Marissa insisted on getting checked out at the earliest possible moment, against all medical advisement. Kate had spent the night in her room, refusing to allow anyone other than medical staff in with the two of them, but there was no chance to talk, as Marissa fell asleep as soon as the police had her statement and Kate was back in her room.

"Ma'am, I need to speak with you about the arrangements for your sister, can we step outside?" inquired Marissa's doctor, leading Kate outside once more. Castle had gone home for the night when Kate had locked herself in her sister's room, but he arrived – with coffee – in time to see her step out to have another talk with the doctor.

"Due to the unusual bruising, we've had to open an investigation, and we can't allow Marissa to go home to her foster home." heard Castle as he got close to the two of them, handing Kate her coffee as he took his usual place behind him.

"She really wants to leave, doctor, she can't stand it here. Where is she going to go?" mumbled Kate, taking a sip of the coffee, which had been prepared just the way she liked it.

"As soon as I contacted the social workers and the police, I asked them to look around for a temporary home for her. Since she's 13 we can't release her on to her own reconnaissance, and they managed to find a home for her." answered the doctor, trying to figure out how best to explain the situation to the confused woman. "However, I did some research, and it's not in a good area of town. I'd hesitate to send any child there, much less one who has been attacked recently and is still healing both mentally and physically."

"So, what are our options here?" asked Castle when it became clear that Kate wasn't going to ask, she was struck dumb by the fact that the only place they could find to send her was in a bad part of the city.

"Well, if there is anyone in her life that is registered as a foster parent, they could take her in temporarily while she gets back on her feet." replied the doctor, leading the others to sit down in the chairs, he could tell it would be a long conversation.

"I tried once, but they don't let you foster as a single adult if you work..." said Kate, to no one in particular as she sat down in between the doctor and her partner. She heard Castle sigh, and knew he was going to say something stupid.

"I can take her in." he said calmly, one word at a time. She was right, he'd said something stupid.

"Castle? What are you thinking?" whispered Kate, hating that he'd gotten her hopes up for a brief moment.

"I'm serious, Beckett. I went through a phase where I really wanted to give back, and since writing isn't really considered 'working' for the government, they let me register so long as I agree to work from home if I ever had a foster child." He had reverted to using her last name since she'd used his. Her eyes found his, and she could see the sincerity in them, it was enough to cause tears to well up in her eyes at his gesture.

"I – I don't know what to say." she said gently. Breaking away from the eye contact, which had become uncomfortable, she downed the rest of her coffee, standing up in a hurry. "Let's go talk to Marissa, and see what she says."

"No." was the only answer that they got from Marissa. "No."

"What? Marissa, how can you say no?" begged Kate, grasping her sister's hand, pleading with her to agree to the arrangement.

"No, I can't go stay with Castle. I just can't." Marissa turned her head away, not wanting to see the pain she was causing her sister.

"Why not?" asked Kate, glancing towards Castle's face in the window, no doubt he could guess how well the conversation was going.

"I'm not ready, Kate. I don't know him, I barely know you! If this hadn't happened..." she let her voice trail off, knowing Kate could fill in the rest.

"But it did happen, Marissa. And if you don't go with Castle, the only other alternative is going to some home in a bad part of the city. If you go there, the doctor doesn't think you'll have a good chance at healing correctly." pleaded Kate, her voice almost whining for her sister to listen to the words she was saying.

"I want to talk to the doctor." replied Marissa, turning her head to show the finality of the conversation. It was an unnecessary gesture, because Kate had run off immediately at her command, to find the doctor.

"Explain my condition to me please." Marissa's voice took Kate by surprise. When she spoke to the doctor Marissa's voice was the opposite of what it usually was with her, it was curt and polite, with no emotion behind it. Her face was blank as well, and she hadn't moved since the doctor had entered the room, it was as though she was steeling herself for the news, trying to keep a poker face in place.

"You have an awful lot of bruising, a fractured wrist and a concussion. We'd like to keep you here for observation, just to make sure that everything is okay with you. You need bed rest for at least a week, and we need to put a sturdier cast on your wrist." answered her doctor, gesturing at the flimsy wrap that was currently bandaging her wrist. "You have all the stitches that you'll be needing, but you'll need to keep an eye on those cuts to make sure they don't become infected."

"And the rape kit?" inquired Marissa so quietly that it took the adults a few minutes to work out what she'd asked.

"It was negative. You had some bruising on your upper thighs which is what made us decide to do the kit, but there was no sign of sexual contact and you are clean of any diseases." he answered. Both of the adults could see the change in Marissa as he spoke, her body became less rigid, and her face relaxed, she looked like a normal girl again, albeit one who was beat up and in a hospital bed.

"Okay." When she spoke this time her voice was louder, she had more confidence. "I'll stay with Castle. But, Kate, there is something about me that you need to know first, and you're not going to like it." she warned as she saw Kate's face light up.

"I sincerely doubt that there's anything about you that I wouldn't like." replied Kate with a grin, pleased that Marissa was going to stay somewhere safe where she would be looked after properly. "But why don't you tell me."

A few hours later, Kate, Marissa and Castle were standing outside the run-down house that Marissa had been calling home for the past few months. She's refused to tell Kate the secret, saying that it was something that needed to be seen instead. So, Kate had spoken with the doctors, and gotten Castle to fill out all of the necessary paperwork so that he could check Marissa out of the hospital. The police had warned against her going back to the house, as the foster parents had been alerted that they were under investigation, but Marissa had insisted.

"Please don't be too angry with me, Kate." said Marissa as she pulled open the front door of the little home. "I'm home!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing back here? Huh? You got the police and them social workers coming down on us now all 'cause you got yourself beat up!" A burly man stepped out of the kitchen, greeting his foster daughter with harsh words. He shut his mouth as he saw Kate flash her badge, letting him know that she was the police, and he'd better behave himself. As Kate was standing behind Marissa, the younger girl couldn't see what she'd done, and assumed the man had simply not wanted to make more trouble in front of the adults that were flanking her back.

"I just came for my stuff." she countered, feeling braver than she ever had before in the house.

"Well, make sure you take all of it." he grumbled before heading back to finish his meal. Marissa led them through the hall to a small door next to the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open, rushing forward to pick up the baby that was lying in a crib that was pressed up against the wall. Turning with the child in her arms, Marissa addressed Kate and Castle, who were standing in the doorway where she'd left them.

"Guys, this is Johanna."


A/N: Cliffhanger! Let me know what you think, suggestions are always welcome. Let me know if you want to beta

Sya