DISCLAIMERS: Nope, still not mine.

SUMMARY: Castle gets a firsthand look at Beckett's PTSD and he gets her to go out of the city with him.

A/N #1: I'm writing this as if Castle took Beckett to the Hamptons during her suspension, instead of what was depicted in 'Murder, He Wrote.'

A/N #2: Wow! The response to Chapter 1 was great! Thank you, everybody who followed, favorited or sent reviews. To the guest reviewer who accused me of writing Beckett as cheesy and weak, I apologize. That has never been my intent. I also want to thank Missy52061 who pointed out to me that Bracken was a US Senator and not a State Senator, although in Chapter 1, I did state that he was a United States Senator.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

CHAPTER 2: Demons in the Night

"Actually, Det. Beckett, we know exactly what we're up against," Cole Maddox's cold eyes looked down at Kate, where she dangled from the edge of the rooftop from which he'd just tossed her like she was the rag doll that she played with when she was a little girl.

Grasping the edge of the roof, Kate expected her adversary to step up and stomp on her fingers to get her to let go. Instead he turned and calmly walked away.

Kate could feel her fingers slipping. "No, not like this," she grunted, swinging her legs desperately. Suddenly one hand slipped, followed seconds later by the other one. Kate could feel the scream die in her throat as she plummeted toward the concrete below.

It was the kick that first alerted Castle that something was wrong. But then the first kick was followed seconds later by another kick and then he could hear Kate, desperately calling his name. He sat up and looked at her as she thrashed in the tangled sheets, her arms flailing and her legs kicking out, landing repeated blows to his shins. He reached over and turned on the lamp before gently reaching out to awaken his girlfriend. He smiled as the thought of Kate as his girlfriend entered his consciousness. "Kate?" He whispered her name, slowly reaching out and touching her shoulder.

"No!" Her left fist connected with his shoulder with enough force to knock him off of the bed. He fell into the nightstand, sending the lamp to the floor with a crash that woke Beckett up from her dreams. "Castle? Oh my god, are you all right?" She jumped out of bed and ran around to his side of the bed, holding out her hand and helping him to his feet. "I'm so sorry. Shit!"

"Kate, it's all right. I'm okay. I guess I shouldn't have touched you, but you were calling out my name and—"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she ran a hand through her hair, her eyes darting back and forth between Castle, who was now sitting on the bed rubbing his shoulder and the opened door to his bedroom.

Knowing what she was thinking, he made a move to try to dissuade her from running from him, from what was now happening in his bedroom in the middle of the night. "Kate, it's okay. Talk to me. Please talk to me."

"I . . . I can't, Castle," she turned and ran from the room.

"Beckett!" Castle got up and walked into the living room, where he found Kate pacing crazily around his living room, tears streaming down her face. "Kate?" He walked over and attempted to pull her close, only to have her push him away.

"I didn't . . . I didn't . . . Fuck!" She screamed out in frustration. "I didn't want you to see me like this, Castle! I'm so fucked up!" Her breath came out in harsh hiccups as she wiped at her wet face. "This is why I couldn't let you know what I heard the day that I got shot. I was so messed up. I couldn't move from Josh right to you because it wouldn't be fair to you. I should've told you why instead of lying to you. And I'm so sorry."

"That's okay," he reached out for her hand, letting his breath out when she allowed him to take it and guide her over to the sofa. "Talk to me, Kate. I'm not going to judge."

"I know. You need to know anyway, if we're going to be together. You need to know what to look for. I have awful dreams, Rick. Before Maddox threw me off of the roof, my dreams were about that day in the cemetery. Only this time . . . only this time, he shoots you, Castle. But since the roof, I dream that Ryan doesn't get there in time. He doesn't get there and I fall . . . I wake up before I hit the ground."

"Can I ask when it started?"

"I think that it started while I was in the hospital, but I was so doped up, but that I didn't realize that there was something wrong. But when I was at my father's cabin, I'd be outside walking and I'd hear a twig snap and almost jump out of my skin. Every noise set me on edge. That's one reason why I came back to the city before I was scheduled to. But at first, being back in the city wasn't any better. It was too busy and too loud."

