Disclaimer: Not mine. Borrowing them for entertainment and fluffiness. No money is being made here. I would be pretty happy if I were though. ;-)
AN: Sorry for any mistakes. I came up with this as I listened to music and neglected my work. I don't know if I wrote this with Caskett before relationship, while dating, or when married. You read it how you best see fit. Enjoy!
His heart threatened to beat right out of his chest as he stood behind Esposito and Ryan.
All he wanted to do was kick the steel door down, find her, and get the hell out of the shithole she had been stuck in the past few days.
He closed his eyes to steady his frantic mind. 'Please be ok Kate', he prayed as he glared at the inanimate object that separated him from his sanity.
Castle had lived an incredible life.
He had grown up without a father, in the odd but loving embrace of his mother's guidance. He had bounced around from one prestigious school to the next with no real passion to succeed at anything except making people laugh with his jokes, or with his writing. He had fallen in and out of love, twice, with women that had been the center of his world for a fraction of a second. And though he would admit that he had fun at the time, he could think of nothing gained except the lessons and his beautiful daughter. How he loved his daughter! He had been witness to his mother's multiple failed relationships with a heavy heart. He had made millions and treated himself and his family to the best of everything without a second thought.
His heart, his mind, his body, had been through much, and his eyes had seen a lot (good and bad).
But he knew for a fact, that his eyes could only be satisfied by the sight of her.
It was evident as his friends demolished the rusted obstruction between the rooms and cleared the space for him. Because his heart would not slow its race, and his eyes would not halt their search, until they found her.
Silently he thanked his stars as he saw his universe staring back at him.
Her hair was disheveled and matted with grime and traces of blood, but he was sure he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.
As he sprinted towards her he felt his friends flank him, but he could care less about possible captors hiding behind crates. His one and only concern was Beckett.
He saw her hazel orbs redden as he moved in to her space. "Are you hurt? Are you hurt, Kate?" He whispered in between gasps of breath as he fought agitatedly with the restraints that held her to an old splintered chair. Relief flooded him when she shook her head. "Guys! Cut the ropes!" He turned his head to beg for their assistance. He could not force his body to move from where he stood. He examined her and ran his hands over her body to ensure himself she was in fact safe and unhurt. Quickly he moved towards the cloth that was tied in a messy knot at the back of her head.
A rush of anger overwhelmed his senses and adrenaline coursed through him when he heard a strangled cry escape her imprisoned lips. Carefully he removed the begrimed rag to free her words. "Castle…" she whispered hoarsely before he swallowed her cries with his lips. He wished he could have saved her from all of this. He vowed to himself, and silently to her, that he would protect her from everything as long as he had air in his lungs, and light in his eyes.
He sighed with relief into her mouth when he felt her arms wrap weakly around him.
Immediately he enveloped her to mold her to him.
In his life, he had touched and held many beautiful things. His arms had encircled his precious daughter many times. His hands had held gently onto his weapon of choice, his pen. His fingers had felt the countless strokes of keys underneath them as he armed his stories with words. And though he loved each and every one of those things with his heart, his arms, his hands, and his fingers loved her with his entirety.
"I love, Kate. I love you." He whispered in her hair as he lifted her gently into his arms to carry her out. "You're safe now. I promise."
She was free.
She was safe.
She was with him.
He was with her.
Castle has stood beside and in the company of some of the most prominent people. Some politicians, some government officials, some very rich entrepreneurs, some talented and beautiful women, but none of them could ever compare to Katherine Beckett.
And no matter how many countries he had explored, or how many lavish parties he had visited, no place could make him feel as wholly of a human as he felt next to her. They could be in Rome, they could be in Parish, or they could be in the back of a dully-lit ambulance, as long as she was with him, he knew they were both safe and in their rightful place.
He was her star, and she his universe.
The End