AN: I haven't fully decided about the Josh thing. I'd never intended on including him in the story and I get how it can be a bit clichéd. I'm thinking about writing a one-shot that could stand alone from this story, but still fit in with it, with Josh in it. We'll see. Nonetheless, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think, thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed!

Chapter Fifteen

But his brain was pounding and he struggled to make sense of anything so he simply allowed the blackness to overtake him and fell deeper into nothingness.

Slowly Castle crept back into awareness of his surroundings. He heard the steady breathing of people around him. His mind explored his circumstances, attempting to ascertain if he was still in the captive of the madwoman – had Beckett's voice been imagined? There was a steady pressure on his right hand that was warm and strangely comforting. He struggled to form a word, found it trying and changed tack to prying an eye open. He found himself in a dimly lit hospital room; relief coursed through him, Beckett hadn't been imagined. His eyes found her, hand clasped tight on his – an explanation to the pressure that was comforting him. She was sitting beside his bed, slumped forward, dozing, practically in his lap. He grinned at that. He lifted his free hand to run it through her hair. He'd just play unconscious if she reacted. She didn't stir and he moved his eyes from the top of her head to scan the rest of the room. Alexis was asleep on a cot on the floor beside them. Despite the dull light he could tell that they were the only three occupants of the room. It was the small things his wealth afforded him that he really appreciated sometimes, like the opportunity to have a private hospital room where he could be alone with his women. As Beckett stirred and her eyes found his, he appreciated it all the more. A grin stretched across her face as she found him awake and his lips rose to match hers in an answering grin.

"Hey stranger, I missed you," she whispered, aware of Alexis sleeping still. Her tone was rich with sleep and Castle had to focus to take in her words, not just the movement of her mouth and sweet sound of her voice. He beamed in response.

"Worried about me were you?" he answered softly, squeezing the hand that she still held. He untangled the fingers of his other hand from the ends of her hair where they'd come to rest and gently brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear. She fought the urge to blush as he gazed intently at her.

"Oh no, Alexis and I were glad to have the time apart from you. We even spent the whole night hanging out down at the precinct trying to solve a case. I have to be honest, I think she's replaced you, she's got much more of a knack for investigating," Beckett teased lightly.

"I organised this whole thing just so the two of you would have the chance to spend some quality time together," Castle responded with a wink. They both laughed gently at that. They sat in silence for a moment, just staring at one another, content to just be together. Neither was willing to loosen the grip on the other's hand. Beckett was using her free hand to gently trace patterns on Castle's wrist, the sensation sending barely masked shivers to Castle's very core.

"Alexis was incredible, you know," Beckett started softly after several minutes had passed. "I don't know if we would have found you in time without her. Plus, she kept me sane. I'm just," she paused, trying to find the right words to convey the sentiment she was trying to. "I'm just so grateful she was there, that we did this together. I kind of love your kid, Castle," she finished quietly, but without hesitance. It the best thing he'd ever heard her say. It was the best thing anyone had ever said to him. He wanted to kiss her so badly. She continued to her run her fingers along his wrist, his arm, sending sparks of electricity pounding through him. As he watched her in wonderment, she brushed her lips on the back of his hand. "I'm really glad you're okay," she sighed. He mumbled something non-coherent, too distracted by her to form full words. "You are okay, right? What exactly happened to you, Castle?" she frowned. He groaned in remembrance and regretted it instantly as her frown deepened.

"I'm fine, Beckett, really," he offered her a small smile. Her expression softened but didn't return to the joyous, relaxed Beckett of five minutes ago. He sighed, he didn't really want to rehash the experience, but clearly Beckett needed to know, whether it was curiosity, her cop instinct or genuine concern that drove her need he wasn't entirely sure. To be honest, it really didn't matter what drove her need to know – he wanted her to share in the experience with him. Telling Beckett made it theirs, a shared experience, joined in common knowledge. He certainly wasn't going to be sharing it with anybody else. "I'll start from the beginning," his tone slipped into storytelling mode, weaving words that drew Beckett in. "As I made my way down the dingy city streets, my mind was dancing with ideas of what to make my dear detective for dinner. Although, she had only given me a noncommittal response and I was saddened by the thought that she might miss my intimate family dinner in favour of working herself too hard, which would have been a crying shame because my cooking is simply exquisite…" Beckett cut him off with a soft –

