A/N: Remember: Part 2 is completely independent from Part 1. It is NOT a continuation.

RICK

"Good morning, Detective Beckett. Beautiful day, isn't it? The sun is shining high in the cloudless sky, birds were chirping as I walked down the sidewalk and…I don't know." He sighed wistfully as he sat down in his unofficial seat beside his desk and grinned. "The day just feels like it's filled with infinite possibilities—doesn't it?"

As she gazed at him suspiciously, he began unloading the cardboard carrying tray in his hand, setting her vanilla latte in front of her keyboard and putting his venti mocha on the edge of the desk. After tossing the tray into the recycling bin, he unfolded the flap on the pastry bag he also carried, pulled out his bear claw, and munched down on it with a purposely embellished, "Mmm!"

"You need to take it down about six notches, Castle; it's barely nine a.m."

"So? Perhaps we should all start our days with such excitement; maybe then there would be less murders."

"Ah but then I'd be out of a job," she reminded with a pointed look. Then, after taking a sip of her coffee she turned to him and said, "Why is it that you're so chipper this morning? You're not doing anything interesting, are you? Say around…three o'clock?"

Knowing she was teasing him, he decided to play along with an innocent, "Oh? Have I mentioned my appointment to you?"

She tapped the bottom of her chin with her index finger as she mocked being in deep thought. "Maybe once, twice…or a thousand times."

"Come now, Beckett—I can't have mentioned it more than several hundred." He winked at her and she groaned. "It's okay—you can just tell me if you're jealous."

Kate set her coffee cup down with such force that some droplets of brow liquid exploded out of the small drinking hole and splattered on the desk. "Jealous!? No way; not even close. I have absolutely no interest in being in your position—ever."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "How can you even say that? Why would you not want to find your soulmate?"

She scoffed and turned back to her computer screen, commenting, "Soulmates aren't real."

Hs heart clenched and he shook his head at her. "I hope you're just saying that because you don't want to admit to being jealous and not because you actually believe that."

Rotating her body towards his once more she said, "Actually I do believe that, Castle, because the concept of soulmates is sad. What if the one person you're 'destined' to be with lives in the remote jungles of the Amazon—you would have absolutely zero opportunity to meet them."

He waved his hand dismissively at her statement. "Please—the universe is smarter than that."

If the true reality of soulmates was as Kate described—that your match could be anyone in the world, including those who lived in remote places—he would agree with statement that the concept would be sad; however, he firmly believed that was not the case. In his opinion, Kate was taking the notion of soulmates far too literally, but he believed in a broader definition. How could his soulmate possibly be someone who lived in the Amazonian jungle? That would make no sense as he would have absolutely nothing in common with someone who had never experienced any of the same things he had. No, in order for a person to be the best suited for him, they certainly had to live in a major city—perhaps not New York, but probably one somewhere in the United States. They would have similar interests or maybe have even met in passing before, but Castle wasn't too worried about the details as he felt confident he knew exactly who would be at the top of his list.

"Ah, the universe." She teased. "I forgot how much faith you have in ridiculous and unknowable forces."

He winked at her. "That's half the fun of life, Beckett." She turned back to her computer screen and didn't say anything for over a minute, so he relented to her point of view. "Okay, okay—so you're not interested in getting you're matches; that's fair, but can you at least be happy for me?"

She turned and offered a smile. "I am happy that you're happy, Castle. This is just something I don't have very much interest in."

"That's fair." Rick wasn't aware of anyone other than Kate who wouldn't be excited about going to get their soulmate matches, but that certainly didn't mean she was the only person in the world to feel that way—and even if she was, she had a right to feel any way she wanted. Just because he disagreed with her did not make her feelings any less valid.

The concept of soulmate matching was perhaps a bit of a misnomer—or perhaps one used by those with romanticized imaginations and it had simply caught on as commonplace. In truth, not quite half a century earlier government researchers had discovered the ability to match a person's DNA with other DNA profiles in the government database with which they would be most compatible. Or, more simply put: they were trying to manufacture Darwinism and urge the species to find its best possible matches. Through various research studies it was determine that not only did these couples produce the best children, but they tended to get along extremely well as romantic partners and thus the soulmate concept had formed.

Of course this process was not only expensive, but lengthy, so twenty years earlier, after the program had been fully vetted and was approved for wide use among the population, the government began a lottery system of social security numbers. When your number was chosen, you reported to the nearest testing office, and samples of your DNA were taken. One month later, an appointment was set up for you to collect your results.

