Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Castle came into his loft and closed the door behind him, letting his back resting on the red wood. He stayed there for a minute and gave thanks Alexis and his mother were out. He tried not to think about what had happened between him and Kate. He had never had arguments like that in his life before he met her. Definitely life without her could be different. But not better. He was torn between calling her or waiting for her to do it. She was making a big fuss about what had happened with Kristina. She had gone too far. But he had as well. He remembered how he reproached her she was a cold person. And then his head told him the great effort Kate had done to put down the wall she had built so that she couldn't get hurt. She hadn't the gift of speech and sometimes her words could sound too hard but actions, her actions, didn't lie. His mind relived the night she had come soaked to his door, what she said, the way she kissed him, how he shut the door with her body, what happened when they got to his room... And he concluded he had never been kissed with so much passion, need and urgency in his life. That could not be pretended. And the way she looked and smiled at him, talked by itself. He didn't know what was crossing Kate's mind. Maybe it was over for her. But he was willing to apologize and to tell her what he really wants. His phone rang. The screen showed the same number he had seen that morning. He answered. That woman was very insistent. They arranged to meet in a bar. It was time to do what he had to do the very time he was offered her number, he had to talk to her clearly.

He got into the place to find Kristina sat on a table having a Martini. From the door, he noticed the dress she was wearing showed more than covered; he'd bet she got the surprise expression on him when he looked down her chin. He sat and ordered a whisky. He let her talk about her hobbies, things she liked, what she did on weekends... And he found out they had nothing in common. He thought what people would think if they saw Kate and him sat in there, talking. A disparate couple. But hey were perfect for each other. He stopped listening to her in order to look at her body. The skin her dress showed made him think of Beckett's. Her touch, her warmness, her softness. And his mind flew to every time his mouth kissed her cheek, her neck, her lobe and every inch of her body. That thoughts had to be erased when Kristina put her hand on his and smiled at him. He knew he should stand up, pay the drinks and leave her there. But that moment was not far away. Her hand made him daydream again. Kate's long fingers all over his body, the way they intertwined their fingers on the precinct, or how she led him to his bedroom. He had to wake up when the waiter informed them the establishment was going to close in a few minutes.

'We can have the last one at my place.' she suggested.

The moment.

'What for?' he started 'so that I can be a note on your bedpost?'

Beckett mode on. Lately he sounded too much like her. He stood up and left some notes on the table before continuing:

'I'm sure any of us would leave before the other wakes up in the morning. It's been a pleasure.'

He knew after a night together, she wouldn't be interested in him anymore. Even if she wanted to start a relationship, it wouldn't work. They were different people. So were Kate and him. But they understood each other. He put his hands on his pockets before heading towards the street to get a taxi.

Beckett opened the door and came into her loft. Firstly, she took off her coat and put it into the washing machine, hoping water and soup could remove the blood from the cloth. At least her blouse and pants had survived the red liquid. She needed a bath so she went to her room in order to get some clean clothes to put on. She opened her closet and saw it. She caressed the soft fabric of a shirt he had forgotten at her apartment. She smelled it. That made her consider whether she had been too rough. She regretted shouting at him like that. And distrusting him. Had he really lost interest? She relieved how he came back to follow her after her shooting. It had been three months, however, he didn't forget her even she didn't call him. She had made a great fuss. On the other hand, he was right; she had put down her wall but although she now loved him, that words never came out of her mouth. She should call him and apologize. She took her phone. She heard the beats on the door.

Castle arrived to Beckett's block but he hesitated. He knew she probably was at the precinct but if he walked in, she would send him home, so he preferred to go there and wait for her to come. Nevertheless, he would knock on her door.

Kate opened the door and saw him standing with his hands in his pockets. They looked at each other for a while before he opened his mouth to say:

'Can I come in?'

'Sure.'

She stepped back and opened wide the door so that he could get in. She followed him to her living room, where he turned around and said:

'You're right. I should have talked clearly from the beginning.'

Her heart skipped a beat. What did he mean? Was he saying it was over?

'I'll tell you what I really want.'

He made a long pause that got her desperate.

'Kate, I want you.' he put his hands on her hips 'I want to wake up every morning with you by my side. I want everything with you.'

Now, her heart was pounding. He continued.

'You told me once that you wanted to find a person that you could be there for him and he could be there for you. During the past four years I've been dying to be that person and now that I've got you, I'm not going to throw that away. I want to be that person. Kate, I'll...'

