After closing the bedroom door Castle retreated to his office to call The Old Haunt and see what he could find out about Kate. The fact that she had no idea how she had lost her bag or how she had ended up soaking wet on the sidewalk worried him immensely. Not only that but, the fact that he had simply picked her up and she hadn't wanted to run away screaming for someone to find her, or even wanted to call someone herself had bothered him even more.

Listening to the dial tone as he calls The Old Haunt he wonders, what exactly was he going to say to them. He could tell them that he knows her and is a concerned friend looking for her purse, or he could say that she dropped it and is looking for it, or he could tell them the truth. The truth that he found her on the side of the road, soaked to the bone, shivering and on the verge of passing out when he decided it would be a better idea to bring her to his loft rather than taking her to a hospital. He shook his head, it sounded even worse when he said it out loud.

The rough voice greeting him on the other end of the phone drew him from his thoughts and forced the words out of his mouth as he explained that he was a friend looking for his friend's purse. After giving a description of Kate and the tired bar man shouting to his other employees he finally discovered that her purse was nowhere to be seen. The only other chance of her getting it back was if they were to find it whilst they were cleaning up. However, that was not for another few good hours. After drawing a blank, Castle decided to leave it for now, hoping he would come up with something better when the morning came.

Retreating up to the guest bedroom he couldn't help but wonder if Kate would still be there in the morning, he wouldn't blame her if she waited until he had gone to bed and then grabbed her things and ran. In fact, he would actually understand if not expect it. A pretty girl wakes up with a man's clothes on, in the room of said stranger, not that much of a shock that she would run. Well, he was not exactly a stranger but his fame was irrelevant now and he doubted she even knew who he was. His writer's mind went wild with all the possible scenarios that would take place in the morning but he would just have to wait till the sun rose before he would know which choice of action she picked. Honestly, he hoped she stayed.

Her heart was beating faster than usual as she ran down the street, someone was chasing her, who- she did not know but she wasn't running fast enough and then suddenly she was on the ground, pain flaring through her ribs as she crashed onto the pavement. The mysterious figure above her stilled his movements over her before reaching his hands towards her, the same hands that had been hitting on her in the bar only moments ago as she twisted her body on the solid pavement in an attempt to get away.

She woke suddenly as her body jolted into a sitting position, her heart was still racing as sweat dripped from her forehead and her ribs screamed in protest at the abrupt movement. Her eyes scanned the room, her pupils trying to adjust to the light that was coming from the adjoining bathroom. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she wasn't at home and instead was with Richard Castle, but he was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around the room again she began to take in the furniture that surrounded the room; large pieces mostly, with dark, bold colours that stood out in the unique bedroom. There was a bookshelf mounted on the wall, separating the bedroom from the office.

She knew it had been the nightmare that had woken her, the fear she had felt as she had ran from the bar and onto the cold streets of the city. In her dream someone had been chasing her, they'd thrown her to the ground and reached for her before she could stop them. Her mind flashed back to last night, the hands of the creep who had been hitting on her all evening at the bar. She hadn't been interested but he was persistent, intent on buying her drinks and offering her his number. She had refused; politely at first, but after thirty minutes of the guy she had had enough and told him straight. He hadn't taken it well and persisted to bother her. She remembered leaving the bar in a hurry, she wasn't even sure if she said buy to her friends, instead she had finished her drink as quickly as possible and ran out into the pouring rain praying the man wasn't following her. To preoccupied to look where she was going she remembered falling to the ground but after that everything had gone blank before waking up with her purse gone and her body aching. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to remember exactly how she had ended up on the floor, but after the stress of the day, a glass of wine or four didn't seem like such a bad idea; at least she wouldn't be as drunk as her father. Whenever she had experienced a nightmare before she would read, it also soothed her and let her drift off to sleep without having to worry about the nightmare returning. However, after selling most of her things in order to make some pocket money for college she was left with nothing to read.

He wouldn't think it rude, Kate thought to herself as she pried her body from the bedsheets, after all, he had taken her in and it wasn't like she was disturbing him. She quietly made her way to the bookcase, seeking out something that would spark her interest and send her to sleep. Her fingers trailed along the book spines before stopping on one book that she had set her heart on the moment it had been released; Richard Castle: Death of a Prom Queen, his most recent work after 'In Hail Of Bullets'. She had read 'In Hail of Bullets' purely by accident after forgetting to box it up with her mother's things, however she was hooked from the moment she started reading and had been a fan ever since. When she had heard of his new book being released she couldn't wait to read it, but at almost $40 there was no way she could spare that kind of money right now and had turned away from the bookstore with a heavy heart.

