Hello everyone!

The majority of this was written in my head during an exceptionally boring double maths lesson this afternoon.. but it has taken me all evening to get it even remotely close to where i wanted it to go.

I hope you enjoy.

Six

The desire to stay wrapped in the magic of their finally uncovered feelings was stronger than either would care to admit. The fear of shattering what they had only just found crept slowly in, ridding both Castle and Beckett of their resolve for honesty, and making cowards of their hearts. They weren't hiding from each other, but rather with each other; hiding from the reality of a world that held their fate in its hands. What if dragging up a past filled with pain and suffering somehow tarnished what they now had? What if they managed to destroy their relationship before it even had a chance to begin? They had been thrust together with such unexpected ferocity that there hadn't been any time to think about what they were doing, never mind what it would all mean once the sun came up and the dust settled. They were left with a warzone; a battered and bloody past irrevocably embedded in their memories. A past which needed to be addressed if they ever hoped to move on, and yet a past that would, without a doubt, tear down the illusion of perfect happiness in which they currently found themselves.
Katherine Beckett. Richard Castle. It was never going to be as simple as a single courageous act. They were safe in the warmth of blissful contentment, and only a joint moment of tremendous bravery would be able to drag them out of it, fighting for their right to love.

Kate pulled up from her hideaway in Castle's arms, sitting opposite him on the sofa that they had moved to not long after their second round of world famous pancakes. The sudden rush of cold adding to the feeling of dread that had slipped its icy hands around her quickly beating heart, almost forcing her back into the comforting warmth of Castle's strong arms. But she had to do this, no matter how awful the thought of it was. Reaching out to take his hand in her own, Kate took a deep, steadying breath before beginning an inevitable conversation of honesty and hope.

"Castle, I think it's time that I explained myself."

"Are you sure? Because we don't have to do this now, it could wait until..."

Kate didn't let him finish his sentence; she knew that if she did then they might never do what needed to be done, and then where would they be? Happy? Perhaps, but they would never be in the real world, and they deserved to at least give themselves a chance.

Lifting one hand away from his, she reached up the trace away the concern that tugged at his kiss stained lips, washing away the words that they both knew to be an attempt to prolong the fantasy for a little while longer.

"Sshhh, lovely man, you don't need to be worried. We've done all our waiting, and it nearly tore us apart. I'm not willing to let that happen again, and i know that you aren't either. If we're doing this, we are doing it wholeheartedly."

Just when Castle thought that he had seen every side to Kate, she did something that spun his head and reminded him of how silly a thought that was. Here she sat, eyes sparkling with a strength he could only ever dream of writing, and he was once again turned inside out and upside down.
Needing Kate to know that he had truly heard what she had said, he did the only thing he could think of to prove his understanding; he kissed her. Lips colliding almost painfully with his need to assure Kate of his belief in her words, pulling his lips quickly away before they were both lost in the beautiful passion, their foreheads still leant together.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"You're right, Kate, we've wasted so much time waiting. So, ok. If you're ready, I'm ready. I'm ready and I'm with you. Whatever happens, I am always with you."

Kate decided that the only way to do this properly was to start at the beginning; the very moment when reality had hit her so hard that the world had been ablaze with the secrets of her heart. She wanted Castle to understand how it had felt to be so utterly overwhelmed by a singular thought that nothing in else in the whole world had mattered.

"I went to see Dr. Burke a few months ago, just turned up outside his door and waited until he had time to see me. I'd only ever done that once before, and that was to get myself back on his patient list, so I think that perhaps I shocked him into speaking less professionally than he normally would.
We'd had horrible cases all week, none of which seemed any closer to being over. Gates was breathing down my neck to solve them before the hysteria set in, and my Dad was calling every half an hour to ask why I had brushed off his offer of dinner and telling me to not work so hard. I felt as if I was being pulled so hard in opposite directions that I was going to rip straight down the middle. I just needed someone to talk to. But, Lanie was swamped at the morgue, and you and I had hardly spoken outside of the precinct for weeks, and even that was more awkward that either one of us wanted to admit, so I ended up on the cold leather chair of my therapist's office. I'd had it all planned out, I was going to tell him everything that was whirling round my head and just not care anymore about how ridiculous it all sounded.
When i sat down it was like my body was doing exactly the opposite of what I was telling it to do, and I couldn't say a single word. We just sat there, for I have no idea how long, and that was something that hadn't happened since the first few weeks after I was shot. I was terrified, and I didn't even know why. Then, Dr. Burke started this speech that was dancing around in my head and not making any sense at all, but I kept listening because it was the only thing that I seemed to be able to do. I've never listened to anyone the way I did that day, every word settled into my mind like it had been waiting to fill that exact spot, and stayed there until it was needed. I hadn't even thought about that day again, at least, not until last night."

