Happy new year! Sorry for the long wait but finals and the holidays took all my time :/

Expect the next update next week since I am going back to college on Saturday and have 8 hours to write on the plane ride ;)

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Xx serena

Chapter 11

Kate is somehow embarrassed which is painfully obvious by the redness of her face and the chuckle she gives when they get into a taxi to her place. Castle smiles. He loves seeing this site of Kate, the carefree and happy side.

The taxi ride is uneventful but she refuses his offer of him carrying her up to her place with one of her iconic eye rolls and he pouts.

"Beckett you shouldn't walk. Bed rest."

"I'm not gonna have you humiliate me in front of my neighbours. It's on the second floor Rick. I won't die."

He finally relents.

He nearly strides into her place as soon as she unlocked the door.

"You're going to sit on the bed and rest while I pack you back."

She shakes her head. He shakes it too. They shake both their heads until he finally relents.

"Fine but Kate you should rest."

She chuckles.

"Rick I'm packing an overnight bag it's hardly overexerting myself."

He smiles as he observes her packing in all her shirts and pants and finally decides to interrupt her as she packs up all her makeup.

"Kate you do know you're on bed rest and you basically only have to wear pjs and no makeup?"

She shoots him a glare.

"I need my stuff Castle. I can't run around looking like a homeless person a little bit effort is required and I love my makeup. I need it."

He raises his hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine I give up. I'm calling the car service now it'll take them 10 minutes or so to get her is that ok with you?"

She nods.

In the car:

Kate has Castle's hands clutched between hers and feels her sudden high from before fade rapidly. Her headache is coming back and the throbbing in her arm and torso seems to intensify by the minute. And she was scared. Scared as hell about Martha and Alexis's reactions and the dinner afterwards and the whole bed rest and staying with Castle. It could all blow up in their faces.

Castle tensed how stiff her body next to him had become and cuddled her closer, gently tugging a strand of hair behind her ear and graciously lifting her chin a bit so she could look him in the eye.

"Kate why are you so tense? Nervous?"

"Rick I am nervous; really nervous. What if this all blows up in our face? I am scared about the bed rest and I don't know."

He hugs her even closer.

"It's going to be ok. I promise. Alexis and mother will welcome you with open arms."

"You think so?"

She timidly looks up to him and only gets a reassuring smile in response.

He gently kisses the tip of her nose.

"I am sure. And know stop worrying."

Before they even entered his loft Kate had his hand even stronger clutched into hers and she could feel her palms starting to sweat. Shit she was going to face Castle's family now.

Upon entering the door they were immediately greeted by Martha.

"Darling you're home and you look fine thank god!"

She rushes over to hug him while Kate stands awkwardly around, having let go of Castle's hand. She is not quite sure what to do and looks around the loft but nothing catches her attention.

Until Martha does.

The redhead is smiling at her and extends her arms to her as if he wanted to embrace her.

"and you brought Katherine with you how lovely!"

Kate smiles timidly.

"Hi Martha."

The actress winks at her and moves even closer to Kate.

"Oh come here you" and she hugs her as well.

She puts both arms around her and somehow manages to snatch Rick into the embrace as well.

"I have to say I was shocked and very worried when I got the call from Richard that you had an accident but you look fine from what I can see thank god."

Both smile while Alexis comes down from her room and immediately runs into Castle's arm while Martha goes into the kitchen with Kate.

"Katherine I can see you're tense and probably feel awkward but I just wanted to tell you that we all want you here. Especially Richard. He sounded so worried about you on the phone. Tell me everything."

Martha's gaze was serious and she looked more worried as she did before.

"Thanks Martha I really appreciate it. I don't remember much but a ghost driver hit us on my side and I am so sorry I didn't manage to get out of the way. I can never apologize enough for that."

Kate bits down on her lip but looks the older woman directly into the eyes.

"Darling it was an accident and a ghost driver. I am sure you did everything you could considering you had three lives to consider in your car."

Kate nods.

"Oh yeah guess so. I'm fine but I got put on bed rest sadly."

"For how long exactly? Richard really didn't tell us for how long when we talked on the phone."

"10 days. Then I have to get a check up and have the doctor give me an all clear to work again."

"10 days of lounging around? At least you have Richard to keep you company. What about your arm?"

She gestures towards the plaster.

"Broken sadly. It will take 4 weeks to heal."

"Oh poor dear…" At that moment the water begins to spill out of the pot and Martha runs towards it.

"Oh hot hot hot." She fills it in a bowl through a strainer which Kate holds. The Detective can feel her headache getting worse and her ribs hurt painfully whenever she inhales. She grits her teeth. The accident wasn't as easily forgotten and she hadn't escaped as unscathed as she tried to convey to everyone.

"Are you alright?" Martha sounds worried and Kate could slap herself mentally for drawing attention upon her.

Kate nods.

"It's nothing."

She sounds harsh but Martha seems to buy it and answers with a smile and padding her shoulder.

