Dropped Call

by Castlefan6

Authors Note: Castle missed his going away party because something unexpected came up and the Castle/Gina/Hamptons thing didn't happen etc. Castle assumes Beckett is with Demming and goes off the grid for several months. Would our favorite couple ever reconnect? From a prompt from Kato769. NOTE: AU not canon

I don't own Castle, I use the characters for amusement purposes only

A/N This chapter may be pushing the envelope of the skill level of our Detective, BUT please indulge me the activity to get the story moved to the next plot point. It's fiction, so comments about proper titles, procedures and especially referring to canon are being ignored, this again is AU, Alternate Universe, so just go with it please.

Chapter 16

Previously

In researching his profession, she dropped her coffee, Oncologist, participating in trial medication test subjects, in Toronto Hospital. Another receipt was for party of three at the hotel restaurant, parties listed were Rook, Bolin and Doctor on the miscellaneous section of the billing statement electronically processed the same day. Oh God, NO, NO, NO, IT couldn't be not Rick, maybe she was jumping to conclusions, but she had to know.

One advantage of early flights was no traffic, she hopped into a cab and was at the Orion Hotel before 6:00 AM. As she approached the check in counter, she had a feeling, just one that she got when Rick was around, and as she took two steps down to the area, there he was, coming out of the gym.

"Rick, can you give me one minute please?" she called loudly, He turned to face the voice, that voice that haunted his dreams nightly if he were truthful,

Kate? What are you doing here?

Orion Hotel

Toronto Canada, Sunday 5:50 AM

Kate? What are you doing here?

"Rick, I tracked you down, I know, Gregg the study, please just give me 5 minutes, and if you don't want to see me I'll go back to New York, but PLEASE I need to tell you something very important?"

"How did you find me, I left no clues for anyone, not even Paula knows where I am, did you tell anyone else where you were coming Kate?" as a panic looks overtakes his face and his color goes ashen,

"No Rick, I left Ryan a voice mail just telling him I may need tomorrow off, for personal business, that I was out of town, but I didn't say where."

"Well if this isn't the pot calling the kettle black, you accuse me of snooping into your personal life, yet here you stand Detective, Why? Why do you even care?" Rick has a look of hurt, disdain, disappointment, Kate can't read it, but it wasn't a glad to see you look for sure.

"Rick, can we go somewhere more private than a hotel lobby, Please? I'm only asking you give me 5 minutes, I know you hate me, and I know you've moved on and have a new woman in your life, but I have to get some things straight between us and I don't want to have to shout across a hotel lobby, PLEASE?" Kate is almost begging now, and is fighting tears from falling, as she looks at Rick, thinner by at least 30 pounds from the last time she saw him,

"Kate turn off your phone and disable GPS, it's bad enough you penetrated my location, but I sure as hell don't want anyone to know where I am," Rick spit out with the word anyone especially distasteful,

Kate reached into her purse and showed Rick the phone was off, "I did that before I left New York Rick, I know you're pissed I'm here but I just couldn't let it go, I had to talk to you after the way I left it with that*"

"What Kate, your Academy Award wining imitation of Charley Sheen leaving a voice mail?"

Kate hangs her head and just nods, "Come on, I know a place where there's always quiet, especially at this hour."

They proceed to the elevators, she wants to say something, but Rick looks at her with then Not Now look, so she holds her thoughts. Once they exit the elevator at the Penthouse suites, Rick leads her to a small stairway where one floor up is a door to the roof, he even has a door stop sitting by it meaning he must spend a great deal of time up there.

"So, Detective, you wanted some place quiet to talk, I think we have it here" as he motions to an outside patio set with table and 4 chairs and an umbrella for rain or direct sun.

"Thanks Rick, first thing is this, don't read it yet, wait till I am done then it's your letter, one that has things in it I should have said and apologies for things I never should have done," as she hands him the letter she had so carefully guarded since she wrote it. Rick recognizes the stationary, it was a birthday present the first year they worked together, he hadn't known her long so opted for a safe gift, which she loved.

"OK, so you wrote a letter, what's that supposed to mean Kate, I mean why are you here, why did you spend the time, resources and money to find me, do you want to gloat, or rub another man in my face?

And what did you mean by I have moved on and already and have another woman in my life, where did that crap come from? Oh, let me guess, you spoke to Paula, who talked to a friend here and she as usual have us all coupled up and ready to marry, right?"

