Okay, just a few more chapters left! Which raises the question: should the story continue? I am happy to write a third as long as you guys are happy to read it :) Please leave a review telling me what you would like to see Rick & Kate do together - marriage, kids, travel, etc. Enjoy the chapter!
A week later, Kate was packing her bag to meet Rick in LA, excited to see his face again. She pulled up the weather forecast for LA and saw that it was much nicer than New York currently was. As she went through her drawers, she came across the swimsuit she had worn last time she and Rick were in LA. She smiled to herself and packed it, along with a plain black bikini that showed off her flat, toned stomach.
"Kate?"
"In here, Alexis!," Kate yelled. "I'm packing!"
Alexis came into the room holding a pile of clothes. "I was just folding laundry and thought you might want some of this stuff."
"Thanks," Kate said with a smile, taking the pile from Alexis. Suddenly, the bedroom door slammed shut violently, and Kate jumped. The pile of neatly folded clothes fell on to the bed in a messy heap as Kate dropped to the floor and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Kate? Are you okay?," Alexis asked concernedly, kneeling down next to Kate. Kate cracked an eye open and looked around the room.
She felt like she was underwater: everything was moving in slow-motion and Alexis sounded like she was speaking a word a minute. For a second, her vision blurred and her hand went to her chest, clutching the area where her bullet wound was. She was panting slightly, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
"I'm…. yeah, I'm fine..," Kate said slowly. Alexis held her hand out and helped Kate up, sitting her on the bed. Alexis sat next to Kate, still holding her hand.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Kate nodded and used her free hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I just… got startled."
"Yeah, the wind is blowing pretty hard outside. Maybe we should close the window. I think the wind coming through it is why the door slammed." Alexis stood up and crossed the room to close the large window facing the bed. Kate didn't know what to say next, so she remained silent. Alexis came back to her and asked if she needed anything, and she shook her head. The second Alexis left, she texted Rick.
Kate: Just had a freaky PTSD moment.
Rick: What happened?
Kate: A door slammed and I dropped to the floor. Then everything got fuzzy for a minute or 2. But I'm okay, I promise.
Rick: Where are you?
Kate: Home. I'm packing. Alexis was with me, she was concerned.
Rick: Are you sure you're okay? Kate, I'm worried.
Kate heard a knock at the door. A few seconds later, Alexis entered, holding a glass of water.
"I know you said you didn't need anything, but…." She handed the glass to Kate.
"Thanks," Kate said, taking a sip. Alexis left again, and Kate replied to Rick's text.
Kate: I know. But I'm okay, I promise. Alexis took good care of me.
Rick: Good. Can't wait to see you
Kate: 2 days… I can't wait either
Rick: Got us the same hotel room.
Kate: Oh, so I can have my own bed? ;)
Rick: Oh, ha ha. Not a chance.
Kate: :)
Rick: Hey, baby, I gotta go. Interview with a blogger. Love you so so so much, I'll be waiting for you at LAX in 2 days
Kate: And 3 hours.
Rick: And 3 hours. Love you, my darling.
Kate: Love you too 3
Kate smiled and tossed her phone on the bed. All she had left to pack was a toothbrush and some sexy lingerie, and she would be ready to board her plane. But she still had 2 days to go crazy at the Precinct, counting down the hours.
A day later, Kate was squirming at her desk. She had a few hours left to work, then she would go home, sleep late, and board her 1 pm (NYC time) flight to LA.
"Hey, Becks, got the paperwork for that Stone case." Ryan dropped a file on her desk.
She sighed. "Okay, thanks."
Ryan sat in Castle's chair next to her desk, a silly grin on his face. "Itching to get on the plane?"
She laughed and nodded. "Yep."
Ryan smiled. "Trust me, I know the feeling. Anxious, unable to sit still, butterflies in your stomach."
Kate looked at him. "Yeah, exactly!"
Ryan squeezed her hand then stood up. "It means you're head over heels in love. Falling in love maes you a different, better version of yourself. It's how I feel when I look at Jenny. I was so anxious once I decided to propose to her. I was restless from the time I bought that ring to the moment she said yes, right here in the precinct."
Kate smiled. "That's so sweet, Ryan. Jenny's a lucky girl."
"And Castle's a lucky guy," Ryan said with a wink.
"Ryan!," Esposito yelled across the bullpen. "We got a body! 17th and Madison!"
Ryan looked at Kate. "You want in?"
"Nope! I am not getting involved in anything. I got 4 hours left. Just call me if you need anything."
"Okay. If I don't see you, have a great trip."
Kate smiled. "Thanks."
She watched Ryan and Espo leave the precinct, for the first time in her life not feeling that desire to solve a case, to catch the killer. All she wanted was to be in LA. She was feeling exactly what Ryan described, times a thousand.
xxxx
"Welcome to Los Angeles. It's a warm, sunny 79 degrees, so I hope you brought your swim suits. Have a safe trip."
Kate had been nervously playing with her hair for the last thirty minutes, and she jumped up the second the other passengers started to stand. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone to turn it on. She grinned when she saw that she had 3 texts.
Alexis: Hope you had a safe flight! Grams and I miss you, say hi to dad for us!
Ryan: Our newest suspect is a writer – Castle's gonna hate missing this one! Have great trip!
Lanie: Safe flight, honey. Don't forget to call me w/ all the details! ;)
She replied to all of them, thanking them for the well wishes and asking Ryan not to tell Castle yet, because he would protest the writer's innocence. Then she waited patiently to get off the plane, shuffling down the aisle with the rest of the eager passengers.
When Kate came walked out into the terminal, she remembered the last time she was in LAX.
"Beckett, don't worry, I've got it covered."
