Countdown is one of my favorite Castle episodes. It has so many cute moments between Castle and Beckett! I saw a writer's prompt on the Castle boards on ABC right after Countdown aired, and the idea of this story was tumbling around in my head since then and I finally sat down to write it.
The prompt was: What do you think would have happened at the end of Countdown if Josh didn't interrupt Castle and Beckett? What was Castle going to say?
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Castle or anything in the Castle universe. I just have my ideas.
Thanks to firedrakegirl for beta'ing the story!
"The Captain was right. You guys don't know how lucky you really are." Stated Esposito.
"Actually, I do." Said Castle, with a knowing look towards Beckett. She smiles right back at him with the same look.
"Can I talk to you two for a second?" asked Agent Fallon towards Castle and Beckett. Castle and Beckett walk out of the break room and close the door.
"I just wanted you to know that the U.S. Attorney's Office will be charging him with multiple accounts of conspiracy to commit terror. Thanks to you two, we don't have to add murder of innocent New York civilians to that allegation." Informed Fallon. Castle and Beckett smiled at each other again.
"We were just doing our job." Answered Beckett. "Actually, I was doing my job. I don't know what he was doing." She joked while she gestured towards Castle.
"Hey! But that's true." Castle shot back with a smile.
"Listen, now, what I do is not who I am. That's just how I have to be. I hope you both understand that." Admitted Fallon.
"Let's just say it was a pleasure, and that we hope that we don't have to do that ever again." Replied Beckett.
"Fair enough." Answered Fallon. Then, he walked away.
"If it does happen again, though, maybe you can just text me? Have a code word. Run." Joked castle as Fallon was walking away. He turned back to Beckett, who was almost laughing.
"What a day, huh?" Started Castle.
"What a day." Answered Beckett.
"You know, I was thinking. I was thinking about how lucky we were in the past 24-36 hours." Castle started. "We survived a gunfight, we were nearly frozen to death in each other's arms in a giant freezer, and we barely escaped annihilation by diffusing a dirty bomb at literally the last second."
Beckett gave him a look of knowing and realization when she realized how much her and Castle have been through lately. Castle has always been there for her whether it was finding a dirty bomb or solving murders. Most importantly, Castle has been there all through trying to find her mother's killer. He was the only person that she trusted enough to let her help her with the case, not even Josh knew about her obsession. Another thing about Josh was that he isn't always there when she needs him to because he is always "off saving the world" in some 3rd world country. Castle is always there when she wants him around her, when she doesn't want him, when she needs him, and then some more. Castle is always there no matter what, and he risked his own life to save hers. No one has ever done that for her before castle, and he has risked his own life several times for her in this year alone. No one, maybe besides her mom, when she was alive, and her dad, has ever cared for her so much before he came around on that first case.
Castle continued, "It's made me think about some things that I haven't let myself think of. You said that you want someone who will always stand beside you and fight your battle with you. I can be that person, Kate; I want to be that person. Always. You are extraordinary, Kate Beckett. I love you. These recent events have made me think of how much I do."
Beckett looked at him, stunned at what he just said, what he just admitted. She had no clue what to say. She knows how she feels about him, but articulating those words seemed near impossible. Especially now after all this. Her eyes sparkled and gleamed with the look of a lovesick puppy.
"It's about time you said that, Rick. You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that!" Beckett said with that sweet, but sexy, smirk that Castle loved so much. "I love you too. I love everything about you, and I love that I feel so safe around you. If only my mother could have seen you now; she would have loved you too. I feel as lucky as you do right now, but I feel lucky because I found you on that day 3 years ago. I feel so lucky to have you in my life."
Castle steps closer to Beckett as they share a hug in a warm and loving embrace. They just stay there, comfortable in each other's arms, for a while. Finally, they both break away from their embrace enough to look at each other and talk.
"Do you want to go to Remy's? I noticed that we haven't eaten all day, and I am starving!" asked Castle.
"Sure Castle. I'll go anywhere as long enough I know you'll be right there beside me."
"Always." Whispered Castle in such a sweet and loving tone. Then, they made their way to the elevators hand in hand, each one enjoying the other's company and loving embrace.
How was it? I hope it wasn't too cheesy or anything, but it is Castle and this is FanFiction. I can take the liberty of making them as sweet as I want, and we haven't tecnically seen how a scene like this would actually play out. I hope it would be something along these lines!