Kate had been awake for hours. Agent Shaw had called earlier and informed them that their position could be compromised, but it wasn't wise to return to the city just yet. She had offered to move them again, but Kate didn't want to run. She wanted to fight this, and so she had declined. Now she was sitting on the couch while both Rick and his daughter continued to sleep on soundly in the early morning. She had thought about waking up her partner, but he needed the sleep right now. Just a little while longer and he would be completely healed and the rest would help.

So, as she had been doing for the past hour, she stared at files compiled on the table in front of her and wondered how she had managed to get to this point. It had started the moment when her mother died and now thirteen years later it was all rushing to a head. Kate Beckett had always been ready to find the man behind her mother's murder, but now that she had the challenge was in getting out alive. More importantly, it was making sure that all of her people survived as well.

She was considering how she felt about Will being the final straw when she heard Rick yelling for her. Kate jumped up immediately and rounded the couch, taking off up the stairs to the third floor and to their room. She paused in the doorway, surprised to see that Castle was still asleep, but he was tangled up in the sheets. His face wasn't relaxed and she quickly walked over to the bed and reached out to touch him.

"Rick. Wake up."

He grabbed her hand. "Kate. Kate, no!"

She gripped his shoulder with her other hand, shaking hard. "Rick!" she said, louder. "Wake up!"

He sat up straight, his other hand grabbing at her, and she moved her hands, cupping his face and looking into his eyes. "Rick," she said gently, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones. "Wake up. Wake up. I'm here."

His eyes slowly cleared as he stared at her, coming to his senses. She knew he was fully awake when he reached out and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "Oh, God," he whispered, burying his hand in her hair. "Oh, thank God. You're okay."

"I'm okay," she confirmed, hugging him back. "I promise."

Castle continued to hold Kate long after his breathing returned to normal and his fears had disappeared. She was curled into his body and he really didn't want to let her go. He had always been able to handle his nightmares but something had changed. Since they had been told about the Senator he had felt unsettled. Something was going to happen and he could just feel it in the pit of his stomach. He had always worried about Kate, but now it wasn't just Kate. It was Alexis and their parents and their friends back in the city.

"Rick…?" she pulled back a little, running her fingers along his cheek. It took him a moment to look at her and when he did his blue eyes weren't as light as usual. There was a dark undertone that left her stomach rolling in apprehension and something else. This wasn't the Richard Castle she was familiar with, but all the same it was still the man she was in love with. His lack of response had her worried and she had barely opened her mouth and said, "Castle," before his lips were colliding with hers hard enough to bruise. Kate felt a force behind the kiss that was much like their undercover kiss months ago and yet so different.

The desperate edge was there but it was swallowed whole by his other emotions. His arms tightened around her body and she let herself be pressed tight to his chest while they kissed. She raised her arms, wrapping them around his neck, letting her fingers trail into his hair as his lips slowly made their way down her neck. "Kate," she heard him whisper against her pulse. "Oh, God, Kate."

The physical evidence of his desire was hard against her thigh and she pressed herself toward it instinctively, wanting to feel him touch her. He groaned and slid his hands under the hem of her shirt, lifting it off over her head and then bringing his hands back down to cover her back. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her breasts pressed against his tee shirt as his lips made their way across her shoulder. "I love you, Kate," he whispered between each kiss. "God, I love you."

She pressed her own lips to his neck. "I love you, too," she whispered back. "I do, Rick."

He raised his head and looked into her eyes. "Kate," he whispered. "Let me love you."

She swallowed hard. "Your ribs…"

"They're fine," he said shortly. One of his hands ghosted its way up her side to cup her breast. "Please, Kate. I've waited so long… I feel like I can't stand to wait any longer. I want you… I need you."

She closed her eyes against the intensity in his, just for a moment. Then she opened them again and smiled, her own nimble fingers taking hold of the hem of his shirt. "You're sure your ribs are okay?"

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her sternum. "I'm sure."

"Okay." She drew his shirt off, tossing it into the floor after her own. Then she leaned down and pressed a long, decadent kiss to his lips. "Make love to me, Rick."

He made a noise that she categorized as somewhere between a laugh and a groan, and she shivered when his fingers trailed down her back. He was trying to memorize this moment, to print it on his brain in indelible ink. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was fighting against the just in case. Just in case this was the only chance he would ever get.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her collarbone. "God, I feel like I could talk for hours about how beautiful you are."

She blushed slightly, leaning down to nuzzle behind his ear. "I love the way you touch me," she murmured as his hands cupped her breasts.

