Summary: In which Kate Beckett has a dream. Set sometime season 5, no spoilers.

Disclaimer: Do I have to? It's depressing to admit it...


The sun shines through the semi-open curtain like it does every weekend morning. It's her silent but effective alarm clock. Every morning, it wakes her up. And just like almost every morning for the past few months, she leans over to the other side of the bed and stretches to touch the man beside her.

Except...there is no man beside her.

Kate opens her eyes and looks to the place beside her. She expects it to me empty. If Castle's not there, who else would be? But it's not empty. There's somebody lying next to Kate. And it's somebody she hasn't seen in a very long time.

"Mom?"

"Hey Katie!" Her mother's cheerfulness is what wakes Kate up. Or maybe not. Because how could she be waking up to find her mother lying beside her in bed? How could she be waking up to her dead mother?

"Mom." This time it is not a question that comes out of her mouth. It's the pure shock that sounds her voice. "What are you - how?"

"Katie, what are you going to do today? Got any plans?" her mother ignores her attempts to understand this. Instead, she continues chattering away about the beautiful day and what they should do.

Kate glances out her window. It is a beautiful day. It's the perfect Saturday.

"Oh, mom, I have plans today," she says and she's surprised at how even her voice comes out, all things considering.

"With your writer? I would love to meet him Katie bug," Johanna's warm smile reaches her eyes.

Kate has to hold back tears as she realizes just how much she's missed that smile over the years. She can't manage words right away so she nods a yes to answer her mother. After a few breaths, she squeaks out a simple, "You'd love him."

She knows that it is irrational and impossible. But the fact that her mother is sitting beside her in bed, talking to her, talking about Castle, it's a fact she can't ignore. And maybe she's asleep, but at that moment, she really doesn't care. Because she is talking to her mother again and right now, it's pretty damn great.

"I'm sure," her mom says. "If you love him, I'll love him. Do you love him Katie?"

Kate shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know. Mom, how do you know?"

Now it's her mother's turn to shrug, "You just know."

"But - " Kate says.

"But you need a more definite answer. I get it. I did too, when I first met your father." Her mother turns her head and looks directly into Kate's eyes. "When he's all you can think about, I guess. I'd say you know when you can't imagine being with somebody else, or you could be doing anything but you would rather be with him because even the most boring things with him are far more exciting than the adventurous things you could do alone. Katie, when you start wondering. When you start to wonder if you love him, because everything points to the fact that you are. That's when you know you're in love."

Kate's breath gets caught in her chest and she huffs out a strangled noise that almost sounds like the beginning of a sob. Johanna pulls her daughter close to her and holds her. "When you're in love, everything just seems better. Is everything better with him Kate?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Mom, it is," Kate nods, hugging her mother back.

The moment is over before Kate can truly enjoy it. Her mother pulls away and looks at Kate straight in the eye again. "Have you told him? Does he know?"

Kate shakes her head no. "No, but he knows. Mom, he knows how I feel about him. I - I think he does at least."

"Katherine Beckett, what have I told you about assuming things? Somebody always gets hurt and at least one of you looks like an idiot. Kate, tell him." Her mother always had the power to convey her words with such a force that made it impossible to disagree or turn down.

"I will. Mom, I will."

"Kate..."

"What? Now!?" Kate exclaims. "But I'm with you. It can wait. You're here now, you're important too. I'll talk to him tomorrow or something."

"Kate."

"Mom."

"Kate."

"Mom..."

And with that look her mother is giving her, Kate knows she has lost. Johanna always had that effect over Kate.

"But I don't want to lose you again..."

"Katie," Johanna smiles at Kate again. The smile still reaches her eyes but it's tinged with a bit of sadness now. Kate wipes her eyes in a pre-emptive tactic against the tears she knew would come. "You never lost me. I'm always with you." She places her hand over Kate's heart and says, "right here."

"That's so cheesy Mom," Kate tries to laugh but the tears on her face overpower it. "Mom."

"Kate. Kate. Kate."

She jerks up and opens her eyes wide in alertness.

"What? Mom?"

"Kate?" She turns and sees Castle beside her again. Her heavy breathing starts to slow when he pulls her into him. "Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep."

"I'm okay Castle," she nods, letting herself relax in his arms. "Just a dream."

"Want to talk about it?" he doesn't let her go. He holds her in his arms until her breathing is normal and not even then does he let go.

She shakes her head, "Not now. Maybe in the morning." Because she's glanced out the window now and it's dark out still. It's kind of depressing, the darkness, because not even a little bit of her dream was real. Except. That isn't true. Because everything she said was. It was true.

"Whatever you want Kate," he says. She knows he heard her say Mom but she's glad he doesn't bring it up.

"Thanks Castle," she smiles as he lies down beside her again.

He falls asleep before her. She can tell by the change in his breathing pattern. Whether that be the girlfriend or the detective in her, she's not sure. But she knows he's sleeping. She can't sleep. She can't stop thinking about what her mother - or dream - told her. She needs to tell him. She leans over and, because him being asleep is the one time he won't make a big deal about it, she whispers it in his ear, "I love you Richard Castle."

When she closes her eyes again and snuggles next to him, sleep comes easy. She feels protected in his arms. She feels like she's everything and yet nothing. She feels like she's simply just a girl in love.


Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Please review!

This was going to be a one-shot but I think I'll make it a two. I've got ideas on how to continue it. So there will be more, unless I get a ton of reviews telling me to leave it here. Which I doubt.