She stayed there, on her knees in the woods, shocked and shaking, freezing in the wind that blew through the forest's evening air. Elena had disappeared, going off to prepare to kill again, all under the orders of…someone. In front of her lay a man, lifeless, and she tried to feel bad for him like she did for her other victims, but she couldn't. He would've killed her, and she couldn't of fought back on her own, not when her whole body was shaky and weak and freezing from the times she had been plunged into ice water. Elena saved her from that man, the one laying dead on the ground of the forest he had memorized while hunting with his father, and whether it made her a horrible homicide detective or not, she was grateful.

The shaking of her body became violent as her thoughts faded and reality came back to her. She was weak, really weak, and stuck alone in the middle of nowhere. She didn't know where she was, honestly. She hadn't seen how they had gotten there on the drive, and in her state hadn't processed much on the walk to where she was kneeling on the ground, too distracted by her impending death to care for where specific trees were. As she realized she was alive, though, she seriously wished she had paid more attention to the woods that surrounded her, because her survival depended on her ability to get out of there, and to somewhere where she could call the precinct, and possibly warm up.

Her arms shook as she pressed her palms into the ground, The dirt below her was hard and cold against her hands, making her shake even more, but she couldn't let herself give into the tremors running through her freezing body. She managed to push herself to her feet, slowly and painfully, but still successfully. She stumbled a few feet before resting her hand against an equally cold tree, and pausing there to take a breath and make her surroundings stop spinning. Her mind might be foggy, but she knew dizziness would not help her get out of her predicament.

Once everything had stopped spinning, which took a rather long time, she looked up to examine her surroundings in attempt to figure out how to get back to civilization. She could see a small hill a short distance away, and remembered rolling down it. It was hard to forget when it had been so painful. Wincing, she released the tree and took a step towards it, working hard to keep her balance in her stiletto heels. She thought of taking them off, but then remembered how cold she was, and how cold the ground was, and decided against it.

She crawled up the hill upon getting to it. The ground was still hard and cold there, with loose spots where she could only guess her body had hit or her heels had dug into. She used those to pull herself up the small incline, her whole body still week, only the adrenaline she determination rushing through her keeping her from laying down right there and falling asleep. That and the need to see him, to make sure that they still had a future together, to feel his arms around her. She needed that desperately, and would crawl and run through the forest for hours if it meant getting that.

Once on top of the hill, she paused to take another break, her whole body feeling like it was about to give out. Before it could, though, she pushed herself to her feet and looked around, searching for anything that might lead her back to town, to somewhere where she could get help. In the distance, she could hear the faint sound of cars, and her legs moved on their own to bring her towards it. She was running, suddenly, adrenaline and determination pumping through her veins as her feet moved so fast she could feel and hear the wind rushing by her. She was desperate, needing to get somewhere, anywhere that wasn't those woods, the very woods that were almost the site of her burial.

And sure enough, she eventually came to a road, almost vacant as the evening wore on. She ran across that, too, the fear of getting hit by a car underwhelming in comparison to the need to call him, to get away from there and to let his arms wrap around her tightly like she knew they would. And she kept running down the highway until she came to a house. And, without thinking she went to the door of that house, chest heaving, whole body shaking, freezing cold and even weaker than before, unable to catch her breath yet not completely caring. Her hand raised to knock, and it did, and she was almost relieve to see it was an elderly lady that answered.

She wished she had her badge on her, because she knew she looked like she was on the run, which in a way she was. She didn't the lady to think she was a fugitive or something, and to call the cops on her. Then again, if she was to call the cops, the cops that showed up would probably recognize her and not really care. Either way, she didn't care, as long as she got back home soon, back to her fiance whose comfort and warmth she needed desperately.

"Hello? Are you okay, dear?" asked the lady, breaking Kate from her thoughts. She could only guess how horrible she looked, and didn't even bother to nod and say she was. It was obvious she wasn't.

"Hi. I'm, uh…Detective Beckett, of the NYPD. I kinda got stuck in a…sticky situation and was wondering if maybe I could use your phone to call the precinct I work for?" she asked, voice shaking and weak along with the rest of her. Her arms draped over her chest, hands running up and down on her arms in attempt to create some warmth, but her shirt was still wet and cold and it wasn't helping. The lady scanned her once, eyes lingering on her face for a second at the end, before nodding.

