It's the last chapter at long last. My connection problems came back which is why I didn't post again. :

I struggled with this chapter. I knew how I wanted her to remember, but not where, but I decided I could do more if they were with friends, so I hope you like it.

I'd like to thank everyone who's read my story, has been following it, favorited it, reviewed and simply read it. So, thank you everyone. (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of the characters.

Chapter 17 - I Love You

"To Kate!"

They all raised their glasses and repeated Castle's words loudly. The woman in question was blushing furiously looking at her drink, yet smiling at the same time.

Ryan, Jenny, Esposito, Lanie, Castle and her were at the Old Haunt in their favorite booth celebrating their latest case. It was open and shut, but it had been the first one since Kate had been allowed back out in the field after being shot in the spring. She'd proved her strength when she tackled the suspect from behind and flooring him spectacularly. They'd all watched in awe. It was as if nothing had changed over the previous months and she certainly earned her night off, courtesy of the captain, who had been secretly impressed by the Detective.

After her memory a few nights ago, she'd asked Lanie if she knew anything about the remainder of the shooting, and told Kate that she knew nothing. They were best friends. She knew that the ME was lying, but she wasn't going to press further. Lanie was just as stubborn as she was at times, and she'd never give it up.

"I've been back for a month already."

"Yeah, but you've been confined to a desk with an annoying mystery author who is incapable of being quiet." Ryan and Esposito whined.

"And why are you two so upset about that?"

"Because you'd stick him with us whenever you had to calm down at the risk of killing him." Ryan pointed in Castle's direction who gasped theatrically.

"I am not annoying, and she wouldn't dare touch a single hair on my beautiful head." He flicked his hair out of his eyes in a feminine manner whilst batting his eyelashes at her.

"You do realise that you just forbid me from touching you..?" She raised her eyebrows and put her hand on his knee under the table and slowly let her fingers crawl up his thigh towards his-

"Ok. You win. Feel free to touch me whenever you want." He grabbed her hand and put it on the table in everyone's sight which caught the attention of everyone else. Lanie couldn't help but wonder where her hand had been to cause Castle to be that flustered.

"Either get a room or keep your hands to yourselves. We don't need that in public."

Kate raised her hands at the ME and said, "My hands shall remain to myself." She took a drink of her beer. "In public."

A warm spray of beer narrowly missed the table infront of the writer as he almost choked at her comment.

"Problem, Castle?"

He regained his composure quickly. "No, no problem. In fact, I was just remembering that there's a very empty office downstairs if you should feel the need to settle your urges." He winked at her, playing her at her own game.

"Seriously, will you two just sleep together, already?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at Jenny who looked the perfect picture of innocence. "What?" Ryan laughed at her.

"We've told them to do just that for years, but they're incredibly stubborn," Ryan informed her.

"Yeah, and stupid," Lanie continued. She got an intense glare from her best friend. "What, Girl? You are. I mean, if I were you and I weren't with Javi, I'd be down in that office right now touching everything I can get at."

"Hey!" Esposito elbowed her with a hurt look on his face.

"Relax, baby, you know I only have eyes for you." They kissed until Kate coughed loudly enough to separate them. She then turned to Castle who was a shade of red she didn't know existed.

"Don't worry, Esposito, I wouldn't give you the excuse to kick my ass. I already have one cop threatening to kill me every two minutes. Besides, no offence, Lanie, I'm sure it would be great, but you're not my type."

"What is your type, Castle?" Kate questioned him.

Just then, the music became more upbeat, perfect for dancing. The Old Haunt was fairly empty tonight as it wasn't the weekend, which meant there was plenty of room for them to move to the music.

Instead of answering her question, Castle stood up and extended his hand towards her. "Dance with me?"

"I'm okay, Castle." She turned back to her drink to see everyone staring at her, silently ordering her to accept his offer. She managed to ignore them until she jerked, thanks to Lanie's foot meeting her shin. Kate rolled her eyes and stood up taking Castle's hand.

