Another update in the same day! Yay for me.

Days passed, turning into weeks and both Castle and Beckett felt the stress and the pressure of survival wearing on them. They also felt the tension building between them. Kate didn't think it would be nearly as difficult as it was to keep their hands off of each other. Afterall, they'd gone years without physical intimacy; and it wasn't like there wasn't an attraction there.

What she hadn't accounted for was that they now knew what they were missing. She knew what his body felt like pressed intimately against hers. She was familiar with how they moved together, with how they loved. They'd both grown accustomed to the magic that they'd created with their union and living without it was a lot easier said than done.

For his part, Castle wanted just a taste, a touch. He wanted to caress her skin and run his lips across every inch of her body. He wanted her with every fiber of his being and holding back was becoming physically painful. They spent a good amount of time apart during their days, he attempting to catch fish, or working to recover his garden; she working to recover anything else that they might be able to use.

In the evenings they would lie close, but she would often have to pull away to limit physical proximity and lessen the likelihood of caving into each other. Although they slept farther apart, they remained close enough to reach out to eachother. They often found that their hands would find eachother in the night, and fingers would lace; seeking out the physical contact and comfort.

He didn't bathe with her anymore, but she knew that he watched her intensely when she did. She couldn't control the way his gaze affected her. She'd catch him out of the corner of her eye and warmth would immediately pool within her abdomen. She would close her eyes and inhale deeply, imagining his hands on her and it took everything in her power not to touch herself.

She withheld though, namely because she didn't want to put him through watching that when he couldn't act on it. When she was done bathing she would pass him the soap and leave him in privacy, knowing that he would need the space to manage the way she affected him.

They also started wearing clothing to bed, as one more obstacle would only be protective against their loss of control. She was amazed with herself. She'd never had such a problem managing her emotions before, and if it had been anyone else she would have called the lack of discipline juvenile and pathetic.

Regardless of how ridiculous she felt, the fact couldn't be denied that they were struggling with themselves and eachother. Their senses were heightened, turning the slightest touches into something altogether sensual. She was hyper-aware of his smell, and it created a craving within her for him.

Every now and then they would give in and kiss, unleashing their desires and their love. He would snake his hands through her hair and inhale her scent, taking her essence in as if she were some drug and he was an addict. They would keep their kisses as controlled as possible, pulling away before things got out of hand.

It wasn't what they wanted, but it was a promise of things that were to come as soon as they got themselves out of their current circumstance.


On one rainy August morning Kate awoke to find herself sprawled out on her sleeping bag, dressed in a thin, white, cotton dress, her arm was stretched out towards the middle where her fingers laced with Rick's. She looked up to find his loving gaze upon her, a dreamy smile on his face. She was amazed how he managed to bring butterflies to her stomach with a simple look, or a blush to her cheeks with his smile.

"Haven't I told you before that it's creepy to stare?" She asked him, a mocking tone of indignation in her voice. He didn't reply to her and just smiled a bit wider, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I love you." He spoke softly to her.

"I love you too Rick." She answered sweetly. He continued to rub his thumb across the back of her hand, almost reminiscent of another time. It reminded her of their time dog-sitting for Royal, when he softly stroked her skin with a warm intensity in her eyes. She was pulled from her memory when he started to speak again.

"Kate, I want to marry you." He stated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her breath caught in her throat as she froze, her hand tensing up. Castle grasped her hand more tightly to show her that he was completely serious, speaking to her once again.

"Please. If we ever get out of here, say you'll marry me. I don't want to live without you Kate."

Tears welled in Kate's eyes, a smile crossing her face as she looked lovingly at him. She pulled herself more closely to where they were joined and kissed the back of his hand, laughing softly and joyfully as she nodded her head to him.

"Yes. Yes, I'd marry you right now if I could." She gently answered him.

He met her in the middle and kissed her fiercely, pulling her completely into his arms. She met him with equal fervor, relishing in the feel of his soft lips against hers. Her hands came up to cup his face, holding him to her lips as she sought more from him.

He granted her silent request and slid his tongue against hers, adding an erotic feel to the moment that caused her to moan. Unable to stop himself, he rolled them so that he had her pinned to the ground beneath them, using his knee to part her bare thighs.

Without a conscious thought, Kate pushed her hips upward against him and wrapped one leg around his thigh. Finally able to touch her and taste her, Castle slid his hand up her side and moved to cup her breast; the other remaining fixed on the back of her head where his fingers intertwined with her hair and pulled her back to grant him more access to her neck.

When his fingers tweaked her nipple beneath the cotton dress she cried out in shocked pleasure, arching her back up and her hips forward. When she felt his arousal urging against her center for entrance the reality of the situation crashed down on her.

