Yeah, I have not updated in forever and I am so, so, soooo sorry. School got in the way and my inspiration was absolutely nowhere to be found! That being said, I started writing this chapter and found out that this is going to be the last chapter as well! Thank you so much if you're still here and you're still reading. I hope you enjoy this one! There's some M-rated stuff in here, nothing big though! Enjoy!

Previously:

He's lying on top of her, his head lying on her shoulder, face turned to her neck. His breaths wash over her, and she sighs in return, her eyes closed as she enjoys this feeling of relaxation, her body letting go of everything, every single sign of tension washed away. Her fingers lazily stroke through his hair.

He's afraid he'll hurt her though, he's quite heavy, so he tries to push up but is met with a tightened hand in his hair and a whisper "Stay."

"I'll crush you."

"Not yet." She sighs, her other arm finding its way around his back. His arms go around her as well, their legs tangling together and he sighs against her.

"You're amazing."

He can hear her smile, by the way a breath puffs out of her nose. "You're pretty amazing too, you know."

He smiles.

They're amazing.

Chapter 23

She wakes up to sunlight. A beautiful warm, light shine that peeks through the curtains. It makes her lips quirk up into a smile, a gentle hum leaving her as she stretches carefully, trying not to wake the sleeping form next to her. He's lying on his stomach, his face turned her way. His arm is draped over her bare stomach, making her feel warm and comfortable.

They hadn't been nor slept together in more than a week. A big case kept them so occupied that at some nights Kate didn't even go home, and other times she needed her - rather short - sleep so badly that she decided to sleep at her own apartment. She noticed that after two nights of having to sleep alone in her big, cold bed, she missed him greatly. Luckily, she received about 10 "I miss you" text messages from him every single day when they weren't together. He'd also called her every evening and mostly asked her what she was wearing. She still rolls her eyes at that thought, but at the time it had made her fall asleep with a smile. The dork.

They'd decided to focus on this case, and get back to each other once it was over. It was a little harder than they thought. Even though they worked together, they barely got to speak in any personal way. They tried to do that through different ways. By the morning coffee he always brought to her, the gentle touches in the elevator or in the car. They'd even steal a kiss or two when it was so late that the precinct was empty. But it still wasn't enough.

Then yesterday, they finally, finally, closed the case. Exactly 9 days. 9 days. Kate would honestly be rolling her eyes at couples that whined about having to miss each other for 9 days. But with now experiencing it herself, she has to admit that she definitely understands. It's not all about kissing and having sex - even though it's amazing as hell - but it's.. comfort. It's being close. It's the smiles they can bring out in each other, the tingles she feels at just his touch. The warmth she feels by being close to him, the amazing way she can fall asleep by just having his arms around her.

It's love.

They'd agreed to see each other right away once the paperwork was over and done with. She'd gotten home and grabbed some clothes, intending to stay with him for a while. No way she'd only stay one night, not after having missed 9 of them. So she'd grabbed all essentials and drove to his loft. He'd been waiting eagerly, an incredible smell filling her senses at the first step inside. He'd made his famous pasta carbonara and she couldn't have been more excited for food, real actual food. While he let the pasta cook she had put her arms around him and gave him the kiss she'd so desperately wanted to give him for all those days. Within seconds she had found herself on the kitchen counter, his hand roaming underneath her shirt, and they both had to find the courage to stop and eat dinner.

"Eat later.." He had mumbled against her neck.

She'd gasped as he sucked on her favorite spot "But.. I'm- hungry."

Her stomach decided to growl at that exact moment and he had chuckled, slowly pulling away "Dinner it is."

They ate together in comfort. They talked the hours away, had found themselves on the couch with two nice glasses of wine. He had ordered her favorite. Perhaps with reason, perhaps not. Whatever the reason was, not much later she was straddling his lap, kissing his neck, his stubble, his lips. He'd carried her and she found herself on his bed, his broad body surrounding her, loving her, protecting her. They'd united wonderfully, a blissful feeling surrounding the both of them, loving words being released against each other's lips as they found their way over the top. It had been amazing and wonderful and beautiful, and they'd fallen asleep not too long after, his body spooning hers, so warm and comfortable.

