A/N: Well here I am again, writing another one-shot. I really truly should be working in my novella but Kate and Rick just won't shut up inside my head.
I was staring into my freezer trying to find something to eat when this idea came to me. What if Kate hadn't passed out in the freezer before she was able to say those three little words?
I don't own Castle (even though I did use a lot of dialogue from the show) that would be Andrew Marlowe.
~Rose
"Castle? Are you there?" Beckett asked as she was wrapped up in his arms. They had been trying to find the dirty bomb that was threatening to blow up New York City when they got locked in the freezer.
"Yes. I'm alright," he said, his teeth chattering. He would have loved to have Detective Beckett in his arms in any circumstance but this. "I'm alright," he repeated, "I'm right here."
Kate had never been as cold before as she was now. "I can't feel anything," she admitted. She couldn't believe that she was going to die in a freezer; she was a cop, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. "I always thought being a cop I'd take a bullet," she said out loud to Castle without meaning to. Neither of them said anything for a moment and then Beckett admitted, "I never though I'd freeze to death."
"You're not dead yet," Castle said trying to be reassuring. He wished he could give all his body heat—well the little bit he had left—to her. He always knew what he felt for her was far more than friendship—especially when they shared that undercover kiss—but he never realized how far he had fallen for her until she was slowly freezing to death in his arms. He didn't want it to end like this.
"I just wish this was one of your books and you could re-write the ending," she said, shuddering as her body temperature dropped again.
"I'm—I'm sorry," Rick stuttered. If only he hadn't got her into this mess.
"For what?" she asked confused.
"For being me; for going rogue. Getting into... into this," speech was becoming difficult for the writer now, "if we hadn't gone..."
"Shh Castle, no," Kate said trying to both comfort him and make him save his breath, "Kay, shh. You were right. We found the bomb. Now we're just too late okay?"
No it wasn't okay. Castle didn't want to die and lose Kate this way. Well if I'm going to die like this I at least want to die with Kate as close to me as possible, Castle thought.
He pulled her closer to him and she turned her head towards his. If Castle could breathe properly he would have breathed in her cherry scent. "Castle," she almost whispered, "Thank you. For being there."
"Always," Castle responded. Always meant so much more than just "always" to them. Every time Castle said always he really meant "I love you".
Kate brought her hand up to Rick's cheek and cradled it in her palm. She knew what she had to say. If she was going to die here she was going to tell Castle what she really felt for him first. "I just want you to know how much I love you."
Kate's hand slipped from Rick's face and down his chest as she lost consciousness. "Kate," Rick pleaded, "Stay awake Kate." he tried to wrap his arms around her tighter and pull her in closer but he himself was also loosing consciousness. He managed to tuck her head under his chin and whisper "I love you Kate" before surrendering to the cold.
A/N: I was planning on leaving you guys with this but yet again my one-shot grows to a two-shot. There will be a follow up segment.
~Rose
