Apologize

by evitascarlett

As Kate finds herself getting back on solid ground in her relationship with Castle, her world gets turned upside down by an unexpected visitor. As emotions run high and danger lurks will she and Castle be able to stand together and become stronger or will their secrets and lies eventually tear them apart? AU Set after 4x22 Undead Again. Cover Art by LordofKavaka. Now Edited 9/2015.

25. Chapter 25 - Madness Part 1

Chapter 25 – Madness –Part 1

'Come to me just in a dream, come on and rescue me. Yes I know, I can be wrong, maybe I'm too headstrong, our love is madness – Muse

The next morning, Kate stood in front of the bathroom mirror, taking in the sight of her pale face and puffy eyes. She felt like hell. She and her mother had sat up for the rest of night watching I Love Lucy reruns and while she had managed to relax a little while she watched the show and clung to her mother's hand, she didn't dare close her eyes. Johanna had tried to coax her into lying down and sleeping for a bit but she wouldn't budge. She stayed awake and alert.

She released a heavy sigh as she gripped the edge of the sink. Those terrifying images from her nightmare kept creeping up on her and flashing through her mind. She was being ridiculous allowing herself to be so upset by a dream that could be easily explained away. Lanie had been picking at that nerve and urging her to be more open to her mother and forcing her to speak her most inner thoughts aloud, like the fear that Johanna would leave her again. Kate was sure that those comments could've played a role in her dream along with those stirred up feelings and the fact that she had taken her friend's advice and had been more open towards her mother during the weekend.

Then there was the conversation she had with Castle when he had met her for coffee the evening before. He had been bouncing theories off of her in regards to the case of Nikki Heat's mother. Nikki's mother had been found dead on the kitchen floor, it would've been quite easy for her mind to take that thought and transfer it to a nightmare about her own mother, who spent a great deal of time in the kitchen herself. That was all this was; a simple terrifying nightmare that had been brought on by specific thoughts and feelings.

It was just a bad dream, everything was fine. Her mother was in the kitchen, alive and well. So why did she still feel so shaken? It just wouldn't let go of her. Her stomach felt queasy and her head pounded. She shivered and she wasn't sure if she had a chill due to her nerves or from the air conditioning.

She needed to get ready for work but the thought of leaving her mother for the day made her already queasy stomach clench and for a moment she thought she'd be sick. Kate took a steadying breath and then breathed out slowly, hoping to quell the feeling. Maybe she was coming down with something. Maybe she should stay home…that was probably a good idea, especially if she was coming down with something, she reasoned. It wouldn't be right to go in sick and infect everyone else. She'd just call in sick and stay home with her mother. She'd feel better tomorrow…and her mind would be at ease once the day passed without incident.

With her mind made up, she picked up her phone from the side of the sink and called the precinct and told them she wouldn't be in.

---

Johanna looked up from the pancakes she was putting on a plate as Kate entered the kitchen. "Why aren't you dressed for work?" she asked as she took in the sight of her daughter still clad in the leggings and t-shirt she had worn to bed.

"I'm not going to work," she answered as she sat down. "I don't feel good."

Those four words were all Johanna needed to hear to snap her into mom mode. She sat the plate on the table and then moved to her daughter's side and laid a hand against her forehead and then against her cheeks. "You don't have a fever."

"I'm not surprised," she replied as she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm cold."

"That might be from the air conditioning," Johanna said. "What else is wrong?"

"My head hurts and my stomach is upset."

Johanna poured her a glass of orange juice and then went to the cupboard, pulling out the bottle of Advil and shaking out two tablets for her. "Take these and drink your juice," she instructed; "And then you can try and eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Kate answered.

"You should try and eat a little anyway," Johanna replied. "At least some toast or a pancake. It might help settle your stomach."

"Okay, fine. I'll try."

"Did you call work?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's taken care of."

Johanna fixed their plates and then subtly studied her daughter as she nibbled on a piece of toast. She was pale but she had been that way ever since she had woken up from her nightmare; and she hadn't mentioned feeling sick the entire time they had sat in the living room watching television. She wasn't stupid, and her maternal instincts were picking up some suspicious vibes. She'd seen this type of illness before; in the past it had occurred during moments of worry due to tests or report cards. It happened during quarrels with friends or those tragic teenage break ups that always seemed like the end of the world or when she'd been embarrassed about one thing or another and didn't want to go to school.

Johanna wasn't afraid to bet that Kate's illness was mostly in her mind, brought on by the upset from the dream she had. She wouldn't talk about it, wouldn't say what it was about and she didn't dare tell her that she had been calling out 'Mom' in her sleep. She pretended to be oblivious because she knew that's what Kate would prefer and she would continue to do so. Whatever it had been that she had dreamed had obviously terrified her enough to warrant calling in sick to work and she wasn't about to embarrass her by letting on that she knew what the real issue was.

After Kate had choked down a piece of toast and drank her juice in effort to appease her mother, she retreated to the couch and curled up, pulling the thin blanket that she had used the night before over her.

"Do you want me to turn down the air conditioning?" Johanna asked as she handed her the remote.

"No, just open the blinds a little so the sun will come in," Kate replied.

Her mother opened the blinds and then adjusted the blanket over her, making sure she was comfortable. "Try and get some sleep, Katie. I'll go clean up the kitchen."

"Take the gun," Kate stated as she glanced at the two guns and two phones that had been relocated to the coffee table the night before.

Johanna didn't question her daughter's order; she picked up the gun and her phone and carried them to the kitchen.

Kate nestled into the sofa and flipped channels until she landed on a morning talk show and then she laid the remote beside her and listened to the sounds of her mother moving around the kitchen. She was tired but she was still reluctant to close her eyes and when Johanna came back into the living room after taking care of the breakfast dishes, she was still wide awake and watching the television. Her phone rang and she sighed as she reached for it.

"Do you want me to answer it?" Johanna offered.

"No, I've got it," she told her as she accepted the call from Esposito.

"What?" Kate answered.

"We heard this rumor that you called in sick," Esposito stated.

"And?"

"And we couldn't believe it," Ryan's voice said. "We had to call and see if it was a hoax since you never call in sick."

"It's not a hoax. I really did call in sick."

"You don't sound sick," Esposito replied. "What do you think, Ryan? Does she sound sick to you?"

"No, she sounds okay to me."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I don't have to sound sick to feel sick."

"I think you're faking," Esposito said. "I bet you and your mom are going to a shoe sale."

"We wish we were going to a shoe sale," she replied and she saw her mother smile at the thought.

"I bet you are," he accused teasingly.

"What's with you and the shoe sale, Espo?" she asked. "You need a new pair of heels or something?"

"Funny," he said as his partner's laughter sounded in the background.

"You started it."

"Okay," he said, "In all seriousness, what's wrong with you? Should we send Lanie over to check on you?"

"No, I don't need Lanie to leave work and come over here. I just don't feel good; it's probably one of those 24 hour things."

"Hey at least you can't say we weren't concerned," Ryan told her.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."

"Alright," they said. "We'll check in later."

"I can hardly wait," she told them before ending the call.

A short time later she and her mother were each reading a section of the newspaper when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," Johanna told her, motioning for her to stay put. "It's probably your father."

She opened the door and found Castle instead, his hands occupied with two cups of coffee.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

She smiled and turned to look at her daughter. "Katie, I think you forgot to call someone," she said as she stepped aside and allowed him in.

"I'm sorry, Castle," Kate said as he joined her on the sofa. "I should've called and told you I wasn't going in but I didn't think about it."

"That's okay," he replied as he handed her her coffee. "Ryan and Esposito told me when I got to the precinct."

"But still I should've thought to call you, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "What's going on? You were fine last night."

"I know. I guess I picked up a bug."

"It's kind of sudden."

"It usually is."

"Do you need to go to the doctor?" he asked. "I'll take you."

"I don't need a doctor, Castle," she said indulgently. "It's not serious."

"We could call Lanie."

"She does not need a doctor," Johanna exclaimed. "She has me."

"But you went to law school," Castle said.

"So? I'm a mother, that makes me more than qualified."

He laughed. "The AMA would probably disagree."

"Would you feel better if I told you I dated a doctor once?" she asked.

"Did you?" Kate asked.

"Kind of," Johanna said.

She laughed. "What do you mean kind of?"

"It was in college, he hadn't graduated yet."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Castle said.

"I dated a doctor," Kate told her.

"And that really doesn't make me feel better," Castle stated as jealousy flared inside at the thought of Doctor Motorcycle Boy.

Johanna grinned. "I think we better talk about that when we don't have company. I think Rick's blood pressure just ticked up a few notches."

"I don't think he needs to be discussed at all," Castle said. "He's out of the picture, gone, done, it's over, so long, sayonara."

"Wow," Kate said; her lips turning up in a satisfied grin. "Do you feel better now that you got that out?"

"I kind of do," he admitted.

"I take it you weren't a fan," Johanna teased.

"No, I wasn't, but I'll put aside my problems with the medical profession and take you to one if you need to go…as long as he isn't the one who comes to check you."

"He's a heart surgeon, Castle," she reminded him. "I think the chances would be slim."

"Impressive," Johanna said.

Castle shot her a look. "I met him and he wasn't impressive at all. You wouldn't have liked him."

"How do you know?"

"Because you like me," he answered.

Kate laughed. "That's a good enough reason."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Rick," Johanna said. "I do like you and yet you seem to be implying that I can't take care of my daughter."

"I'm not implying that at all. I was merely asking if she required medical attention, because she never calls in sick to work. I've seen her go to work with head colds and fevers. You don't know how she is."

Kate cringed as she saw something flicker in Johanna's eyes that hinted at the fact that his last remark had touched a nerve that he should've stayed away from.

"I'm her mother," she said seriously. "I know plenty about her."

"As a kid, maybe," he said, "But you don't really know her as an adult. You don't know her like I do."

"I think you both know me pretty well," Kate said as her mother's jaw tightened.

Her statement went ignored as Johanna sized up her opponent with an icy glare.

"That's quite a look," Castle whispered to Kate.

"Have you ever seen those nature shows where they show a possum play dead until the predator goes away?" Kate asked.

"Yes."

"You might want to think about doing that now."

"I didn't mean to offend you," he stated as he glanced at Johanna. "But it's the truth."

"You should've left off the last end of that statement, Castle," Kate whispered.

"It may be the truth," Johanna said, "But that doesn't mean that I don't know her. Some things a mother always knows, and let's not forget that I'm here with her every single day. I probably see her as much or more than you do, I learn quickly."

He glanced at Kate. "Give me your shirt I need a white flag," he said taking note of her white top.

She smacked him lightly. "I'm not giving you my shirt. Apologize and take cover like the rest of us do when we punch the wrong button."

"I'm sorry," he said.

Johanna nodded. "It's fine, Rick."

He glanced at Kate who shook her head, telling him it wasn't fine.

"That remark was insensitive. Sometimes I don't think, please forgive me."

She smiled slightly. "I forgive you."

He laid a hand on Kate's leg and patted it. "I see you're in good hands here with Florence," he quipped, "So I'm going to go before she changes her mind and hurts me. I'll call later."

"I'll talk to you later," she told him; her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Don't look so worried, Rick," Johanna said as she walked him to the door. "She's fine."

"I know," he said.

Johanna smiled. "Don't worry about me either. I was being overly sensitive, forgive me."

He smiled back. "No problem. Call if you need me."

"I will," she promised.

Johanna closed and locked the door behind him only to go back and let Jim in twenty minutes later.

Kate sighed heavily as she went through another round of explanations about why she was home for work and when Johanna left the room to go make the beds, Jim sat down next to her.

"You're not sick," he stated as he looked her in the eye.

She held his gaze. "If I'm not sick than why aren't I at work?"

"You tell me."

"I already did."

"What's the real reason?" Jim asked.

"Your wife hasn't doubted my word."

"Your mother wants to baby you," he replied. "She'll believe anything."

Kate shrugged. "I don't seem to be having a problem with that."

"Why is that? I would've thought you'd balk at being babied by your mother."

"What is this, twenty questions?" she asked.

He nodded. "It's a better game when answers are given."

"I gave my answers."

"Come on, Katie; you can tell me the truth."

She sighed. "You know what, you're leaving me no choice."

"No choice but to tell the truth?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "No choice but to sic my bodyguard on you."

"Who's that?" he asked with a laugh.

She smiled and then yelled, "Mother!"

He glared at her in amusement. "That's not nice."

"What's wrong?" Johanna asked as she came into the room.

"He's bothering me," she said; pointing at her father. "He's implying that I'm a liar."

"Jim!"

"Oh come on, Johanna; you know she's not really sick."

Kate listened with amusement as her parents bickered and then her mother got the upper hand and ended the discussion.

"We need things from the store, I'll make you a list and you can go get it for us," Johanna told her husband.

He looked at his daughter. "Now see what you've done, I'm being punished with grocery shopping."

"That's what you get," Kate replied.

Johanna sent him off to the market with his list and then she settled back down in her chair and looked at Kate. "If I was you, I'd go to sleep before he comes back."

Kate smiled and made herself comfortable once more, but she forced her tired eyes to stay open for as long as possible.

