A/N: Josh desn't exist.

Beckett had woken up just a little while ago. The paramedics had gotten her stabilized and warmed up enough that she was no longer shaking violently. Her first thought when she'd woken up was that she had to know if Castle was okay.

She wraps the brown blanket around her shoulders and gets out of the ambulance. She finds him in another one close by. He's still unconscious when she finds him, but she asks the paramedic who is taking care of him if she can just sit next to him. The paramedic says it's fine, so she sits there, watching his face, waiting nervously for him to wake up. She doesn't know why he's been unconscious for so long, and just when she's about to ask the paramedic, Castle jumps awake with a frantic, "Where is she? Where is she?"

Her heart begins to race- not only because he'd startled her, but because the first thing that had come to his mind was whether or not she's okay. As the paramedic tries to calm him, she reaches out and squeezes his arm. As he looks over at her, she sees the panic erased from his face, and he lies back down, takes a breath and smiles at her. He reaches his hand out to her, and she places her palm in his, gripping his thumb. He closes his hand around hers in a secure embrace.

"You're here," he says softly.

She nods. "I am." She squeezes his hand softly. "And so are you."

The paramedic finishes and exits the back of the ambulance. Castle sits up then, their hands sliding apart. Hers come to rest on her knees, and she watches as he rubs both of his over his face. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees, looking at the floor.

"I thought I lost you," He says. His eyes look back up and deeply into hers.

She holds his gaze. "You didn't," she says softly.

His eyes shift to look outside. "You were talking one second, and then the next you went limp in my arms. I thought that was it, if no one was there yet, then..."

The last few moments before she'd lost consciousness are kind of hazy. She just remembers feeling that sense of being sure they were going to die in there. She remembers needing to know that Castle was still with her. She remembers turning toward him to curl up against his chest. She remembers the way his arms were securely around her, the way his chin had rested against her forehead. His presence had made her feel secure in that dark situation. She also remembers saying something to him, or maybe just beginning to say something to him, but she doesn't remember what it was or whether she had actually said it. And then she doesn't remember anything else until she woke up in that ambulance.

She shifts forward where she's sitting, cradles his face in her hands, and turns his head back to look at her. "Hey, you didn't lose me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm still here."

His lips curl into a faint smile. "Yeah, you are."

She hesitates for only a half second, then leans in and softly presses her lips to his, letting them linger there. She hears him inhale and then feels his hands gently touch her face.

This is what they both need- physical, tangible proof that they hadn't lost each other; that they're both here and alive.

She pulls away slightly and brushes her thumbs over his cheeks before letting her hands drop to her lap.

She feels empowered now. There are still things that need to be done- very big things. But with her partner by her side, she knows she can do them; that they can do them.

"Ready to go save the world?" she asks, standing up and tugging at his wrist.

She sees him smile as he gets up to follow her.