A/N: Hello FanFiction! I am so sorry I have been away for so long. I have had A LOT going on. However, here I am with a new story. I hope you all like it. This story is written for EvaKAlways. Happy 30th Birthday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Castle will always belong to Andrew Marlowe and ABC.

Where Are You?

Detective Kate Beckett sits on the couch of her father's cabin. She has a pain in her chest and her eyes burn. She needs sleep. Jim left that morning to return to the city, leaving Kate alone in the cabin. It has been a month since Kate was shot in the chest at Captain Montgomery's funeral. It is the first time she is left alone at night.

After her surgery, she was in the care of the hospital staff. Once Kate was discharged, Jim took care of her. Being alone for the first time in a month, Kate doesn't know what to do. She is a strong, independent woman, she can do anything. However, her wound prohibits her from doing certain things. She looks at the time on her phone and sees it is late. Kate slowly stands up, careful not to pull her incision.

She grabs her phone and blanket off the couch, and slowly walks down the hall toward her room. Kate hears a noise outside. It sounds like someone stepping on a branch. Kate freezes in place wondering what's going to happen. Did the person who shot her, follow her to the cabin? She slowly turns to look outside, but nobody is there. Once it's clear, she continues down the hall for her room.

When Kate enters her room, she closes the door behind her. She walks over to the window and closes the curtains. Kate takes a sip of her water, that sits on the end table, before carefully climbing into bed. She wraps the blanket around her, being cautious of her injury. After checking her phone one last time, she sets the phone down on the end table next to her water.

She manages to fall asleep but an hour later awakens with a start. "Castle!" Kate sits up in bed and winces. The nightmare frightened her, causing her to sit up quickly, forgetting about her wound. While still wincing, she looks around her room looking for Castle. He is nowhere to be seen. While trying to calm herself down from her nightmare, she whispers to herself, "Castle, where are you?" Kate remembers that he isn't there.

Kate carefully reaches for her phone and calls Castle.

"Castle."

She can hear his voice on the other end of the line, but she doesn't say anything.

"Beckett?" Castle waits for her to respond, but she doesn't answer. "Beckett, what's wrong?"

"I…" Kate pauses, unsure of what she really wants to say. "I…" She lets out a sigh. "I had a bad dream."

"Okay." Castle waits a beat before he continues, giving Kate some time to think about what she wants to say next. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kate shakes her head, even though she knows he can't see her. "No. At least, not yet."

Castle can tell something is bother her. He knows her well, considering they have been working together for 4 years. "Kate?"

Her name. He said her name. It gives her butterflies in her stomach. She loves the way he says her name. He says it genuinely and lovingly. Oh, how she loves to hear her name coming from him.

"What's wrong? If you're not ready to talk about it, that's fine. It's good to hear from you."

She smiles a little. Just hearing his voice makes her feel better, but it's not enough. "I woke up from my nightmare… scared."

"Of course, Beckett. You should be scared when you wake from a nightmare. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called nightmares."

Kate carefully pushes herself up against the headboard. "Um… I have a favor to ask."

"Anything, Kate. What it is? You name it and it's done."

She bites her lip, afraid of what his answer is. "Would you come stay with me?"

"I'm on my way."

"No! Sorry, I mean… thank you. However, I'm not at home."

"You aren't? But I thought you were released from the hospital a month ago. Where are you?"

"You're right. I was released a month ago. I've been recuperating up at my dad's cabin. He's been helping me over the past month, but he had to go back into the city this morning."

"Enough said. Send me the address and I'll be on my way."

"I'll send it to you as soon as we get off."

"Okay. I'll see you when I get there."

"See you when you get here. And Castle?"

"Yeah, Beckett?"

"Thank you."

"Always."

Castle pulls up to Jim Beckett's cabin. After getting out of the car, he grabs his bag from the trunk, and the surprise he brought for Kate. Castle makes sure he has everything he needs and checks to make sure everything is closed before locking the car. Once the car is locked, he walks up the steps to the front door of the cabin.