He captured her lips in another sensual kiss, then gently laid her backward, his hands trailing down her abdomen to the waistband of her yoga pants. He hooked his fingers in the pants and the panties underneath, drawing them down and off and leaving her exposed to him in the moonlight. He stared at her for a long moment, simply taking her in, and then he leaned down and set his starting point on her body, pressing a gentle open-mouthed kiss to her stomach just above her navel. "You're like fine china," he breathed against her flesh, "with a deep core of polished steel."

He spent a long time exploring her abdomen. "You feel so good," he whispered to her, his hands stroking her taut stomach. "I could sit here and touch you forever." He pressed another kiss to the gentle slope of her belly under her navel and she arched toward him, just a little. He chuckles. "You like that."

"Yes," she breathed. "Touch me, Rick."

He did.

His breathing was loud in her ear in the aftermath, but comforting as he tried not to rest all of his weight on top of her body. Rick shifted enough to press a kiss to her temple before he got up completely, disappearing into the bathroom to deal with the condom. Kate propped herself up on her elbows, watching her boyfriend with an appreciative grin.

Richard Castle really did have a nice ass.

By the time he returned to bed Kate was already under the covers and had his side pulled down. He climbed in beside her, reaching out to pull her against his side immediately. There was an uncomfortable ache from his ribs but it was the same ache he sometimes felt when taking a showering or getting dressed so he was positive that he hadn't strained himself. She rested her head on his chest as she tangled their legs together with a content sigh. The scent of cherries and something unmistakably Kate Beckett mixed together, overriding his senses, but he didn't care.

A comfortable silenced had settled by the time Kate remembered there was something she had to tell Castle. His fingers had moved up and down her back in soothing motions since they cuddled up and she didn't want it to end, but she shifted until she was looking down at him. Castle looked up immediately, his brow furrowing in worry. "Is something wrong?"

"We need to talk, Rick."

He tried not to let his heart clench at those five deadly words, focusing on keeping himself calm when he replied, "About?"

He must not have done a very good job at donning his poker face, because she smiled slightly, leaned up and kissed him. "Not us. Stop looking like you think I'm about to break up with you."

He let out a sigh of relief and kissed her back, hard, just because she was amazing. "All right," he said when he released her. "About what, then?"

She laughed softly, cuddling against him again. "About New York. About Lockwood. About the fact that my asshat ex-boyfriend may have just given us up."

He chuckled. "You actually used the word 'asshat' in a sentence."

Kate slapped his chest lightly, causing Castle to laugh even harder. She joined in just seconds after and waited until they were both calm before adding to her earlier statement. "Will is in contact with the Senator. Something he said might've blown our cover in the end. Jordan offered to have us moved, but…"

Rick shifted, gripping Kate gently under the chin and tilting her head back until he could look into her eyes. The situation was serious and all clowning was gone from his expression. "But what, Kate?" he asked softly even though he had a good idea of what she was going to say anyway. He always did.

"I'm tired of running, Rick. I'm ready for this to end. For ten years I didn't know the truth behind my mother's murder, and then I met you. Now the case has been blown wide open and I just want it to be over. I want to be able to go back to the city. I want to know that our parents and our friends aren't in danger because of Lockwood or anyone else."

Kate held his gaze and after a moment Castle nodded his head, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. "Then we'll fight. You and me. Together."

She nodded, and for a long moment they were silent together. Then she spoke again. "We have to get Alexis out of the line of fire."

"She leaves on the first flight we can get her on."

"Where will you send her?"

"Her mother." He sighed, settling back with her in his arms. "It's not an ideal solution, but it'll do for now."

She nodded again. "Once we have a plan, I'm going to call Jordan and tell her to let the Senator know where we are. Let them come to us."

Castle rolled over, shifting until he was laying on his side and her back was pressed against his chest. He brushed his lips against her neck and closed his eyes, holding her tight. "How about we get some sleep and then I'll find a plane for Alexis."

Kate wasn't exactly sure if she would be able to go back to sleep, but she knew that Castle was tired and she wouldn't deny him anything. She really couldn't, not after everything he had done for her. "Sounds like a plan," she whispered quietly, surprising herself when she fell asleep moments after his breathing evened out.

All the necessary calls had been made and Castle had a flight for Alexis in less than an hour. She had packed her stuff while he made all of the necessary arrangements with the airline, Meredith, and even Jordan Shaw herself. He was less than happy to send his baby girl off, but he knew it was for the best. The last thing he wanted was for Alexis to get hurt. He knocked on her bedroom door quietly, not wanting to wake Kate who was still asleep in their bed.

"Ready to go, Pumpkin?" he asked quietly as he stood in the doorway. Alexis turned to look at him and he felt his chest tighten. Castle never liked being away from her but this could actually be permanent if something happened to him. He crossed the distance between them and wrapped her up in a tight hug, not even waiting for her answer to his previous question. She hugged him back for all of five minutes before she pulled away.

