A.N. A Series 8 story. This fic was inspired by a beautiful painting by the talented Random-ship on Tumblr. I hope you don't mind! Here's the link to the painting (omit spaces and brackets) - random-ship . tumblr . (c)om /post/132674344693/want-by-e

For One Night

Three shots in quick succession.

Yelling.

A final shot rang out.

Everyone silenced.

A second shooting in the precinct during the new captain's reign. But this time, thankfully, no officers were injured.

No officers were injured, but a citizen was.

As suddenly as everyone silenced, the room erupted into action with officers rushing to the man with a hole torn through his flesh.

The only other civilian on the floor raised his head above the desk he'd dived behind when the action started. Castle scanned the room and located Beckett standing, unscathed but desperately scanning the room. While LT, Espo, Ryan and Karpowski dealt with the gunman, Rick rushed towards his wife. As soon as she noticed his approach, her shoulders relaxed and her fingers uncurled from their grip on each other. She stopped searching and kept her fixed her gaze on him.

They met halfway, hands grasping at arms and elbows and trembling fingers sliding over cheeks and through hair. She assessed him rapidly, seeing him to be similarly unscathed.

He drew her with him into an alcove, their bodies semi-shielded from the activity of the bullpen. Their noses brushed, foreheads resting together as their breaths mingled. Adrenaline and fear were still coursing through their systems, making each inhalation follow rapidly on the end of an exhalation. She slumped towards him and he took the weight of her torso, feeling her rapid heartbeat join with his through two layers of wool sweaters.

"We're okay," he breathed, consciously calming himself. "You're okay and I'm okay."

"You're okay," she echoed, as if she didn't quite believe it.

"Yeah." He ran a hand along the curve of her back as he soothed. "We're together. We got through another one, honey."

"Another one… Too much." The sentence ended on a waiver of her voice, upset leaking through as reality settled in. She dipped her head to his shoulder, tucking herself against him and banding her arms around his torso as if she couldn't get him close enough.

Cashmere, soft and body-warmed against his hands, and he brushed over her again. Her form was so familiar yet it had been so long since he'd properly caressed her, and touched her. Since he'd just held his wife.

"So many times, Castle," she continued, tears making her voice thick, choking her words so he had to dip his head to hear her. "We've faced death too many times. And I've been trying to protect you." A bitter laugh escaped along with the first of her tears. "But here we are again."

"Is that what you've been doing?" he murmured, forcing away the bitterness – there would undoubtedly be time for that later – as pieces of the mystery slotted into place. "All this need for time has been to protect me?"

There was a moment, a few seconds when they were both frozen, her gaze averted as she considered her response, but then she nodded against him. "There are things you don't know, things you can't know, which are dangerous for you. People have already died because of this. And-" More tears cut her off. He felt the dampness spreading through his jumper. "And I can't let you be one of them."

The sounds of someone uncomfortably clearing his throat interrupted them. While Beckett fumbled to wipe at her cheeks, Castle looked over the crown of her head at Ryan, shuffling on the spot a few feet away. He shot Castle an apologetic look. "Ambulance is on its way, Beckett. What do you want us to do with him in the meantime?"

"I'll be right there." She finally turned to face him, but her attempt to eradicate the evidence of her tears had failed.

Ryan nodded and proceeded back to the suspect-turned-victim. She made to follow him.

"Beckett." Castle grasped her wrist, halting her movements. A hand on her other arm and he eased her back to face him. "Come home tonight." At her immediate pained expression, he rushed to continue, "Just for one night. I just need you close after today."

Immobilised by Castle's hold on her, she was unable to wipe away the fresh tears which fell at his plea. "I can't," she rasped. "It's too dangerous. If someone saw me go home, they might assume we were back together. They might think I told you and you were involved."

Involved… In what, he didn't know, but he'd learnt more about her secrets in the last few minutes than he had since she walked out of their home. He mentally made a note to assess the information later. More pressing was the emotional need of the moment. "I can come to yours," he thus offered, though as with everything else, he had no knowledge of where she'd been spending her nights.