When Castle reaches the front door he knocks, but there is no answer. He waits a few seconds more before knocking again. Castle thinks about calling out her name but isn't too sure how close in proximity the neighbors are. He takes his phone out of his pocket and looks for Beckett's name under his "favorites" list. Just as he's about to tap on her name, the door opens.

Standing at the door, looking scared and tired, wearing stretch pants and a button-down shirt, is Detective Kate Beckett. She gives Castle a small, tired smile. "Hey, Castle. Come in." Kate stands off to the side to let Castle in.

As Castle walks in the door, he hands her the surprise he brought. "These are for you."

Kate takes the flowers he hands to her. "Thanks, Castle. They're gorgeous." She closes the door behind him. "Where did you manage to find these in the middle of the night?"

He sets his bag down next to the couch. Castle turns to look at Kate and gives her a coy smile. "Oh, I know people."

She walks into the kitchen to find a vase to put the flowers in. "Of course. Why doesn't that surprise me? But still… it's the middle of the night."

"That's not important. The important thing is you. How are you doing?"

Kate fills the vase she found with water and calls to Castle over her shoulder. "I'm doing as well as I can be. My dad has been helping me, which I was annoyed with at first. I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself. However, the doctors said that I needed to have someone close by to help me for a while in case something happened."

Castle looks concerned and asks, "like what? What kind of things can happen?"

She walks over to the dining room and sets the vase down in the middle of the table. Kate takes a breath and sighs. "Well… a few things. I could forget to take my meds, I could pull my incisions and open them, I could feel weak and fall. Or I could…" Kate trails off, unsure of herself.

Castle takes a step towards her, feeling anxious and concerned. "Or you could what, Beckett?"

Kate looks down at the ground before looking back up at Castle. "Or, I could have a nightmare and think it was real." She brings her hand to her chest, where she was shot.

"Have your nightmares been all about what happened?", Castle asks.

She nods. "Yeah, more or less."

He furrows his brows. "What do you mean?"

Kate sighs, "well, not all of them have been the same. They all take place at the cemetery, but it's not always the same scenario."

Castle slowly walks over to her and carefully takes her hand. He leads her to the couch where they sit down and talk. He gives her space so he's not crowding her. "Beckett, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But I will eventually ask questions."

She smiles at him, "I have no doubt about that, Castle. I'd expect nothing less." Kate sets her hands in her lap and looks down at them. She contemplates if it's the right time to talk to him about her nightmares, especially the one she just had that caused her to call him.

Castle reaches over and gently places his hand on her wrist. "Beckett, it's okay. We don't have to talk about it if you're not ready. I don't want to pressure you. It's a tough subject to talk about."

"No, it's okay, Castle. I should talk about it. My therapist says that it's healthy for me to discuss what I'm feeling."

"You're seeing a therapist?"

"Yeah. It's part of the recovery process. In order for me to return to active duty, I need to pass a physical and psych evaluation. So, I have been working with a therapist and a physical therapist."

"I had no idea."

Kate gives him a sideways glance. "It's okay, Castle. Not many people know."

"Can I make you some tea? Then we can talk."

She gives him a smile. "Sure. Thanks, Castle. The kettle is on the stove and the tea is in the left cabinet above the stove."

"Okay." Castle stands from the couch. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks."

Castle walks into the kitchen and adds water to the kettle before turning the stove on. He calls out to Beckett, "So, your dad went back into the city this morning?"

"Yeah. He has a case he's working on and needed to be back in the city to meet with his client. He's been helping me and working on the case at the same time."

"Wow sounds like a lot. Did he get any sleep?"

"I'm not sure. My pain meds would make me drowsy, so I slept quite a bit in the beginning. He looked to be well-rested when I saw him in the mornings for breakfast, so he must have gotten some sleep."

