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Thank you for your support. Very grateful. Most of you may recognize lines from the film in this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Castle and For Lovers Only aren't mine :/

[Refound Desire]

Rick didn't know how long he stood there outside the Brasserie Mollard, but it had to have been more than ten minutes. He stared through the frosted glass window. It didn't do him much good, though. Couldn't see a damn thing through these windows.

A quick glance down at his wristwatch told him he still had five minutes. Focusing his gaze back up, he settled for staring through the window for a bit longer, as if he could see what was happening behind the glass. All that was visible were silhouettes of other people as they passed by, none of them distinguishable by any means.

Every time he felt the presence of someone walking by him, he'd turn to see who it was, hoping and not hoping for it to be Kate.

He wasn't sure how to feel about this lunch. Rick was both excited yet scared, overjoyed yet timid. He was a contradiction in and of itself; didn't know what or how to feel about it. But before he could become too absorbed in his thoughts, someone cleared their throat behind him.

It was her.

"Uh, hi," he greeted, giving an awkward little wave before putting his hand down.

Rick's breath immediately caught in his throat at the sight of her. She was beautiful. And if Kate had a say in the matter, he was looking quite handsome himself.

"Hey. Right on time," she noticed, a hint of a grin ghosting over her lips.

"Did you expect anything less from me?"

"Oh, I don't know, Castle. You were never this prompt or punctual back then. In fact, I can recall several occasions when you showed up hours late..."

A sly grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, but before it could fully enwrap his features, it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I'm a changed man, Beckett."

Kate regarded him for a moment, noting the underlying seriousness in his tone. He looked hurt, broken. Lost.

He was right. He was a changed man.

Rick opened the door for her, "Shall we?"

Silently nodding, she entered first as he followed behind.

The interior of the Brasserie Mollard was incredible. It held a certain early twentieth century air to it, with all of the colorful mosaics, handcrafted ceramics, and decorative ceilings. The restaurant was in a word, breathtaking. Luckily, it wasn't very crowded in the dining area, only a few other patrons were scattered about and all of them minded their own business, not caring or paying a lick of attention to Rick or Kate as they were escorted to their table.

They were given a table toward the back, a large floor to ceiling mirror stood directly behind them, the reflection slightly altered and not displaying things for what they were. Rick motioned for Kate to sit down first, pulling out her chair for her before taking a seat in his own. The waiter handed them each a menu before leaving the table, giving them the privacy they needed but didn't really want.

As the newly reunited duo sat in silence while looking over the menu, both took the chance to sneak a peek of one another quite a few times. Nerves were at an all time high.

It was as if they were on a first–

No. This wasn't a date. It was just two old friends, who happened to run into one another in Paris, having lunch together. That's all it was, a reunion lunch of sorts.

That's what they kept on telling themselves at least, but both knew better.

"So," Kate began, hands clasped together as she rested them under her chin. Her eyes were solely focused on the man beside her. "How long are you in Paris?"

Setting down his glass of wine, Rick wiped his mouth with a napkin, biding himself some time. Although, he really didn't need it. It was a basic question. "About a week or two. Yourself?"

"Two weeks."

"It was inevitable, wasn't it?" He suddenly asked. "Us bumping into each other?"

"Yeah. I guess it was."

She seemed sad, but there was a glimmer of joy peeking out from underneath. A huff of a chuckle erupted from the back of her throat, in turn causing Rick to smirk. He loved her laughed, didn't realize how much he missed it until now- now that he heard it for the first time in three years.

Damn. It'd been three years. Those years– lost years– sped on by and dragged on at the same time in a cruel contradiction.

"The earth's round, right?" Kate pondered.

Taking a sip of the red wine they'd been served, Rick nodded at her words. "We live in a smaller world than we truly realize. Eventually, you run away long enough you're gonna–"

"–Bump into someone. Again."

"Exactly. Just like us," he mused.

When she spoke again, Rick could clearly hear the hesitance and timidness in her voice. "I didn't think you were gonna call. I'm– I'm really glad you did." She'd been worried. Worried he wouldn't reach out to her, but he restored that faith in her with a simple phone call.

He smiled, one, which reached his eyes. God, that smile made her legs wobble beneath her. Kate was thankful she was sitting down; otherwise she would've dropped. How she missed his smile...

"Me too."

"I, uh, never got the chance to tell you this yesterday, but you look good. You look really good, Rick."

The use of his first name immediately gained his attention. Kate's face was lit up with joy, and to be able to bring that joy to appear on her face made him proud. He was proud he could still bring that out in her, even after all of these years. When Kate was in a good mood, then he was sure to be in one.

And it'd been– he didn't know for sure how long actually, but it had been a long time since he'd smiled or laughed like this. It was all thanks to her.

"You look good, too, Kate."

Biting her lip, with her eyes cast downward at her lap, she shook her head as a low laugh spilled from her pink lips. "God. I have so many questions to ask you. And the thing is...I'm not sure if I want to know the answers to any of them. It's crazy, you know?"

Crazy was an understatement.

"Did you ever think this would happen?" She continued, now maintaining eye contact with him. All the happiness and joy they'd felt only moments ago slowly receded away, being replaced with a new level of seriousness and intensity.

"Honestly? No. No, I never thought I'd see you again." Rick shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "When we had that fight, I had thought–"

"Excusez-moi, Madame et Monsieur."

