CASTLE – Lean On Me
We all need somebody to lean on, Detective Kate Beckett included.
This is the type of story that ends up writing itself after having cramps for more than 24 hours. Normally, I don't cramp, and if I do, it's never this bad. This time, it's affecting my mood, my concentration, my ability to eat like I normally do, even my sleep. So, if it's a little dark, dreary and depressing, this is an advanced apology. This being said, please leave a review at the end, if not only to try and make me feel better.
It was a dark stormy day in New York City, the type that was too violent to happen often, yet not violent enough to break any records or cause any major panic. Just the few gusts of winds stronger than normal, threat of baseball-sized hailstones, torrential rain not letting up for days, loud as all hell thunderstorm.
It was enough to make people stay indoors for the day, no one suicidal enough to even attempt to brave the rain, let alone actually drive anywhere. For once, the subway was almost empty, only being used by those who absolutely could not miss a day at work.
Detective Kate Beckett was one of those people.
As soon as the first clap of thunder had woken her up sometime around three in the morning, she knew it was going to be one of those days; the ones where everything went to hell in a handbasket before you had even woken up.
It didn't disappoint her.
She had barely made it to the 12th precinct when her cell phone had sounded, Ryan and Esposito meeting her in the lobby.
"We got a body?" she asked tiredly. The storm hadn't let her sleep much, and coffee wasn't doing the trick, not that it had been for the past two days. She felt like she was going through the motions she was so exhausted, and the random pains her body was putting her through didn't help.
Esposito responded with an address, somewhere close to the edge of their jurisdiction, and she waved her hand at them. "You guys go ahead; I'm going to catch up on some paperwork."
Detectives Ryan and Esposito shared a look with each other; their boss didn't shrug off a case, ever, and it had their interest peaked.
"Are you okay?" Ryan asked quietly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just had a rough night with the storm."
Of course; Beckett was a light sleeper and thunderstorms always woke her up. Always.
"We'll let you know when we get to the scene," Esposito added, pulling his partner towards their waiting Crown Vic. "See you later."
If Kate heard them, she didn't acknowledge them leaving, which was just even more cause for concern to the men who considered themselves her protectors. As Esposito made a dash for the drivers' seat, Ryan did the same for the passenger seat.
"Should we call the Captain?" the Irishman asked.
His partner nodded. "There's nothing we can do when she gets like this. Did you notice the lack of power heels? She never comes to work without them on."
"Yeah," Ryan pulled out his cell. "Interesting."
A couple of hours later, Captain Roy Montgomery was watching his star detective through the break room window, and sighed. She was having a rough day, that much was clear, especially by the way her head was currently supported in her hands on her desk, coffee mug abandoned near the computer screen. It wasn't a picture he saw often, and mentally reminded himself to thank the other half of her team when he saw them next.
"Beckett," he called, walking out of the break room towards her desk.
"Yes, sir?" she head shot up, but her elbows still rested on the desk. He could clearly see the lines emanating from the corners of her eyes, signifying a headache, and the exhausted tone of voice. "I was just resting my eyes," she explained, somewhat half-heartedly.
"No need to explain, Beckett," he stepped closer to her. "Go home; you're obviously not yourself today. Get some rest, have a nice hot bath, and come back tomorrow when you're feeling better," he said in a fatherly tone of voice, the one he normally reserved for his children, or Beckett when she needed the parenting.
"But Captain…" she tried to protest, but he wouldn't let her.
He held up his hand to stop her. "Kate, you're clearly exhausted, and I can see the headache you have. Go. Home. I don't want to see you until tomorrow." She looked like she was going to protest, but he narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't make me call Castle to come and pick you up."
She sighed in resignation and stood up. "Fine; just let Ryan and Esposito know when they get back," she said quietly, grabbing her coat, badge and gun from around her.
Her movements were stilted and painful-looking, and Roy had had enough. "Sit down, Kate. I'll call someone to take you home; you're in no state to drive yourself anywhere, especially in this weather. And don't even try and tell me you were going to take the subway," he smiled at her.