And now it's the next morning, and she's with him, and she realizes how much she loves being with him. Loves sleeping with him. Loves.. sleeping.. with him. She turns to him, watches as he sleeps so peacefully. Her hand cups his cheek, her thumb tracing his cheekbone and she feels him stir. A smile spreads on his face.

He hums "Goodmorning, gorgeous."

She smiles, has to admit she still feels a blush creep upon her cheeks at his words sometimes "Morning."

His eyes slowly open, so blue, so beautiful. She can't stop smiling, grinning. "I missed this."

His hand hooks around her back, pulling her closer until they're face to face, their noses touching. He sighs, enjoying the warmth of her body, her gentle breathing. "I did too. Let's not do that again."

She chuckles lightly "9 days is too much."

"Way, way too much." He agrees. "What time is it?"

She looks behind him "8:09" She reads. "That's pretty good for a day off."

"Hmm definitely." He replies, smiling, moving in to kiss her. She gladly grants him access as his tongue traces her lower lip, waiting to seek inside. She moans contently as he does so, her body melting against him, relaxing into the comfort of his soft bed. They continue to kiss like that for a while.

After a few minutes, or- 10 apparently, their lips part and she smiles "Coffee?"

"I'll make some." He replies, moving to sit up. She watches as he gets off the bed, putting on his pajama pants and admires him as he walks out of the room. Once he's out of sight, she lets herself fall back against the bed, sighing contently. This is heaven. These are the mornings she loves. The mornings that start with just the two of them. No phone awaking them and hurrying them, no family members interrupting them. Just, the two of them.

She hears the coffee machine brewing, hears him walking around the kitchen, opening and closing drawers. Curiosity seeps into her and she sits up. She looks around, finds the red button down he wore yesterday and goes to put it on, taking a moment to admire his smell. She walks into the kitchen, revels in the rich smell of fresh brewed coffee and looks at him curiously.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Well, what I wanted to do was make you some breakfast in bed, but for that to happen, you need to be in bed."

Kate chuckles, her arms finding their way around his naked back and she presses a kiss to his right shoulder. "Hmm, waffles?" She observes as she stands on her tippy toes to look over his shoulder.

"Waffles indeed." He replies, smiling. "If you still want to get them in bed though, you have to move your beautiful ass into that bedroom."

"Alright, alright." She chuckles, slapping his ass before she turns around to walk back to his bed.

A few moments later, he enters with a tray. She smiles and thanks him as he sets it on the bed, climbing in next to her. They both sit in bed as they eat the waffles and drink their coffee. She steals a kiss from him every now and then, just a sweet peck and a loving look. She just feels so happy.

She's finishing up her plate when she thinks aloud "Do you think it's time to tell Javi and Kevin about us?"

"I'd be surprised if they didn't already know." Castle smirks.

Kate grins "I know, but I'm sure they're just waiting for us to tell them."

"Well if you want to, we can invite them over today. For dinner?"

"Let's. I think it's time, don't you?"

He smiles "I'd love to tease them more, but you're right. We should tell them." He grabs the tray, sets it down on the ground. "But for now.."

He inches closer to her, smiling as his arm comes around her back. She lets him push her back down on the bed until he's hovering above her, seconds away from closing then distance.

"What would you like to do today?"

It's a question she didn't expect in.. this position. But as he asks, he descends on her neck, gently nipping there as he awaits her answer. Her heart speeds up, her hand gently tracing up and down his spine. Her eyes close as she enjoys the feel of his warm lips trailing up and down her neck.

"Hmm idk, per- perhaps just.." She breathes.

"Perhaps what?" He smirks as he reaches her ear, nipping the spot, then moving to her earlobe.

"J..just, you know. Laze a- around." She replies on a hitched breath as his lips travel down.

"Hmm that's what I was thinking." He hums at her collar bones. "What should we do first?"