Rick and Kate looked up to see their waiter pouring more wine into their glasses before he quickly retreated. The interruption afforded the duo to gain some time to think, process, before diving into the conversation once again.

Recollecting himself, Rick sighed. "Actually, I can't remember what I was thinking when I left your apartment that day...It's, ah– everything about that day is a blur."

This, of course, was a lie. He remembered, very well, what he had been thinking that fateful day. But perhaps there would be another time to discuss all of that.

"Yeah," Kate breathed, downing her wine in a single swig. "Same here."

She remembered too.

After leaving the Brasserie Mollard, they came to a mutual decision to continue the lunch by taking a stroll through the streets of Paris, neither wanting to go back to an empty hotel room or be left alone quite yet. Walking for a little over thirty minutes, they finally came across the Seine River.

Tourists of all ages were gathered around the Pont Neuf Bridge, cameras out and ready to capture all of the sights surrounding them. Flashes were going off all around them, enveloping the duo in artificial light.

As Rick and Kate made their way through the maze of people, they stumbled across a small staircase that led down to a landing directly next to the river. Climbing down the stairs, they began to meander down the platform; boats passed them by, the water calm except for the waves left behind riverboats and other vessels as they traveled along the waterway. Those ripples circled on and on, spreading from the center only to flow out as they expanded and eventually ceased.

"Are you still writing?" Kate wondered, staring at him from the corner of her eye as they walked side by side down the stone platform.

Shrugging his shoulders, hands in his pants pockets, he answered solemnly. "If I have inspiration, then yeah. But there's been a lack of that recently, unfortunately. I'm not visualizing or seeing what my publishers want me to see. All I see is–" Rick stopped short, raking a hand through his hair as his head dropped to his chest.

She stepped up right in front of him, arms wrapped securely around her chest as if protecting herself. She knew what he was going to say. It was written all over his face.

But she asked anyways. "What? What are you seeing?"

"You." Their eyes met, blue encompassing green. "Pieces of you in everything."

Tentatively raising a hand, Kate paused before she placed it on his upper arm, and gave it a squeeze. It was reassuring.

Rick stuttered, words failing him. He always seemed to struggle get them out whenever she was around, or whenever she was on his mind, which was constantly.

Kate waited for him to gather himself, not wanting him to feel the slightest amount of pressure. He needed to take his time; it's not like she had anywhere else to be anyways. She could wait.

"You are in...everything. Your eyes, your nose, your mouth. I– I can't focus on anything– anyone– else, but you." As he said these words, he lifted a hand to her face and cupped her cheek. Rick's thumb swiped across her smooth skin, relishing in feel of her in his palm. "You are all I can think about, all I can see."

Unable to help herself, Kate leaned into his hand, and let out a shaky sigh. Her petite hand covered his large one over her cheek, their fingers becoming tangled together and keeping both steady, anchoring them.

Kate's next words were whispered, her uneasiness evident. "What is this we're doing, Castle?"

"I– uh, we're...we're talking. Just talking, Kate."

"I can't–" His arms were suddenly emptied when she stepped away from him, her back turned as she held herself. He could see her body quiver as an unsteady breath left her lungs. "I'm...my dad. He– God..."

She was scared; he was too.

How could she let him in her life with all of this baggage? She couldn't.

Right?

"Come here." Closing the distance between them, Rick brought her into his arms in a fierce hug. Kate listed against him almost immediately, her arms encircling his waist and holding onto him as if her life depended on it.

The two stood there, immersed in one another. Everything around them suddenly vanished. It was just the two of them.

Pressing a tender kiss to the crown of her head, Rick shut his eyes closed and delighted in the fact he had Kate Beckett in his arms once more– something he never fathomed would happen ever again. Her body was so frail and delicate in his solid frame; he completely blanketed her with his chest and arms.

"I missed you," he heard her murmur against his chest, tears staining his shirt. "I missed you so much, Rick."

Another kiss to her head. "I missed you, too. More than you know."

Kate didn't say anything. Instead, she merely leaned up and kissed him.

She'd been fighting the urge do that since she first saw him on the steps yesterday. She couldn't help it. Being around him again was...intoxicating.

Her hands threaded through Rick's soft hair as she bit on his lip, her tongue delving forcefully into his mouth, and ultimately deepening the kiss. She smothered his mouth with her own, causing Rick to let out a deep, guttural groan from the back of his throat.

Tongues dueled, hands wandered, and desire rediscovered.

Rick tugged her bottom lip between his teeth, mouth so delicate yet so rough at the same time. With a moan, he continued to consume her like a starving man; her taste- one he hadn't tasted on his lips in three years- had him hooked. He couldn't get enough. He needed more.

Pulling her body closer to him, he gripped her lower back in a tight grip, holding her steady against him. Oxygen became a necessity all too fast and the duo broke apart, their mouths ghosting over one another as they tried to catch their breaths. Rick slowly opened his eyes and stared down at Kate, who had just opened her own eyes.

Fear, hope, and lust swam in those pools of green, and he was sure his blue eyes mirrored those emotions exactly.

What caused Rick to speak his next words, he'll never know. But he knew, with every fiber in his being, it was right.

"Come with me," he whispered. "Let's see France together. Just you and me."

There you go!

Hope you liked it! Longest chapter yet. Reviews are love. Next chapter will be posted soon. Until then!

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