A/N: Thank you again for the continued support of this story. Your reviews make me smile!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters used in this story.

Castle manages to delay his flight as long as he can, spending most of the day with Kate. She's clingy and he's equally as needy as she is, neither willing to leave the other's side for more than a few minutes. It's unusual for Kate to be that way, but he finds that the longer they're together the more affectionate she becomes. And after a lifetime of pain and losing people that she loves, she seems to have adopted a waste no time with the ones you love philosophy.

He makes sure she has everything she needs, probably more than enough because it's not as if she couldn't go get something if she needs it. She's not even showing yet and he's treating her as if she's about to pop their kid out tomorrow.

He leaves her with a promise to call every night and a hope that the week passes quickly. She lets him leave with a promise to take care of herself and their growing child while he's gone.

He doesn't see her tears as he drives away. She holds in the majority of them until she gets back inside the loft. She has become a sap when it comes to Castle, but she loves that man more than words could ever express.

She tells herself that it's only a week, that talking to him every night will make the days pass quickly. And then pleads with the little one that's nestled safely inside her, asks him to stay safe and healthy in there, especially while his daddy is away. She doesn't know how she knows, but she has no doubt that it's their son she's talking to.

Castle misses her as soon as she disappears from his sight, and he has to fight the urge to insist on canceling the rest of the tour. It doesn't matter how long it's been since he was missing from her life for two months. It doesn't matter that he doesn't remember anything about those two months other than knowing deep down inside that he missed her. Being away from Kate is hard on both of them, and he's not sure how long it will take for that aching memory to fade to a dull, less heartbreaking pain.

He signs books for what feels like days, putting on a happy façade for the hundreds of fans that line up outside the bookstore. He personalizes them all, looks at his fans while they tell him how much they adore his books, but all he thinks about is Kate.

And the moment he makes it back to his hotel room, day one of being away from her finally coming to an end, he goes straight to his bag and pulls out her journal, and gets lost in the words of the woman he loves more than life itself.

July 9th, 2014

Castle,

Work has been complete hell this week. I chased a suspect down ten flights of stairs, rolled him onto the ground and wrestled him into handcuffs because I wasn't about to let the sonofabitch get away. I've always been determined to get the bad guys and justice for the victim's families. But ever since you went missing, I have this renewed determination to take every asshole in this city down.

If I can't get justice for you right now, then I'll get it for others until I find you.

And when I do find you, the people who took you better hope they have a damn good plan, because getting justice for you will be at the top of my list. I didn't stop when my mom was murdered and I'm getting you back alive, but I still won't stop until I know that they have paid for what they've done to you—to us.

My right shoulder is throbbing, and I know there's a bruise forming on my ribs and it makes me miss your hands. There are many, many amazing things that your talented hands can do to me, and I'd list them here, but then this book would become something that I have to hide in the future. So tonight I'm missing your massages. I miss the way your fingers dig into the sore knots underneath my skin and work them out until I'm relaxed and the relief washes through me.

You never hesitate to take care of me and I think I've taken advantage of that.

I can't wait to have you home, in this huge bed with me. I can't wait to melt into the sheets while you work every bit of stress and pain from my body with the strength of your hands. I can't wait to be wrapped so tight in your arms afterward that I can hardly breathe, because you know I won't move away. I'll lay there, smothered from the heat of your body and I'll beg you to never let me go. And you won't.

His phone is in his hand the second he closes her book. The ache in his heart only growing after reading her words and knowing he can't go to her and wrap her in his arms.

She answers on the first ring, trying to sound like she's fine, but he hears the hints of sadness in her voice, knows how hard it is on her to be away from him. It might be different if they had caught the men who took him, but they have no leads and he knows that both of them are always wondering if at some point they'll take him again.

So he reassures her that everything is okay, reminds her that they only have six more days apart. And then he promises to wrap her in his arms the moment her gets home, promises to use his hands to work the stress from her body.

And he promises to never let her go.

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