*I'm not really sure how to introduce this story. This is pretty much just the product of my ridiculously evil brain, so there ya go. Set at the end of season 4/beginning of season 5. Happy Reading all!

Disclaimer: Never have I ever owned Castle...somewhere in LA, AWM just got the irresistible urge to take a shot...

(Kate)

Kate woke up to Castle's alarm, wrinkling her nose at the odd, rhythmic beep. She opened her eyes, but shut them again almost immediately, cringing away from the harsh morning light. Seriously, did the man not own curtains? She tried to stretch, but her arms were restrained, her body heavy. She moaned in confusion. What the hell was going on?

She opened her eyes and found herself in a waking nightmare. She was in the hospital, IV's in both of her hands, the steady beep of the heart monitor quickening as panic clawed its way into her chest. She whimpered, the sound muffled by the breathing tube that was stuck down her throat.

"Kate!" She turned towards the sound of Castle's voice, finding him mere inches from her bed. She tried to say his name, but the words got stuck around the tube, coming out a helpless croak.

"Kate, you're okay," Castle said, taking her hand in his. "You're gonna be okay." Kate squeezed her eyes shut again, panic induced tears leaking out. She needed to wake up. She'd had this dream before. She just needed to wake up.

She opened her eyes and whimpered when she realized nothing had changed. Even lying down, she could feel herself trembling, the full-blown panic attack inevitable. She couldn't understand why she wasn't waking up, or why this dream felt so much more real than the others. Maybe because Castle was there? Was this her subconscious' way of punishing her for the most extraordinary night of her life; the one that she still didn't feel she deserved?

Kate's heart rate skyrocketed, if the monitor beside her bed was any indication. She was hyperventilating, choking on the short gasps of breath that were obstructed by the breathing tube. Fear was overtaking everything. She couldn't breathe; she really couldn't breathe.

She tried to move, tried to grab the tube and force it out, but Castle stopped her, pinning her wrists to the bed. "Kate, calm down," he pleaded. "You're okay, I promise, but you need to calm down. The doctor's coming to remove the tube right now, but you need to stop before you hurt yourself. Please, Kate. Please."

The desperation in his tone cut through her like a knife, and she made an effort to slow her breathing. She was holding back panicked sobs when the doctor replaced Castle at her side.

"Kate," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Kate, look at me."

She looked up and instantly decided she was dreaming. Otherwise, why would Dr. Burke be standing over her in a white coat?

Burke placed a hand on the breathing tube, loosening the tape that held it in place. "Kate, I'm going to count to three. I need you to take a deep breath and let it out as I pull, okay?"

Kate nodded, breathing in and out as he pulled. She jerked up when it was finally out, coughing violently as a hand supported her back. Her strength gave out after a couple of moments, and she slumped back against her pillows. She looked over at Castle, who had reclaimed his spot by her side. "Castle, what the hell is goin' on?"

Castle hesitated, his gaze dropping before returning to her. "Kate, you were shot," he told her. "In the chest. There was a sniper at Montgomery's funeral."

Kate frowned, confused as to why he was bringing that up again. "I know," she said, "but that was last spring. Why am I in the hospital now? Am I dreaming or what?"

Castle exchanged a look with Burke. "You remember getting shot?" he asked cautiously.

She nodded. "I remember every second of it," she said softly. "Along with everything that's happened since, except how I ended up in the hospital attached to a ventilator."

"Kate," Dr. Burke said carefully, "what day do you think it is?"

"May 8th, 2012," she answered automatically.

They both sucked in breaths. "You shouldn't know that," Castle murmured.

"And why not?" Kate demanded. "Something weird's going on, and I want to know what, even if this is just a dream."

They exchanged another look. "Kate," Dr. Burke said, taking her hand, "this isn't a dream. Whatever reality you thought you were in for the past eleven months was the dream. And a very vivid one, apparently."

Kate shook her head, turning back to Castle. "That's not true, is it?" she asked. She pinched her thigh, getting scared when she felt the sharp tug of her nails. "Is it?"