Her reluctance to sleep confirmed Johanna's suspicions about the nature of her upset, not that she was surprised, but she subtly kept watch and finally Kate's fluttering eyelids slid shut. When Jim returned with the groceries she quietly lectured him in the kitchen and forced him to agree that he wouldn't question her anymore. She fielded calls from Castle, the boys, and Lanie. When Kate awoke, she went on holding up her end of the charade, her questions going only as far as to inquiring if she was feeling better. By evening she was pretty much back to herself and she thought that perhaps it was behind her now and that Kate would sleep easily when she went to bed, but at various time through the night, Johanna heard her crack open the door of her room as if she were checking on her. She said nothing; pretending to still be asleep. She listened to her pace the floors for a few minutes after each check and then she heard her retreat back to her own bedroom.

---

The next morning, Johanna half expected her to play sick again but she entered the kitchen dressed for work. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am fine," Kate told her as she joined her at the table.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," she said with a light smile, but to tell the truth she still had butterflies in her stomach at the thought of leaving but she couldn't stay home again. She was just being ridiculous. She had no sooner finished breakfast when Castle showed up at her door.

"Are you going in today?" he asked as he handed over her coffee.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm going back to work."

"Great, I'll go with you."

Kate smiled at him and then called her mother from the kitchen to lock up behind her, but she lingered and hesitated, drawing out small talk instead of leaving. Castle watched the scene, his suspicions heightened. He didn't really buy that she had been sick the day before; he believed that she might have told herself that she was to justify staying home but there was something else going on. There was something on her mind. He made a mental note to watch her more intently to see if her behavior changed once she was occupied with work. If it didn't, he'd have to drag it out of her.

---

Later on at the precinct, Castle watched as she tapped out yet another text message and hit send before turning her attention back to the stack of paperwork that had been awaiting her return to the precinct. The phone buzzed and she grabbed it, read the message and then laid it aside once more. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Kate flicked her gaze toward him. "No, she's fine."

"I meant with you," he responded.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I'm fine, Castle," she replied as she gave him a light smile in hopes of convincing him that what she said was true.

The look he gave her showed that her words and smile had failed in their efforts and she shifted her gaze back to her papers.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What's what? Why do you think something's wrong?"

"Because you don't usually call and text her as much as you have been today."

She glanced at him. "I haven't been calling and texting more than usual," she replied, although she knew it was a lie.

"Kate, you called an hour ago and you've already texted her twice since then. You've been doing that all morning. Now what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"It's something."

Kate sighed as she pushed back her hair. "It's stupid," she said as she snatched up her coffee cup and headed for the break room.

Castle followed behind her, determined to drag it out of her. "It's not stupid if it's bothering you," he said as he watched her refill her mug.

"Trust me; it's stupid and childish."

"Then you've come to the right person," he told her with an assuring smile; hoping a bit of humor would soften her resolve against telling him what was on her mind.

She smiled as she looked down into her coffee cup, but she said nothing as her teeth sunk into her bottom lip in obvious debate about sharing her irrational fears.

"You know you can tell me," he said softly. "You know I'm not going to judge you or think you're crazy or whatever else your mind is conjuring up."

"I know."

"Then let's hear it," Castle said. "What's bothering Kate Beckett today?"

Kate hesitated, she felt so foolish for being so shaken by something that could easily be explained away. "I had a bad dream," she said quietly.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Because it was bad enough that I obviously was crying out in my sleep and woke my mother up because of it; why should I drag you out of bed too?"

"Because you can," he told her. "What was the dream about?"

She looked him in the eye. "What do you think, Castle?"

A bad dream and increased phone calls home, he thought; that could only mean one thing. It had been about Johanna. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I just want to forget…but I can't and I feel so stupid for being bothered by a dream that I can easily explain away."

"It's not stupid," he insisted. "Everyone has dreams like that sometimes that leaves them shaken the next day. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I didn't have it last night," she replied.

Another piece of the puzzle he thought to himself. "That's why you stayed home yesterday, isn't it?"

She nodded. "That and I felt sick…but of course I'm sure I felt sick because of it."

He glanced around and made sure no one was watching them and then he allowed his hand to rest against her lower back. "How bad was this dream, Kate?"

"As bad as it could get," she replied as she blinked back the sting of tears.

"Does she know what it was about?"

"I didn't tell her, but I think she knows…she always seems to know everything without being told."

He smiled. "Mother's intuition."

"That's what she always claims," she replied. "She hasn't came out and said that she knows what it was about but I can tell that she does…she's just humoring me and playing along; either to spare me the embarrassment or because she thinks I'll be mad if she says something about it."

"Would you be mad?"

"No, but I'd probably deny it, and then she'd give me that 'I know you're lying' look and that would probably open up a can of worms, so we're probably better off with her pretending like she doesn't know. I'm probably driving her crazy though."

Castle shook his head. "I doubt that. I'm sure she understands."

Kate took a sip of her coffee as they stood there in comfortable silence for a moment.

"Maybe I shouldn't leave you tomorrow," he commented.

"Leave me?" she exclaimed in a hushed voice as her gaze shot to his face.

"Not leave you, leave you," he said hurriedly. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"About the writer's conference in Atlantic City. I thought I told you."

"No you didn't tell me," she replied; frowning at the thought. "How long is it?"

"Two days," he answered; pulling his phone from his pocket and pulling up the email that gave the details and his schedule for the event and then handing it to her to examine.

"Guest speaker, huh?" she said as she looked over the message.

"I have to share my gifts with the world," he quipped.

"You mean the secret to your writing; caffeine, sleep deprivation, and 3 a.m. text messages to me asking 'Would Nikki Do This?'."

Castle grinned. "I send you those messages so you feel included in the process."

"You're with me everyday…I'm as included as I can get."

"You know you like it," he teased.

"All the things I do for your 'process'," she stated, "And yet you make me beg for a few spoilers."

"I'll sign up for the 'How to make your muse feel appreciated lecture'," he replied. "Would that help?"

"Couldn't hurt," she laughed.

He caught her eye. "I could get out of it though…if you want me to stay here."

"That's sweet of you to offer, Castle," Kate told him; her eyes full of warmth and affection. "But you have your job to do just as I have mine and I'm not going to tell you not to do your job because I have a few irrational fears. I'll be fine and so will my mom. Nothing happened yesterday and nothing has happened today, so chances are, nothing will happen tomorrow, right?"

"Right," he nodded. "But I'll stay in New York if you want me to."

She studied him. "You don't want to go, do you?"

"No, these things are so boring," Castle complained.

She laughed, "So you want to use me as an excuse?"

"Your wellbeing is a viable excuse."

If they had been somewhere else, somewhere outside of the precinct and its prying eyes, she would've kissed him.

"I'll be fine. You go do your job…share those gifts with the world," she teased. "God knows Patterson could stand to learn a few things from you."

His eyes sparkled at the thought. "Isn't that the truth?"

"Yeah, and it wouldn't be right to deny him a learning experience at your hands, now would it?" Kate laughed.

"I guess you're right," he stated. "Will you at least miss me?"

She smiled softly. "Of course I'll miss you."

"You will?"

She ducked her head for a moment. "I always miss you when you're not here, Castle," she whispered.

His smile was almost blinding "Is that right?"

Kate nodded and smiled. "But don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to protect; and besides, I think I've managed to convince Ryan and Esposito that I'm grateful for the reprieve once in awhile."

His eyes twinkled merrily as he made a show of pretending to zip his lips shut and throw away the key.

She laughed, nudging him with her shoulder, and then turned to leave the break room. Once she was settled at her desk once more, he looked her in the eye and said, "But seriously, if you change your mind and don't want me to go, you just say the word and I'll stay put…I will give the best fake sick phone call you've ever heard."

"I'll keep that in mind, Castle," she promised before turning her attention back to her work.

---

Johanna tapped out a reply to a text from Kate and then laid her phone aside and focused her concentration on the cards that Jim had dealt her for their next round of rummy.

"You want to tell me what's going on with Katie today?" he asked as he glanced at her.

"Same things as usual," she replied while laying a card down.

"Johanna, she's done called and texted fifty times, that's not normal behavior from her. Now what's going on?"

"It's nothing," she replied. "She's just not herself today."

"Like she wasn't herself yesterday?"

She nodded. "Something like that."

"I hate when the two of you keep things from me," Jim said.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. She just has something on her mind; she'll be fine."

"I think you know what's bothering her," he stated.

"I may have a suspicion."

"Don't you want to share it with me?" he asked; humor tingeing his voice.

She smiled as she glanced away from her cards. "Mother-Daughter confidentiality."

"Ah," he said; "She told you not to tell me."

"No, she didn't; truth is, she hasn't even told me what's really bugging her. I just put things together for myself and figured it out."

"Put it together for me, maybe we can fix it."

Johanna shook her head. "It's just something she has to work through her own; and while she's doing that she needs to check in a little more often to make herself feel better and that's fine with me if it eases her mind."

"So what you're saying is for me to butt out because Katie just needs her mommy, right?" he said with a laugh.

Johanna glared at him playfully and lightly kicked him beneath the table. "Behave."

"You don't make it easy to be behave, Johanna,' he teased.

"Don't blame me," she told him.

"Who else is there to blame?"

"Yourself," she teased.

"Why should I blame myself?"

"Because you're a bad influence on me," Johanna replied. "You always have been."

"Are you saying I corrupted you?" Jim laughed.

She nodded. "Between you and Jeff I didn't stand a chance of remaining the sweet girl I used to be."

"When were you ever a sweet girl?" he teased.

Johanna grinned. "Well there was that one time when I was five."

He caught her eye and smiled, he had missed this, but of course it was safe to say he had missed a lot of things, but this, just the two of them, teasing one another and letting the world go on without their notice, that was one of the things he had missed the most.

---

The next morning, Kate opened the door and found Castle standing on the other side once again. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Atlantic City?"

"I've got time," he replied as he followed her into the kitchen. "Good morning, Johanna," he said as Kate's mother glanced up at him from her place at the table.

"Good morning, Rick," she smiled. "Katie said you were going out of town."

"I am, but I wanted to do the world a favor and bring someone her coffee so she won't inflict her crankiness upon mankind."

Kate smirked at him as she accepted her cup of coffee from his hand. "Thank you, Castle."

"You're welcome," he said and then he shifted from foot to foot as she studied him.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"I just…wanted to make sure you were still feeling alright," he answered. "You know, since you weren't feeling good the other day."

Kate smiled and held his gaze. "I'm fine."

"You sure? Because I can stay here."

"Castle, if you want an excuse to stay home, you should've had Martha write you a note," she laughed.

He grinned. "I would have but she hasn't come home yet. She's probably waiting until she's sure Alexis and I are both gone for the day so she can do her walk of shame in private."

"I guess you could ask my mother," she offered.

"How about it?" he asked Johanna. "You want to write me a note excusing me from this writer's conference."

"Depends," she answered. "What's your excuse."

"I'm sick," he answered as he fake coughed. "I think I caught what Kate had."

"Nice try," Johanna replied. "Kate wasn't coughing."

"Maybe mine's more advanced than hers was."

She laughed. "Go to work, Rick."

Castle sighed dramatically. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay here with you?"

"I'm fine, Rick," Kate said as she held his gaze, hoping he caught her meaning that she was feeling better now that the last two days had passed without incident.

He nodded. "Okay, but if you need me, call me."

She giggled as remark brought to mind a song and she couldn't seem to stop herself from spouting the next line. "No matter where you are, now matter how far."

Johanna laughed as the song sprung to her mind too and Castle's blue eyes shone with amusement as he threw out the next line. "Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, on that you can depend and never worry."

Kate was giggling as she took her turn. "No wind, no rain."

"Nor winter's cold, can stop me baby, if you're my goal," Castle said his voice laced with amusement.

"I don't know the next part," Kate laughed.

"Let's skip to the fun part," Castle said. "Aint no mountain high enough," he spouted.

"Aint no valley low enough," she replied.

"Aint no river wide enough."

"To keep me from you," Kate finished.

"Nothing starts the day like a sing along at breakfast," Johanna laughed.

"I know, right," Castle replied. "We should make this part of our morning routine."

Kate giggled. "So now you want us to be the Supremes?"

"You can be Diana Ross," he told her.

"Diana went solo," Johanna reminded him.

He thought about that. "On second thought, we'll let Esposito be Diana…he has diva tendencies, we can be the ones that got left behind."

She nodded. "That works. Knowing Espo he'd probably demand to be Diana anyway."

"Can't you just picture him in a yellow chiffon gown," Castle said.

Johanna almost choked on her orange juice as Kate laughed. "I'd pay to see him in yellow chiffon."

"Put me down for twenty," Johanna replied as she coughed. "I'll throw in an extra twenty to see you in it, Rick."

He grinned at her. "Yellow's not my color."

"You're right," she replied. "You'd probably need something with sequins."

"Castle in sequins," Kate said with a shake of her head. "Now that is something I wouldn't want to miss."

"I'll have you know I'd look damn good in sequins," he stated.

"What's my costume going to be?" she asked. "Or should I be afraid to know?"

He thought about it for a moment. "We'll get you a bikini."

She shook her head. "Bikini's just get you in trouble…just ask my mother."

"Johanna," he said in mock surprise. "Did a bikini get you in trouble."

"Almost," she replied.

"In Atlantic City," Kate filled in.

He grinned at her mother. "The plot thickens."

