A/N:

You guys are the best! I really love the idea of this story and your enthusiasm makes writing it that much better. Thanks! Happy Castle Monday!

Chapter 7

"Beckett, don't be..."

"Shut up Castle."

The bitterness behind those three words makes him cringe. He's heard that tone before. Once. He swore to never do anything to hear it again. She really is mad, furious even as she crosses her arms even tighter against her chest. Really mad Kate Beckett scares him. That's the one that didn't talk to him for weeks.

Beckett's seething as she stares at the wall. Laying on her back, she's trapped between the bed rail to her right, Castle to her left and the four blankets on top of her. Her only chance of escape is to scoot forward off the bed. That's not a likely option since it's guaranteed to give Castle a perfect view of her backside.

The silence along with his inability to see Beckett's face is killing Castle. What he can see, her clenched jaw, only adds to his growing anxiety. Lanie warned him she would be mad and that there would be yelling, lots of yelling. Instead she's silent. Silent and angry is never a good combination especially when it involves a woman as stubborn as Beckett.

Kate just wants to hit him. As exposed as she's feeling, she might as well be laying there naked. Some things are private. Maybe Castle doesn't know that, but Lanie certainly does. If she wants to tell Castle something that's her choice, it's not for anyone else to share with him. Truth is, she probably was going to tell him. At least some of it but now it's too late. He already knows and she hates that. Now she's left with choosing between kicking him to prove a meaningless point or letting him stay so he can burrow himself even further into her life. Right now, dealing with the consequences of either makes her nauseous.

With each passing moment, Castle's convinced Beckett's assembling an ironclad case against him which she will lay out in her own very devastating way before trying to get rid of him for the night. If not for Lanie's blessing, he's certain this would end in disaster. Instead, he dismisses that doomsday scenario, holding onto his belief that he hasn't messed up his only chance to get through to her. Of course, that's only if she doesn't kill him first.

Beckett can't decide who she's angrier at. Herself or Castle. She's such a fool sometimes. Why did she think Castle came to the hospital after being away from his family for an entire week? That he was being so sweet and concerned because he was a nice guy. It all makes sense now. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to peel back another layer in the name of Nikki Heat. He talked to Lanie. That's why he was being so bold. She can't believe she bought all of it. This is life not the make believe of his books. She's told Castle enough times, she shouldn't forget it so easily. Castle played her and if there's one thing Kate Beckett hates it's being played.

"Flip over Castle." Her voice is steady, hiding the battle raging within her. If she can't make her way off this bed, she can at least get away from Castle's watchful eye. Even with her head turned, she feels like she's suffocating under it.

Castle has no desire to move. He's exactly where he wants to be. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Lucky for me, right now I could care less what you think." It's self-preservation. She's too tired and overwhelmed to risk looking him in the eye. They need to talk about what Lanie told him and this is the only way she's sure she'll get through that conversation.

"I have no doubt that's true but this is a little childish even by my standards." In spite of his protests, Castle dares not disobey her. He maneuvers himself on the bed so his back is to her, reminding himself that Beckett trusts him. If she didn't, he'd already be out of this room.

Any other time, Castle lecturing her on maturity would amuse her. Not today. Today, making him turn around gives her back at least some control over this situation. That's exactly what she needs right now. She wonders if he's changed his mind yet about staying, "You can always go home Castle."

"No," his answer, full of conviction, comes without any hesitation. Daring a Castle. She really is desperate. No way is he getting up and leaving. She's scary, but she's not that scary. He will gladly sacrifice the upper hand because it's worth it. She's worth it.

Beckett sighs as she curls up on her side, fingers clutching the ring against her chest. With his back to her, she realizes Castle's at her mercy. She dismisses the very appealing thought of giving him a hard shove. Who knows? Maybe he'd break something when he fell. It would serve him right.

Silence, especially silence as awkward as this, is beyond uncomfortable for Castle. He can practically feel Beckett plotting behind his back. Literally. Surprisingly, the wheels of his mind aren't conjuring up those scenarios. They're too busy going over how the two of them spent the past few hours. He wishes they could have that back. It was nice. One of the best Friday nights he's spent with a woman not his daughter or his mother in longer than he cares to admit.

Beckett makes her living figuring people out, yet she cannot seem to do that with Rick Castle. With each passing day, he confuses her more and more turning things that were once black and white into a very murky shade of gray. She's mad at herself that she doesn't understand why she can't make him leave. Why she would rather reach over and hug him even though she's still mad. Lately, she finds herself not sure of a lot of things about Castle and that frustrates her, "So Lanie called you?"

"Actually, I called her. Every guy knows you want to know what's up with a woman, you call her best friend for information."

"What!?" No wonder she's confused. If he really is using her misery to troll for more Nikki Heat material, she might have to reconsider shoving him onto the floor.

