Chapter 2

Castle fell onto his knee as he caught the unconscious body. He didn't care about the coffee that most likely ruined his pants. He only wanted her to be safe.

Richard moved her hair away from her face. She was turning very pale, looking like snow that landed on the ground moments ago. "No, Kate. Don't go away. We just met," Castle said. He looked up, and looked around. "Taxi!" He did the taxi-whistle with his fingers. About ten seconds later, a taxi pulled out to the curb.

The driver rolled down the window and looked at him. "Is she okay?" he asked concernedly in his thick Indian accent.

"I... I don't know," Richard stuttered. Castle started to pick up the body off the ground. "Can you take me to the giant condo building near the centre of town?" Without hearing the reply, he opened the cab door, and ducked under the roof, making sure neither of them hit the ceiling.

"Certainly," the taxi driver replied. Quickly Castle buckled his seat-belt as the driver drove towards the location.

"It's going to be alright Kate, just don't go," Castle said. The taxi driver drove a bit faster than the speed limit, heading towards where the man asked him to take him.

Even through the heavy traffic, the taxi driver managed to get the pair to the destination in five minutes. "Thanks," Castle said. "Just wait." He reached for his pockets. Kate's hair blocked his way of getting it. He moved the hair out-of-the-way, and reached into the pocket.

"Don't pay me," he said. "I'll pay myself. Take her inside. She'll be even worst if you wait any longer." At the man's words, Castle opened the door, and carried Kate out of the car.

"Thank you!" he yelled at the taxi before closing the door. Castle started to run up the stairs to get into the apartment. He couldn't hear what the driver said, but heard him drive away to find someone else.

He waited at the elevator, but it was taking too long, and ran towards the stairs. "You're at least warm right now," Richard told Kate, even though she was unconscious. He was running as fast as he could with Kate in his arms. He hoped she didn't decide to make him a murder suspect in her next book after carrying her to his house.

After running two steps at a time up the stairs, he made it to his floor, and opened the door. "Alexis!" he yelled. As soon as he called her, she walked towards Castle.

"What is it..." she said, trailing off after looking at the unconscious person in his arms. "Why do you have Kate Beckett in your arms?"

"I will explain later," he said. "Now, I just need you to get me some blankets and a pillow." Alexis nodded as she headed out of the main room quickly and towards another in the corner.

"What's all the commotion?" another voice asked. Castle walked towards the nearest couch and looked up. Standing there was his mother, Martha Rodgers, watching what Castle was doing. "Who's this?"

"Kate Beckett," he answered as he placed Kate down onto the couch beside him. Alexis came running out of the room she was in with blankets and two pillows in her hands.

"Here," she said as she handed the objects in her hands. "I grabbed at least five. If you need more, I'll grab them."

Castle nodded. "Thanks." he gently tilted Kate's head up, just enough so he can place a pillow underneath her. He moved her head again to place the second pillow under her. He covered her in the blankets Alexis got him.

"Mother," Richard said. "Turn on the fireplace." Without questions, she walked to the fireplace and turned the knob. The flames suddenly lit, filling the room with a new source of light and heat. Castle walked over to the stainless steel fridge after grabbing a cup. He pressed the button that streamed water. Once the cup was filled near the top, he stopped pressing the button, and walked to the couch, balancing the cup to make sure water wouldn't pour out.

"What happened to her?" Martha asked. He placed the cup on a coaster located on top of a glass table.

Castle wiped his forehead with his right hand. "Alexis, come and sit on the other couch." Alexis followed what her father said, and sat on the couch diagonally from Kate. Martha sat beside her and placed her hand on Alexis' knee. Castle explained to his family the situation with Kate in the coffee shop, and how she acted.

"I can't believe this is the writer that we both love," Alexis said.

"I just knew something about these stories were real," Castle replied. "I didn't know that she wasn't sleeping or was this tired all the time. Maybe if I did, I would have tracked her down and talked to her."

"Oh Richard," Martha said. "You didn't know. I'm sure no one knows. Maybe her mother and father know."

Castle shook his head. "If these books are somewhat true, then her mother is dead. Her character, Ashley, must be her. Maybe the parts about people tracking Ashley down and trying to kill her wasn't true, but the basic plot probably is."

"Oh my," Martha said sadly. "I hope she talks to someone."

"I'll talk to her," Castle volunteered. "I think she can tell me anything she needs, or wants me to hear. Let's just wait until she wakes up." The girls nodded in agreement. "Now, how about we reread her books to figure out what happened to her.