Four weeks earlier when Castle had received his lottery letter in the mail he had been admittedly obnoxious about it. The system was one that could not be manipulated by celebrity or wealth; everyone was on an even playing field and had to wait their turn. He was thrilled—thrilled —that after forty-one years he would finally have official confirmation for what he believed in his heart: Kate Beckett was the woman he was meant to spend his life with. Of course he hadn't voiced such thoughts aloud, but he hoped that with the proof in his hand, he would finally be able to convince her to take the next step with him—and it would be wonderful.

"You know you didn't have to come in today, Castle. I mean, I would have understood," Kate said a few minutes later.

He smiled at her. "But I like being here. Besides, if I was at home, I'd just pace around my office and check the clock every thirty seconds."

She merely shrugged. "Okay, well I'm actually going to the morgue if you-"

"Shotgun!" He called on reflex but she gave him a perplexed look.

"Who else was I going to invite?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter now—I've already claimed the front seat."

She rolled her eyes, stood, and picked up her coffee cup. "Whatever; c'mon—let's go."

Shortly after nine p.m. Kate returned to her apartment from her yoga class and went immediately to the kitchen to find herself a snack. She debated several options before pulling a box of cheese crackers out of her pantry. As she munched, she absentmindedly scrolled through the email inbox on her phone to see if the warrant she requested had come through; it hadn't. Just as she was wondering what she would do for the two or so hours before she went to bed, she let out an audible gasp and quickly checked her text messages, thinking that surely she had missed one, but she had no unread messages.

"Huh," she said aloud. That was certainly…unexpected.

When she'd returned to the precinct sands her partner the boys had immediately begun speculating what Castle would do upon receiving his soulmate matches. Their best guess was that he would go home, research the woman at length, and then possibly even book a trip to go and meet her. She couldn't say she disagreed with their assessment as it sounded very Castle-like. While she might not have expected him to jet off that very evening, she had anticipated a celebratory message from him, which she had not received and thus she was concerned.

True, it was possible that Castle was so engrossed in his new found mate that he simply hadn't thought to contact her, but that didn't seem his style. Gloating was, however, and given how excited he'd been that morning, she had expected a text merely moments after he received his results even if that text only informed her that he finally knew the name of his soulmate.

Now concerned, she sent him a text message that asked, "You okay?" and waited impatiently for five minutes, but when he didn't respond she decided to take a quick shower in hopes that he would by the time she was done.

Upon entering the bathroom, Kate caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, stopped, and then stared at herself. Though she tried to ignore it, the uncomfortable tightness in her stomach that had begun that morning after she said goodbye to Castle remained and was actually as strong as ever. She gripped onto the edge of the sink and dropped her chin to her chest, giving her head a little shake.

Stupid. Irrational. Absurd.

These were all words she could use to describe the feeling in her gut—the one she was trying to ignore, but it wouldn't go away, as his lack of communication had only fanned its flames.

Though she tried desperately to deny it a small part of her worried that she might never see Castle again. Well, no, that was entirely irrational. She was certain he would parade his new soulmate around the precinct to make sure they all met her—there was very little chance he wouldn't do at least that—but after? Well, perhaps his soulmate would become his new muse—er, inspiration. Maybe he wouldn't need to shadow her for ideas. Maybe they'd never work a case together again.

God, she hated that she even thought the words, but she had. The last thing she wanted was to never work a case with Castle again, but she wasn't sure if it was because she would miss him as a partner or miss what they could have become if she hadn't been so foolishly afraid to open up her heart.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Kate walked back to the kitchen to check her phone one more time and was delighted to see that Castle had actually responded.

Of course. Why wouldn't I be?

I was just concerned since I hadn't heard from you. Were your results were disappointing?

I wouldn't say that. Confusing.

Did you get matched with a blood relative? She questioned in hopes of brightening his spirits, for she knew he had too few female blood relatives for that to be even remotely likely.

I was matched with two women

"What?" Kate said aloud upon reading his text. I didn't think that was possible, she responded.

Rare but possible, they said. Their results were within one one-hundredth of a percent which is a statistical tie

I'm sorry; you must be disappointed.

No I wouldn't say that but…can we talk about this tomorrow?

Kate's face flushed upon reading his statement. Castle didn't want to talk about something? He must really have been upset then, which had her stomach clenching once more. Out of respect for his wishes she responded, Of course; good night Castle, though she knew she would think about him—and what lie ahead—for the rest of the night.