Castle is getting hungry. While the water is heating up, he browses around the kitchen in search for something to eat. He opens the cabinets and the refrigerator.

Kate can hear the clammer in the kitchen and knows he's up to something. She calls out to him, "Castle? What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just checking to see what you have."

She doesn't believe him. At least, she doesn't believe that's the whole truth. "Yeah, right. If you're hungry Castle, there's leftover pasta in the fridge you can have. My dad made it the other night. It should still be good. It's only been a day."

Castle walks over to the refrigerator, grabs the door handle and pauses. "Are you sure, Beckett? I don't want to eat something you were saving for later."

"It's fine, Castle. Help yourself. I ate some for dinner. Finish the rest of it."

He opens the fridge and takes the glass container out. He removes the plastic lid and sets it on the counter. Castle sets the container in the microwave and covers it with a napkin. After closing the microwave and setting the time, he goes over to the stove to turn it off and remove the kettle. Castle retrieves two mugs from the cabinet and sets them down on the counter.

After pouring the hot water into the two mugs, he takes them out to the living room where Kate is sitting. He hands a mug to Kate before setting his down on the coffee table.

Kate looks up at Castle as she takes the tea from him, and smiles. "Thanks, Castle."

He smiles back. "Always."

A minute later, Castle returns to the couch with his heated food. He sits down on the opposite end as Kate. There is a little tension between the two. Nobody knows who should speak. Through an awkward bite, Castle asks, "how are you really doing, Beckett?"

Kate takes a sip of her tea. "Uh, I'm doing okay. You know, I'm still recovering. It's going to take some time."

Castle nods as he takes another bite of food. "Yeah. Of course. So, is the therapy helping?"

"Yes, actually. I never thought I'd ever go to therapy."

"Really? You didn't go to therapy after…" Castle stops himself. He's afraid of saying the wrong thing or pushing Kate into something she's uncomfortable with.

Kate has a feeling she knows where Castle is going with his question. "No. After my mom, it never crossed my mind to go to therapy. I was determined to join the academy. Not only that, but my dad was turning into an alcoholic. There were too many things on my mind, so therapy never came up."

Castle takes another bite of food. "Nobody… nobody ever brought it up to you?"

Kate looks down at her mug and takes a deep breath. "There may have been a few people that mentioned it to me, but I was in my own head that I didn't think anything of it."

"Hm."

"What? Are you judging me?"

"No. Of course not. You did what was best for you. You had to do what you needed to do, to help you get through a difficult time."

"Thanks, Castle."

"Always." Castle finishes the pasta and sets the container down on the table. "I need to ask."

Kate sips her tea. "Ask what, Castle?"

Castle takes a sip of his tea. "Don't take this the wrong way, I'm glad you called me but… why did you call me and not Josh?"

Kate carefully sets her mug down on the coffee table. Then she carefully turns herself to face Castle more directly. "Well, there are a couple of reasons."

"Kate, you don't have to…"

"No, Castle. It's okay. I don't mind."

Castle turns himself so he's facing Beckett. "Okay. I'm all ears."

Kate takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "First of all, Josh and I broke up. That's why he's not here."

Castle has a surprised look on his face, trying to hide his relief. "What? You broke up? When?"

"About a month ago, before I was discharged from the hospital. It was some time after you came to visit me."

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Castle. It was time. What confirmed to me that it was time, was what Lanie told me."

"What Lanie told you?"

"Yeah. She told me what Josh did. But that's not important right now."

Castle drops his chin to his chest. "Oh, I didn't know that you knew what happened."

"Yeah. Lanie thought it was best that I know. But like I said, that's not important."

"Okay, so you broke up with Josh. What's the other reason why you called me in the middle of the night?"

Kate folds her hands and lays them in her lap and looks down at them. "The other reason was because of my nightmare."

Castle nods. "Yeah, you mentioned that when you called."

"Well, you don't know what the nightmare was about."