"Come on in, dear. You look frozen" she said, standing aside to let Kate in. She smiled gratefully, glad it was so easy because she honestly didn't have the energy to fight for her case, to come up with a lie and much less to run to another house. Legs shaking, she stepped over the threshold, and then followed the lady into the living room. "Here, you said you wanted to call your precinct" said the lady, holding out the phone. Kate smiled again, silently thanking her, and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello?" came the voice on the other end, and she almost cried at how worried and excited he sounded, and she was glad she could give him some good news.

"Hi, Rick" she whispered, voice still shaking, not only with nerves and cold but with sheer emotion.

He stood in the precinct pacing, looking at her empty chair every now and then as if, if he did it enough, she would magically appear there doing paperwork. Esposito, Ryan and even Gates and most of the narcotics division were all working to find her, but it wasn't enough. So, when the found of her phone ringing sounded through the room, he almost pounced on it, trying to keep his hopes from getting too high. For all he knew, there could be a body somewhere that would distract some of the Detectives from finding Kate. Still, he pressed the phone to his ear so hard he it almost hurt, but he was desperate to find her, to hear her voice.

"Hello?" the words came out sounding slightly more hopeful than he meant, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had the right to hope, right? After all, the love of his life was out there somewhere, dead or alive he didn't know, but he was holding onto hope that it was alive. He heard the sigh on the other end, the soft sound so simple yet so important because he knew it was her. He heard that sigh so many times, but that time it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"Hi, Rick" he heard her voice, and instantly let out a soft sound that almost sounded like a relieved sob, which it kinda was. His one hand pushed the phone even harder against his face, while his other motioned to the others to come over, telling them it was her. He could hear her voice shaking, and could hear the thick emotion in the soft, beautiful sound.

"Kate! Kate…Oh my God…you're alive" he said, voice breathy, but once again he didn't care. Tears were welling in his eyes, and even though he might never live it down with the boys, he didn't care about that either. His Kate was alive, and they were going to get there, to get to her and to bring her back to the precinct, and to the loft, and he would never let her leave his side again.

"Rick… I'm alive. I made it, babe" she said, and he could hear the tears in her voice. It was still the sweetest sound he ever heard. He didn't even notice when Esposito pressed the speakerphone button on her phone and pulled the receiver from his hand. He was so relieved by the faint sound of her breathing, though labored, filling the roof.

"Beckett, where are you?" asked the Detective standing to his right, and he didn't even make out what she said. He was too busy revelling in the relief that was flooding every single cell of his being, just because she was alive and out there and she was going to come back and they were going to have their future together. It was all he had wished for all day. In fact, he didn't make out anything said after that moment, focussing solely on the sound of her voice rather than on what she was saying, until Esposito spoke one last time. "We're coming to get you"

The words snapped him out of his trance, and he turned to the Detective, eyes wide.

"I'm coming with you guys" he said, not questioning but stating a fact. If they weren't going to take him in their car, he was going to follow with his. No matter what , he wasn't waiting what he assumed would be nearly two hours before seeing her. He needed to see her.

"Dude, I wasn't even gonna think about you not coming" said Esposito. Castle sighed in relief at that, knowing he would see her soon, and be able to hold her soon.

It was about an hour before the knock sounded at the door, and her heart leapt in her chest because she knew who was standing on the other side.

During that hour, the lady had been kind enough to let her use a blanket to wrap herself in and to make her a cup of tea. Kate hadn't even thought of turning it down, needing something to drink to soothe her parched throat burning from the ice cold water that she had been forced into earlier. She had huddled in the blanket, mug cupped between her hands, knees pulled up underneath her, which she was hesitant about until the lady nodded at her approvingly. She had learnt that the lady's name was Elizabeth, and told her in minor details what had gone on during her work that had led her to her doorstep. Elizabeth had been acceptant that she didn't give any details.

It was oddly comforting to sit in the living room, to see the pictures of Elizabeth and her family on shelves and walls and to know that she was safe. She wasn't stuck in some...mansion, under the custody of some secret criminal, and killer. It was nice to finally feel safe, to know that her friends, and fiance, were coming to get her. And to talk to someone in a normal conversation she would actually follow because she was Kate again, and not Elena. It was...nice.

The knock on the door made her spring from her seat and almost run to it. She almost did, only looking back quickly to seek Elizabeth's approval. The elderly lady nodded, a smile gracing her wrinkled face, and Kate smiled back, thankful that she'd be answering the door. And then she ran to the door, bare feet feeling good against the floor, much better than heels against dirt. And her hand found the knob, fingers circling it before she turned it quickly. She swung it open, and almost let out a choked sob at the face on the other side.