"Nothing happened."

"Don't believe her," Kate said. "Something happened…she just won't confess how much."

"Scandalous," he teased Johanna.

Johanna laughed and turned the conversation back to them. "There's a problem with your version of the Supremes," she told them. "There's only three, what are you going to do with Ryan?"

"We'll put him in feathers and make him our manager," Castle quipped.

Kate burst into another fit of laughter and her mother joined her as they each imagined it. "Castle, I don't know where you come up with these things."

"This one's your fault," he told her. "You're the one who started it with lyrics from Aint No Mountain High Enough."

"You didn't have to finish it."

"You can't start a song and not finish it!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Johanna asked. "You skipped the whole middle."

"You could've joined in and helped us along," Castle remarked.

"Maybe next time," she replied.

Castle laughed. "When I go to this conference and they ask me about my relationship with my muse, I'm going to say, 'We drink coffee, sing Aint No Mountain High Enough and then we go out and save the world. What do you think of that?"

"I like it," Johanna stated.

Kate was laughing. "Me too."

"That's because we're awesome," he said and then he raised his hand, "High five."

She smacked her hand against his and he wrapped his fingers around it, holding it and suddenly the moment became charged with intensity as their laughter faded and their gazes looked.

It was going to be one of those kind of moments, she thought as her heart fluttered. One of those moments that always seemed to occur during the most innocent of touches, reminding them of the pull between them, the sparks flying and the world falling away. They stood there, holding hands, their gazes trained on each other and neither one of them moved despite knowing what they both wanted.

"Oh for God's sake," Johanna said; "Kiss each other and be done with it."

Kate's eyes closed for a moment and then she opened them and shot her mother a look.

"Well," she remarked, "You know you want to and your intense hand holding session is going to melt the butter so just do it and be done."

Castle laughed and held tightly to Kate's hand, keeping her from pulling it away. "I love your mother."

"You want to take her with you?" she asked. "Because I wouldn't hesitate to let you take her off my hands."

"I would but Jim might not like her running off with other men," he replied.

"Especially not to Atlantic City," Johanna stated.

Kate shot a sly grin at her. "Rumor has it things got intense in Atlantic City…before they were officially together."

"Oh, yeah?" Castle teased.

"Don't you both have places to be?"

"See that," Kate said to her partner. "She doesn't like it when the shoe is on the other foot."

"Hey, I'm not the one hand holding in the kitchen," Johanna replied.

"We saw you holding hands at the movies," Castle told her.

"I saw you two kissing at the movies."

"You did not," Kate stammered.

"I did too."

"I better get going," Castle said ending the conversation before Kate got too flustered.

"I'll be back," Kate said to her mother and she followed behind Castle as they each made a quick getaway from the topic Johanna had delved into.

They stepped out into the hallway and Kate's gaze met his before she ducked her head shyly. "I'm sorry…about that," she told him.

He chuckled softly and tipped her chin up. "Don't be, I have a mother at home who says what's on her mind too."

"How did we get so lucky?" she laughed.

"We must've been very bad in a past life," he replied, his eyes twinkling with humor.

"And now we're being punished."

They laughed together and then silence fell between them as they caught each others gaze again. This time he gave in and leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss.

When it was over, she stepped into his embrace, holding on to him tightly for a few moments.

"You're sure?" he asked again.

Kate pulled back and looked at him. "I'm feeling better about things today. I think I've shaken off my irrational fears."

Castle nodded. "Alright, I better get going. I'll see you in a couple days."

"Be careful," she told him. "Let me know you got there alright."

"I will," he said as he pressed a kiss against her cheek. "You be careful too."

"Always," she told him and because she couldn't resist, she stole a quick kiss from him before they said goodbye.

Kate watched him go and then she went back inside and gathered her things to go to work. "I'm leaving," she called out, bringing Johanna out of the kitchen and handing her the coffee cup that Castle had brought her as she joined her at the door.

"Are you mad at me?" Johanna asked.

"For what?"

Her mother looked at her knowingly.

On a bad day she probably would've been angered by the slight teasing her mother had bestowed upon her, but today she wasn't and she smiled at her and said, "No."

"Good, because I…didn't think," she admitted; a part of her still unsure about how far she could push before she upset their teetering balance.

"It' s okay," Kate said. "I'll get even with you…I'll call Dad later and have him tell me a story."

Johanna laughed. "He better not tell any stories that aren't approved by me first."

Kate grinned. "I'll make sure to tell him that; it'll make it more fun for him when he thinks of something to tell me that you'll hate me knowing."

"Keep in mind that he might change the facts to suit himself."

"That's the best part," shee quipped as she hooked her purse over her shoulder and picked up her keys.

"Have a good day, Katie," Johanna said.

"I'll check in later."

"I know."

She didn't know why she did it, maybe it was the fact that her morning had gotten off to a good start and she was feeling more confident, but she paused long enough to kiss her mother's cheek as she said goodbye and then she was out the door and on her way.

Johanna smiled softly as she clicked the locks into place. It was getting better and she felt as though her patience was starting to be rewarded.

---

"I'll talk to you later," Kate said before ending one of her usual check in calls with her mother later that day.

She had no sooner laid her cell phone aside when the phone on her desk rang. She snatched it up and listened to the person on the other end while she jotted down the address that she was being given. She hung up the phone and turned towards Ryan and Esposito and held up the scrap of paper.

"Let's go guys," she said. "We have a body waiting on us."

The boys pushed away from their desks, grabbing their jackets from the backs of their chairs before hurrying after her. They joined her in the elevator and she handed the scrap of paper to Esposito to examine before she hit the button to take them downstairs.

"Castle's going to be disappointed he missed a case," Ryan commented.

Kate smiled at the thought of her partner. "We'll fill him in when he gets back."

"He's probably too busy living it up in Atlantic City to care too much," Esposito remarked.

"He's at a writer's conference, Espo," Kate replied. "Not a strip club."

He smirked. "That's the story for publication."

She rolled her eyes. "Really?"

"Come on, Beckett," he teased. "Do you really think Castle is in Atlantic City being a good little writer and not having any fun?"

"I saw his schedule," she retorted as the elevator doors opened and they filed out. "Strip clubs weren't on it."

"Oh, you're keeping tabs on his schedule now," he said; his eyes dancing with mischief. "I think things are getting serious, Ryan."

Ryan grinned at her before shifting his attention back to his partner. "I wonder how long it will be before they make an announcement?"

She shot them both a glare. "Alright guys, you've had your fun, now focus. We have a job to do so let's go do it before I hurt you."

They snickered behind her as they made their way to their cars. She shook her head at their antics as she got into the car and buckled her seat belt. She started the car and pulled out into traffic, a glance in the rear view mirror showed that Ryan and Esposito were behind her.

It was always strange for those first few moments when she found herself alone in the car. She was so used to Castle's constant chatter that it always took a moment to adjust to the silence and the absence of his presence in the passenger seat. She missed him and that thought made her roll her eyes as she felt a flutter in her heart. She had just seen him that morning before he left, what did it mean that she missed him already? Kate blew out a breath, she knew what it meant.

She shook thoughts of Castle away and switched her focus to thoughts of the crime scene that would be waiting for her. She shifted her mind into cop mode, preparing herself for the case ahead and whatever it would bring. She cruised along, her mind now on the job she had to do and the hopes she had that it would be an easy case. A black SUV pulled into traffic behind her, cutting Ryan and Esposito off from her view. She didn't worry about it, they knew where they were going; there was no need to play follow the leader.

The SUV began to drop back as she approached an alley, where another SUV sat idling. A tingle of suspicion shot down her spine. Something felt wrong. She reached for her phone but before she could get her hand around it, the idling vehicle came barreling out of the alley and towards her, slamming into the back of her car with a force that threw her forward against her seat belt, her chest slamming into the steering wheel.

She gripped the wheel tightly with both hands, trying desperately to keep control of the car as the SUV connected with her once again. She sped up, trying to create distance between them, giving her a chance to get away but the vehicle tailing her was just as determined. Every move she made, they followed. She needed help, and yet she couldn't risk taking her hands off the wheel to call or radio for it. She didn't know where the boys were, if they knew what was happening, or if they had been caught in a similar trap too.

Another slam made the car jerk wildly. This was a setup; she had no doubt in her mind about that. Things had been too quiet and now the ante was being upped. There would be no threatening notes this time, now they were going to show some force. She glanced in the rear view mirror, trying to get a good enough look at the driver so she'd be able to give a good description, but she couldn't see his face well enough. He was wearing a ball cap and dark glasses, and what appeared to be a black jacket. The thought of her mother entered her mind and her stomach dropped. What if someone was going after her as well right at that very moment? Fear spread through her and she had force back the emotion that suddenly choked her. What if her nightmare was going to come true? Would she survive this only to walk into her apartment and find her mother dead on the kitchen floor?

She forced those thoughts away and focused her mind on strategy. There was a side street up ahead, if she sped up and took the turn at the last minute, she might stand a chance of catching the driver of the SUV off guard, which would give her a means of escape. She pushed the gas pedal down, forcing the damaged car to push its limits. The SUV kept coming. She neared the street and jerked the wheel to make the turn, but obviously the driver anticipated the move and he took the opportunity to speed up and slam into the driver's side of the car.

The force rocked the car and it rolled, she heard a scream and could only assume that it had came from her as the sounds of breaking glass and squealing wheels filled her ears. Thoughts of Castle flicked through her mind, along with the thought of Johanna and the remembrance of the horrifying image from her nightmare. Her body was being jerked back and forth and thrown against the door and the steering wheel. Her head took a hard hit as it smacked off something that she couldn't distinguish and then the world spun before it went black.

---

The car had righted itself by the time she came to. She felt something warm and sticky running down her face and her mind swam with disjointed thoughts. She needed to get home, that was the only thing she was certain of; she needed to get home to her mother. Fear and panic collided with her disoriented mind, convincing her that whoever had done this was on their way to kill her mother.

"Beckett!" she heard someone shouting from a distance. She opened her eyes, only to squeeze them shut again as the world spun in front of them.

"Beckett!"

The voice was closer now; she could distinguish who it belonged to. "Esposito," she tried to call out but her voice was low and she didn't seem to have the strength to elevate her tone.

"Beckett," Esposito said as he reached the drivers side of the car, reaching through the window to touch her shoulder.

"Esposito," she said again.

"Hang in there," he told her. "The ambulance is on the way, we'll get you out of there."

"My mother," she said as she raised her hand to reach for him.

"Don't move," he told her. "Just hold still."

"My mother," she said again, a little more loudly this time. "You have to go to her, they'll kill her."

"Your mom will be fine. There's a unit on the building."

"Go to her," she pleaded.

"Stay calm. As soon as we get you taken care of, I'll send Ryan over there to check on her, okay."

"Now," she cried. "You have to go now, she'll die."

Esposito tried to keep her calm as Ryan handled the radio, making sure every available unit was out looking for the vehicle that had cut them off and the one that had hit Beckett. Squad cars arrived, the sounds of their sirens filling the air and the ambulance pulled in a moment after them.

Ryan joined him as the emergency crew got Kate out of her car and onto a stretcher.

"How is she?" Esposito asked as the medic looked her over. "Is she going to be okay?"

"It looks like minor injuries," the medic replied. "But they'll be able to tell you more at the hospital."

"My mother," she cried again. "Please."

Esposito looked to Ryan. "I'll go to the hospital with her, and I'll have Lanie meet me there. You go check on her mom and stay with her."

He nodded. "I'm on it."

Kate was lifted into the ambulance and Esposito climbed in after her. She was still crying for her mother and he took her hand, trying to offer her some sort of comfort. "Ryan's going to check on your mom," he told her. "She'll be okay."

"It's going to come true," she cried.

Esposito looked at the medic who was examining her.

"She has a concussion," he told him. "She's disoriented, she doesn't know what she's saying."

He wasn't so sure about that and given the circumstances, he couldn't blame her for having that fear. He kept murmuring assurances to her as the medic requested that he try to calm her, when another name escaped her lips.

"Castle," she said softly. She needed Castle, he'd listen to her, he'd take care of her mother.

---

Johanna was pacing the living room, feeling antsy, and she didn't know why. Something just didn't feel right. She wished that Jim was there with her but he wasn't. He had told her the night before that he had gotten a call from a former colleague asking for his assistance in preparing a case and she had told him to go do it, reminding him that Kate had asked him to keep up appearances as much as possible. He told her to call if she needed him, that he'd make up some excuse and drop everything to come to her but she couldn't and wouldn't call him just because she felt as though something was off in her universe.

She thought of Kate but she didn't pick up her phone to call her either. She had just spoken to her an hour and a half before. She was just being silly, everything was fine, there was no evidence that something was wrong somewhere. No one had called or been around. She was just bored and lonely and her imagination was getting the best of her; that was all it was. Some days she craved time alone but today obviously wasn't one of them. She just needed something to occupy her mind and then she'd be fine.

Maybe she could focus her mind on reading, she thought as she eyed Kate's overstocked book shelves. She moved towards them, ready to scan the titles, hoping to find something that would be distracting enough to settle her wayward mind when a knock at the door startled her. She grabbed the gun from the coffee table and hurried toward the door as the knocking continued, insistent and demanding.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Ryan," was the answer she received.

