Hello again.
I had today to myself, and not a single thing to do with it, so I thought that I would leave you all an update.
We're back to school on Monday, so I won't be able to update as often, but I will do my best to try for Saturday updates. My exams all finished last term, so I shouldn't have too much work to do at home, which means more time than I would usually have to write.

Anyway, on to the next chapter..

Three

The world slowly began to filter its way back to her; stripping a little more of the blissful release brought by sleep with each steady beat of her heart. Each second pushing her unarmoured body further into the blinding reality of the daylight. Kate now understood the battle that Castle had fought with the pull of sleep mere hours before, because now she lay without the numbing cold and burning desire of the night before; broken, bruised, and desperate to fall away from the world for just a little while longer.

Her eyes were still too heavy to peel themselves open, mascara pinching tightly to her rain battered eye lids. Every muscle screaming out in protest against the waking world, her pale skin defaced by the hatred of a man who had left her barely grasping to life. The fear and desperation that she had felt fragmented over her body for the world to see. It wasn't enough for the demons of the past to haunt her life, now they were clawing their way into theirs. The life of Richard Castle and Kate Beckett. She had wanted this for so long; longer than her fractured heart had allowed her to believe, and yet she already felt as if she had let her flaws seep into them. Even in his fearless embrace, pressed so close to his heart that she could feel the ripple of his life flowing into her, they were still managing to drag her away. Tear her from the wonder that this morning should have been, and dirty it with their relentless hunt for her life. She wanted to be here; wholeheartedly with him in every way possible, but the fire that burned with every breath, every ebb of her blood, made it impossible to think of anything but the searing pain. The rush of blood echoed deep in her veins, blinding her thoughts and dragging her further from where she wanted to be. Her heart drummed against her rib cage, bones digging into the excruciating flesh that covered them. She felt foolish, ridiculous even, to be so consumed by it; she was pathetic, weak. Felt worse, choked with the strain of remembering each and every wound given to her by a man who she knew would never be caught. Not by her hand. Couldn't breathe for the lump that pressed down on her throat, threatening to escape; needing to escape.

Castle woke with a start, stunned for a second by the pure shock of being awake, before remembering suddenly the reason why. The strangled sob that had buried its way through his dream soaked mind, screaming desperately at his conscious mind to take over. The hand that had tried to cover the noise; had swiped in panic against the tears that fell along with it. The shaking body of the woman he loved curled tightly against him as if he were the only thing anchoring her to world. His heart beat rapidly, violently pulling him back to his head.

His arms were around Kate in seconds, pulling her flush his chest as he moved to sit up against the headboard, warm hands running soothing patterns against her icy skin without even the need to think about it.

"Kate, sshhh, it's ok. You're safe, Kate, you're ok."

He knew better than to ask what was wrong straight away, had experience enough with Alexis to know that it would be impossible for her to speak, let alone explain as her lungs clung desperately to the little air that she could manage to swallow in against the tears. Instead he ran his hands down her back, encouraging her body to kick in against her mind and grasp at the oxygen it needed. Fingers tangled in her hair as it blended in with her soft skin, dyed grey by the still curtained sunlight. Whispers of comfort and loving endearments keeping her conscious of his presence. He didn't ask what was wrong; he knew that she would tell him when she could.

Castle felt the sharp convulsion rack through her limp body, muscles turning painfully rigid with the unexpected rush of air that finally hit her burning lungs, shocking the life back into her.

"I'm.. sorry.. Ca, Castle."

Her breath caught heartbreakingly around each syllable, protesting against the effort they took to form.

"No, Kate, you don't have to apologise. I'm here remember, I'm here. Just breath, go slowly. I'm not going anywhere; just tell me when you can."

He felt her body press a little more into his, a little softer as she let his hands sooth away the tears.

"It just hurts so much, and I tried, I really tried not to let it, but it's too much. It hurts too much."

Her voice still caught around the edges, still clung to the pain and the fear that had overwhelmed her entire being. Her tears fell fresh against his skin, hot and heavy as they pooled between them.

For a moment, Castle hadn't understood what she meant; had been so filled with her emotional suffering that he didn't even consider the physical, but as he looked down to brush the salty track from her cheeks, he saw, all too clearly, what she was trying to tell him.
Her whole body was a mosaic of bruises; angry purple stains that spilled out across her beautiful skin. The scrapes of concrete like tiger stripes across her back. The heart wrenching outlines of hands that had grasped her by the neck and promised to destroy her. How hadn't he seen them last night? How hadn't she felt them? Thoughts flicked through Castle's head at a thousand paces a second, trying to find something that would make it better, would make it bearable.

He'd gathered Kate up in his arms, her lack of protest fuelling his need to take her pain away. Had kept her there, arms as gentle as they could be, as he sat with her and waited for the bath to fill. Stood her up and held her hand, promising that the warmth and weightlessness of the water would help. Felt his stomach drop and heart ache as she had clung to him, hazel eyes desperately searching for his own.

"Please, don't leave me."

Castle kissed her words away. Kissed her fears away.

"I won't, Kate. I'm here, I'm always here."

He helped her into the bath, climbed in right along with her. Pulled them both carefully down into the relief of the water. His back against the slope of the bath tub. Her body caved in on itself, tucked so closely to his he almost feared that she would disappear into him.

He felt it, the moment of release, the moment he had hoped for. When the water stopped burning; stopped driving the pain deeper into her bones, and did what it was supposed to. Washed it all away.
His arms carried on their soothing path, cleaning away the marks of the previous day that still clung resolutely to her fragile body.

Her mind ran away from the pain, couldn't feel anything except the reassuring presence of the sweetest man she would ever know. A man who had taken her pain, without a moment's hesitation, and turned into something so beautiful that it almost stung her heart to think of it. She couldn't stop herself, didn't want to stop herself. Kate's whole body was alight with a singular thought, a sentiment that was bursting to be set free and into the world. Their world.
"I love you."

Castle wanted to play the scene on repeat for the rest of his life. The words, those three little words that meant so much more than anyone could truly understand until they felt them, spun through his head; delicious, and dizzying, and all that he had ever wanted.
By the time he had recovered enough to respond, Kate was asleep, head turned into his chest and hands still clasped within his own. But it didn't matter that he hadn't had his chance to say them back straight away; made it seem even more magical. Because she had said them, completely from her own heart. From her own mind.
He leant down, lips ghosting across the bruises that littered the skin he could reach without disturbing her, "I love you too."

To be continued.

Thank you for reading.
Please, if you get a second, let me know what you think?

Until next time,
Katie