Author's note: yes, we're not done with the 'gift' yet, but I don't want to rush the story faster than I originally intended to just to get to the end. Sorry if this part seems a bit boring to some of you, but I like writing them together so I probably will linger a little – especially since the show is so determined to frustrate me. And don't forget; Castle remembers all the good stuff in his dreams.

OOOOOOOOOOO

While Castle slept, Beckett took a long shower and then made some breakfast. She debated making him something and waking him to get him to eat, but decided that he was better off sleeping just then. She had cereal and fruit – nothing fancy, but she figured she'd wait and eat with him later. By this time her headache was as gone as it was going to get, so she figured she should get some work done while she was feeling up to it. There was a lot of paperwork to take care of – she'd shot a man, after all – and she'd been smart enough to bring home some of the forms and reports that she needed to do. She pulled them out of the briefcase they were in and looked at the kitchen table and then the door of her bedroom. And then back at the table. And then the door again. Eventually she carried the briefcase and her cell phone to the bedroom and settled in quietly beside Castle, who was snoring lightly but breathing evenly and not exhibiting any sign of pain or discomfort.

Beckett pulled out a clipboard, her laptop and some of the police folders that she'd brought and started checking facts on one form against the information she had on file, and very quickly became immersed in her work. Immersed enough that when her phone buzzed from the place it was wedged under her leg more than an hour and a half later, she actually started in surprise. Looking at her watch, she saw it was almost 10am and she frowned when she saw the ID on her phone. It was Alexis. She looked over at Castle at the same time she answered and saw that he was starting to rouse – probably woken up when she had bumped him when she'd jumped when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Detective Beckett?"

"Hi, Alexis. Everything okay?"

Castle heard the name Alexis and woke almost completely, like a drunk driver sobering the moment the police lights came up behind him. He turned his head, looking around to see where Alexis was and only seeing Beckett. She put her hand on his cheek, but her attention was on the conversation.

"Yes. I was trying to get hold of my dad, though, and he hasn't been answering his phone. I was wondering if you have seen him…"

"Can I put you on hold a moment?" she asked.

"Yes."

Beckett made sure that the phone was on hold, then turned her attention back to him.

"It's Alexis."

He sat up, reaching for the phone and ignoring the distant ache when his painkiller couldn't quite dampen the protest from his shoulder.

"Is she okay?"

"She says everything is fine," Kate replied, holding the phone away from him for the moment. "But you need to decide what you're going to tell her."

Beckett wasn't sure how lucid he was and she wanted to make sure that he didn't worry Alexis saying something that he might not have initially intended to. He got what she was saying immediately – luckily.

"Car crash okay with you?"

"Yes."

She took the phone off hold and handed it him.

"Alexis?"

Beckett could hear Alexis talking but couldn't hear what exactly she was saying. She started gathering up her paperwork while she heard Castle tell his daughter that they'd been in a car accident while checking out a case. The tone of Alexis' voice became concerned and Beckett smiled at the way Castle calmed her fears by telling her that he was fine – just a little beat up and that Beckett was taking care of him because of the medication the doctors gave him because he'd hit his head. Kate was putting her laptop into the briefcase when Castle tapped her thigh.

"She wants to talk to you."

She took the phone.

"Hi, Alexis."

"Are you okay?"

Beckett smiled.

"Yes. Just a bit banged up."

"And my dad?"

"He's okay, too. The airbag did more damage than the wreck itself, really. No broken bones, just a lot of bruises."

Castle loved the way she was trying to reassure his daughter, and he slid his hand along Beckett's thigh, which was closest to him. She ran the fingers of her free hand through his hair and he took that as an invitation and leaned over, lifted her shirt a little and kissed her bare side, She shivered at the touch and was hard pressed to keep her attention on the conversation with Alexis.

"Should we come home?"

"I…" Beckett didn't think she was really the one to tell her one way or the other. "Here, talk to your dad, honey. You guys can decide what you want to do."

She handed the phone back to Castle, who took it with a smile, and then pushed him back onto his back to make sure he didn't strain his shoulders any more than he already had. He said hello to Alexis to let her know he was the one back on the phone and Beckett kissed his chest before getting out of the bed and heading into the kitchen. Since he was awake she was going to feed him a hearty meal.

About fifteen minutes later, he came out of the bedroom. Not naked, luckily. He had obviously found the clothing that had been put on her dresser, and had put on a pair of jeans – but no shirt, for obvious reasons. He walked over to Beckett, who was surprised to see him up and about. She smiled, though, glad to see that he was up and about. He had that edge in his expression that told her he was feeling some pain, but he was also smiling when he joined her in the kitchen where she was just finishing up a large pan of scrambled eggs to go with the waffles she had cooking in her waffle maker.

"So?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. "Are they coming home?"

"My mother convinced her that there was no sense coming right home. They were planning on wrapping up at Montana State tomorrow and then coming home anyway, so they're going to stick with that plan."

"That will give you another day or so to heal up a bit."

"My thoughts, exactly." The less awful he looked the better to keep Alexis from freaking out. "And it'll give us a chance to make sure that no one lets anything slip about anything but the car crash."

Beckett nodded.

"We can take care of that today sometime." The only ones who would need to know anything were Esposito, Ryan and Lanie since they were the only ones Alexis would normally have a chance to run into when coming to the precinct. "Ready for breakfast?"

"I'm starving."

She gestured for him to go to the table, but he liked helping in the kitchen so when the waffle maker beeped, letting them know the waffle within was ready, Castle took over that duty, leaving her free to finish what she was doing. Waffle making wasn't so strenuous that he couldn't do it, after all, and didn't require him to put his arms up enough that they would hurt.

"Syrup?"

"No."

"No?" He looked over at her. "Butter?"

"No."

Beckett smiled at his look.

"It's a slow day, Castle," she told him. "That means that we have time to do the waffle right."

"And what, pray tell, is the right way to do a waffle?"

"Strawberries and whipped cream."

"Oh."

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"You don't like strawberries or whipped cream?"

"I like both."

"Good."

Of course, he'd never spent a morning like this with her. Usually it was dead bodies or following up on cases. Or, more recently, a lot of pain and uncertainty. Never post-sex, and waking up naked in bed with her beside him working. Never her brushing her fingers through his hair and gentle kisses both given and received. Right now, he was feeling pretty good – despite the fact that he knew it was only the medication keeping the ache in his face down to manageable proportions. He'd take a slow morning with Beckett any day. And waffles with strawberries and whipped cream sounded just fine.

"You're letting the waffle burn," Beckett pointed out, coming up behind him while he was lost in his musing. He jumped, startled, and then swore when he saw that she was right. The thing had beeped, but he hadn't opened the lid and hadn't taken out the waffle, which was now blacker than even strawberries and whipped cream would be able to disguise.

"Sorry."

She grinned, watching as he dropped the burned one on the counter and poured more batter into the maker and closed it up.

"Sure you're not still drugged up?" she asked him.

"No. I was thinking, is all."

"About…?"

He echoed her smile, a somewhat naughty twinkle in his eyes.

"Two guesses."

She made a show of trying to think about it – although there was no doubt in her mind what was on his.

"Strawberries and whipped cream?"

"No."

His stomach growled, then, loudly, and he flushed. Beckett chuckled and set the eggs on the table, which was already set.

"Come and eat," she told him. "I'll finish the waffles."