Author's Note: Inspired by "On Your Shore" by Charlotte Martin | for Tay's 20th birthday! Happy Birthday! (and I'm sorry it took me this long to write it.)
Premise: it's all explained by the end of the story, but it's not very clear. Kate was in a wreck, and after a few days of unconsciousness, Castle went crazy and started to contact anyone who could help her condition. Naturally, this brings us to the Fringe team. I used the basic concept of episode 3x19 Lysergic Acid Diethylamide to serve as the setting for this story.
Won't let the waves wash me away is what I always pray
In my heart I know you didn't see in the dark or find your way through me
Now I'm alone my hands are numb how do I carry on
Over my head and in my mind
Am I washed on your shore and barely alive?
[On Your Shore by Charlotte Martin]
The waves crashed over her again and again, taking her under. She swirled head over heels in the surf, only able to concentrate on the breath she was holding. She no longer knew which way was up. When her lungs began to burn, she frantically searched for the surface. Thank goodness for the light, for otherwise she never would have found it. Kicking hard, Kate finally broke through the wave and gasped for air. She felt like screaming and sobbing at the same time, burdened down by emotion and water. As her vision slowly returned to normal (as it had begun to darken from the lack of oxygen), the thunderous waves breaking around her made her acutely aware of her precarious situation.
Luckily for her, the tide was beginning to recede back into itself so that she was only chest high in it. Even though all rational thought had ceased, her brain relied on instinct as she slowly waded back towards the shore. As she moved, Kate began to notice that the ground beneath her didn't shift or give way as her feet dug in. Still relying heavily on autopilot, her detective skills kicked in. As she looked around purposefully, she realized that whatever was under the water was not sand. Strange, Kate thought, now making it out of the water. At that point, she paused to examine what she was standing on.
It was white, whatever it was. White and completely smooth. And vast. Kate's eyes explored the rest of the surroundings; there was no end. No color. Nothing to break the horizon. The water shrank away from where she stood, rolling into itself over and over until it finally became nothing. Kate was at a loss. She feltlost. Lost, confused, and alone. The emotional weight of actually witnessing her mother's death (not moments before the swells slammed into her) overwhelmed her, much worse than the waves did. She broke down, no longer able to resist the violent sobs that tore through her body. She was reduced to ball, her own crying echoing in her ears.
After what seemed like hours, a weak detective emerged from the fetal position. So tentative and small, Kate initially recoiled at the thought of moving. If there was nothing out here, then what was the point of moving? Somewhere verydeep within her, she found the strength and motivation to begin stumbling her away across the white expanse. She dragged her feet, too exhausted physically and emotionally to do much else other than stare blindly at the ground in front of her.
Her brain replayed the her mother's death over and over again. She winced at every scream, cried out, and whimpered with every stab. Periodically, Kate would check herself to make sure that shewasn't bleeding. It all felt so real, no matter how many times it replayed. She had always thought about the way Johanna died, imagined exactly how she was attacked, taking every detail into account. But this… this was so much different. It had been vivid and very, very real.
After some time - Kate wasn't sure if she had been trudging along for minutes or days - the landscape began to change under her blurred vision. She found herself walking slightly up hill, upon what seemed to be flaky little ledges for steps. Curiosity got the better of her, and she followed them without question - not that she had much choice. Finally reaching the top, Kate's gaze actively roamed her surroundings. She now stood on some sort of precipice; the hill seemed to have fallen away from sight. A few steps forward, the detective noticed that the expanse ahead seemed to be plagued with black spots: random patterns that blurred together in the distance to form a mesmerizing image. It was almost enough to put her back into a trance.
Kate made her way towards the closest group of black patterns and examined them under her feet. Under much deliberation and countless cycles of turning on the spot, realization struck her. "WORDS!" she exclaimed excitedly as the life and energy seemed to surge back in her. Pulled out of her miserable stupor, Kate's mind went into hyper-drive. Vast expanses of white… the 'steps'… words upon words… "I'm on a page! ...In a book?" Bright with new information, Kate scurried over the patterns, skimming through the lines of words for any indication as to what she was reading. Two words screamed out at her:
Derek Storm.
It hit her like a bus. She hardly needed to read anything else to realize that this was the first of the Storm series she read after her mom's death - the first time she had ever sought solace in Richard Castle and his words. A smile slipped onto her features as she immediately began to feel comforted. For the first time since the water disappeared, Kate no longer felt estranged or panicked. The emotional storm inside of her had calmed to but a whisper. She began to read the words aloud, walking along the page as she went. The familiarity consoled her further. When she reached the end of the sentence, another voice began where she left off as she paused to ponder what to do next.