"I came, you know." Castle expression was puzzled. "To the loft, for dinner. That's why Alexis and I started looking for you. I came around after I finished work. I was going to have dinner with you, Castle," she murmured gently, not quite meeting his eyes. Castle's face exploded into a grin, he pulled their joined hands to his mouth and kissed her hand gently, his blue eyes sparkling. If she was allowed to kiss his hand then he sure was going to return the favour after she said things like that. Things that made his heart want to beat out of his chest and made him want to pull her onto the bed with him and hold her tight, dragging his lips across hers over and over again. Of course, whilst he was in a hospital bed with his daughter in the room was probably not the best time to be dwelling on fantasies like those. Beckett was gazing at him as he sat there, grinning like a fool, miles from reality. He could almost pretend that he could see masked longing reflected in her gaze as well, the things that she did to his body, with her eyes alone. Unbelievable. "The story," she prompted, evidently not as lost in thought as he was at that moment.

"Right," he fought for composure and somehow managed to win. "I was alone in the street, with only my thoughts and the dull thud of my footsteps echoing through my mind. A second set of footsteps sounded behind me, a woman's voice, calling for help. Her car had broken down; she couldn't get the spare tyre out of her trunk. She needed the aid of a strong, muscular man…"

"And all she got was you. Unlucky," Beckett interjected with a laugh.

"Guess I opened myself up for that one," Castle muttered. "Look Beckett, if you're going to keep interrupting we might never get to the meat of the story," he said without a hint of frustration, before lowering his voice and adding. "Not that I mind prolonging an intimate conversation with you in a dark room. I'm all for more of those." Beckett chuckled, squeezed his hand again.

"Keep going Castle. I'll interrupt if I feel the need, I've got nowhere else in the world I need to be," her tone was serious, she wasn't teasing. She meant what she said. Castle's chest swelled at the thought. He immensely enjoyed waking up to find Beckett clutching his hand and listening eagerly to his stories – not that this really was a story so much as recapping the time they'd spent apart over the past couple of days. He liked the idea of that too, holding Beckett's hand, preferably in bed, discussing the events of their day. He could easily make a habit out of that.

"So anyway, I agreed to help this poor, dowdy looking, helpless woman out of the goodness of my heart. I lean into her trunk, the tyre is jammed really tight. I feel a sharp sting to the back of my neck and I collapse into the trunk. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in this barren room, alone and wishing that I was at least cuffed to a certain sexy detective to help me pass the time – oh, and escape. Although, I was fairly glad I wasn't cuffed to you because it meant you were safe," he added softly, squeezing her hand. She smiled gently in response. "I spent the next while scoping out the room and trying to telepathically let you know where I was. Oh!" He gasped, suddenly remembering why he had been hell-bent on orchestrating his own escape and not having Beckett storm in and rescue him. "Oh god," he moaned. "Please tell me I was naked when you showed up to rescue me and not wearing…" he shuddered and Beckett smirked.

"And not wearing your favourite homemade t-shirt?" she finished for him. He groaned.

"Please, please erase that from your memory, Beckett. Tell me you'll be able to see me as attractive again," he grumbled. She laughed.

"Oh Castle, don't worry. I may never, but the boys should be able to get over soon enough," she said with a grin.

"The boys. Oh god. I'm ruined," he complained. "Beckett, you realise that I'm never going to be able to return to the precinct now."

"So that's all it takes to get you to stay away, Castle? An embarrassing t-shirt? You're telling me that all I had to do all these years was snatch you off the street and force you to wear a hideous shirt?" she exclaimed, her tone rich with teasing.

"It's so not funny, Beckett!" he whined before they both dissolved into fits of giggles, Castle's words lost to relief.

"I'm glad you're safe, and back, and you're still you," Beckett sighed after the laughter faded.

"You and me both," Castle agreed. "I would have hated to come back someone else. An alien version of myself that didn't know how to feel human emotions, for example." Beckett swatted his shoulder lightly.

"You know what I mean you goof," she smiled. He matched her grin.

"So you want the rest of the story?" he asked after a moment.

"Every second," she replied. "Then I'll tell you mine."