For a moment she was torn, a small part of her rational brain knew that they were playing a dangerous game. However, every inch of her body cried out for more of his touch and the aching she felt to have him inside of her was overwhelming. She knew she was on the verge of snapping and desperately needed to pull herself back.

Both of her hands braced his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin as she waged her internal struggle. She kept him from getting closer, but was unable to push him farther away and so they remained suspended on the precipice of their own ecstasy.

Castle sensed her shift and knew her internal struggle. It was the same that he was fighting in the moment. In his love for her, he decided that he would be the one to pull away. It was obvious that they both wanted this more than anything. However, he knew her well enough to know that she would hate herself after.

With all the self-control he could muster, Rick pushed himself up and off of her. He quickly stood and rushed out of their shelter and down to the water. Kate watched him for some time, forcing himself to calm down from the heated state that they'd gotten themselves into. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees; rocking herself to alleviate her internal struggle.

Kate felt extremely guilty for losing control once again. This was the second time that they'd lost control and both times resulted in him having to take a very cold dip to calm himself down. She cried in frustration, overwhelmed not only by their current inability to act on their feelings, but by the entirety of their situation.

How much longer will we last out here? She thought somberly to herself. She wasn't just referring to the sexual tension, which was as thick as it had ever been. Her concern revolved around the fact that they'd been there for nearly a month since the cabin burned and they were quickly running out of food.

Fishing supplemented, but didn't provide every day. Hunting was nearly impossible without the rifle, and their freeze-dried meals were dwindling rapidly. She'd even tried creating snares to catch rodents, but was having no luck. She wasn't sure what they were going to do and knew that soon they were going to have to make a move and try to find civilization.

Shaking her thoughts, Kate rose to approach Castle. They were both calmer, more rational now and she needed to thank him for loving her enough to walk away. When she told him this, he remained silent with his back turned to her.

"I love you Kate, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we're alright. Something's got to give though and we both know it." He spoke, still with some struggle in his voice. She knew he was right, if they kept getting themselves into those situations one of them was going to snap, control would be lost on both parts, and it would be all over.


They were nearly out of food and the stress from their situation was wearing on both of them. They cut back to preserve what they had left and their hunger simply added to their irritability and their fear. One rainy evening Kate made a statement to Castle.

"I'm going back down the tunnel." She stated out of sheer desperation.

"What do you mean, below the cabin?" He asked.

"I've got to try to find us some food. A lot of it was expired, but some of it wasn't and we need all we can get Castle." She reasoned with him.

"Kate. You're talking about venturing down a tunnel and into a room that, if even still there, will be at best, unstable and dangerous." His concern was clearly evident in his voice.

"Rick, I've got to try. I'll be in and out as quickly as possible." She implored him to understand how essential her decision was.

"I'm going in with you." He stated.

"It's better if you wait out here Castle, we both don't need to be in danger." She argued.

"The hell we don't. You should know by now Kate. You go, I go. Besides, if something happens I want to be there to get you out." She could tell by the tone in his voice that there was no arguing. Even if she left him, she knew he'd follow.

So together they went, taking a lantern to guide them on their path. As they drew closer to the room, dust and ash grew thick in the air. It only worsened as they continued to move, kicking it up and tossing it back into the thick air. The door to the room looked unaltered, so Kate stepped in tentatively.

However, when she saw the inside of the room she saw that it was far from unscathed. The ceiling was charred, sections having caved in, and the shelving, which was connected to the walls and fastened at the ceiling, was highly unstable. Because of the height of the room under the partially collapsed and unstable frame, his tall figure couldn't manage in the space. So, Kate quickly set to work in the room, grabbing what food supplies she could find that were still good.

She brought the food to Castle, who placed it in the crate they'd carried along with them where he stood in the tunnel, just outside of the door frame. The more she moved about, opening and closing the door, changing the weight on the shelving, the more ash and soot she kicked up. She was nearing the end of her task when shelving began to break off and the ceiling began to creak, small crumbles of debris falling around her.

Upon hearing the noise from within the room Castle called, "Beckett come on. We've got enough."

"Just a few more." She responded to him, moving to the far end of the room to remove the remaining cans from the shelving. Another load creak was heard and more crumbling.

"Beckett! Kate, get out of there now!" He screamed, his fear taking over.

However, unlike last time, the debris didn't stop falling. Before Castle knew what was happening, the ceiling gave way and part of the shelving crumbled to the floor.

When the dust cleared he was not met with the sight of Kate at all, but a pile of rubble over the last place he'd seen her standing.


Cliffhanger! I won't leave you hanging long. Working on the next chapter now :)

Also, quick clarification point on the story. The tent Kate found was too ravaged by the elements, but she did salvage the sleeping bag. That's from the chapter where she made the stockpile if anyone wants to double check; I'm going to go back myself and be sure it made it from my notes to the text-but I think it did! :) I love that you guys are enjoying this!