Hi.

Look! It didn't take me over a month to post a new chapter! Yay! Lol. I hope you all enjoy this one! It's a bit heavy. Reviews are love.

Disclaimer: Castle and For Lovers Only aren't mine :/

[A Light In The Dark]

With the curtains drawn closed and the lights all off, the small hotel room was basked in darkness. Yet, it wasn't all black. A small sliver of light peaked through the window, passing between a small opening in the curtains and allowing a tiny amount of the sun's rays to enter the shadowy domain.

That one stream of light cascaded upon the two occupants in the room, its glow lighting up their faces in a yellow warmth and softening their features. Sleeping away the afternoon, Rick and Kate cuddled under the blankets and merely enjoyed the quietness of their solitude. The heat of their naked bodies combined with sheets wrapped around them made it boiling hot.

Wide awake and propped up against the headboard with a pillow supporting his back, Rick merely watched the rise and fall of Kate's chest as she traveled through the land of dreams. Her hair cascaded in soft curls; framing her face and making her look angelic. He reached over, unable to help himself, and tangled a finger in one of the curls, smiling as he did so.

It still shocked him, even after everything they've been through over these past four days, that they were doing this. It felt like a dream, one he never wanted to wake up from.

Twirling the smooth strand between his fingers, a sigh spilled from his lips as his thoughts began to wander. A wave of sadness, guilt, and disbelief washed over him as he went back to just the other afternoon, when they'd been in the bathtub.

Oh, Kate. She'd shared the news of her father's untimely passing, and she had been the shell of the woman he was now beside. Broken and hurting.

It wrenched his gut just thinking about it. He never wanted to see her like that again; it was too painful.

Yet at the same time, he did.

He wanted her to be able to open up, to be vulnerable with him. He wanted her to know that he will always be there for her, even if whatever this is between them does not work out once they head back to New York. Now that he was in her life, and she in his, he didn't want to let her go. Especially, not after everything that has transpired over the past four days.

She was his lifeline as much as he was hers.

Shaking his head, he came back to the present and watched as she slept. Only those sweet dreams she was having didn't last much longer. Rick noticed the second her dream turned into a nightmare; Kate began to thrash wildly next to him, her face contorted in a painful grimace as she gritted out incoherent words.

Reaching over, he grasped her hand in his and gave it a hard squeeze before grabbing hold of her side. "Kate? Kate, wake up."

Her eyes opened as she bolted upright, her chest heaving with sweat-licked skin, and tears streamed down her flushed cheeks as she gasped for oxygen to get into her lungs, the vividness of the nightmare still raw and all too real. He could see her trembling, her body tense and rigid.

She had a vice grip on the bed sheets, knuckles as white as the material in her grasp. As soon as she'd started shifting in her sleep, Rick knew what the night terror had been about.

Her father.

Hesitantly, he placed a hand on her bare shoulder? "Kate?"

Eyes wide, she practically lunged herself into his arms, the tears coming in full swing as she held onto him for dear life. "My dad...he— he's..." she stammered, the words failing her.

"I know. I know."

Rick slid the sheets off her lower half, only to then pull her into his lap. He wound his arms over her shoulders, bracing her against his chest with an arm circling her waist and the other over her upper back. Kate's legs were curled up against her chest, causing her to shrink into him even more.

Slowly, he began to rock back and forth as he murmured sweet and comforting words to her as she sobbed.

"Let it out. I've got you," he whispered. "I've got you. It's okay. It's okay, it's over."

Not sure what else to do, he continued to gently rock her as he mumbled the same words over and over again, hoping it was helping. He peppered kisses onto the crown of her head, her forehead, and anywhere else his lips could reach.

A full ten minutes later did the crying stop and small hiccups took its place. Crinkling her nose, Kate buried her face into his shoulder and took a deep but shaky breath. Her body still shook every once in a while, and it was like the tears were threatening to burst out again at any given moment.

When he felt it was the opportune moment, Rick removed himself from the bed and headed toward the abandoned suitcases by the front door, where he got a fresh pair of boxers, a fresh pair of Kate's lace panties, and two of his white button-downs.

Returning to the bedroom, he gave Kate a small smile as he helped her get dressed. She didn't flinch away at his assistance, letting him slip the shirt and panties on without saying a word. If she was being honest with herself, she just didn't have the energy to do anything but sit there and let him clothe her. It would have been draining to do it herself.

She even shot him a weak smile when their eyes met as he buttoned the shirt up, his fingers nimble and delicate. "Thank you," she mumbled, her voice raspy and raw from all the crying.

Rick smiled softly in reply, getting himself dressed in the other shirt and boxer shorts before he helped her slip back into the bed, where they tangled together. Kate rested her cheek on his shoulder, her arms circled around his waist.

More kisses and comforting words were whispered, more tears were shed, and the darkness that surrounded her had begun to disappear as a light broke through.

"I can't believe he's gone…" Kate breathed. She had spoken so low that if Rick hadn't been listening and waiting for it, he would have missed it entirely.

That gut wrenching feeling made another appearance; the sorrow and guilt he had bubbling inside him grew.

He wished so many things.

There was nothing he could do but offer her a shoulder to cry on and be supportive as she grieves. If he could bring Kate her parents back, he would in a heartbeat.

But seeing as it was impossible, there were smaller yet impactful things he could do to bring her that happiness again. She wouldn't be whole, but she'd be patched up with various stitching and patterns. And hopefully, that would be enough.

That's when he had an idea.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

Eyebrows knit in both confusion and curiosity; Kate nodded her head and watched Rick as he strode back out toward the front door. Couldn't help but wonder what he was up to. Her gaze stayed on the door, waiting for him to walk in. When he returned after a minute, that's when she figured out why he'd left. He had his moleskin notebook clutched in his hand, the pages filled with the words he'd penned himself.

Silently, he took his place in bed and opened up the notebook, his scribbled and messy scrawl visible on the pages. "I was going to read you some new material, if that's okay with you."

He seemed hesitant, unsure if this was a good idea or not. By the grateful grin Kate had curling on her lips Rick knew it was.

"I'd like that," she said, placing a wet kiss on his cheek.

Rick reached down and grasped one of her hands in his, wanting that connection with her. "And if you fall asleep, I'm right here. Okay? I'm always here."

God, this man was incredible.

Kissing him soundly on the lips, she whispered, "Thank you", before she made herself comfortable as he began to take her into the world of Nikki Heat.

"Okay, here we go..."

Kate went in and out of the land of dreams, Rick's voice was like silk. She would never get tired of listening to him speak.

As she listened to the words he had weaved into sentences, into a story, a sad smile formed. She had never told him this before, and she probably should, but his books— his words— were what kept her afloat when her mother first passed away. And he was, unknowingly, doing the same thing again.

She would be forever grateful to whatever force in the universe brought him back into her life, and at such a difficult time.

Richard Castle was her light in the darkness, and she didn't want that light to ever go out.

There you go!

Please let me know what you thought by leaving a review! This is the last chapter that I will be having the super long author's notes at the beginning and end of each chapter. From now on, they are going to be the bare minimum. Besides, I'm sure you guys don't want to here me rambling all the time. Am I right? Anyways, thanks for reading! Until next time.

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