The following morning Richard Castle walked in to the Twelfth precinct with noticeably less spring in his step. He still carried two coffees, but instead of being excited for the day to begin, he remained as conflicted as he had been the day before. He shook his head at the recollection of his behavior from the day before. What an idiot he'd been—practically gloating over getting the one true result that would set the course of the rest of his life. Now, he didn't even know what to think.

"Oh hey Castle; didn't think I'd be seeing you today."

Kate's smile brought him only half the amount of usual joy as he passed over her latte. "Yeah, well, I…I couldn't sit at home any longer."

She tilted her head to the side and asked, "Still thinking about your results? Honestly, Castle, I think you're putting too much stock in this. Just because you got two matches doesn't mean you'd be any happier with one over the other."

He knew she was trying to help, but in his morose state, he only felt worse. "Soulmate, Beckett; I'm only supposed to have one—that's how it's supposed to work!"

She flattened her lips, presumably trying to suppress her urge to argue about the concept of soulmates once more. Instead, she suggested, "Well…why don't you meet them both and see. That can't hurt, right?"

He huffed out a breath and shuffled his way towards her desk. "Well, see, that's part of the problem."

"Oh no, Castle—did something happen to one of your matches?"

He shook off her concerned tone and sat down by her desk. "No, no—nothing that dramatic. It…well, here. Might as well." He reached into the breast pocket of his blazer, pulled out a folded sheet of paper, and slid it across the desk surface towards her.

Kate looked at the page as thought it might detonate at her touch. "Oh, no, Castle—you don't have to show me."

"I want to. Please." He gestured towards the page and then held his breath when she sat down and picked it up. The sheet was folded in quarters and Kate undid the pleats meticulously. Then, she held it up in front of her face and her eyes instantly widened. A moment late she gazed over at him silent presumably from surprise.

Clearing his throat, Castle rested his forearm against the desk and leaned closer to her so he could speak in a low voice. "I knew I'd see your name—I was so convinced it wasn't even a question. That was exactly what I wanted, too—what I've wanted for years. I knew that we…we've been dancing around this thing, neither of us wanting to talk about it for fear of the same thing, I believe: what if the other person doesn't feel the same? Or, worse, what if it doesn't work out? But the past three months, ever since you broke up with Josh, it just…it feels like we're getting closer—like we've been moving towards that place. I thought getting the letter about my matches was a sign, because I know you—you want facts, evidence. I thought I could show you this and you'd see that you don't have to be afraid and that our relationship is practically a guarantee, but then…then I saw the second name and I…I'm still surprised."

Completely and utterly stunned actually seemed a more appropriate descriptor. When Castle had been handed his results sheet he'd stammered out half a dozen nonsensical syllables before demanding an explanation as to how he could have two results. The representative calmly explained that around one percent of people had two matches that were too similar to rank separately; they were statistically identical. The woman's pleasant demeanor did nothing to assuage the firestorm of emotions taking place in Castle's chest and he fired more questions at her, but she repeatedly assured him that either woman would be an appropriate match for him.

For the next several hours, until it grew dark outside, Castle roamed aimlessly around the city, still barely able to process the sheet of paper in his hand. He should have been thrilled, for the one name his heart dreamed of more than any other was on the list. But now he had also another and because of his nature, he could not help but be interested as to whom Melanie Baker might be.

Kate calmly set the paper down on her desk and drew her hands down into her lap. "You looked her up, I assume."

"She lives in San Francisco and she's a nurse."

Kate arched her brow at him. "You didn't book a plane ticket?"

"Why would I do that?"

"She's your match."

"And so are you." He countered. He would never deny being curious about Melanie, but the turmoil inside his gut was not about how he was going to choose between them, but how he was going to suppress the curiosity of never meeting her; never discovering who she was, because as far as he was concerned there was no point to it for he didn't believe it was possible for him to fall as hard for anyone as he had for Kate.

The stubborn detective shook her head and pushed the results page back in his direction. "You need to meet her, Castle; you have to. How else will you know if she's—that she's not—she could—"

"Hey." As Kate's voice trembled with emotion, Castle reached out his right hand and closed it around her left bicep. She turned away from him obviously trying to hide her glassy-eyed expression, but he'd seen the emotion in her face and that was enough to know he was making the right decision. "Don't cry, Beckett; don't be upset. I'm not going anywhere. I got the result I wanted; I'm done."