"Be safe, okay Dad?"

He nodded, squeezing her once more before letting go completely. He grabbed up her bags, feeling her hand wrap around his at the last moment. Rick turned to look at his daughter, waiting her out. Alexis took a deep breath and then let it go, trying to give him a smile. "Keep her safe too, okay?"

"I will," he replied, his voice soft. "Now come on; let's get you on that flight."

He left a note for Kate on her bedside table; he wasn't letting Alexis out of his sight until he knew she was on that plane to California. She was to check in with him at her stopover in Atlanta and then again to let him know that she was safe with her mother in L.A. After that, she was under strict orders to fully immerse her phone in something liquid before destroying the SIM card and tossing the phone itself.

Shaw was putting a detail on Meredith. That helped greatly with Castle's peace of mind. Even so, he maintained a nervous silence on the way to the airport, and he hugged his baby girl tightly at the gate when her flight was called. "You know I love you, Sweetheart."

"I know, Dad," she replied, hugging him back. "I love you, too."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "If you don't hear from me within a couple of days, check in with Esposito."

She nodded. "I will."

"Stay up late. Spend lots of money. Behave badly at parties."

She laughed. "Whatever you say."

"I mean it," he said, giving her his Look of Mock Seriousness. "If you're not on the cover of at least three tabloids by the time I get back to the States, you're grounded for a week."

She gave a heavy sigh. "Oh, all right," she said. "But can at least one of them be for punching out a paparazzo?"

"Absolutely," he approved. Then he let her go, nudging her toward the gate. "Go on, now. Have fun with Mom."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll try." She paused, then added, "See you soon?"

"I promise," he said, nodding confidently. They both knew it was a lie, and tears shone in her eyes as she moved to board the plane. She looked back once as she passed through the gate, and then she was gone.

Kate wasn't quite sure what caused her to wake up, but she knew that it was something. She reached out for her partner, only to find out she was alone when her hand fell upon cold sheets. Confusion appeared on her face for a moment before she sat up, looking around. Her clothes from last night were hanging off the back of a chair, but Rick's things were gone from his nightstand, including his wallet. Fear gripped her for a moment but Kate did her best to push it away, trying to rationalize why he might be gone.

It wasn't until she started to get out of bed that she noticed the single slip of paper on her own bedside table. Her name was scrawled on the front in his familiar handwriting and she picked it up, scanning it quickly. He had taken Alexis to the airport already. Kate wasn't happy that she had slept through that, but maybe it had been best. Rick probably needed the alone time with his daughter before he sent her off to Meredith.

Putting the note back, she started to slip out of bed when she heard something downstairs. Her entire body froze and she quietly reached out, pulling on her clothes and grabbing the nearest weapon, which happened to be her somewhat battered copy of Heat Wave.

The noise rose up the stairs again as she made her way down, making sure to skip the step that sometimes made a sound. She passed by the now-empty room that had once belonged to Alexis, pausing when it fell quiet. Kate pressed herself to the wall and remained there for a few minutes, straining to hear anything else… and then she did. The sound was familiar, but she really didn't think it could be possible. How could she be hearing Alexis laugh if the girl was supposed to be on a plane to her mother?

Rounding the corner, book lowered somewhat, Kate made her way to the living room and stopped just inside the door. There, on the large television screen, played a home movie of the Castle family. They were on an unnamed beach around twilight. Alexis was young – around four or five if she had to guess – and Castle was so much younger himself. Martha had to be the one recording because her voice could be heard but she could not be seen. Instead, all Kate could see was a young Alexis running and squealing and laughing while her father chased after her barefoot in the white sand.

"I packed some things when we first left. A photo album and this tape… just in case," his voice was quiet and she had no idea how he had even heard her enter. He was seated on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped in front of his body. Kate laid the book down on a table before making her way over to him and sitting in the empty spot next to him on the couch.

"You'll see her again, Rick," she whispered softly, wanting to believe it just as much as he did. In her line of work there were no promises and she hated that his family had been caught in the crossfire, but at the same time she wasn't all that sorry at all because she needed him as well. As if he could hear her thoughts, Rick tugged her against his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Of course," he responded after a moment, tightening his hold on Kate just a little. She leaned into him and watched the screen with him, hoping that maybe one day she could be in one of these movies, too.

Author's note: The explicit version of this chapter is available at LiveJournal for those readers over the legal age for possession of erotic materials. You can access it at xdawnfirex-fic(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)98676(dot)html if you are over the legal age for possession of erotic materials.

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