Kate's body went numb at the doctors words. She could feel Lanie's body shaking in her arms as she cried even harder. "What are the chances he'll survive?" Kate barely managed to choke out the words.

The doctor's brow furrowed. "It's hard to say. He's a fighter." Montgomery nodded and stood to talk with the doctor alone. Kate hugged Lanie tighter, until her friend's body stopped moving and she was sure she'd stopped crying.

"I'm gonna step outside a moment." She whispered, hugging Lanie tightly. "You going to be ok for a moment?" Lanie could only nod, moving to rest her head against the wall behind her. Kate stood and looked at her friend once more. She hated seeing Lanie like this. Tear stained cheeks, mascara running, a broken look in her eyes. She felt Castle rise and follow her outside. In the crisp cold air of the night, she turned into Castle's embrace and cried quietly.

He rubbed her back in slow circles, resting his head on top of hers. They stood in each others arms for a couple moments, before approaching foot steps made Kate pull away. Castle frowned, but said nothing. He looked up to see a young woman approaching, her blonde hair being whipped around by the evening wind. She spotted him and Kate and quickened her pace. Kate straightened and ran a hand through her hair, trying to fix it despite the wind. "Detective Beckett?" The woman called as she got closer. Kate looked to Castle to see if he recognized her, but he just shrugged. Kate eyed the woman a moment before replying.

"Yes?"

"My name is Jenny. Is Ryan here? He sent me a text about his partner Esposito. What happened?" Jenny rambled quickly. Kate sighed heavily and nodded. She motioned towards the doors and followed Jenny inside. Castle continued to stand outside momentarily, choosing his moment alone to call Alexis. Despite his urges to stay at home, Alexis insisted that she and Grams would be there as soon as possible.

Days seem to drag by for everyone at the precinct. Montgomery rarely emerged from his office, Ryan buried himself in paperwork, while Kate insisted on handling the murder case that had originally belonged to Ryan and Esposito. Kate was currently at her desk, digging through the case file, trying to find something that would pop out at her. Castle was nervously fidgeting in his chair, feeling at a loss of what to do. "Beckett!"

Kate's head snapped up at the sound of Karpowski's voice. Her face lit up at the fact that Roselyn Karpowski had their shooter in cuffs and was placing him in the interrogation room. Kate jumped to her feet and dashed to the door. Castle moved to follow her inside and she put a hand up to stop him. "No." Castle sighed, but did not question her statement. He moved to look through the window, hoping Kate would tear this guy to shreds.

Kate dropped the case file on the table loudly, but the suspect didn't budge. He leered at her, making Castle holler from behind the window. Kate shot a pointed look at the window and the muffled yells faded. Kate turned back to the man sitting at the table. "I've got you for the whole thing Mason, now all I want to know is why."

Mason shifted and let out a deep and raspy chuckle. "You don't have a thing on me." Kate opened her mouth to continue, but he cut her off. "I'd love to have you on me though."

Kate gave the man her signature eye roll. "I do have something on you. I've got a bullet that matches the gun we found on you."

Mason's face twitched only slightly and he shifted in his seat. "I don't believe you."

Kate smirked. "Fine," She suddenly shoved the table edge with all her might, pinning Mason between the wall and the table. Mason coughed and gasped as Kate put all her weight against the table's edge. "But you know what Mason?" He could only stare at her with wide eyes. "I've got the bullet that you shot my colleague with." Mason began to struggle and Kate gave a good shove, causing him to cry out. "If he dies Mason I will kill you myself." Kate stood and pulled the table back to it's original position. Mason heaved in a heavy breath and glared at Kate. Ryan appeared in the doorway, glaring at their suspect. Kate put a hand on Ryan's shoulder and squeezed gently. He gave her a soft smile as she turned to leave. As Kate shut the door behind her, she heard the satisfying sound of fist connecting with flesh and Mason's agonizing cry. Kate nodded to Karpowski, who quickly disappeared into the room.

Castle hopped from foot to foot excitedly, his hands moving wildly in front of him. "That was AWESOME!"

Kate chuckled lightly, something she hadn't done since the night Esposito had been shot. "You liked that huh?" Castle nodded eagerly. "Why do I have a feeling that's going to end up in the next Nikki Heat novel?"

Castle chuckled. "Would it bother you?"

"Actually, no." At the sound of her phone, Kate flipped it open. "Beckett. Alright, we're on our way." Castle was in the process of sitting back down, but halted and righted himself. Kate turned to the interrogation room as Ryan and Karpowski were exiting with Mason in tow. She grabbed her keys and jacket, excitement coursing through every fiber of her being. "Ryan!"

Ryan looked in her direction, confused by her frantic movements. "What?"

"He's awake." Was all Kate said and Ryan was right beside her and Castle as they entered the elevator.

Arriving at the hospital, they immediately made their way up to the third floor. The whole trip had been a quiet one. No one wanted to speak, for fear of jinxing the good news. The doors dinged open and Ryan stepped out first, heading straight for the room that they had visited so many times before. Castle took Kate's hand in his, squeezing it gently. She gave him a look, which he intently ignored, not letting go of her hand when she tried to pull away. They could hear laughter and chatter echoing through the halls, the sounds distinctly coming from their colleague's room. Stepping up to the door, they found Alexis perched on the window sill, the early afternoon sun creating a silhouette of her. Lanie had commandeered a chair near the head of the bed. A pillow and blanket told Kate that Lanie hadn't left that spot in the last three days. Ryan had stopped outside of the door, not yet entering, a look of pain on his face. Ryan shook his head when Kate looked at him, and she knew he wasn't ready yet. Castle let go of Kate's hand and stepped inside. "You look like crap Esposito." He chuckled, patting his friend's hand.

