First of all, I want to apologize to everyone who has this story on their Alerts. Decided to re-do this a little bit. Nothing too different, but you know, little perfectionist me wanted to edit it and try to make it better. Besides, I think us Castillions need some fluffyness to tide us over? Am I right?

I can also take this opportunity for all you followers of Fallout to say that an update will be coming this week. I'm like Castle. I think I need a muse or something. But anyway, I'm working on it. Inspiration has struck me.

This contains major spoilers for 3x17, "Countdown."

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. If I did, I would be having my wicked way with Mr. Javier Esposito. But I don't. So I'm not. So..yeah.

"I'm sorry."

He shuddered uncontrollably, body convulsing in every direction to see if a spark of heat could be found in any which way.

She leaned into his shoulder, his arm protectively holding her to his shivering torso. Her breathing was shallow and forced, fingers and toes numb from the biting ice of the freezer, eyelids drooping as cold crystals frosted her lashes.

"For what?" she mumbled.

"F-f-for being m-me," he barely choked it out as he shook violently, gripping her tighter. "F-for going rogue. For g-getting us into th-this."

She hushed him with a barely audible, "Shhh, Castle."

For a few moments, she went silent to regain the energy to speak.

"You were right," she added, straining to speak as hypothermia wracked her slender frame. "We found the bomb. We were just too late."

She slowly shifted, craning her head toward him with all the strength she had. A trembling hand reached up in search of his face, laboriously forcing its way to his chin. Her fingers brushed against prickly stubble before her frigid hand collapsed against his chest.

"Castle," she barely whispered. "Thank you…for being there."

If it was possible, her gracious comment simultaneously shattered him and melted him. She, as they lay in a polar chamber, staring death at point blank, was admitting in her own subtle way the thing his ears had been longing to hear for so long- that she loved him.

Despite the feeling of doom and dread that knotted his stomach, his eyes crinkled and his lips tugged into a faint smile, gasping for breath as he murmured, "Always."

Her fight to stay conscious became more and more strenuous on her body, and she could feel herself slipping into the dark. With all the life she had left and feeling slightly delirious, she uttered, "Just wanted you to know how much I l-"

But then she trailed off and inhaled sharply, falling limp in his arms, her icicled hand slinking downward and sliding into her lap.

He forced his stiff neck to arch, peering down through a dusty mist of white at the wilted pale hand of Kate Beckett.

"Kate," he croaked.

No response.

"Stay with me, Kate," he begged, silently praying that he could will her awake.

"Stay with me."

His body suddenly rocked with sobs as he rested his cheek on her damp auburn hair, chilling him further. His eyes squeezed shut, skull throbbing intermittently, reminding him that his faded pulse was still there.

He was alive, but barely.

He didn't know whether or not he was hallucinating, but he forced his pupils into focus when he detected a change in light- a glimmer, a flash, something. He saw a dim beacon shining and realized that the cumbrous, clunking door of the freezer had opened. A silhouette appeared and stepped closer, revealing stern facial features and dark eyes squinting against the brisk draft that greeted him at the entrance.

It was Agent Fallon.

Her eyes fluttered open, a dull, high-pitched beep grating her ears, causing a reflexive cringe. The walls around her were a pure, clean white, almost too bright for her eyes to handle at first. They gradually shuttered again as fatigue coursed through her. She tilted her head to her right when she heard a familiar voice coming from that direction.

"Kate."

It was deep, panicked, concerned, sweet. She couldn't quite discern it.

But she knew for certain that it wasn't him.

"Where's Castle?" she slurred before the body from which the voice came appeared clearly in front of her.

It was Josh.

"Hmm?" he asked expectantly, reaching out to brush stray matted bangs from her face.

"Castle," she breathed. "How is he?"

She met his eyes and was greeted by a wounded expression. She studied him for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

Her brow furrowed as she recognized the pain communicated through his blank stare.

"Nothing," he assured, still with a tinge of defeat. "He's stable. You both are, actually. You should be cleared to leave in an hour or two."

She eyes suddenly widened at the mention of time, and everything that had occurred in the past few hours suddenly flooded back to her.

Cab driver.

Murder.

Radiation.

Terrorism.

Bomb threat...

The bomb.

Her gut wrenched with fear, and she turned toward Josh once again, knowing that time was of the essence. "What time is it now?"

"Seven in the morning."

