A/N: Getting close to the end! I can't believe how far this story has come. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, followed, favorited. Keep reviewing! It makes my day! Also, hurt/comfort is kind of my niche, so consider yourself warned. :)

"Can you walk?" Rick asked her softly.

Kate nodded slightly, and allowed him to help her up off the floor. He brought his finger up to the gash on her head, touching it ever-so-lightly.

"Where else?" he asked.

"Both sides, my back, my shoulders," she listed. "I think that's the only cut, though." Castle nodded his head.

"You're okay, though?" he inquired. His blue eyes were anxious and concern for her was evident in his face. She smiled softly up at him, leaning forward to allow him to hug her, which he did gently and tenderly. She brought her head to rest on his shoulder, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat in her ears.

"I'm okay, Rick," she murmured. "I'll be okay."

They ascended the stairs slowly, having already been assured that no adversaries lie in the house. Unless, of course, you counted the one who was quite literally lying on the floor upstairs. There was an ambulance outside, paramedics waiting for Kate.

She let them fuss over her, knowing she needed to allow it, if not for her own sake, for Castle's.

Now that she was safe and Will was dead, she found herself focusing more on Castle. He was pale and he hadn't let go of her hand since they'd found her. She couldn't imagine how guilty he was feeling, having been on the beach when she was abducted. It wasn't his fault, of course, but she had no doubt he would be blaming himself nonetheless. As a paramedic finished cleaning and bandaging the cut on her head, Kate squeezed Castle's hand gently.

"Hey," she said quietly, and he looked up in question.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be asking you that, not the other way around," he chastised. She humored him with a small smile, but she wasn't about to be led off topic.

"Seriously, Rick," she insisted. "Are you okay?"

He paused, seeming to consider it.

"I will be," he replied. "You're here, you're safe. I'll be alright."

"Guys!" Alexis cried. They all looked up. Jenny had been sitting with Lanie, while Martha and Jim both sat at the kitchen table. They'd been waiting there for a couple of hours, hoping that no news meant good news. Now, it was nearly eleven and they all turned to Alexis, whose phone was in her hand.

"They've got her," Alexis announced. "They found her, and she's okay. They're on their way back here now."

A collective sigh of relief flooded the room, and their silent stretch was broken as they murmured quietly to each other.

"They're here!"

It was, again, Alexis who called out, her voice ringing through the house. By the time Kate and Rick reached the front door, they were all gathered just inside, waiting anxiously.

And when they door swung open to reveal a battered, but safe Kate, they all seemed to sigh in relief again, as if hearing it had not done as much good for them as seeing it.

Kate smiled tiredly at them.

"Hey, guys," she said. She finally let go of Castle's hand as Martha hugged her gently. The older woman studied her for a moment.

"Are you alright, darling?" she asked. "You look absolutely exhausted." Kate smiled.

"I'm okay," she replied. "Tired and sore, but I'm okay."

"Kate." Alexis said nothing more; just her name. After everything their relationship had been through, despite its rough patches, Alexis didn't need to say anything more. Kate could read it all in her voice. She pulled Alexis into a hug, and moved so that she could whisper in her ear.

"I'm okay, Alexis," she said softly. "We're all okay." Jim was waiting when she pulled away from her future stepdaughter, and she smiled softly at her dad, allowing him to envelop her in his arms.

Jim held his daughter close and took a deep breath. He'd been through this countless times; the waiting and worrying and praying she would be okay. But no matter how many times he did it, these feelings never lost their intensity. It was always just as hard, just as terrifying, to think that his daughter may not come home.

"I'm glad you're okay, Katie," he said softly. This was something that Kate loved about her dad. He never seemed to need to ask if she was okay. He always appeared to have such faith in her ability to bounce back. She pulled away, smiling at him.

"Thanks, Dad," she said

They were all hugging one another for several minutes before Montgomery tapped Kate on the shoulder. She turned to face him and was hit with a sudden onslaught of emotion. She hadn't been faced with this, not in this light. Not since Will was dead and she was safe. Now, seeing Roy wasn't so straightforward anymore.

"Hey, Kate," he said quietly.

