The Universe and You
Author's Note: My co-author hates me because I am a slacker. My boyfriend is ruining my creative juju. Now whom do I smack upside the head?
Disclaimer: *Gives a incredulous look*
Chapter 5
"Pick up! Pick up! PICK UP DAMNNIT!" Lanie's voice filled the room, rising in volume with every word.
Infact, hers was the only voice in the room at the moment. The other two occupants sat on the bed. One shell shocked, the other trying to get the first back to normal. After trying to get Kate to say something, anything for the past twenty minutes, and failing to earn anything but a blank stare and a 'Rick' from her, Alexis had finally given up, and opted instead to sit and hold the older woman.
The red head's arms seemed to be the only things holding Kate together at the minute. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, and most certainly couldn't breathe.
This is all your fault! You KNEW this was going to happen! You should have stopped him. You should have called off the wedding! Her inner voice shouted at her, making up for the lack of her normal voice.
The moment the call ended, Kate's world had literally and figuratively collapsed. All she could get herself to do was mumble 'Castle…call…voicemail…not a dream' to Lanie, who entered the room a few seconds after the call ended.
After trying to get Kate to say something more coherent, and failing as well, Lanie had decided to use the words she had and call the person mentioned in them. She tried Castle's number over and over again, only to have it reach voicemail. She sighed as the call went to voicemail for the 15th time, and looked at Kate.
Kate Beckett, who was famously known for her unbreakable façade of calmness and strength was currently a hyperventilating, shivering mess who was incapable of doing anything but staring out the window towards the entrance of house.
Five more minutes passed, making Lanie and Alexis slowly come to the conclusion that something was very very wrong indeed. Richard Castle, who was never EVER late for anything, was late for his own wedding. They tried to reach him but sadly the guy was practically untraceable without his phone. So they sat on either side of Kate, one hugging her from the side, and the other holding her stone cold hands, and waited.
Thirty more minutes passed, and the atmosphere in the room had gotten more and more tense. The number of occupants was now twice as it was earlier, Jim, Martha and a very shaken Ryan added to the list. They had come in one after another, asking Kate why Rick hadn't showed up yet, only to receive a grave "His phone went off when Kate was talking to him and we now can't reach him" from a scared looking Lanie.
The only person in the room who hadn't moved an inch or said a word the whole time was Kate. She just sat there, shivering and struggling to breathe, her stare fixed on the entrance of the house.
Internally though, she was a riot. One part of her was screaming at her, holding her responsible for everything that happened. Another that was praying to every god, angel and spirit in the universe to save her fiancé, and a third part praying, should the worst have happened, that her own death would follow quickly and immensely painfully.
It was the second part that lead her to keep her stare fixed on the entrance. Because some part of her, some desolate, desperate, hopeful and stubborn part of her, hoped he would show up. Or that a sniper would shoot her through the window and be done with it.
She knew she was being morbid but she honestly didn't care. In a world that Rick Castle didn't exist, the existence of Kate Beckett made no sense.
You know what to do then, don't you? Wait till you know he isn't coming back, and then go end your life. But make sure it hurts. The small dark part of her whispered, startling her with its reappearance.
The part didn't speak up much. Only thrice in her life till now, infact. The first when she saw her mom's lifeless eyes, the second when she was recovering from the gunshot wound in the cabin, and the third, seconds ago. Although she had managed to fight it back the last couple of times, this time however, Kate didn't bother fighting. Because this time, the voice was right. She was going to do it. If she couldn't have a life with Castle in it, she wouldn't have a life at all. She would make sure of it.
A loud screech followed small thud reached the room, snapping everyone but Kate to attention.
"What the… CASTLE?" Esposito's voice was what broke Kate. Her blank stare suddenly sprung back to life, as she desperately searched in the direction that Esposito was pointing outside the window.
The sight that she had expected and dreaded to see, however, was not the one that welcomed her.
As a rush of breath left her body, and a flow of warmth returned, Kate jumped to her feet and sobbed her heart out at the sight of her fiancé from the window.
Her fiancé, who was in one piece, alive and breathing.
Before anyone else could even comprehend what was happening, Kate Beckett found herself running out of the room, down the stairs, through the chairs half filled with guests, and slamming into the arms of her very startled and shaken looking fiancé.
"Kate, are you alright?" the first words coming out of his mouth, brought her back to life.
"Rick! Rick…I thought…I …I thought…Rick!" Kate sobbed, holding him tight and kissing every inch of his face she could lay her lips on.
"I'm sorry Kate…I'm so sorry. Please don't cry. I am fine. Look!" Castle sobbed too, holding her tighter in response.
"The blast…your call…what happened Rick? I thought I…" She still couldn't get herself to say the words lost you out loud for the fear of them actually coming true.
"The car Kate, it blew up. But I wasn't in it Kate. When you started crying..Oh god, Kate…I felt so helpless. I pulled over to talk to you, and walked into the trees nearby…and then it just…the car blew up!" He said, shivering towards the end.
"The car did WHAT?" Esposito bellowed, already pulling his phone out to call in backup.
"It blew up. Maybe a gas leak or something." Castle said absently, trying to control a still sobbing Kate.
"If your car blew up, then how did you get here?" Lanie asked, her voice trembling as well.
"I can answer that" came a voice from behind all of them, making all of them turn, and two of them half-chuckle.
"Aunt Theresa?" Kate said incredulously, before looking up at the sky.
As if reading her thoughts, Castle whispered in her ear.
"I agree, the universe does have a twisted sense of humor."
And as his warm breath caressed her neck, Katherine Beckett, came back to life again, the darkness now defeated thrice in a row.
Author's Note: Not the last chapter. I mean seriously people, after going through this much crap, these two definitely deserve a wedding. Dontcha think?