"Is the city still too much for you?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But Dr. Burke has helped a lot."

"That's your therapist?" He confirmed as she nodded. "So, you like him?"

"Yeah, I do. He's very upfront with me and you know better than anybody that's what I need sometimes."

"Sometimes?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"All right, all of the time. I talked to him a lot about you."

"Really?"

"I've wanted to be with you for so long, but I was conflicted. He convinced me that I wasn't ready and then when I finally was ready, you changed. You started acting so cold and I didn't understand why. One day Burke told me that maybe you changed because you got tired of waiting for me."

"That's not what happened," he got up and walked toward the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and peering inside. "When did he tell you that?"

"I don't know. About a month ago, I guess. It was after you showed up at our crime scene with that flight attendant in your Ferrari."

"Do you remember the bombing at Boylan Plaza?"

"Yeah, how can I forget?"

He walked over with two bottles of water and handed one to Kate. "You were interrogating this kid and I was standing in the ob room. You told him about being shot in the chest and how you remembered every single second."

"Oh god, Castle. You heard me? Why didn't you confront me? Is that what you were talking about that night in my apartment when you wanted me to walk away from the case?"

"I wanted to confront you, Kate, but instead I acted stupid and childish. I understood what you were telling me that day at the swings. I knew that you were telling me that you wanted to be with me, but you had to get stronger first. I just didn't understand why you didn't just admit to me that you heard me that day in the cemetery."

"I was scared. I was so fucked up, Castle. And it was so much worse than I initially thought it was. I couldn't tell you that I wanted to be with you when I was still so broken. That wouldn't have been fair to either of us. I've wanted to be with you for such a long time," she put her hand on his knee, softly stroking his leg.

"How long is a long time?" He couldn't help goading her.

"Since that evening in L.A."

"You almost came to me?" He guessed as she nodded. "Why didn't you?"

"Because I was with Josh and even though I knew that it wasn't really working, I couldn't cheat on him."

"I waited for you to come out of your room. But I understand your reasons. Besides, you were mourning Royce and it wouldn't have been the right time. But it would've been great," once again he waggled his eyebrows at her as she started laughing.

"Yeah, it would've been great," she smiled shyly, biting her lower lip.

"Come on, let's go back to bed," he stood up and took her hand.

Kate allowed Castle to lead her back into the bedroom and into bed, where he then climbed in behind her, dragging the comforter over the two of them before he spooned himself around her. She drifted off to sleep with the feel of Castle's arms around her waist and his lips brushing against the back of her neck.

***CCC***

When Kate opened her eyes the next morning, Castle's side of the bed was empty. And cold. Apparently he'd been up for a while. She was surprised that he'd got up. Since they'd started this new relationship, she'd been waking up to find him beside her, usually staring at her creepily while she slept.

She threw the covers back and got up, padding out of the bedroom on bare feet. She smiled when she spotted Castle in the kitchen. "Hey, good morning," he greeted her cheerfully. "I was going to cook breakfast and let you sleep in."

"I was surprised to wake up and not find you staring at me with a dopey grin on your face," she teased, walking behind him and playfully pinching his ass before grabbing a cup from the cabinet. "How long have you been up?"

"About an hour. I talked to Mother and Alexis on Skype."

"How are they?"

"They are wonderful. They're going to be in Paris for the next couple of days before heading to Rome."

"I'm glad that they're having a good time. What did you want to do today?" She walked up beside him and gently nudged him with her hip.

"I was thinking about something that you said earlier. About how the city still is sometimes too much for you. I was wondering how you would feel about getting out of the city for a few days and coming to the Hamptons with me? I know that you were upset when my ex-wife interfered the last time that I invited you."

"I wasn't upset," she protested.

"Kate, you were hurt. It was written all over your face. And it was evident when you arrested me after you found me—"

"Okay, so I was a little hurt," she admitted with an eye roll.