Castle and Alexis are walking into the kitchen:

"You're all set there?"

"Darling just sit down we'll be there in a sec with the food."

Both Castle and his daughter continue their intense talk about ghost drivers and accidents not noticing Martha and Kate approaching with the food.

Kate offers to carry the bowl of noodles and the salad while Martha got the sauce and the vegetables.

They carry it towards the table and Kate nearly drops it over the table due to dizziness and winces which has Castle immediately getting up and taking the bowls from her hands.

"You're not supposed to carry anything. Are you alright?" He looks worried

"Sorry"

"Are you fine?"

"Yes all good."

His brow furrows quizzically while she sits down.

They eat and Alexis has them retelling her the accident again which Kate is not that quite comfortable about.

"Detective Beckett?"

"Kate, you can call me Kate Alexis"

The redhead continues her question

"Kate did you see the ghost driver coming towards you?"

"No I didn't. I saw him too late and tried to manoeuvre out as best as I could so your dad wouldn't get hit.."

He gasps

"You did what?"

"I tried to protect you so you wouldn't get the full force of the accident Castle."

She says it with confidence.

"Kate you should have done the opposite. I'm not pregnant. I could have taken it. Not you."

He looks worrisome at her.

"Rick I'm not going to apologize for that it was a spur of the moment thing and you can't blame me for wanting to keep you safe."

"Kate you're and the baby's safety is much more important than mine."

"No."

"Darling," his mother intervenes, "As far as I get it Katherine would rather get hurt than let anybody hurt you. And you're safety is as important as hers and the baby's."

Alexis nods vehemently.

Rick relents.

"Still Kate I was so scared when they had to cut you out of the car and you were unresponsive and I thought you were dead."

Everyone stares at Kate.

"You had to get cut of the car?" Alexis asks in shock.

The Detective bits her lip again.

"I don't remember it. But I guess that happened. I am fine though."

Castle gets agitated.

"Beckett you shouldn't play the accident and your injuries down. The bed rest is sign enough that you were injured and need to rest and heal."

"Rick it's bed rest I am going to manage." She rolls her eyes.

"Besides dad, you can keep her company. We can do movie nights or spa days and you can cook for Kate. I'll bet it will be fun."

Kate smiles at Alexis and Castle bumps his daughters shoulder.

Martha wants to get the plates.

"Kate darling you hardly ate anything. Did it not taste?" She answers when she only sees Salad and a tiny bit of pasta on the detective's plate.

Rick looks to her.

"I'm nauseous that's why I couldn't stomach that much but I was delicious." She smiles at the older woman and ignores Rick's glance towards her.

They could talk when they would be alone.

And from seeing his posture she could tell he wanted to talk later.

She dreaded it already.

In Rick's Bedroom:

Castle was already in bed while Kate changed in his closet not wanting him to see her bruises while she would put on her pjs.

She chose baggy clothes so no injury from the accident would be visible.

The Detective brushes her teeth while at the same time observing her figure closely in the mirror.

She hadn't gotten fat yet, she could still feel the outline of her ribs. Thank god!

Kate let out a deep sigh of relief and put down her shirt and went to crawl into bed with Rick.

He smirks when he sees her crawling into their bed. She was so beautiful he couldn't believe he had this extraordinary woman in his bed. His arms.

She snuggled into his arms and put her head in the crook of his neck absorbing his strength and getting calm and relaxed at the same time.

Beckett loved being in his arms.

He gently kissed the top of her head and arranged Kate's position in a way that she could sit in the vee of his legs.

Once she was settled he laced is arms under breast and got her as close as possible. Needing her close after today's horrible events.

Their breathing evened out and Castle addressed the elephant in the room.

"Um Kate? Can we talk about the fact that you tried to get full force by the driver so I wouldn't get the blow?"

She sighed and kissed his biceps.

"Castle I loved you." Her voice was shaky." But I can't have anything happen to you."

"Kate I can't have anything happen to you." He put his hands on her stomach.

"Especially since there are two of you."

His voice is laced with fear and Kate could again slap herself for causing him so much pain. She didn't want to. It was just how she was built. She was radioactive, always dragging people down with her and being toxic to them. She would never be enough for Castle.

"I'm sorry Rick."

He kisses her head.

"Apology accepted." He turns her a bit and begins to kiss her gently but breaking the kiss after a few minutes.

"Kate I just want you safe. Both of you."

She smiles at him with that gorgeous smile that literally blew him away and nodded.

"I'll try my best."

He buries his head in her hair and soaks up her scent.

He could never get enough of her.

They fell asleep intertwined both with a content smile apparent on their lips.

4.23am.

There was a scream. Several screams.

Richard Castle bolted upright in his bed frantically looking around for the source of the noise.

He padded the other side of the bed that was awfully cold and empty.

Panic rose in his chest and he frantically lifted all the comforters and pillows but It was without any results.

Kate was not in the bed anymore.