Disclaimer: I make no claim of owning Castle or any of it's characters.
Kate lay nestled in Castle's arms, her back to his chest. A slight smile curled her lips as she felt his fingers gently caress the scar on her chest. She always felt so loved and protected in his arms.
It was one of the rare mornings when neither of them had anything important to do for the day, no work, no meetings, no cases, no writing, and neither wanted to move to get up, instead relishing the ability to simply lay together. Kate broke the comfortable silence first.
"Castle?"
"Yeah?"
She took a breath, "you remember when I was shot? How I remember everything from that day?"
He stiffened. "Kate, you don't have to…"
She turned to face him, putting her fingers over his mouth. "I want to," she whispered looking him straight in the eyes. She continued, "When that shot hit me there was pain, the most intense pain I've felt in my life, then the shock took over and I felt nothing but this overwhelming certainty that I was going to die. I could feel it happening, but then you were there, your arms around me, telling me you loved me. That was when I knew I couldn't die, I couldn't let you live with the same burden I lived with when my mother was murdered. I had to live because you loved me. That was my last thought when I lost consciousness that day."
Castle's eyes were tearing up as he looked at her. "Kate…"
She quieted him again, "Shh, let me talk. When I woke up in the hospital, you were the first person I thought of. Throughout the whole painful recovery process the thought of you was there, right at the back of my head even though I still couldn't actually bring myself to face you. I couldn't talk to you yet, but I can now, and I want let you know that you saved my life that day. If you weren't there I probably would have given up, stopped fighting, and even though it's hard for me to open up sometimes, I want you to know that I love you too."
There were tears on both of their faces as they looked at each other, the memories of that summer still painful for both, but now infused with new meaning for Castle. He spoke first. "So, does this mean I get to add one more to my 'saving Kate's life' tally?"
She simultaneously glared at him and smiled, a look only Kate Beckett could pull off. Then she murmured, "Shut up" as she leaned over him to close his mouth with a toe-curling kiss.
A/N: This is the first fic I've written that I've been brave enough to publish, so any reviews are welcome.