Summary: This is an alt-S3 story and explores how things would/could have gone differently if there were not significant others in the way. This will be told through a series of one-shots (or maybe two or three-shots depending on the episode) that will (most likely) not be related. (If they do relate to a previous chapter, that will be notated in the A/N at the beginning of the chapter.)

A/N: Thanks to Jennifer for looking this over and the facebook girls for helping me keep my sanity. Or some semblance of sanity.

Countdown

"Believe what?" she asks as they're pulling coats tighter around themselves while looking in vain for a way out of this metal box. She's turned half away from him, inspecting the seam where the wall attaches to the roof, her arms wrapped across her stomach.

But he's not having this conversation casually, like they're just discussing another case or what Alexis has been up to. This is about them and it demands attention. He steps over to her and tugs on her forearms to open her stance, winds his arms around her waist, her hands coming up to rest at his shoulders.

"Believe that you're enough. For me and for you," he finally says.

"I'm not," she insists, shaking her head. "I would make such a mess of this."

"And I have such a stellar reputation when it comes to relationships?" he counters and she has no rebuttal to that. "You are enough. You are more than enough, more than I ever thought I could have in my life. I am under no illusions about you, Kate, I know that you're not perfect. But you have persevered past tragedies that would end most people and you're still here. You are admirable. And maddening and beautiful and –"

His sentences have been cut off a number of times today but this one he doesn't mind so much. Because she is kissing him, her lips laid firm over his, her arms encircling his neck to bring her closer to him. He holds nothing back, kissing her back with every bit of passion that he feels for her.

She pulls out of the kiss messily, panting to catch her breath, her eyes locked with his. "I'm diving," she tells him on an exhale.

"I'm right here with you, we're diving in together." At his proclamation, a radiant smile blossoms across her face and he feels an answering smile curve his mouth.

But suddenly, her face drops, horror taking over her features. "We have to get out of here."

He had actually forgotten where they were, let the immediateness of their situation disappear as he split his heart wide for her in a desperate grasp for the future he hoped they could arrive at. But that future won't come to fruition if they can't get out of this container.

She has no idea how long they've been in here now. No idea how many hours they've been slowly losing body heat. No idea how much time has passed since they accepted that there was nothing that they could do to get out of here and settled into each other's embrace. Time is counted now in heartbeats and shivered breaths and both are becoming precious commodities.

Her blood feels sluggish and her thoughts struggle to move across her frozen synapses. Her body is betraying her. She can't feel Castle, only knows that he is still here because from where her cheek is resting on his shoulder, she can glance up at his profile if she works hard to move her eyes. But it hurts. Anything she can feel burns and so she begins to relish the parts of her that she can't feel. Her legs are detached; her abdomen is just a pillar holding up her chest, her fingers have been useless for a while now.

A burst of clarity hits her and along with it comes terror. No, this is bad, this is very bad. They're going to die here if they can't get out; she needs to do something, needs to…

"Ca…" she tries, her lips not moving the way she wants. So she tries again. "Castle?"

"Yeah?" he stutters out after a beat too long.

"They gonna find us, right?" She's weak enough to admit that she needs the reassurance of his words right now.

"This isn't how our story ends." He stops to take a too shallow breath. "It can't be."

His insistence brings a wave of relief over her and with it, her vision tunnels. She fights against it with a shudder. The sucking blackness is getting harder to ignore but when she gives into it, she's done.

"Kate?" he asks, concern evident in his voice.

"I'm still here," she tells him, the effort it takes to answer darkening her vision. "Don' know for how much longer," she admits.

"Kate, I just… You need to know, know how much, I…" He stops to breathe, the inhale little more than a wheeze.

He already loves you.

"I know." She moves her arm to raise a hand to his face but can't get her fingers to caress his skin like she wants to and allows her hand to drop to his chest. Her reserves are gone, all energy drained and done and there is nothing but unconsciousness waiting for her.

You might already love him.

"I know," she slurs again as the tunnel of black envelops her and she surrenders to the void.

Castle wakes with a start, strong hands on his biceps pushing him back down and takes in his surroundings with wide, panicked eyes. Okay, ambulance. Paramedic trying to calm him down. Red and blue lights strobing across the scene outside the back doors of the bus. But someone's missing.

"Where is she?" he asks, the words rolling heavy off his thick tongue.

"Right here, Castle." Kate's hand slips into his and he turns his head to find her hovering over him, relief swimming in her eyes.