Kate opened her desk drawer, pulled out a tissue, and swiped it beneath both of her eyes, and then dabbed it under her nose. Once she'd collected herself, she turned back to face him. "You're not done. I know you—you have to know the whole story. It's what drives you. It's what makes you you. It's….it's what makes you the best partner I could ha-have."

As her voice broke on the last word, Castle could stay apart from her no longer. Even though they were in the bullpen, he still moved from his seat, to crouch beside her chair. His right hand remained on her bicep and he landed his left on her knee, which he squeezed. "Kate, listen, I-"

"You need to meet her," she insisted. "I want you to."

"But I-"

"Hey Beckett, that warrant you—oh." Ryan stopped a few feet from Kate's desk and glanced between them. Castle quickly stood and tried to look casual, but by Ryan's expression he had clearly failed. "I-I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something? I can just-"

"No it's fine." Kate insisted, clearing her throat and getting back down to business. "You said something about a warrant?"

"Ah, yeah, it just came through."

"Great, then we'd better go. Castle?"

"Ah, yeah," he said a bit dumbly as he watched her collect her blazer and paperwork file. Clearly, their discussion was over for that moment, but he suspected it would continue later. "Yeah—I'm coming."

"You're going," Kate said as she walked into Castle's loft later that day. They'd parted ways at the precinct in the mid-afternoon after their latest suspect confessed. Kate needed to deal with paperwork, which was always Castle's cue to exit, but she made him promise they would continue their discussion later—in private. "Don't even bother arguing with me—you're going to San Francisco; you have to."

Though every time she thought about it Kate could feel the bile rising in her esophagus, she knew there was absolutely no question about whether or not Castle had to meet his other match. He had to otherwise any potential relationship they would have would be tainted before it even began. He would always be wondering what she was like, and Kate would always wonder if she was not the woman who could make him happiest.

As he shut the door behind her, Castle huffed out a breath. "Okay, fine; I'll go, but under one condition: I want to know how you feel about this. Honestly. No more hiding."

Once again Kate felt her stomach flip as revealing her true feelings was one of her least favorite things to do. Worse, she wasn't even sure how she felt.

First thing that morning when Castle had explained to her his thoughts on his soulmate match, she knew he'd been right about them—at least, insofar as how things had been going lately. Ever since she broke up with her boyfriend of six months when he decided to go on a yearlong Doctor's Without Boarders trip she had been migrating progressively closer to her writer friend. With Josh out of the picture she could finally admit the real reason she'd been with him: because he was a safe choice. He was the exact type of man she thought she should be with—one practically opposite the man beside her.

The problem was: Josh didn't make her heart flutter every time she saw him. Josh didn't make her laugh so hard her belly ached. Josh didn't make her long for his touch even if it was only the brush of their fingers as they exchanged coffee cups.

Her heart wanted Castle, but she also knew he was the type of man who needed a woman who was open and affectionate—one who didn't live with one foot out the door. She wanted to be that woman for him, but she needed time, and perhaps a little more faith. Castle was right when he guessed that seeing her name on his list would nudge her in the right direction. It had been both surprising and not, reaffirming the thing she was afraid to believe in, but with two names on his list there was only one clear way of moving forward.

"I…I guess I'm scared and a little upset."

"Upset because we're matched?" he asked, practically cringing.

Kate stepped forward and gripped onto his forearms with both of her hands. "No, no—not at all. You were right about us the past few months—I've been trying hard to get to a place where I could be open enough to deserve someone like you. I've been closed off for so long that sometimes I…" She shook her head as a betraying tear slipped down her cheek. "Sometimes I'm afraid that I never will be; that happiness isn't in the cards for me and that makes me think that maybe you'll meet her, Melanie, and you two will be—you'll hit it off and I'll just…Maybe I—maybe I'm not—"

Before she could ramble any more, Castle quickly dipped his head and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was a bit awkward and surprised Kate to the point where her hands fell away from his arms. He used that opportunity to pull back, cradle her face, and then lean back in for a proper kiss. Kate could feel the strength in her legs weaken as his tongue stroked the seam of her lips and she let out an involuntary whimper. She parted her lips and took him inside, kissing him properly for the first time and, god, this was what real first kisses were supposed to be like: perfect and leaving her craving for more.

A moment later, Castle pulled back, bumped their noses together and then sighed out, "You are, Kate; I know you are."

A few more tears fell down her cheeks and she settled her hands at his waist. He could assure her for hours and days, but she would never change her mind about their reality. "You still have to go, Rick."

