So this is the final chapter, once again thank you to all who reviewed, added me or this story to their favourites/alerts. You are all incredible!:) please review this chapter, it is a little rushed but i leave today and wanted it to be up before i went back to school to no computer. Lemme know what you think, even you silent readers who add alerts, please may you review!;)
"Always"
She whispered her reply, too overcome by emotion to speak any louder.
He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, relief and excitement washing over him. This was really happening, they were finally doing it!
It had been six months since he had been released from hospital. She had been unable to take time off work to spend with him during the day, and so had spent nearly every night at his loft.
She had started out in the guest bed, too afraid to sleep near him in case she hurt him by mistake, she had had been having nightmares about his shooting and often woke up thrashing around. She didn't want to share a bed with him until she could get herself under control.
As he had healed, they had gradually progressed, and now she spent almost every night at his loft, in his bed, in his warm and safe embrace.
So for six months she had been unofficially living with the Castle's, going home only to get fresh clothes every few days. Most of her clothing was now in his draw, which he had slowly but surely emptied, not wanting to make a big deal about it.
Now he was completely healed, left only with a scar that resembled hers, a small depression over his heart. Her trips back to her apartment were becoming less and less frequent, everything she needed was now with him, and she was running out of reasons to keep going back there.
He didn't want to chase her away by moving things too quickly, he just sat back and watched as his loft became their loft, and when he felt the time was right, he had said,
"Kate, can I ask you something?" He spoke softly, they were alone, Alexis was at a friend's and Martha was out, the only sounds in the living room was the clinking of wine glasses as they sat quietly on the couch.
"Of course." She eyed him warily, turning to face him straight on. He sounded serious and despite all the progress she had made with him, she felt her stomach tense up just a little bit.
"Kate I love you," He paused, trying to choose his words carefully.
She took a breath, preparing herself for the worst. She should have seen it coming, the last six months had been too perfect, she had been too happy, obviously it was not going to last.
"Just say it, please just say it." She told him, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Ok, well you have been unofficially living here for a while now," he paused again, his next words coming out all in a rush "I want to make it official, I want you to live here permanently."
He stopped and they both let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
She finally met his gaze, seeing the apprehension in his beautiful blue eyes, she said quietly
"You don't want me to leave?" she said it slowly as if trying to understand.
"Of course not, I want to wake up next to you every morning, I want to fall asleep with my arms around you every night, I want your toothbrush to live beside mine even as you live beside me, I want it to be official, I want this to be your home, I want you to stay. Please."
His last word was a whisper, his eyes silently begging her to say yes, she did him one better, she said
"Always."
It took her only two more trips to her apartment to gather all her remaining things, mainly all the books off her bookshelf, mostly his books, a couple of them signed, including the one he had given her after their first case.
Taking a final look around her old home, she closed the door for the last time, smiling as she did, knowing she would not regret the decision.
As she reached the door of his loft she smiled, mentally correcting herself, it was their loft now. She pulled a key out of her pocket, slipping it into the lock and turning it, she had never been so happy about owning a key.
She took off her coat and shoes, all the while searching the living room for him, when she couldn't see him she walked through to his bedroom, their bedroom now. There was a not on the top of the dresser:
Kate, just picking up dinner, make yourself at home.
She laughed; he had signed it with a heart. She could definitely get used to this.
She grabbed her laptop and curled up on the couch waiting for him to get back. She looked through a couple of documents, and checked her emails, one of them was a promotion, an automatic email that was sent to advertise products no one wanted.
This one was for an online dictionary, useful if one ever needed to look up a word while on their laptop. She snorted, would anyone actually use it?
Having nothing better to do to bide the time until he returned with their food, she clicked on the link, maybe it would be helpful when she did her paperwork, then she could stop using the same words over and over again in all her reports.
The website opened and the Oxford logo appeared, it looked very similar to the Google search page, with a small box underneath the logo with the faint words 'type here'.
She typed it in and hit enter, and waited for the page to load.
Always: an adverb meaning at all times; on all occasions.
She smiled as she read the first oxford definition of what had recently become her favourite word.
Always: Throughout a long period of the past.
She nodded thoughtfully to herself, this explanation fitted for them too. Her eyes slipped down to the last interpretation of the word.
Always: for all future time; forever.
She felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she read and reread all the definitions. It struck her just how perfectly this word described them, their love for one another, her love for him and she knew, his love for her as well.
She loved him at all times and on all occasions, she had loved him for a long period of time now, and she would most certainly love him forever…
She loved him always.
So its ok to hate it, i am not sure if i love it or not, i wrote an alternate ending, a one shot called My Love, My Life, My Always. It seemed too similar to past chapters but i couldnt get it out of my head, please read that one and let me know which you preferred!:) Thanks for sticking around, have now posted a sequel, entitled, Nightmares and Midnight Snacks, please read it!:) BC xxxxxxxx