"Hey." There was undeniable hesitance in her voice; caution he knew he undoubtedly deserved. He held his hand out, a small object resting in his palm. She stared at it for a moment, the sparkling diamond ring, and then reached out to take it. She slid her engagement ring back onto her finger, letting her eyes linger on the diamonds for a few seconds longer than was necessary, before flicking her gaze back to the man she'd once respected over anyone else.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft. Montgomery shrugged.

"We'll be heading out soon," he replied. "I just thought I'd better return that to you first." The ghost of a smile appeared on his features. "I'm sure Castle paid a fortune for it," he added. Kate averted her eyes, turning the ring in circles around her finger.

"He bought it years ago, before you-" she broke off, shaking her head.

"I suppose you'll be going back into hiding?" she asked. She wasn't even sure why she was asking, why she wanted to know. Roy nodded.

"Yep," he sighed. He hesitated. He wasn't sure where he stood with Kate. She'd been so easy to read once. She'd been work driven, always focused on the job. Everything else came second. That had been the woman he'd been expecting to see when he saw her again. But Kate Beckett simply wasn't that woman anymore. She was different now, and Roy didn't know this version of her. He cleared his throat.

"Have you..." he began, but he didn't have to finish. Kate nodded her head.

"Spoken to Evelyn?" she filled in, knowing that had been where he was going with that. Roy nodded.

"I have," she replied. "Not about you, obviously. As much as I wish I could, I know I can't tell her." Kate paused, her gaze focused on Castle, who was conversing with Alexis on the other side of the living room.

"They're okay, Roy," she said softly. "They miss you, but they're okay."

Montgomery just nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Thank you, Kate," he said after a moment. She gave him an appraising look, wondering if this was truly the man she'd known, or if maybe this was merely a shadow of the Roy Montgomery who had lived and loved once.

"I hope you're happy with the spot you chose to make your stand," she said softly, and then she turned from him. He watched her walk away, watched her join Castle, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders and press his lips to her hair, the love on Rick's face so obvious, the two of them so comfortable together.

And Roy wondered what his honest answer would've been had Kate's simple statement been a question instead.

"So, are you ready for bed or did you want to take a shower?" Castle asked. McCord, Montgomery, and Shaw had all left. Ryan and Esposito had taken Castle up on his offer to let them stay the night, and everyone in the house had gone to their rooms.

"I think I'd rather just go to bed," Kate told him. Rick nodded, but sensed there was something that Kate wasn't saying.

"What's up?" he asked her. Beckett sighed, knowing she should've expected that from him. He always had been able to read her so well. She turned to face him, reaching out for his hand. He took hers willingly, waiting for her to speak.

"Kate?"he prompted after a moment of silence. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head, but still didn't speak. He gently raised her head so that he could see her face, his earnest blue eyes meeting hers.

"Talk to me," he pleaded. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to sleep," she whispered. He looked at her for a moment, and then sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand along her back gently, not wanting to cause more pain to her sore shoulders.

"What do you mean?" he asked. She kept her gaze on the floor, her hair hanging over her face, hiding her features.

"If I sleep, I'll just have nightmares again," she admitted. Castle nodded in understanding.

"Kate, look at me," he insisted. When she hesitated to meet his eyes, he brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it tenderly behind her ear. His hand lingered, cradling her cheek in his palm, his thumb brushing lightly across her cheekbone.

"You don't have to do this alone, okay?" he said. "You don't. I'm right here. If it helps, I'll stay up. You can sleep and I'll stay awake if that's what you need. You're safe, Kate. I promise."

"But I'm not safe from myself," she said, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"Hey," he soothed, his other hand running comfortingly along her arm. "Like I said, Kate, you're not alone. Not this time. I can't stop the nightmares. I wish I could, more than anything, but I can't. What I can do, though, is promise you I'm going to be right here when you wake up. The minute you start turning, the minute I notice anything, I promise I'll wake you up and I'll do whatever you need me to do. You aren't alone," he reiterated. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you if I can help it, Kate. I'll be right here. Promise."

She nodded, and when she blinked, tears fell from under her lashes and splashed on her skin, from where he quickly wiped them away.

"Come here," he coaxed, and she went willingly to him, allowing him to hold her. He marveled at how far they'd come, at the change in her.

"Thank you, Castle," she whispered against his skin. He smiled slightly into her hair.

