Disclaimer: If Castle were mine, they would have kissed a hell of a lot sooner... just saying. (see profile for a REAL disclaimer)
A/N: Wrote this back in 2011 right after 3x16 aired. I must have forgotten about it though, because I found it sitting among a sea of other half-written fics on my hard drive just waiting to be cleaned up and posted. Well, better late than never I suppose? Whoops.
Kate wasn't sure how much more she could take.
First it was the XXX Killer holding him and Ryan hostage, then it was her Mother's killer, and now it was a dirty bomb. She'd put Castle directly in the line of danger more times in the last six months than she had during their entire partnership and the guilt that she felt only increased every time that it happened. He had a family- a loving, albeit sometimes slightly kooky, mother and an adoring daughter. They depended on him. It wasn't fair of her to keep asking him to risk his life like that.
"Castle?" she whispered, her voice echoing across the large, white tent that they'd been quarantined in, "If we make it out of this, I want you to stop shadowing me."
His eyes widened, and she could practically see a wave of panic wash over him, "What?"
"I won't be able to live with myself knowing that I'm the one putting your life in danger every time we get into a sticky situation. I'm a cop, it comes with the job, but you didn't sign up for this."
Bridging the small distance between the two benches that they were sitting on, he took her hands into his and looked her straight in the eye. She shivered, the warmth of his palms seeping into her, and held his gaze with only a slight hesitation.
"How many times am I going to have to tell you this, Kate?" he squeezed her fingers, "You're my partner. That means I've got your back. No matter what."
Tears welled in her eyes, emotion tightening around a lump in her throat, "Yeah?"
Kate knew that she should stick to her guns, should walk away before it was too late. She couldn't deny him though, not when he was looking at her like that, with that stupid expression on his face- earnest and determined. She was going to get him killed one day, she knew that, she wasn't stupid, but today wasn't going to be that day. Not if she could help it.
Her shoulders sagged in defeat and only a few moments later Castle was sliding onto the floor, kneeling in front of her with his arms opened wide. Kate leaned into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck before she could think to do otherwise and let loose a muffled sob. He held her, rubbing her back in long, soothing strokes, until Kate finally released a weary sigh and relaxed into him.
She would just have to try harder.
Tightening her grip on the front of his jacket, Kate tugged him closer and allowed herself, for one tiny moment, to forget the chaos in the world around her.
Keeping Castle safe was the only thing that mattered anymore.
End.