Hey you guys! :)

I hope y'all have enjoyed this story so far! I've had so much fun writing it! :) Now, I struggled a lot with this chapter so I really hope that it turned out alright. If it totally sucks, let me know and I'll redo it. This chapter starts out happy but then it gets pretty heavy, so just a warning. And this is the first time I've ever done something this...deep. Please forgive me if it sucks. It'll still have the humor in it, but it's getting to the point where I want to have some serious parts in there, too.

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 11]

"Oh, I love this scene!" Kate exclaimed, her eyes glued to the movie. Rick was shocked when Kate started to say the words along with the movie. She also did the little hand gesture. "These aren't the droids you're looking for."

Rick couldn't help but burst into laughter, knocking the now empty bowl of popcorn with his foot. Kate tore her gaze from the film, giving him a questioning look. "What? What's so funny?"

He couldn't stop laughing. He was clutching his sides gasping for air to enter his lungs. "Yo- you."

"Me? Why me?"

The writer finally calmed down enough to where he could speak complete sentences. Sitting up, Rick schooled his features and in a dry tone he said with the hand movement, "These aren't the droids you are looking for." Rick then fell back into his fit of laughter.

Kate was furious. Grabbing one of the many pillows that cluttered their fort, she began hitting him with it. And she wasn't doing it so lightly. She hit him on the face and on his sides. Kate moved over him to get a better angle, she ended up in a straddling position. Neither noticed though, too wrapped up in the pillow fight.

When Rick finally had enough, he grabbed her wrists and yanked the pillow from her hands, tossing it away from her. With both of Kate's wrists secured, he pulled her upper body down towards his.

"I'm sorry," Rick apologized, sincerity in his voice.

Kate took a calming breath, trying to regain her composure. "You should be."

"It was just so adorable, I couldn't help it. I had no idea you were such a big fan of Star Wars," he added with a smile. "You're full of secrets that I'm still discovering. What got you into Star Wars?"

She let out a big sigh. She just couldn't stay mad at him. "My dad got me into it a few years ago. But he's loved Star Wars since it first came out to theaters. And he's worse than I am at quoting it. He could probably quote all of the movies word for word if he wanted to..."

Rick smiled up at Kate as she talked about her dad. She was glowing and Rick was staring at her, studying her features.

"Rick?" She called.

No answer.

"Rick?" Kate said again, but still no reply. "Castle!"

"Hmm?" He hummed, coming out of his reverie.

"You were staring."

"So?" He retorted, eyebrow raised.

She released her hands from his and sat up straight, crossing her arms. A smug grin lay on her lips. "So, it's creepy."

That made him chuckle a deep, throaty laugh. "I'm having a sense of deja vu here."

Kate laughed, leaning down to kiss him on the lips. Rick smiled into the kiss, still surprised that kissing Kate was becoming a normal routine. He liked it!

Pulling away, Rick growled, "The Force is strong with this one."

Kate couldn't help but laugh at his statement. Tapping him on the chest, she asked, "Shall we continue the movie, Mr. Jedi Master?"

He just nodded, his eyes shining with joy. Kate got off his lap and snuggled into his side as they turned back to the movie.

"Kate?" Rick called, shaking the woman on the shoulder. "Kate? Time to get up, sleepyhead. It's six in the morning."

She slowly came through, digging her head into the pillow more not wanting to get up. "Let me sleep," she mumbled.

Rick shook her shoulder again. "But we have to go to the precinct today..."

She moaned into her pillow, hitting Rick's hand away. "I don't wanna."

He sighed. "I'm sorry that it's come down to this but seeing as I don't have any other choice..." Rick's hands soon found Kate's sides and he tickled her relentlessly.

She giggled, swatting at his hands trying to get away. "Rick! Stop!"

He didn't. "Time to rise and shine! Let's go, go, go!"

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!" She shrieked.

He pulled away, proudly smiling. "Good. Now, hurry up. We have to be at the precinct by nine."

Kate flopped back down into the cushions. A sudden realization hitting her. "Wait," she sat up. "I don't have a change of clothes. I can't go into work dressed like this."

Rick was in the kitchen getting the materials needed for pancakes. "Oh, right," he groaned. "Um...okay. After we finish eating, I'll go get dressed and then we can take a taxi to your place so you can change. And we'll go to the precinct. Problem solved."