Her heart thudded as she fumbled with the locks. Something was wrong, she felt it, she heard it in the tone of his voice as he announced himself and the fact that Kate hadn't called to tell her that he was stopping by. She jerked the door open, quickly gauging his reaction as he swept into the apartment, his eyes scanning the area.

"Where's Katie?" she demanded to know before he could even say a word.

Ryan looked at Kate's mother and saw the worry and anxiousness in her expression and he realized that he hadn't prepared himself to tell the woman that her daughter was hurt. He could stall the inevitable by getting down to business first and that's what he did, buying himself a few more moments to prepare.

"Has everything been alright here?" he asked. "Has anything suspicious happened? Anyone been around or called?"

"No," she answered; her hands starting to shake. "Rick was here this morning but no one else. What's wrong?"

Ryan took a breath and spoke calmly, not wanting to alarm her more than he already had. "She's going to be fine," he stated.

Johanna felt her stomach drop. "Oh God. What's happened? Where is she?"

"We got a call about a body," he began. "On the way to the scene an SUV barreled out of an alley and slammed into her, while a second vehicle kept our car blocked. She was hit several times," he told her, neglecting to give her the exact details of the accident. "When we got to her she was conscious and able to talk."

Johanna's face was ashen, her ears ringing with his words and her mind flashing back to that day in May when she had watched the news report about Kate's shooting. Ryan was still speaking and she had to force herself to focus.

"She was on her way to the hospital when I left. Esposito went with her; Lanie is going to meet them there."

She had to get to her; that was all she could think about. She had to get to her daughter. Now. She had to be there with her, she wasn't going to sit this one out like the last time. "Take me to her," Johanna said as she grabbed her phone and shoved her feet into a pair of Kate's shoes that had been discarded in the living room.

Ryan shook his head. "No, you need to stay put. I'm going to stay here with you; Esposito will call as soon as he has an update."

"No; you take me to my daughter!"

"Listen," Ryan said, "I know you're worried but she's going to be fine; her injuries appear to be minor. You need to stay put, we believe that this was a set up; that she was lured out."

Johanna looked at him and then walked off towards the bedroom. Ryan thought that he had won and that he had gotten through to her. He breathed a sigh of relief but the feeling was short lived as she reappeared with her purse in hand. She shoved her phone and gun inside of it and zipped it shut and then turned off the television before she turned towards him.

"I'm not staying put," she stated firmly.

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not," Johanna told him, her voice taunt with tension. "You take me to my daughter, now."

"No," he said firmly. "Esposito will call and update us about her condition. He'll probably bring her home in a few hours. You will stay here."

"The hell I will! That's my child! She's hurt, she needs me and I'm going to her."

"I swear to you that she's going to be fine," Ryan explained calmly. "It's minor injuries."

Emotion was clawing at her, that horrible remembrance of what it had been like to wait for a phone call the last time she had known that Kate was hurt, threatening to swallow her whole. She couldn't go through that again.

"No," Johanna all but yelled. "I'm not going to do this; not again. I'm not going to sit here and wait for phone calls or a news report to tell me my daughter's condition! I'm not going to take someone else's word for fact that she's fine," she cried as a few tears broke free. "I've already done that once! I can't go through that again and I won't. No one is going to keep me from her again."

It dawned on him then that Johanna was obviously referring to what she had gone through in the aftermath of Kate's shooting. Ryan was sympathetic to her plight and he tried to soften his approach, hoping to get through to her. "Mrs.…" he started to say and then dispensed with the formality as she had requested the night they had stayed with her. "Johanna," he said softly, "It's not like that. Kate hasn't been shot; it's nowhere near that serious. She's going to be fine. If I had any doubts about that I wouldn't hesitate to take you to her but I don't have those doubts and my job is to keep you safe for her."

"And my job, as her mother, is to go to her. Now you can either take me to her or I will walk out the door and go on my own. Now what's it going to be?"

Ryan was quiet for a moment as he assessed her expression which had hardened into determination; her green eyes glittering with challenge. She was obviously ready for a fight and he wished he didn't have to be her opponent. "You know I can't let you do that," he remarked.

"So you're going to take me?"

"No."

Anger flicked across her face as her jaw tightened. "Then you leave me no choice. I'll go alone."

Ryan stepped in front of her, blocking her way to the door. She sidestepped, but he anticipated the move and once again stayed in front of her, blocking her way.

"Just calm down," he told her. "I'll call Esposito and you can talk to him if you need more confirmation that she's fine; but I can't let you leave."

"Who's going to stop me?" she asked sharply.

"I am."

Johanna scoffed. "You better call for back up because I can assure you that you can't stop me alone."

"Don't do this to me," Ryan pleaded. "Just cooperate with me, okay?"

"I'll be happy to cooperate once I'm with Katie."

"I've already explained to you…"

"Goodbye," she told him as she skillfully dodged around him and raced for the door.

"Don't make me use force," he said as he quickly fell into step behind her, reaching out and snagging hold of her arm.

"You don't have it in you to use force on me," Johanna remarked. "I'm not a criminal and you're too respectful; and besides if you try it, I'm going to kick your ass and I don't think you want it getting around that a 61 year old woman beat the hell out of you."

He looked at her incredulously. "You think you can take me?"

"Honey, I know I can take you. You're not the type of a man that would hit a woman."

"I could arrest you," he stated.

"Go for it," she told him as she jerked her arm away. "But you'll have to catch me first."

With that statement made, she flung open the door and bolted through it before slamming it shut as she took off in a run.

It took Ryan a split second to get over his astonishment and then another second to jerk the door open and bolt after her. He turned in the direction of the elevator, figuring that's where she'd be headed, but she wasn't. He turned in the opposite direction just in time to see the door of the stairwell swing shut.

He had to hand it to her, she was slick taking the stairs instead of the elevator to throw him off. He plowed through the door of the stairwell and he could hear the sound of her heels echoing off the walls as they pounded down the stairs. He had her in sight by the time he made the third floor and he called out to her imploring her to stop but she kept going, although the sound of his voice had caused her to look behind her, making her loose speed and allowing him to gain on her. By the time they hit the second floor landing, he was able to reach out and grab a hold of her arm, forcing her to stop.

She tried to jerk away but he held firm despite his worry of hurting her by doing so.

"Let me go," she cried as she crumbled a bit more. "You don't understand…I have to get to her."

"Alright," Ryan relented. "Alright, you win, I'll take you."

"You're trying to trick me," she accused.

"I swear I'm not," he said as he cautiously loosened his grip. "Let's go back and lock the door and then I will take you to the hospital."

"You swear?"

Ryan nodded. "I swear."

Johanna hesitated for a moment and then decided to take the chance and trust him. "Okay."

"If I take you, I expect you to listen to me."

"Fine," she agreed.

---

When Ryan pulled into the hospital parking lot, he shot a quick glance at a pensive looking Johanna Beckett as she sat in the passenger seat.

"Listen," he said seriously, "When I park the car, you do not jump out and start running. You wait for me to come around to your side, okay?"

"Okay," Johanna answered; and to prove he could trust her, she kept her hand away from the door handle.

He found a place to park and then eyed her warily as he unbuckled his seat belt. She didn't make a move to get out so he hurriedly got out of the car and made his way around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. When she stepped out, he took hold of her elbow and escorted towards the entrance.

"Again, you don't take off on me in here," Ryan told her. "I don't want to have to cause a scene by chasing you down and then handcuffing you to me; but I will if I have to."

"I'm not going anywhere," she told him. "Just take me to Katie."

The doctor approached Esposito as he paced the hallway in the area outside of Kate's room. Lanie was inside with her so he had chosen to stand guard.

"Detective," the doctor said, and Esposito snapped to attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked. They had been told that her injuries were minor and non life threatening, if something had changed he didn't know how he'd ever make that phone call to Johanna…or to Castle for that matter.

"She's fine," the Doctor assured, "But she's agitated, she keeps calling out for her mother and someone named Castle. She needs to stay calm, so if it's possible to get her mother here, I think you should."

"I'm her mother," a voice said from behind them and Esposito turned to see a pale faced Johanna Beckett making quick strides towards them, with Ryan doing his best to hang on to her.

"Mrs. Beckett?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," she stated. "What's wrong with my daughter."

"She's very lucky, considering the accident she was in," the doctor replied.

Her stomach clenched at the thought, obviously Ryan hadn't told her how bad it was.

"She has a concussion; bruised ribs and a slight sprain in her wrist, probably from trying to hold on to the steering wheel to keep control of the car. She has very minor abrasions and cuts. She'll be fine, but as I told the Detective, she's been agitated since she came in and her friend hasn't been able to calm her down. She's been calling out for you and someone else she's calling Castle. Maybe now that you're here you can settle her down. I don't want to sedate her but she needs to be calm or it could worsen the concussion."

Johanna nodded. "I understand. Where is she?"

"This way," he told her, leading her to a room a few steps away.

Since the room was close by, Ryan and Esposito allowed the doctor to lead her away.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Esposito asked. "You're supposed to be at Beckett's."

Ryan shot him a look. "Allow me to tell you a few things I've learned in the last forty five minutes," he told his partner and than he began filling him in on his experience with Johanna Beckett.

When he finished, his friend chuckled although he took the situation seriously. "Well think of it this way, Ryan; if we ever have to break news to her again, we'll know how to prepare ourselves for it."

"Yeah," Ryan said, "Go in wearing body armor and cuff her first."

Johanna entered the hospital room and found Lanie standing at Kate's side, holding her hand, murmuring reassurances as tears slipped down Kate's cheeks.

Lanie looked up and caught sight of her with the doctor and Johanna could see the relief in her features. "She's here, Kate," she said softly. "You're mom's here and she's fine, just like I told you."

"Try and calm her down," the doctor instructed. "I'll be back in a little bit to check on her."

Johanna moved to the side of the bed, taking in the sight of the bandage on her daughter's forehead and the spot of blood visible beneath it. Her face was bruised, her left wrist wrapped and her arms littered with bruises cuts that she was sure had come from broken glass. There was an IV in her right hand, probably pumping mild pain killers into her, she thought. She gently brushed back a lock of her hair and laid a hand on her arm. "Katie," she said softly. "It's okay. I'm here."

Her eyes flicked open and she turned her head slowly in the direction of Johanna's voice.

"It's okay," she told her again. "I'm right here with you."

She could tell that Kate was disoriented as she gazed at her, her mind obviously working to comprehend what was going on.

"Mom?" she whispered.

"You're going to be alright. Just rest. I'm here now."

"You okay?" Kate asked groggily.

"I'm fine," she told her as she glanced at Lanie.

"I'll tell you later," the M.E. mouthed to Johanna.

Johanna nodded and turned her attention back to Kate. "Everyone's fine, Katie. Lanie's here, the boys are outside in the hallway and I'm staying right here with you."

"Castle," Kate whispered. "Where's Castle?"

She lightly rubbed her fingers across Kate's hairline, trying to give her comfort without hurting her. "Rick's in Atlantic City. Remember, he had to go to a writers conference there? He brought you coffee before he left this morning."

Kate's mind was so hazy as she tried to sort out all of her thoughts. It was too hard of a job to try and figure it all out; all she knew was that she needed him. She needed him there with her; she needed him there to watch over her mother because she knew she could trust him the most with the job. More tears slipped from her eyes. "I need him," she cried softly.

"I'll call him," Johanna replied. "I'll tell him what happened and I'm sure he'll get home as quickly as possible."

"You'll call?" Kate repeated.

"Yes, honey. I'll call Rick, but I want you to try and rest, okay? The doctor says you need to be calm."

"I want to go home."

"I'll take you home as soon as they say you can go," she told her. "But first you have to rest. Everything's alright, you just try and sleep a little, okay?"

"Don't leave me," Kate pleaded.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"I promise; now close your eyes."

Kate closed her eyes and Johanna continued to brush her fingertips along the un-bandaged portion of her forehead, and she carefully took hold of her hand, being careful not to put to much pressure on it or disturb the bandage that was keeping her wrist stable. She softly hummed an old lullaby that she had used to sing to her long ago, hoping that in her disoriented state that it would bring her comfort. After a few minutes, Kate had relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

Lanie dragged a chair over to the side of the bed for Johanna to sit down and then she retook her own chair on the opposite side where she had been sitting ever since Kate had been wheeled into the room.

"I'm glad you got here," Lanie said in a hushed voice. "She was very upset, wanting to get to you."

"I would've been here sooner," Johanna replied, "But I had to persuade Ryan to give me a ride."

"And by persuade, you mean what?" she asked; her eyes gleaming.

She smiled slightly. "Meaning I may have threatened him with bodily harm."

Lanie chuckled lightly. "Good for you."

"What was she saying? What had her so afraid?"

She hesitated, not sure if she should tell Johanna what had spilled from Kate's lips as she cried and pleaded to go to her mother. "She was worried about you."

"I gathered that," Johanna replied. "What else?"

Lanie took a breath. "She kept crying, saying she needed to get to you because they were going to kill you; she kept saying it was going to come true…whatever that means, I don't know, but she just kept mumbling that, that she needed to get home…she just seemed convinced that if she didn't get home right away that by the time she did, she'd find you dead on floor."

She had a feeling that she knew what Kate had meant by saying it was going to come true; she wasn't afraid to bet that it came back to that nightmare she had that had terrified her so badly that she had made herself sick and stayed home from work.