She was more than happy to dance with him and her heart had jumped at the chance to get so close to him, but her mind was scared that she'd say or do something stupid to offend him. As they started to move to the music, she couldn't remember why she had tried to refuse. They weren't the only ones dancing now. Lanie and Jenny were dancing with Esposito and Ryan, along with two or three other people who had decided to join them.

"So I finally get to see the famous Richard Castle dance, huh?" Kate was trying to talk to stop the moment feeling awkward, even if everything between them was a lot more comfortable as of late.

"Not very good, as you can see. I used to spend more time trying to chat girls up than actually dance with them or getting to know them. It's nice being able to dance with my friends rather than a bunch of fake fangirls who are after my money."

"Jenny was a bit of a fangirl when she first met you. Couldn't believe it was you."

"So were you, though you hide it well." He chucked. "Katherine Beckett, by biggest fan."

She gave him a smirk and bit her lip. "No comment."

She turned to him fully and put her hands on his chest while she danced. He stood perfectly still, attempting to control his breathing. She impatiently grabbed his hands and put them on her hips. He immediately moved them up to her waist only to have them placed back on her hips by her a few seconds later. She was remarkably close now and was slowly closing the gap between their bodies while she moved seductively to the music.

"I thought you said we had to keep our hands to ourselves." He whispered into her ear. He didn't mean for his voice to be so quiet, but she'd literally left him breathless.

"Are you asking me to stop?" When he shook his head to say no, she moved so she was looking straight into his eyes, their mouths centimeters apart. His hands moved futher up her back rooting her body to his as he leaned in closer.

Richard Castle was a clumsy man. He knocked things over, burnt food and fell over invisible objects, which was exactly what happened before their lips met. She gasped as they fell to the ground, Castle landing on top of the Detective. Their friends turned to look as they heard the thump and they started laughing. Eventually Castle joined in, as well as Kate. He looked down at her before starting to get up, admiring the way her hair was spread across the floor, the way he eyes sparkled with happiness and the sound of her laughter filling his ears, until all of a sudden she went silent and wide eyed.

"KATE!" Castle dived towards her, tackling her to the floor, crushing her under his weight. She could hear the screams before she hit the ground. Her hat went flying from her head and to the grass by her side. She couldn't move. She didn't want to move. It hurt to much, and all she could see was Castle, staring down as her, the fear evident in his eyes.

"Ok..." He put his hand under her head to support her and make her look at him, maintaining eye contact. "Shhh..."

She had shallow breathing and was making pained noises whilst trying to resist the urge to slip under. Her eyes were transfixed, silently pleading with him to help her. To take away the pain.

"Stay with me, Kate." There was screaming all around her and she could hear the boys going after the shooter noisly and yet Castle was whispering. He was holding her in his arms, comforting her and he was being gentle and quiet, trying to calm her.

"Don't leave me. Please." He was begging her to stay awake and she wanted nothing more than to obey but she could barely talk. She could barely breathe. He was closer now, their noses almost touching.

"Stay with me, OK?" His voice broke as he was speaking and even though she'd just been shot, her heart was breaking for him. She tried to nod but it hurt too much. Everything hurt too much.

"Kate..." His voice was barely there. If he'd been any further away she would've missed the words he'd been trying to send for so long. "I love you. I love you, Kate."

A tear fell out the corner of her eye. There was no stopping it. Just like there was no stopping the slight smile that quivered on her face. And there was no stopping her vision fading to black.

Mirroring her new found memory, a tear rolled down her face, disappearing into her hair. Castle reached up to wipe them from her skin, but she moved away from his touch. She started to fight against him and ran across the room after he rolled away from her and sat on the floor watching her leave. He lay back down, closed his eyes and groaned audibly due to annoyance with himself. What had he done now?

She was sat on the sofa in Castle's underground office trying to stop her crying. She didn't really know why her tears had started in the first place? Sadness, at remembering the seconds before everything went black, at putting him through that and then forgetting. Anger that he had to admit his love for her as she was seemingly dying on the ground in front of him? Or happiness that that he'd said it at all, at her realisation that he loved her like she loved him?

