Previously in Apples & Cherries…Rick found Kate's name and handprint and ached for her. Kate called him hers. Alexis wants her dad to be with Kate and catch Tyson. He's leaving after he gets her settled in.

Chapter Thirty-Six:

He parked his car in the tiny parking lot of the hotel and noticed the few other cars here were unmarked police vehicles. He wondered which one Kate had arrived in. Stepping out of the door, his foot hit the rough pavement and the gravel scratched with each step he took.

Room 21. The cottage.

He walked past around the porch of the main building, the long and wild seashore grass hitting him at the knee and dropping its seeds into the fabric of his jeans in a biological impulse to spread even further. It waved in the wind coming in off the water and the rustling shush sounded so much like a gentle sea, he wouldn't have known the difference.

His heart was beating frantically in his chest as he rounded the building and planted his foot on the first stair to the cottage. She knew he was coming; he'd called her this morning after setting up Alexis' appointment and security from the airport. The call had not gone according to plan. She hadn't been happy.

…

"Beckett."

"Hey. It's me."

"I know, Castle. I've got caller-ID."

"Then why'd you answer in your Detective-voice?"

She sighed heavily, "Habit I guess. I should probably lose that."

"Agreed. I prefer to be greeted with 'Hello, sexy' or 'Guess what I'm wearing?'"

"Wow. Yeah. That's not going to happen."

"Worth a shot."

There was a brief silence following the obligatory phone banter.

"So, what did you call for?"

"I'm flying back into Portland and I'll land in about 7 hours. I'm at the airport now. Could you tell me the address of your hotel?"

"I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong. You are doing what?"

"Flying back to you."

"No. No you are not."

"It's a done deal. I'm coming."

"No—"

"Kate! I'm coming. This is non-negotiable. You have no say."

That perhaps was not the best route to take with Kate Beckett.

"No say? Oh, I have plenty of things I won't be saying to you, Castle. One of which will be the name of my hotel."

"Doesn't matter. I'll find you anyway."

"Castle. What about Alexis? You can't just…leave. What are you doing?"

"I need to be with you. Alexis needs to heal in her own way and this is what she wants. She wants me to help you catch Tyson."

"She's sixteen, Rick! And fresh from a nightmare! You can't just leave her because she says it's what she wants."

His tone was sharp when he answered this time. The defensive note was gone and in its place was pure stone. "I didn't just do anything. I know my daughter. And I know you. And I know Tyson. I've taken it all into account and you are where I need to be."

"Castle…"

"Where is your hotel?"

"Castle, it's too dangerous. You just got—"

"If you're there, I'm there. Where is your hotel?"

She breathed into the phone "China Beach Retreat in Ilwaco. I'm in the cottage. Room 21."

"I'll be there in a few hours."

"Castle, please don't…this isn't…"

"My flight is boarding. Catch me up on the case when I get there."

…

He knocked, having no idea what to expect when she answered. Was this how she had felt a few days ago, knocking on his door, seeking him out even after their last words had been in a fight? On the flight, he'd thought of a million arguments to hit her with in case she tried to send him home or exclude him. He had a right to be there. He had a right to need her.

A soft twilight was setting over the world and the pale stars were flickering into existence. He heard her footsteps on the other side of the door and he snapped his eyes back from the sky. The curtain in front of the glass door was shifted aside and he saw her face peek through and confirm his identity before the door swung open slowly.

"So you came."

"I did."

"Even though I told you no."

"You also told me the name of the hotel. Mixed messages."

"You should really go home."

"Too late for that. Can I come in?"

She stepped aside and he walked by her and into the cottage while she shut and locked the door behind her. He noticed the gun in her hand before she tucked it into the back of her tight jeans.

"Nice place."

"Only place they had left after the police and FBI booked all the other rooms."

"They didn't book one for you?"

"I'm not technically consulting or acting in an official capacity, so I'm not really included in the budget."

"Why don't they make you official?"

"Doesn't matter, does it? I'm here." She was avoiding eye contact and he wanted to push her on the subject but held back. Tyson first.

