A/N: This story was inspired by the song Never Be Alone by Shawn Mendes, and also by Esther who declared it was the perfect Caskett song. Thanks for being my cheerleader and beta. The story is set sometime in the beginning of season six. Enjoy!
Take a piece of my heart, and make it all your own, so when we are apart you'll never be alone.
-Shawn Mendes
Hey, I know there are some things we need to talk about.
Kate missed New York; she missed the sounds and smells of the city, she missed the twelfth precinct, and most of all, she missed Castle. They were doing their best to make their long distance relationship work, but it was taking a toll on both of them. Kate went back to work every Monday feeling exhausted - from traveling if she went to visit him, or from other vigorous activities when he came to stay at her place. And she knew Castle was getting tired of living out of his suitcase every other weekend.
Something needed to change, and Kate was just getting ready to call Castle to talk when she heard a knock on her door. She wasn't expecting any visitors, so she sighed and walked over to the door of her apartment to look through the peephole. She let out a breath of relief when she saw who was standing on the other side.
"Castle, what are you doing here?" she asked, rushing into his arms and sinking into his embrace. "It was my turn to come to New York this weekend."
"I know," he murmured into her hair, peppering soft kisses along her hairline, "but I knew you were busy and I wanted to surprise you. Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay," she sighed, reaching up to take his face in her hands and press a much needed kiss against his lips. Castle kissed her back and turned her body so he could press her up against the door, their hands frantically moving over each other, trying to make up for lost time.
Kate finally pulled away, with a disappointed groan from Rick, and cupped his face in her hands. "We need to talk," she said, trying her best not to succumb to the comforts of his kisses and the warmth of his embrace.
But with Castle she didn't have much of a chance; he took her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom. "There will be plenty of time to talk later, right now I just need you Kate."
And I can't stay; just let me hold you for a little longer now.
They woke up the next morning wrapped in each other's arms, sun streaming through the windows of Kate's small bedroom. Kate stirred first when she heard her phone buzzing on the bedside table. She reached for the phone and cursed under her breath when she saw the message from Agent McCord on the screen.
She rolled back over to face her husband and found him blinking sleepily, still half asleep.
"Hey babe, sorry I woke you, you can go back to sleep," she whispered, stroking a hand lightly over the stubble on his face.
"No, s'okay. I can get up...make pancakes if you want," he mumbled, dragging a hand up her long leg to rest on her hip, always a flirt even when he was still halfway between dreamland and reality.
He looked so content, lying in bed, thinking about pancakes that she didn't want to ruin it by telling him she had to go to work, but she had to.
"Pancakes sound great, but I uh, actually have to go to work," she said, scooting closer so she could wrap her arms around him for a goodbye hug. She buried her face in his chest and breathed deeply, relishing in the scent of him before she had to get up.
Kate gave herself a minute, then sighed and tried to pull away from Castle, but he had wrapped both of his burly arms around her and now she was stuck. "Castle, I really have to go. McCord will be waiting for me."
She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he was too strong and he pulled her in to nuzzle her hair and kiss her temple. "Just let me hold you for a few minutes," he slurred into her ear, "this is the only time we have together."
She couldn't argue with the bittersweet sound of his voice, so she snuggled in closer to him and thought up an excuse to tell McCord as Castle enveloped her in his loving embrace.
Take a piece of my heart, and make it all your own.
Castle woke up again a few hours later with Kate gone and a heaviness in his heart. He was so unbelievably proud of his future wife for getting this job with the FBI, but he missed her like crazy. He was having a hard time writing with his muse being hours away, solving crimes without him, and he needed some new inspiration.
That's when it hit him; he could just move to D.C. with Kate and he could write from here! He would find them a bigger apartment to live in together and it would be perfect, especially since Alexis was in school and his mother was planning on moving out. Now he just had to find a place that Kate would like and they would be all set.
All traces of his earlier forlornness gone, Castle jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes and called Kate to tell her the news.
"Castle, now's not a good time," Kate answered in a rush. She sounded stressed and he didn't want to make things worse by freaking her out with his idea so he quickly changed tactics.
"Hey babe, I just wanted to tell you that I love you, and I'll see you tonight for dinner."
"I love you too, see you later." And with that she hung up, and Castle was left alone to work on his surprise.
So when we are apart, you'll never be alone.
The case they had caught the night before was a big one and Kate and her team worked nonstop all day, trying to find a useful lead. Kate didn't even realize it was after six o'clock until she looked up from her desk and saw that most of her colleagues had already gone home for the night.
