Chapter 9

Rick Castle: May 2012

Rick's heart pounded like a bass drum in his chest, but at the same time he hadn't felt this free and light in ages.

He and Kate were together again, or at least were friends again. He hadn't figured that would ever be a reality again.

Not only that, but he finally accepted that what he felt for her was love. And when he told her, she didn't run. She may not feel the same way, at least not yet, but she didn't run, and that was a good thing. A very good thing. It gave him hope that maybe given time, she might feel the same way one day.

But he was getting ahead of himself. Right now he just needed to focus on the here and now. Kate was here with him and willing to spend time with him, and he wanted to soak that up.

Together they walked through his master suite toward the large double doors leading to the balcony. The storm didn't seem to be lessening any, so they'd get quite the show.

When he opened the door, the candles they were carrying began to dance and flicker in the breeze. The wind had picked up, and though the majority of the balcony was covered and partially sheltered, the occasional gust reached in to them with enough force that it whipped at their clothes and rattled the shutters.

Rick slipped his arm from Kate's and handed her the candle he was carrying. "Here, I'm gonna grab the little table and put it just inside so that we can put these down without them being blown out."

After the candles were set and the pair of patio chairs pulled back as close to the house as possible, they made themselves comfortable to watch nature in action.

For the most part, time passed by in comfortable silence. Once when lightning struck very close by, Kate and Rick both jumped, which made them laugh.

When a loud pinging came across the roof, Rick turned to his "friend", "What the hell?".

A second later he had his answer. Large hailstones pelted the house. One that was almost as big as a golf ball landed at the foot of his chair and rolled away over the edge.

"Did you see that? I've never seen hail so big in my life!" Kate exclaimed as she sat forward to see better.

Neither had Rick. He stood and walked out from under the protection of the overhanging eaves, trying to collect some of the giant ice pellets.

Several hit him, which hurt more than he expected, but until he had a couple to bring back to Kate, he stayed where he was at. While bending to pick up a particularly jagged specimen, another gale force wind gust whipped around the corner, pushing him against the side wall. A funny sounding rattle drew his attention just as he heard Kate yell his name over the roar of the storm.

He stood back up to see what she needed, only to feel something hit his head, causing intense pain.

Rick blinked once and then again before everything went completely black.

Rick Castle: Moments from the Past

Rick shifted uncomfortably in his first class seat. He'd been staring at the screen of his laptop for almost the entire cross country flight and had nothing to show for it. When it came to Derrick Storm, he was no longer challenged or fascinated by him. The beloved character felt more like an old friend who'd grown apart from him, rather than the hero-like buddy he loved to take on adventures.

Rick realized, not with a heavy heart, but with confident resolve, that it was time to part ways with his literary companion. So after taking a moment to both prepare for the goodbye he had to write, and also to open his mind to the possibilities beyond, he typed out the beginning of the end in just two words... "Storm Fall".

Strangely, it didn't feel like the end, although he knew it should. Instead, as he dove into the first chapter, Rick felt for some indescribable reason, that he was about to begin something bigger, something better, something he couldn't wait to find.

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Rick sensed her presence before he heard or saw her. He knew she was savvy and that he wouldn't have long to examine the evidence he'd "borrowed", but she arrived at least a good half hour earlier than his best estimate.

"Richard Castle, you are under arrest for felony theft and obstruction of justice!" Detective Beckett called out as she strode across the library toward him.

He chuckled. She really was something wasn't she? Smart, sexy, determined and not easily charmed. These were striking differences from the women he usually met. He was intrigued. Maybe he could convince her to have dinner with him.

Kate's green eyes flashed at him. Even as she arrested him, he couldn't suppress the thrill she evoked in him. It made him feel alive. She may not be impressed with him yet, but maybe with some time he could bring her around.

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Together with Agent Sorenson, he and Kate approached the small play area. His eyes landed on the tiny girl playing quietly, and relief flooded him. Always the father, this case hit just a little too close to home. Thank God, Rick never knew the trauma of having his child abducted, but he could imagine the anguish and sympathized with any parent who lost their child, even temporarily.

Knowing that the toddler was safe and well, choked him up and made him want to go home and hug Alexis again.

Giving the authorities their space, Rick watched from a distance as Kate picked up the little girl who accepted her with open arms. Like so many other things, nurturing seemed to come naturally to the tough exteriored cop.

Parenthood was the greatest thing he'd ever experienced, but he knew after dealing with Meredith for so long, that it wasn't for everyone. Kate though, dripped with maternal love, even if she didn't see it herself. He hoped that one day she'd get the chance to be the mother he knew she would be, firm but loving, concerned yet supportive, fiercely protective but never inhibiting her child.

As Kate walked to the squad with little Angela snuggled against her chest, he couldn't help but imagine what Kate's little girl would be like if she ever had one. She'd be a firecracker for certain, who was both stubborn and sassy. She'd be smart as a whip, have a heart of gold and a sharp sense of humor. She would defend those who couldn't defend themselves and always try to do the right thing. She'd bite her lip when she was thinking and smile from behind long coppery brown hair, with her flashing, ice blue eyes.

