She stood in front of me, cutting me the road. She looked into my eyes, crying:
- No ...I don't even know how to do this! Rick, I have fear, I don't want to take the step and then this would be over, but I'm drowning in my lies ... Okay, maybe this ends, but maybe we'll continue to be amazing… I don't have the answers. I just have to live with the questions and expect to find our way. But what if I cannot, Rick ... I don't know...
I looked away from her and I looked down, I sighed and looked again. I could not more, I've been four years living with her fears ... I was on my way to separate her of my road but she dodged and she placed again in front:
- Listen to me! - she said, forcing myself to look at her - I've lived all my life with fear: fear of the murderer of my mother, afraid of giving so much and be damaged but you ... You ... - I saw that she did not know how to continue, she looked me straight in the eyes and she followed-All I could think about is you ... I just want you...
And she kissed me. As Esposito said before, I saw the change in her eyes but I didn't stop her. She kissed me and I pushed her, gently. We closed the door, suddenly, she hugged me and I kissed her desperately, then the "mandatory" answer phone rang, I did not take it and Beckett whispered me:
- We should take it.
I kissed her again and whispered against her lips:
- The person you called is busy or unreachable. Please leave a message after the beep.
She laughed and smiled, happy to have made the move. What we did not know is that while we were there, they had given the green light to kill us. Ryan and Esposito had gone for them but two managed to escape: Alejandro Martinez and Pedro Guzman, and they came after us, with the clear aim to kill us. And we had no idea because we had not picked up the phone.
They entered through the fire escape that was in the window, we ran into behind the counter while they were firing us. I grabbed a bottle of champagne on the way to hide behind; Beckett looked at me and she said:
- Castle, it isn't time to celebrations.
- Ssshh! Concentrate, I go to the right and misled him; your trips on the left, okay? - Beckett nodded – Come on: 1, 2 ... and 3!
I shot the cork; Pedro Guzman was scared and he did not see Beckett, who knocked him with a bullet. Alexander appeared, he had left from one of the bathrooms (I could not avoid thinking what he was doing there in the middle of a murder) and he bent down to see if his partner was still alive, Beckett and I took the opportunity to run away and hide in the closet. She inside, me behind the next column. Alexander came into the closet and I heard him fighting with Beckett, I listened at her screaming and falling to the ground. Then I came out from behind the pillar and threw me against the back of the murderer. We fell to the ground and because of the momentum, Alexander struck a blow against the ground, breaking his nose, then we shot and I grabbed his broken nose of the way that Beckett had taught me, without knowing, to catch me in that way the first time we worked together. Alejandro screamed of pain and Beckett left him KO with her gun's butt. She looked at me and she said:
- Thank you for having my back...
- Always. - I replied, smiling.
Ryan and Esposito came with reinforcements, throwing the door down. They stood for a moment, staring at the entrance, and then started to solve all calling an ambulance, talking to Gates, the hotel manager and the curious neighbors, etc... Beckett and I were able to go when we answered their questions. Beckett still had signs of have cried and I lips slightly red, of the kissing. Ryan and Esposito looked at us with suspicion but they asked no questions. Then they let us go back to NY on a flight that was leaving in an hour. We collected our clothing that was not evidence, we made our luggage and, as we were leaving, Beckett shook my hand and I squeezed it affectionately. We went to the door, and we were out and ready to go hand in hand but Ryan coughed and called us:
-Guys! Mmmm ... It ended already, you don't have to keep pretending ... – he said looking at our hands.
Beckett gave me a quick glance and, blushing very slightly, and she released. I shrugged, and smiled at him as I lifted the bottle of champagne (which I recovered from the room) and I said:
- Custom...
And I made a toast in the distance, which was my way of thanking the call that had changed my life.
Back in New York, it was raining, so we ordered a taxi and together, hand in hand, we ran laughing into the loft of Beckett.