Tucking the book safely to her chest, she climbed back into bed and began reading, losing herself in the adventure and mystery that oozed from every page. Her first clue that she had lost herself in his writing was the cracking of the sun entering through the curtains, looking at the alarm clock she realised it was just after 5am and she should really be getting some sleep before he woke up. Too tired to put the book back now, she rested it on the bedside table, feeling disappointed that she would never get to finish it, but hopeful that she might one day.

It was late morning before Castle entered the bedroom to find Kate still sleeping, she looked so peaceful that he hated waking her. He wondered how she could sleep so peacefully after the events of the previous night but when he saw his book on the nightstand he realised why. She claimed not to be a fan, but the way the book was opened face down with what looked to be a third of the book already read, he knew she was definitely a fan. After placing the book back on the shelf he went to the kitchen to make some breakfast, pancakes were his speciality and he made quick work of mixing the batter and getting ready to serve.

Her footsteps surprised him as she emerged from the bedroom, still wearing his clothes and carrying her own in her hands. She'd pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and was looking fresher than the night before. He was glad she had stayed. Surprised, but happy. There was just something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was the way her eyes looked, like they hid a secret behind them or her posture in the way that she held herself close distrusting of her surroundings, afraid that if she let someone in, she would be giving them the power to break her heart.

"Good morning Kate" he greeted breaking the silence and effectively shutting up his rambling mind. He gestured for her to sit down as he fixed her a plate.

"Morning" she replied, still slightly nervous around him.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, genuine concern colouring his face as he remembered the state she was in the previous evening.

"A little sore, but I'm feeling better. I hope you don't mind, but I used your shower to freshen up?"

"No not at all, come and sit down I've made some breakfast"

Kate made her way to one of the bar stools and gingerly sat down, cautious of the ache in her ribs.

"Wow Rick" she smirked, "pancakes?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Um, well they are kind of my speciality, and I thought you could do with a decent breakfast."

"Thanks, that's very kind of you, but I should really get going, I can get the tube back to mine in ten minutes"

"With your Russian Literature Membership Card?" he joked.

"Right" Kate sighed, remembering her pass was in her purse which was nowhere to be found.

"Its fine, I can drop you off, but at least stay for some breakfast first?"

She couldn't resist his boyish charm as she sat and made herself comfortable while waiting for Castle to serve the breakfast. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a decent breakfast, with her dad usually sleeping until the late hours of the morning she usually spent that time cleaning up and doing any college work she was supposed to have done the night before. She liked the mornings, they were quiet and when the world was still sleeping and she was able to focus on herself. Breakfast usually consisted of two cups of coffee followed by a bear claw if she had time to call at the local coffee shop on her way to class.

"Here we are, two pancakes, maple syrup, sugar and lemon juice, whipped cream is just here and some fruit. Anything else you would like?" Castle asked, whilst presenting her with a delicious looking breakfast.

"Thanks Rick but I think I have plenty here"

"Great. So" Castle began, sitting himself on another bar stool and loading his fork with a large piece of pancake, "do you remember anything more from last night?"

"Um, not much. I have a feeling that I fell, my ankle kind of hurts a bit this morning so maybe I tripped or something. I had been drinking, so I guess I just wasn't as steady as I thought"

"I see. But when I found you, you seemed really hurt, Kate you were barely conscious" the concern in his voice was evident and Kate couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I don't know. I remember leaving the bar and heading to the subway, but the next thing I remember I was on the ground"

"Kate you don't think that someone…"

"No" she interrupted, "No I would know. Maybe someone tried to take my purse and I ended up on the wrong end of a shove and ended up falling." She could see the concern growing on his face as she tried to explain that right now in her life she couldn't let this affect her, "Castle, I know what you're thinking"

"Do you?"

"Yes. Young woman, on her own, no purse and unconscious on the side of the road. Look I want to know what happened just as much as you do, but at the same time there is no point in dwelling over it. I just want to move on, OK"

"Ok" Castle shrugged and stuffed another piece of pancake into his mouth, clearly not enjoying it as much as he was before.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing where to take the conversation next, Kate thought about making a joke, but after seeing Rick push his food around his plate she thought better of it. Once they were finished, Castle tidied away the plates in the sink and retrieved his car keys.

"Are you sure you don't mind taking me home?" Kate asked, pulling her jacket around her shoulders.

"Of course not" he smiled, "just show me the way"

Castle drove them back to her apartment, it was still early and Kate prayed that her dad would still be asleep, or at least partially sober enough to let her get ready in peace for an hour or so. However driving around the corner she noticed the kitchen light was on which meant her dad was up and most likely looking for a drink. She sighed, louder than she meant to and Rick turned to her as he pulled the car to a stop.