She was so deep in her thoughts that she only noticed her partner's presence as the sofa dipped down to her right under his weight. They sat there for a few minutes, not knowing exactly what to say.

"I'm sorry." He said it quietly. She almost didn't hear they words comes from his mouth.

She wiped her eyes with the tissue that she'd gotten from his desk and replied, "For what?"

He looked at her. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I may have to customary bruise on my ass from falling over, but I'll live."

"Did I make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Well, you're not the lightest of people to be stuck underneath." He opened his mouth to say something. "I know what you meant, Castle. The answer's no. I wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, I was exactly where I wanted to be."

She sat back and waited for him to speak. It didn't take long.

"Then why are you crying, Kate?"

Silence.

"You can tell me, you know. I'm your best friend."

Turning to look at him, she spoke. "Stay with me, Kate."

He looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't leave me. Please."

As far he was concerned, she wasn't making any sense. He only realised what was she was saying until she uttered her next sentence.

"Stay with me, OK?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. He nodded, communicating to her that he knew what she was saying. She'd remembered their one way conversation on the floor of the cemetary after she'd been shot months ago. When he'd told her exactly how he felt about her. But she didn't stop speaking at his acknowledgement.

"Kate..."

She was interupted. "Kate, I love you." He reached for her hand. "I love you, Kate."

He finished her sentence and wiped her tears from her faces before taking her in his arms. She breathed into his chest as his arms wrapped around her.

"I meant it, you know. I still do."

She smiled into his chest. There was only one more thing left to do. Taking his face between her hands, she kissed each cheek and then kissed him delicately on the lips. "The worst thing about the memory wasn't the fact that I'd been shot, or that you had just told me you loved me in a damn cemetary," she spoke, simultaneously poking him in the shoulder. "but that I can recall lying there and not being able to tell you that I love you too."

"Sorry." His expression suddenly changed as her words sunk in. "Did you just say..?"

She nodded.

"So does that mean..?"

She nodded.

"So, I can do this..." He brushed his lips lightly with hers. "Whenever I want?" She simply smiled at his excitement before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him towards her. Lips met slowly and sweetly, moving cautiously, until three years of sexual frustration was unleashed all at once. Lips parted, kisses deepened and tongues met with a fury they didn't know existed. Hands roamed and matching groans were released as teeth nipped. Breaking apart, they tried to catch the lost oxygen that they'd given up in order to taste each other.

"I didn't think it was possible, but I think I want to touch even more than I did before."

She laughed at him. "I know what you mean."

"You, know... In case you haven't noticed, we're alone and finally in my office if you want to-"

"No. I will not let you feel me up in your office. Now come on, we have to go back upstairs. They'll be wondering what we're doing."

"They've been betting on what we've been doing for years. Do you wanna tell them or tease them?"

She considered his question for a minute. She wanted to tease them, but that meant having to hide for a while, and she didn't have the energy right now. Telling them would be easy enough, but they're trained detectives, or dating/engaged to trained to detectives. Not to mention that one of them was an ME that was extremely good at reading people, namely her.

"Neither. We go up there and act as we would if they knew. See who finds out first."

He kissed her forehead and let her walk up the steps.

"I like your thinking." He followed her a few steps behind so that his face was level with her ass. "I see something else that I like right here."

"All in good time, Castle." He stopped abruptly on the last step and went into a daydream until the barman brought him back to reality.

Kate went back to the table alone while Castle went to get the next round. He didn't have to pay after all. She sat down in her earlier seat and started to bite her fingernails, something she did when she was nervous. Lanie knew that snippet of information about her.

"You okay, Kate?"

"Don't worry about me Lanie. I'm good. Really good."

Lanie eyed her suspisciously but she decided to let it slide. She smiled at Castle as he came back and handed the drinks to them.

"So what are you guys talking about?" He placed his hand on Kate's thigh under the table and she grasped his hand casually, as though it was something she'd been doing all her life.

