AN: HI. Remember me? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update, but it's been a crazy few weeks. I've been studying madly at uni, working two jobs, and I also COMPLETELY lost my mind when I met the one and only Jewel Staite at Adelaide, Australia's first Comic-Con! (Most exciting moment of my whole life. I said nothing intelligent, and she gave me a hug and I nearly cried. And I also have the nicest photo ever with her.)

But anyway, here is the next (and last) chapter of this little story. I'm sad to see it come to an end but life is far too insane at the moment for me to dedicate tonnes of time to this. And not gonna lie, the writing mojo has faded massively with all these angsty Castle episodes :(

So thank you all for reading, and I will catch you all on the flip side!

IBYL
xo

Disclaimer: If I owned it, the past two episodes would not have happened.

Kate stormed up to the nurse's station, panic etched into her face.

"I'm looking for Richard Castle." She said, the quiver in her voice betraying her calm exterior.

"Sorry, no visit-" the nurse started, and Kate flashed her badge. Probably a misuse of power, but at that point she couldn't have cared less. "Down the hall, third door on the right." She said, and Kate nodded, before walking up the corridor, ignoring the shake in her hands. She pushed open the door quietly and breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw Rick sitting up in bed.

"Hey." He whispered as she walked over and sat next to him.

"Hey." She croaks out, looking down at him. She's sure he can read the panic in her eyes, which is why she wasn't surprised when he held out his hand to her, encouraging her to perch on his bed.

"I'm okay, Kate. You're looking at me right now. I'm fine." He said. "I'm totally fine."

The tears she'd been so carefully holding in slipped down her cheeks.

"I… I put you in a taxi, Rick. You were going to Black Pawn for a meeting. And then I get a phone call saying we've just admitted someone by the name of Richard Castle, and you're his emergency contact." She murmured, and he pulled her closer.

"The taxi crashed. Happens somewhere in New York every single day. And I'm fine. There's not even any broken bones, Kate. Just a few little bruised ribs – you've had those thousands of times before. The hospital thing was precautionary." He said.

"You scared me." She whispered, so quiet he almost missed it.

"Kate." He said, scowling as he shifted to sit up in the bed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, I'm just… you asked me to tell you what I'm feeling. And I felt scared." She said with a shrug. "And I still am, because things like this, no matter how common they might be, still rattle me."

"Of course they do." He soothed, and she toyed with his fingers gently, something that had become a bit of a habit in their six months together.

"I had to use my badge to get in." She said off-handedly, and she actually cracked a smile when his eyes widened with glee.

"That's so cool!" He said, childlike, and she chuckled.

"And it stays between you and me. Gates would kill me, and the boys would have a field day."

"How did you get away from work?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"I just left. Auto-pilot, I guess. The boys are probably covering for me, I should check in with them, organise a couple of days off." She said.

"Days off?"

"If you think I'm leaving you alone while you're injured, you've got another thing coming."

"But…"

"Don't even think about arguing with me on this. I know Alexis isn't back from California until Tuesday, and I know Martha is barely home at the moment, so it's settled."

"Okay. Ring Gates and organise it. The doctor should be here to organise my discharge any minute." He said, and she nodded, kissing him once very softly.

"You are never to scare me like that again, Richard Castle. Got it?" She said, using her best detective voice.

"Got it." He gulped, as he watched her walk from the room.

XXX

Rick was on his phone when Kate returned. She waited patiently as he finished his conversation.

"Pumpkin, I'm okay. If you don't believe me, you can talk to Kate. Yep, she's just walked back in. No, don't come home. Kate's going to stay with me, and you need the time with your mom." Kate watched as his eyes flicked to her softly, a small smile gracing his face as he listened to his conversation. "I know, kiddo. I'll see you at the airport." He paused. "Love you too." He said, before hanging up his phone.

"She believe you?" Kate asked, and Rick smiled.

