Hello, this is my first Castle fanfiction. I hope you like it :). Needless to say, they are not mine :).

"I love you. I always will. Forgive me."

She said, before grabbing her bag and leaving.

Castle was left watching her walk out of the door, his heart shattering to millions of pieces.

Kate went out the door but all she could do was take a few steps. It felt like her legs would not carry her, like she was going to collapse. She knew this would be hard when she decided to leave him but the reality of it exceeded her every expectation. Castle was the love of her life, her one, her only. Seeing him broken the way he was, not even a minute ago, made her pain that much heavier. She put one hand on the wall, her head falling forward, shoulders slumped. She was crying so hard that she couldn't move, couldn't see... "Castle" She let out a whisper as she dropped her bag on the floor.

Inside the loft, Castle was frozen where he was when she left, his world coming apart. After a few moments, though, he had already made his decision. He was not going to let her leave him. He was not going to stay behind. She was his wife. She was the love of his life. She was his joy, his heartbeat, his partner in life. His partner... in everything. Something was definitely going on and he would be damned if he let her go, if he let her walk away. He would not give up on her, not until she tells him what was going on and if there is even the slightest chance that he could stop her.

So he sprung into action. He would go after her, he would catch her, and he would stop her.

He would find out what was going on.

He didn't have to go far...

He heard her as he neared his door and saw her just a few feet away as soon as he walked out. She was leaning against the wall of the hallway at the corner, head hanging low, her shoulders shaking.

It didn't even take him a second to get to her. Without even waiting to think about it, he reached and took her bag from the floor with one hand and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He carried her inside the loft and straight to their bedroom, after closing the door with his foot and dropping her bag to the floor.

Kate was still crying profusely, her face at the crook of his neck now, her hands grabbing his shirt tightly. She had no power to resist him.

He sat on the armchair at the corner with her in his lap and started caressing her hair with one hand and tightly holding her with the other. He was trying to get her to calm down, softly speaking to her.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Kate. It's okay. We are going to figure out whatever it is. It's okay, it's going to be okay. Whatever it is, we are going to solve it. Try to calm down, okay?" He was so worried about her.

Kate wasn't able to talk. She thought of so many things but couldn't convey them. She didn't want to leave, no, never. Not after everything they'd been through. Not after finally finding each other. She never wanted to be apart if it was completely up to her. On the contrary, she wanted to spend her whole life with him. But she was so scared of anything happening to him. If something happened to him too? It was unbearable. The thought was excruciatingly painful to her.

So she kept holding on to him, breathing him in, and crying...

"The only thing I cannot do is to let you go, Kate. Other than that, anything, whatever you want, whatever you need, what EVER it is, I will do anything so that you can be okay. I love you, Kate. You are the love of my life. You are my future, Kate. You are my wife." His heart was full of love for this woman, so much that it hurt sometimes. Like right now. He was shocked, confused, in pain, and in love. So undeniably, overwhelmingly, irretrievably in love.

They stayed in that same position for a while. Kate crying, her whole body trembling, and Castle holding her and trying to calm her down.

"Shh, shh, shh... It's okay, Kate. It's okay, love. It's going to be okay... You are going to be okay."

After quite some time, her crying slowed down and her breathing started to regulate. She looked at him with wet, bloodshot eyes.

"They are gonna hurt... you, Rick." She felt like she was choking on her words but she had to continue. "If I stay... with you, they are gonna... hurt you. I... I can't live without you, Rick." Tears were rolling down her face. "You are everything, everything that I ever... wanted, everything I never thought I could find. You are my life, Rick... I would die if anything happened to you."

"Slow down, Kate. What is going on? Who is going to kill me? Why? How is any of this related to you leaving?"

"LokSat... They... they know I am investigating it. They will come after me and anyone I care about. I can't let them hurt you, Rick. I can't live knowing that you... that you..." Her crying started to get worse and he had to comfort her.

"Wait, Kate. Just wait. Just breathe. We will figure this out. We will not let anyone harm us or anyone we care about. We will find a way, Kate. We always have, and we will this time, too."

"Rick..." was all she could say.

"I can't let you leave, Kate. What do you think happens to me if you leave? What if they hurt YOU, Kate? What do I do then? Do you think I can handle that?" He paused for a minute. "Do you think I can live if you die, Kate?" His voice was trembling. "Do you think I can breathe knowing that you are no longer... alive? I can't, Kate. I would rather die with you than outlive you."

He was crying now too. One hand still holding her as tightly as he can, the other at the side of her face, cradling her face, making her look at him.

"Whatever is happening, Kate. We are going to make a plan TOGETHER. We are going to fight it TOGETHER. I am not letting you go, Kate. You cant leave me."

Kate was looking at his eyes. Dark like the ocean during a storm. His dedication written in every line of his face, his every mimic, every word. She couldn't leave him. Not now, not ever, not until she gives her last breath. Maybe not even then, if there was any way. She didn't know what they would do or how they would do it, but she was not the girl she was just a few years ago, a lone wolf, someone who made every decision by herself and only taking logic into account without allowing herself to include any feelings in the process. She was now a woman in love, with an extraordinary man. His love had changed her. Her love for him had changed her.

And there was no way he would leave her side, no way he would let her do this alone, no way he would let her go.

"Okay." She said, quietly, her voice coarse from crying. "But we need a plan."

"Okay." He said. "We will make a plan."

They sat there. Kate on Castle's lap, his arms around her, their hearths beating in sync. They would always be each other's protector, partner, light, ALWAYS.

I miss these two a lot.

I'd love to get your feedbacks :). Much love to all of you.