Castle looks at her hands that are still resting in her lap. "I can venture a guess."

"Within the last week, my nightmares have happened more frequently. In the beginning, my meds would knock me out."

"Okay. So, tell me what makes last night's different."

Kate unfolds her hands and reaches for her cup of tea. She drinks the last little bit and wraps her hands around the mug for comfort and strength. "The dreams all start the same. I'm standing at the podium talking about Montgomery. I look over at you, then look back at the crowd. Then you tackle me." She stops to breathe, calm herself, and gather her thoughts.

Castle can see that it's difficult for her to talk about. He carefully moves himself closer to her, continuing to give her some space, but to also let her know he's there for her. He quietly speaks, "Beckett? You don't have to continue. It's okay. You can tell me when you're more ready."

Kate carefully sets her empty mug down on the coffee table and reaches for Castle's hand. "No, it's okay. I can do this." She takes a breath before continuing. "In last night's dream, you tackling me was the last thing that was consistent with reality and my other dreams. Afterwards, it changes."

Castle gives Kate's hand a squeeze for comfort, support, and encouragement. "What happens after I tackle you?"

"When you tackled me, you ended up laying on top of me. I called your name, but there was no response. I tried calling your name again, with no response. I was trying to push you off me as I told you to get off. But again… there was nothing. As I was able to push you off and roll you over, that's when I felt dampness. I looked at my gloves and saw blood." Kate squeezes his hand tightly. "You were the one that was shot. I walked away unscathed. I woke up from my dream with a start, screaming your name. I looked around and called for you, but you weren't here."

Castle shifts to sit right next to Beckett, not caring about personal space. He wraps an arm around her while he continues to hold her hand with the other. "Oh, Kate. I'm so sorry. Is that why you called me? To make sure I was okay?"

"Yes, but only partly."

"What do you mean?"

"I partly called because I wanted to hear your voice. But I mainly called because that nightmare shook me. It put into perspective how much I want you here with me. Not just now, but all the time."

"Kate, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you… Always."

She stifles a yawn. "I'm not tired."

Castle knows better than that. He shifts to remove his arm from around Beckett, getting ready to stand up. "Come on. Let's get you to bed."

Kate stops him. "No. Can we just stay here a little longer?"

Castle settles back down and makes himself comfortable. "Sure, Kate. Whatever you want."

She rests her head on Castle's shoulder. "Good night, Castle."

"Good night, Beckett."

"Thank you for being here."

"Always."

Kate falls asleep against Castle's shoulder.

Kate wakes up on the couch. She sits up and looks around. It's quiet in the cabin. Too quiet, in her opinion. Did she imagine that Castle was there? She thinks that Castle needs to be around somewhere. She stands up from the couch to walk over to the front window. She looks out the window and sees Castle's car. "Castle?" Kate starts walking through the cabin. "Castle? Are you here?"

"Beckett? Are you okay?" Castle answers, but his voice is slightly muffled.

Kate follows the sound of Castle's voice. It's coming from down the hall. "Castle? Where are you?"

"In the bathroom. I just finished a shower." Castle emerges from the bathroom, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I was just worried that I imagined last night."

"Oh. I'm here. Last night was not your imagination."

Kate looks up and down Castle's body. She quickly closes the gap between them and grabs his face in both her hands and gives him a tender kiss on the lips.

Castle is taken aback. "What was that for?"

"Why? Was it bad?"

"No! No, it was good. It was really good."

"Good. Because I plan on doing it more often."

"I look forward to that."

She smiles at him and gives him another kiss. "Thank you."

Castle furrows his brows, unsure why she is thanking him. "For what?"

"For being here with me. But mainly, thank you for being you."

Castle wraps his arms around Kate, careful of her injuries, and smiles at her. "Always."

THE END

A/N: Thank you all for reading this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Again, Happy Birthday EvaKAlways! I hope you have a wonderful 30th!