***Ok I know I should be working on my other stories, but OMG! Did you see the premiere last night? I just had to get this out of my head.

"The guy who shot me is gone. Dick Coonan, gone. Hal Lockwood, gone. Montgomery gone. My mom... Everybody is gone Castle!" Kate fought back the tears as she ranted to Rick. She felt the last of her restrain slipping away and paused to take in a shaky breath.

"Kate" Rick whispered as he stood and walked over to her. "Not everyone."

"Castle, please don't..." Kate half-ass ordered as she melted into his embrace.

Rick held her as she cried and his hands rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Just let me hold you for a while."

Kate pulled her head out from under Rick's chin and placed it on his shoulder, her face turned away from his. She eased her arms out from between their bodies and wrapped them around his waist and silently sobbed.

"That's it Kate. Just let it all out. Hit me if you want to, anything you need to do to make you feel better, do it. I'm here for you." Rick placed a kiss to the top of her head as he tried to comfort her.

"Anything?" Kate ask as she brought a hand up over Rick's shoulder to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Anything." Rick confirmed, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could and bracing himself for her assault when he felt her pull away from him.

Kate smiled when she realized he thought she was going to strike him. "I don't want to hit you Rick."

"You don't?" His question came out as if he didn't believe her but when he opened his eyes and looked down at her he was certain she wasn't going to hit him. She was smiling that beautiful smile he hadn't seen in over three months and his heart jumped for joy. "God, I've missed that." Rick confessed to her as one of his hands came up to lightly caress the side of her face then tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Kiss me Rick."

"Kate, I don't think..."

"You said anything." Kate interrupted him and leaned in closer.

Rick had to fight with everything in him not to close the distance between their lips and show her how much he loved her. "I don't want a repeat of the warehouse incident." Rick groaned, closed his eyes and tilted his head away from her. "If I ever kiss you again, no... Let me rephrase that. When I kiss you again, I don't want it to be a ruse. I want it to be true feelings being shared between you and I."

"Do you want to kiss me?" Kate ask shyly as she placed a hand against Rick's jaw and turned his head back around to face her.

"Oh God, Kate. I want to soo bad, but I'm willing to wait until you're ready. After we put away everyone involved with your moms murder and we've crumbled that wall you mentioned..."

Kate again stopped Rick's rambling, but this time she shut him up by bringing her lips extremely close to his. "I want you to kiss me. I need you to kiss me. I'm ready to share that much."

One quick look into her eyes told Rick that she was being truthful and he touched his lips to hers. That first tender caress of their mouths quickly escalated into a full blown make out session. Their tongues battled and lips sucked and pulled. Both participants moaned more than once as their lower bodies began to mimic the actions of their mouths.

When they finally broke apart, their lungs burning from lack of oxygen, they smiled lovingly at each other then Rick pulled her back into a tight hug. He tucked Kate's head back under his chin and kissed her crown again. "That was..."

"Just what I needed." Kate finished for him.

"Me too." Rick admitted as he continued to just hold her. For now it was enough.

***Short but _! Please feel free to fill in the blank :)