Well, a couple days late, but here is the LAST chapter of this crazy story. What a fun way to spend the last couple hours before watching 'Cuffed.' I think I will post this and then go see what spoilers I can find...

Disclaimer: If I owned Castle, I wouldn't NEED spoilers!

It wasn't until Kate's wall appeared that Rick started to wonder if maybe the shippers would cause more harm than good. Considering that they were shippers, he knew what their ultimate objective was: to get him and Kate together. But the writer knew from experience that trying to rush Kate, trying to push her into making a decision prematurely, was never going to work. Although there were times that the slow development of their relationship drove him crazy, he knew it would all be worth it in the end.

Rick had a feeling that the shippers' patience had just about run out.

If their impatience caused them to do something that would make him lose Kate, he didn't think he'd ever be able to forgive them. He knew that they would never forgive themselves. But the pain they would experience would only be a faint hint of what he would be going through.

When he felt Kate's hand tremble in his own, Rick decided he would give the shippers one more minute before he implemented his own plan.

He just wished he had one.

What the shippers finally came up with was the last thing Rick had expected. He listened as one shipper after another yelled out Rick's own love for Kate.

Kate, Castle loves you! Castle loves you, Kate!

How did the shippers even know about that? Kate was the only one that could have possibly heard him. There was no way the general public could have heard his whispered words. If they had, he was sure that it would have been on page 6 in the society magazine.

But then, these shippers weren't the general public. For whatever reason, this crowd had the power to truly have an impact on his relationship with Kate. The wall surrounding the detective was proof of that.

It made Rick glad they were on his side.

When the clear words the shippers shouted turned to gibberish (it wasn't until he heard the words in Chinese that he realized that they were shouting the same thing, just in a bunch of different languages) Rick turned to look at Kate.

Relief flooded him when he realized that he could see Kate through her green wall. For whatever reason, the shippers' plan seemed to be working.

When Rick saw the shocked expression on Kate's face, dread replaced his relief. Had the shippers' words brought the memory back to Kate? Or was she just surprised at the certainty of the crowd about his feelings?

The silence that suddenly blanketed the crowd seemed to have its own sound as it vibrated against Rick's ears. A moment later an unfamiliar sound broke through.

Was that a trumpet? Rick wondered. He tried to place the brief tune, but he knew it was one he had never heard before.

"It will be okay, Kate," he promised, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Castle, I think-" Kate started to say.

And that's when the wall exploded.

Maddie lifted the golden trumpet to her lips as soon as she saw that Beckett's wall was shaking.

Any second now, she thought to herself, placing her fingers in position for the first note. She didn't have to think about what tune to play. There was only one that would work for Caskett.

Once there was a beat of silence, showing that all of the shippers that knew a foreign language had stated Castle's most important of declarations, Maddie played the Castle 'theme song,' a tune that lasted less than a handful of seconds. The last note had barely faded when she heard the explosion, one that sounded shockingly similar to when Beckett's old apartment had blown up all those months ago.

The shippers in the front rows of the crowd quickly ducked as fragments of the wall headed straight for them. A few shippers had multiple fragments miss them by mere inches.

"Liz, duck!" Nat shouted, yanking her friend out of the way as pieces of the wall came at them from both sides. Lizzie quickly ducked and covered her head with her arms, wincing when she felt a sharp edge scrape one of her elbows.

"I got one!" Tori shouted, holding up a piece of the wall that was almost as big as her hand, waving it around excitedly. "I got a piece of Beckett's wall!"

"Hey, watch where you aim that thing!" Kris snapped as the object bumped her in the side.

"You say that as if it's a good thing," Grace said to Tori.

"Are you kidding?" Tori cried. "It's a piece of Beckett's wall!"

"Exactly," KT said. "The wall that has kept her from Castle for over three seasons now."

"If it wasn't for that wall, Caskett would have probably gotten together at the end of season two," Cait pointed out.

"I wouldn't mind having a piece of the wall," Abby admitted.

"You have got to be kidding!" Grace, KT and Cait said in unison.

"I'm with Abby," Emma said. "I mean, it's a piece of Beckett. It's a true souvenir. It would be a constant reminder that there's nothing left to keep Caskett apart."

"I don't care what any of you think," Tori said, irritated that anyone would try to ruin the moment for her. She agreed with Abby and Emma, but she refused to join the argument. "I caught it, and I'm keeping it."

Kate immediately dropped to the ground when she heard the explosion. She shuddered as memories of her shooting flashed through her mind. One moment she was giving the Captain's eulogy, the next she was down on the ground, struggling to breathe.

Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate.

The memory of Rick's whispered words swirled around in Kate's mind, taking the edge off of the horror.

Kate was a little surprised at her emotional reaction to the memory. Those words had been her lifeline those first minutes after being shot. But as soon as she'd gotten out of surgery, the fear had come back. Fear of letting her mom down, fear of losing Rick, either because of the danger her mom's case put them in or because she couldn't let the case go and he ended up walking away. For months, having solid evidence of Rick's feelings had only compounded Kate's fears. For it to bring a measure of peace now was a bit disconcerting.

"It's okay, Kate," she heard Rick whisper. The sound of his voice calmed her trembling. Once her shaking subsided, she realized that he was hunched down beside her, lightly stroking her hair with one hand, his other hand holding both of hers.

Kate didn't understand the peace that flooded her at his touch. His touch, even the tone of his voice, had always had an emotional impact on her. But not like this. Usually it gave her the strength she needed to gather her resolve and do what needed to be done.

This time, it made her want to let go.

For once, she didn't want to have to be the strong one.

She actually wanted to lean on someone.

No, not someone.

Rick.

Kate didn't fight the tears that filled her eyes. She didn't fight the man she loved as he gathered her into his arms. And she didn't fight the words her heart ached to finally say.

"Rick, I love you," she whispered brokenly. "I love you, Rick."

"She said it! She said it! She said it!" Lizzie cried, jumping up and down excitedly.

Nat, too overcome for words, broke out into her 'happy dance.'

"It worked," MoreThanAMuse said, stunned. "It actually worked!"

Sensaiman felt all frustration at Andrew Marlowe and company drain away at the sight of Kate finally in Castle's arms.

"Yes!" cried Kandi and Nikki.

Grace, KT, Cait, Emma and Abby formed a group hug, all of them crying unashamedly.

Tori hugged the piece of Beckett's wall in her hands, a beaming smile on her face.

Megan and Leana started the chant that swept through the crowd:

"Caskett! Caskett! Caskett!"

"Finally," Vicki said with a sigh of relief.

Janeen, giddy at the sight of one of her favorite couples FINALLY together, could only laugh at Vicki's comment.

Towards the front of the crowd, the celebration was every bit as jubilant, but taking their proximity to Caskett, a bit lower in volume.

Mir, Dani, Bailey and Gloria all exchanged high-fives with Lanie.

Pema and Ratima exchanged a high-five with each other.

And Maddie watched as the trumpet in her hand faded away with a feeling of satisfaction.

Finally, after more than three seasons that spanned at least two years for Caskett, Kate Beckett's wall was finally gone.

It always amazes me how a story can surprise me. I wasn't expecting to show everyone's reaction to Kate FINALLY telling Castle how she feels. But hey, that just meant that most of you were in the story THREE times. :)

So...? I don't think this one had as much humor, but maybe the level of fluffy angst (that's the only thing I can think to call it) made up for it.