The apartment was silent. Castle quietly unbuttoned his shirt, trying not break the barrier of silence. The cotton button-up slid off of his body, and he placed it in the drawer. His drawer. He took his watch off and placed in inside the drawer as well- the heavy metallic piece loudly clanking along the side of the wooden structure contrasting sharply with the atmosphere of the room.

Kate lay motionlessly in bed, turned on her side, not saying a word. Castle couldn't understand why she was reacting this way; after 13 years, the man who murdered her mother was finally brought to justice. It was all over. Yet now she seemed to be in an even worse place than she was when he first met her 4 years ago. He was having a hard time figuring out her thought process. One thing he did know about Kate Beckett, however, was that she needed space when it came to her mother's murder. So he gently crawled into bed and laid beside her, not saying a word.

He wouldn't be able to tell if she was asleep or awake if it wasn't for the heavy sigh that would escape her mouth periodically. She was crying. Though he wanted to know what was wrong, why she seemed so burdened when the man who had been haunting her for years was finally avenged, Castle instead turned onto his side, facing her back. He slowly rubbed his hand up and down, making small circles between her shoulder blades. His hand ran down her spine as he gently wrapped it around her waist. To his surprise, his hand was stopped by hers, as she grabbed it and pulled it around her body tightly, his hand still firmly in hers. Unable to control her emotion, her body began to shake as her breathing became more labored. A strangled cry escaped from her mouth, quickly turning into a series of heavy sobs. "S-s-she's g-gone Castle," Kate managed to say, followed by a sharp breath. It was then he understood. Justice wasn't enough to fill the hole that her mother's death left. Silently, Castle placed small kisses along her shoulder, each time moving closer to her neck. He rested his head against her and held her.


The emotional exhaustion of the day -reliving the memories of her past and the immense relief that came with closure- came crashing down on Kate. She was satisfied- she could move forward now- but at the same time she felt overwhelmed with fear. Moving on means letting go, and she did not want to forget her mother. She didn't want to let her down. She felt weak and drained, and she was starting to feel the physical toll the day took on her. She melted into Castle's body, pressed warmly against hers. Even though she ached with sadness, she felt a strange sense of comfort with Castle there. She couldn't explain it. Her eyes began to close as sleep rushed over her. Betrayed by her body, Kate slid into her exhaustion and gave into sleep.


After what felt like several minutes, he felt Kate's body begin to relax, the trembling against his body began to lessen. Her breathing became even, and only a faint whimper would escape from her mouth occasionally. She was asleep.

The moment was bittersweet for Castle. He couldn't stand to see Kate the way she was. Broken, paralyzed with sorrow. He wanted nothing more than to take all the pain away. But it was also a serene moment for him, oddly. He was lying with the woman he loved. Pressed up against her body, with her sweet smell surrounding him. In that moment they were completely unified. In that moment, his muse was wrapped in his arms. Her broken pieces were safely contained within his embrace, and only he could put them back together.