"Castle." It was her turn to plead. He was paining her by asking her for things she wanted nothing more than to grant. Yet turning him down would hurt him. She glanced helplessly back towards the scene where she, as captain, should be. "Look, wait for me, please." And she broke away, brushing away her tears even as she strode with forced confidence to take charge of the incident.

It was nearly midnight by the time Captain Beckett finished dealing with the initial fallout of the shooting. A suspect of Karpowski's ongoing homicide investigation had felt like his only way out was to shoot his way out of imminent arrest. No doubt there would be follow-up work to undertake, but when she shut down her computer and collected her coat, she was up to date with her duties.

Castle appeared at her side the moment she stepped out of her office. She gazed upon him with awe, whispering, "You waited."

"You asked me to," he replied simply, with a shrug as if his faithful act meant nothing after all she'd put him through. He brushed off her thanks and led her towards the elevator, beginning to ramble as he oft did when nervous. "I booked us a hotel room. But don't worry, we're Mr and Mrs Henderson, and I'll pay cash when we arrive. I just- I need one night, Beckett. After today, I need you with me."

"Okay," she replied meekly, because really, she needed the same.

Once they entered their hotel room, it didn't take them long to find the bed and find each other. They paid little notice to their sparse surroundings, the lack of luxury made necessary by the need for anonymity. They were warm and they were together. And for the moment, they seemed to have succeeded in hiding from the danger ever lurking at Beckett's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Castle," she spoke into his chest.

He brushed her hair from her cheek, allowing him to better see her face. "For what?"

She sighed, deep and heavy. 'The weight of the world on her shoulders', such an often used phrase, but he fairly believed it to be true in the case of his wife. He tucked her in closer as she began to speak. "A lot of things. But right now, for not being strong enough to keep away. Because being with me is dangerous."

"But why, Kate?" He was unable to keep the frustration out of his tone and felt her stiffen against him as a result. "Just tell me. Explain to me why my wife is keeping her distance."

"I can't." She knew she should have pulled away from him, had the courage to look him in the eye as she denied him the answers for which he was desperate. But tucked against his shoulder, curled against his chest, arms and legs entwined, she felt secure. "I know you, Castle. I tell you this and you're in. You're involved and then you get hurt. I can't risk that."

"I don't understand. Why would I get hurt? What sort of thing are you involved in?"

"Castle." She did pull away then. And it was her turn to become frustrated, but at the situation, not at him, not at her patient, sweet husband. "I can't. I hate this but I can't. And however much you plead, I won't. Because I love you. You may not believe it after all this, but I do."

There was silence. Long minutes stretched out while she lay huddled within his stiff arms. His heartbeat drummed rapid and hard beneath her ear, his breath catching and heavy within his chest. Kate sniffed and Rick sighed and the silence descended once more. Both analysing, worrying. She, agonising about her husband's response, about just how much patience he had left. And he, wresting with his lack of knowledge over the secrets, the threat, and in how much danger his wife was embroiled.

"Alright," he sighed again. "I can understand your intentions, even though I may not like them. But Kate, I'm going to ask you one more thing, and this I need you to answer." Here he shifted to pry her away from him, though he felt a pang when he met her tear-filled, wide eyes, that he was removing her from the comfort of his embrace. Yet he needed to see her for this, needed her to see how serious he was, and he needed to see whether she answered truthfully. "Kate, I need to know you're being careful. I need to know that whatever this is, you're not being reckless and you're not doing it alone. So… Are you safe?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "As safe as I can be. I have a… partner of sorts. And we're being careful. Partly because we can't mess this up and let these people get away. But mostly… Mostly because I want to come home to you." She broke then and he hauled her against him once more, rocking her and stroking her and soothing her.

And he believed her.

Fin

A.N. Many thanks for reading!