Thinking about the potential of Kate's future child having ginger hair and blue eyes, made him think of Alexis, but Kate's child wouldn't look like his daughter, unless...

No that was ridiculous.

Or was it?

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Rick raced toward Beckett's apartment, first by cab and then on foot, but "as fast as possible" wasn't fast enough. Over and over he called her phone, hanging up to hit redial every time the voice mail picked up.

Just as her building came into view, she finally answered. "What Castle?"

"It wasn't Ben Conrad! He's not the killer! The killer's still alive! The killer's still alive!"

Something in the background came across the line. He didn't know what it was but he knew it couldn't be good.

"Kaaaaaate!"

As he skidded to a stop only yards from her place, a huge fireball exploded from the floor where her apartment was located; making him duck away from the blast.

As he looked up to her windows engulfed in flames, tears came to his eyes, and the need to vomit almost overcame him. Kate was in there, and most likely dead.

Long seconds passed as he numbly stumbled forward. Only when he saw people evacuating the building did he realize he had to move.

Running against the crowd, he pushed past people who tried to keep him back. He would not be dissuaded.

When he reached her door, it was locked, but that was of no consequence. Adrenaline gave him the strength of three men, and after only two kicks, it fell away.

Over and over Rick called for her, listening for any signs of life. Then, as if he was experiencing a miracle, over the roar of the fire, the beep of smoke detectors, the crack of crumbling wood, and the distant scream of sirens, he heard it... a soft wheezing cough. It wasn't loud, but it was hers.

He raced in the direction of the coughing only to find Kate, completely naked, trying to sit up in her giant claw-footed tub.

Despite the severity of the situation, he couldn't help put point out her lack of clothes, to which she immediately scolded him. It was music to his ears.

Once he had her wrapped in his jacket, they slowly shuffled through the burning debris toward the exit.

Their conversation was laced with all their usual banter, but this time it was also dripping with grateful subtext that in the grand scheme, they were OK.

As they made their way down the stairs, he told her about how he figured out she was in danger and came to her rescue. As he talked, the enormity of what could have happened hit him full on, causing several choked up tears to fall. Thankfully she never noticed them through the cold spray of the sprinklers hitting his face as they went.

Rick Castle: May 2012

When Rick started to come to, the first thing he became aware of was the cold sting of the sprinklers all over his skin... or was that rain? The second thing he noticed, was Kate leaning over him whispering in a panicked voice.

"Wake up Rick. You have to stay with me. You can't tell me you love me and then do this. I need you. Please wake up."

He wanted to open his eyes and comfort her, but his body didn't seem to be responding like it should. The side of his head was killing him. He tried to shift, but even slight movement had him seeing stars.

"That's it Rick, wake up," she coaxed.

Again he tried to respond. This time he was able to blink several times before clamping his eyes shut.

On his next attempt, he finally was able to open his eyes all the way, but couldn't see much in the dark. A bolt of lightning flashed overhead. The sudden light and his aching head combined into instant nausea.

Thankfully, Kate acted fast and helped him roll to his side so that when he retched, he didn't choke and it was onto the patio and not over them.

When he was done, she used one hand to wipe his mouth with the bottom of the shirt she was wearing, while keeping the other hand pressed to his skull.

"What happened?" He asked with a slight slur.

"The bathroom shutter blew off the house and the corner of it hit you in the head. You were out for a few minutes."

Rick attempted to sit up, but she pressed him back to the ground. "Stay still. The paramedics are on their way."

"I don't need the paramedics. I'm fine. A couple ice packs and some asprin and I'll be OK."

The sky lit up again in time to see the seriousness of her face. Was that blood on her cheek?

"Kate, are you OK? I think your cheek is bleeding."

She used the back of her hand to wipe at her face. "I'm fine. It's not my blood. Now stay still, but keep talking to me. You scared the hell out of me."

The next twenty minutes passed in a blur. The EMTs arrived and began to examine him. After getting some vitals, they strapped him to the backboard, hoisted him to a gurney and wheeled him to the ambulance waiting in the street with flashing lights.

When Kate climbed in next to him and rested her hand on his knee, he almost relaxed.

The light inside the truck gave him a better picture of his injury, Kate was definitely concerned, and by the amount of blood on her shirt, he understood why. The EMTs continually asked him questions to check his mental clarity, while they bandaged him and applied pressure and ice.

When they arrived at the hospital, there was another blur of activity. His nausea returned almost the second he was wheeled past the sliding doors. Kate had not been allowed to follow him, so this time when he got sick, instead of having his own personal Florence Nightengale to help, it was a woman who he mentally dubbed Nurse Ratched. She was neither kind nor gentle about the event, like Kate had been, and no where near as attractive.

By the time he did get to see Kate again, he'd been cleaned, stitched and scanned.

"Rick?" she called softly through the curtain partition.

"In here."

The curtain parted and Kate, wearing pink scrubs, entered.

"Wow. You look great in scrubs. Did you ever consider being a doctor?"

"Lawyer? Yes. Doctor? No," she answered as she came to his bedside.

"How about a nurse? Maybe a naughty one?"