"I kept telling her that you were fine, that Ryan was with you, but she was so worked up that she wasn't comprehending it and then she started crying for Castle. I tried calling him but all I got was his voicemail, so did Javi. We figure he has his phone off."

Johanna unzipped her purse and took out her own phone. "I promised to call him, so I'm going to try."

His phone went to voicemail, just as Lanie had said, but she left a message anyway, hoping that when he checked it and saw her name as a missed call he wouldn't waste anytime in calling back.

The doctor returned a short time later and was pleased to find Kate relaxed and asleep.

"When will she be able to go home?" Johanna asked.

"I'm going to keep her for observation for a few hours," he replied. "If everything appears to be going alright and someone will be staying with her, I'll allow her to go home."

"I live with her. I'll be there to take care of her."

He nodded. "If she doesn't show any signs of growing worse, then she should be home sometime tonight."

---

The hours crept by as Johanna and Lanie kept vigil over Kate. Every time she whispered Castle's name in her sleep, Johanna took out her phone and tried to call him again despite the fact that his phone was obviously off. She had to do it though, she had promised, and she needed to feel as though she was doing something for her. Ryan and Esposito were lingering nearby in the waiting room, making their calls pertaining to the investigation of the accident, and confirming that the call Beckett had received about a body was bogus.

Satisfied that things were under control at the hospital, Esposito eventually left, leaving Ryan behind to escort Kate and Johanna home when the time came.

It was going on seven, and Kate was awake and more herself when the doctor finally deemed her ready to be released. He instructed Johanna in the signs to watch for that would require a return trip to the hospital and then he handed over the prescriptions which Lanie took and volunteered to get filled. Her injuries and the medication made it necessary for Johanna to help her dress, which she hated, due in part to her scars, but for the time being, her mother appeared to be distracted by the dark bruising of her ribs.

Johanna folded up the papers the doctors had given her and shoved them into her purse, along with Kate's belongings, not realizing that in the process she had bumped her phone and set it on silent.

After making sure they had everything, Johanna put her hand under Kate's elbow and held onto her as she stood up, and then guided her to out the door where Ryan stood waiting for them.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Kate answered. "Let's get out of here before they want to shine that damn light in my eyes again."

"Behave, Katie," Johanna replied. "It had to be done."

"Like mother, like daughter," Ryan scoffed as he eyed Johanna.

She shot him a look, hoping to silence him but apparently he no longer viewed her as a threat now that Kate was on her feet.

"She's already warned me that you'll be telling me an exaggerated story," Kate said as they made their way down the hallway.

"Oh, I've definitely got a story to tell you on the drive home," Ryan said, "And there won't be any need to exaggerate."

They both got into the back of the car, as Kate was momentarily reluctant to ride up front; and Johanna didn't seem willing to separate from her just yet. Once they had pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Ryan began to tell his story about his experience with the formidable Johanna Beckett.

Kate didn't doubt a word he said, it didn't surprise her at all and her mother was avoiding her gaze as the story was being told. She should be mad at her for taking off on him, but she couldn't find it within herself to feel that way. She couldn't even conjure up the urge to beret her for it and remind her of the dangers.

Lanie was waiting on them at the door when they arrived and she followed them inside along with Ryan. She gave the drugstore bag to Johanna. "Make her take those," Lanie instructed. "She'll say she doesn't need them but she's lying."

Kate smirked at her. "Thanks a lot, Lanie."

"You know how you are," her friend replied as she stepped closer to her and examined her pupils. "Still good, keep it that way."

"I'm fine," Kate insisted.

Lanie turned her attention back to Johanna. "Do you have my number?"

"Not in my phone but I'm sure I can find it in hers."

She nodded. "If there's any change in her or you feel like something is wrong, you call me immediately and I'll get right back over here."

"Alright," Johanna agreed.

"I'll come by in the morning before I go to work to check her over for you."

Johanna smiled. "Thank you, Lanie. I would appreciate that."

"Make her listen to you."

"I intend to."

"Don't hesitate to call me."

"I won't."

Lanie said goodnight to them and then she left, leaving Ryan behind with them.

"Gates has a detail on the building," he told Kate. "It'll be there round the clock for awhile."

"I figured that," she answered tiredly. "And for the first time that I can remember, I don't mind."

He gave her a light smile. "Then I guess you won't be sending them home this time."

"No, but only because I have more than just myself to worry about."

"Don't worry about your mother," he said, tossing an amused look at Johanna. "She's pretty tough, she can take care of herself."

Kate smiled. "I'd rather she didn't have to prove that and I'm sure she's sorry that she gave you a hard time…aren't you?"

Johanna shook her head. "Not really, but I think he'll forgive me."

"Of course I do," Ryan replied. "I have to or you might not feed me anymore and then Esposito will gloat."

"We can't have that," Johanna answered.

"Has Espo found out anything yet?" Kate asked.

"We know the call about the body was bogus. We had it traced, it came from a payphone and Esposito is having security camera footage pulled in the area. We're also pulling footage from the area of the accident and we have some statements from witnesses. The plates on the vehicle that cut us off we stolen, we couldn't get close enough to get the tag number of the vehicle that hit you, but I figure it's safe to assume that those plates were stolen also."

She could tell he was itching to get back to work with Esposito and that's exactly where she wanted him to be so she decided to cut him lose. "Thanks for bringing us home, Ryan. Get back to work. Let me know if anything turns up."

"You sure?" he asked. "I can stay."

"We'll be fine," she assured. "The buildings being watched, we'll be locked in and we're armed. I don't really think they'll be stupid enough to come around here tonight."

He nodded "Call if you need anything."

"We will," she promised.

Johanna locked the door after he left and then she unloaded her purse, dropping phones and weapons onto the coffee table, along with the papers from the hospital. Kate was pulling at the hospital bracelet on her wrist and Johanna went to the kitchen and fetched the scissors to cut it off of her.

"Thanks," she said. "I hate those things."

Her mother gave her a weak smile and Kate knew she was worried and troubled but she didn't know how to ease that problem for her.

"You need clean clothes," Johanna said as she eyed the dried spots of blood on Kate's shirt.

"Yeah, and I'd say buttons, snaps and zippers are out," she said recalling the difficulty she had at the hospital.

"Come on, I'll help you," Johanna told her as she took hold of her elbow and guided her down the hallway to her bedroom.

"I hate this already," Kate said as her fingers fumbled with the buttons of her blouse.

"It's just the medicine, Katie," she said as she took a green tank top and a pair of leggings from the dresser drawer before she moved back to the center of the room where Kate was standing.

"How long is it going to last?" she demanded to know as her fingers slipped away from the top button once again. "I feel ridiculous having to depend on my mother to dress me at my age."

Johanna laid the clothes on the bed and then carefully pushed Kate's agitated hands away and she gave her a patient smile. "I'm sure it'll be out of your system by tomorrow," she told her as she reached for the buttons of Kate's blouse and began slipping them from their holes with ease. "And there's no reason for you to feel ridiculous. You're hurt and you need help, there's no shame in that; especially when the person providing the help is your mother. I've dressed you more times than you can imagine."

"That was different," she muttered.

Johanna sighed; she had forgotten how cranky and stubborn her daughter could be when she was sick or hurt. "Katie, if I was hurt and needed help, would you help me?"

"Of course I would. You're my mother."

Johanna caught her gaze and held it. "And you're my daughter, so don't worry about it," she said as she carefully pulled the blouse off of her shoulders and down her arms. She tossed it aside and picked up the tank top to help her slip it on when her eyes caught sight of the round scar on Kate's chest.

She froze, her eyes glued to that mark that had marred her child; the reminder of the bullet she had taken in the pursuit of justice for her…for a woman who didn't require it, the woman who had lied and ran and destroyed her family.

It should've been her; she should've been the one to take that bullet, not her daughter. She had done this, she had caused it. Her mind once again flashed back to that day in May when she had watched that news report and felt the world shatter beneath her feet once again. She remembered the darkness of those days, of waiting for the phone calls that would update her on Kate's condition. She remembered how she prayed, how she begged god to let her child live. She remembered the gun in the nightstand…how she thought about using it, and as she stood there with her eyes glued to that scar, she wished she had because seeing the evidence of what Kate had endured was almost too much to bear.

When Johanna had paused, Kate had thought she was examining the bruises on her side but then as she watched her mother's expression turn anguished, and the tears fill her eyes, she realized that her gaze was directed at the bullet shaped scar she bore in the center of her chest.

Her mother's fingers reached out to touch the mark but halted in mid-air, trembling, and then drawing back. Kate managed to get her own fingers to cooperate and she grasped Johanna's wrist and laid her hand against her heart.

"It's okay," she said softly. "I'm okay."

Johanna shook her head. "It's not okay," she cried, the sob tearing from her throat painfully.

"I survived," Kate stated. "It's okay. I'm fine. I healed; my heart is healthy and strong, just like it always was. Do you feel it?" she asked her as she pressed her hand against her chest. "It's still beating."

"I'm so sorry," Johanna murmured through her tears. "I'm so sorry, Katie. I never meant for you to get hurt. I never wanted this to happen."

"I know you didn't. It's not your fault."

"It is," she insisted. "It's all my fault. I'm just as guilty as the person who did this to you."

"No," Kate said firmly. "You are not guilty of this; you didn't do this. I'm the one who couldn't let the case go; I'm the one who had to keep chasing it. You didn't put me on their radar; I put myself on it. They came after me because of my actions, not yours. I dug too much, just like you did and they wanted to get rid of me. That's not your fault."

"It should've been me," she cried. "I wish it was me…I wish they would've found me and made me take that bullet instead of you."

"Don't say that," Kate told her as tears pricked her own eyes.

Johanna lowered her head as the tears continued to flow. "You should hate me for the rest of your life…just like I hate myself."

"I don't hate you," she told her mother, "And I'm not going too. Hating you wouldn't change anything and it wouldn't make either one of us feel better."

"It's what I deserve," Johanna replied. "I'm the worst kind of mother there is."

"Please stop," Kate pleaded. "Don't do this to yourself. You're not the worst kind of mother…you're my mother…and you've always loved me with every fiber of your being, and I know that you still do, despite our issues. Do I wish that you had done things differently and told us what was going on? Yes, of course I do, but I get why you didn't; why you felt like you couldn't. You were terrified; they scared you into believing that Dad and I would be in danger if you didn't comply. You lied to us…but not to be cruel, you did it because you love us and you wanted to keep us safe and that doesn't make you a terrible person or a bad mother. It makes you the person I've always known you to be…you were always the type of person who would sacrifice herself for someone else; especially if it was someone you loved. Yes, it hurts, and there's anger, but I understand, and you don't need to keep torturing yourself over this. We're both here now and we'll be okay."

Johanna pulled her hand away, but Kate kept a grip on it, not allowing her to sever all contact.

"Everyday I spent away from the two of you was my own personal hell," Johanna said softly, "And then that day when your picture flashed onto the TV screen and I heard that report…I just wanted to die, Katie. I just wanted to die. I couldn't stand the thought of living in a world that you weren't apart of. You don't know how I feel inside…the guilt I have, that's never going to go away. I am always going to blame myself for this."

"You shouldn't," Kate replied quietly. "You thought you were keeping me safe; you didn't know that I would try and find the person responsible for taking you away from me. I'm the one who bears the responsibility for my actions; not you."

She swiped a shaky hand across her eyes and tried to get a hold of herself as she forced her gaze back to her daughter's face. It was pointless to argue the point, Kate couldn't make her change the way she felt; she couldn't absolve her of her guilt. No one could, that was all hers for the keeping. She stayed quiet as she held out the tank top for Kate to slip into; and then she unsnapped her jeans and unzipped them and then held her steady as Kate wiggled out of them, trading them for the grey leggings she had pulled from the dresser for her.

When she was finished dressing, Johanna began to move away, but Kate caught hold of her arm and stepped closer to her. "I think I still have enough pain medicine in my system to withstand this, but don't squeeze me too hard," she told her mother as she wrapped her arms around her.

It took her a moment to react, but then she carefully enfolded her daughter in her embrace and held on to her lightly, trying desperately to keep from hurting her sore ribs, but unable to decline the gesture. She needed to hold her, to have that moment of comfort and affection that she was giving willingly, without the emotion of a fearful nightmare behind it. She savored it; even if she was in the mindset that she didn't quite deserve it.

"I love you," Johanna whispered.

"I know."

Silence fell as they held onto to each other, but there was a shift between them. Johanna couldn't help but feel like Kate had just created a door in that wall she kept between them, and instead of throwing the locks on it, she was leaving it ajar, allowing her to slip inside.

"You okay?" Kate asked.

Johanna nodded and then reluctantly released her. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked, "Because I need you to have yourself together. I know you're going to force me to take the medicine when it's due, and it's going to make me sleep. Gates is keeping a unit on the building tonight, but I need you to help me by staying alert tonight."

"I will be," she told her. "I'll be up keeping an eye on you; and I'll be alert for anything that seems off. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Kate replied. "Like I told Ryan, I don't really think anyone will risk coming around tonight, but I don't want to take chances. We're going to keep our guard up tonight. Make sure both of our phones are on; keep the guns nearby and within easy reach."