"Everything OK, Kate?" he asked, looking between her face and her apartment, "is this the right place?"

"Yeah. Yeah this is me"

"You like here alone?"

"No. I live with my dad. He will be up now, I should probably get going"

"Kate, forgive me for sounding rude, but if your dad is there, why didn't you call him last night?"

"It's a long story. Short version is that it's complicated, but we're working on it." Castle continued to look at her, silently asking her to tell him more, "you're not going to stop until I tell you, are you?"

"I wasn't asking" he stated quickly.

"Yeah, you were not asking, very loudly" she mumbled. "The truth is Castle, my dad he, well he needs help. I've been helping him ever since my mom passed away, but the truth is last night I just had enough. I wanted to go out and blow off some stream. He does that every day and I'm the one who is there to help him, and I'm OK with that, I'm his daughter and I'm there to take care of him." She glanced down, playing with her fingertips, "but sometimes I just want to be his daughter again. I mean I know I'm no kid and I'm old enough to care of myself, of us, but it takes a toll on you, you know. I just wanted one night. One night for myself." She whispered.

"I'm sorry Kate, I didn't know"

She shook her head, "It's not your fault; I didn't tell you. I guess last night I just wanted a night away from everything. I was stupid and reckless."

"Not stupid. Human. Everyone needs an escape now and again" he reminded her.

"Yeah but if it hadn't been for you, God only knows what would have happened to me. My dad has already lost his wife, I don't think he would cope if he lost me. Hell, I doubt he is even coping " she reached over and took his hand gently, "you saved my life Rick. Thank you"

"Always" he smiled.

After thanking him for the lift she climbed out of the car and made her way up the stairs to her apartment, grabbing the spare key from underneath their mailbox on her way before letting herself into the apartment. Her dad was sitting in his armchair, staring at the blank TV screen. He didn't notice her slip in and stand near to him. She expected to see him holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and an image of her mother in the other, however this time he wasn't. Instead in one hand he grasped the image of her mother and father on their wedding day, and an AA meeting leaflet in the other. Her heart swelled at what that could mean, but she tried not to get her hopes up, they had talked about this before, she had even offered to go with him but he had refused claiming that he was fine. Clearly he was anything but fine.

"Katie" his voice was rough and dry like he had swallowed sandpaper.

"Hey dad" she greeted and knelt beside him.

"You didn't come home last night" he remarked, his voice softer than usual, and the lack of alcohol evident on his breath.

"I'm sorry dad, I got held up, but I'm home now. Are you OK?" she reached out and took his hand.

"I want to ring them." He said strongly, gripping the leaflet hard in his hand, "I want to get better"

A smile spread across her face, the five words that she had been waiting to hear for almost six months had finally been spoken. She didn't want to get her hopes up, her dad was still a long way from recovering, but for now it was enough.

She wasn't expecting any visitors so when the doorbell rang the next morning and so she made no attempt to rush to get it. Peeling herself from the couch, she made her way to the phone, answering it to find it was a delivery for her. After failing to convince the delivery person that they must have the wrong address as she hadn't ordered anything, she relented and unlocked the door for them to come up.

The parcel that the young delivery person handed her was small and rectangular shaped and quite heavy for its size. She lazily unwrapped the package, throwing away the brown paper in the recycle bin and sitting back down on the couch. There were two things in the package, one that she recognised immediately and another that still remained a mystery wrapped in grey tissue paper. The first thing she noticed was that her purse had been wrapped in the packaging. Her little black bag that still held her wallet, phone and keys, the bag looked slightly torn but all in all it was still usable. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to deal with getting the locks changed and finding all her contacts again. Turning the package around, she couldn't find a card and still didn't know who the mystery sender was. Laying the bag at her side she carefully unwrapped the other package. She knew immediately what it was and a smile crept across her face as she held in her hand Richard Castle's newest book 'Death of a Prom Queen'. He couldn't have known, she told herself, thinking about how convincing she had been when he had questioned her about his books. She opened the first page and there, sitting in the middle of the page, in thick black ink was a personal message to her;

Dear Kate

Not that you're a fan

Richard Castle

So this is where the story ends for now. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites! I've really enjoyed writing this and hearing all your responses!

I understand there is a slight timeline issue and the book used has been changed, This story started as a simple one shot based on a prompt from Tumblr and turned into so much more! So I'm sorry if it confused anyone, I do this for fun in my spare time so sorry if I got it wrong.

Finally thank you to dawnswindow (aka Leah) for being my beta and for helping me with this final chapter!