Kate smiled slightly in return. "If you don't mind, I'll be on the couch in the break room; just let me know when my ride is here."
Rick Castle hurried into the precinct, his wet sneakers squeaking on the smooth floor, moving quickly to his partner's desk. He couldn't see her there, so he checked the break room, where Captain Montgomery had mentioned something about Kate waiting. What he saw there shocked him.
Katherine Beckett, dressed in comfortable looking, worn-in jeans, knee-high soft leather boots with a low heel, and a red turtleneck, fast asleep, her hair fanning out on the black leather.
"She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?"
He didn't even turn at the sound of Ryan's voice. "How long has she been like that?"
"I'm not sure," the detective shrugged. "Espo and I just got back from a crime scene."
This time Rick did turn to look at his friend. "In this weather? I'm surprised anyone actually braved it."
"Yeah well, murder doesn't stop for the weather, bro," the aforementioned Esposito appeared at his other side.
"She looks too peaceful to wake her," Castle observed, "I don't want to poke the bear."
"You know I can hear you," Kate muttered, rubbing her eyes with her fists like a child. She sat up, her hair falling messily around her face.
God, she looks adorable, Castle thought. "Have a nice nap, Detective?" he smirked at her.
"Bite me, Castle," she snapped.
Everyone fell silent; Castle was right, waking a sleeping Beckett was like poking the bear.
"I assume you're my ride, then?" she asked, pulling herself off the couch.
Castle took a moment to take in her appearance. The Captain was right, she did look awful; he could see the bags under her eyes that the older man had neglected to mention, and the lines emanating from her eyes that he had.
"Castle?"
Plastering a fatherly smile on his face, Rick held out his hand. "Come on, Kate, I have just the thing to make you feel better."
Both Ryan and Esposito stared in shock as she grabbed his hand without comment and immediately leaned into his side, as if she was too tired to even hold herself up. They were even more shocked that she didn't mention the use of her first name by him, something he hadn't done often before.
"See you tomorrow, boys," she said quietly as Castle led her back down the hallway, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, as if he was protecting her from everyone and everything.
They both ignored the strange looks given by everyone who passed them, and moved directly to the elevator before heading to the car. Rick had used the car service today, so they both bundled into the backseat, Kate immediately reclaiming her place at his side once he had closed the door.
"Take me home, Rick," she begged quietly, screwing her eyes shut against everything going on around them. "Take me home."
He nodded to the driver, and the car smoothly took off, the movements soon rocking Kate back into a fitful slumber.
It wasn't long before she could feel Rick bundling her into his arms, manoeuvring her out of the town car as gently as possible, as to try and not wake her.
"Are we there already?" she asked. She couldn't help sound and feel like a child, and the vulnerability she was displaying scared her slightly, but she was too exhausted to care.
"Shhh, Kate," Rick soothed her as the doorman let them in the building, holding the elevator doors open for them. "It's okay, I won't drop you."
"You better not," she half-moaned in response, one hand immediately going to her abdomen.
Castle held her bridal-style in his arms, swinging their bodies side-to-side in an effort to soothe her, the way you would a child, as the elevator ascended to the second-to-top floor. He wanted to do all he could to make her pain go away, even if all he could do was hold her as she cried or slept; hopefully, it was the latter.
The elevator let out a soft 'ding' at their arrival, and he stepped off the elevator, only to be greeted by his eighteen year old daughter.
"Oh my god, is Kate okay?" she rushed to him.
"She'll be fine," he responded softly. "Can you hold the door open, I need to get her inside."
"Yeah, of course."
Rick headed straight for his bedroom the moment Alexis had closed the door behind him, only one thing on his mind.
"Anything I can do for you?" his worried daughter asked.
Rick shook his head. "No, we'll be fine for now, but I promise you I'll let you know if you can help."
It seemed to placate her somewhat, and she returned to the kitchen where her homework was spread out across the granite benchtop. Moments later, soft strands of classical music could be heard coming from that direction, and Rick knew his daughter was alright for the moment. "Kate, what am I going to do with you?" he asked her quietly, not expecting a response.