"Okay, so fill me in. Why are we in a random fishing town, hours outside Portland?"

"Well after the dogs picked up his scent disappearing into the Willamette, they immediately put out more eyes on boats and traffic up and down the river."

"Right. He could have hitched a ride like a barnacle."

"Exactly."

"So he managed to not drown in his condition?"

"Apparently. We aren't positive. A fisherman called in yesterday after you left and reported some blood that he found on his boat and a few things missing."

"Like what?"

"Cell phone. Fishing line. Rope. Food."

"That could be Tyson."

"They're testing the blood, we've got a fast track to results now that the FBI is officially in. He's been crossing state borders."

"Right. So he's somewhere in this town. It's not that big. How hard could it be to find him? They've got the dogs on it?"

"Yeah. They can't seem to stick a trail though. They were crazy on the boat, but can't seem to catch much on land. He's being really careful, Castle. Doing what he does best. Disappearing."

"He can't hide forever."

She rose from the buttery leather chair she'd sat in.

"Do you want tea or something?"

She looked…rattled. Her eyes were refusing to rest on any one object for too long hopping around like black houseflies. She wasn't nervous about Tyson—that wouldn't be like her at all. She was jittery about something else and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Why don't you start the tea and I'll just put my bag upstairs?"

She wasn't really paying attention.

"Yeah. Sure. Fine."

He grabbed the brown bag and made his way up the wooden stairs. They creaked with each step of ascent, but were finely finished and polished. This cottage wasn't cheap. He knew good woodwork when he saw it. Turning left at the top of the stairs, he found himself in the bedroom. Kate's bag was already on the floor and the bed was unmade.

He turned around at the doorway and went back in the opposite direction in search of the second bedroom. As much as he would love to fall asleep with her in his arms yet again, he didn't want to make assumptions that would make her uncomfortable. This limbo they had parked themselves in was delicate and he had no desire to send them shuttling back to the way things were before. He liked being able to call her Kate and feeling all the little touches she'd been placing on his arms lately. That was something he was unwilling to sacrifice. The place was huge, there was sure to be another bed.

He came to the door that sat at the end of the hall to the right of the stairs and opened it. A tiny closet.

Was there only one bedroom here?

He turned around and went back into the room Kate had already claimed, looking at the space. There was a couch against the window. He could sleep on that. Throwing his bag on the floor by the sofa, he snagged the unused pillow of the king-sized bed and threw it against one of the armrests. Taking the throw blanket from the foot of the bed as well, he folded it on top of the pillow. That would do. Kate would see that he wasn't assuming anything and maybe feel more comfortable with his presence.

He turned to leave the room, but something caught his eye. A flash of green against the pure white of the pillow. Walking toward the bed, he couldn't help but let a smile blossom as he saw the Bleeding Hearts resting gently against the linen. The white flowers were wilting slightly, but hadn't been crushed at all; she'd handled them with care.

He let one finger run along one of the flowers and tried not to think about the fact that she'd slept with them at her side.

Leaving them and the bedroom, he made his way downstairs to find Kate pouring the hot water into mugs.

He grabbed his when she was done and took a sip. It was good and earthy. He looked up to watch Kate sip distractedly at her own. Why was she so distant? They needed to get out in the air. He needed to get her out in the air.

"Let's forget the tea. Go for a walk with me?"

"What?" She refocused her eyes and let them connect with his.

He grabbed her tea and then the crook of her arm to tug it before letting go. "Come on. We're going for a walk."

He led the way out the front door and was met with a chilled wind. Walking down a few of the steps he turned his head to check on her. She was following him.

A/N: Two days of posts in a row? Wow! It's like the good old days over here! Anyway. Not much to say about this chapter. Hopefully you guys do, though. Who thinks they know where I'm going with this story? I'll be really impressed if any of you guess correctly. Maybe even give you a prize.

Oh, and if your review is still posted (I deleted the evil ones), then it wasn't one of the negative ones I was talking about last chapter. So don't worry about it if you gave me some criticism. That's not what I was referring to.