So, I'm guessing I should address last night's finale. And, yeah, I will.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THAT WAS THEBESTEPISODEEVER. Simply. Outstanding. Brilliance. And I can't wait until next season. Am I angry about the cliffhanger? Of course! But only because I want to see what happens next. This is going to be the longest four months ever. So you know what that means, right? FANFICS UP THE GIGGY. :) Fallout will be updated very soon. I promise- in the next coming days. Oh, and if you haven't read Fallout- it's my multichapter fic about the aftermath of Beckett and Castle solving her mom's murder. Kind of AU- but not really. Go read it if you're intrigued- the story is better than my summary… I think. So anyway- oneshot time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, and if I did, the first episode of season four would be today because I can't stand waiting so long. And PS- this isn't TOO angsty. So don't be afraid to read it. No one dies. :)

Enjoy!

***Edited 5/24/11 to fix grammatical/spelling errors and change some things.

It happened literally in the blink of an eye. The glimmer behind the tombstone caused his eyes to shy away from the brightness. His frosty blue eyes closed for a moment at the brightness.

They shoot open again, squinting toward the glare. And that's when he knows it's not just a reflection.

It's impulsive. It's instinctive. And if the sound he's hearing turns out to be just reverberations of the patter of the drums, he knows he'll never live it down, and she'll be furious for him embarrassing her- pushing for down for one apparent reason other than fear, in the middle of giving her captain's eulogy. And as he bounds to the podium, feeling an odd pressure restraining him- like he's running in slow-motion or stuck in a terrible nightmare, he prays with everything he has that it's just drumfire. The hell with the repercussions. He just needs her to be okay.

The entire world pauses as the thunder of the rifle seems to break the sound barrier, the bullet erupting from the muzzle and striking her almost instantaneously. He reaches her just as she's hit, and that's when it all becomes a harsh reality. It's not a drum. It's a gunshot, and when she lets out the smallest "umph" at its impact, it's the most painful, ominous sound he's ever heard because he knows what comes next.

They fall together, crashing in a heap to a sea of green, and in the moment before the world outside him fades, and all he can see is how beautiful her emerald eyes look in this light, he hears a cry from their comrade.

"Beckett's down!"

A gloved hand is clutching her stomach, and she retches and spasms in pain as her left arm falls limply to the ground beside them. The ivory is staining with her own blood- a cruel and thick, sticky crimson- and her breath comes in shocked, jagged gasps.

And he wants so badly to be in her place, be the one laying on the ground, writhing and panting and stunned by the hit.

"Stay with me, Kate," he pleads as his hand travels behind her head, and he laces his fingers into her smooth auburn hair.

"Stay with me."

She's grunting in soft little moans that are like daggers to his heart. It kills him to see her struggle. She can't be struggling. Kate Beckett just can't be struggling. She's a phoenix. She'll rise above this. God, she has to.

Don't waste another minute of it.

He recalls his mother's poignant advice and realizes that he has to be honest with himself. With her.

Because, as much as he hates to think it, the shadows of angst and bereavement are overtaking his mind, and he knows that he may not have another chance to say it.

She's fighting to stay conscious and keeps her eyes locked on his, the lump in his throat constricting him to the point that he feels like he's going to explode. He can't speak, but he can't let her slip away without hearing those three words.

Her eyes are glossing over, and tears are threatening to spill out. He's seen enough of her crying- for her mother, for Montgomery- and he can't bear it. Now he's the one retching- seeing her so wounded makes him sick to the pit of his stomach, and he wants to break down in her arms, but he can't. He needs to stay strong for her. For them. He needs to keep her alive because he loves her, and he can't hide it anymore.

"Please, Kate, stay with me, okay?" he whispers one last time with the faintest smile, his last ditch effort to keep the both of them calm. And then he sees it. And it does him in. A single tear becomes evident, sliding down the side of her cheekbone.

"Kate."

He barely chokes out her name. It's the sweetest, most beautiful word in his expansive vocabulary, and it's the only thing he knows how to say at this point. Just that one syllable and those four letters.

His mouth is open, lost for words once again. He's come to the conclusion that only Katherine Beckett can render him speechless.

But he really can't afford to be tongue-tied right now.

He wants to say more- he wants to tell her how much he... but it hurts too badly, and he just physically can't.

Her eyes are fluttering open and closed, and her world is starting to go dark. He clutches her closer and tighter, and the words suddenly tumble out.

"I love you."

Another tear escapes, and as his words fill her ears, he begins crying with her.

"I love you, Kate," he repeats, and he wants to say it over and over again to be sure that she's heard him, to shower her with the affection that's he's been keeping silent these past three years.

Her lips are twitching, and she's battling the weariness that's quickly pulling her under.

Her eyes close completely, and he's shaking as sobs wrack his body.

But he calms himself for just a moment to notice that she's still shallowly breathing.

It comes out in a whisper, barely audible against the breeze that blows against their broken bodies, but it's there. And she chokes it out because she needs him to know.

"I…" she trails off, and she repeats the singular vowel a few more times before it all flows out in a forced breath.

"…love you too, Rick."

So what did ya think? Of the finale? Of this piece? Let me know with your reviews, guys! I love and appreciate your feedback.