Upon seeing him, she flung herself into his arms, and they wrapped around her on instinct. Her face was buried into his chest. Tears were streaming down her face almost instantly, and she didn't care that Esposito and Ryan and Elizabeth were all watching her being so open and emotional. She needed him, his comfort, his warmth, his love. It all felt so right, so natural and so good after two long days of bad, very bad.

"Rick…" It was soft and breathy as it escaped her lips, a whimper, an expression of her need. She didn't care, though.

"Kate…" Came his reply, like music to her ears. He was there. She was there. They were together, and she silently promised herself she'd never do anything like that again, not when she had so much to lose. She wasn't the same girl she was back when she became a Detective, back when all she had was the need to find her mother's killer. There, though, in that moment, in his arms, she had so much more. She had a future, a future where she was loved and where she had a family and where she would get married and maybe one day have kids. She couldn't lose that. She wouldn't let herself lose that, if she had any say in it.

He slowly pulled away from her, brushing his lips against her head a couple times before planting a firm kiss to her forehead. Silent tears were running down her cheeks as they did, hands still wrapped around his neck because she refused to let go. Over his shoulder, she could see the smiling faces of her partners, and she smiled back quickly before looking back at her fiance.

"You're alive, Kate. You're alive…and you're here…and I love you…so much…Kate" he said, his voice shaking and husky with emotion. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and leaned up to press her lips to his softly, telling him she was there, and without words that she would never do that again. It was a short and sweet kiss, one filled with love and promise, and one of the best kisses ever, because it was one she wasn't sure she was going to get.

It wasn't until moments later that he looked over her shoulder and smiled when he saw Elizabeth looking on at them. She turned in his arms, releasing his neck but not letting him release her. She needed to feel him, and loved the feeling of his chest pressed to her back.

"Rick, this is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, his is my fiance and partner, Richard Castle" she introduced them. And then she peered over his shoulder to the boys also looking on smiling. "And those two are Detectives Ryan and Esposito" she added, giving her friends a bigger smile than the first.

"Thank you, for taking care of her" said Castle, his grip on her waist tightening, making her turn back to face Elizabeth.

"It was no problem, Mr. Castle. She was great to have, and I can see she obviously needed it. You seem to have been very worried" she said, eyes drifting in between Rick and Kate as she spoke.

"I was" he whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. She smiled as she felt his lips, all too familiar yet really, really comforting.

"Thank you, Elizabeth" she said, speaking softly and only above a whisper. The elderly lady smiled at her again, before quickly turning and returning with the blanket in one hand and Kate's heels in the other. She took her heels, but not the blanket even after Elizabeth nudged it towards her.

"Oh, dear, take it. You need it, you're still cold. Besides, I have plenty" she said softly. Kate smiled, but still didn't reach out to take it. Rick did instead, thanking Elizabeth with a nod. "Now, you guys go on your way. It was a pleasure having you, dear, but I can see you want to get home" said the lady, voice cheery. Kate smiled and nodded, not bothering to deny it. Rick thanked her again, shaking her hand quickly, as did Kate, before the two turned to leave. Even Ryan and Esposito thanked her, shaking her hand as well as smiled graced all five of their faces.

During the ride back to the precinct, he pulled her into the middle seat of the back of the squad car. He needed to hold her, to feel her by his side and to know that she was there and alive with him. She was pulled into his side, head resting against his shoulder. She was wrapped in the blanket from Elizabeth, hands under his untucked shirt and pressing against his stomach. He could feel how cold her hands were, even at least an hour after she got indoors. Her fingernails dug slightly into his skin, but he didn't care at all because he knew she needed him as much as he needed her. Ryan and Esposito hadn't spoken a word since they got into the patrol car, and he was thankful for it. He just wanted to hold Kate, and prove to himself that she was alive, and that they had a future together.

"I love you, Kate. I love you, so much" he whispered to her quietly, into her hair that still held her scent. It was another comfort to him, the smell he had grown so accustomed to over the years of being partners, in every single sense of the word.

"I love you, too, Rick" she whispered back, lips pressing lightly to his shoulder. He pulled her tighter against him, as tightly as she could get. She was alive, and he loved her in that moment more than ever before.