A/N: This happened one night MONTHS AGO (I wrote this in MAY) when I was in pain and couldn't sleep. My mind just would NOT let it go so I turned on my lamp and wrote in down so I could hopefully find sleep once it was out. This is the longest fic I ever wrote! (not that I consider myself a writer of fics)

Anyways, I don't even know what this is but I wrote it so I thought what the hell, maybe someone can enjoy my sleepless nights. I see this either some time towards the end of season 3 or early season 4, before they get together (yes, they will get together mid season 4, don't ruin my ramblings).

I need to thank ThePossibilityOfMagic for her gigantic help editing this, finding mistakes and making it better. If you're not reading her stuff I don't know what you've been doing with your life! And thanks to Candice for putting up with me and understanding my obsession!

K, shutting up. Read and comment :-P

Of course, their latest suspect just had to be a track and field athlete. Beckett had barely pulled out her badge when he'd taken off, instantly gaining a reasonable lead on the displeased detective and her surprised partner.

So much for an easy afternoon.

A few minutes into the chase, Beckett was pursuing the man down a narrow alley, Castle trailing behind her, trying his hardest to keep up. He loved chases but he was never fast enough to even be considered help– although she had to admit that it did make her smile. Forcing herself still faster, Beckett reached the man just as he began scrabbling up the chain-link fence that cut across the width of the alley. In an attempt to slow him down, she grabbed his foot with both hands to try and immobilize him.

What she hadn't planned was for was her partner's complete lack of coordination. From somewhere behind her came a startled yelp, quickly followed by a thud as she heard his body hit the ground; still running hard to catch up, Castle must have tripped, overwhelmed by the combination of his enthusiasm and the various trash and other obstacles littering the alleyway.

Momentarily distracted by her partner, Beckett loosened her grip slightly and the suspect used that moment to get his footing back. When he felt the detective's hands tighten around his ankle, he kicked desperately with the heel of his free foot, catching Beckett hard in the ribs. Sucking in a stunned, painful breath, she reflexively released his ankle, hunching over to grab at her side in pain.

Swiftly recovering herself, she straightened quickly, grabbing the man's leg once more in a last attempt at bringing him down. Fighting her hold, the suspect kicked his leg towards her and jumped off the fence, twisting her arm at an awkward angle and triggering a sharp pain in her shoulder. The discomfort made her release the man, the two of them landing together on the hard asphalt.

Beckett wasn't too sure what had happened after that, but the next thing she knew, the suspect was lying face-down on the ground beside her, Castle straddling him and pressing his shoulders on the concrete to immobilize him.

Well, that hadn't gone quite as planned– but hey, they had the suspect. She decided that was enough. Unclipping her handcuffs, she held them out to Castle, who took them almost reverently as he shifted, pulling the man's arms around to bind his hands together.

It was now late afternoon, and to everyone's relief, Esposito had finally drawn a confession out of the evasive athlete. Beckett was trying to get ahead on the paperwork when Castle placed a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of her, the beloved aroma instantly making her mouth water. Lifting her head, she opened her mouth to say thank you, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the serious, set expression on his face.

Arching her eyebrows, she looked at him questioningly.

"Drink this and then go home. You're tired and in pain, I can tell. The paperwork can wait," he said seriously, that shine in his eyes he always got when he showed her how much he cared.

"Castle, I'm –" she began, but cut herself off as he raised his eyebrows meaningfully, pushing the mug a few inches closer to her hand.

For a moment she was silent, biting her lip, then simply rolled her eyes and decided she was indeed too tired to argue. Grabbing the mug, she let it warm her hands for a few seconds before she took a careful sip. Now, this was good coffee.

Satisfied, Castle took his spot at the end of her desk and simply watched as she drank the warm liquid.

Beckett had finally settled in bed, finding the least painful position to await sleep, when her phone rang. Glaring at the bedside table, she gave a resigned sigh before gathering her strength to swipe her hand at the table, hoping to catch the screaming phone.