The bomb was set to detonate at four in the afternoon.

They had ten hours to find it.

Hisclear blue eyes captured hers as he stepped off the elevator and into the bullpen. He felt the breath knocked from his lungs as they gazed at each other. Both were overwhelmed with relief, actually seeing the other and knowing that they were alive.

He continued toward her, a Java Loft latte in each hand, an urgency in his gait as he marched forward.

They finally came close enough for him to notice her eyes were glossed over, mouth agape and lip quivering slightly. She drew in a shaky breath and suddenly crumpled into his firm chest, arms encircling his shoulders.

He stiffened at first, arms spread to carefully balance the cardboard travel mugs gripped in his hands, but then he relaxed and pressed his cheek against her silken hair, murmuring, "I'm so glad you're okay."

He heard a muffled response from his shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay too."

She broke away from him, slightly embarassed at the scene they were causing in the middle of the precinct. She blew out a puff of air and somberly smiled.

"But now we have a terrorist to find."

It was then that Montgomery approached the pair, eyes shifting back and forth between the two with dumbfounded eyes.

"You two just can't stay off a case, can you?"

Castle and Beckett exchanged tentative glances and then peered back to the Captain, who was softening considerably.

"Agent Fallon and I agree that if you're going to be running around nearly getting yourselves killed, you might as well be doing it with us. You found the bomb... We're going to need to you two back on this one."

Castle's lips parted, but his mouth was empty when he tried to speak. Montgomery noticed this and warned, "Don't say thank you yet. There's still plenty of ways for you to mess up again."

The Captain's lips curled into a wry smile, and he kindly patted Castle's arm. It was his way of saying I'm glad you two are alive.

It was 4:31 PM, and they were still alive. The people of New York City were still alive. Police surrounded the area and yellow tape barricaded the warehouse. They'd been able to diffuse the bomb with just seconds to spare.

Beckett approached Castle, who was stoically watching the scene unfold, giving himself time to let his heart rate normalize.

"Hey," she called out from behind. He whirled around to find her faintly smiling at him.

"Hey," he returned, eyes reverting to the mass of officers huddled around the warehouse, choppers hovering noisily above the building and gathering Beckett's tousled hair into the wind.

"Looks like we might actually survive the day," he offered sarcastically as they watched Kevin McCann and Evan Bauer being led off by a team of Homeland Security agents, Fallon trailing them.

She let out a breathy laugh and turned to face him again.

"Thank you."

He met her eyes and fixed on them, pure emeralds piercing right through him, never failing to cause his spine to shudder.

"For what?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"I know I was only half-conscious, but…," she paused and recollected herself. "I meant what I said."

He cocked his head slightly, urging her on.

"Back in the freezer."

She stopped again, chin tilting downward and eyes falling to the concrete beneath them.

"Thank you for being there."

She gazed up at him again as she finished, his baby blue orbs locked on her face, his eyes crinkling and staring back at her affectionately.

Her mouth opened, and she was about to speak, but they were forced from their daze when she heard someone yell, "Kate!"

She peered behind Castle to find Josh bounding up to them, tossing his motorcycle helmet to the cement, brushing past Castle, and enveloping her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're alright. I tried to get down here as soon as I could. I just had to see you and know you were okay."

Castle stood rigid as he saw him pull away slightly from Kate and then lean in to capture her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss. His icy stare shot daggers into the leather-clad man before he finally wheeled around and began to disappear into the crowd.

Kate, however, was unresponsive to his zealous embrace and pushed him away, wiping the taste of him from her lips.

"Josh," she mumbled, placing her hands against his, which rested firmly on her hips. "I thought you were going to Haiti."

He offered her an innocent smile and responded, "I know. I should be, but I'm going to take a flight out tomorrow afternoon. I was delayed- the terrorist threat shut down the city airports for the day."

She grimaced and avoided his gaze.

"So you wouldn't have even been here if your flight hadn't been delayed?"

His mouth went agape. He didn't know what to say.

"Sweetie," he coaxed, leaning down to try to catch her eyes. "Let's not make this into something it's not. The point is that I'm here now."

She exhaled calmly, meeting his amber eyes- eyes that should have made her heart melt. Josh should have been the perfect man. Hell, he was the perfect man.

He just wasn't perfect for her.

"Exactly. You're here now. But you won't be here tomorrow. You haven't been here. You're always busy. And I used to love that... but, Josh, I've found that it's not what I want."