He tried not to bounce too much as he walked up the stairs, and he laid her on his bed as soon as he could. "Do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?" he asked her, running a hand through her chocolate brown locks.
Her mumble of something affirmative reassured him, and he moved to take off her boots.
"Don't go getting any ideas, Writer Boy," she mumbled as he worked her belt buckle. "I'm not that easy to bed."
"I would never dream of it," he responded sincerely. "Lift your hips."
Truthfully, it became less about 'bedding' her and more about falling in love with her about three months into their partnership, more so once he learned of her mother's case. Nowadays, he barely looked at other women, and never corrected anyone when they referred to Kate as his girlfriend. To him, it just felt right, and now just proved it even more.
"You'll need to sit up for a sec, Kate," he ushered her. "Need to take this turtleneck off. Arms up."
A quick peek at her lace-covered breasts made his body heat just a little, but he would save the feelings for later. Slipping the soft, red material from her body, he grabbed one of his more comfortable button-down shirts for her to sleep in, and ushered her under the covers of his king sized bed.
"Stay with me," she mumbled, reaching out for him once he had tucked her in.
"Kate?"
"Hold me in your arms, I always sleep better in your arms. I feel safe."
She was referring to their stint in the storage container-turned-freezer the year before, where he had tried to protect her from the cold. It was the beginning of their more intimate relationship, though that had moved slowly and progressed even slower, neither having gone any further than cuddling.
"Of course," he whispered, stripping most of his clothes before he slipped into bed behind her. She immediately spooned up against him, their legs intertwining, her head resting on one arm while the other held her around the waist, his large hand fanning out against her abdomen. The warmth coming from that one hand felt so good she moaned quietly, before getting so comfortable she fell back asleep.
"I love you, Kate Beckett," Castle whispered against her hair once he knew she was asleep, placing a kiss just behind her ear, before succumbing to peaceful slumber himself.
When Kate woke up, it was after dark, and she was alone in Castle's bed. She felt her stomach rumbling in a good way, and was slightly happier at the feeling. It meant the worst had passed, and she was getting back to being herself.
Looking around the familiar bedroom, she noticed the door was open, and she could smell a gorgeous aroma wafting up from the kitchen, and some muffled sounds of her partner and his daughter cooking up a storm. Grabbing a pair of his sweatpants, she put them on before going to investigate the source of the smell making her hungry.
"Well, hello there sleeping beauty," Martha greeted as she padded through the living room into the kitchen.
"Hey, Martha," Kate greeted the older woman, her voice still rough from sleep. She cleared her throat before attempting to speak again. "What's cooking?"
"Ah, that would be Richard and Alexis creating something sensational, and banishing me from the kitchen so as not to taint it with my bad cooking," the actress embellished, leading the detective to them.
"Well hello there," Rick greeted her. "Feeling any better."
Kate smiled and sat down on a bar stool directly opposite from where he was cooking. "You know what, I am, thank you."
Alexis turned around upon hearing her voice, and her face lit up. "Oh my god, you're awake! I was so scared when Dad brought you home, you looked so small and fragile in his arms, I thought something was really wrong. I'm so glad you're okay!"
Kate smiled even wider as the teenager, still wearing an apron covered in cooking stains, ran around the island bench to envelop her in a hug, and she didn't care how dirty she got. "Thanks Alexis," she hugged the young girl back.
Her eyes met Rick's over his daughter's shoulder, and both of them smiled at each other. She mouthed a thank you to him, to which he replied anytime in the same manner.
For once, Kate felt like she was home, and she had a family. The thought didn't scare her nearly as much as it should have, and for the first time she could remember, she felt as if she didn't need to be the fiercely independent cop she had always been, not around her family.
Rick smiled at the calmness he saw in Kate, in her eyes, in her body language, and was glad she finally felt accepted into his family. He was also glad she finally admitted defeat, and let herself lean on him.
It was something he would do forever, if she would let him.
It was something she would let him do, anytime, because he was always there for her to lean on.
Always.