Whatever It Takes

Sitting by the bed, watching her, knowing that she was still alive and kicking, he is reminded of a certain day in the rain. A day where they broke and finally gave in to what the universe had been telling them all along. Written for Jameson Rook's challenge.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the song. I'm just taking them out for a bit of fun. I promise to put them back when I'm done.

XOXOXOX

She had been shot almost three days ago. It had been almost three days ago Richard Castle that had to watch the woman he loved close her eyes for what might be the last time.

'The universe has a fucked up sense of humor.' He ran his hand down her arm again as he thought this. He needed to convince himself several times a day that she was actually lying in this bed, that it wasn't just a look alike.

A crack of thunder went off outside of the window of the room she was in. Castle had put good money towards getting her a private room. He made sure that she would have everything that she needed to get better. She just had to open her eyes first. And no matter how much he pleaded, the universe just wasn't agreeing with him on that point.

He felt like the rain was a symbol of irony. It had been raining the day that they had made that leap. The day where they had stopped being just partners and became something that there were no words for.

XOXOXOX

If there was one thing that Castle hated more than crazy fangirls, it was the cold shoulder; especially when he was at the receiving end of said "shoulder". He could handle Esposito and Ryan doing it, but from Beckett, it just bugged him. He wanted to fix it, he really did, but she had a knack for making that impossible.

She was at the coffee machine right now. He was sorely tempted to go in there and give her a 'Castle-style' interrogation. He just wanted to know what the hell was wrong. But he was smarter than that and knew that a pissed off Beckett would not give so easily. So, he retained his seat. She returned to her desk, coffee in one hand and several folders in the other. She placed them down before looking at the man sitting in the chair next to her desk.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Like a book signing or something?" He shook his head and she sighed in frustration.

"Why? Do you want me to have something to do?" A cold look is sent his way. And that's the look that makes Richard Castle say that enough is enough. "So, mind telling me what I screwed up this time?" Beckett gives him a look that warns him to knock it off, but he ignores it. She's lit a fire in him with this attitude of hers and he intends to get an answer. "Obviously it can't be that I looked into your mom's case. We've already aired that one out. So spill, how did I screw up your world this time?" The look he got was nastier than any look he had ever received from her before. She didn't grace him with an answer before grabbing her coat and storming out of the precinct.

Castle sat stupidly in his chair for a moment before it struck him. He scrambled up from the chair and raced for the elevator, hoping that she wouldn't be gone once he got downstairs. And luck seemed to be on his side. He saw the tail end of her coat once he was free of the confines of the elevator. He ran after her, wanting to catch her before she hopped in her car and took off.

"Kate! KATE!" He hadn't even realized that the rain had started back up, but at this moment he didn't care, he just had to get to the woman that was storming off only a few paces in front of him. "KATE!" She finally stopped and Castle took a breath, thankful for that. Then she turned around, and the fire in her eyes had him wanting to run himself.

"WHAT? What is soooo damn important that I can't even be pissed at you in private?" He had to steel himself. If he broke now, it would just all go to hell.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out? Why are you pissed at me?" They were both soaked to the bone, but neither of them cared. The universe was having a moment and that moment was going invariably shift the path for these two.

"You left." It was only two words, but it was two words that made so much sense that it hurt. Castle almost staggered, the weight of realization hit him like a fast moving train.

"You were going to say yes." Beckett looked away, she couldn't look at the man in front of her as he pieced it all together.

"Yes. I was going to say yes. But then the Stepford Wife showed her ugly face. It all went to hell at that moment." Castle reached to pull her into his arms, but she moved back, almost like he had the plague.

"Kate…" She cut him off.

"Don't. Don't try to charm yourself back into my life. Just don't." He swallowed heavily, he didn't want to charm his way anywhere. He just wanted to apologize.

"Kate. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't know. I swear I didn't. If I had, well, Gina would've been sent packing. Kate, I'll do anything to fix this, whatever it takes. I can't lose you. Not now, not when I've invested so much of myself in this." She looked at him, a strangled smile across her face. But in his mind it was still a smile. He moved a little closer, closing the distance between them.

