Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

They dropped the rental car off, checked in and made it through security. Castle wanted to go grab a seat in the lounge but Kate was determined to go find a coffee shop. She got her coffee and one for Castle as well. "The first of many."

"You got me some in the hotel."

"That not really the same..."

"I'll have one hundred and one coffees now. Oooh that could be the next movie' 101 Coffees and a Dalmatian'."

"Sometimes I wonder how in the world you ever get any serious work done."

"Sometimes?" He asked teasingly and kissed her cheek. "Thank you Kate now you just have 99 more to go." Then he started humming '99 bottles of beer on the wall' as Alexis returned from her trip to buy a few magazines. She rolled her eyes, "Oh please no. We are going to be hearing that song all the way to New York."

They boarded the plane and Alexis chose to take the single seat and let Kate and Castle sit together. She let them pretend that it was all just a fluke that they sat beside each other but she knew better and so did they.

She read her magazines and drifted off to sleep a few hours into the plane ride even though it was still pretty early. Kate and Castle enjoyed the complimentary champagne and watched as the sun set over the clouds. Eventually, it was completely dark outside and the cabin lights were turned off. Castle settled in to get some sleep but Kate was restless and just couldn't get comfortable.

"Kate, would you please sit still! I would really like to get some sleep!"

"I have nothing to do and I can never fall asleep on a plane."

"Don't you have a book to read?"

Kate hesitated but said that she didn't. Castle leaned down to get something for her out of his own bag and caught a glance inside Kate's bag. He saw a hardcover novel with a piece of paper as a bookmark.

"Kate..."

"What...oh no...I ...uh...already finished that."

"No you didn't, your bookmark is in the middle." He reached down to take out the book and she tried to stop him, putting her hand on his arm. He pulled it out and looked at the cover. It read "In a Hail of Bullets" and Kate blushed to the tips of her ears.

"Are you blushing my dear detective, I don't think I have ever seen that before."

Kate was silent.

"Now this looks like an interesting book. I'm not sure I've ever heard of it. Is it good? What made you pick this book?" Castle looked positively gleeful as he grilled her.

"Castle..." Kate said his name with warning.

"Now, how about the author of this book? Has he written any more bestselling novels? Is he ruggedly handsome? Does he have a movie deal?"

"Careful Castle or the plane in going to crash because your head is getting so big. You knew before that I read your books."

"But I've never really seen you read one of my books. I mean I did catch you that one time, but to see you with my first book as the book you decide to bring with you on a trip is just..."

"Stupid."

"What? No?"

"I'm stupid for bringing the book. It was just the first one I grabbed ok." Kate said a little harshly and looked away, out the window, at the stars above and the lights below.

Castle stopped as grinning as the tone of her voice changed. He pulled her towards him and brought her face around to look at him "Hey, sorry. I'll stop teasing. I am really touched that you brought the book with you. I'm touched that you own the book. I am touched that you such a fan. It means so much to me and makes me feel like I have been connected to you for longer than we have been working together. Words on a page, that led me to you."

"That saved me." Kate pulled back out of his grasp. "Castle, I am going to tell you something, something serious, ok?"

"Is everything ok? You aren't having any complications are you? The Dragon?"

She ignored him and confessed. "After my mother's murder I needed to escape and I escaped in your books. I just read and read and read and got totally lost in your stories. They saved me and kept me going. I would tell myself to keep holding on so that I could read the next book. They were the one thing I had to look forward to when I had nothing else. My mum was gone, my dad was drinking, my friends had moved on, not wanting to spend time with the depressed me...Rick, your books were a necessity to me, like food and water and air." She was shaking by the end of her little speech, holding in her sobs. Why are we doing this on an airplane of all places?

He unclipped her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap. She buried her head into his neck and breathed in the scent of him, felt the strength of him under her hands and revelled in the warmth of his skin. It grounded her. It grounded her enough to be thankful that they were in first class so that the seats were big enough and it was private enough. "Kate, I had no idea. My heart hurts for you, for everything that you went through, but I am glad that you were able to find something to keep you going. You have no idea how much this means to me." He held her until she had calmed down enough. "Thank you Castle; for the books and for this here now. " She got up off his lap to go freshen up in the bathroom.

Castle brightened and asked, "Do you want to maybe join the mile-high club?"

"You goof! Not this time at least." She left him staring awestruck as she walked very steadily and sexily for someone on an airplane. When she returned he was still stuck on that last little phrase. He waited until she was buckled into her seat again before he asked her under what circumstances would she actually join the mile high club.

"Well maybe if it was not right after I had just poured my heart out. Also, it would have to be on one of those luxury planes with the clean and private rooms, showers and bathrooms where the tickets cost upwards of 10 000$. Then, I might be persuaded." Kate picked up her book and began reading nonchalantly while Castle was sitting there looking as if all his dreams had come true. He shook himself out of his fantasy to take out his laptop to write out a scandalous mile- high scene for Nikki and Rook. Kate saw and heard him typing furiously, using only his two index fingers of course. It's just so adorable how he does that – hot shot writer and all. She smiled amusedly at the man sitting beside her, her man, and felt warm and safe.

A/N: Leave me a review SVP ; )