"No worse than you bro." Esposito fired back without pause, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

Kate entered next and took in the sight of her friend and colleague. Castle had a point, Esposito looked bad. His eyes were slightly sunken, but they were bright as he smiled at everyone. She stole a look at Lanie, finally happy to see the woman smiling. "You find the oddest ways to get out of work Esposito."

Esposito laughed and then cringed, his eyes shutting as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. Lanie and Kate cringed simultaneously. "I'm alright." He stated before anyone could say anything. The room had fallen silent, everyone looking at Esposito, not sure what to say in response.

"Getting shot was a convoluted way to get out of paperwork." Ryan finally chimed in from the doorway.

"Are you kidding?" Esposito grinned at his partner. "I'll be stuck at a desk for a good while now." Ryan finally smiled, the first time in the last couple days. Castle, sensing that Ryan wanted a moment to speak with Esposito privately, ushered Alexis out of the room. Kate objected as he gently tugged on her jacket.

"Come on, I'll treat you to lunch." Kate sighed heavily and trudged after Alexis and Castle.

2 months later

Esposito returned to desk work as soon as Montgomery would let him. Ryan went back out into the field, happy now that Esposito was out of the hospital.

Kate, Ryan and Castle stood over their latest dead body. Perlmutter was the current M.E. on the case, being his usual cranky self. "If you'd let me get the body to the morgue I can get you some information." He griped.

Castle chuckled. "I don't know why he's always so cranky." He stated when they were out of earshot.

"He works with dead people all day." Ryan stated with a shrug.

"So does Lanie and she's nothing like him." Kate just shrugged at Castle's statement and moved to talk to the woman who had spotted their victim. Castle followed closely behind her, his mind on other things. Not paying attention, he bumped into Kate when she had stopped, nearly toppling them over. She glared at him over her shoulder and he smiled innocently.

The ride back to the precinct was a quiet one. Castle stared aimlessly out his window, his hands in his lap. Kate wove her way through New York traffic, her thoughts scattered. It just doesn't seem the same with Esposito out in the field with us. She stole a glance at Castle, smiling to herself. They hadn't spent much time together since the shooting. Most of her time was spent keeping Lanie in good spirits. I could use a break. But I know it won't happen, not with all this craziness. All I want is…… Her thoughts halted at the feel of a very warm hand on her thigh. She glanced down momentarily to see Castle's hand resting precariously high on her leg. "Move it or lose it." She growled in a low voice. Move it higher!

Castle chuckled, but didn't remove his hand. Kate frowned and slapped it, but instead he just inched it higher up her leg. Oh my! She popped him harder this time, but Castle's face only winced with the pain. Realizing she had to resort to different measures, she grabbed her fingers and gripped hard. "AHHH! APPLES!! APPLES!!!" He cried out, holding his injured hand to his chest. Kate heaved a sigh and turned her attention back to the busy New York streets. Castle's going to be the death of me! I swear it! "I'm hungry." Castle suddenly griped. Kate looked at her watch, shocked at how late in the afternoon it really was.

"Where do you want to eat?"

Castle bounced happily in his seat. "How about take out and we eat at my place?"

Kate grumbled. "We always eat at your place Castle."

"Fine, we'll eat at yours then." Kate opened her mouth to protest and shut it, realizing there was no point in fighting about it. Me and my big mouth. Good goin Kate! Kate won the food choice and picked Chinese. Castle called Alexis on his way to her apartment, only after Kate had insisted.

"She's your daughter Castle."

"She knows I go out and do things. She knows I'd call her if something was wrong." He huffed and Kate shook her head.

"You sound like the child in the relationship Castle. You're supposed to be the parent." She chided as she pulled into her usual parking spot in the parking garage.

"You're supposed to be the parent." Castle mocked in a annoyed, nasally voice. Kate laughed at him, grabbing the food as she got out of the crown vic. Castle trudged along behind her, hoping she wasn't aware of the fact that he was staring at her butt.

"Quit staring Castle!" She ordered as they climbed the stairs. Yea, quit staring and just do something about it! PLEASE!

"Spoil sport."

After finally getting into the apartment, no thanks to a problematic key, they laid the food out the dining room table. Kate disappeared into the kitchen, shrugging off her jacket on the way and laying it on the counter. She stood on her tip toes and grabbed to glasses for drinks, nearly colliding with Castle when she turned around. "Cast……." Her threat fell from her lips at the fire in his eyes. He was smiling down at her, that sexy grin that turned her insides to pure mush. FINALLY!No, play it cool Kate. No need for him to know you have to have him. Even though your body demands it. "Not hungry Castle? She asked, chewing the inside of her lip gently.

He chuckled deep in his chest, the sound making her heart race faster and faster. She could feel his hands on her sides, the heat penetrating her blouse. Just kiss me already you fool! As if reading her thoughts, Castle bent his head and kissed her gently. She moaned into his mouth, pressing her body closer to his. Forget playing it cool, I need more. She whined when he pulled away, her lips sticking out in a sexy pout. "Only for you." He purred in her ear.

Ok, so I felt like this chapter was forced. *shrugs* Let me know what you thought. Loved it or hated it? Criticism is always welcome. J