"And what if you can't fix this? What if this is how it was supposed to be?" He shook his head, the romantic in him refused to believe that.

"No, I know you've got a million reasons to walk away from me right now and leave this as is. But I think that there is one reason for you to stay." She raised an eyebrow.

"And that is?" He got even closer, killing any concept of personal space, and lifted her chin so that he could look directly into her face.

"I love you. Simple as that." Her jaw dropped at that and his hand fell away, back to his side. "Kate, without you, there is much reason for me in this world anymore. So please, don't take away that reason." She didn't know how to answer him, so she just pulled him into a hug.

Tears were threatening to fall. If he had been any other guy, his words would've been classified as too late. But he was Richard Castle and somehow, he always managed to say the right words at the right time. This was one of those times.

"I love you too. I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help it. You piss me off, you drive me insane, you make me want to commit myself, but dammit I love you." Castle just smiled and pulled her into a one armed hug while placing his other hand under chin, making her look at him again.

"I know." And that was all he said before closing the space between them for good. And while a hail of fireworks didn't go off like some people would've thought, there was plenty of sparks between the two of them. Sure, it was raining, it was cold, and it was a bit clichéd, but yet it was just so them and neither of them could think of a more perfect first kiss.

Because it was more than a kiss, it was promise. It was 'always', 'forever', and 'I do' wrapped up into a nice, little bundle. It was what was going to get them through those moments where they thought that they just couldn't take it anymore. It was the beginning for them, not just as partners, not just friends, and not just lovers, but a combination of the three that no label could be attached to. This is what was going to get them through the looming darkness, the nights that they fought and the days that they couldn't remember why they had started this mess in the first place.

Cause what else could a kiss between these two be, other than a promise?

XOXOXOX

'Little did we know.' He linked his fingers with hers and gave them a light squeeze, praying in the back of his mind that she would squeeze back. But there was nothing. She was as still as the day they brought her in here.

That silent promise they had made that day had gotten them through almost everything you could imagine, finding the man that killed her last possible lead to her mom's death, almost freezing to death together, staring down a dirty bomb that could blow them sky-high, and one of the nastiest fights that they had had in a long ass time. But could that promise get them through death?

Yet, here he was, keeping a quiet vigil at her bedside, and begging whatever god that was willing to listen to spare her life, to not take the woman he loved away before he got to fulfill his promise of forever.

He felt sleep creeping up on him, but instead of getting up and going home to sleep like a normal person, he rested his head on the edge of the hospital mattress. He wanted to be the first person around when she finally opened those eyes of hers. He once told her that he would do whatever it took to fix everything between them. It was at the same time that he made his silent promise of 'always'. And he was going to stick with that. He was going to fix this, even if it was just being that shoulder for her to cry on, he was going to do it…whatever it takes.

With happy thoughts of the future in his mind, he let sleep take him. He squeezed her hand that he held one last time and in his sleep addled mind, he thought that she might've squeezed back.

I'll do whatever it takes to turn this around.
I know what's at stake; I know that I've let you down.
And if you give me a chance, believe that I can change.
I'll keep us together whatever it takes.

A/N: WHOO! It's done! So, this is my entry for Jameson Rook's fanfiction challenge. This fic has spoilers from 2x24, 3x01, 3x13, 3x17, 3x18, and 3x24. Sheesh…I really went happy with this fic…didn't I? I guess writing this at 3 in the morning was to my advantage, eh?

Well, read, do that review thing that I like so much, and then go to Jameson Rook's profile and message them about the challenge. A few things that you should mention in your message are this:

1) What pairings you can write about/would like to write about.
2) The rating (K-M) you would be comfortable writing at, and
3) What genre you would like the song to apply to.

Jameson's profile can be found here at http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2885474/

Just replace that parts that say (dot) with an actual period.

Au Revior!