She couldn't stand that any more so she grabbed him by his shirt pulled him towards her until their lips met. His lips were tense when she started moving hers. However, soon she got the reaction she wanted and he kissed her back. She rounded his neck with his arms once he rounded her back with his. And then, their lips' movements increased the speed and the urgency. Her lip cut was complaining and she needed air so she pulled back a little but enough to provoke him to head his opened mouth to hers, trying to find her tongue. She answered him but they both realized they could never get enough so the best was to end the kiss. They put their tongues back on their respective mouths and, just about to pull back, he sucked her lower lip, which made her smile. They found themselves forehead to forehead and gasping for air. He opened his eyes to see her breathing heavily.

'I was saying...' he took a breath 'that I will never get tired of this. I'll never get used to this.'

He made her look at him in the eye before continuing.

'Kate, I was talking to her but thinking about you. And you're right, I should have told her clearly that I didn't want anything with her. It's my fault. If you had been having with another man the attitude that I had with her, I would have gone crazy.'

She wanted to lean in and kiss him. But she remembered kisses couldn't talk or say out loud what someone feels. A few inches away from his lips, she pulled away. He expected to meet her lips so he asked:

'What's wrong?'

'My turn.'

She replied looking down before rising her eyes to look at him.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you the way I did. You're right. I've put down my wall but I haven't been able to open myself at you with words. Rick...' that was something she had never done before 'You're all I want. And all I need.'

He wanted to kiss her but she put a finger on his lips.

'No one has ever tried to get to know me the way you did. And I don't know why you still pressed on even when I was hostile with you. Apart from my family, I've never cared about anyone this much. I don't know how you do it but when I'm with you, I feel safe.' the hardest was to come 'Rick, I...'

He grabbed her tightly and forced their lips to meet. After ruling her mouth for a while, he pulled back and said:

'I love you too.'

He caressed her cheek and set a lock of her hair behind her ear. He noticed the cut on her eyebrow.

'What happened?!' he exclaimed.

'Oh. A little accident.'

Well, 'little' was not the word her car would say if it could talk. She could give thanks she had just two little cuts and not major injuries.

'Why didn't you call me?'

'You know? I had just came home when you showed up. If it wasn't because someone saw my car and called police, I would still be there.'

'Someone called?' he asked frowning.

'You want the whole story? Okay. I was hit. I broke the window with my head because the airbag didn't work, that's why I've got these two cuts.' she said pointing at them 'I lost conscience. Then, someone saw my car and called police. When police checked my number plate, they found out it was me, so they called the guys and they got there to take me out. Espo called Lanie and they spread panic.'

He shook his head several times.

'I can't leave you on your own for more than two seconds.'

She gave him one of her looks, squeezed her lips and beat his shoulder.

'Hey! I was joking.'

She bit her lower lip and said:

'I know.'

And she went through the distance that separated them to look for his lips. After a while tasting each other, Kate started taking off Rick's jacket. He pulled back and took her hands off his jacket's lapels. Still holding her hands, he looked at the floor. She noticed something was wrong but she waited for him to tell her.

'I should go.' he suggested and looked at her.

'Why?'

'My mother will be home in half an hour and Alexis is coming back from collage to spend the weekend. If I don't sleep at home, they'll be suspicious.'

He made a pause to let go her hands and put his into his pockets.

'I have to ask you about that,' he started 'why are we keeping this a secret?'

She smiled.

'I don't mind if your family knows, in fact, you can tell them if you want.' she made a pause 'But I don't want people at work to know. I wouldn't mind if Ryan and Esposito knew...'

'Or Lanie.' he suggested.

'Lanie knows, she's found out.' she stated 'But, if Gates finds out... Well, there's an inside rule which says people who work together can't be in a personal relationship. They just can be friends outside the precinct. It means she can send you home.'

She put his hands out of his pockets before intertwining her fingers with his.

'Rick, before you appeared I had a monotonous job and I never thought I would say this but... I need you there. To bring me coffees exactly when I need them. To make me smile when I have a hard day. I just want you to be there. That's why I need to keep this attitude at work.'

He leaned in and kissed her. She answered to his kiss immediately and when her hands found his jacket and pulled, he didn't make her stop. In fact, he had to shake his shoulders to help her. He finished their kiss when he bit her lower lip and separated from her just a bit, enough for him to speak.

'You've convinced me.'

She smiled and kissed softly his lower lip.

'I know you don't like saying 'goodnight''.

He put his hands on her waist and stopped looking at her.

'Yes, it sounds like a 'goodbye'.' he placed his forehead against hers and asked:

'May I wake you up with a 'good morning'?'

'That's what I would love you to do.'

They rounded each other with their arms but before she could kiss him, he picked her up by her tights and made her round him with her legs. They forgot everything while he led her to her room.

AN: Well, this is the ending of the story. I want to thank every one who has read this and specially to those who took their time to write me a review about their thoughts and opinions. I want to apologize for my English, it is not my mother language, so I'm doing everything possible to improve it, and that's why this story isn't written very well and there are some mistakes. Once again, thanks for reading! :)