Castle's partner

Storm Rises

Time passes, and the storm only seems to intensify. The rain is being pushed sideways against us because the wind is blowing so hard. It stings as it is driven against my face and hands.

Everyone is gone, somewhere inside to get away from the wet and cold, but we can't. We have no car and no money for a taxi, and who knows where the closest subway is. We're surrounded by apartment complexes that are scary. I'll take my chances out here instead of trying to find shelter inside one. We can't walk anymore, the winds are too strong and I'm afraid we'll be knocked over if we try. I don't know where we are either.

Soon we start shivering, the cold wind setting in and chilling us to the bone. Oliver wears pants, but a short sleeved t-shirt. He takes me in his arms and turns his back to the wind, to block it from me.

"Oliver you're gonna get sick! I'm fine!" I yell over the roar.

He ignores me and pulls out his phone. "I have no service, a line must be down!"

I do the same. "Mine's down too!"

He lets go. "Samantha, we're stuck in a storm and no one knows where we are! Who knows how long it will take for someone to find us, if anyone is even looking!"

I go silent at his words.

We can't die...can we?

The worst that could happen is hail the size of golf balls right? Or it turns into hurricane like winds. Or we get super sick like pneumonia from being out here.

"It should be over soon, shouldn't it?" I ask.

"Storms like this can last for hours or end in minutes, there's really no way of telling!"

A clap of thunder startles me, and I grab Oliver's arm.

In response he pulls me closer.

"We have to wait it out!" He exclaims.

Hours pass slowly as we do everything we can to stay warm and dry, although there is not really any point because we are already soaked.

I'm freezing, and I know Oliver is too, but he doesn't let it show. My teeth chatter.

We are pressed against each other to preserve body heat.

"Oliver, I don't want to die like this."

"We aren't going to die, we'll be okay."

"How? We're in the middle of a freak storm, freezing, and no one knows where we are! It's starting to get dark!"

I'm beginning to lose hope, and I'm exhausted.

"I'm tired too," says Oliver, and I realize I was thinking out loud. "We can sleep, nothing's going to hurt us."

I close my eyes, but I won't be able to sleep.

Time moves slowly, and the storm doesn't ease at all.

I hear a car go by, and then stop abruptly.

"Samantha! Oliver!"

A voice cries out, and it is only now that I look up from Oliver's chest.

"Espo!" I clamber from Oliver's grasp and run into Espo's open arms, and so does Oliver. It is a group hug that I have never been more grateful for in my entire life.

He strips off his jacket and throws it over Oliver's shoulders.

"C'mon," says Espo, herding us into his squad car.

He turns on his lights and sirens even though there is no one on the road, and drives swiftly to the precinct while we sit in the back clutching each other's cold, pruny hands.

The drive seems particularly long, but maybe because we are further away from the precinct. The car's windshield wipers are flying, but the rain pegs the windshield too hard to do any good.

He parks, and we hurry inside together.

Water drips behind us as we walk across the floor into the bullpen.

Suddenly, medics surround us. Well it feels like it, but there are only four.

They give us towels and dry clothes to change into, which we gladly do.

"Lanie, check them out please." Beckett says behind me.

I turn just as Lanie approaches us.

"You heard her girlie. Let me take your temperature."

She sticks a thermometer under our tongues.

"Oliver you're fine. Samantha, you're running a low fever."

"What? No, I'm okay. I feel fine."

"Well despite how you feel, you're still getting sick! Do you realize you can get pneumonia?"

"Yes Lanie! I've had it twice, I know what it's like."

"You've have pneumonia before?" She asks incredulously.

"Yeah, so?"

"When you have pneumonia it always goes on your medical record. When I saw yours, it wasn't on there."

By now the team is gathered around us.

"Probably because I didn't go to the doctor. I mean, I went to see my cousin who was a doctor and she told me I had it."

"Why didn't you go to a hospital or at least a real doctor's office?"

"Lanie," Beckett steps in to help me.

"Beckett, it's okay. She doesn't know."

"Know what?" She looks between the two of us, a confused look on her face.

"Lanie, my family didn't have money for that. That's why."

Her facial expression drops.

"Oh baby. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I mean, I knew you didn't have much but I didn't know it was that bad."

"It's okay."

She pulls me into a hug, and I swear I hear her clear her throat of a cry.

But when she lets go, there is not an inkling of an indication of that.

"Alright, let's get you some medicine."

She hands me a few pills and water to take them with.

"You have to tell me if your fever keeps going up. It's not good. Beckett will you watch her?"

"Of course Lanie."

"Oliver you too. You still have the potential to get sick."

He nods, and the reunion starts.

"Samantha, stop scaring me like that! I should have never let you go out there by yourself!" Beckett exclaims.

"At least you found us. Thank you Espo."

I hug him, Ryan and Castle.

"Hey, speaking of finding us," says Lanie, copying me, "how did this happen? And does it mean you're back together?" She asks, pointing at Oliver and I.

He looks at me hopefully, and I smile at him.

"Yeah. I guess it does."