He sighed, lifted his head, and pressed his lips to her hairline. Then, he pulled her in for a hug and sighed out. "I know."

"Hey, thanks for coming." Castle swiftly stepped aside so his guest could enter the apartment. He'd texted her on his way back from Newark and was glad she could come right away.

"Ah, sure. I, ah, I thought we'd just meet up tomorrow so you could have a chance to, you know, adjust to the time difference and all."

He shook his head. "No I slept on the way back; I'm fine."

Kate nodded and followed his lead on the way to the sofa, where they both sat. They remained silent for around thirty seconds before Kate said, "So, ah, what's she like—Melanie?"

Castle nodded at the memory of the woman he first met for coffee and subsequently had dinner with. "She's interesting. She's, ah, just a few years younger than I am and she works as a nurse as I said—she's an ER nurse, actually; she saves lives." He paused while Kate gave him a measured smile, then, skimming his hand over his jaw, he continued.

"She has a bit of a sad past, actually. She's a single mom because her husband was killed in the line of duty—he was a firefighter. Her son, Pat, is eleven and is super into video games and comic books so, you know, sounds like an awesomely nerdy kid."

"Right." Kate chimed in with a breathy laugh.

"She told me that recently she'd been taking care of her sister who had cancer—she actually took a leave of absence from work to do so—but unfortunately her sister passed away about six months ago and she's been trying to get back on her feet ever since by working extra shifts, long hours, barely seeing her son—all so she can save lives."

"Well, she sounds pretty incredible to me."

He nodded before voicing aloud the thoughts he'd had in his hotel room after their meal together. "She sounds like it, yeah. And I…I guess I could see it—being inspired by her and the work she does, helping her out, easing her pain…"

"Then you should," Kate said with almost surprising strength in her voice, but Castle immediately refuted.

Sliding closed to her on the couch he placed his hand gently on her forearm. "No, I shouldn't. The thing of it is, Kate: I actually made this decision a long time ago without ever even thinking about who my DNA match might be. In my mind, that was secondary to what I knew in my heart after getting to know you. I feel in love with you and who you are and who I am when I'm with you. I want you, Kate; you."

He heard her take in a shuttered breath and when she shut her eyes a tear dripped out of each. He lifted his hand to brush them away with his thumb, but she merely shook her head and whispered out, "But what if I mess up? What if I break your heart?"

Stroking the pad of his thumb over her cheek he said, "You won't; you won't—the fact that you're worried about it means you won't."

She opened her eyes again and looked more afraid than she'd ever seen him. "I want you to be happy, Rick," she whispered to him.

"I am. You make me happy every day—even if it's just by smiling. You and Melanie have the same match percent which means the choice is up to me and I'm choosing you. I'll always choose you—always."

At his words, Kate instantly began to cry, crumpling her body forward and covering her face with both hands. He left his hand on her shoulder, not sure what to do for almost a full minute before tentatively saying her name. In response, she turned and threw her arms around his neck, pulling their bodies close together.

Laughing with relief, Castle pulled her close and rolled back against the couch cushions so they were in a half-reclined position. He kissed the top of her shoulder several times and sighed out, "Kate…I love you."

Her body trembled beneath his and she whispered out, "I love you, too."

Thrilled and more than a little emotional, Castle turned his head and kissed her ear, then her cheek, and then trailed his kisses progressively closer to her mouth until he captured it and held her close. His hand roamed her back until he found the hem of her shirt and could slide it beneath. Just when he reached the clasp on her bra she pulled back, breathless.

"Wait no—sorry." Shaking her head she said. "I'm sorry—it's just too much for me right now. Can—can we just cuddle a little bit?"

He grinned at her uncertain tone—as if he would ever complain about cuddling with Kate Beckett. "Of course; of course."

They rearranged their positions on the couch so that Kate sat beside him with her body braced against the wall of his chest and her legs draped over his lap. He had one arm around her back and the other across her shins, knowing he would hold her close for as long as she let him.

For the better part of five minutes they remained silent until Kate let out an audible sigh and traced one of her fingertips over the edge of his collar bone. "Thank you, Castle."

"For what? Picking you?"

She lifted her head and he could see a playful smile on her lips. "No, for everything you do. For being you."

He kissed her gently. "Thank you for being you, too." Then, he pulled her in close again, shut his eyes, and leaned his head against hers knowing they were going to be happy for the rest of their lives.

A/N: Thanks for reading!