Sorry for the wait guys! I had midterms to study for! Hope you like the next chapter! R&R!

Kate was the first to wake the next morning. Since they had a late night, she was able to sleep until nine. Actually sleep. No nightmares, no tossing and turning. She began to realize how this sleep was possible for her. In the middle of the night Rick had shifted towards her. Without opening her eyes, she could feel the weight of his arm across her lower back and the gentle rise and fall of his chest as she lay on it. She had not been this comfortable with anyone before. Especially since her kidnapping. How was she not freaking out? Instead of wanting to hyperventilate and cry, she really just wanted to snuggle down into the sheets and fall back asleep.

She curled her hand in his shirt and closed her eyes again. She didn't fall asleep, instead she just tried to work out what she wanted to do in her mind.

She wasn't able to lay there for long because Castle started shifting underneath her. She stilled and kept her eyes closed. She wanted to see how he reacted before anything. She heard his breath catch but he didn't move. The hand on her back began to make circles on the small of her back. Then he began to stroke up and down her spine.

"Castle, if you put your hand any lower I'll break all the bones."

He let out a deep chuckle. He removed his hand from her lower back and Kate turned her head to rest it on her hands. They stayed looking into each others eyes for a moment before Kate looked away, her face getting red.

"Is the great Kate Beckett blushing?" Castle said with a grin.

She rolled over in her bed and grabbed a robe from the chair by her bed. She quickly wrapped it around her body and glared at Castle over her shoulder before stalking off to the bathroom.

"Wait, Kate. Come back." He leaned on his elbows and stared at the bathroom door. Had he actually upset her? He flopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling once again. After a moment he jumped up and walked to the kitchen. He could at least make breakfast for her to make everything a little better.

Kate sat on the lid of her toilet with her hands buried into her thick brown hair. She wasn't ready for this. The second he actually woke up and began to talk to her, her heart sped up and her palms began to coat in sweat. But she didn't have a panic attack. She thought back to when she first woke up and realized after a second that she was biting her lip and smiling.

What. She stood quickly and turned to the mirror. She placed her hands on the sink and looked herself in the eye. She told herself in the mirror, "Kate. You do not like Castle. He's a massive pain in your ass and he's always getting into trouble. He wrote a book based off you and now everybody knows your name. You do NOT like him." She splashed cold water on her face and toweled it dry. She was going insane. That's the only explanation.

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After Castle served Kate her breakfast, pancakes with slices of banana, he told her to get in the shower and change into something comfortable. He was cleaning off the pans and dishes in the kitchen and continued to plot for the day.

After twenty minutes Kate came out of her room to find Castle stretched out on her couch with his nose in a book. She smiled and cleared her throat. Castle looked up and grinned at her outfit.

She had her hair half pulled back, exposing more of her face. She had a Star Wars t-shirt on paired with dark skinny jeans.

"Star Wars? Really?" His smile was contagious as he stared at her.

"Yes Castle. Star Wars, I happen to love it. And I really don't get a chance to wear this often and you did say comfortable…I can change if you want."

He jumped up and grabbed his stuff from around the room while saying, "No way Kate. It looks great on you. It's perfect for what I have in mind. Although grab a jacket, just in case." He grinned slyly at her.

Oh boy. Kate was in for one hell of a day.

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Castle was leading Kate around town trying to distract her as much as possible. They had taken a taxi to the Upper East Side and had been walking around. Kate had refused to allow Castle to buy her anything at the expensive stores.

"Castle I would never, ever wear these things to work. I'll just end up ruining them somehow."

Kate noticed how fast his face had dropped. She wanted to be truthful and not just waste his money, but he seemed more hurt than she had expected.

"Okay Castle, here's the deal. You can buy me one thing. You seem to have a knack for finding me a great dress. I will accept this ONE thing to wear to your next book party, only if I can get lunch." She quirked an eyebrow at him and tried not to laugh at his over exaggerated thinking face.

"Fine. But I'm not happy!" He shook a finger at her and glared. She tried to hide a smile but failed. He grabbed her hand and flung her into the nearest store with him.

Castle stalked the store while Kate just stood in the center of the small store amused. It took him less than five minutes to fling a dress at her and she smiled at him.

It was a deep blue, made of a light silk that touched the floor. It had a deep v that stopped six inches from her collarbone. She gave a small laugh when she realized how low it was. Of course. Leave to a guy to pick a low cut dress like this for her. But it did fit like a glove. It showed just enough skin to be provocative but not trashy.

The second she stepped out from the changing room, she almost laughed at the look at Castle's face. His mouth hung open for a second as he raked his eyes done her body. She almost felt uncomfortable, but it almost gave her a weird sense of power. It was the first time she had felt this way in weeks. Her eyes narrowed for a split second and the glint in her eye intensified.

"Like what you see Castle?" His mouth opened and closed a few times before he strangled out a "we are getting that dress". She gave a throaty laugh and flung her head back. He stood up from his cushioned seat and came to stand next to her. He reached out and pressed the fabric around her collarbone between his fingers.

"I need to get out of the Castle." Kate couldn't look him in the eye but she could feel his breath. She turned away quickly and rushed into her changing room.

Castle was left staring at the door. He shouldn't have done that. He was not a twelve year old boy anymore. There is no way Kate could be ready for contact like this.

He rubbed his brows and walked towards the counter to purchase the dress.

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"I can't believe you dumped coffee everywhere Castle. This is why you can't have nice things." She glanced over her shoulder and grinned at his annoyed expression. She put her bag on the counter and draped the dress in its plastic container over one of the chairs. He grumbled as he walked past her into his room.

Kate began to grab pots from underneath Castles sink and filled them with water. The pasta was exactly where he told her it would be in the cabinet. She set it down next to the stove and moved to make sauce.

Meanwhile Castle had peeled off his shirt and stood in front of his dresser. He grabbed a plain black v neck and threw it over his head as he started to walk back to the living room. He was almost through his office when he heard a loud crash followed by a loud cry and a string of curse words.

As he turned the corner, socks trying to gain traction on the wood floor, he saw Kate with her knees to her chest.

There were tears streaming down her face as she cluched her left hand to her chest.

"Kate! Oh my God, Kate. What happened are you hurt badly?" Her eyes were closed as she tried to calm her breathing down.

"The jar…it fell off the counter and scared me…when I jumped…the water poured on my hand…"

Rick brought his hands to cup her face and tried to wipe the tears from her face. She shivered slightly under his touch. He gently took her hand from her and looked at the burns. The water had reached boiling, but it still left her hand bright red with parts already starting to blister.

She couldn't get a break. The glass of the pasta sauce jar shattering had reminded her of what had happened. What she would never be able to forget. Now her hand was proof of something she could never overcome.

How could she be the same? She wanted to be strong again. All she really wanted to do was crawl in her bed and sleep for days.

Her already destroyed walls were crumbling further as she tried to no avail to stack those bricks back up.

Its my birthday Friday, you all should review ;D I hope you enjoyed this one!