Finding it, she curled her fingers around the culprit and brought the bright screen up to her eyes.

CASTLE CALLING

She sighed once more and rolled her eyes as she answered.

"Beckett," she said already tired of the conversation.

"Hi, Kate. Are you busy?"

She was busy. She was extremely busy being irritable and in pain and unable to sleep.

"Castle, I just got into bed, is this important?"

There was a brief silence as he seemed to debate his answer.

"I was just calling to check up on you, make sure you're still alive and all. You were in bad shape when you left."

"Yeah, I'm fine Castle. Still alive, it wouldn't hurt this much if I was dead."

Realizing what she'd just admitted, Beckett would have glared at herself if she could. What the hell was that answer?

"Well, you know, I happen to give great massages," he responded after a moment, and she could practically feel the smile in his voice.

Beckett surprised herself by actually seriously considering his offer, even if only for a brief second.

"Uh-huh. Thanks, but no thanks, Castle," she answered dryly, pushing all thoughts of temptation out of her head. "Good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"My offer still stands!" Castle said quickly, and she knew that the smile in his voice had grown to a fully-fledged grin. "You know where to find me, Detecti–"

"Night, Castle."

Castle only chuckled. "Good night, Kate"

Beckett winced slightly as she placed the phone back on her bedside table, still trying to shake the completely unwelcome yet strangely persistent thoughts of Castle's large hands on her skin.

Sleep. That's all this situation needed. She would get a good night's sleep and feel better in the morning.

She forced her eyes closed and waited for exhaustion to wash over her.

It had been over twenty minutes since his call, and Beckett was still tossing and turning in search of sleep, letting out short breaths of discomfort every now and then. As she took a deep breath, she felt the pain flare up in her ribs, and suddenly she'd had enough. In what could only be described as a very brief moment of weakness, she reached for her phone, her thumb jamming down on Castle's speed dial button.

He picked up on the first ring, his tone almost gleeful.

"Changed your mind, Detective?"

Only then truly realizing what she'd done, Beckett stopped breathing altogether and ended the call, throwing her phone on the bed beside her in disbelief and horror, leaving Castle with the dial tone as his only answer.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Did I really just call Castle back?

Beckett brought a hand to her face, wiping at it and ignoring the pain she felt through her body. Breathing slowly and carefully, she mentally replayed the recent events. Yes, she had called. But she'd hung up. He would laugh about it and surely tease her in the morning, but in the grand scheme of things, nothing had actually happened. He'd forget all about this little slip soon enough.

Right now, she needed to sleep.

As soon as he realized Beckett had hung up on him, Castle placed his phone in his pocket, grabbed his jacket and ran out of his building looking for a cab. That phone call, if it even qualified as one, was the last push he needed to convince himself to do what he'd been longing to do all evening.

He was going to Beckett's apartment.

To say Beckett was having a hard time falling asleep would be an understatement. She was readjusting her pillow for probably close to the hundredth time when she heard the faint knock on her apartment door.

She closed her eyes, torn somewhere between surprise and dull horror.

Crap! Had he actually come over?

She didn't have to answer. She could just pretend to be already asleep, and he would go away eventually, right?

Castle knocked again, this time with more insistence. Deciding there was no way out of it, Beckett pushed away the sheets and gingerly got out of the bed, walking slowly to the front door.

Pulling the door open, she fixed him with an exasperated look.

"Cast–"

She didn't even have the chance to get the word out before he was stepping across the threshold, his hands gently taking hold of her shoulders and turning her around as he started working his magic on her aching muscles. Too stunned to try to react, she instinctively relaxed under his touch, any thoughts of chasing him away already far gone. God, he really did give great massages. Beckett's eyes closed of their own accord as she felt some of the tension begin to ease from her neck. Castle was being thorough, getting the knots in her neck without hurting her.