She got up and went to the kitchen, sitting down at one of the bar stools. "Sounds good. But, uh, what about the pj's?" She asked, tugging on the Batman shirt.

He poured the batter. "Just wash them and bring them by when you can. It's not a big deal."

Kate nodded watching Rick attempt to make pancakes. He was struggling a bit with the pancake batter, getting it all over the place. "Alright move over, mister. Go get dressed, I'll make breakfast." Kate shuffled over to the stove, unceremoniously shoving Rick out of the way and taking the spatula from him.

Rick shook his head in amusement. "Fine. I'm gonna take a shower real fast. Wanna look my best!" He called, winking at Kate as he disappeared into his bedroom.

A phone started ringing. Kate left her spot from the kitchen going toward the front door. Taking her phone out of her purse, she groaned when she saw who it was. "Hey, Lanie. How's it going?"

"Uh-uh. Don't you ask me how's it going when you neglected to call me after your date with Writer Boy!"

The detective sighed as she got back to the kitchen, flipping over the pancakes. "Sorry, Lan. I forgot, no need to get all crabby."

"I'm not crabby. I'm just upset you didn't call," the ME reasoned. "Now, spill. Where did he take you? What did you eat? Did he pay?"

"Whoa. Slow down, one question at a time," Kate instructed, pressing the phone so it's balanced between her cheek and shoulder, allowing her to use both hands. She proceeded to stack the pancakes on a plate.

"Sorry, girl," Lanie apologized. "It's just that I've been waiting for you two to get together for a long time now and it finally happened!"

"We're not together-together. We went on one date."

Lanie rolled her eyes. "One date can change everything. Kate, that man is crazy about you! And you him! I've seen the way he looks at you. He took you out on a date last night; he brought you roses, you two flirt constantly, and you give him those same looks he gives you! Just admit you feel the same way."

Kate ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her thoughts sorted out. "H-how do I tell him?"

"Just be honest with him, sweetie. Look, I gotta go but how about we meet for lunch? And then you can tell me all about your date, okay?"

The detective took a deep breath. "Okay. See you then, Lanie."

"And perk up, girlfriend! Nobody likes a Debbie-downer!" Lanie hung up, leaving Kate standing there in the kitchen with a thousand thoughts running through her head.

"Be honest with him. Be honest with him," she repeated over and over again. "How hard can it be?"

Kate's mind went back to their date last night and how much fun she had, a smile began to grow on her lips. She could do this. Setting her phone down, she went to the refrigerator to get the carton of eggs out.

Rick emerged about twenty minutes later donning a simple blue plaid shirt that had the first few buttons undone. His jeans fit him nicely, showing off the lean muscles underneath. His hair was still a little wet in a few places.

The smell of pancakes and eggs invaded his nostrils. "Mmm. Something smells good," he moaned as he arrived to the kitchen. "You made eggs?"

"Yes, I did," she smiled softly when he came over to kiss her on the cheek. "They should be done any minute."

Rick snuck over to grab a pancake from the large stack, taking a large bite from the pancake. He didn't even bother to grab a plate. "This is delicious. You're quite the little chef."

Kate turned around to face him, scrapping the scrambled eggs from the pan to another plate. "My mom was an amazing cook. She'd always get up early on the weekends to make me and my dad breakfast. We'd have scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, you name it."

Rick finished his pancake, licking his lips. "Well, you've certainly inherited her cooking abilities. I can't remember the last time I had a pancake quite that good." He then got another one, eating it plain and without a fork or knife.

She smiled, grabbing herself a pancake and placing it on a plate. Kate sat next to Rick as she reached for the syrup, drowning her pancake with it. "Well, they taste a lot better with syrup, you know."

He looked at her, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Rick gave a nervous chuckle, chewing the pancake. "Sorry," he said ashamed as he got himself a plate and began to eat like a normal human being.

They ate in silence. Kate stole a peek at the man next to her. It's now or never, she thought, taking a bite of a pancake. Before she could say anything, another voice in her head spoke. But what if he's not ready? What then?

She took a leap of faith, needing to know. "Rick?"

He looked up from his plate. "Yeah?"

Kate locked eyes with him. Her tone serious, "What are we doing?"