"You okay?" he asks her.

"I'm fine, let's worry about you. You scared me staying out that long." She reaches her other hand out to sweep her fingers over his forehead, down his cheek, her eyes tracking her movements.

"Hey, I told you that's not how we end," he says softly, tightening his hand around hers. Her eyes flick back up to his, their gazes locking instantly, that always present electricity arching brightly between them but more amplified this time. Stronger, more direct, securely connected.

She dove.

She must see it in his eyes when he has that thought because her face softens, the worry giving way to joy, the fear to happiness. They smile at each other, faces splitting open in mirrored ridiculous grins.

"Vitals look good," the paramedic cuts in, slightly startling them, so caught up as they were. "You're welcome to sit up when you're ready Mr. Castle, but take it slow. We can take you to the hospital if you think you need but at the very least, follow up with your doctor in the next few days. I gotta go report in, there's a blanket next to your girl there to wrap up in."

Castle opens his mouth to reflexively correct the man but he's not wrong is he? "Thank you," he calls out at his retreating back, the paramedic waving a hand in reply.

He struggles to sit up, wants nothing more than to take Kate into his arms and feel her warmth seep into his skin but his body isn't cooperating. His muscles protest, his joints are still stiff and just raising his upper body is exhausting. She drapes the blanket over his shoulders, runs a comforting hand down his back and buries her face in his shoulder as he takes a moment to catch his breath.

"You scared me," she murmurs, moving to perch next to him on the edge of the gurney. That is the second time she's said that, so he is sure it must have been bad there for a while.

He wants to touch her, makes a move to lay his hand on her thigh when Esposito comes around the back of the ambulance.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," he teases. "Took you long enough to rejoin us."

Castle fixes him with an approximation of a glare when something occurs to him. "The bomb?"

"Gone, far as we can tell," he answers with an air of frustration, his eyes slicing over to Beckett. "We might have more to go on if the Woman Formerly Known as Supercop would give us a proper statement instead of watching you nap."

She huffs in annoyance. "I told you everything that happened."

"Yeah, white commercial van, thanks for that," Ryan says as he joins them, that same frustration in his tone as well.

"Yeah, well, the next time you're getting shot at, let me know how many details you stop to notice," she throws back at them.

"How'd you guys find us anyway?" Castle asks, his question causing the guys' mouths to curl up in pleased smiles as they gladly detail how one call from his daughter led them here.

He sets the coffee cup on her desk a little while later, after a trip home to change into the warmest wool suit he owns. He didn't expect to also scare his family but if that's what it took to get them out of the city, he could apologize later.

She lifts her head as the cup comes into her view, an affectionate smile lighting up her face. This is why he couldn't go with his mother and daughter. As much as he loves them, the thought of leaving Kate alone to deal with this was unfathomable. For a moment, he had considered calling her, begging her to come with them, but he knew she wouldn't come and he knew he wouldn't leave her so here he is, ready with coffee and support in abundance.

He's lowering himself into his chair when she rises from hers, murmurs "C'mon" and flicks her head to indicate he should follow. He trails after her across the bullpen and into one of the observation rooms, closing the door quietly behind them.

She stares at him for a moment, her arms crossed under her breasts, and the pause is just long enough to have him start worrying. But then she moves, her arms wrapping around his ribs, her face buried in his neck, and he breathes out in relief as he embraces her.

He angles his head down to rest his lips against her forehead. "You okay?" he murmurs into her skin.

"Yeah," she breathes across his Adam's apple. "Just needed this. And…" She hesitates then, leaving the word dangling.

He pulls back to catch her eyes. "And?" he prompts encouragingly.

"I meant it," she says in a rush. "The moment kind of forced a decision but I meant it, I'm not changing my mind, Castle. I said I was diving in and I am."

He didn't realize how much he needed her to say it, how much he needed the reassurance that she just freely gave him and he hugs her fiercely in gratitude.

"I know, Kate."

She pulls back this time to fix him with a questioning look. "Did you?" she asks, her voice small and hesitant.

He can't lie to her, not now, not when she offered herself so freely. "No," he admits softly. "I didn't disbelieve you," he clarifies, "but no, I wasn't sure."

She takes his words in, purses her lips in thought and nods almost to herself after a moment. "I don't know what this all means yet, I can't make you any promises."

"All I ask is that you be my partner in every meaning of that word now. We can figure it out together."

