36

"You can't," she said to him, pressing on the cloth. "You can't die now, not now, not when I'm free, not when..."

Richard slowly moved his hand to take hers.

"I won't," he promised. "I'm here with you. Always."

Tears poured down Kate's cheeks as she listened to his even fainter breathing, and she wished she could believe him.

The driver, Kate didn't even know his name, took them directly to Richard's house. Lanie and Roy were collapsed, exhausted, against the seat. The children had scattered, there were none left in the house, but Kate had no idea what had happened to any of them. Any of them except Charlie. She knew exactly where Charlie was, or where Charlie had been, left for the flames to engulf his small body.

She let out a moan of despair as Richard's eyes began to close. The pulsing of blood coming out of the wound in his torso had slowed, but Kate had a horrible feeling this was due to massive blood loss rather than her pathetic efforts having done anything to help him.

"I love you," she said, immediately regretting it. It had been the kind of 'I love you' that was the last one, the kind that was said because someone wanted it to be in the thoughts of the person they loved as the person they loved-

No. He was not going to die. He had promised.

"I love...you...too," Richard groaned, his eyes still shut.

"Do not try to talk," she whispered. "I know that you do."

Richard smiled weakly. "I... have to talk. In your voice... I heard... you think I will die. But I will not."

Kate pressed the now sodden cloth even more tightly to his body, but said nothing.

"Tell me, Kate. Lady Beckett... Tell me you believe me."

Kate bit her lip. "I..."

"Think... Think about it," Richard gasped. "You are free. He... the man who has... terrorised you... is dead. You... you have won. So you must have faith. You must... you must have faith that I will live."

"But-"

Richard somehow managed to take Kate's hand. He squeezed it as tightly as he could – which was not very tight, but Kate still felt the effort.

"I believe you," she said through her tears. "I believe in you, Castle. You will live."

He smiled. "You see... It is not so hard... for a man to bend you to his will."

Kate chuckled in spite of herself, which she knew had been Richard's intention. She leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Only one man," she whispered in his ear. He smiled more.

"Good," he muttered. Kate felt the carriage slow down. They were at his house. She was hugely relieved Alexis and Martha were not there. Lanie helped Roy inside; the driver helped Kate to carry Richard. He tried to hide his pain, but he could not stop the blood curdling yell that escaped him when they lifted him down from the carriage, and it sent a chill right through Kate's heart.

They put him on the dining room table and Kate hurried to get clean cloths. Ryan, the butler, appeared and silently helped, asking no questions. Kate wouldn't have been able to answer any if he had, even if she had wanted to. Richard drifted in and out of consciousness. Ryan pressed something into Kate's hand; a little flask.

"To make him more comfortable," Ryan said quietly. Kate felt yet more tears flow out of her eyes. She nodded.

"Leave us?" she asked. Rick was all bandaged up; the wound was pressed as tightly as it could be; she had cleaned him up and placed a pillow under his head. Ryan disappeared.

Kate sniffed the liquid in the flask. Laudanum. She had had it, once. A particularly nasty gash when she had been learning how to fight overseas. She kissed Richard's cheek.

"I am going to lift your head; you can swallow."

"What... what is it?" Richard asked.

"Laudanum," Kate said softly. "To help with the pain."

Richard forced his eyes wide open. "Or to ease my passing?" he asked Kate, looking at her so she could not hide anything she was thinking. Kate forced herself to be strong. She grinned.

"Either. I am simply sick of the moaning and groaning."

Richard smiled. "If I... have a choice in the matter, I would rather not have it."

"Why?"

"If... If I am to die... I want to die thinking of you."

This earned him a kiss, but Kate still thought he should take it.

"You will not die."

"You... you look worse than I do," Richard managed to say. "How about... If I agree to take... some, you will... take some too?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "You cannot be serious."

Richard looked levelly at her. She sighed, then took a swig from the flask.

"Happy?" she said, going to lift his head and tip some down his throat too.

He swallowed. "I am now... Almost. Lie with me?"

Kate raised her eyebrows. "On the table?"

"It... It is a big table."

Kate shrugged, then went to close the door of the room. "As you wish," she said, undoing her belt, kicking off her boots and undressing down to just her blood stained shirt. She could feel the world beginning to spin a little. She sat on the edge of the table, then swung her legs up and lay beside Richard. She closed her eyes.

"Do not even think about dying before I wake up, Sir Richard," she said quietly.

"Bossy," he muttered. "Why.. should I not?"

"Because in the morning, we are having serious words."

"What... what did I do now?"

"Well, for one thing, getting yourself stabbed. Completely idiotic."

"I... I do apologise."

"And I have something else to tell you," Kate said, her voice a little slurred.

"You had better... be quick..." Richard slurred back.

"You are going to be a father. Again."

He didn't answer.

"Castle? You haven't died, have you?"

There was a pause. "No," he said. "But... Perhaps it is the drugs... because... I could have... Did you just tell me you are with child?"

Kate smiled. "Yes."

"Definitely... Having words in the morning."

"I look forward to it," Kate said, taking his hand.

She slept for 12 hours at least, and only woke up when Lanie gently shook her shoulder. She groaned and sat up, her back aching from spending the night lying on a table. She sighed with relief when she heard Richard's breathing, much steadier and stronger than it had been the night before.

"We have to keep the wound clean," she heard herself say to Lanie. "So it doesn't get infected."

Lanie stared at her. "Lady Beckett, are you alright?"

Kate blinked. "Yes. Yes, fine. Why?"

"You are covered in blood. And you seem..."

"I took, I mean, Richard wanted me to take Laudanum too..."

Lanie laughed. "You, Kate, need a bath."

Kate looked at Richard, then down at her blood caked hands.

"I can bring you some water and something to wear?" Lanie suggested. Kate nodded.

"Thank you..."

"And maybe some water to drink as well?"

Lanie left before Kate answered to fetch the things for Kate to wash with. Kate's eyes were back to being fixed on Richard. She turned so she was facing him and linked the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of his, feeling his pulse. It was stronger than the night before, she was sure.

She rubbed something on her left hand. Something that had been there all through the night before, something that had been there... since he had put it there. The ring. The ring that meant... the ring that meant he was going to live. She slid her hand under her shirt and pressed it to her abdomen. There was something there which meant he was going to live, too.

Richard's eyelids fluttered.

"Am I dead?" he muttered. Kate laughed.

"Only if I am too."

"Maybe... maybe I am in heaven and you are an angel."

"I do not think angels are this dirty."

Richard grinned. "Mine are."

Kate laughed loudly. "If you were not wounded, I would hit you."

"Go... go for it. I can take it."

Kate rolled her eyes, then leaned down to kiss him.

"Last... last night," he said into her mouth. She moved away to let him speak. "Last night... did you... did you say you were..."

"Going to have a baby?"

Richard murmured in the affirmative.

"Yes, I did," Kate said, smiling.

Richard struggled to reach up with his hand to touch her stomach. She moved closer to let him; he brushed his fingers over her stomach, then rested his hand on her thigh. They stayed that way for a few more minutes.

"Alexis, my mother..?" Richard asked, suddenly thinking of them.

"You will know as soon as we have word for them. They are on the way to Castle Manor."

"Stupid name," Richard muttered. Kate laughed.

"I could not agree more."

"Beckett?"

"Yes, Castle?"

"You'll stay with me?"

"Always."

A/N: Thanks for reading, sorry I took so long to update! Laudanum is a form of opium, by the way, which is like 1800s heroine. Laudanum is weaker though - people even sometimes took it as a painkiller for things like sore throats! Please review, love you xxx