Steadying his hands, Castle carefully nudged the door closed with his foot before guiding her to the large sofa in her living room, making her sit down at one end and taking the spot beside her. Beckett sat cross-legged and obediently turned her back to Castle so he could get back to work, forgetting all of her earlier reservations. Behind her back, he smiled at how easily she had given in, but kept silent, knowing far better than to comment on it.

Beckett leaned back, letting her head fall on his shoulder as his arm came around her waist, his warm fingers trailing gentle circles over her bruised ribs. The feather-light touch and warm body heat was all Beckett needed to finally surrender, slowly falling into sleep. Castle felt her whole body relax as her exhaustion claimed her, his hand slowing on her ribs before he gently pulled her body back towards him, the smell of her hair and perfume filling the air around him. Before he got carried away, Castle carefully shifted them both, squeezing his legs between her body and the back of the couch, and then slowly lay back, pulling her gently down against him. Being mindful of her injuries, he draped his arm carefully around her and relaxed, allowing himself to be carried to sleep by her slow, steady breathing.

Beckett woke up when the sun shining through her window caressed her eyelids. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew something was off. She wasn't usually woken by the sun; thick blinds and drapes covered her bedroom window, blocking almost all natural light. This wasn't her bed– yet somehow it still seemed like her apartment– but, more importantly, there was a warm… something around her torso that was most definitely not a blanket.

Slowly opening her eyes, she instantly recognized her living room, her eyes glancing quickly towards the unidentified weight that draped over her. As she woke fully and realization began to dawn, she knew exactly what it was.

Wrapped around her was a human arm. Castle's human arm.

Once again, Beckett surprised herself by not immediately getting up and chasing Castle out of her place. Instead, she simply closed her eyes, buried herself deeper in Castle's spooning body and feigned sleep.

Just a little longer, she thought drowsily, allowing his warmth and his mesmerizing scent to wash over her senses, lulling her body back into a state of complete and utter relaxation.

It was about twenty minutes later that Castle himself woke up. Unlike the woman in his arms, he knew exactly where he was, even before he opened his eyes; there was no forgetting the feel of that soft skin, the subtle scent of that silky hair. Finding Beckett seemingly still asleep, he pushed his luck and went back to tracing light, gentle circles on her bruised ribs just as he had the night before.

After a few moments, Beckett stirred slightly beside him before slowly moving her hand to grasp his, giving it a small squeeze.

"I knew you were awake!" he said teasingly, his voice low in her ear. "Your breathing wasn't the same as last night."

Beckett scowled, not caring that he couldn't see it.

"Shut up, Rick."

At the use of his name, Castle stopped teasing and shifted, moving his arm to wrap her in a hug.

Turning her head to look back at him, she saw a shocked yet incredibly joyful expression gracing his features, his eyes shining as he looked back at her. Trying to ignore the sudden fluttering in her stomach, she rolled her eyes before turning away and closing them again.

"I was in pain and really tired last night. It was an impulsive, stupid decision," she justified, but they could both hear the lie in her voice, the uncharacteristic tenderness that lay beneath the sharp words.

For another few minutes they simply stayed as they were, practically fused to each other as they lay there, silent and unmoving.

Opening her eyes once more, she focused on what was before her, as if trying to memorize every detail of the coffee table. After a moment of silent debate– one that weighed heavily in the favour of staying exactly where she was– she bit her lip, and slowly started to sit up. Releasing her, Castle did the same, then turned to face her, his eyes slightly questioning. Her gaze met his and held; looking into his eyes for what was probably an inappropriate amount of time. Dropping her gaze, she found his hand resting on his thigh and gently enclosed it in both of hers.

"Thank you, Castle," she told him sincerely, a small smile forming on her lips, "Thanks for being there."

Castle twisted his hand in hers to intertwine their fingers, his grip warm and gentle.

"Anytime" was his smiling response.

If you read all the way, thank you! Feel free to let me know what you think! I honestly don't know if I would have come up with the same story now that I know what happens in season 4 but I wanted to post it anyways.

Hope everyone is enjoying this season as much as I am!

xox