Hey guys! I just want to take this moment to thank you for your continuous support throughout the publishing of this fanfic. It's been difficult to keep on track posting once a week due to busy lives, and even harder to keep the quality of writing consistent. But we have almost reached the end of the fanfic, so we want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

~Anna ( AbsentiaCastle) & Tharsi ( greysloverx)

Chapter 18

The month seemed to pass by much slower than Rick expected. He assumed being preoccupied with book signings and meet-and-greet would make time pass quickly, but that didn't seem to be the case. Alone in a hotel room every night knowing the one person you wish were by your side is halfway across the world only made it harder. The first week in Europe was difficult because neither Kate nor Rick had had the confidence to call the other. After everything that had happened leading up to his trip, the first call was bound to be awkward. But after a few days of picking up the phone and staring at her number, Rick finally pressed 'call'.

As predicted there was a little awkwardness at the beginning but after a couple of minutes, things seemed to go back to normal. After that they called every few days to check in with one another, but it was not easy for Rick to keep up the charade that he was just on vacation. He couldn't wait to come clean with Kate and tell her his true identity as Rick Rodgers, but her reaction was something he wanted to experience in person face-to-face. That's why every night they called he would drop a hint, however slight, into the conversation.

Kate had yet to pick up on any of these hints, but Castle knew she would piece them together once he told her. He also knew she would be annoyed at him for keeping it a secret but understanding enough to know why. It's not that he doesn't want anyone knowing, it's more so that he sees it as a hobby that pays well. Castle avoided book tours and parties for the most part because he had no desire for them; he simply loved writing for the people and knew Kate would see it that way.

While Rick was in Europe, Alexis had been begging her grandmother to arrange a playdate with Kate. Martha repetitively told her granddaughter that the detective was a busy woman who was putting bad people in prison, but Alexis didn't back down. After weeks of persuasion Martha eventually agreed to bring Alexis to the park where Kate said she would meet them.

"Kate!" the little girl squealed as she ran towards the woman sitting on the bench.

"Hey there," Kate laughed as she embraced Alexis. "How's my favourite princess make-up artist?"

"I'm good! I brought you a present." She searched the pocket of her coat before pulling out a doll's clothing piece. "It's a dress for your dolls! I have lots of clothes and I think your dolls would look pretty in this!"

Touched by her thoughtfulness, Kate squatted down to the girls' height and smiled. "Thank you, Alexis. That's very sweet."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Katherine," Martha greeted. "I've heard so much about you, it's nice to finally put a face to the name. I'm Martha, Richard's mother." They shook hands before taking a seat on the bench. "Alexis, darling. Why don't you go on the swings and show Kate how high you can go."

Without hesitation Alexis sprinted towards the play area and sat onto the swing swaying her legs back and forth trying to gain some height. The two women became acquainted with one another while the little girl socialised with the other kids in the playground. Occasionally Alexis would run back to Kate to make sure she had seen how fast she had come down the slide or swung across the monkey bars.

After an hour or so, Martha felt it was time to take Alexis home for lunch. Kate watched while the woman tried to reason with her granddaughter to come down from the wooden play tower but failed miserably. As she sat there smiling at those interacting with children, she felt a presence fill the space on the bench beside her.

"This place is seriously overrun with redheads," said an all too familiar voice.

Kate turned to see the man she had been missing for the last month; the man who had only been a voice over the phone, an image on the screen. Rick Castle was smiling in the direction of his daughter before bringing his warm smile to the detective.

"Castle!" Kate exclaimed. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him in an affectionate hug.

"It's good to see you too," he laughed holding her close.

It was not long before Alexis caught sight of her dad and sprinted to them. Their reunion was more wholesome that anyone could have ever imagined. The little girl jumped straight into her father's arms and began rambling about all of the adventures she had been on since he left. As she sat on his lap swinging her legs back and forth, Kate couldn't help but stare at the interaction unfolding before her.

As usual the reunion was cut short by a phone call from the precinct. Esposito gave her a quick rundown of what they were dealing with and an address.

"Duty calls," Kate said tying the belt of her jacket. "But I'll see you tonight at my place?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he assured with a heartwarming smile.

Having Castle back in the city seemed so strange at first. The last time they had seen each other in person had been a difficult time for both of them as individuals and as a couple. Yet while he was gone and they had kept in touch over the phone, everything seemed to have worked itself out. They both knew they had to talk about their relationship but that had to wait until he was back in the city. And now he was back.

"So, how was your trip?" Kate asked as she gathered the cutlery from the drawer.

"It was great," Castle said. "Rick Rodger's is a pretty big name overseas."

