"Castle?" she called, her heart racing. "Castle, are you here?" Her voice echoed off the walls of the alley.
Kate kept calling his name, panic and frustration rising within her. All the evidence led here- this was where he was supposed to be!
The alley suddenly took a sharp left and she followed it, her breath heavy with fear and exhaustion. And then he was there.
A body was lying on the dark, damp concrete in its usual collared shirt. A lump formed in her throat and she barely even registered the deep sobs she let loose as she ran to him.
Then she was kneeling there, shaking him, trying to get him up, but there was no response- no breathing, no heartbeat, no charismatic laugh that always made her smile.
He almost looked asleep, but there was so much blood that she knew it for sure- Richard Castle was dead.
Kate gasped, shooting up in bed and thrashing about in panic. "Castle!" she cried, her body desperately searching for him through the sheets and covers.
"Beckett?" an alarmed voice called from the bathroom, where a light was shining. A head poked around the corner. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Kate took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was just a dream. As her breathing slowed, she suddenly started to cry.
It was a rare thing for her to do and it was always so embarrassing, but, this time, she couldn't hold it back. Sobs racked her body as her mind vividly replayed her awful nightmare. Suddenly, she felt arms around her- strong, comforting, and warm- as he sat down beside her, and heard reassurances whispered in her ear. She clutched desperately at him, in this one moment of utter weakness.
"Y-you were dead!" she almost whimpered.
"Shhh…" he whispered in her ear. "It's okay, I'm okay." His arms wrapped around her firmer and she burrowed her face in his shoulder, so relieved that he was there and not dead in an alleyway.
After Kate had calmed down a little, Castle gently stroked her hair. "Have you dreamt this before?" he asked softly.
She nodded, tears still silently cascading down her face. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
After a moment, she sighed, wiping her tears. "It started when you went missing," she started, in a hoarse voice. "I'd wake up almost every night with the same dream- finding you… dead… in an alleyway." She closed her eyes, remembering the time she spent screaming and crying. She occasionally resorted to drinking and smashing things in her apartment. "When we found you, they stopped, but then…" Kate faltered and looked down in embarrassment.
"Then?" he pressed, his hand pausing.
"Then you went on that book tour and… you weren't there, so I…" She trailed off, heat rising to her cheeks.
"I-" she started to stay, but she was interrupted by Castle's lips pressing against hers, hesitant, but tender. She deepened the kiss, her hand snaking up to his neck, her fingers just brushing his brown locks.
"I'm sorry," he whispered when they pulled away.
"It's not your fault," she replied, removing her hand from his neck and taking his hands in both of hers.
"I love you," he murmured.
"I love you, too," said softly.
Then they lied back down, Kate falling asleep in his arms.
So, yeah… Just a little blurb of Castle feels I had this morning. :-P
Hope you enjoyed!
Peace, Love, and the NYPD,
~27lablover