"You don't have to thank me, Kate," he assured her. "That's what partners are for, right?" Now it was her turn to smile.

"You've been more than my partner for a long time, Rick."

The time on the clock read two forty-five in the morning. They'd gone to bed only about an hour and a half before, and Kate was already putting Rick's promise to the test. He was stirred from a light sleep by her quiet sounds of distress, which were followed almost immediately by her tossing and turning. He always hated these moments, the ones in which he was in the process of waking her up, while she was still visibly suffering from some unseen torture. "Kate," he called out to her quietly, running his hands through her hair. She whimpered at his touch, shying away. He tried not to let it hurt, knowing she was unaware of whom was touching her. He tried again, calling her name as he touched her cheek lovingly. She cried out, breaking away from his hold. It all happened so fast; one second, he was holding her, the next, she had swung at him, her unknowing fist making contact with his jaw. He grunted in pained surprise, the blow knocking him back from her. Despite the punch she'd just delivered to his face, her heartwrenching sobs brought him back to her side seconds later.

"Kate, wake up," he said, shaking her gently. "Kate!" Her eyes fluttered open, and she glanced around in confusion, her green eyes searching, searching, searching, before finally landing on him. Sobs wracked her body as she caught sight of him, and he gathered her up in his arms, holding her close to his chest.

"Castle," she whispered. He knew how much she hated to be vulnerable like this, knew how much it ate at her, how awful it was for her.

"Shh," he murmured. "It's okay. It's okay, Kate. I'm here. I've got you. You're okay." It was a familiar mantra, one he'd spent many nights whispering to her, soothing her and lulling her back to sleep. Tonight, though, at least by the feeling in his jaw, would be a slightly different story. He was pretty certain there would be a bruise there, and soon. There was no way it would go unnoticed by someone as observant as Kate Beckett. He knew that, as soon as she was calmed down and assured herself that she was safe, she would notice. She would know that something had happened, and he dreaded having to tell her what exactly had occurred.

"We had a baby," she mumbled.

"What?"

"A baby," she repeated. "We had a baby, and they had you and the baby and I was...I was trying to get past them, to get to you, but they were so...they were stronger than me and..." she trailed off, but he knew how the story ended. He held her close, wrapping her in his arms and stroking her hair.

"It's okay, Kate," he assured her. "Everything's okay. Just a dream." She was shaking, and he, as always, felt powerless in this fight against her subconcious.

"What if they come after our baby?" she asked in a voice so quiet it was nearly inaudible.

"Oh, Kate," he sighed. "Honey, it's going to be okay. I promise. We're going to keep our baby safe. When we have one, someday, he or she will be the safest baby on earth. We'll get a tiny bulletproof vest."

She gave a watery laugh at that, and he smiled slightly.

"It's okay," he assured her. "We're all okay."

She pulled back, swiping at her eyes, and looked up at him. As he'd predicted, she immediately seemed to notice something amiss, her eyes focusing on his face, her expression a mix of confusion and concern as her fingers came up to brush his jaw.

"Did you get hurt earlier?" she asked, mistakenly assuming she simply hadn't noticed the forming bruise earlier. He shook his head slowly, wishing he could tell her yes, to ease her mind and not put the guilt on her. But she would know. She would know right away if he lied to her. He watched it on her face, saw the pieces come together in her mind, knew she'd figured it out when she pulled her hand back quickly, as if his skin had scalded her.

"Oh, god, Castle," she breathed, horror dawning on her features as she slid back away from him. "I did that, didn't I?" He wanted so badly to tell her no. But instead, he slowly nodded his head, and watched as devastation appeared in her eyes, the thought clearly crushing her as she covered her mouth with her hand and blinked back tears. She was shaking her head, obviously beating herself up for something that wasn't her fault.

"Kate," he began, reaching out to her. She backed away farther.

"Castle, don't," she begged. "I can't..." she shook her head, unable to articulate the horror she was feeling.

"Kate, sweetheart, please," he pleaded. "Don't shut me out. It was just an accident." But Kate shook her head.

"I hurt you," she whispered. She slid off the bed, backing away slowly toward the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To the guest room," she replied. "I don't want to risk hurting you again, Rick, I can't."

"Kate," he began, but by then she had already turned away, and he was left feeling, yet again, completely powerless.