"Alright," Johanna said, "I'll follow your orders, and you follow the orders I give that the doctor gave me."

Kate sighed. "That's the part I hate."

Her mother managed a smile. "But you'll listen to me anyway, won't you?"

"I'll do my best."

"Katherine," Johanna said.

"Okay," she relented. "I'll listen…for tonight."

"For as long as I deem necessary," she told her as she walked her back out into the living room and helped her settle onto the sofa.

"Did you call Dad?"

Johanna froze, she hadn't even thought of it. Just as she reached for her phone, an angry sounding knock sounded at the door and she had a feeling that she knew who it was…and that he wasn't going to be happy with her.

"You didn't call him, did you?" Kate whispered.

Johanna shook her and then moved towards the door. "Who is it?"

Her husband's voice responded just as she had expected and she quickly unlocked the door and allowed him in, her gaze taking in the sight of his taunt features and the unmistakable flicker of anger lingering in his eyes.

"Where's Katie?" Jim demanded to know.

"I'm right here, Dad," Kate replied. "I'm fine."

He cast his wife a glance that did nothing to put her at ease and then he moved towards the couch as Kate pushed herself upwards into a seated position. Jim reached for her hand and he took it for a moment.

"You're alright?" he asked; needing confirmation one more time.

"Just a little banged up," she replied as she forced a light smile to her lips for him.

He breathed a sigh of relief and then turned his gaze towards his wife. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded to know.

"I didn't think about it," Johanna admitted in all honesty, as her mind hadn't been in the right set to think clearly at the time of the accident.

"You didn't think about it?" Jim said harshly. "I'm your husband and you don't think to call me when something is wrong with our daughter?"

Johanna struggled to hold herself in check as her emotions were already close to the surface. "All I could think about was getting to her and then when I got there, the doctor was telling me to keep her calm and I just didn't think," she rambled. "I'm sorry."

"Relax, Dad. It's not that serious."

"It's always serious to me when you're hurt, Katie," he stated before turning his attention back to Johanna. "You could've at least answered your phone when I called you…twice."

"You didn't call me," Johanna retorted.

"Yes I did, Johanna. I called you as soon as I walked out of the office. You didn't answer, it went to voicemail. I figured you were in the shower or something and would call back. I went home and you still hadn't called, so I called you again and got the same thing. I called Katie and I couldn't get her either. I knew Rick was out of town so I called Esposito and he told me everything, which I guess is a good thing or I wouldn't know a damn thing about what's going on around here."

"I'm telling you that you did not call me," Johanna stated hotly. "I had the damn phone in my purse, my purse was right beside me, I would've heard it."

Kate picked up her mother's phone from the coffee table and checked it. "You must've bumped it," she told her as she fiddled with the phone. "It was on silent."

"Are there missed calls?" Jim asked.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," Johanna said once again.

Before he could say anything else there was an insistent knock at the door followed by the voice of Rick Castle calling out, "Kate! Johanna!"

Johanna hurried towards the door and opened it.

"Is she okay?" he asked as soon the door cracked open.

"She's fine, Rick," Johanna answered.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine too," she said as she stepped back and allowed him in, directing him to the couch which he hurried towards.

"I'm okay," Kate told him as his eyes moved over her, obviously looking for her injuries.

He perched on the edge of the coffee table, facing her, and ran a hand over his face. "They asked us to turn our phones off at the conference. When I got outside and turned mine back on and saw the words, 'Johanna, four missed calls,' I almost had a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," Kate said softly.

He shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. As long as you're okay, my heart will recover…as soon as it finds its way back from my toes."

"Minor injuries," she stated. "I'll be fine."

"Johanna told me in her message," he answered and then he turned to her. "I tried to call you to tell you I was on my way back but I got your voicemail."

"She bumped it and put it on silent," Kate said; saving her mother another explanation.

"Sorry, Rick," she said quietly.

"Hey, it's okay," he told her. "I figured that maybe the hospital had asked you to turn it off. Don't worry about it."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Jim said. "You called Rick four times but you didn't call me once!"

"She was asking for him!" Johanna exclaimed. "Lanie said she'd been asking for me and him the entire time before I got there, and after I was there she was still asking for him, so yes, I called him, because I told her I would."

Jim cut his gaze to his daughter, unsure if he was seeking her out for confirmation of the statement or confirmation that he hadn't rated on the list of people who were needed.

"Sorry, Dad. The next time I have a concussion and I'm talking out of my head, I'll try to remember that it's your turn to be asked for."

"No," Johanna said, "No next time, Katie. My nerves can't take it."

"I'll try to refrain from getting hurt, Mother. Trust me; I don't go around getting into accidents for fun."

"The fact remains that someone, somewhere, should've called me," Jim said. "Preferably my wife since she had been informed, but if you weren't able to, anyone else would've done just as well. I'm her father!"

"I know!" Johanna exclaimed. "I was there!"

Castle caught Kate's eye and gave her a small smile at that remark. She returned the gesture but then she glanced at her mother's face and saw the frustration and sheen of tears that were building in her eyes. It was time for her to intervene and save her mother. She understood that her father had been afraid and worried but she couldn't allow him to keep taking his frustrations out on her when she hadn't purposely done anything wrong.

"Get off her back," Kate stated. "She didn't do anything wrong. She was worried and scared, she had to threaten Ryan and make an escape attempt just to get to me herself so I think you can cut her some slack for letting details slip her mind. All that matters is that I'm fine, she's fine, she was with me, we both got home safely and everyone who needs to be here is here now and up to date on my wellbeing so leave her alone, okay?"

Jim knew he was being harsh and ridiculous, but a part of him couldn't help but feel stung by the fact that Kate had asked for Rick and Johanna but not him. He was her father, he was just as capable of caring for her and giving her comfort as the two people sharing the room with him; he'd done it before after all. He'd been her sole caregiver after the shooting and now it felt like he had slipped back down the ladder of importance.

"What are you thinking about, Dad?" she asked as she watched his expression.

"I was thinking about how now I know where I rank in the scheme of things," he told her.

"And where do you think that is?"

"Third."

"What do you mean third!" Johanna demanded to know.

"Well there's Rick and then you and then me."

"It would be wrong of me to gloat about coming in first, wouldn't it?" Castle whispered to Kate.

"It would probably be in poor taste," she answered and then turned her gaze to her father. "I wasn't aware there was an order of importance in my life, or a contest about who's first. I think there's enough of me to go around. All of you own a piece of me; you should all know that by now."

"And besides," Johanna said, "If there was a ranking order, you'd be second and I'd be third," she told Jim.

"It's not a contest," Kate repeated. "If I had to choose between all of you I wouldn't be able to."

"You'd choose Rick," Jim and Johanna both said at the same time.

"I win again," Castle declared.

"Don't let it go to your head," Kate replied.

"So it's true?"

"Of course it's true," Jim told him. "Everyone knows it."

"Okay, let me rephrase this," Kate said. "If I had to choose between my parents, I wouldn't be able to."

"You'd pick your mother," Jim said as began to feel foolish for airing his ridiculous thoughts and starting this conversation. "And that's okay, because I'd pick her too."

"I love you, Dad," she told him.

"I know you do," he answered. "Just overlook me. I panicked when I couldn't reach the two of you and then when I found out you were hurt…it just brought back bad memories, Katie. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, we'll forgive you this time…won't we?" she asked her mother.

Johanna nodded. "We always do."

"Okay, now that that's settled, can I have a few moments alone with Castle?"

"Of course," Johanna said as she grabbed her husband's sleeve and forced him to follow her in the direction of the hallway.

"Don't yell at her any more," Kate said to her father as the crossed the room. "Try being consoling this time."

They went into Johanna's room and closed the door, giving Kate and Rick the privacy they had asked for.

Johanna ran her hands over her face and then pushed her hair back as she began to pace the length of the room.

"I'm sorry," Jim said quietly as he caught hold of her on her second pass. "When I couldn't reach either one of you…I thought the worst. And then when Esposito told me what was going on and that she had been hurt…like I said; it was bad memories, Johanna. It was bad enough being there and seeing her get hurt the last time, but to not know, to be left out of the loop, that's just as terrifying. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"It didn't do my heart or nerves any good either," Johanna replied; a hint of sharpness in her tone. "I may not have been here last year but I have my own bad memories of the occasion."

"I know," he answered as he tugged her closer but she didn't sink into his embrace as she had expected.

She shook her head, "You don't know how I felt then and you don't know how I felt today when Ryan came to the door. Do you think I didn't panic?"

"I'm sure you did."

"I know I should've called you," she went on, venting her own feelings. "But I didn't think about it. I was too busy thinking about her and being caught up in my own worries, fears and bad memories to think of anyone else and if that makes me a terrible person…well then add it to the list with the rest of my sins."

"Hey," he said softly, brushing his knuckles against the stubborn set of her jaw. "You are not now, nor have you ever been a terrible person. That's our girl, we both panicked, and neither one of us appears to be thinking straight. I'm sorry, Johanna. I know you would've called me if you had been thinking clearly."

She said nothing as she kept her gaze on the floor and he felt terrible inside for making things worse for her. Now that he had vented his frustration and had seen them both and knew they were fine, he could take a step back and take the situation for what it was; she had been scared, getting to their daughter had been her goal. She'd done what any mother would do, she placed her child's welfare above anyone else and their feelings and he couldn't fault her for that.

He could tell that there had been tears at some point during the evening as her eyes still held redness and he expected more to fall as she gave in and laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him, her fingernails digging into his back as she clung to him tightly. She was going to hold herself together though, he could feel the shift in her as if she were somehow putting a wall between herself and her emotions for the time being as she concentrated on the task ahead which would be nursing their daughter back to health.

He held her tightly, feeling the tension in her body and he whispered another apology in her ear before telling her that he loved her.

"I knew something was wrong," she whispered. "I just had this feeling that something wasn't right, and I had wished that you were here with me…but I told myself that I was imagining things."

"Why didn't you call?" he asked softly. "I told you that you could call me if you needed me."

"You were working and I didn't have any proof that something wasn't right. I felt like it would be silly."

"I don't care if it is. If you feel like something is wrong than you call me. I'll come to you, Johanna. I'm always going to come to you."

She released a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry."

"No, no more apologies," he whispered. "You're not to blame. Katie's going to be alright. Everything's going to be okay."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Would I say it if I didn't?"

"Yes," she whispered. "You'll say anything to make me feel better."

"That may be true," Jim replied, "But that doesn't change the fact that I believe things will work out."

She raised her head to look at him and he took the opportunity to kiss her tenderly. "It's going to be a long night," she told him.

"I'm going to be right here with you."

"You don't…"

"I'm staying," he said; cutting off her statement. "I'm staying right here. I'm not leaving the two of you."

Johanna nodded and then bit her lip as she debated saying what was on the tip of her tongue.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm taking care of her," she stated.

Jim smiled and nodded. "I won't step on your toes or get in the way of your maternal instincts."

She smiled slightly. "I guess I've been officially initiated now."

"Initiated into what?"

"I've been initiated as a parent of a cop," Johanna said as she laid her head against his chest once again.

"Welcome to the club," he told her. "Lifetime membership."

"Can we make her quit?"

He chuckled lightly. "I wish."

"It was worth a shot," she replied.

---

With her parents out of the room, Kate was able to concentrate fully on her partner and his worried expression that remained in place even in those moments when he had tried to lighten the mood.

"I shouldn't have left you," he said quietly. "I should've been there."

"No, if you had been there, you would've gotten hurt too and I don't want that, Castle. I don't ever want you to get hurt because of me."

"But you were alone in the car…you were probably scared," he replied. "And in her message she was saying that you were calling for me…and I…well let's just say I broke a lot of traffic laws getting back here."

She gave him a small smile. "You're right, I was scared, and I wanted you. I wanted you to come to me, I was worried about my mom and I wanted you to be here to take care of her for me…"

"And I would have," he interrupted. "I would've been there for you, I would've kept her safe…I would've taken care of both of you…I should've been here."

Kate laid a hand against his cheek as she slid forward on the sofa so they were closer. "Castle, you can't blame yourself for going to your conference. That was your job; you didn't know something was going to happen anymore than I did. I know you would've taken care of us. I know you would've been there, that's why I was asking for you. I know I can depend on you above all people."

He leaned into the feel of her hand. "God, Kate…I turned my phone on and saw those calls from your mother and from Esposito and Lanie and I couldn't find your name among them and I just panicked. Even after listening to Johanna's messages, because she gave me a very concise message telling me of your injuries and that you were fine, but it didn't help. I just had to get here…I'm not afraid to tell you that I was terrified."

"I'm sorry, Castle."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault."

"I know but I scared you…I scared everyone I guess."

He gave her a weak smile. "You really have to stop doing that, Kate. You're going to give someone heart failure."

She smiled. "I'll try."

"We'll get you a new hobby."

"Sounds good, because you know how I feel about hospitals."

He nodded. "And I'm not going out of town anymore until this is finished."

She should tell him not to think that way, that if he had to go he should but she couldn't…she didn't want him to be too far away. The distance between her apartment and the loft was enough.

"Okay, you stay in town and I'll do my best to avoid giving you a heart attack," she stated.

"Deal."

She wanted to lighten his mood so she said, "You think you had problems, Ryan had to tango with my mother…needless to say but he lost."