"Uh, we're eating breakfast...?"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled. "No, I mean what are we? Are we friends? Partners? What?" He went to reply but Kate kept talking. "Because during our date last night, I realized something...I want to be more than friends and partners." She grabbed his hands, squeezing them. "I'm ready to dive into this with you, Rick. That wall is down. But I don't want to do this if you're not in it completely. I'm-"

She was silenced with Rick's lips on hers. He put everything he could into the kiss, trying to tell Kate without using words. She got the message. Kissing him back, Kate placed a hand at the back of his neck and tugged him closer. Rick's hands found refuge on either side of her face, cupping her cheeks. A throaty moan escaped Kate's lips, sending vibrations to Rick's mouth.

They eventually had to stop, needing oxygen in their lungs. "You sure do talk a lot," he breathed, his head shaking in amusement. "I'm ready for this, Kate. I've been ready, but I knew that you weren't so I waited. And I'll wait even longer if I have to because you're it. There is no one else. Only you."

She lunged from her seat and tackled Rick in a huge hug which he gladly reciprocated.

Rick pulled back to look her in the eye. "Now, does that answer your question?" He wondered, stroking Kate's cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Kate nodded. Be honest, be honest, she chanted over and over again in her head. It was time to tell him.

She took a deep breath, her brown-green eyes locked to his sea blue ones. "Rick, I-I remember. Everything."

His eyes grew wide at her confession. Kate sat there waiting for a response, an unsure expression on her face.

"Y-you remember?" She nodded, looking down at her lap. He stood up, removing Kate from his arms. Taking a few steps away, he paced back and forth. "All this time, you remembered and yet you didn't say anything. Why Kate? If you felt the same then why didn't you tell me?" His voice was shaky but his point was made.

She looked up. "I didn't say anything because I didn't know if you actually felt the same way or you just said it because I was dying in your arms and it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Rick, I was scared."

"No, you don't know what being scared is like!" He yelled, his anger showing. "I saw you die in that ambulance, Kate! I had just confessed my undying love for you and then you were gone. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Do you have any idea how I felt? What I was going through during those three months that you refused to talk to me?"

Kate stepped toward him. "My captain was murdered. I was shot in the chest at his funeral. A man whom I love had poured out his feelings for me and the guy who shot me had escaped. What was I supposed to do? I was confused and I needed time for myself, to figure out what I wanted. That's why I didn't call you, Rick. I needed to sort my life out."

"I could've helped you!" He defended. His angry features disappearing and being replaced by his sadness. "I wanted to help you..." his voice was sinking, his feelings flooding out. He stumbled to the couch, leaning on the edge.

Kate moved over to him, placing a comforting hand at the back of his head, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. "You did help. You came back, even though I shut you out of my life. You've been there for me and you've helped me out more than you will ever know. I'm sorry that I kept this from you, but I just wasn't ready."

Rick wrapped Kate up in a fierce hug, the floodgates opening up. He sobbed into her shoulder, his breath coming out in small gasps. Kate couldn't help but cry with him, her arms wrapped securely over his shoulders never letting go.

"Rick, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered in his ear, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I love you."

He hiccuped, the tears eventually ceasing. "I love you, Kate. Don't leave me. Not again."

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't know what to do. Kate had just confessed her love for him. She'd lied about not remembering. But she told him and that was enough. He was keeping a secret from her, too. A bigger secret. He needed to be honest, just like she was. It's now or never, he thought.

"Kate..." he whispered, his breath hitched. "I n-need to show you something." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and gently pulled her to his study. He let go of her hand and moved behind his desk.

"Rick? W-what's going on?" She looked so small, so vulnerable. Kate had her arms crossed over her middle, hugging herself. A lone tear remained on her cheek.

He grabbed a remote from a drawer in his desk. Instead of answering, he hit a button and the TV in the room turned on. Kate's picture appeared on the screen. Rick tapped the screen, more pictures popped out along with notes. "I've been working on this since the summer." He could hear her take an intake of breath. Kate moved at a snail's pace to the screen, her eyes scanning it. He had been working on her mother's case behind her back.

She looked at Rick, new tears forming in her eyes.

And there ya go!

I hope that it turned out alright...like I said above, I'm trying to go a different route with this. Please leave your thoughts! I gotta know what you thought of this. I'm gonna go hide in a corner now. Until next time!

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