Disclaimer I do not own Castle This story follows on from Miss Independent. Timeline is about halfway through season 3 after knockdown but established Beckett/Castle. Changes made as per reviews, thanks guys. Please read Miss Independent ? It may help. Just so everyone is aware I own nothing of Castle but it is shown in the UK on Alibi. Sorry if there are some slip ups here and a few anglican terms slip in. I live in the UK not the USA.

What's Wrong?

Kate stared in the mirror above the sink as she listened to the water running down the drain. She felt sick as she stared at her reflection. Something was different. She knew it but she had been trying to hide it. There was no way she could let Castle and the others know. She couldn't worry them, not now after she had just got back to work after the fiasco surrounding her dead ex fiance and her own shooting. But she never got sick. It just didn't happen. Even Esposito and Ryan teased her for being sickeningly healthy. Laine joked that her immune system should be bottled and sold. The fact she had fled from the autopsy room fighting not to vomit on the floor debunked that particular myth. Kate Beckett was not indestructable.

"Hey!" Laine smiled as she opened the door of the ladies' bathroom.

"Hi." Kate replied as she stared at the mirror.

"I know our bathrooms here at the morgue are a lot more fancy than the ones you girls have to deal with at the police station but you don't have to spend hours in here admiring them." Laine teased gently as Kate sighed. "Ok, what is it?"

"Laine." Kate warned. The last thing she wanted was a lecture. She had been living with Castle since her apartment had been burnt down and her ex fiance murdered. Laine was the first person she had told that she was in love with the writer. Although now it seemed everyone at the police station already knew.

"Ok, the guy on the slab. Cause of death, gunshot wound to the chest causing hypovolaemia and cardiac arrest. This guy was a police officer once?"

"He was." Kate hadn't told Laine she had been meeting him to get information on her mother's murder. She didn't want to worry her friend, especially after the reaction she had from Castle when he had noticed the blood on her shirt. "I thought it was you that had been shot." He had almost whispered as she had stared at him wide eyed. She hadn't said she was afraid it had been him.

"Is that why you and Castle were meeting him?" Laine touched her arm as Kate leant on the sink, fighting another wave of nausea.

"Thank you." Laine raise an eyebrow as she spoke. She knew there was no way Kate would tell her anything she didn't want to. Kate may have been living with Castle, Alexis and Martha for the last five months but she was still intensely private.

"You're welcome. Kate?"

"What?"

"You know you can talk to me yeah? I know this case is hard but you know you can tell me anything?" The petite medical examiner stared at her.

"Yeah." Kate smiled. "Like you telling me about you and a certain Detective Esposito?"

"Oh and you and a certain writer were so open about your relationship?" Laine raised an eyebrow. "Look, Kate. I am really worried about you. You are far too quiet lately. So that means either that hunky writer of yours is wearing you out or something is wrong. Which is it?" Laine turned to her.

"Laine, I am fine." She tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Laine nodded. She knew her best friend well enough not to push her any further. Kate stepped back out of the bathroom and headed towards the morgue where Castle was waiting for her. She had a case to solve.

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A/N My second Castle story. Is it worth continuing? Please review.