She had a slight moment of panic as she reached for her phone, expecting to see a bunch of missed calls from Castle, wondering where she was and if she would be home for dinner. When she didn't see any notifications from him, she was relieved and figured that he may have actually got some writing done. Or he was sleeping and moping around all day, it was hard to tell.
Since he hadn't called, Kate stayed for another hour, just long enough to finish making some important case related calls, then she called it a night. She grabbed her purse and coat, and made her way to the garage to get her car. She drove home on autopilot and almost cried from happiness when she walked into her apartment and saw Castle piling spaghetti into a bowl.
"Oh hey, you're just in time! I'll make you a bowl and pour us both some wine," he offered excitedly, bouncing around the kitchen like a kid on a sugar rush. Kate figured Castle had been moping or writing, so she wasn't sure what had him so enthusiastic at this hour, but she wasn't complaining.
"That smells amazing," Kate said, grinning at her fiance. When they first met, his boundless enthusiasm had annoyed her, but now it never failed to bring a smile to her face, especially after a long day at work. She toed off her shoes and hung her coat in the closet, padding into the kitchen to give Castle a much deserved kiss and pick up her glass of wine.
They stood facing each other at the counter, Castle's eyes gleaming with excitement. "Guess what I did today Kate?" he questioned, his excitement rubbing off on her, getting her to relax just by being in close proximity to her.
"Um, you wrote a chapter of Nikki Heat?"
"Nope! I found an apartment for us to share in D.C., so we won't have to go back and forth anymore! Now, I don't know if you'll like it, I hope you do, but if not we-"
Kate stepped towards him, and silenced him with a long, slow kiss; one that had electricity shooting through her veins. "Castle, I don't care what it looks like, it's perfect."
They talked about plans for their new home together while they ate, both grinning like idiots at the thought of finally having a place to themselves.
That night after Castle left to go back to New York, Kate slipped one of his old t-shirts over her head to sleep in. Soon he would be sleeping beside her again, but while he was gone, the feel of his shirt against her skin made Kate think a part of him was already there with her.
When we fall asleep tonight just remember that we lay under the same stars.
Kate had a long week; their case finally breaking Thursday morning, Kate got a confession out of the guy by lunch time and then she got to go home. She didn't have much in her D.C. apartment, so she quickly packed everything up, and decided to call Castle to make sure things were going well with Alexis and Martha. She thought of the two red heads as family now, and she didn't want them to be upset that Castle was moving to D.C. to be with her.
He picked up on the third ring, and whispered a breathless "hello" into the phone.
"Hey Castle, how's everything going? And why are you...panting?" she finished a bit suspiciously. He didn't normally go to the gym at night, and she couldn't think of what else he would be doing.
"Oh I'm just playing laser tag with Alexis, sort of a goodbye game. And after this we're going to get ice cream!" he answered happily.
Kate couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips at Castle's excited tone. It appeared that they were getting along just fine at the loft, and he would be here before she knew it. "Ok, well have fun, and tell Alexis and Martha I said hi."
"Will do! I'll see you tomorr-"
He was cut off by a loud crash and the line went dead, but Kate just shook her head and tried to imagine what piece of decor might have fallen over in their rowdy game. She couldn't wait to marry that man; his constant energy and childishness bringing a special kind of light into her life she never thought she'd see again since her mother died.
The rest of the night and the next morning passed slowly as Kate impatiently waited for Castle to arrive. She had gone to see the realtor earlier in the week to get the key for their apartment, and that's where she was now. She had moved her meager belongings to the new space and unpacked, making sure to leave room for all of Castle's odds and ends.
You'll never be alone.
Castle was driving down with all of his stuff, so Kate wasn't expecting him until later that night. She was in bed reading when he finally arrived, wearing only the t-shirt that she had taken from him earlier in the week.
She got out of bed and met him at the bedroom door, and Castle couldn't believe how lucky he was that he would soon be married to this beautiful woman.
"I was wondering where that shirt went," Castle teased as he pulled Kate into his arms, pressing his body against hers.
"I took it before you left last time," Kate murmured. "It smells like...cinnamon and old paper from the books you like to read. It smells like home."
Kate blushed and stood up on her toes to kiss Castle, which he returned before he dropped his bags and led her back to bed again. This time when they went to sleep, they woke peacefully in each other's arms, grateful that they could spend every morning like this for the rest of their lives.