"Under the radar, Castle. We're not supposed to be here, remember?"
Castle grinned at her and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the area of the airport where all the car rental companies were.
"Don't worry, Beckett. I know how to fit in around here."
She smiled to herself. Of course Rick's idea of blending in had been a red Ferrari. What else would it been? The man did not know how to be subtle. You could pick him out of a crowd in a second…
"Kate!"
She looked around her, trying to find the voice that called her name. And suddenly she saw him. A bouquet of red roses in his hand, a huge grin plastered on his handsome face. Her eye lit up and she grinned, walking towards him, faster and faster until she was practically running. She dropped her purse on the floor and threw her arms around him. He kissed her hair and hugged her tightly.
"God, I've missed you."
"I've missed you more," she whispered, taking his face in her hands and kissing him. When they broke apart, Castle picked up her purse and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his side as they walked towards baggage claim.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have the Ferrari this time. I'm just using a car service."
Kate threw her head back and laughed. She smiled at Rick.
"I'm so glad I'm here."
"I'm glad you're here too, baby," he said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "I am so, so glad."
Back at the hotel, Kate and Rick sat on the couch, the very same one he had told her he thought she was a mystery he was never going to solve. She filled him in on the last 2 weeks since she had flown to see him spur-of-the-moment: all of the bonding she and Alexis had been doing, her new medication, her review of Frozen Heat. He told her all about his signings, how Paula was driving him up a wall and how Gina had convinced Paula to space out the LA signings so Rick and Kate could spend some time together.
She sat in his lap, staring into his blue eyes.
"These last few weeks gave been so crazy…. I honestly feel like a different person."
"You know, a wise Irish cop once told me that falling in love makes you feel a like a different person, a better version of yourself," Castle said with a wink. He placed a kiss on her lips and stood up, gently puling her with him.
"We have a reservation in an hour at the restaurant downstairs," he said. "And I left a little surprise for you in the closet."
Kate smiled and let go of his hand, walking into their room and over to the closet. She pulled the double doors open and saw a breathtaking, burgundy-colored Herve Leger dress. Under it, a pair of peep-toe black Louboutins sat, just begging to be worn. Her smiled grew wider and she spun around. Castle was grinning at her.
"It was a selfish purchase, really. I get to stare at you in it all night."
Kate kissed his lips tenderly and grabbed the dress and the shoes.
"If you're lucky, to may even get to help me out of it."
She walked into the other bedroom to change and do her makeup, and Castle just stood there, biting his fist. Goddamn, she was sexy. He closed the doors to change into his suit, and dug into the bottom of his suitcase for a small box.
xxxx
Kate was emerged from the second bedroom 40 minutes later, breathtakingly gorgeous in her dress. Her hair was in a curly side ponytail, and she was wearing sparkly Art Deco-inspired earrings. Rick was sitting on the couch, reading emails on his phone. When he saw her, he could have sworn he stopped breathing for a few seconds.
"Wow," he said, standing up and walking over to her. "You look stunning…"
She smiled and blushed, looking at the ground and pushing a stray curl away from her face. Rick took her hands in his.
"Kate, I want you to know how much I love you. Having you in my life truly makes me a better person, and these last 7 months have been really wonderful. Sure, we've had some bad days, but I will always be there for you, even on the worst day. And I'm so glad you're getting better, because that smile looks so damn good on you that it pains me to see you without it."
He kissed her hand. Kate smiled lovingly, taking one of her hands back to place on Rick's cheek.
"I love you too, Rick. And I wouldn't trade these last 7 months for anything in the world."
He grinned. "Good, because I have something to ask you….." He let go of Kate's hand and knelt down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, navy blue velvet box. Kate gasped and put a hand on her heart. It was pounding anxiously again, but this time in a good way.
"Katherine Beckett, I used to think you were a mystery I was never going to solve. But you know what? The best mysteries are the ones that are never solved. When the writer is just so clever-" he said this seriously, without making a joke about his own cleverness "- that you never really know who the murderer is. Like at the end of Sherlock Holmes 2, when you think he's dead, and then you realize that no, he's not, and there is that promise of another story. I want to live a hundred stories with you, Kate. I want to wake up next you, and if you promise to love and inspire me for the rest of my life, I promise to be there for you, not matter how crazy the storm. Always. So, Kate Beckett, will you marry me?"
Rick opened the box to show a beautiful diamond ring. It was perfect, not too flashy, with a round diamond in the middle of a thin gold band and a smaller one on each side. Tears gathered in the corners of Kate eyes.
"Rick….. are you sure?"
He smiled. "Of course, Kate. All I want in this world – hell, in this life – is you."
She smiled back and a few tears fell. "Yes!"
"Yes?"
"Yes!," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. When they broke apart, Rick took Kate's hand and slipped the ring on her finger. Keeping one arm round him, she held out her hand and admired it.
"It's beautiful, Rick. I love it."
He kissed her temple. "And I love you. I figured the most beautiful woman in the world needed a ring that was almost as beautiful as she is."
Kate laughed. "Smooth."
"Oh, I've had that one planned for a while," he said, laughing with her. She leaned against his chest.
"Kate Castle….," she mused, still staring at her ring. "I like the sound of that."
"I love the sound of that," Rick said, kissing her hair. She turned to face him, placing her hands on his chest.
"You look rather dapper, honey," Kate said, adjusting his royal blue tie. "Ready to eat?"
"Yes!," He said, taking her hand. "I'm hungry…. And we if stay here any longer, I'm going to have to remove that sexy dress."
Is it really tooting-my-own-horn if I mention how much I love the line in the proposal about "the promise of another story"? ;) I hope you guys loved reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it! Don't forget to leave your suggestions... just hit "Review" ;)