She smiles, cupping his cheeks to stop his movements to look into his eyes. She smirks, her eyes glistening with answers, and he grins, knows exactly what she's thinking.

"I thought so." He says as his lips find hers.

She's putting on a bit of light make up to start the day. She glances at the clock. 1:14pm. Woops. It's a bit later than she'd expected. But well, the things that kept her... losing time, weren't all that bad. Especially in the shower.

He's standing behind her, his chest connected to her back. Her hands are planted against the wall, her heart beating fast as he feasts on her neck, his fingers rubbing her clit in the meantime. She releases a moan as one finger enters her and he chuckles against her neck, his warm breath washing over her.

"Castle" She breathes softly, moaning again as she feels him hard against her backside.

He smirks, his fingers releasing her and before she can release a groan at the disconnection, he slowly enters her from behind. She gasps, her left hand going behind his back, clawing at his behind as he moves gently. He kisses her shoulder, her neck, her back, her cheek, whispers loving words as he moves inside her.

Her eyes are closed, her mind completely blank, yet one thought circling inside. She missed him. God, she missed him. And she lets him know that she did, whispering it over and over and over. She gasps as he hits the right spot, repeating "God, yes!" when he starts to speed up, hitting it again.

And again.

And again.

And then she breaks, feels him release at the same time. He holds her up, lets their breathing return to somewhat normal before planting a sweet kiss on her shoulder. Her whole body relaxes, and her head falls back against his shoulder. She smiles, her eyes still closed and she feels his lips on her cheek "I missed you too."

All she can do is smile.

And she's still smiling as she works on a bit of eyeliner. Castle's calling Lanie, Javi and Kevin right now to invite them over for dinner. She can't help but feel a little nervous. Of course, everyone's been rooting for them basically since they met. But to have this for real? It still nerves her sometimes, feel afraid that it'll be over soon, because with every other guy she's been with, it always has. Everyone she's been with, left her as they found out who she really was. It has made her close herself off long ago, because that awful feeling still remains.

But she does know that, with Castle, it'll be different. Because if anyone knows her through and through by now, it's him. She's been an open book, has tried so hard to show him who she is. And he's always made her feel good for it. He cares. For every single bit of her, every layer, every detail. She's so lucky, and she knows it. And when she thinks about that, she's more than ready to tell her friends.

Hell, to tell the world.

Because what they have, it's real. It's not perfect. It's flawed and it's beautiful. She wouldn't have it any other way. It's like they have this beautiful love story. A beautiful story that they can share with their kids in the future.

Woah, did she just go there? And how did this not freak her out?

A voice interrupts her thoughts "Hey beautiful."

She finds him standing in the doorway, hopes he doesn't notice her blush that has crept up on her by the thoughts she just had "Hi. So?"

"They're all coming, they'll be here at 7." He smiles.

She releases a sigh and smiles "I'm ready to tell them."

With that, his smile turns into a full on, wide, teeth flashing grin "So am I."

They're ready.

"You look fine." Castle reassures her yet again. "Just like you did in the first outfit, and the rest up until now, which is like the fifth one."

"I just don't want to overdo this, Castle. Are you sure?" Kate hesitates, standing in front of the mirror and looking at herself.

He stands up behind her, puts his arms around her and connects his hands at her stomach. He looks at her in the mirror. "I am sure. You're not overdoing this, you look great."

She sighs into him, returning his smile.

"It just feels like such a big deal." She sighs, hands covering his.

"I understand." He says, planting a kiss on her neck "But it's going to be fine. I think they already know about us, they're just waiting for us to actually say it to them. The way you look will not affect that at all."

He feels her body relax against him as he talks, knowing that she's taking it in, accepting it.

She sighs again "Okay, so this looks good?"

He looks her over. She's wearing a nice black dress, not too fancy. Her hair is up into a bun, a few curly strands hanging at the side of her face. Her make up is light, eyeliner peeking out like a wing and a beautiful nude color on her lips.