"So, will you come to the Hamptons with me? We can drive up later this morning, stay for a few days and then come back to the city before you have to return to work."

"I need to go to my apartment first and get some beach appropriate clothes. Let me do that and I'll meet you back here in an hour. Okay?" She lifted up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Okay."

After quickly throwing some clothes on, Kate took a cab to her apartment where she filled a second small suitcase with clothes more appropriate to the beach than to lounging around Castle's loft. She then returned to the loft where she found Castle also throwing a few things together. The last thing he packed was his laptop, which he placed on top of his small suitcase. "Do you keep clothes at the other house?" Kate asked from her perch on the edge of his bed.

"My mother and Alexis do. I keep some toiletries out there, but I usually just pack what clothes I want to take. Are you ready?" She nodded, following him out of the loft and down to the parking garage where he unlocked his Ferrari, throwing his bag into the back, smiling when she followed suit before getting into the passenger seat.

They made small talk during the two-hour drive. It was a nice day and Castle drove with the top down on the car. Kate couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this relaxed, this free from worries. They reached Southampton shortly after noon. Castle watched Kate as she took in the sights of the small town. "We'll be at the house in about 15 or 20 minutes. Mother went grocery shopping about a week ago, so we won't need to buy any food."

"It's a beautiful town."

"Yeah, it is. And the people are great. I'm glad that you agreed to come with me, Kate."

"Thank you for inviting me."

Castle had noticed in the last several days since their relationship had changed that there were times when Kate was rather shy with him. While he found it endearing, he hoped to bring her further out of her protective shell while they were out of the city. He'd longed to show her his Hamptons home since he'd issued that first invitation two years before. To have her with him in this capacity was a dream come true for him. "So, did you pack bikinis?" He teased.

"Maybe," she teased back.

"The pool is somewhat secluded," he snuck a glance at her. "You're welcome to skinny dip, if that's more your speed."

"Who knows, Ricky?" Her smile and voice were so seductive that he almost drove off of the road. "I might take you up on that. But, for now, keep your eyes on the road."

"Eyes on the road. Right," he swallowed thickly before turning off of the road up a long driveway.

Kate watched as the house gradually came into view. It reminded her of the New England style houses that you'd see on Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard. It definitely wasn't anything like she expected. She'd expected something opulent, something more befitting to a bestselling mystery writer. She was pleasantly surprised at how unpretentious the house appeared from the outside. "Wow, Castle," she breathed out as he got out of the car and came around to open her door for her. "Are you rich or something?"

"Well, I'm not James Patterson rich, but I do okay. Come on, I'll show you around inside."

He took her hand and unlocked the front door before leading her inside. The entryway was airy and spacious with the living spaces on the right and the stairway to the left. Kate looked around her in awe, smiling at the photographs she saw on the wall leading to the stairs and then on the wall leading upstairs. "This is beautiful, Castle. It's not exactly what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting? A huge mansion with a moat?"

"Something like that," she laughed.

"My bedroom is downstairs, but I wanted to show you the whole house. When I bought it, I had it completely remodeled. It took almost two years before it was even livable. And I thought that I was done, but then my decorator told me that I needed to tie in the downstairs to the upstairs," he continued rambling as he led Kate back down the stairs.

Following him, Kate's mind started to race. He'd told her that he slept in the downstairs bedroom at the loft to maximize his privacy, even though his bookshelves didn't provide a great deal of that, in Kate's opinion. She knew from experience that Castle's primary concern was protecting Alexis. He told her that he rarely ever brought women home, especially when his daughter was small. And he said that he had an agreement with Martha about bringing people home. Apparently he didn't want to expose his daughter to the environment he'd sometimes been exposed to as a boy.

But Kate knew that the Hamptons crowd was sometimes a party crowd. She couldn't help but wonder how many women Castle had entertained in his beach house. For some reason, she found herself feeling jealous. "I want to show you my favorite part of the house," Castle walked over to the back door and opened them wide. "A view of the ocean and complete privacy. There's no one around for miles. Are you coming, Kate?" He looked at her, noticing that she was still looking around.

