257. Chapter 257

After Dreamworld

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Are you dreaming? Of course I don't own Castle. Rating: T Time: See above

Kate collapsed on top of Castle, drained by her second orgasm, scattering kisses over his face. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She whispered in his ear.

"I'm beginning to think you do." He teased.

"You know I do." She rubbed her body against his, pushing her bare boobs into his chest. He could feel her stiff nipples scratching his skin.

"Keep that up and I'll be ready for round three in record time."

Kate suddenly rolled off of him. "Sorry. I shouldn't be on top of you like that. Are you okay?" She said, worried.

Castle pulled her close to him. "Of course I am. You were there the whole time the doctors were with me. I am fine. I have no symptoms. I have no toxins in me. I'm as strong as an ox, and a lot smarter. So you can stop treating me like I might shatter into a gazillion pieces if you're a little rough on me." He lifted her up so she was on top of him again.

"Sorry. When things go bad, I've always been able to push my emotions down and stay in control until I solve the problem. Afterwards I fall apart. It's just that I've never let you see me fall apart like that before this."

"And I'm alive because you can do that. Thanks." He kissed her lightly.

"You were right, though. I was with you the whole time. When we got the antidote from Parker, McCord took Mrs. Reed and I went to you. I was so terrified. Did I have enough of the antidote? Was I administering it properly? A million thoughts went through my head. All bad." She kissed him again. "I rode in the ambulance with you. It was horrible. Although you didn't die in the ambulance, I know what you went through when I got shot. It was all I could do to stay in control in case you needed me. I don't know how you managed it."

"Same as you. I had no choice. We didn't know if someone else was coming after you, or what. I had to be there for you."

"I wanted to be there when the doctors examined you. McCord had to drag me away from you so they could work on you. Once they said you'd recover, I sat by your bed. I held your hand, I touched your face, and I told you over and over again how much I love you. How badly I need you."

A tear ran down Kate's cheek. "When you came to see me in the hospital, I lied to you. How could I have done that to you?"

"Do you suppose I could go away for three months to recover?" He said, teasing her.

"No. Absolutely not. Castle, I would do anything to change what happened that summer. And I will never do to you what I did that summer. I'll stay with you no matter what."

Castle ran his hand through her hair. "What if you catch a case? An important case. "

Kate put her head down on his chest. "Castle…babe…"She didn't know what to say.

"You do know that I love you because you are the kind of person who will go out there and bring closure to the victims and their survivors. I'd never want you to change."

Kate propped herself up on her elbows and looked him in the eye. "One thing. Rachel talked to me. She told me that you thought I'd do fine if I lost you and still had the job? You can forget about that. I don't know what I'd do without you and I never want to find out. I'm sure it would destroy me completely and no job in the world could take your place. Understand?"

"I feel the same way about you, you know."

Kate rested her head on his chest again. I am losing Castle in a sense. He's been my partner for years now. He's made me a better cop and we're a better team than anyone I've ever had. Ryan, Esposito, Royce, all of the rest. Castle's the best, no doubt about it. But Castle can't be with me now. The AG's office doesn't work that way.

"Maybe this is for the best." She said thoughtfully.

"What? Me almost dying?"

She slapped him gently. "Of course not. I mean us not being able to work together anymore. It was bad enough for me when you were in danger and you were just this annoying writer who was following me around."

"Wait? I was annoying?" He touched her forehead. "Are you sure you weren't exposed to something? You're delirious."

She pushed his hand away. "You were annoying, but that was a very long time ago." She kissed his lips lightly, then rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you remember when that Nigerian killer was shooting at us and you decided to distract him with the pop of a champagne cork? I wanted to stop you but I didn't have a better idea. I was upset that I didn't have a better idea, I was upset that you were the one that did and I was upset that you were risking your life for me."

"Hold on. I was there, too. I was risking my life for us."

"And then you made a joke out of it by telling me to never call you "Kitten" again."

"And in spite of my saving your life, you have called me Kitten." Castle said with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Then there was the time you rushed into my burning apartment."

"I only did that so I could see you naked." He said smugly.

"Liar! You had no idea that I had been in the shower and was naked."

"My Spidey senses were tingling. And, if I hadn't been with you, Scott Dunn would have killed you."

"No, it was your idea that Dunn was around someplace other than in the building the FBI was getting ready to assault. If you hadn't been there, I'd have never left the truck."

"And Jordan Shaw and her team would have been killed." Castle riposted.

"I can handle other people dying. I can't handle your death."

"No, Kate. You can't handle any other people dying. That's why you became a cop and that's why you are so remarkable."

"That word again." She blushed.

"You are remarkable." He pulled her close and kissed her, a long slow kiss.

"We'll have to agree to disagree."

"No. You are remarkable. I'll just have to keep telling you that until I convince you."

"My point, which I was making before you interrupted me, is that the more I cared for you, the harder it was to see you in danger. I can't handle that anymore."

"You'll have to, I'm afraid."

"Castle, please. I'm serious."

"I know, and I am, too. You do realize I could get into trouble all on my own, right? Who knows how many ex-KGB officers my dad has aroused homicidal passions in? Do you think Jerry Tyson wouldn't love to see something dreadful happen to me? How about Bracken? He's got to know about us. I mean, how many people knew about us before we knew about us? Bracken knows I have money and contacts. He's got to know I'm a danger to him. How many other dangerous people have I pissed off, do you suppose?"

She hated it, but he was right. "Castle…What are we going to do?"

"We'll be amazing, just like we always are. Okay, it won't be like New York, and it had better not be like what we just went through, but we'll manage. We always do."

"Always?" She asked, very seriously.

"Always."

He's right. He is my partner, in every meaning of the word. I have to find some way to get us back together. But how?