my love is building a building
around you, a frail slippery
house, a strong fragile house
(beginning at the singular beginning
of your smile)

- e.e. cummings

"Kate!" Castle yells out, interrupts her eulogy just as he hears the gunshot. He tackles her to the ground, hears her grunt beneath him. All hell breaks loose behind him, he hears Esposito telling Lanie to stay down, but he's only focused on the woman in his arms. "Kate," he says, eyes filling up with tears because she's just staring at him and no, no. She's been shot.

Her hand comes up to cup his jaw.

"I'm okay," she tells him softly, senses his panic, understands why. "It didn't hit me."

A tear runs down his cheek, because he loves her and he's not quite sure what he would do if the bullet hadn't missed. Her gloved thumb wipes away the tear.

"I'm okay," she repeats. He nods, then rolls off of her. She sits up, sees her boys investigating where the shot probably came from. Rick stands, helps her to her feet. She squeezes his hand before their moment is interrupted by his mother and daughter rushing towards him, enveloping him in a hug. Kate's dad comes to her and she hates the look on his face, the look that she saw so often when her mother was killed. She pulls him into a hug, reassures him that he hasn't lost her to the same monsters that murdered his wife.

She's at home later that night, sent Rick with his family, hates that his daughter was exposed to such violence that could have killed him just as easily as Kate herself. There's a knock at her door and she sets her glass of wine down before answering it. Her boyfriend is on the other side and just by the look on his face she knows he heard about the funeral.

"Hey," Kate says.

"Hey. So, ah, is there something you want to tell me? Maybe about a sniper trying to kill you today?"

"Josh, I don't really want to fight about it," she tells him when she hears the bite in his tone. Because she doesn't. She was the next target, they hunted her down and failed, they'll lay low for now with the entire NYPD looking for the gunman. That's all there is to it. "I'm okay," she adds.

"Someone tried to kill you."

"But they didn't. Castle saved me. He saw the sun reflect off the sniper and tackled me to the ground just as the shot went off."

"Of course," Josh mutters. "You could have at least called and told me."

"You were working," she points out. "You don't like when people bother you at work, so I didn't."

She's suddenly exhausted. Exhausted with Josh, with their relationship that is going nowhere, especially after today. She's haunted by the gut-wrenching fear that had taken over Rick's sweet blue eyes when he thought she had been shot. He could have been shot. She could have lost him just as easily as he could her and the thought almost knocks her over.

She loves him. She does. She needs to be with him, not with Josh. She needs him, in a sense that she's never felt before.

"Josh," she says, standing taller, "I think you should go."

"You don't mean just for tonight," he states, and it's not accusatory. Just- final. They both knew it was coming.

"I'm sorry," she gives him, because that's all she can. Just an apology for wasting his time when he could have been searching for his perfect. She's not it. She's somebody's, but not his.

"Me too," he says, reaching out and giving her hand a squeeze. "Bye, Kate."

And then he is walking away from her apartment for the last time and she lets out a sigh as she shuts the door. Her phone buzzes on the coffee table and she picks it up, sees a text from Rick.

How are you?

She smiles. He's so thoughtful and kind and everything she wants. She ignores the text, instead goes to her bedroom and pulls on a sweatshirt and throws her phone and keys into her purse.

She's standing outside his door knocking twenty minutes later.

It swings open and he's standing there staring at her and she knows he didn't expect her.

"Hey," he breathes, giving her a once over almost to assure himself that she's here and alive and that bullet didn't hit her today. "Come in."

"Where's your family?" she asks as he leads her to the couch.

"Mother's out, Alexis is upstairs studying for her finals next week. Although she might be asleep by now. It's late and she had a long day. How are you doing?"

"I came over to ask the same of you," she tells him, sees his eyes dim a little. He breaks his gaze and stares at the floor. "You were pretty upset today," she says quietly.

His eyes find hers.

"Of course I was upset. God, Kate, you almost- a sniper."

Her fingers find his as she scoots closer to him and she takes a breath.

"I'm done with it. With the case. I don't want to dig anymore. You were right," she tells him, looking down at their hands clasped between them, "They're going to kill me if I don't. And I have more to live for than that. I have my dad to think about. Lanie, the boys. I have you," she says as she looks back up at him.

"And Josh," he reminds her quietly, untangling his fingers from hers, but she doesn't let him go, holds on tightly.

"I don't. Broke up with him. You were right the other night. We kissed and we never talk about it, we almost died in each other's arms and we never talk about it," she repeats his words from their fight when she ended them, "But I think it's time we start talking about it. If I had been shot today- if I had died-"

His lips are on hers and she knows he understands.

"Kate," he breathes against her lips, "I love you. I love you, Kate. I'm so glad you're okay."

She pulls back just far enough to see his eyes, and they're shining with tears. She kisses him again, leta him take comfort in her lips, pulling him up with her and towards his bedroom.

He falls next to her with a sigh, bodies limp and sweaty and sated. She rolls over to him, resting her chin on his naked chest to look at him. His eyes meet hers and she smiles softly.

"I love you too," she answers his words from before they made life-affirming love. And then, because she can't help it, she reaches up and presses a peck to his lips as she whispers, "Always."

I've had such little inspiration lately, but I liked this prompt. Also, I very much like the e.e. cummings poem because it reminds me so much of Castle and Beckett because of her walls and how he's finally inside of those walls instead of waiting on the outside.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this short little story. I'll be getting back to my others soon. Feedback is really appreciated. Thanks for reading!