Pale light from the rising sun peeked into the loft. Castle roused from sleep, emerging slowly as his tired eyes squinted in the dim room. He smiled at the sight of Kate. Last night she'd fallen asleep curled in a tight ball, her hand clutching his, that's how he could tell she was really in pain. She rarely got sick and he'd never seen her writhe that way, her face contorted slightly in discomfort as she slept. At one point he'd woken up to find her twisted so that she was facing him. Her head was pressed against his chest, her long legs were stretched out. She'd felt warm and looked so young in her vulnerable state. It broke Rick's heart. Now, in the shadowy light he could make out her features better, the soft slope of her nose, the curve of her lips. He watched as her eyes fluttered open.

"Stop staring, Castle. It's creepy," she mumbled, her head still fogged with sleep as her eyes closed again.

Castle grinned at her sleeping figure. Eyes still shut, she reached out, feeling around for Rick. Her hand met his face and she smirked, peeking her eyes open just as her fingers ran over his lips. They felt soft and inviting beneath her weary touch.

"Good morning," Rick said.

"Not all that good," Kate said, a violent cough lurched her body forward. Her throat felt rough, her head reeled. A heavy weight lugged her figure down, it took significant effort to move and use her elbow to prop up her frame.

"Still feeling sick?" Rick asked.

Kate nodded shyly and shifted her gaze to the sheets, suddenly interested in studying their solid coloring. Rick realized how monumental it was that Kate was opening up to him, although the confession of illness, was small in itself, it meant the world to Rick. It represented so much more. She was letting him in, she was sharing her pain. Every time she did this Rick was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she picked him, of the billions of people in the world Rick was the one she chose. It was incredible. He felt so lucky, every single day. Even after their marriage and all they'd been through he still caught glances of her walls, some still partially standing. He made a commitment to helping her take down the barriers a little more every day, each progress sent a whirlwind of euphoria coursing through Rick's veins and propelling into his heart.

Rick reached out and tilted Kate's head up so her hazel eyes meet his blue ones.

"It's okay to be sick, it's okay to be hurt, and there's nothing wrong with admitting these things. Asking for help doesn't make you weak and it doesn't make you a burden. You could never be a burden to me, okay?"

Kate nodded and Rick continued, "I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with but whenever you feel ready just know that you can reach out to me, all right?"

"All right," Kate said, as her lips curved into a small smile. "Thank you."

"Always," whispered Rick as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Kate calmed under his touch, their lips meeting, carrying silent promises and unspoken thoughts, messengers of infinite ''I love you''s. Kate went rigid.

She pulled away, "Castle! You could get sick."

"Maybe, but raising Alexis has given me a killer immune system. My macrophages or T cells, or whatever the hell they're called, are like little ninjas in my body fighting against germs."

Kate scoffed and nestled closer to him.

"Come on, that was kind of funny, right?"

She shook her head against the crook of his neck. "You've done better," she muttered.

"Hey!" Rick cried, feigning offense but the expression was unnoticed by Kate as she winced at a sharp pain in her head.

He sat up and pulled her into a hug, instantly wishing he could take away her pain. Nausea washed over Kate and she squeezed her eyes shut. She clutched Rick's shirt in tightly closed fists.

His words were soft-spoken, "Hey, what hurts?" He asked, his eyes wide with worry.

Kate just shook her head against his chest and sighed. She wiggled out of his arms and dangled her legs over the bed's edge. Her feet found the floor and she stood up shakily, swaying from side-to-side as her head swam. She could do it, it was only a few steps to the kitchen. Rick's eyebrows knit together in concern as he watched.

"I'm just going to get a glass of water," she told Rick.

He rushed to help her, "I can get it."

"I'm fine," Kate said and waved her hand dismissively. Her claim was entirely unsupported as she leaned heavily against the door frame, aware that movement was likely to send her weakened limbs sprawling as she slumped to the ground. Not a good option.

"Kate-" Rick began.

But he was cut off by Kate's dramatic sigh, "Ugh, okay. I think I'm going to fall. Castle, could you um, help me."

Rick's typical 'I told you so' response was suppressed by overwhelming concern. He hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist, knowing she'd kill him if he carried her as she was trying so very hard to maintain her dignity.

"Could we go to the couch?" Kate asked.

"Of course," said Rick. Slowly, he walked her there, taking tentative steps.

Once she was settled with a large blanket, cuddled up against the armrest, Rick left to grab her water and some tissues.

When he returned, Kate's eyes were closed and breath came from her mouth in steady increments. She'd already slipped into a light slumber. Rick gazed at her and set the items he'd brought for her on the coffee table. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and nearly recoiled at the heat it emitted.

He shuffled around the medicine cabinet and made his way to Kate with a thermometer in hand.

"Hey Kate, can you wake up for a moment?" Rick asked, his voice was gentle as he stroked her hair.

Her eyes opened slowly and she blinked a few times, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Don't I have work today?" She asked.

Rick shook his head, "No, not today. You're sick, and it's your day off, anyway. No murders, no paperwork, we're just spending today getting you all better."

"Okay."

"I need to take your temperature. Can you open your mouth?"

Kate complied without grumbling, it was almost pitiful how compliant she was being. When Rick pulled the thermometer out he squinted at the numbers.

"You, Mrs. Castle, have a fever of 102.8"

"Good to know, Mr. Beckett," she retorted as a tired smile ghosted her lips. Kate stared distantly through the window. Rick would have given anything to read her thoughts and know what was going on inside that beautiful mind of hers.

He handed her the glass of water and it seemed to pull her back to the present as she thanked him and sipped from the cup.

"Keep drinking, you need to stay hydrated," He instructed.

Kate glared at him and drank even slower. Okay, so maybe she wasn't as compliant as I'd first assumed, Rick determined with a shrug. She was amusingly moody when she was sick, but also rather inconsistent, she switched from stubborn behavior to moments in which she was unbelievably fatigued. At the time it seemed as though Kate had regained a little of her spunk, Rick hoped it would stay. He plopped on the couch beside her.

"So, Beckett, what do you say, movies, blankets, cuddling?" He wiggled his eyebrows as Kate snuffed a grin.

"Too tired to think of a comeback," she mumbled and curled into him.

Rick raised his hands in innocence, "It was an honest suggestion."

"Cuddling?" Kate questioned skeptically, raising her head to meet his eyes.

"Scientifically proven to speed up recovery time by at least 40 percent."

"Mmhmm," She hummed, laying her against his shoulder.

"But, I'm not sure if the methodology was entirely correct in the study. It would probably make sense to test it ourselves, you know, for science."

"For science," Kate repeated as she slid closer.