***Caskett***

Kate's head stirred as her eyes started to flicker. She shifted her body weight so she was laying on her side, facing into the couch. Kate opened her eyes. In front of her, it was black as ink. She paused, only hearing her breathing and try to listen to the surrounding sound. "Ashley ran towards the yellow tape that surrounded her mother's body. Everything didn't make sense," a voice said. "Hey!' Ashley yelled. 'I want to see my mother!' Someone must have heard and believed her when someone lifted the yellow tape that blocked her way to see the body of her mother."

It was Kate's book. Kate remembered the scene, and sometimes, she remembered the book word-by-word. Quickly, she turned her body, and threw her covers off. "Whoa, take an easy!" Castle said. She looked around the room. Everything seemed normal for a house residence. Some stuff was on the more expensive side, but she assumed that maybe they were hand-me-downs, or gifts that the family received some time ago.

"Where am I?!" she asked, basically yelling the words at him. She looked to the left and noticed two redheads staring at her. One looked young, like a teenager or a young adult while that other looked much older, most likely with dyed hair.

"You're at my house," he explained. "If I didn't bring you to some place warm soon, you would have died."

"I would have..." Kate thought of morning, and exactly what happened. Everything felt like a blur this morning. Was it the lack of sleep that finally caught up to her?

"Yes," he said, completing her sentence. "You would have died." She looked back at the man who saved her.

What was his name again, she thought. She tried to remember what happened earlier this morning. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Castle," she stated.

"Yes, my name is Castle. Richard Castle," he said, trying to make his voice sound like James Bond. Alexis laughed, which lightened the mood a bit.

Kate didn't react, but instead headed to the door. "Where are you going?" Castle asked.

"I need to head home," she answered. Kate grabbed the handle and twisted it. The door didn't open. She tried again, this time twisting the handle multiple times, but the door didn't open.

Castle ran towards Kate, and grabbed her hands. "Calm down Kate," he said, mentally thanking himself for locking the door. "You just woke up from an unconscious state. I'm pretty sure that's not good for you."

Kate ripped her hands away, and moved them towards the lock. She heard the click of the door. She moved to the handle again, but this time, Castle's hands stopped her. "Hey, you just got here. You should at least wait until you have a bit of a recovery."

"I already had a recovery," she said. "I need to work." Suddenly, Castle stopped. He forgot to call into the school he taught at to let them know that he wasn't coming today, or lied and said he was sick.

At Castle's moment of reflection, she pushed his hands out-of-the-way, and opened the door after unlocking it. She ran out as quickly as she could. "Kate!" he yelled as he chased after her through the hallway. Kate ran towards where the hallway spit into two sections. She decided that the left could get her out, and headed in that direction. Castle was close behind her as she turned the hall.

"Where are you going?" he asked. He turned left like she did. Kate ran to the end of the hallway, only to find it a dead-end. She turned around to face where she ran, and thought she could head back, but Castle was blocking her exit.

A few seconds later, Castle was right beside her. "Man," he said, breathing like he ran a marathon. "If you keep making me do this, I'm going to have to start going to a gym."

She smiled. "You already need to go to a gym."

"Not unless it serves some purpose I'm not," he said.

She shrugged. "Your loss." She started to walk around him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I guess you're right," she said. "I should stay for a moment. I don't need to go anywhere." She turned the corner. Castle followed the author to his apartment. Alexis and Martha were standing at the kitchen counter making ice cream.

"What have you two been doing? Making ice cream without me?" he asked jokingly.

"I made you a bowl dad," Alexis replied. "I thought she wasn't coming back."

Castle shrugged as he walked into the kitchen. "Me too." He grabbed one of the ice cream bowls, and looked at it. "What happened to the whipped cream?"

"In the fridge." Castle walked to the fridge with his ice cream, and opened the door. He scanned the fridge, looking for anything else he could add to his bowl, until he came across the whipped cream. He placed the bowl down, and grabbed the cold metal can of whipped cream. He shook the can, and pressed the end, aiming the nozzle into his mouth.

Once his mouth was full, he asked Kate, "Want some?"

She looked at the family and Castle and shrugged. "Why not?" Castle swallowed the whipped cream, and reached for a new bowl for Kate. He handed the bowl to her, before covering his ice cream with whipped cream. She walked over to the ice cream, where everyone filled their bowls up, when Martha took the bowl from Kate's hand.

"I'll fill it for you darling," she said nicely.

Kate wanted to tell the older woman not to call her darling, but she didn't. She didn't think it would be the most respectful thing to do. It was better than calling her Kate, wasn't it?

Kate sighed as she leaned into the table. She looked behind her and at Castle. He was spraying more than the recommended serving size of whipped cream into his mouth, and on the ice cream. He was having a bit too much fun with the whipped cream.