"Jenny and Ryan's wedding." Esposito turned to Castle and rolled his eyes, obviously not amused at the constant talk about flowers and gifts.

"More specifically, the dress. Seriously, it's beautiful. Of course, I can't go into details with Kev here, but I have a picture. And don't bother looking for it, Kevin Ryan, I have a password on it and the hard copies under lock and key.

Ryan smiled and nodded, kissing his bride-to-be on the cheek. "I want it to be a surprise."

Castle leaned into Kate from behind her to whisper in her ear. "You should probably tell the tech guys that they have to double check any password hack requests form him with you first. He'll go looking."

She turned to face him, not realising how close he was. "Nah, he won't. He loves her and respects her and I'm pretty sure it would make his first look at her walking up the aisle that little more amazing."

"Will you be wearing a dress?" They were talking quietly now, unaware that everyone else sat at the table could hear them word for word.

"Be a good boy and I'll let you choose for me." She could feel his breath on her face and couldn't resist the occasional glimpse at his lips.

"Trust me, Detective, I am far from a good boy." The world around them faded, as well as the space the between them.

"Good." She moved forward and kissed him thoroughly. He was shocked that she'd kiss him infront of her friends, especially like this, but who was he to resist?

After they pulled apart, they smiled at each other before turning to the slack-jawed look on their faces. Kate decided to play innocent. "What's wrong guys?"

Lanie recovered first.

"First of all, that was hot. Secondly, when the hell did this happen?" Lanie pointed between them with a confused, but satisfied look on her face.

Kate feigned confusion for a few more seconds. "Oh! That! Did I not mention that? Must have slipped my mind."

Lanie stood up as best she could and leaned over the table to hug her friend. "I'm so happy for you. And by the way, if in the future you don't mention that you're getting married or having a baby, it might slip my mind to get you a gift."

They all shared congratulations and dollar bills under the table. After another hour of friendly conversation, they decided to call it a night. When they stepped outside, it was fairly cold and Kate started to shiver. Castle pulled her to him as the waited for their friends to exit the building and wrapped his jacket around her while he was still wearing it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sank into his body.

"Fancy coming over to mine? No funny business, but it's cold and as I'm sure you can remember, I have a closet full of blankets for us to use."

"I'd like that." She smiled, something she'd been doing constantly all evening.

"I love you, Kate."

"Meh, you're OK." She teased.

"Hey, I'm giving you my warmth here." He placed his hand over his heart feigning hurt.

"I love you, too, you big idiot."

"Here come the insults..."

"Relax, you're my big idiot." At the sound of shuffling feet, they saw Lanie stood near them with an expression on her face that clearly indicated her need to go, "Awwww." Jenny stood with her, a similar look adorning her features, and Ryan and Eposito were stood on her other side staring Castle down. He knew what was coming. While they others said their goodbyes, he hailed down a cab and waited for Kate. "Hurry up and get in the car, Ryan and Esposito want to have the talk with me. As you can guess from my award-winning cowardice, I'm gonna save that time for another day."

"Castle, bro." Esposito walked towards him with Ryan following close behind.

"Get in, Kate," he hissed. She laughed and climbed in, letting Castle get in after her. He shut the door quickly leaving the boys stood outside the window creating their own breed of sign language. Ryan pointed to Kate and made a crying action and Esposito pointed to Castle and drew an invisible line across his throat. They then smiled and waved goodbye, shifting from threatening to friendly in a matter of seconds.

"Wow, cute." Castle gulped and gave the cab driver his address.

Kate leaned against him closing her eyes for several minutes before he spoke.

"Are you sure about this?" He regretted the question. He's practically giving her a chance to reject him.

"No." Crap. "But I'm not going anywhere."

He exhaled in relief. "Good. I'm never letting you go."

"You'll have to let me go for now, we have to get out of the car." She sat up and dashed out the car quickly. He paid the driver and ran after her, confident in the knowledge that he'd finally be able to catch her and keep her.

"Kaaaate!"

Yup. They could get used to this.