Author's Note: This story serves as an episode insert for Sucker Punch. Just filling in some missing moments for characters that aren't my own.

Taking Care, Part I

Richard Castle clinched his hands as he watched his partner through the two-way mirror. After the gut-wrenching shooting of her mother's killer, Kate had somehow managed to pull herself together for questioning. She was the picture of composure as she sat alongside her union rep and faced questions from the investigators.

Castle, however, became more and more angry as the detectives questioned Kate's motives. He wanted so badly to defend her; to tell anyone who would listen about her unassailable character. She shouldn't have to suffer from such awful insinuations. Of course she didn't shoot Coonan out of revenge! She was protecting the life of her partner! Couldn't they understand that? Couldn't they see how much she had lost by taking that shot?

Castle moved to stand up, but was held in place by a hand on his shoulder. "They're just doing their jobs, Castle."

"But, Captain...," he began.

"The evidence is all in her favor...the witnesses, the security cameras...all of it. Her reputation will not be stained-I can promise you that."

"I'm worried about her, Roy. She gave up her only lead to save my life."

"Do you think she could ever live with herself if she got the information she wanted, but allowed you to get hurt? I know you two have a contentious relationship at times, but she cares about you. She won't blame you for what happened."

"But I deserve the blame," Castle said forlornly. "If I hadn't been with her..."

Montgomery cut him off, refusing to let Castle beat himself up. "If you hadn't been with her, Coonan would have pulled that gun on her instead, and I might not have been able to save her. She has some answers now, and we will find a way to finish the job."

"I'll do anything I can to help," Castle said earnestly. "If you need anything...money, resources, whatever..."

Montgomery smiled gently and laid a hand upon Castle's arm. "Right now I think she just needs you to be there for her. Looks like they're finishing up."

Castle looked through the glass and saw the detectives gathering their belongings to leave. Kate wore that impenetrable mask he had come to know so well, but the union rep seemed pleased with the outcome.

"Take her home, Castle," Montgomery urged. "She will probably try to refuse you, but she needs someone to take care of her. Don't let her tell you no."

"I won't," Castle vowed. She needed him, and he was going to be there for her whether she wanted him to be or not. He was still haunted by her broken sobs as she tried desperately to save her mother's killer. She was in pain, and he wouldn't let her face this setback alone.

Montgomery clapped him on the back and left the room to speak to Kate. Castle made a brief phone call to his mother and daughter to let them know that he probably would not be home until much later. He was just saying goodbye to Alexis when he saw Kate heading for the elevator.

"Kate," he called out.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Castle," she managed, refusing to look at him or break her stride in her quest to escape the precinct.

Castle practically ran to catch up to her. "Let me take you home. You're in no shape to drive."

"I'm perfectly fine," she huffed, carefully avoiding eye contact. "I just need some time to myself."

"Please, Kate," he implored her. "My car is waiting out back for us. You shouldn't have to face any reporters right now."

Kate studied him for a moment, seeming to sense that he needed to do this for her.

"Fine, but don't expect me to talk about it, okay. I just can't right now."

"I'll do anything you need, Kate. Anything."

She nodded slightly and allowed him to guide her down the back stairwell, his hand resting gently at the small of her back.

When they reached the car, Castle opened the door for her and allowed her to enter first. She slid quickly to the far side of the town car, and she turned her head to look out the window.

Castle recognized her need for privacy, but he couldn't resist taking her hand in his. Though she refused to look at him, she seemed to allow herself this small measure of comfort. Castle circled his thumb gently over her hand throughout the entire car ride, hoping to soothe her with actions when she seemed incapable of accepting words.

When the car arrived at her place, Kate offered him a weak smile. "Thanks for looking out for me, Castle. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Let me just see you home, Kate. Please."

She hesitated for a moment, but seemed unwilling to fight him. "All right."

He helped her out of the car and followed her upstairs. He wanted to touch her, but he didn't want to give her any reason to turn him away. All too quickly, she entered her apartment and turned to face him, pointedly leaving him beyond the threshold of her home.

