A/N: This is a short one-shot on what I believe was going through their heads during the final scene of the episode 3XK. I hope you enjoy it and for those of you reading my other story I PROMISE I will update it this weekend. Please press that review button when you are done and make my day. Kay? Thanks. :)
"Tell me something Castle. Why did he let you live?" she asked struggling to keep her voice steady but yearning to know the answer of why her partner was still sitting beside her.
"To punish me, to make me pay for ruining his plan. Now he's going to kill again all because I couldn't stop him. And I feel so…" he wasn't able to get the words out. He felt fully responsible even though he shouldn't be the one taking all the heat. That's not what he cared about though. What was going through his mind is that Kate Beckett was there for him to comfort him when he needed it the most.
Castle felt her softened and still worried gaze bore into his side. Without any warning, he felt her long, lithe, and warm fingers clasp his knee tightly but comfortingly. How a simple touch could explain so much. The simple touch whispered, "Be strong and if it gets rough, my strength will help too. You always have me. I'll be here for you no matter what."
"I know the feeling…"Only if he knew how much effort, trust, and courage it took for Kate to stumble out those four simple words. It was a milestone in their relationship and a reminder that Castle was one of the few people she trusted with her past and with her emotions.
"I know you do." Those words easily flowed out of Castle's mouth. He understood that they shared this bond now. Their lives threw obstacles at them but they would embrace those obstacles head on and together. They were partners and to some extent lovers in this meaning.
Instinctively, Castle reached down and grasped Kate's soft and gentle hand in his own, entwining his fingers in hers, tenderly stroking the top of it with his thumb. He didn't even think about it; it was impulse from his heart and mind on what he really wanted to do. It was a way of comfort. This simple hand-hold held so much emotion, so much history, so many suppressed feelings, and so much understanding of one another that it startled both of them. Even if they weren't sleeping together or in a relationship, they were partners and on an emotional level, they were lovers. They understood this even though neither of them would admit it. Though their clasped hands was a startling gesture, it was what they both had been longing for and neither of them dared to move for the moment would end too soon. Instead, they enjoyed each other's comfort and the warmth and understanding of each other's bodies and stared off into the night trying to make sense of this day and now, their relationship.