Summary: Even in the bleakest of situations, she knows she will always find comfort in his arms. Missing scene from After The Storm. Spoilers...obviously...for 5x01.

Author's Note: Because how could I not write something after Monday night's episode?

Many thanks to beetlebug for the beta and teelduo for the lovely cover art! You guys rock! And thank you to alexandrajlee for translating this into Chinese...the link can be found on my profile.

Disclaimer: No. Just, no.

Solace

"Let me take you someplace, Kate. Someplace you'll be safe."

"I'll never be safe."

She does not know how long they stand there, wrapped up in each other in the middle of her living room. She does not even know who pulls away first, but she thinks it might be simultaneous because Castle has always been incredibly in tune with her, even when she did not want him to be.

Their eyes meet briefly as they step apart, faces shadowed in the dim light of the living room. The TV screen still glows in the background but Kate forces herself to look away from the face on the screen, from the man who has held so much power over her life for so many years. She forces herself to push it to the back of her mind, to not let it tarnish her time with Castle because if they really are coming for her and this is the last night she and Castle ever have together, she wants to make sure that it is filled with just the two of them and nothing more.

"Come on," she speaks, voice barely above a whisper, but it fills the ominous silence that has settled over her apartment.

Castle reaches for the remote, shuts off the TV, replaces the device with a dull thud. It too echoes off the walls, unwilling to allow them to forget that in this case, out of sight does not mean out of mind.

Kate reaches for his hand then, twines their fingers gently and tugs his arm away from the tabletop. The rest of his body follows, two sets of footsteps down the hallway to her bedroom. It briefly crosses his mind as he enters that this was never the circumstances in which he expected to be here for the first time. In his mind, there would have been a tangle of tongues and teeth and limbs, someone stubbing their toe on the book shelf, the door shutting noisily behind them as he pushed her up against it. She would fumble for his belt buckle while his hands were busy at the buttons of her shirt and, well, the rest is fairly self-explanatory.

But as she switches on the lamp on her bedside table, toes off her boots and sinks onto the edge of the bed with a sigh of defeat, reality begins to sink in. And in the stark actuality of the moment, Castle is torn from his daydream, engulfed by the terrifying realization that this may be the only night they ever spend together in her bed.

He thinks she can see it in his face, can read it in his eyes, because he sees understanding cross through her gaze as she studies him. It is not ideal, not by a long shot, but if this is what they have been given, well, the least he can do is ensure that they write the best possible ending.

Castle crosses to her then and she stands as he approaches, allows herself to fall into his arms again. His rise to surround her instinctively, holding her to him and allowing his love to envelop her.

"I didn't want this to happen," she chokes out, a lone tears escaping from the corner of her eye. "I walked away for a reason."

"I know," he placates, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I know you did. But unfortunately you weren't given the choice of staying away."

"I can't..." she half sobs, buries her face deeper into the warmth of his neck.

He tilts his chin, bends down to feather his lips across her temple. "You don't have to," he murmurs, and she shivers involuntarily at the feel of his lips brushing her skin, his warm breath washing over her face. "You don't have to right now. Not tonight. Just focus on this. Tonight is just about us."

It feels so final, as though this is an ending when it should be just the beginning, and she hates it but at the same time, she knows he is right. Tonight is about them. Here in the semi darkness of her room they can block out the rest of the world, ignore the dangers they will face when the harsh light of day breaks in a few hours.

Kate takes a deep breath, her rib cage expanding against his, and as she exhales shakily, she feels him do the same. Both of their bodies are still thrumming with tension but just being here together is helping immensely. Already, she can feel fatigue beginning to take over, relaxation beginning to claim their muscles. The adrenaline of finding the answers, finding the man responsible, is wearing off and both of them are destined to crash at any moment.

"Come on," she says at last, lifts her head from its resting spot to meet his eyes. "Let's get some sleep."

They forgo the bathroom entirely, far too exhausted to be concerned with much beyond collapsing into bed. As Kate steps out of his embrace, his arms fall to her hips, keeping her there as his fingers dip beneath the hemline of her shirt. Tantalizing trails of heat follow the faint brushes against her skin as he raises the garment and she wordlessly lifts her arms over her head, allows him to undress her.