"That I can do," she replies, a soft smile taking over her features.

She kisses him then, gentle and tender, her touch unfurling his heart at her feet, every bit of him open to her.

She pulls out of the kiss to rest her forehead against his, the moment trapped in an amniotic bubble of bliss.

"We have time, Kate," he whispers into the space between them.

She takes a step back with a sigh, the air from her lungs heavy with regret. "We have a bomb to find first."

"Yeah, but, after that," he says wryly with the wave of a hand.

"After that." She says it low, her voice smoky and full of lust and he suddenly finds it hard to breathe. Kate quirks an eyebrow at him as she turns to leave the room, obviously aware of what she just did to him. Saucy woman.

But it's okay, they have time.

Until they don't. Big, red numbers mocking them as they tick away, telling them how little time they actually have left. They're out of options, Fallon is of no help, it's impossible for the bomb squad to get here in time.

15 seconds.

Castle looks at her, his brow furrowed and she can almost see his brilliant mind churning, trying to latch onto something that will get them out of this.

13 seconds.

"Castle," she says, her voice filled with despair.

He reaches for her suddenly, captures her face in his hands and crashes his mouth to hers. She grips his coat in her fists to keep him close, pours everything she feels for him into the press of her lips.

10 seconds.

He pulls back as suddenly as he went for her. "I love you," he declares on an exhale, her heart fluttering at his words. The whispered longings of her heart are screaming in her head now.

YOU ALREADY LOVE-

"I love you, too."

Their eyes lock as they allow themselves an infinitesimal moment of happiness at their shared feelings.

5 seconds.

She leans in to kiss him, wants nothing more than to be wrapped in him as their world is quite literally blown apart but he's not there, he's leaning into the van, his fingers wrapping around the wires of the bomb and before she can cry out not to, he's pulling them free.

Everything stops, her breath, her blood, the very air around them. Everything is still.

And the countdown on the bomb stays at 00:02.

He drops the wires and reaches for her, crushing her to his chest, relief radiating off both of them in waves. She nudges her nose into his cheek, trying to get to his mouth, a moan escaping her throat as he turns his head and capture her lips.

"I love you," she mumbles against his mouth. She has to say it again, has to let him know that this also wasn't something said in desperation.

He smiles, wide and joyous, and it causes a laugh of relief bubble up from her throat.

They made it. They're alive.

You love each other.

The thought dissolves into her blood stream, diffuses into her muscles, settles in her bones.

They love each other.

They take Nazihah back to the precinct to reunite her with her daughter and get her statement. She gladly details everything about their abduction with the tiny girl ensconced in her arms. Castle's mind drifts as the woman is speaking, the child drawing his focus. This girl will never know her father, her uncle. She could have lived a life surrounded by family and now she has only her mother. And her mother has only her. It seems selfish to think about "what if's?" that he could have lost when Nazihah is dealing with what has been taken from her.

Kate shifts next to him, hooking her ankles together and leaning her thigh into his. He casts a glance over but her attention is still focused on the woman that's trying to get justice for her husband and brother-in-law. It could look like she's just adjusting the notepad on her lap but Castle knows better and can tell from the insistent press of her leg against his that the move is intentional. That she's seeking his touch as she's hearing about loss. Reminding herself that she didn't lose anything this time. Even came out ahead.

Pizza and beer have materialized while they conducted the interview and Castle didn't realize how hungry he was until the scent of food hit him. They settle around the table in the conference room with Montgomery and the boys and it isn't long before they start regaling the story of How They Saved New York City (And Possibly the World).

Well, okay, it's more like him telling it because of he is the story teller after all. But towards the end, he has Ryan in such stiches that the man's laughter is contagious and he can't continue.

"But he didn't even tell me that's what he was thinking," Kate's voice picks up from the end of the table, light laughter threading through her tone. "He grabbed all the wires and before I can yell at him not to, he just yanked them."

Ryan sobers at that. "All of them?" he asks incredulously.

"I figured one of them had to be the right one," Castle replies with a shrug.

"You know, the mayor wants to give you guys a medal," Montgomery says with a soft chuckle. "I don't have the heart to tell him you had no clue what you were doing."

They all laugh at that. Except for Esposito. "Captain's right," he says seriously. "You guys don't know how lucky you are."