He chuckled softly. "Doesn't surprise me a bit, what happened?"

Kate told him the story that had been told to her and his spirits lightened somewhat only to turn serious again as he asked her about the investigation of the accident. She filled him in on what Ryan had told her. "You can call him or Espo later and ask if there's anything new, if you want," she told him.

"I'll check in with them," he said, and from the look on his face she knew what was coming next and she hated to shoot him down, but she felt like she had to even though she didn't want to.

"Castle, I know you're going to want to stay here with me tonight," she began.

"Don't you want me to?" he asked; a flicker of hurt seeping into his eyes.

"Yes, of course I do, but…"

"But, what? If you want me here than I'll stay. I'll take care of you."

"Rick," she started again, her tone soft. "I do want you here and this isn't me pushing you away, I swear. It's just that…I think my mom needs to be the one to take care of me tonight."

"But…"

She laid a finger against his lips. "Let me explain why," she told him and then she quietly told him about Johanna seeing her scars and the emotional conversation that they had.

"She blames herself," she stated; "For the shooting, for this, and I just think she needs to be the one to be here for me tonight and I can't take that from her. She needs to feel like she's my mom and that she's helping me."

"I understand." Castle could only imagine the upheaval Johanna's emotions had gone through in the aftermath of this accident and being confronted with the evidence of the shooting that led her on the journey home.

"You sure?" Kate asked.

"Yes," he assured. "You're right, she needs to be here for you tonight without anyone else stepping on her toes and I'm sure your Dad will be here."

She nodded. "And Gates has a unit on the building."

"Can I call and check in every so often?"

"Yes," she replied, "But you should probably call her. She'll have to stay up to keep waking me every so often and the medicine is probably going to make me groggy so you'll most likely have to talk to her for your updates."

"That's fine; as long as I can be kept in the loop."

She slid forward a bit more. "I'm going to give you the same speech I gave my mother," she stated as she reached out for him. "Don't squeeze too hard and I can withstand this."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping away from her ribs as she embraced him. When she pulled back, she kissed him, needing the contact and proof that she was alright just as much as he did.

He kissed her once more and then she told him to call her parents back into the room. He made sure Johanna was alright with him calling to check in and then he said his goodbyes, leaving Kate in the capable hands of her mother.

---

As the evening wore on and her adrenalin crashed, Kate began to feel the effects of the accident more severely. Her entire body ached as it reacted to the trauma she had been through and all she wanted was to sleep and forget about the whole thing.

Sleep, however, wasn't an easy thing to accomplish between the pain and the wait for medication to kick in once her mother coaxed her into taking it; and then of course there was the fact that her mother was being a diligent nurse and waking her every few hours to check the status of her concussion just as the doctor had instructed.

She was okay with this for awhile, but then once midnight had passed and the night seemed to become never ending, she began to get agitated. The rational side of her brain knew and understood that her mother had to keep waking her up, but unfortunately for Johanna, that side of Kate's brain was easily overruled by the side that advocated crankiness and the tendency to be a bad patient.

Johanna had sent Jim to bed hours before as she didn't feel there was any sense in both of them losing sleep and she was taking her daughter's surliness in stride, just as she took Castle's hourly phone calls in the same manner. By 4:00, she was glad he had called as Kate's latest wake up call hadn't gone over very well.

"How is she?" Castle asked when Johanna answered the call.

"Very cranky," she sighed as she cast a glance at her daughter's angry looking expression.

He gave a light laugh on the other end of the line. "That's a good sign. I'd worry if she took these wake-up calls well."

She chuckled. "In that case, I'll take her crankiness as a sign that we're on the road to recovery."

"I'm glad you two can laugh," Kate stated testily.

"Oh," Castle said, "That is major crankiness."

"Yes it is," she agreed. "Maybe you should talk to her for a while…see if you can do something about that."

"Alright, but keep in mind that I'm not a miracle worker."

"Here, Katie," Johanna said as she handed her the phone. "Talk to Rick, maybe that will make you feel better."

She took the phone from her mother's hand and said 'Hello'.

"Are you giving your mother a hard time?" Castle asked.

"I wouldn't if she'd quit waking me up every five minutes," she retorted.

"It's not every five minutes," he heard Johanna say.

"Could've fooled me," she grumbled.

"You know she has to do it, Kate," he said gently.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "But it gets old after the first few times."

"I'm sure it does, but getting upset about it isn't going to help matters."

"I'm not upset."

"You're not?"

"No."

"Then I guess you're just doing a really good imitation of it," Castle lightly teased.

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Aren't you glad I sent you home?" she asked; her voice a bit softer.

"No," he told her honestly. "I'd rather be there with you, making sure you're fine but I understand that your mom needs to be the one to take care of you tonight, and I understand why you need to allow her to do that."

"Do you?" she asked, hoping he'd catch the meaning as she didn't want to say too much with her nurse hovering nearby.

"Yes, I know you're not pushing me away."

"Good, because I'm not."

"I get it, Kate," he promised. "Don't worry about it."

"But I do worry about it," she said, the words slipping out without her permission.

"You don't need to. I think we're in a better place now…a more stable place."

"Me too," she agreed.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," she sighed. "I ache and I'm tired but I'm fine."

"Don't be too hard on your nurse," he told her.

She began to laugh softly but the action caused her to gasp at the pain in her ribs that the action caused.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked in concern.

"Nothing, except we can probably cross laughing off the list of things I can do right now."

"Sorry."

"It's fine," Kate told him. "She'll probably make me swallow another pill here soon anyway."

"Relax, Kate," Castle replied. "Just try and relax and everything will be okay. You'll be back to yourself before you know it."

"I hope so, I need to get back to work."

"Work will wait," Johanna said in the background.

"Someone is definitely in mom mode," Castle remarked.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I don't stand a chance."

"She's going to walk all over you and make you cooperate," he teased.

"You're not making me feel better here, Castle."

"I'll come over in the morning and kiss your boo-boos," he told her. "That will make you feel better."

She laughed and then regretted it as another twinge shot through her.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I forgot that laughter is on the do-not list…although I don't think the topic of my kissing is a laughing matter. I take it very seriously, I'll have you know."

Kate grinned and felt her cheeks grow warm. "I know."

He laughed and she could imagine the boyish grin that was most likely on his lips.

"What about you, Detective? Do you take your kissing seriously?"

"I think you probably know the answer to that."

"All I know is that you're very, very good at it," he remarked.

"You're not too bad yourself, Castle," Kate stated, not knowing any other way to answer that question while her mother was in the room with her.

"I know," he boasted playfully.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just so proud of yourself, aren't you?"

"What's not to be proud of? I mean really, I'm a masterpiece in every way possible."

She bit back a laugh. "You're not supposed to be making me laugh, Castle."

"Laugh? I'm serious."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head today?"

"Positive," he stated. "You cornered the market on head injuries today…and by the way, don't do that anymore."

"It wasn't my idea to do it this time."

"I know," he said. "I just keep remembering that moment of horrified panic I felt when I looked at my phone and it said 'Johanna, four missed calls'."

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for. It's not your fault, Kate. Like your Dad said, the thought of you being hurt brings up bad memories."

"Yeah, I know, but let's not think about that," she said as a yawn escaped her lips.

"Getting sleepy?" he asked.

"Yes. You probably are too; I know you've been calling to check in every hour."

"I'm fine. Making sure that you're fine is my priority. I'll catch up on sleep later, but I'll let you go so you can get some sleep, take it easy on your mom, she's just doing her job."

"I know," she replied. "Are you coming over in the morning?"

"What do you think?"

"See you later, Castle," Kate said with a soft smile.

"See you later," he replied. "Tell Johanna to call me if you need anything."

"I will," she promised before they said goodbye and she ended the call.

"Feeling better?" Johanna asked as Kate handed the phone back to her.

"A little," she admitted.

"Good."

"I'm sorry," Kate told her. "I…"

Johanna held up a hand to silence her. "You're hurt and tired, Katie. I can overlook your crankiness…I've done it before."

She smiled. "Having flashbacks of my toddler days?"

Johanna laughed. "Infancy, toddler, school age, pre-teen, teenager…"

"When you say it like that it sounds like I've been cranky most of my life," Kate remarked.

She shook her head. "No, you were a happy baby and a happy kid, the crankiness and the whining usually only came out during moments of illness or boredom…although I admit there were a few times when it felt like it may be a never ending mood for you."

"You've had your moments too," Kate told her.

"I know," Johanna said as she got up from her chair and moved to Kate's side to check her over once again.

"Still okay?"

"You're still okay," Johanna assured.

"Can I sleep?"

Her mother smiled. "For awhile."

Kate sighed deeply and then shifted into a more comfortable position. "I'll take what I can get."

---

She woke her again around 6:30 and then Kate found it impossible to go back to sleep, not that it would've mattered if she could, as the first knock at the door sounded at a little after seven. Her father went and answered it, allowing Lanie to sweep into the apartment.

"Well aren't you the picture of crankiness?" Lanie stated as she examined the expression on Kate's face as she sat huddled in the corner of the couch, her pillow against her sore left side.

"You could say that," Kate answered.

"Don't make the mistake I made and tell her good morning," Jim told Lanie.

"Are you being mean to your dad?" she asked as she sat down beside her.

"No, I just asked him what the hell was good about it."

Lanie glanced at Jim. "What did you say to that?"

"Nothing, I was afraid to answer."

"Shame on you, Kate," Lanie said lightly as Johanna entered the room from the kitchen.

"There's the person you should feel sorry for," Jim stated.

"You being hard on your mama too?" she asked.

"Only when she provokes me," Kate answered.

"Don't worry, Lanie," Johanna said, "I can take it."

"How'd she do through the night besides the crankiness?"

Johanna gave her a run down of how Kate had fared and when she had last taken her medication and then Lanie pulled the small light from her pocket.

"Lanie, don't shine that damn light in my eyes," Kate stated as her friend clicked the instrument on.

"Hey, I skipped breakfast just to come over here and shine this damn light in your eyes, so you just cooperate."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine, but only because you asked so nicely."

Lanie smirked at her, "I'm glad this concussion hasn't affected your ability to be a smart ass."

"She gets that from her father," Johanna stated.

Jim shook his head. "Don't believe her, Lanie. She gets it from her."

"I'll just give you each fifty percent of the blame," she replied as she shined the light in Kate's eyes and examined her. "How about that?"

"That works," Johanna said lightly. "I'll make you breakfast, Lanie."

"You don't have to do that. I'm not like Ryan and Esposito who come over here looking for a free hand out."

"Oh that's alright, I don't mind. I need to fix breakfast anyway and you may as well stay and eat."

"You may as well just agree," Kate told her as another knock came at the door. "She's not going to let you go to work without being fed."

Lanie smiled. "In that case I accept."

Jim opened the door and Castle told him good morning and then made his way to Kate's side. "How are you?" he asked.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," she answered. "But other than that, I'm great."

"She's a little on the sarcastic side this morning, Rick," Johanna told him.

"Not the first time," Castle remarked as he looked to Lanie. "Is she doing okay?"

"She's doing fine."

"Where's my coffee?" Kate asked as she took note of Castle's empty hands.

"No coffee," Lanie and Johanna both declared simultaneously.

She looked at them in shock. "What do you mean no coffee?"

"The papers from the hospital said to avoid caffeine," Johanna explained. "That means no coffee."

"Are you serious?" she complained.

"Kate, caffeine is a stimulant and that's not a good for a concussion," Lanie told her. "You're going to have to do without it."

"Great," she said. "Just great. I can't sleep longer than two hours at a time, I can't work, I can't have coffee, what else?"

"It's okay," Johanna replied. "We'll let you keep Rick."

He grinned at her and she smiled weakly.

"I know what you're thinking," he said.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"You're thinking that you'd willingly trade me in for a cup of coffee."

She smiled. "That's not true…I was just wishing that the coffee came with you…like it usually does."

"As soon as you're better I'll get you all the coffee you want," he promised.

"Isn't that sweet," Lanie teased as Jim once again went to open the door once again.

"The gangs all here," he announced as Ryan and Esposito entered the apartment.

"Damn, Beckett," Esposito said. "You didn't look this bad when you and Castle took the car for a plunge in the river."

"What?" Johanna asked.

Kate glared at him. "I thought I told you that she was never to know about that?"

"Slipped out," he said sheepishly.

"Your car went into the river?" Johanna asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"I got her out," Castle told her.

"I've heard that line before, Rick," Johanna responded.

"It's true every time I say it," he assured.

"When did this happen, Katie?" Jim asked somewhat sternly.

"Didn't I tell you?" she asked, knowing that she hadn't.

"Obviously not."

"It was several months ago," Ryan supplied, "But they weren't hurt."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jim asked.

"Because I was working on a case I couldn't discuss and I didn't want you to worry," she replied.

She watched as her parents shared a look and she glared at Esposito again.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to get you in trouble with your parents."

"That's alright," Kate replied. "It's just been that kind of week."

"We knew you'd want to get your report done so you can get a new car as soon as you get back so we brought you your paperwork," Ryan said as he held a folder out towards her.

"Good, I can get this done today," she said as she took it.

"No you won't," Johanna said as she snatched it from her hands. "No work means no work. All you'll be doing today is resting."

