"Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"I'm sorry, Beckett." Ryan said, heartbreak evident in his voice and eyes.
She didn't know what to do or say or feel. So she did what she does best; leave. She stormed off to the break room, shutting the door behind her. When she was confined inside, she slid down the back wall, bursting into tears.
Lying in bed that night, she couldn't help but to play with her engagement ring; the one that was supposed to signify forever. A stray tear slid down her face but she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. No, he couldn't be gone, not her husband. She hugged his pillow tightly, breathing in as deeply as she could just to smell his scent.
She nearly breaks down at the coffee machine; his gift to the NYPD. It was NYPD and Richard Castle coffee. She saw the heart stencil, the one he would use to draw patterns on her lattes. She picked it up gently, tracing it with the tip of her finger.
She goes to put her necklace on, but she stops a second, looking at her mom's ring. Right next to that is her own wedding ring. It deserved to be worn properly, so she slid it off the chain and slipped it onto her ring finger. "I love you, Castle, where ever you are."
As she walks the streets of New York, his photo is plastered every where she looks; it's all over the news. The cover of the latest PEOPLE read: In latest news, writer Richard Castle has gone missing." Beckett walked up to the newsstand, his picture centered perfectly on the cover. She traces the picture like she did the stencil. "Babe, where are you?"
"I'm sorry, Beckett, we have nothing." Espo hung his head delivering the news. They'd been searching for three days now. False leads and dead ends were all they had at this point.
Why did she get her hopes up? She had hope, but now that three days had past, she shouldn't have expected for him to be found over night. She had to fear for the worst. She had to brace for reality.
"He's not dead, he's just not found yet." Gates said to her. In all of this, Gate's softer side had emerged, truly feeling for Beckett in this scenario.
"Easy for you to say when your husband is at home safe." She whispered walking out of the office. Gates let her comment pass knowing she wasn't thinking clearly.
She made her way to the break room where she sat alone at a table in the corner. She couldn't help but to remove her wedding ring and twist it in her fingers absentmindedly. Her thoughts instantly drew back to their honeymoon.
"Come on, it will be fun!"
"Nope!"
"Please? Cause you love me?" He pouted, giving her puppy dog eyes.
"Alright, fine. But only because I love you!" She took a few steps back and ran to jump on his back. Little things like this, ones that made her feel extremely childish, actually became fun and romantic with him. Just his excitement to carry her on his back like this made her smile.
They both laughed for no apparent reason other that the fact that they were so unbelievably happy. She leaned around, a huge smile on her face, and kissed him.
Thinking about it, she tried not to cry. She would give anything in the world to be back there with him. When she pictured her married life, she never imagined it would only last two months. She never imagined an undercover mission would go so wrong.
Feeling hopeless and helpless, Ryan and Esposito watched her from their desks as she clutched her ring, tears streaming down her face.
Nine days later and she was on a personal leave from work. She was exhausted and so, so heartbroken. They had barely gotten anywhere, and the odds at this point weren't good. But she'd never give up, ever.
So there she sat on the couch, daydreaming about anything and everything that reminded her of him. She had been doing so a lot lately. And as if doing so would bring him back, she heard the click of the door opening which brought her out of her thoughts. And in that moment, everything changed. Espo and Ryan sauntered in, followed by none other than Castle.
Beckett stood up, suddenly frozen to the spot. Castle walked towards her stopping halfway. Beckett walked towards him, slowly reaching out her hand to touch his face. Both had similar looks on their faces; ones of pure and utter relief, joy, and awe. Her hand met his cheek, and he reached up to cover hand with his. His eyes shut at her touch, tears falling from both.
Espo nudged Ryan and both exited silently as the homecoming continued.
Castle wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her close. Beckett leaned into him, still unable to look away from his face. "It's really you." At this point, she didn't care how they found him or where or by what means or why. All she cared about was that he was safe and home and alive.
"Yeah, it's really me." His voice husky, he drew his face close to hes, rubbing his nose with hers.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "You came back to me."
"Always." He whispered back before leaning in and kissing her.