"Nope. Expect a phone call later, I'm sure." He said, and Kate chuckled.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." She said, helping him from the bed and clutching his discharge papers tightly in her hand.

When they arrived back at the loft, Kate sat Rick down on the couch with a thick blanket and a bottle of water.

"Movie day?" He asked excitedly as he watched her peruse his DVD collection.

"You're out of action for anything else, mister."

"We could play Halo." He grinned, and she shook her head.

"No way. I've seen you play Halo, you jump around all the time – duck and weave like you're actually in the game. Not good when trying to heal bruised ribs, I assure you."

"Point conceded. So what's on?"

"First season of Game of Thrones." She said with a shrug, as she curled herself carefully on the couch next to him.

"Perfect woman." He whispered with a smile as she hit play.

XXX

Rick nodded off after two episodes after finally relenting to Kate's pestering about taking a painkiller. Kate smiled and tucked him under a blanket on the couch, ensuring not to bother his sore right side, before flicking over to the television and indulging in a little brainless celebrity chatter.

He slept solidly for an hour, and Kate smiled as he drifted back into consciousness.

"Hey." He whispered, smiling tiredly at her before taking in his surroundings. "E News, really?" He asked, and she laughed.

"It's mind-numbing. How are you feeling?" She asked, and he shrugged a little, awkwardly shifting himself into a more upright position.

"Still sore. I think the aches and pains in the rest of my body are worse than my ribs at the moment." He said, knowing that she'd be peeved if he tried to mask his pain.

"Hot shower might help." She said, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking that." He replied, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Don't look at me like that, mister."

"Like what?" He said innocently, and she barked out a laugh.

"Like I'm lunch. It's not happening, not while you're injured. I will come help you in the shower, but no touching." She said authoritatively, and he nodded as he shifted himself off the couch.

"Stupid bloody cab." He murmured, and she couldn't help her giggles.

After their shower, it was mid-afternoon, and Rick was back on the couch, this time with his laptop for company. Kate grabbed her bag.

"I'm going to head back to my place and grab clothes for the next few days, and stop by the store to grab some stuff for dinner. You need anything else?" She asked, waiting for the ridiculous request to come.

"Nope, I'm good. But while we're on the subject." He said, and she paused, turning back to him.

"On the subject?" She asked, confused.

"Bring more than a few days worth of clothes." He said.

"Why?"

"Well, I spoke to Alexis earlier, and we were kind of hoping you'd move in." He said simply, and Kate's jaw dropped.

"Rick. Seriously?"

"Seriously! We love having you here, Kate. This place has never felt more like home to me than when you're around. We'd like you to live with us." He said, and she took a deep breath.

"That's why you were looking at me weird this morning." She said, and he laughed.

"Yeah. Sometimes I forget how sharp you are. But yeah, I cleared it with Alexis again this morning, but we'd discussed it before."

"And Martha?" Kate asked automatically.

"Loved the idea. Not that it's really her concern anymore, she's practically moved out anyway. So, what do you say?" He asked, and Kate smiled shyly.

"I… Can we do this in steps?" She asked. "Not that I don't want to live with you guys, I've just… ever since I left college, I've been by myself. It's going to take some adjustment."

"Of course, Kate. I understand." He said, and she could tell he really did.

"Maybe I'll bring enough clothes for a couple of weeks, and some toiletries and stuff… and then if that goes well, we can organise to move other things." She said, and he nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan. Go get your stuff from your place. I'll see you when you get back." He said with a smile, and she kissed his cheek as she left.

XXX

When Kate returned, she had a suitcase full of clothes and a bag of groceries, which she expertly juggled through the loft door. Rick smiled widely and went to move, but her sharp glare left him immobile. She dropped the groceries on the counter before walking over and kissing him softly. He smiled widely.

"You're home." He said softly, and she grinned.

"Yeah, I'm home." She whispered in response.

If she was honest, she'd never felt more at home in this world than she did right at that very second.

Open-ended stories FTW! Leave me a review before you go?