She sighed; it wouldn't do her any good to argue. Once Johanna had hidden the folder containing her work, she fixed breakfast and fed all of them and then sent them off to work with promises to call if anything was wrong. She then left the mess from breakfast sit while she left Kate in the care of Jim and Castle and went off to take a shower.

"Dad," Kate said sweetly as she eyed him; "Let me have a sip of your coffee."

"Your mother said no coffee," he replied.

"Who's going to tell her? I'm not. Castle, are you going to tell her if I have one sip of coffee?"

He shook his head, "I wasn't even here."

"See, she won't know. She's still in the shower, just one quick sip and I'll hand it back to you."

"My coffee's black, Katie, you don't like it that way," Jim replied.

"I don't care," she told him. "I'm desperate."

"No."

"One sip!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice. "One sip won't hurt."

"Your mother said no caffeine."

"I don't care what she said!" she retorted. "I'm the boss here."

Jim laughed, "You're not today."

She shifted her gaze to Castle and before she could say a word, he stated, "No comment."

She glared at him and then turned her attention back to her father. "Come on, Dad; you're not afraid of her, are you?"

He smiled at his daughter. "When it comes to her most prized possession, I try to toe the line. It would probably be easier for you to harass Rick into getting you some coffee."

"He's not going to break," Kate stated as she glanced at him. "Ryan's done put the word out that she's definitely worth fearing."

Jim looked to Castle and grinned. "Are you boys afraid of my wife?"

"Only when she's in Mama Bear mode," Castle replied.

He laughed. "I don't blame you."

Kate decided it was time to play hard ball. "If you don't give me a sip of your coffee, I'm going to tell her about that time she was out of town when I was seven and you forgot to have someone pick me up at the house after school and I was home all alone, and by the time you came home I was trying to cook dinner for myself."

"You already blackmailed me for that," Jim stated. "I had to buy you a Happy Meal and a Nintendo game to keep you from telling her when she called that night."

"So, you paid me to keep my mouth shut back then, this is now, and I will tell her."

"What makes you think she'll care?" he asked. "That was over twenty years ago."

"Oh she'll care," Kate stated. "It won't matter how long it's been once she knows you left her baby home alone for hours and that I was attempting to use the stove. She will rip you apart and we both know it."

Jim glanced at Castle, "Can you believe she's trying to blackmail her father?"

He laughed. "She'd probably blackmail the Pope if she thought it would get her what she wanted."

"I don't doubt that."

"I just want one little sip," she complained. "Is that too much to ask?"

"It is when you're not supposed to have any," Jim replied.

"Don't you love me?" she asked him; a mischievous sparkle taking root in her eyes.

"You know I do," he answered. "But the real question is; do I love you enough to face the wrath of your mother if she finds out?"

"You know you do," Kate stated with a smile and Castle laughed.

"You sure about that?" Jim asked.

"There's only one way to find out."

"Katie," he said with a sigh.

"I'm your little girl," she told him. "Don't you remember when I was little and I'd come running to you when you'd come home from work? I was always so happy to see you."

Castle couldn't help but laugh at the look on her face and the tone of her voice as she played her father in the same ways Alexis played him.

"I remember," Jim said as he smiled fondly at the memory. "It's been a long time since that's happened."

"I'm always happy to see you," she replied. "You're my favorite parent."

"She's pulling out all the stops, Jim," Castle said.

"This is all your fault, Rick. You're her caffeine enabler; you've got her to the point where she'll blackmail her father for a sip of black coffee."

"She had a caffeine addiction when I met her," he replied in his own defense. "You can't blame me."

"I think I can. I think its grown worse since she started getting coffee deliveries from you."

"You just want to blame me because you're starting to cave…you want a scapegoat for when Johanna finds out."

"I'm not caving," Jim said.

"You better work harder," Castle said as he looked at Kate.

She grinned as she looked her father. "I love you, Daddy."

He laughed. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't do this to me."

"You know I adore you," Kate told him. "You're the best father I have."

"I'm the only father you have."

She shrugged. "Well then you don't have to worry about any competition."

Jim shook his held and then made the mistake of looking into those green eyes of hers that held affection and amusement and he melted. "You know, when you were born I thanked God for giving you your mother's eyes…now I wish you had gotten mine," he stated as he rose from his chair and walked towards her.

"Can't resist green eyes, Jim?" Castle teased.

He nodded. "Apparently they're my weakness."

Jim held his mug out towards her. "One sip, Katherine; and that's it."

"Thank you," she smiled as she reached for the mug.

"James Beckett!" Johanna's voice sounded from the edge of the living room.

"Damn," Kate muttered.

"Don't call me that," Jim said as he hurriedly pulled the mug away from their daughter and turned to face her. "You sound like my mother."

Johanna's jaw dropped and Kate's eyes widened.

"You're in trouble now, Dad," she said as Castle fought to keep from grinning.

"Did you really just say that?" Johanna asked as she narrowed her eyes at her husband.

He shook his head. "I didn't say anything. Whatever it is you think you heard was all in your imagination."

Her brow rose. "I don't think my imagination would insult me by implying I sound anything like your mother," Johanna said as she snatched his coffee cup from him. "And I said she couldn't have any coffee, so what do you think you're doing?"

"She just wanted one sip," he replied.

"I don't care, I said none."

"It's not my fault. She's like you, she doesn't play fair."

"I'll back him up on that one, Johanna," Castle said. "She did play him like a finely tuned piano."

"You're just as guilty," Johanna told him. "You were going to sit there and let her do it, knowing she's not supposed to have it. I even sent you a message this morning telling you not to bring her any coffee and then you sit and watch while she tries to drink her father's."

"Since when do you take orders from my mother?" Kate asked. "You barely listen to me."

"She's slightly more scary then you," he replied and then to save himself he decided to throw Jim back under the bus. "But really you can't blame me if Jim can't say no to his little girl."

Johanna shifted her gaze back to her husband. "And what card did little Katie Beckett play this time?"

Jim smiled. "She said I was her favorite parent."

She smirked. "You're still falling for that one, huh?"

"Personally," Castle spoke up, "I think it was the 'I love you daddy' that brought home the win for her."

"Oh," Johanna said as she glanced at her daughter. "You really did pull out the big guns didn't you."

Kate shrugged. "It's not like it's a lie."

"I know it's not a lie," Johanna said; "But it's all in the presentation and I can just imagine how you spun that phrase."

"It's your fault, Johanna," Jim remarked. "She has your eyes…how can I resist that? When was I ever able to say no to you?"

"Plenty of times," Johanna informed him.

"When she wanted to go to the theater," Kate commented.

"Don't go there," her mother said. "I promised he'd never hear that word again."

"Just relax, Jo," he said, "You got here before she could even get the mug out of my hands."

"Yeah," Kate replied. "Don't be so cranky."

"Yeah," Castle agreed. "We might have to start calling you Nurse Ratchet instead of Florence Nightingale."

Johanna shot them both a glare. "Don't make me put you out of here, Rick," she told him; a slight hint of amusement noticeable in her tone before she turned her focus to Kate. "And you should be ashamed of yourself. You know you have these two wrapped around your finger and they'll do anything you ask."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Kate replied, an easy smile gracing her lips.

"It is when they give in to you after I tell them not to," Johanna remarked as she carried Jim's cup of coffee towards the kitchen.

"Where are you taking my coffee?" he asked.

"I'm dumping it out. You can't be trusted so you don't get coffee either."

"See what you did," Jim said to Kate.

She shrugged. "Why should I be the only one to suffer."

"Blame yourself," Johanna yelled from the kitchen.

"Look what you did;" Kate told him. "You got her riled."

"I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for you," he teased.

"It's both of your faults," Johanna said as she came back into the room.

Jim smiled at her, his eyes full of amusement and she had to force herself to bite back a smile of her own. He turned towards Castle. "Rick are you going to be here for awhile?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I figure if you're here to look after my girls, I can go home and change clothes…and give mommy Beckett there time to cool off."

His wife swatted him playfully as Castle laughed and Kate tried to restrain from the urge to do the same. Her ribs were starting to hurt again and her head had a dull ache.

"Go ahead, Jim," Castle replied. "I'll hold down the fort while you're gone."

He nodded at him in thanks and then he stepped back towards his daughter and gently kissed the top of her head, before turning to his wife. "You want to kiss me goodbye?" he asked.

Johanna narrowed her eyes at him. "After you insulted me and defied my orders? I don't think I do."

"I didn't insult you," Jim laughed. "It's not so bad if you had a moment where you sounded like my mother. I think she secretly liked you."

"Right," she scoffed.

"That must be why she called her a slut," Kate commented.

Jim looked at Johanna. "You're just telling her everything, aren't you?" he teased.

"I figured she was old enough to hear the big girl version of my life story."

"What time is story hour?" Castle asked. "I'll clear my schedule and be here for that."

"Sorry, Rick," Johanna teased. "Story hour is for girls only."

"But if you want to wear a dress," Kate said, "We might make an exception."

"I'll pass," he replied.

Jim took the opportunity of Johanna's distraction and moved closer to her, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She caught on to what he was doing and her gaze locked on his. "I haven't changed my mind," she said in amusement.

"Yes you have," he replied. "I can tell."

"No you…" she began to say only to be cut off by his kiss.

"See," he said when he pulled away, "I told you that you changed your mind."

She gave him a small shove, a smile spreading across her lips without consent. "You just go home, and don't come back until you learn how to behave."

"I can't stay away that long," he told her as she walked him to the door. "You'll just have to take me as is."

"Just like always," she quipped; laughing at his expression as she made the statement.

Castle glanced to Kate. "Have I ever told you how entertaining it is to spend time with your parents?"

She smiled. "I'm glad they amuse you, Castle; how about you take them home with you later and keep them for awhile."

He shook his head. "That's okay. I'll just visit you and watch the Beckett show here."

Kate leaned her head against his shoulder, as her parents spoke in soft voices at the door. He wrapped an arm around her, allowing her to settle against his side as he too watched the people across the room.

He had a feeling that he and Jim had the same agenda regarding the women in their lives; stay close, watch over them, keep them laughing, their minds occupied with conversations that had nothing to do with the case and the new heightened state of alertness that they were all feeling. Even from across the room he could see the worry that laid in Jim's eyes as his glance flicked back and forth between his wife and his daughter. He could easily tell that the worry was mingled with feelings of helplessness, and he was certain that those feelings were probably just as easily read in his own eyes.

Finally, Jim pressed one last kiss against his wife's lips and then turned his gaze back to Castle. "Take care of them, Rick."

"Don't worry," he told him seriously. "I'm on the job."

Jim nodded and then he opened the door and stepped outside, needlessly instructing Johanna to lock it behind him.

She locked the door and then her gaze flicked to her daughter. She could tell she was hurting and she went to the kitchen and got her a glass of juice and her medicine and brought it back to her.

"I don't want it," Kate said as she held out the pain pills to her.

"Katie, don't argue," Johanna stated; fatigue present in her own voice.

"I'm here, Kate," Castle told her, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I'll look after things. You take your medicine and then lay down and try to sleep for awhile."

"What's the point?" she muttered as she took the pills and the glass from her mother's hands. "Florence Nightingale, as you call her, will just keep waking me up."

"I'll let you sleep a little longer now that Lanie's checked you," Johanna said.

"Go on," Castle said softly after she swallowed the pills and handed her glass back to her mother. "Lay down and rest."

She reluctantly slipped away from his embrace and shifted back into place against her pillow as he rose from the sofa so she could stretch her legs out. Satisfied that Kate was going to listen, Johanna retreated back to the kitchen to clean up, leaving Castle to watch over her.

"Wake me if something seems off," she murmured.

"I will."

"Look after her. See if you can talk her into taking a nap."

"I'll take care of your mother," he promised as he draped a light weight blanket over her and then brushed a kiss against her forehead.

"Tucking me in?" Kate asked with a sleepy smile.

"You want a bed time story?" he asked as he perched on the edge of the coffee table.

"No," she whispered as she slipped her hand out from beneath the blanket. "But I wouldn't mind if you held my hand."

He took her hand, wrapping his fingers around it and holding it tightly. She was holding it together for her parents, her mother in particular, but he could tell that she was shaken, that despite her strength fear lingered inside and she needed to feel safe. His heart warmed at the thought that she had chosen him to give her security.

He watched as her eyes grew heavier and heavier and with his free hand he gently brushed his fingertips back and forth across her forehead in a soothing motion. She finally fell asleep, but he kept hold of her hand for awhile longer until Johanna came back into the room.

"She's out," he told her quietly.

She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep too," he suggested. "I'll look after her."

Johanna shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Don't you trust me?" he asked lightly.

She smiled tiredly. "I trust you, Rick,…I'm just not ready to hand over the reins yet."

He smiled back at her. He could see how the next several days were going to go; he and Johanna would be quietly battling each other for the role of caretaker. He understood her need to do the job, just as he was sure that she understood his need to do it, the problem was however, that unlike him, he didn't think his opponent was willing to share…at least not yet, but that didn't mean he was going anywhere and with that thought in mind he moved to the other chair and staked his claim. He'd be there as much as possible until she was better, and he'd be sleeping with his phone in his hand at nights, just in case she called needing him, because he knew Jim would insist on staying and taking the nightshift.

...to be continued