"Hey Castle," Kate said. He turned around with whipped cream filing his mouth. Some of it was dripping out of his mouth. "Pass me some." He threw her the bottle of whipped cream, and she caught it. Kate aimed the nozzle into her mouth, and pressed onto the end. She kept watching Castle with her mysterious eyes that sparkled a bit in the light.

He looked at her with excitement. A writer, especially the one he experienced this morning, wasn't this fun, was she?

She put the can of whipped cream down, and smiled. "There." He smiled back at her. Martha handed Kate her bowl of ice cream, and they sat down at the table in the kitchen.

Once everyone sat down, they ate their ice cream quickly. It turned out that Alexis forgot today was a school day, and that Martha forgot she had to teach her students an acting class. She worked at NYU as a professor under acting. Maybe that's when Castle decided to become a teacher or when he wanted a kid. It could have just been one of those days that Castle went to a park, and some kid's piercing eyes looking through him.

"Bye dad," Alexis said. She planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Alexis ran out the door, grabbing her backpack before she headed out.

"Alright kiddo," Martha said. "Momma's got to go too."

"Bye mother," Castle said. Martha walked to the front door, and closed it on her way out.

As soon as Alexis and Martha left, Kate said, "I should go too."

"No," Castle ordered.

She looked at him. "Why can't I go?"

"Because you aren't going to change your life ethics and I want to change that." She sighed. What made her stay the extra time with his family was a mystery to her. Maybe she didn't want to go home. Maybe she'd rather procrastinate at the task at hand than to actually do it. Her book chapter could wait.

"Why would you do that for me?" she asked, looking into his soft, blue eyes. She wished that he didn't have those eyes.

"Because some times in life, you need a little help - even if it's just from someone you just met. People can be nice if you give them a chance," he answered.

"Right," she mumbled. Kate stood up from the chair she was sitting on, and grabbed her dishes to bring to the sink. She walked over, and placed them in the sink. She walked back to see Castle, who now has his elbows resting against the table.

"Okay," he said. "Let's start like we haven't met. Maybe then we'll both feel better; for today anyways. Hi, I'm Rick Castle." He stood up, and held out one of his hands.

"Hi," she replied, grabbing his hand to shake it. "I'm Kate Beckett." The two shook their hands, and sat down at the table again.

"So, Kate," Richard said. "Tell me what you do for a living."

"Well I am a writer for a book series called Perception. I don't know if you heard of the series, but the books are called Within her Walls, Within the Lies, and the third one is going to be called Within her Eyes."

"That's so cool! I love your books, you know. I don't know if I can say I'm your biggest fan, but I would say I am a pretty big fan. Just remind me what they are about again."

"It's about a young adult, Ashley Pearson, who discovers that her mother was..." she paused. Castle looked at her as he waited for her to talk. "Found dead. "she whispered those words. "And she spends her time trying to solve the murder cases like she is the detective of the case. She uses her private resources to get clues on whom the killer is."

"And is this anyway real? You did take pauses, and spoke quietly at some parts."

She shook her head. "Now tell me what you do for a living."

He shrugged. "I am an English teacher at a high school for any grade they give me. I am also a father and son. My daughter, Alexis, she's the best. She doesn't go to the same high school I teach at because she wanted to be with her friends. I am fine with that. I will let my daughter do what she wants to do. She's old enough. But anyways, I sometimes use your books to tell my students about a good plot or good grammar. They usually don't understand what I am trying to explain."

Kate chuckled. "Well, they are kids."

"Sometimes, I think that's over-exaggerating." She laughed as she moved a piece of hair away from her line of sight. Soon enough, he was laughing with her, each dying in their own way.

After they calmed down, she said, "I like you Mr. Castle. And not in a bad way."

"How could you like someone in a bad way?" She leaned closer into Castle, and he followed what she did.

She whispered. "It doesn't matter at the moment."

"At the moment?"

"At the moment." Kate back up, so she was not in Castle's personal space bubble anymore. Castle also leaned back into his chair, watching her as she moved.

"Well, I think I should get going," Kate said.

"Ya, okay. Great. Can we meet tomorrow, say, four o'clock at the coffee shop? Maybe you won't pass out again, and act like someone who spent the entire night at a bar."

"I'll try," she said as she stood up from her chair. Castle stood up and walked with her slowly to the door.

"No. Do. You understand?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Fine. I will if it makes you feel better."

He smiled as they reached his apartment door. "Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow." He opened the door for her, and let her go through. She smiled, and headed out the door.

Kate turned around, and saw him close the door. "What did I get myself into?" she asked herself as she tried to find the exit to the apartment.

Hope you enjoy, and tell me your thoughts about it.

P.S Just if you didn't catch this, but since the sleep Kate got, her personality changed a bit into a nicer her. That probably will be one of the only times in this story though.