"What?" she chuckled awkwardly. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"Rick Rodger's was on a book tour for a past month."

"And what? You're a groupie who followed him around Europe?" she laughed. When she turned to see him smiling innocently at her, her face fell into a state of realisation. "Wait…"

"Rick Rodgers," he introduced himself extending his hand out for her to shake. "Always a pleasure to meet a fan."

"Are you yanking my chain?" she skepticized.

"If I were going to lie about something like this wouldn't I pick a much more successful ghost writer?" he laughed.

"What the hell!" she said playfully slapping his hand away. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to! I just never found the right time. But there is something else I should tell you. That manuscript you saw me writing, it's for a new book I'm working on. A new series actually!"

"Okay?" she smiled uncertainly. "What has this got to do with me?"

"Everything actually. The protagonist in these books is based on you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously! She's a strong, savvy, sexy, badass detective." Then with a smirk he added, "And her partner's not that bad either."

For the first time in a long time, Kate found herself at a loss for words. The last thing she had expected tonight was for Castle to announce he was her favourite author, never mind announcing the fact she was his muse for his next book. She didn't know whether to be flattered or scared, but either way she knew things were starting to change for them.

Castle could see she had fallen into a pensive state and watched in silence as she absorbed the information he had just thrown at her. He knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. The pixelated images of poor connection videocalls over the last month did her beauty no justice. Now she was physically standing right in front of him where he could admire every inch of her in high definition.

"I missed you," he eventually said breaking the silence.

Kate snapped out of her thoughtful state and looked up at the man standing before her. She was seconds away from reaching out to kiss him, but something stopped her. They both knew they were dancing around a delicate matter but the air still needed to be cleared.

"Castle, what exactly is happening here?"

"What do you want to happen?"

Kate sighed. "I'm not trying to start a fight or anything. I just think we both need some clarification. We argue over a stupid interaction and it seems like it's the end of the world. Then you disappear for a month, come back and we're fine again. Please tell me you see what I mean."

"I get it, we're a mess," he said deprecatingly. "But all I can say is that the time I've spent away from you gave me enough time to think about this, about us. About how much I want to be with you."

"I believe you, I do," she reassured him. "But you told me you didn't trust me. You didn't even give me a chance to explain before you decided to see what you saw. I just want to know that that's not the case anymore."

"I overreacted. I got jealous and possessive and I'm ashamed of myself for that. We had spent every second with each other and, for some reason, seeing you with someone else after we had been intimate confused me. I'm sorry I upset you."

"I'm sorry too. I didn't say anything about Demming because it wasn't worth messing this up," she sighed. "But it's obvious this has messed with our… this," she said gesturing to the both of them. "So… what do we do?"

"We try again," Castle said confidently. "Kate, I have never felt this way about a woman before. We're going to take this one step at a time and just enjoy being together without having to worry about the rights and wrongs, or anything remotely out of our control. Because there is no way in hell I am letting my ego and your hesitancy get in the way of something as amazing as this."

The heart in Kate's chest fluttered at his words, a feeling she hadn't ever felt before. She took a few steps closer to him flashing him one of the cutest smiles he had ever seen.

"You know, I've always been in control of my feelings," she started, one hand fixing the collar of his shirt. "But for some reason with you, it seems to be completely out of my hands. Usually the attraction fades… but not this." A playful sigh of content escaped her lips. "This time that attraction that doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I feel it too."

Castle wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close into a warm hug. They embraced each other in silence for what felt like an eternity, simply grateful to be able to hold one another again. Their closeness was enough to make them forget about any stresses they may have, all because they had each other.

Kate nuzzled her face into his chest inhaling his scent one last time before pulling back. They smiled at each other momentarily as Kate fixed a strand of his hair that had fallen from its usual position. She then brought her hand down his face caressing his cheek lovingly before cupping his jaw. Her thumb stroking his cheek, she leaned up to him and softly pressed her lips against his.

Finally. That connection they had both missed for the past month had been reintroduced. Their lips synchronously moved against each other as if no time had passed. That familiar taste, that familiar feeling. It was everything they had longed for since they parted.

When Castle unwillingly broke apart the kiss he whispered, "God, I missed you."

"Yeah?" Kate could feel his eyes on her as she slid her hands down his chest where she began tugging on his waistband. "Prove it."

"Wow," was all he could manage to say before his lips were back on hers in a passionate frenzy.

This was in no way comparable to other romances either of them had experienced in the past. They both knew it too. The way their bodies reacted simply to a kiss was enough to tell them that this was magical. How can one kiss feel exactly like how true love is described in the movies? The butterflies in the stomach, the moment of light-headedness, the metaphorical fireworks surrounding them. It was perfect.