Hi there!

Okay, I'm crazy , but here's another one shot based off of 6x17. Prompt by sarahspencer125: Beckett tells Castle about the letter after she has a nightmare. Thanks for your review!

Also, thanks to everyone else who had reviewed, favorited, and followed. You all are incredible.

Always taking prompt ideas, so please don't hesitate.

Enjoy!

She was in the woods, the darkness suffocating her. Everything was different in the dark; more dead terrifying. Every step was becoming harder and harder to take, fatigue finally setting in. But she had to keep going, had to keep fighting, because as of now, she was marching to her death. Completely humiliating and inhumane, she walked with a gag down her throat and her hands tied behind her back, being led like she was some kind of animal.

She was barely listening to what he was saying, only focusing on what was in front of her, until her feet were kicked out from under her and she tumbled down the embankment, flipping like a ragdoll. She landed in a pile, her body aching. She bit her tongue, attempting to muffle the cry of pain and exhaustion that exploded out of her. She sat up, trying her hardest to stay brave; when all she wanted was to break.

She tried waging a deal with him, the barrel of the gun pointed directly at her head. She was used to talking people out of things, off of ledges, and away from mistakes. But this man didn't care what she had to say, didn't care that she was a cop, and didn't care that she had plans for the future. She wanted to live, she wanted to see another day, and if that meant letting him have anything he wanted, then so be it. She had better things to worry about like a certain writer and her wedding.

But as the scene before her changed from what she remembered, she panicked. Where was Elena? Why wasn't she here? Why was she still facing the gun, a ready hand on the trigger? She had replayed the horrific events over and over until every detail was engrained in her memory, and this just wasn't right. Everything was eerily silent as a menacing grin spread across Harden's face. And then, everything happened in slow motion, she knew exactly what was coming next, as his finger tugged on the trigger. She tried to duck, curl up and become invisible, but with one last scream, the shot went off.

Kate shot up in bed, a cold sweat covering her body. It had felt so real; like she had come that much closer to losing her life than she already had. What she had endured was enough, but her dreams made it so much worse. Her heart was racing, the shear panic of the nightmare running through her veins. She ran her hand through her hair, her ears ringing, and tears threatening to fall.

And then she heard him, right beside her, whispering her name. Still laying down, one hand over his face, he rubbed her back, stopping to massage her neck. She was safe and out of harm's way and he was here. The memories were still too fresh, still too vivid in her mind, though, and the combination of that stress and his reassuring tone finally made her break. The tears fell silently, just barely noticeable even to her. But now her thoughts were dancing through her brain, and she had to get it out.

"I wrote you." She turned slightly to look at him, her voice barely a whisper. "A letter. While I was in the house. I didn't know if."

"Kate." He finally sat up, cutting her off, the realization of what she was saying hitting him.

"No let me finish. I was sitting there thinking about all the times I haven't told you I love you or how much I appreciate you. I don't say the things that I should nearly enough, because you deserve to hear it every day. And I was so scared that I wasn't going to have the chance to ever say it again." She wiped at her face and sniffled, her words tumbling out.

"You don't have to, I know." He nodded, wiping a stray tear off her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

She sat there with her knees tucked into her chest, her arms wrapped around them securely. "No, but I do. I do have to tell you because you don't get to hear it enough. I, I just want you to know that what we have and what we've been doing; all those years of partnership and now our relationship, Rick it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I'm so lucky to have found you, and I'm even luckier to get to spend the rest of my life with you. You're an amazing man, and I love you."

"Is that what it said? The letter?"

She nodded, grabbing his hand and holding it to her own cheek. She wanted to feel as close to him as possible.

"You're incredible." He pulled her into his side, holding her as close to him as he could. He knew all of these things, could see it in her actions. He saw it when she brought him coffee in bed, or when she let him order the appetizer he wanted. Something as simple as a smile told him all of that and more, and the fact that she had thought of him when her life was in jeopardy made her love for him all that more extraordinary.

"I don't ever want to be in a position again where I'm unsure that you know all of that. I don't want that uncertainty for me or the unknown for you. I love you and I couldn't ask for anything better."

He kissed her as a reply, feeling the need to show her how he felt. He truly had no words; she found yet another way to surprise him and render him speechless.

They sat this way, her in his arms for a moment longer, letting the silence settle. Kate settled down, her heart rate slowing and her mind clearing, until she was finally able to attempt to go back to sleep. She shifted downward, Castle doing the same, until they were arranged comfortably; her wrapped in his arms.

It was quiet for a moment longer before Castle spoke. "Always."

"Wanna know something?" She whispered half asleep.

"Hmm?"

A small smile appeared on her lips, that one word meaning everything to them. "That was in the letter too."

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xoxo