"Thank you, Castle," she told him in a sincere but brisk manner. He could tell that her facade was slipping and that she wanted to keep him from seeing her so vulnerable.

"Kate, please let me take care of you. Just for tonight. I need to know that you will be okay."

"I'm fine, really," she managed, but he could hear the sorrow in her voice.

"Don't shut me out. My little girl still has a father because you saved me, Kate. You don't have to go though this alone."

"Castle," she protested, tears leaking out from her lashes as she realized that another girl might have lost her parent to Dick Coonan had she not acted so quickly.

Castle pushed forward into the apartment and took her in his arms, closing the door with his foot. "I'm right here. I've got you, Kate."

Kate began sobbing in earnest, clinging to Castle as grief overtook her body.

Castle murmured to her softly as he rhythmically stroked his hands over her back and through the strands of her hair. When the flow of tears ebbed, he gently maneuvered her to the couch. He sat down with her and pulled her tightly to his side. She buried her face in his shirt as she cried the last of her tears, Castle continuing to soothe her with his honeyed voice.

After a few moments, he realized that she had fallen into a peaceful sleep. He thought about leaving her to rest while he rummaged in the kitchen to make her dinner, but the lure of holding her in his arms was too powerful. He could feel the strength of her muscles beneath his hands, and his nose was filled with the cherry scent of her shampoo. He tried not to think too hard about about why he cared so much about this courageous, brilliant, and challenging woman, choosing instead to focus on the sensation of her breath tickling his chest and the warmth of her body against his.

We fit together, he mused whimsically, noting how well they complemented one another physically.

She'd never really let him invade her personal space before, dancing and ear grabbing aside. Though they did have a tendency to succumb to a gravitational pull as they spun theory together, they had always remained carefully in orbit around one another.

Here in her quiet apartment, however, he relished the chance to simply be with her and to offer her comfort. In the years since her mother's death, he wondered if she ever had anyone she could rely on to take care of her when she was in pain. He suspected her father's alcoholism taught her to carry her burdens alone, afraid to be disappointed once more.

Overwhelmed with the need to protect her, he dropped a soft kiss in her hair. She stirred slightly in his arms, and he chastised himself for the direction of his thoughts. Get a grip, Castle. She doesn't need that from you.

Ever so gently, he shifted Kate so that her head rested against the arm of the couch. Careful not to wake her, he knelt before her and removed her shoes. He then lifted her legs to to the seat cushions and grabbed a blanket to spread over her body.

Kate whimpered softly in her sleep, and Castle felt his heart lurch at the sound. Seeking to comfort her, he stroked her hair and whispered, "It's okay, Kate. I'm still right here."

Seemingly calmed by his words, she turned on her side and nestled into the blanket.

Convinced that she was fully asleep, Castle quietly moved to the kitchen to find something for her to eat. Knowing how involved she was with the case, he suspected that she hadn't taken a bite all day. She might sleep for awhile yet, but he wanted to make sure that she had something nourishing to eat upon waking.

Opening the refrigerator, however, he found an avalanche of takeout containers, all more than a week old. Next he looked through her pantry, hoping to find something he could make into a meal. Boxed shells and cheese was the best he could find, but maybe comfort food was what she needed right now.

He set to work, conjuring memories of many happy meals with his daughter as he prepared the meal. He had just finished adding the cheese to the pasta when he heard Kate stirring.

"Castle? What are you still doing here?" she asked blearily.

"I'd bet money you haven't eaten today, Beckett," he told her, his choice of name intentional. "I thought you could use some comfort food."

As she moved towards him, he could tell from the look on her face that she was fighting the urge to kick him out so that she could be alone. Seeming to think better of it, she replied, "Thanks, Castle. That was very thoughtful of you."

He smiled at her and handed her a plate of food for both of them. "Let's go eat at the table. What would you like to drink?"

"Water's fine. I don't think anything else would be a good idea today."

"Coming right up."

He joined her at the table carrying two glasses of water and two forks. "Eat up. It's not every day you get a five star meal from a talented chef."

She smiled in spite of herself, taking the water and the fork from his hand. "Do you have another job that I'm not aware of?"

