Two shot, the second part will be posted in the next few days. Set mid season 4.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.

Three days, Castle had been missing for three days and Beckett was going crazy. They run down every lead, followed every clue and they'd found nothing until this morning. She'd been ordered by the captain to stay at the precinct while the boys, as well as some other detectives and officers, raided the warehouse where he's supposedly being held. She tried to argue that if Ryan and Esposito could go, she should be able to too but the captain wouldn't budge on her decision so she was left waiting.

Money, that's what the kidnappers were after, but they'd become greedy and slipped up, which lead to the vital clue as to where Castle was being held. They shouldn't have even had this case since it was a kidnapping and not a murder but the captain had reluctantly let them help the team that had been assigned to Castle's as she knew they wouldn't be able to focus on anything else anyway until he was found.

So now Beckett was left behind, left at the precinct, while they rescued her partner. Not that she didn't trust them, she just hated waiting to find out if he was okay and now being allowed to help. And so now Beckett just had to sit here and wait, wait for news that her partner was safe. She'd been working basically nonstop, only took a break when Ryan and Esposito made her and even that was only a quick nap before she was back working the case. She shouldn't have been, being so emotionally involved with the victim, but she wouldn't stop until he was safe.

They may have been close, Castle and Beckett, and everyone around them thought they were romantically involved, but they weren't. Not yet anyway, thought Beckett as she planned what to do when she saw him again. She couldn't wait any longer, she was tired of waiting and she wanted him, just him, and she planned on telling him that when she saw him again.

So she was silent while she waited for her phone to ring, for news that they'd found Castle, that he was okay. She didn't know what to do with herself, alternating between pacing and sitting at her desk, all the while staring at the murder board which featured Castle's face. She didn't like that his face was up there, it didn't below there, and she never wanted to see it there again.

Beckett had to resist the urge to pick up the phone and call Ryan or Esposito but she forced herself to wait, knowing they'd call when it was over.

But what if he wasn't safe? That was the thought that had been buzzing around her head for the last three days. What if he was hurt and she could do nothing to help him. She didn't let herself think about the possibility that he could be dead, she couldn't think about it. Physical pain ricocheted its way through her chest at the thought and she knew she wouldn't survive if that was the case. So she pushed that thought away and only allowed herself to think that he was okay.

When the phone finally rang, she basically leapt for it, bringing it to her ear and listening intently to what was said on the other end. As soon as she hung up, she collapsed back into her chair, a wave of relief washed over her. He's fine. He's safe. Those were the words that Ryan had said and she clung to them, replaying them over and over again in her head. He was fine.

But now she had to do more waiting. First he'd be checked out by the ambulance staff at the scene to double check he was fine before he was brought here, to her. That thought filled her up, left her heart fluttering. She'd be able to see him soon, to make sure he was okay herself. And then she could finally tell him, tell him how she feels.

XXX

It seemed like hours, but she knew it hadn't been, when the elevator finally opened and out stepped Castle, followed closely behind by Ryan and Esposito. But Beckett only had eyes for Castle, looking him up and down to make sure he was okay. After reassuring herself that he looked fine, she looked up into his eyes to find that he was already looking at her. She hadn't moved and he walked straight to her, stopping directly in front of her, close but not touching.

"Hey," said Castle softly, a small smile on his face.

"Hey yourself," replied Beckett, face breaking into a grin as she realised he was really standing in front of her, "Are you okay?" She had to ask, had to truly make sure for herself.

"Yeah," he said, although the look in his eyes changed and she saw the fear lingering there, the fear that would've been constantly present for the past three days. She didn't like that look and wanted to erase it from his eyes, never wanted to see him scared again.

"I've been so worried," Beckett whispered, her hands at her sides itching to reach up and cup his face. Soon, but not here, she thought.

"I knew you'd find me," he replied, voice quiet to match hers.

"I wish I'd been there to get you out," she said, still feeling guilty that she let something like this happen to him in the first place. Not that it was her fault, he'd been kidnapped because he was rich, not because of his involvement with the police but she still felt like she should have been able to stop it, to keep him safe.

"I wish you'd been there too," Castle replied and she knew that it wasn't because he didn't trust the boys to get him out safely, it was because he'd wanted to see him sooner. As soon as he'd been rescued, he'd wanted to call her, to talk to her, but he hadn't been able to. He'd been taken directly to the ambulance to be checked over, had only been allowed a quick call to his mother and daughter to let them know he was safe. He would've been allowed to call Beckett too but Ryan had already done that and he also needed to give his statement to the other detectives at the scene.

No more words were needed as they just stared at each other, Beckett finally accepting that fact that he was fine, that he'd come back to her. She could've easily bridged the gap between them then, placing her lips softly on his, doing something she'd wanted to do for a very long time, but they were interrupted before she could.

Ryan and Esposito had hung back, letting them have their moment together, for Beckett to come to the conclusion that he was okay herself. And they'd seen that she'd done that and it was getting late so they wanted to say goodbye before they left.

"We're glad you're okay, Castle," said Ryan, giving Castle a nod which Castle returned.

"Yeah man, who else is going to let us borrow their Ferrari?" Esposito joked. And they all knew it was a joke and how glad the detectives really were that Castle had been found safe, knew all too well how this scenario could've turned out. But they all laughed, glad for the joke to relieve the seriousness of the situation. They said goodbye then, leaving Beckett and Castle alone again.

"I'll drive you home?" she asked, not wanting to leave him just yet, still having a lot of things to say to him but knowing he'd want to see his family first.

"Sure, thanks," he said, smiling at her before picking up her coat off the back of her chair and helping her into it. He didn't want to leave her just yet either. He'd been truly scared these past few days and one of the thoughts that had kept him going was that he knew she'd be out there looking for him, doing everything in her power to get him back safely. He just wished now that he could hold her close, inhale her scent, press his nose into her hair and hold her tight but he couldn't do any of that, not yet anyway. Maybe one day, when that wall of hers was knocked down. Until then he'd wait, he'd always wait for her.

As they walked towards the elevator, Beckett had to resist the urge to reach out and grab his hand but she knew that tonight, tonight she'd do just that and hopefully much more once she finally told him how she felt.

Thanks for reading and your thoughts are always welcome.