"Rick, first of all WHY I'm here is in the letter, I know it will shock and surprise you, it even did me. You know how the boy's kid us about connected souls when we finish each other's sentences? Well I have a feeling something is wrong with you, physically and Rick, I can't live with myself if you don't know how sorry I am for what I did.

Yes, I spoke to Paula, who is still madly in love with you and so protective of you, she mentioned that when she relayed my apology, that it had happened when I had too much to drink, that a woman spoke up and hated me, I think she said Cop or no Cop she would kick my ass for treating you this way if she met me."

Rick looks a little less stern, that perhaps it is listening just a bit, "Rick, I did the research and I know what kind of Doctor Gregg DeLeaver is, and I also know he has seen you for dinner along with Ms. Bolin, it wasn't hard to find out the clinical trial going on at the hospital. Please, I'm here for you, talk to me, tell me how I can help?"

"Now you want to help. Do you feel sorry that the funniest kid on the playground is human and contracted a sickness? Did you just now realize that I hurt, bleed, and have feelings that are easily trampled on just like you? Tell me Detective if I had done this to you, would you even be standing here now or would you have pulled one of your patented it's my life, you don't know me routines and left me in the cold? What the hell do you want from me Kate, you have my soul what's left for you to destroy?" Rick is almost in tears when he is done,

"Rick, you hate me, I get it, and you deserve to. I did nothing to show you how special you are to me and have been since we met. I hope once you read what I wrote, it will explain what I always fuck up or don't phrase correctly when we do talk, it always comes out wrong, and I end up hurting you even more.

Why Now? Why do I want to help? The man I love never had to face Cancer before, and no matter how bad it is, I want to be with him, every minute of the day to help him in whatever way I can.

I want to spend every moment either of us have left secure in his arms, or him in mine, I've wasted too much time already, and now I know I have probably ruined my one chance at my true love, my one and done, so I'm going to my room, to allow you to read my letter. IF I don't hear from you, then I promise Rick, I will be out of your life forever.

I can't say that I will be happy if you have chosen someone new, I won't, and I'm done lying, but I understand, this is all my fault. Just know that no matter what you do, where you go, whatever it takes Richard Castle, I will be by your side IF you let me. I love you, kinda sucks to have to say it under these circumstances, but you have to know."

Rick stands there with his mouth open, not only from the revelation that Kate has professed her love for him, but the forceful way she took charge, and her sincere apology, no matter how rude he was to her, she returned it with kindness, not the old Kate at all.

Kate starts walking toward the door, when she hears

"Kate?"

She turns and answers, "Yes Rick?"

"Thanks for coming, for finding me, I know you want us to start now at this moment, but there is something I need to do first. Oh, and for your knowledge Trey and I have not slept together, well we shared a bed for the first two nights, but not intimately, she is a patient in the Cervical Cancer Trial. I have one room of the suite, she has the other."

"Rick, thanks for telling me, you didn't have to, but Thanks. Oh, so you know, I never went away with Demming, seems my Love was tied up somewhere else, so I spent the weekend doing all kinds of stupid shit to try to get him to hate me. I think I almost succeeded."

"I could never hate you Kate, hate the things you did, the things you put me through, yes, but hate you, Never," as he walks closer to her, and then brushes a stray tear from her eye.

That's all it takes till she is kissing him trying to pour out the love she has held in for two years into each kiss, he doesn't fight her, in fact he deepens the kiss and adds a great deal of tongue till they both have to break for air, "I Love You" is said simultaneously, and they break away with a smile. Then Kate begins to sob, first softly then harder.

"Hey, I've had a lot of responses to my kisses but never have I made a beautiful woman cry before" he smiles that deep smile, trying to cheer her up as he lifts her head gently and kisses away her tears.

"I'm sorry Rick, I guess it just hit me, you're here fighting Cancer and I am back in New York upset because you didn't show up at your party so I could tell you I wanted to go to the Hampton's with you. So Selfish, like I always am."

"Hey, stop that right now, What, you were going to go to the Hampton's with me, that was your surprise that I ruined?"

She nods her head then pulls him in with a tight hug,

"Rick, I'm so sorry, I'm so very, very, sorry, I should have just accepted like I wanted to when you asked, I was such an idiot."

"We both were Kate, we both were acting like idiots. I don't want you to leave me, can you give me a few minutes to read your letter, but please, don't leave, OK?"

"I'll be right here Rick, I promise."