Castle hadn't taken his eyes off of Kate's since she had started speaking; had wanted to absorb everything that she was offering him. Desperate to understand every single hidden pathway of her mind, no matter what was awaiting him in the darkness. He stroked gentle circles over her hands, a constant reminder of his presence and a promise that nothing she had to say could ever break that.

"I'd left the precinct under a daze of adrenaline, and I could hear Dr. Burke so clearly that I kept looking behind me and expecting to see him there. I was so absorbed in what he had said to me that I didn't even notice my feet dragging me through the city, I just kept walking to the pace of his words, oblivious to the world.
And then I was at our swings, and it all made such perfect sense that I wanted to laugh, and cry, and scream at the top of my voice that i finally understood. Dr. Burke had told me that there would come a time in my life, a single moment of impact, that would put everything into perspective and I would just know what it was that I needed. I had reached that point.
It had taken me literally clinging onto my life with all the strength that I had to finally understand what was important. Maddox got away, and it didn't matter. Gates suspended me, and it didn't matter. I resigned, and it didn't matter. None of it mattered. All I wanted was you, Rick. I was completely consumed with you. I still am."

Kate smiled up at him, head titled a little to the side and eyes stung with tears filled with the relief of finally admitting how much she felt for the beautiful man sat before her.

"I just want you. And I know that I don't deserve you for a second, not after how terribly I have treated you. It was selfish, and it was cruel, and I'm so, so sorry for everything that I have put you through. But, Castle, I love you so much that it physically hurts, so much that I can't even think about anything else. I want you, and me, and a life built together. I'm not hiding anymore, and I'm not scared. I want to live in the here and now; the beautiful, illuminated present tense. I just want you."

Castle couldn't take his eyes off of her. Kate Beckett was here, in every sense of the word, and she had never looked so beautiful in all her life. He realised then that the past didn't matter; it had happened, and it had hurt, but it was over. Nothing could be changed. And he could spend the next fifty years of his life looking back on all the pain and suffering and guilt, or he could spend them looking at Kate. The woman who was sat a heartbeat away from him, begging for his understanding and pleading for his love. Yes, they had history, but wasn't that all just a part of the fun? Every great love story ever written in laced with tragedy and heartbreak, it is what makes them so special. To love someone at their best is easy, to keep loving them after that is where it all really begins. They had been through so much, but that didn't mean they weren't supposed to find their happily ever after. Even with a world conspired against them; they had still found their way back to one another. They always would.

"Kate, you don't ever have to be sorry. I have so much that I wish I could take back; stupid, impetuous decisions that I shouldn't have made, and that I could spend my whole life regretting. But, that wouldn't get us anywhere. We've both made mistakes, but we can't live our entire lives under their veil of darkness and guilt. We can't change the past, it will always be a part of us, and I like to think that it makes us even stronger. I want the present, and I want the future. I want you."

Her lips were on his in seconds, her body pressed against his chest, hands grasped to the curve of his neck. Castle felt the flicker of Kate's eyelashes against his cheek, a warm rush of fresh tears adding to the need with which he kissed her.
She pressed hot kisses from his mouth, to the tingling skin along his jaw, stopping only once she reached the dent below his earlobe; whispering breathlessly, lips ghosting his skin, "Make love to me."

Four little words and the whole world stopped. His eyes searched for Kate's, seeking permission to do as she had asked. And there, amidst the haunting truth and the endless love, Castle found what he had been looking for. His heart beat fast and strong against his rib cage, and the world sped to catch up with its lost seconds. All of a sudden they were back; he was kissing her, or perhaps she was kissing him. It didn't really matter. Nothing mattered, except for the intoxicating feel of soft skin explored by roaming hands and lips that searched for never ending kisses.
Passionate. Desperate. Fearless.

This was it, this was their single moment of impact, and the whole entire world was illuminated with the love of Katherine Beckett and Richard Castle. With an act of unadulterated love and undaunted courage. A single moment, to last a lifetime.

The End

There we have it.
I hadn't quite meant to end this so soon, but it just seemed to write itself that way.

Thank you to everyone who has read this and given my writing a chance, it really does mean the world.
Please let me know what you thought?

Katie

*edit: 05/07/2012*
There was previously a note here asking if you would be interested in a sequel to this story ..as so many of you were lovely enough to offer your interest in one, I have now started writing it.
This note is a little late, as the first few chapters are already uploaded, so please take a look if you get the chance to do so.

It is called These Are The Moments We Live For, and can of course be found on my homepage.
The story follows on directly from this one ..taking us through the entirety of Castle and Beckett's life together.