He moves to his own shirt next, makes quick work of the buttons as she unclasps and removes her bra, wriggles out of her jeans. She reaches for his belt buckle next but he stops her, catching her arms and guiding them into the sleeves of his button down. She opens her mouth to protest but catches a whiff of the fabric as he slides it over her shoulders and the words die on her lips. The scent of him overwhelms her, because even though she spent the previous night wrapped up in his naked body, having his shirt surrounding her right now is different somehow. And the fact that he inherently knows that this is exactly what she needs makes her heart melt.

Kate smiles softly up at him as his deft fingers move to the buttons, fastening just a few in the front. She cannot help but remember this morning, when she undid the buttons on his shirt, allowed him to remove it from her body instead. But somehow tonight this feels right. Tonight, she needs the comfort she knows she will find in his scent and his arms and his love.

He removes his own pants next, toes off his shoes and socks in the process and leaves the whole bundle in a pile on her floor. Ordinarily she would offer a snarky remark but tonight she does not say a word, simply turns to pull back the covers, slide in between the sheets.

Castle follows her, clad in just a black t shirt and boxers as he settles into her bed. It strikes him now how little they have actually said tonight and yet he is certain that they are on the same page, that they have been since she fell into his arms in her living room.

She reaches up to switch off the lamp, her arm dwarfed by the sleeve of his shirt, but he notices how already she is clinging to the cuffs of it, enveloping herself in the garment.

His is awkwardly caught in the middle of attempting to figure out how best to cuddle up to her when she scoots down and into his body, rests her head on his chest. He smiles to himself at the fact that Kate is a snuggler (because he secretly always thought that she was and in the last twenty four hours he has definitely confirmed it), allows her to situate herself against him.

When she is settled he lays his head on the pillow, wraps his arms around her and holds her to him. He feels her calf slide between his to twine their legs together and his response is silent as he pulls her closer, buries his head in her hair.

Kate lifts her head slowly then, blinking up at him in the darkness. He can see the moisture pooling in her eyes but at the same time he sees the determination fighting to take over, to push aside the storm of emotions swirling through her that he cannot even begin to comprehend.

He loosens his hold on her enough to bring his thumb to her cheek, swiping away the moisture that has escaped despite her efforts to hold back the tears. He follows the touch with his lips, gentle on her cheek, then lower, searching for her mouth. She melts into him right away, seeking the reassurance she so desperately craves and allowing him to take from her everything that she has not yet found the words to voice.

"I've got you, Kate," he whispers against her lips, steals from her another soft kiss. "I've got you."

"I know you do," she breaths, and it is so insubstantial, not even close to enough, but it is what she has right now and he deserves everything she has and more.

She smiles through the tears as she lowers her head to rest against his chest once more, his body warm and solid beneath her. His arms settle around her once again, grounding her, holding her together while allowing her to fall apart if she needs to. Her right arm finds its way to his chest, coming to rest directly over his heart, and she can feel him smile against the top of her head as the touch of her palm warms his skin even through the dark fabric of his shirt.

At some point she is going to need to concoct a plan, one which will keep both of them safe from the danger that looms. One which will allow them many more nights in each other's company. Fringes of an idea are already coming together in her mind, and while she knows that there is no way she can take Bracken down right now, not without solid evidence, there has to be something she can do. And she fully intends to find it because she cannot continue to live with the threat of death hanging over her. Or Castle. She has fought for months to be strong enough and healed enough to be with him and now that she is, there is no way she will allow this to be taken from her. They deserve better. They deserve a shot at pure, untarnished happiness.

"Sleep, Kate," he whispers, breaking her train of thought, pulling her back into her bed and his arms and the two of them here, together.

She nuzzles into his chest, breathes him in, feels it seep into her veins and begin to unwind her muscles which have been knotted by the tension of the day. And as she closes her eyes, relaxes into the warmth and safety of his embrace, she can almost feel everything else evaporate away.

"Good night, Castle."

THE END

Thoughts?