It didn't surprise her, the voice. Kate should have known that he would be here all along, waiting. She didn't need to see him. Just the sound of his voice reading out these words to her was enough to make her feel safe - safe from everything. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the richness of his voice, the soothing strength of masculinity that resonated with each syllable. Something deep within seemed to slide into place: a fierce desire to be complete and knowing who that missing piece was, a sense of belonging. Humming contentedly, Kate allowed her senses to be ensnared by the scenario his voice wove into reality. But instead of Derek Storm appearing, it was Rick Castle. And she found that she didn't mind that.
Castle seemed to materialize right in front of her in a quiet flourish of warm colors and light. As if by premonition, Kate opened her expectant green eyes and grinned at his presence. "Somehow, I think I knew you would show up at some point." Her voice echoed serenely. She bit her lip and cast her eyes downward, suddenly shy. The realization that Castle - the man that had been there alwaysto pick up the shattered fragments of her heart and soul - was her missing piece was still very raw and new. His silence caused her to raise her head back up and look at him. Her worried demeanor instantly faded as she found that he was smiling softly at her.
"Kate..." Rick faltered. A man so sure of his words, so articulate, and verbose, now rendered speechless. He found himself not at all chagrin that this woman had that effect on him. It was refreshing in some ways. Knowing that they were standing in the middle of a page in his own book, Rick realized something - something rather profound. "This started way before we met, didn't it?" The question did not at all match the serenity of the atmosphere, but when did Richard Castle ever reallycare about that?
The question caught her off guard, causing her to laugh in her own surprise. The mirth lit up her eyes as she simply shrugged. "Yeah... yeah, I guess it did." She offered him a sheepish smile. It was strange to be shy in front of her partner of three (plus) years, but she had never felt so exposed before. Rick was inside of her mind, past her defensive walls, where pretense was no more. This was all real. This was the true Katherine Beckett. Kate was somewhat surprised to find that she didn't mind this too much - that Rick was the one in here with her. No fear nor an instinct to close everything up and lock down overtook her. She was okay with this. She likedthis. It felt right.
Rick stood, just watching Kate, as he often did. Admittedly, this softer side of the detective was not what he was expecting when he found her. While yes, this is what he had hoped for, it wasn't what he expected. Having searched through much of her mind at high risk - those defensive walls were more like offensive walls - Rick imagined that he would be assaulted with an enraged Beckett. He thought she would be irate with him for intruding her mind. After fighting his way through her defenses, Rick had been sure that she would ambush him and make him experience what 'Hell hath no fury' truly meant. But as always, she surprised him. An affectionate smile broke through his intrigued expression as the pride of knowing that only he got to see Katherine Beckett like this dawned on him.
"I think you were the only one who could do it. Find me, that is." Her soft voice brought Rick back to where they were. The fact that she seemed to be reading all the thoughts in his head no longer surprised him. There had always been a connection between them. The corner of his lips twitched upward, slightly widening his smile. Kate used the reaction as a support to keep going. "My walls are tough and complicated." She gave him a light-hearted shrug. "Years of training and hardships went by, and I guess they only got more twisted and complex since they first went up. But only you would care enough and know me well enough to get through." Castle tried not to let her admission make him giddy, but he didn't completely succeed. His eyes were shining bright as day, and she again took that as encouragement. Kate drew in a deep breath and cast her eyes downward once more. She knew what she wanted to say, and to her it was imperative that she did. However, insecurities scratched at her throat, making it hard to put herself out there.
Closing her eyes, Kate spoke so softly that she was sure Rick wouldn't hear her. "It's always been you."
Rick thought his heart would burst. He opened his mouth for a response, but found that there were no words for this. Instead, the writer stepped forward and reached for her hand. She let him intertwine their fingers, staring at the sight before looking up to seek his eyes. They had always been reassuring to her. She knew she could find comfort there, just like she could in his voice. But she would not admit that it was really everything about Richard Castle that made her feel at home."Kate," he whispered, his eyes glowing with affection.
For a moment, he tore his gaze away from her brilliant pools of green to memorize the sight of their hands together. Uncertainty boldly crept into his thoughts, and although Rick desperately wanted to kiss his detective, he couldn't help but feel as if none of this was real. Shadow crossed his face, settling lightly over his eyes. Sky blue now looked more like deep cobalt. Before Kate could say anything, Rick began to rub her hand softly with his thumb. "I need you to come back with me." He almost choked, the plea in his voice so prominent. "You have to come back with me..." The last 'please' didn't make it past the lump in his throat.
