AUTHOR'S NOTES: Surprise! I wrote all this ages ago, so it's already done! Cue speed-updating...

Several hours later, Beckett awoke, sleepy and disoriented. Without opening her eyes, she listened to the hushed conversation around her, and remembered that she was at Castle's loft; lying on his couch, and recovering from an acute case of food poisoning. She took a few breaths, trying to gauge how she was feeling. Better than when she had laid down to go to sleep, but far from great. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"I see you're alive," said Castle. "How do you feel?"

Beckett almost didn't hear him over the rush of blood in her ears that made her head pound, and the wave of dizziness that came soon after. She grimaced and held her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut against the light. Too bright. "Dizzy," she said.

"Try and drink some water," said Castle.

Beckett thought for a second, shifting her attention from her swimming, throbbing head to her stomach. Queasy, but nonviolent. Water stood a chance. She reached for the water, holding her other hand over her eyes to block the light. She took a couple careful sips of water, decided that was all her stomach could take for the moment, and set the glass on the table so she could rest her head in her hands again. The headache was threatening to jeopardize the fragile stability her stomach had recovered in the last few hours, or however long she had been asleep. She breathed deeply and stayed still, not wanting to get sick again.

"I'm sorry you're sick, detective."

Beckett started. It was Alexis this time – that must have been who Castle was talking to when she was half asleep.

"Oh, hi, Alexis," said Beckett. She would have looked up to meet the girl's eyes, but the light was still making her head hurt. "I'll be fine," she added, as much to herself as to Alexis.

"Indeed," Castle chimed in. She felt his hand meet her back again. He had done this so much that day that she had almost begun to get used to it – to like it, even. "And hey!" Castle continued. "You haven't thrown up in, what, three hours?"

"Don't hold your breath," said Beckett, hoping he hadn't jinxed it. She felt marginally better, but not out of the danger zone yet. She chanced another sip of water, hoping a little hydration would make her headache go away.

"Still not feeling well?" Castle asked.

Beckett shrugged. She most certainly did not, but Castle had already gone so far out of his way for her. He didn't need to know. Neither did Alexis. She knew the young girl looked up to her, and she hated to let her down. Beckett hoped Castle hadn't told Alexis everything.

"Kate," said Castle, leaning very close to her so only she could hear. "You don't have to be tough for us. It's just Alexis and me. If you're sick, you're sick. No reason to be embarrassed."

Beckett cringed, knowing once again he had seen right through her. It was impressive, if a little unsettling. "Castle," she groaned, not sure how to tell him off for being right.

"It's true," said Castle reassuringly. "Just relax. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"No," said Beckett. She didn't have any idea what time it was, but she didn't want to sleep all day and not be able to sleep through the night. "I wish I could take something for this headache, though."

"I can get you some ibuprofen," said Castle.

"No thanks. Probably not a good idea on a very, very empty stomach." She didn't dare.

"Good point," said Castle. "I think I learned that the hard way in the tenth grade." Beckett smiled, imagining a sick and inevitably dramatic fifteen-year-old Castle. "Anyway," he went on, "is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really," said Beckett. "I think I'll just have to wait it out."

"I suppose you will," Castle agreed. "Are you at least comfortable?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," said Beckett. She opened her eyes and leaned back into the couch cushions, noticing her blinking phone on the coffee table. She was starting to get adjusted to the light. "Oh," she said. "I have a text. It's Lanie."

"Girl, I hope you've kissed him already after how sweet he's been," the text read. "After all, you said yourself you ain't contagious."

Beckett couldn't help but laugh. Lanie could be so blunt sometimes. And yet she had no idea.

"What did she say?" Castle asked.

"She says that..." Beckett faltered, feeling embarrassed. "Since I'm not contagious—"

"Don't tell me she wants you to come back to work!" Alexis interrupted. Beckett smiled. If only it had been that simple.

"No," said Beckett, trying to come up with a clever response to Lanie's bold suggestion. "She said..." she trailed off again.

The nine-year-old on a sugar rush in Castle made his appearance, and he grabbed Beckett's phone. Before she could stop him, he read the message, registered a look that was something like shock, slammed the phone closed, and handed it back to her. Beckett almost thought she had escaped, but then a curious Alexis joined the conversation.

"What did it say?" she asked.

Beckett looked at Castle, who looked at her. He looked excited to tell Alexis. Beckett stalled, which Castle took to be her consent, and blurted out, "Lanie says Beckett had better kiss me if she's spending all this time at my house."