"Uh, yeah," she turned and followed him outside, looking at the vista that met her. He was right. It was truly beautiful. "It's spectacular, Castle," she said quietly, her eyes meeting his.

"And that's a problem?" He was puzzled, wondering what he'd done wrong.

"I just can't help wondering how many other girls have gotten this tour."

"Oh," he nodded, understanding her concern. "Well, I won't deny that I've brought other women here, but," he walked over to her and took her hand in his, "none of them were you." She smiled at the compliment, giving Castle an opportunity to tug her slightly off balance. "Come on, let me show you the pool."

"Okay, Castle. Show me the pool," she giggled as he led her toward the pool area.

***CCC***

After dinner that night, Castle suggested that they take a moonlight swim. He was so happy when Kate giddily agreed with him. She went into the bathroom and slipped out of her clothes, pulling on a short robe over her naked body and sliding her feet into a pair of sandals. She came out of the bathroom and was surprised to find Castle sporting a pair of swim trunks. He took her by the hand and led her outside to the swimming pool, which was shimmering in the moonlit night. "If the water's too cold, I can adjust the temperature," he turned to Kate just as she opened her robe and dropped it to her feet before kicking off her shoes, "or I can just . . . stop talking. You forgot your suit."

"I know," she giggled, shrugging her shoulders with the cutest grin on her face. "You did say that I could skinny dip. I was hoping that we could skinny dip together," she reached for his hands, tangling her fingers in his. "Lose the trunks, Castle."

She didn't have to tell him twice. He used his free hand to yank his trunks to his feet, kicking them to one side before leading her over to the pool, guiding her down the steps into the deliciously warm water. "Is it warm enough?"

"Castle, it's wonderful," she sighed before dipping down to wet her entire body. "Come on, swim with me."

She slipped her arms around his neck, holding on while he slowly walked them back toward the middle of the pool, his eyes boring into hers. Kate had always loved Rick's eyes, but it was only now that she'd spent so much time with him that she noticed how they were constantly changing. When he was aroused, which to Kate seemed to be about 90 percent of the time, they were very dark, almost black. Right now, they were a rich cobalt blue and were twinkling mischievously. Kate wondered what mischief he was up to.

She didn't have long to wait for an answer when he unceremoniously dunked her under the water. She came up spluttering, hearing his laughter as he moved further away from her. "Castle! You'd better run because when I catch you, you're a dead man!"

"You have to catch me first, Beckett!" He called from across the pool.

Pushing her wet hair from her face, she spotted Castle over by the hot tub. He climbed out of the pool when he saw her swimming toward the side. She hoisted herself out and made her way toward him as fast as she could while trying not to slide on the wet cobblestones. Just as she got to him, Castle dove into the water, but he underestimated Kate, who made a running dive and quickly caught him. He was laughing when she pushed down on his head, shoving him under the water. He came up spluttering and grabbed her, pulling her tightly against him as his mouth came down on hers, his tongue curling around hers.

Kate could feel Castle treading water as she wound all four limbs around him, still kissing him with everything she had. They finally broke apart when they needed to breathe. "Wow," she rested her forehead against his.

"Yeah, wow. Where did you learn to dive like that? That was an Olympic quality dive."

"My mom taught me to dive when I was a kid. So, you liked it, huh?" She grinned at him.

"That was definitely a perfect 10," he nodded. The breeze picked up and he felt Kate shiver slightly in his arms, despite the heated pool. "You're getting cold. Come on, let's go inside and take a shower. We'll see what comes up," he whispered in her ear.

"I think things are already coming up, Castle," she smirked, reaching down for him as he groaned.

After taking a shower and enjoying a rather heated round of sex, they curled up in bed, each tracing their fingers down the other one's damp skin. "Thank you for coming here with me, Kate," he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"You're welcome."

"Tomorrow, I'll show you my favorite spots."

"Okay."

Holding her against him, Castle really hoped that Kate would find some peace from the dreams that kept plaguing her nights. She deserved some peace for once in her life.

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