Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Castle.

When Rick woke from his deep slumber, his eyes were met with the sight of a sleeping Kate Beckett. He watched silently, too entranced by her relaxed face to move or make any sort of noise. He knew the exact moment she woke by when her breathing changed ever so slightly.

"Staring's creepy, Castle."

A grin spread across his face at the sleepy tone of her voice. He was positive he had never seen her so comfortable, so free with her emotions. For once, he could see every emotion play across her face without any effort to be hidden.

"So I've been told."

She propped herself up on her elbow and yawned.

"What time is it?" she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

He carefully sat up and craned his neck over his shoulder to look at his alarm clock.

"'Bout three-thirty."

"We slept for that long? It was only a quarter after eleven when we came in here."

"Well, it probably has something to do with neither of us sleeping properly for a few nights."

"You seemed to sleep fine."

"Yes, but I was on painkillers the whole time."

"I guess you're probably right."

There was a long silence, the two of them staring into each others' eyes until they were brought out of their haze by the loud growl of Rick's stomach. Suddenly, Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood from the bed.

"Where're you going?" Rick asked as she walked out of the room.

"To get you something to eat."

After his stomach let out another grumble, Rick stood from the bed and padded over to the kitchen where Kate was looking through the cupboards.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked with her back still turned as she looked through the fridge.

"You know you don't have to cook for me; I'm perfectly fine just ordering in."

"What, Castle? Are you not confident in my ability to cook you a proper dinner?" She may have sounded annoyed, but the smirk on her face told him otherwise.

"I seem to remember having a similar discussion the last time you stayed here."

"Yes, but I didn't get the chance to actually make anything because there was a body drop."

She was facing him now, both of her hands out in front of her on the counter and an eyebrow raised.

"You're really not backing down on this, are you?"

"Nope."

"Alright, then I'm in the mood for spaghetti."

"Meatballs?"

"Sure."

She gave him a smile before turning around to gather her ingredients from the cupboards. He couldn't help but watch her as she worked. She looked so comfortable in his kitchen, and it was a sight he could get used to. He could imagine a future where she made dinner while he entertained their children, and he smiled. Nothing sounded better to him than a life with Katherine Beckett.

"What did I say about the staring?"

Her voice broke him out of his daydream.

"You didn't even turn around!"

"I can feel your eyes burning into my back, Castle."

"Whatever, you like it."

Her smile only served to confirm his statement, and his grin spread even more in return.

It wasn't long before they were seated at the table, and, while he had complete faith in her cooking abilities, Rick was surprised at how good it was.

"How did you manage to make spaghetti and meatballs taste this good?"

"Secret recipe."

She was smiling at him, and he wished he could keep it there forever. He knew there was no way for him to protect her from hurting ever again, but he made a promise to himself to never leave her alone when she was in pain.

When they finished eating and the table was cleared and dishes were put in the dishwasher, they moved back to the couch to resume watching Star Trek.

They made it through one full episode and halfway through another when Alexis walked through the door. After a very brief conversation about her day, she joined them on the couch.

Martha came home soon after, although she didn't join them in the living room. She asked them how they were doing, then went up to her room after a brief conversation.

Before they knew it, it was nearing ten o'clock. Kate could see Castle holding in a yawn once again, and was about to say something when Alexis spoke up.

"I think I'm going to go to bed soon, and you probably should, too, Dad."

"I'm not even tired!" Before he could elaborate further, Alexis spoke again.

"Dad, I watched you hold back yawns through the entire last episode."

"She's right, Castle," Kate said. "I mean, you can't stay up all night if you plan on getting better anytime soon. And besides, I should be going home soon anyway."

He sat up a little bit more at the mention of her leaving. "Why do you need to go home if you're just going to come back tomorrow morning?"

"Because I don't want to take over your loft just because you want me here."

He opened his mouth to protest but was once again cut off by his daughter.

"If you're just going to come back tomorrow there's no reason you shouldn't stay the night."

Both Kate and Rick turned to Alexis with dropped jaws, astonished that she was pushing for Kate stay.

"I guess, uh… I guess I've got no choice then, really. You two obviously aren't going to take no for an answer. But," she turned to face Castle again. "I am not sleeping in jeans again, so I'm going to run to my apartment real quick to grab a some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow-"

"And Saturday," Alexis interjected, once again throwing them off-guard.

After pausing a moment to be shocked at how forward the girl was, Kate continued. "Yes, and Saturday. It should only take me fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

"Alright, then it's settled," he said, grinning at the knowledge that she was staying in his loft for the next couple days.