"Perfect." He smiles, turning her around. "You look so beautiful."

She feels her cheeks heat up a little and smiles back at him "You're not so bad yourself there, handsome."

He's wearing dark jeans, the one that she likes a lot. He has a blue V-neck shirt on. She loves V-necks on him. Not to mention how his arms are bare, which means his biceps are into view. Oh boy, those biceps. Definitely handsome.

His hands brush her cheeks, cupping her face and his lips descends on hers, a sweet lingering kiss that has her feeling incredibly relaxed. A warmth spreads through her, her hands holding onto his upper arms. He pulls back and she looks into his eyes. They're so bright and blue. The blue shirt completely compliments his gorgeous eyes. She smiles.

Their connection's interrupted by a ring. The doorbell.

Her heart skips a beat.

"You ready?" He asks her.

She sighs, pushes all uncertainty out of her "Yes."

"Let's do this."

Castle opens the door to find Javier and Lanie standing there. "Hey guys! Come in, Kate's already here."

Lanie smirks as they both walk in.

Kevin arrives only a minute later, and after some small talk they all sit down at the dining table. Castle's prepared some of his best chicken rice, with a nice salad on the side and some wine to enjoy with it. They start to eat in peace, but the more time goes by, the more uncertainty starts to hang in the air. Kate feels her chest tighten at it. Should she just say it? Should Castle say it? They haven't talked about how they were going to tell and now she doesn't know what to do. Her hand reaches for Castle under the table.

The movement doesn't go unnoticed by Esposito, who's sitting next to her.

"Wh-"

"Guys, are you going to tell us already or not?" Kevin interrupts him.

Kate and Castle's heads pop up and they look around the table. Everyone's staring, except for Lanie, who's smirking and just waiting things out. Kate's grip on Castle's hand tightens. He squeezes back in reassurance and looks at her.

It's time to tell.

Kate sighs "Okay. Yes." Her hand relaxes against Castle's "Yes, we are.. together."

They all smile "It's about time you guys told us." Javier says as his hand squeezes Kate's shoulder.

"Yeah, we thought you'd already know." Kate chuckles. "We haven't exactly been.. discreet, at times."

"I'll say." Kevin replies, laughing.

"It wasn't that hard to spot." Javier says, taking another bite of his food. "I knew even before Ryan did."

"No you didn't." Kevin replies.

"Bro, I so knew before you." Javi shoots back, mouth still full.

"No you did not. I knew before you."

Javi scoffs "You so did not!"

"Did too!"

"Guys!" Lanie interrupts. "If it's any consolation, I knew way before you guys did, so stop this little competition."

They continue to stare at each other like two 5 year olds in a fight.

"It's so great, you two. I'm so happy for you." Lanie smiles as she takes another sip of her wine.

"Thanks." Kate smiles back shyly, stroking Castle's hand with her thumb.

"So? Are you going to tell us how this happened?" Kevin asks, anticipation shining in his eyes.

Kate and Castle look at each other, take a moment to have a silent conversation. He smiles, his eyes shining with reassurance, with comfort. It makes her relax, makes her feel comfortable. Makes her feel home. He nods slightly, gives her the okay to tell the story. She smiles, feels the urge to kiss him. Since the people at this table already know about them anyway, she does. Her lips find his, and she smiles into the kiss as she hears "awws" (definitely Lanie) and "so gross" (the boys, of course) coming from the table. She pulls back slowly and brushes away some lipstick from his lips. With a last lingering look, her eyes find those of the people awaiting an explanation.

She sighs and smiles.

"It all started with flowers…"

THE END

So, that was it! I really, really hope you enjoyed this story. I know I hadn't updated in more than a month or something, and when I do, it's the final chapter! Haha! I just feel there's nothing more to tell, so I am ending this here. If you're reading this, if you're still here, then thank you so much for reading! All the views and reviews have helped me get through! If you'd like, do let me know what you liked most of this story and if you liked how I ended things!

Thanks so, so much for reading and reviewing! x

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