, so while she waited for him she added the finishing touches to her outfit and twisted her hair into a bun that rested low and off to the side.

The echo of her doorbell had Kate's heart galloping in her chest. Taking a deep breath and examining her outfit one more time, Kate rushed to the front door, but first stopping in the kitchen to throw the chicken in the oven. She unlocked and opened her front door and grinned at the sight of Rick standing outside, looking just as nervous as she felt with one arm behind him.

"Hey, come inside."

"Thanks," Rick responded, stepping into the entry then revealing from behind his back a bouquet of brightly colored lilies. "These are for you."

"Thank you, Rick. They are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you, though."

Something about Rick Castle made Kate's face redden nearly every time she was with him and it surprised her that the regularity of her flushed cheeks didn't tip anyone off that she was more than interested in her coworker. Although maybe everyone already knew and she was oblivious to their knowledge.

"I just put dinner in the oven and it should be ready in about twenty minutes. Did you want some wine while we wait?"

"Sure, I can get the wine while you put those in a vase if you'd like." Rick gestured to the flowers.

"The wine and the glasses are on the counter." Kate moved toward the kitchen with the assumption that Rick was going to follow her, which he did. While Kate pulled a vase from the cupboard above her fridge, Rick poured two glasses of wine for them.

"What culinary delight did you prepare for us tonight?"

"It's a recipe of my mom's. Stuffed chicken breasts, then also salad."

"Well, I cannot wait," Rick said, holding out a glass of wine to Kate who had just finished placing the flowers in the vase. "Shall I make a toast?"

Kate smirked. "Sure, knock yourself out."

Rick lifted his glass, "To our own 'Library Detective' Javier Esposito for catching the Burrito Bandito. To Willie and Lanie for being like sisters to me and insisting I put myself out there again. To Kevin and Jenny for showing me that true love is possible. And lastly," Rick made sure to make and maintain eye contact with Kate before continuing, "to us because in the few months you have been in Hawthorne, you have maddened me, challenged me, and frustrated me and I wouldn't change any second of it."

Kate bit her lip and set her glass of wine on the counter beside her.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward…" Rick started to back track, worried he had overstepped and misread the situation.

"Rick," Kate met his eyes again and continued, "kiss me."

Rick fumbled with his glass, nearly missing the counter completely when he went to set it down. "Wha…what?"

With their glasses both safely out of their hands and Rick still trying to process what Kate had said, Kate took the matter, and Rick's face, into her own hands and pressed her lips to his. In a matter of seconds Rick responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer. While their tongues met, Kate stroked her thumb over Rick's cheek with her right hand and slid her left hand to the back of his neck. The pleasure-induced sigh that escaped from her throat encouraged Rick to hear it again and again. When he reluctantly pulled back to take a breath, Kate chased his lips not willing to stop so soon. Rick gave her an appeasing peck before pulling away again. Their hot breaths intermingled while they rested their foreheads against each other.

"Wow…that was…wow," Rick finally said.

Kate grinned and whispered, "yeah," then drew him into another heat-filled and passionate kiss. With Rick's hands rubbing all over Kate's back and her hands massaging the back of his neck, it took all their self-control to not rip each other's clothes off right there in Kate's kitchen. With great reluctance, Kate and Rick parted and gazed at each other, their arms still around the other.

Kate worried her lip between her teeth and felt her voice catch in her throat. She managed to choke out Rick's name and he knew whatever came out of her mouth next was going to change them in some capacity.

"When I left New York, I was escaping a life that no longer felt like mine. I was in a relationship that was going nowhere and I knew that from the beginning, but being with him was the safe option. I still felt consumed by my mother's murder and hopefully someday her case will be solved, but when I was in New York it was the devil on my shoulder, reminding me that her killer is still loose." Kate paused and focused her attention on the top button of Rick's shirt, needing a brief reprieve from their eye contact before meeting his gaze again. "The devil hasn't been able to find me while I've been in Hawthorne. I'm trusting that the NYPD will do what they can to find answers and since I moved here the angel on my other shoulder has had a voice stronger than the devil." Kate inhaled a shuddery breath. "The angel is my mother telling me to not wallow in her death. She's telling me to live my life and not be afraid of love and happiness. It wasn't until I met you that I realized it is possible to be happy despite her death."

Rick's warm smile was infectious and the pair's faces gleamed at one another like they could light up the whole city of New York and maybe the entire state.

Rick pulled Kate close to him again, leaning down to kiss her. Just before their lips met, the high pitched beeping of the oven timer interrupted them.

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