"No, but I used to make this for Alexis all the time. She always said that I was the best."

"Your daughter has impressive judgment for one so young, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's see," she told him, scooping some shells onto her fork. "This is good, Castle. Are you sure it's from the box?"

"I might have added a few things, though the selection was rather limited. Did you ever think of keeping real food in your house?"

"I'm not home often enough to make it worth my while."

"I see. Well, you are welcome at Chez Castle anytime you want a home cooked meal."

"Thanks. I might take you up on that sometime."

Their conversation stalled, and they ate in silence. Castle didn't want to push her, but he wondered if it would help her to talk about what happened.

He was thinking about how to broach the subject when she mused thoughtfully, "You aren't who I thought you were."

"What do you mean?" he asked, intrigued.

"When I interviewed you for that case, I was convinced that you were an arrogant jerk."

He laughed out loud, the rich sound of his voice filling the air. "You were fun to tease, especially since you seemed so interested in me."

"Excuse me?" she retorted, fixing him with her patented Beckett glare.

"You didn't really need to look up my record to get my help on the case, Beckett. You just wanted to find out more about your favorite author," he teased.

"That's ridiculous. You know how thorough I am."

"Oh, come on, Beckett. You were just dying to hear about the police horse, weren't you? Were you hoping to find pictures, too?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She shook her head slightly. "I know what you're doing, Castle."

"What's that, Beckett?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" he asked, tilting his head and offering her his best boyish grin.

"Maybe," she conceded. "Just out of curiosity, why did you steal that police horse? You never did tell me the real story."

"Do you really want to know?"

"If it's an embarrassing story, then yes," she smiled at him.

"After the night you've had, I suppose you deserve a good laugh. I was trying to impress a girl."

She nodded, "Of course you were. Did it work?"

"It was Meredith, actually. She had been offered the role of Lady Godiva, but she was worried that it would be...um...uncomfortable. Wanting to be her knight in shining armor, I proposed a little experiment. We were both drunk at the time, and when I spotted that police horse..."

"You couldn't resist."

He laughed. "I stripped down right there in Central Park and borrowed the horse."

"Borrowed?" she asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"Hey, its not my fault that such a beautiful horse was left unattended. I draped my shirt over my head to simulate long, flowing locks, and I proceeded to show off for my date."

"And was she impressed?"

"She was. She even bailed me out after my arrest."

"Did she end up accepting the role?"

"Well, I convinced her that chafing was not a problem, and she was all set to take the part."

"So what happened?"

"Alexis happened. Meredith found out she was pregnant a month later, and we got married soon after that."

"Do you regret it?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"Meredith and I weren't right for one another, but I will never regret bringing Alexis into this world. She is the light of my life."

Kate smiled at him. "You're a good dad."

"Thanks, and you'll make a great mom someday."

Her face fell.

Castle scrambled to explain. "Kate, I didn't mean..."

"It's all right, Castle," she assured him. "It just made me think of my own mom. How am I going to get justice for her now?"

Castle reached out and took her hand. "We'll find a way."

She closed her eyes for a moment and squeezed his fingers. "Thank you, Castle...for everything."

"You're welcome," he told her sincerely, holding her gaze.

Breaking eye contact, she mustered the tone of voice she used when issuing orders she expected to be followed. "Now, go home and see that beautiful daughter of yours. I'm sure she wants to see that her father is truly safe and sound after what happened today."

He stood up reluctantly. "Will you be okay, Kate?"

"Yes," she told him gently, offering him a little smile. "It might take a little time, but I'm better now thanks to you."

He smiled at her. "Anytime, Detective."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked as she walked him to her door.

"See you tomorrow," he said, hugging her briefly and heading out to the hall.

Before she could close the door behind him, he turned and gave her a cocky grin. "Oh, and I expect you to pay me back for this evening with an embarrassing story of your own, Kate Beckett."

"In your dreams, Castle."

He winked at her. "Always, Kate." And then he was gone.

There's a second part to this story, but my writing speed has always been tied to the strength of my motivation. Reviews feed the muse. ;)