Rick walks over to a portion of the roof closer to a night light and reads Kate's letter, he wipes his eyes a few times, but finally he re-folds it carefully and walks toward Kate.

"Kate, that letter was beautiful, I never knew you to be so open and honest, you asked me two questions, I have your answers, YES I can and do forgive you and YES I do still love you with all of my heart, no matter how hard I fought to get you off my mind you were with me, even on the toughest days."

"Rick", as she steals kisses, seems like she can't stop kissing him now, "where do we go from here, I mean it's up to you, but Babe, I want to be with you, all the way, no matter what comes, so I'm asking please don't send me back to New York to have you face this alone, Please?"

"Kate, it would mean taking time, I mean a lot of time away, from your job, I can't ask you to do that for me"

"Rick, you're right, you can't so tell you what, I am going to resign Monday and be with you till we kick Cancer's Ass, you might be strong enough to do it without me, but I'm not without you."

"What about your Mom's case? I mean I can't ask you to give that up."

"You didn't but Rick, I already did, being with you is what Mom would have wanted, we'll get justice for her, let's get you well first, please Babe?"

"Well Kate, (as he pauses a long minute), OK, you're here with me till we kick this or get kicked. After I speak to her I want you to meet Trey, and talk to her, she's had a tough life and I think she was trying to latch on to the first secure friend she had, oh by the way Gregg, my best friend and Doctor is interested so I don't think she will be too broken hearted. We talked about you, and how you are and would always be my one True Love."

They walk down to the Penthouse to allow Rick to have one of the most difficult conversations in his life, he's never been good at hurting people. Kate decides she is going to check in and Rick insists it's the other Penthouse that just came open, since he would be joining her soon, (he had already called and had her pre-checked in).

As he enters the suite, still in his gym clothes, Trey looks up from her breakfast, and says,

"I got worried about you, so I went down to the gym, was that Kate that you met to talk with Rick? I'm glad if it is, since Gregg wants to have dinner tonight either the three of us, or just he and I."

"Yes, sorry to worry you, but that was Kate, she tracked me down even with all of my precautions she's that good of a detective."

"Rick, remember when I got all clingy and you told me that you had to sort things out with Kate, then you seemed to get closer and it was I who pushed you away, especially after I flirted with Gregg at dinner?

Well it's working out the way it's supposed to, I told you I could never live as a substitute of fill in, and now I have a chance with someone who has a lot of the same good qualities as you."

"You mean you're not upset that things are going this well with Kate and me? I never wanted to hurt or lead you on,*"

"You didn't Rick, some of the things you said in your sleep were the most romantic words I ever heard, and when I realized they were for Kate, I knew you belonged with her. I was just trying to be a friend, sometimes I leaned too much on you to give you the wrong idea, but I'm not sorry for the times you held me, comforted me, and made me feel whole again, you opened the door for Gregg and I am so happy for us all."

"I do think the living arrangements have to change Trey," as he laughs, "This suite is yours for as long as you need it, and I'll be across the hall" as he opens the door and see's Kate outside,

"Kate, I'll be right over,"

"No Problem Babe, as she walks into the open door, "Hi Trey, I'm Kate, thanks for looking after him, when I was such an idiot,"

Trey smiles and says "Kate nothing went on, I mean*"

"I know Trey, but even if it did, it would have been my fault not Ricks and certainly not yours, I'm just glad he had you to lean on those first few days. I'm sorry I was such a Bitch that kept me from him, but I'm here now and I'm not leaving till this is over and he has kicked Cancer's Ass."

"I'm glad Kate, he talks in his sleep and the love talk he has for you, it might be worth your while to stay up one night or set a tape recorder, he adores you, and always will,"

Kate blushes a bit, then says "Thank You, Rick told me you were the one that put the ice water on any possibility of a you and him once you heard about me, most woman would have plowed away anyhow, so Thank You, it means a lot to me"

"I'd like to think we could be friends during the rest of this, and beyond, truth is Rick is my only friend, well now Gregg, but you know what I mean."

"Of course Trey, you'll find with Rick, once you're a friend he can't do enough for you, we both will be here for you, and I'm going to be accompanying you for treatment days, so I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, it'll be nice to have a woman to share thoughts with, you know"

Kate smiles and nods then pulls Trey in for a hug, "You're going to beat this, you both are and I'm going to be right here with you when you do."

TBC One last chapter remaining, thought I could squeeze it in here but too much content. Thanks for the continued support, reads, and reviews, all greatly appreciated,

Tim