This revelation had the intended effect on Alexis, who giggled like the schoolgirl she still was. "Well?" she prompted.

Castle and Beckett looked at each other again. Both were doubtful, very doubtful. But it was sort of fun teasing Alexis. Beckett pursed her lips, torn and more than a little nervous.

"I don't know, I don't reckon she would ahh, taste very good just now," said Castle, voicing a concern she hadn't even thought of. She knew she had done her best at cleaning her mouth out, but she certainly couldn't blame Castle for not wanting to kiss her. She certainly wouldn't want to kiss him if the tables were turned.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, mostly just to indulge the banter they had become so accustomed to.

"What?" said Castle. "It's true!"

"Lanie will be so disappointed," said Beckett teasingly, realizing the lighthearted conversation was a good distraction. She shook her head in mock regret, then flinched when it still made her head hurt.

"Alright, how about this?" said Castle. He leaned in close to her, so close she could smell him – God, he smelled good – then brushed her hair off her face and kissed her cheek. Beckett's heart pounded; far too much of her body responded to his closeness.

"Castle!" she exclaimed, a little shocked that he had gone so far, but more shocked that she had liked it. She had thought sure he wasn't going to go through with it, but she couldn't say she minded. Feeling suddenly hot, she grabbed the water and turned her back on Castle, waiting for her heart rate to calm down.

"Satisfied?" Castle asked Alexis.

"Satisfied," she confirmed.

Thank goodness, Beckett thought. If he had to pull any more stunts... Well, I'd be able to control myself. Yeah.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Castle apologized, sensing her anxiety.

"It's okay," she said, not wanting him to think he had done something outright wrong. "You just kind of... took me by surprise."

Castle shrugged, with that "I'm guilty but you know that's just how I am" look that he wore so well.

. . .

Martha had taken Alexis to her fencing club practice, leaving Castle and Beckett alone. Castle was still writing, and Beckett was lying on the couch reading Storm Rising, one of Castle's earlier books, and watching him write the new one. The one that was sort of about her. It was a strange feeling. It did make her feel a little naked, just as the recent title suggested. But it also made her feel strangely honored. She had accomplished a lot in her ten years at the NYPD, enough for this writer – whose books had helped her come this far – to celebrate how far she'd come.

That was stupid. He wasn't celebrating anything. He was just... well, he was inspired. That in itself was an accomplishment, if she was inspiring the very person whose work had inspired her. It was a strange circle. It made her feel good, even if it was a little confusing.

She set the book down for a moment, as another pulse of the headache pressed against the inside of her skull. She sat up to take a drink of water, and almost made herself sick again, but swallowed hard, managing to keep the water from coming up. It had been close, though, and she took another small sip of water to wash the burning feeling down from her throat. Not. Again, she ordered her body.

"You doin' okay?" Castle asked, looking up from his laptop.

"I think so," she said, taking another deep breath and a sip of water.

Castle gave her that look he'd been giving her all day – the look that clearly said he didn't believe her for a minute, and he was going to keep looking straight through her and end up doing something sweet that would make her forget to be mad at him for reading her mind.

"You still feel sick, don't you?" he said, kindly but bluntly.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I'll be fine though."

He raised his eyebrows as if to ask if she was sure.

Beckett lay down again, folding her hands behind her head. "Castle. I've been taking care of myself for years. I'm not dying. I'm just...not feeling well. There's no reason for you to be so concerned."

"I know you'll be fine," he said. "Kate, I'm not doubting your independence. You're probably the toughest woman I've ever met, and that's including my blood-sucking publisher ex-wife."

Beckett smiled slightly at this.

"But," Castle went on, "being tough doesn't mean you can't feel pain. And that pain doesn't make you anything less. Aside from that, I wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't care about you and want to at least be there for you when you do feel pain."

The smile faded. "Pain is getting shot, or hit by a car," said Beckett. Or losing your mother. "This is just food poisoning. Nothing to get all heroic and philosophical about."

She sensed Castle could tell he was fighting a losing battle. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not trying to make you upset. I just don't want you to feel ashamed. Sickness is enough; you don't need guilt. You're not burdening me, and I definitely don't think you're weak for getting sick if that's what you're so worried about."

Beckett frowned, knowing he was right, and not knowing what to say.

"I'm not trying to be a hero, either," Castle added. "I just want you to know I care about you."

Beckett stalled by drinking more water.

"I wouldn't think any less of you if you were sick all week," Castle continued. "Although for your sake I certainly hope you aren't."

"Me too," said Beckett, snuggling under the blanket and picking the book up again, signaling that the conversation was over.