Castle cupped her cheek gently, brushing away tears that she hadn't even noticed were falling. "It is," he told her. "You never woke up after they removed the bullet. You've been in a coma all year."

"But what about everything that I remember?" she protested desperately. "What about those three months that we spent apart, what about Gates? What about the basement with the handcuffs and the tiger?" She whimpered softly. "What about last night?"

"A dream," Castle whispered, brushing away more tears. "I'm so sorry, Kate."

Kate's heart clenched at his words. "But it seemed so real," she said helplessly.

Dr. Burke cleared his throat. She turned to him expectantly. "There have been studies done with victims of extreme torture, where it was discovered that the brain would create an alternate reality to cope with the pain and the psychological torment," he explained. "On rare occasions, comatose patients can create the same kind of reality, often just as real as their normal lives. These fantasies can incorporate tidbits of actual information that make it through to the subconscious, as well as the people that they interact with most." He paused for a moment. "From what you're describing, it appears that your brain created something similar. If you'd like to talk about it…"

Kate shook her head. "I think…I think I need some time alone, just to process this."

Burke nodded. "I'll be back to check on you later," he promised, exiting quickly.

Castle stood to leave as well, albeit more reluctantly than Burke. The déjà vu from Kate's dream hit her with startling intensity. "Castle, wait," she called. "Stay with me?"

He sat back down, watching her in silence for a few moments. "What did you mean about last night?" he asked finally.

"Why?" she asked, meeting his eye shyly.

"Because every once in a while this year, there would be a sudden spike in your brain activity," he explained. "It's what kept them from pulling the plug multiple times. Late last night, you had the biggest surge of brain activity since the shooting. And then, a few hours later, you finally woke up." He shrugged. "I guess I'm just curious as to what could have brought that on."

Kate took a deep breath and repeated her words from the night before. "I almost died, and all I could think about was you."

Castle's eyes widened and then he frowned. "What?"

She sighed. "In my…dream, I was chasing down the man that shot me," she confessed. "You and I had actually fought about it, and you told me that you were done watching me throw my life away over my mom's murder. Anyway, I found the sniper and I fought him, and he almost killed me. And I was dangling off the side of a building, trying not to fall, and all I could think was that you didn't know how I felt." She gave him a sad smile. "You didn't know how much I loved you." She paused, sniffling. "I was barely holding on, and I was screaming your name, praying that you'd find me before I fell. And then someone was pulling me up over the ledge, and I thought it was you, but it was actually Ryan. You weren't there and that almost destroyed me. I realized that you were all I wanted."

Castle was gazing at her in awe. "What happened next?"

Kate sniffled again. "Gates, our new captain, put me on probation, and I told her to keep my badge and gun because I resigned." She smiled. "Then I sat in the rain for a couple of hours while I gathered up the courage to go to you."

"And did you?" Castle asked, breathless with anticipation.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I showed up at your door, soaking wet, and I…I kissed you. I told you I was sorry and that I just wanted you." She trailed off uncertainly.

"And then?" he prompted.

Kate blushed. "I think you can figure out what happened next," she teased. "If you can't, try using your context clues…"

Castle's eyes widened. "Oh, wow…really?" She nodded. "How…I mean…was it good?"

Kate bit her lip. "So good," she admitted. "The best I've ever had." She sighed. "I should have known it was too good to be true."

Castle watched her quietly for a few minutes. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know," she admitted. She reached her hand out to him, and he took it without question. "All I know is I want you with me."

Castle smiled, placing a soft kiss to her hand. "Always, Kate," he promised. "Always."

*Um, yeah, so there's chapter one. I'm not entirely sure how long this story is going to be...in reality, probably only a few chapters. Also, I probably won't update it as frequently as some of you may like, so I apologize in advance. Finishing Lightning Strikes the Heart is still my top priority. I just had to get this down before I lost it. Also, I apologize if any of the medical stuff is woefully inaccurate. I know next to nothing about comas, brain function while in a coma, breathing tubes/the removal of said tubes, or torture victim psychology. If you read this and you happen to be an expert on any of those things, I would love to pick your brain...