AN: Hello! Okay, so this was actually a piece I had to write for my creative writing class, the only difference is, I change the names from Kate and Rick, to Stana and Nathan. The prompt was a description of two people walking onto a beach and you had to describe what happened next. This happened when the beach from 3x22 popped into my head, but it doesn't really matter where this goes in relation to the show. It's more of a short fluff piece for after they've been established as a couple. I figured I'd post it as a reprieve from the finale. BUT WASN'T IT AWESOME! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. ;)

Kate and Rick braced themselves, pushing the gate open. There were monsters on the horizon and they had no weapons. Only each other, they hoped it would be enough. The beach was clear. A hauntingly beautiful scene where clear blues and soft whites collided. Their hands locked in need for support. The two pushed further onto the beach, leaving a tell-tale path of imprints in the sand. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't long ago that they'd been here last.

It took moments to get to their destination, but it felt like ages. As they approached, the pier filled their vision. That's when the monsters attacked Kate. They savagely thrust themselves to the forefront of her mind. They clawed their way from the carefully locked box she had kept them in. They attacked all at once, in a flood of memories. She wasn't prepared for their force, their ferocity. But Rick was.

He'd been preparing for this moment, expecting it since the event. He felt her stiffen beside him, and tightened his hand around hers. Not many things could break Kate's carefully constructed armor, but a diamond suit couldn't stand the brute force that the monsters were capable of. Not that he wanted her to be strong always, but he knew that she expected it of herself.

And she did. She felt the faults for all they were worth, and more. She felt herself breaking, and couldn't bear the thought.

Rick slowed to a stop, waiting for Kate to escape her mind and return to reality. It didn't take long. She lifted her eyes from the worn wood of the pier where her focus had been previously kept. She looked to Rick, hoping he wouldn't think less of her because of her sudden bought of weakness. She hadn't yet realized that he could never think less of her, no matter what.

Kate's gaze was returned at full value. Her normally emerald irises were dark and clouded with words unspoken. She was frightened, an unfamiliar feeling to see etched on her features. Nothing was said between them. They just stood for a moment, allowing the sound of the waves to wash away her uncertainty. He was all love and comfort and patience. He was all she needed him to be, and it was all he wanted to be for her. He gave her a questioning look, asking if she was ready to continue forward. If she wanted to turn back. She shook her head and squeezed his hand. They were too far to go back.

A ghost of a smile graced his lips and they moved forward, closing in on the pier quickly. Rick counted each wooden beam they passed, knowing it was only a matter of time before they found it. There was still a dark stain on the worn lumber from where the blood had seeped through the white of his shirt. They each caught their breath at the sight.

He could only just remember what had happened. They were chasing down a suspect who had inadvertently confessed to murdering his ex-wife. He jumped away from them onto the beach, followed by an unarmed Rick, and Kate, who had her standard firearm. Rick somehow managed to get to him first, and the now confessed killer fired two rounds past his back, in a last attempt to escape.

He couldn't remember the bullet's impact, or falling into the wooden support. He only remembered a sharp pain in his shoulder, and Kate pushing on where it hurt. Then blackness, before waking to a hospital room. But Kate remembered everything. Crisp, clear details all meshed together to create one of the worst moments in her life. She wasn't fast enough, wasn't ready enough. So when she rounded a beam, and saw her make-shift partner bleeding out as he fell against the support, she couldn't believe it. She completely forgot about the murderer, all she could think about was Rick. And the shade of crimson that was fast taking over his shirt.

They moved closer to the beam, synchronized in their movements, unable to take their eyes away from the stain. The first of what promised to be many tears rolled down Kate's cheek, as the palm of her hand grazed over the darkened lumber. Rick pulled her to him, taking solace in the fact that he could be with her then. The couple stood, muffling their cries, unable to leave the comfort of each other's arms in the face of their most recent tragedy.

Kate was the first to move, placing a small, chaste, kiss directly over where Rick's scar from the bullet was hidden. He dropped a similar kiss to her forehead, lacing his fingers with hers. His lips still on her skin, he whispered against her, "I love you."

"Love you." She let out a deep breath and lifted her head, meeting his eyes with a small smile, "Don't ever do that again."

He returned her smile with a small chuckle, "Let's go home."

"Actually, you owe me an ice cream."

"Oh, really? Is that how this works? I take a bullet and you get chocolate chip?"

"And I get vanilla if you get punched by a drug dealer."

Their banter faded over the sound of the waves in the distance as they started walking back towards the entrance gate, both feeling lighter than they had in months. The storm had passed, leaving them with the warm sun and calm seas.