Castle glances up at Kate to find her already staring at him, a glowing smile on her face and love shining from her eyes. It's not even a little bit subtle and he's completely taken aback by how much he loves his woman. By how much they would have missed out on had this day gone differently. He smiles back, the stretch of his lips making his cheeks ache but he does nothing to tamp it down.

"Actually, I do," he answers, his eyes never leaving hers. He says it decisively, his love for her dripping from the words, admiration for his partner evident. It causes her cheeks to flush pink and she ducks her head in embarrassment as if she's just realized that they're not alone. He tears his eyes away from her to find all three men looking at him for answers but before any of them can ask, Fallon knocks and enters, asks for a minute of their time.

He turns to her after the DHS agent leaves, finds her looking at him with soft affection gracing her features. "So, I was thinking," he starts and she tilts her head in curiosity. "My mother and Alexis are still in the Hamptons, I talked them into staying there and I'm planning to join them tomorrow to stay for the weekend, just, you know, to get away after all this…" He trails off as she laughs at him, a gentle sound that holds no malice, and gives him a look that seems to be half "you idiot" and half "you're adorable."

She steps closer to him, well within the personal space bubble and trails her hand down his arm for a moment before dropping her hand back to her side. "Castle, just ask me."

He takes a deep breath. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? And you're more than welcome to come out to the Hamptons as well but I don't want to force anything-"

She presses her fingers to his lips to stop the tide from his, that "adorable idiot" look back in full force. She drops her hand, lets it skim down his chest, along his arm. "Yes. To all of it."

They grin at each other and exhale twin sighs of relief. He's long wondered if she was about to accept his invitation last summer and the fact that her reaction matches his only confirms that for him. He could lament the lost time, the missed opportunities but he chooses not to. Instead, he's firmly in this moment, in this time and all the times that will come ahead.

Kate turns back to the conference room, cracking the door open to stick her head inside. All of the room's occupants fix her with a questioning look but she's only focused on her captain. "Given the circumstances, you think it's okay if I take a few days?" she asks.

"Take all the time you need, Beckett. See you in a week?" the man replies with a raise of an eyebrow that indicates she should take him up on this.

Roy's answer obviously throws her for a loop and she stutters out, "No, I don't need, I was just thinking a few days."

But now this idea is in Castle's head. A week away from the city with Kate Beckett? (And his family, but hey, it's a big enough house.) As she's speaking, he crowds at her back, his hands on her waist and pushes his face through the opening, their faces only millimeters apart. "Week sounds great, thanks Captain."

She tries to turn her head to glare at him but he's right there and her nose bumps into his cheek. She turns back and huffs in what should be annoyance but she just doesn't sound that annoyed at him right now.

"Tell me you don't want to," he mutters in her ear, grinning triumphantly when she presses her lips together to quell her own smile.

"Fine," she says, the word seeming to be directed at her partner before she addresses her captain. "See you in a week."

"Have a good time, you two." Roy practically sing-songs it and Ryan and Esposito burst into laughter, call out their own goodbyes with knowing tones as she closes the door.

"They were gonna find out sooner or later," she comments as she makes her way over to her desk and begins gathering her things.

"That's not a bad thing, right?" he asks. He knows that he sounds worried but they haven't had a chance to talk about how open they want to be about this.

"No," she says softly but her voice is sure. "It's not a bad thing, Castle."

Oh, he wants to kiss her so bad right now. Just gather her up in his arms and lay his lips to hers in front of everyone because he can. But he tries to be professional, tamps it down because they're at work.

She shuts down her computer, tucks her phone into her jacket pocket and cocks to head to indicate he should follow. "What were you thinking about?" she asks as he falls into step next to her.

He glances around and finds the coast clear but still pitches his voice low as he answers, "Kissing you."

She ducks her head, lets her hair curtain in front of her face but he catches glimpses between the stands, flashes of her pink-tinged cheeks, her glittering eyes. He presses closer than is strictly necessary to her while waiting for the elevator, even chances reaching for her hand and tangling their fingers together, a thrill zipping through him when she squeezes his hand in response.

The elevator dings and she steps into the car, pulling him along by their joined hands. It strikes him how many times they've left together like this, except that they've never left together like this. As the doors slide closed, he can't contain the urge anymore and raises a hand to tuck her hair behind an ear, cups his palm along her jaw. She shifts closer to him, loops an arm around his waist and kisses him with no hesitation. It's so natural and feels so normal, leaving together, being together.

Together. They dove.

I'd love to know what you think.