She leveled him with a look that advised him to shut up while he was still ahead. "I'll chalk that up to the head injury, but I suggest you think before talking again. You already have six stitches and a concussion. I'd hate to have to give you another one."

He chuckled. The sassy banter that they used to toss back back and forth each day was back.

"Hey, how do you know I've got a concussion? They haven't even told me any results yet."

"They haven't?"

"No."

"Oh. Well the nurse who had mercy on me and gave me these scrubs told me when she came out and got me."

"Well so much for patient confidentiality."

Kate squirmed awkwardly.

"What? Did you pull the cop card to get the juicy details?"

"No."

"Then why do you look so guilty?"

Kate bit her lip and dropped her eyes to something on the floor. "They um, may have assumed we're married, and maybe I didn't correct them."

When he didn't say anything, she brought her gaze back up to his eyes. If she didn't seem so embarrassed, he would have assumed he didn't hear her correctly.

A chuckle escaped from his lips, to be quickly chased by a full fledged belly laugh. This only increased the crimson flush tinging her cheeks.

"Well in that case, Dear!" he said with deliberate emphasis. "I think you need to come here and give your husband a kiss. He's had a rough night."

When her countenance quickly evolved from mortified to irritated, he gave her his best puppy dog eyes and little boy pout. "I didn't mean like that." He pointed to the bandages covering his stitches. "Right here. You know... to make it better."

"They think I'm your wife, not your mother."

"Well if you'd prefer to kiss me somewhere else, that could be arranged too. I just thought that if anything could make my head feel better it would be you."

She didn't move or make any type of response.

Why did he say these things? Why didn't he just learn to keep his foot out of his mouth for once? Why didn't he just... what was she doing? Why was she coming closer?

Rick closed his eyes in preparation of the possible slap he probably deserved.

When nothing happened, he slowly peeked through his nearly closed lids.

Kate was standing as close to him as she could and leaned toward his injured temple. When she kissed his head, he didn't feel much through the thick gauze, but it didn't matter. She'd actually kissed him.

"Any better?" Kate whispered.

His voice croaked. " A bit."

She kissed him again in the same place. "And now?"

"Better still."

"Good. I'm glad I could help."

Their eyes locked. Rick felt dizzy. He watched as her eyes flicked down to his lips and then back.

Kate moved her hand so that it covered his.

She formed her lips to say something more, but the attending doctor pulled pack the curtain, sufficiently breaking the spell.

"Ahhhh Mr. and Mrs. Castle. I've got great news. We've got all the test results back and everything looks good. Outside of the head laceration, the only other concern I have is that you have a decent concussion. This means you'll probably have a nasty headache for a few days and may experience some dizziness or nausea, confusion, tinnitus, blurred vision, or other mild symptoms for a week or two but nothing scary. No brain bleeds or clots. No breaks in the skull. This being said, I don't want you just walking out of here and trying to resume normal activity as if nothing happened. It's still a brain injury. So get plenty of rest," the doctor turned to Kate, "but for the first forty-eight hours, don't let him sleep for more than two hours at a time without waking him for at least a fifteen minutes." He resumed talking to Rick. "Also you shouldn't be alone for at least three days. No driving, lifting or strenuous exercise, including sexual activity for one week. You'll need to make a follow up appointment with your primary care physician before the week is out, and of course call or come back in if you notice any changes or concerning symptoms like loss of memory or mobility, pain that doesn't dull with Tylenol or Advil, numbness or swelling. Any questions?"

Within the hour, Rick was released, and they were headed back to the house via taxi.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for a couple more days. I'm gonna have to call in and clear a couple more days off, but that should be OK. And I need to scrounge up some more clothes somewhere, but I don't need much."

"Kate, I appreciate what you're offering, I really do, but you don't have to stay and babysit me. I'll be OK."

"The doctor said you shouldn't be alone."

They have to say that stuff to cover their asses. I feel fine."

Kate grabbed something from her purse and before he knew what was happening, she was shining a key-chain flashlight in his eyes.

"Ooh ow! What are you doing?"

"Making a point. This flashlight is barely bright enough to read by, and its practically got you in the fetal position. You are not well right now. So yes, I'm going to stay and take care of you." Her eyes were openly concerned. "Its what friends do."

Her words from when he was regaining consciousness came back to him. "Wake up Rick. You have to stay with me. You can't tell me you love me and then do this. I need you. Please wake up."

He wanted nothing more than to repeat those words back to her and ask if that was what "friends" said to each other; but for once, wisdom prevailed. Instead of speaking, he just thanked her and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was sound asleep on her shoulder.

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A/N: Well that's three days in a row. Thankfully these chapters were already written and haven't required a ton of editing, or this wouldn't be possible. I hope to have one more chapter out this week, either tomorrow or Saturday, but I can't promise, cuz Saturday is my birthday and we have a bunch of stuff going on. But either way, look for another one for sure on Monday before "Undead Again".

OK, if I don't see you again, have a great weekend! And I'll see you next week, to finish this bad boy up!

Thanks for all the feedback and tweets!

Happy Reading!

DeBo81