He removed his hands from her hips and dropped them to his sides, a dejected expression crossing his face.

His voice was flat and despondent.

"It's him, isn't it? Castle…It's always been him. God damn it, I should have known."

"I'm sorry, Josh," she mumbled. "I never meant for this to happen. I just-…"

She shook her head.

"I'm so sorry."

He studied her dolefully before nodding and bending over to place a light peck on her forehead.

"Take care of yourself, Kate."

He felt pleasant surprise that Kate Beckett showed up at his door later that evening, but it quickly morphed into unease when he noticed how nervous she appeared.

"Hey," he greeted tenderly, stepping aside to allow her into the loft. "Everything okay?"

She walked through the doorframe and reeled around to face him, her heart skipping a beat as she grazed against his body, feeling a welcoming heat emanating from him.

"I just never got to finish what I was saying before."

Her hands slid up to his chest, fingers gently stroking the fabric of his shirt collar before grasping it tightly and staring directly at his lips. His heart palpitated with anticipation as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of cherries and felt her breath wafting against his neck.

A gentle hand reached up to cup the smooth skin of her cheek, and with her standing so close to him, he couldn't hold himself back. Without allowing her to finish speaking, his lips gently swept over hers for a brief moment before he removed his palm from her face and pulled away from her to give her a chance to run.

But she didn't.

She leaned her forehead against his before whispering, "I just wanted you to know how much I love you."

He broke into a wide grin, his body throbbing and trembling as he shakily responded in a low, husky tone, "I don't think Doctor Motorcycle Boy would appreciate that."

"Doctor Motorcycle Boy rode off into the sunset on his Harley."

He jerked his head back and watched her hopefully.

"I broke up with him, Castle."

"Why?"

His half-concerned and half-excited question caused her to roll her eyes, but then she shot him a mirthful smile.

"You really have to ask?"

His eyebrow leapt upward, and a mischievous grin crossed his face.

"No," he whispered soothingly. "But I want to hear you say it anyway."

"You talk too much."

"Just tell meeee," he pleaded, poking his lip out and pouting.

She chuckled and then let out a sigh.

"Because he's not you. He's not there for me the way you are. I want you."

His voice came out in a murmur, unsteady and cracking.

"I love you, Kate Beckett."

"Good," she smirked. "Now shut up and kiss me."

Without hesitation, his lips crashed against hers with a fervent passion, hands snaking along the small of her back. She yanked his shirt collar and pulled him flush against her, eliciting a grunt from his throat. Her tongue brushed his lips, and he eagerly granted her access, meeting her in a fiery duel. He nipped at her lower lip, and their blazing passion began to calm.

He showered her face with tender kisses, peppering her jawline and traveling down to the base of her neck, tongue darting out and teasing her, lavishing her with a wave of pleasure, a moan escaping her throat as her fingers tangled into his hair. He continued to place soft kisses down her neck.

He finally pulled away, and their eyes met.

He noticed tears were threatening to spill over in her eyes, and a single bead trickled down, and then another. And another, until a cascade of drops flooded her cheeks, and she buried her face in his shoulder, saturating the cotton of his shirt with a salty puddle.

"I'm just so glad we're both alright," she choked, sobs beginning to jolt her.

"Shhh," he coaxed, thumb stroking her back as he rocked her back and forth in her arms. "I'm here."

She let out a jagged breath and pulled away from his soaked shoulder for a moment to meet his gaze. Her face was a patchy red, tear-stained, and her lips were swollen and hair mussed, yet she still had that radiant glow.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," and she leaned in to give in a lingering peck on the lips.

"Thank you for being there."

"Always."

See? Just some lame fluff for you. But I hope it wasn't too lame, and you actually enjoyed it. Review to let me know. :)

One last thing: Today is the one year anniversary of me posting my first EVER fanfic- Crash and Burn! Which still isn't finished, but.. not the point. I didn't intend for it to be longer than a one-shot until a few people asked for more, and then.. well, the rest is history. I just want to let you guys know that I have been privileged to share my work with you. You guys really are the best, and your reviews- and I say this time and time again- make my day. To know that you guys read it, review it, and actually ENJOY it is really the best gift I could ever ask for. You are all seriously fantastic. To all my readers, even the ones who just lurk and whose names I will never know, thank you. You are amazing.
- Sammy