Work Text:
It's like - writer's block. Only it's *life* block. He can't ever get the words right, or the timing, or the setup - not that he actually thinks and plans that way in real life, but how can this be real life?
He kissed her, and almost lost his mind. The only thing that snapped him back into focus was the knowledge that Ryan and Espo's lives were on the line - otherwise he would have gone on kissing her and maybe poured out his heart and made her listen and maybe, MAYBE she would have considered dumping Doctor Motorcycle Boy and giving him a chance.
He wraps his arms around her and knows it isn't going to be enough. The damn container is probably airtight and there's no one to hear them shout, except the bad guys who cornered them here in the first place. Fleetingly he thinks that this might actually be a more merciful way to go than death by dirty bomb, but he'd rather not go at all just now.
At least they're together. They hold each other until her legs go numb below the knee and he can't feel his feet, and then they manage to fold up and sit propped against the wall. She teases him through chattering teeth, that at least he has enough hair to keep his head warm, and he rubs her hands, trying to help her circulation.
When she stops shivering, he knows she won't be conscious much longer.
"I just wish this was one of your books and you could re-write the ending."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being me. Going rogue. Getting you into-- into this. If we hadn't gone rogue..."
"Oh, shh. Castle, no. Okay? Shhh. You were right. We found the bomb. We were just too late, okay? Castle. Thank you...for being there."
"Always."
There it is, right there. Always. He has always been there, and he always will. Would. Has any other man followed up on that promise? That's what she needs, someone who won't run when the going gets tough, someone solid in the face of her personal turmoil, someone...
Someone who loves her. Really loves her.
The next time he opens his eyes he's staring at the inside of an ambulance and the air is almost balmy compared to the icebox they so recently occupied.
"Beckett?"
Not only is there no Beckett in sight, but even worse, it's Josh's face that appears, rattling off reassurance and instructions. Subconsciously, Castle knows that if Beckett were in any danger, Josh wouldn't look so relaxed, but he sits up even as he converses with Espo and Ryan and looks around until he spots her, standing next to one of many vehicles that now populate the lot.
Beckett thawed out is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Still, he won't push his luck by playing the "we escaped death together" card and instead asks about Josh.
"It means we have a chance," she says.
If only he *could* re-write this story...