Kate had hardly been aware that she was missing. She knew that they were inside her mind, but the implications of that had yet to dawn on her. Squeezing his hand a little tighter, she glanced around before returning to him. "I- " She faltered. If this was all in her brain, how would this convert to the real world? Was the Rick Castle that stood before her just a projection? No... No. It was too real. This was all too real to not have a realistic basis. Just to be sure, she reached her free hand up to caress his face. She guided her fingers over his forehead, down his closed eyes and nose before resting on the side of his jaw.
The space between them was practically nonexistent. Rick leaned into her hand while she drew near to his lips. When he could feel her breath beating softly on his, the writer shot his gaze back to hers. An indeterminate fire for somethingburned brightly, confusing her. He hesitantly withdrew his face from such a close proximity, but not without great sorrow. "Not... Not here. I don't want to share my first real kiss with you in some dream. I want it to be real." Rick inhaled deeply, afraid to hold her intense gaze, but also too afraid to break it. "Come back with me."
At that point, Kate Beckett was willing to stay in her mind as long as Rick was there with her. The pain and the troubles of her life seemed to have disappeared the moment he showed up. To live without the hardships and the guilt and grief... Kate had wondered if they could even exist on earth anymore. To be here with Rick was what she wanted, but the ease of this feeling, their being... it was too perfect for her to believe that it would work in reality. But realization dawned her once more. Ever since the flesh of Richard Castle pushed himself into her life, she had begun to believe in happiness and fulfilled promises again. And that's why she no longer hesitated to stay here. Kate knew somehow that because of him, this little nine-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush, she'd be able to live as she had imagined before her mother's death. He was her security, her comfort, her missing piece.
"Always." A grin broke out on the detective's face, unbidden. At that, Rick pulled her into a hug. He encompassed her lean body within his strong embrace, and whispered into her ear "I love you" when some unseen forced squeezed them even tighter together, lifting them out of the void.
Back in the lab, Kate Beckett and Rick Castle opened their eyes simultaneously. Each took a second to gather their bearings before landing their searches upon each other. They were both leaned back in chairs, hooked up to God knows how many wires. Other people in the lab were bustling about, unhooking a few connections and checking vitals. They matched each other's smiles, but didn't say a word.
"Welcome back to reality!" A boisterous and rather excited voice boomed over them. Walter Bishop waved a red vine in the air in a celebratory fashion, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Astro! Would you be so kind as to find a suitable snack for these two. I'd imagine they'd quite need it after an adventure like that!" The eccentric scientist patted Rick's shoulder and bit off a piece of his licorice. "Well done, son." He winked, then returned to disconnecting the wires.
Astrid, on the other hand, was tending to Kate's apparatus. She smiled and shook her head from behind the detective, knowing exactly the look that was shared between her and the writer. She had seen it before, in a situation not very unlike this one. There's more than one of everything.Resting her hand on the woman's shoulder, Astrid asked if she was okay. Kate nodded, not really sure if she knew the answer to that question. "He's dedicated to you, you know," she remarked, referring to Castle (who was currently in a rather animated conversation with Walter). "He thought he'd lost you after the wreck. Contacted just about everyone on the eastern seaboard to see if anyone could help you regain consciousness. It was kind of sweet, the way he was so determined. Your lucky to have him." Astrid flashed her an encouraging and knowing smile at Kate before tending to Walter's request about food.
Kate then stood up and walked over to greet Castle and make sure he was okay. Walter conveniently had something to prepare for another experiment. The writer couldn't hide the smile from his expression, but he didn't really want to. His favorite detective was back with him. Wrapping her in an affectionate embrace, he rested his head against her hair. "You smell like cherries," he murmured cheekily.
She laughed, the rumbling in her chest transferred through his clothing. It was a comforting feeling. "Did you mean it?" Rick tightened their hug, knowing she wasn't asking about his latest comment.
"Always."
At the door, two figures stood hand in hand, watching the scene play out before them. "Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Peter glanced over to Olivia, squeezing her hand gently.
"Just a little." She chuckled, eyes shimmering with the memory. "Maybe we should advertise this as a method of matching up soul mates..."
Peter looked at her quizzically before laughing. "Don't tell Walter. He's got enough crazy ideas."
She shrugged, still regarding the detective and writer. The way they were holding each other and conversing caused a ripple of appreciation and satisfaction to wash over her. Letting go of Peter's hand, Olivia reached around his waist to be closer to him. "It doesn't matter. Just as long as you know you belong with me."
Author's Note: The ending isn't my favorite, but I'm pretty happy with it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! `S