Castle panics, "Wait! Wait! I mean, I don't mean information like research I mean information like…"

"You're on thin ice Castle. You might want to choose your words a little more carefully." She'll let him tell her his side but she won't make it easy for him. Right now, it's easier to be angry at him than to be hurt by him. She can do angry. Angry puts her heart in a safer place.

"Noted." He takes a deep breath before speaking again, "When I was here earlier I heard how upset you were and I wanted to help. Montgomery and Esposito told me to drop it and go home but I didn't want to listen. I couldn't go home knowing that you were here alone. That's when I decided to call Lanie and, even though you're angry at me for doing so you should know I'm not sorry."

Despite his admission and intentions, she's becoming less and less angry, "What did she say?"

Hearing the fear in her voice makes Castle want to take her in his arms until she believes she has nothing to be afraid of, "She just told me you'd feel better if you had company for the night." Convincing Lanie to confide in him had been much easier than he expected. In fact, he hadn't had to do any convincing at all. That immediately worried him and gave him all the encouragement he needed.

"Don't patronize me Castle. What else did Lanie tell you?" Beckett doesn't like that he knows things without her permission. She likes even less that he's lying about it.

Suddenly he feels like a suspect in Beckett's interrogation room. Her skills in there never failed to impress him. From the moment she shuts the door, she has total command of the room, making suspects regret mistaking her size and gender for weakness. Castle resists the urge to turn around to tell her he's not like them. That he could never think she's weak. He stays where he is, determined to show her that he can respect her wishes and answers her question, "That you have nightmares when you stay at the hospital."

"Dreams. They're just dreams Castle." Her words are louder than she intends. She hates the word nightmare. It gives her dreams more power and they had too much already.

Castle's eyes are wide realizing his mistake, "Right, dreams. These particular dreams that you have are intense. They scare and upset you very much. You've had different ones before and could always figure out a way to step out of them but not these. These seem to be beyond your control."

He pauses giving her a chance to speak, giving himself a chance to choose the proper words. For a writer, finding the words should be easy. Not true tonight. He writes for pleasure and he takes no pleasure in saying words that are so hard for her to hear.

"Sometimes these dreams make you so upset that you have a panic attack. That's usually been when you are here alone. You prefer not to take any medication to help you sleep or narcotics for your pain because that has made the dreams more vivid in the past. You don't want to risk that happening again so you just take your chances, hoping you'll be able to stay awake long enough to keep them at bay."

As tears fill Beckett's eyes, she doesn't bothering wiping away the few that fall. She is speechless as she tries to digest what Castle's told her without being crushed by the weight of her own embarrassment. Her anger is practically gone. Diffused by the concern so clear in Castle's voice, and, reality of how much trust her friend put in him tonight. The one time Will stayed, Lanie was completely against it and she turned out to be right. Tonight, Lanie trusted Castle without even asking her first. And Castle. He went out of his way to call Lanie for the sole purpose of finding out how to help her. She's given him a hard time every chance she could tonight yet he still wants to stay.

Castle continues, if only in the hopes that finishing his story would let him see her face that much quicker, "Lanie was concerned that you'd be alone tonight. I offered to stay and she thought that was a good idea." That was the only part of their conversation that is not true. Lanie actually asked him to stay before he could suggest it. That was the moment he knew nothing would succeed in sending him home. He figures, no matter how this night turns out, his white lie is at least going to save Lanie from a little bit of trouble with Beckett. "Truth is I wanted to stay anyway. People shouldn't be alone in places like this."

Biting her lip, she tries to brace herself against the wave of emotions hitting her. Her damp pillow is evidence that she's fighting a losing battle. Thankful that Castle can't see her, she needs to make sure she knows everything, "What else, Castle."

"That's it. I swear." Beckett's tone makes it clear that there's something specific she's asking for. At first, he's not sure what she's looking for. Then it hits him, "Wait. You think…"

That's it. He's indulged her long enough. When she hears the rest of what he has to say, he needs her to be looking at him. Without warning, he turns over to face her. He frowns as she backs slightly away from him. "Lanie never said what the dreams were about. I didn't ask. I don't care what they're about. I only care that you let me try to make this night a little easier for you."

That he didn't ask shocked her. His admission quieting that last nagging thought saying she'd be better off if he left. These moments when he let her see how much he really cared are hard for her. It challenges the one belief that protects her from him. The belief that he is not capable of truly caring for her.

"I swear Kate." He hopes that his voice is stronger than usual helps make his point. For the first in a very long time knowing the story didn't really matter. That's the truth and he needs her to believe it.

She smiles reluctantly when he says her first name. Paired with the sincerity in his eyes, it melts what's left of her Castle defenses, "So Lanie asked you to stay here with me and you decided that meant commandeering my hospital bed."

Castle smiles, happy to see even a glimpse of his detective and proud to take credit for hijacking her bed, "Of course! That was all me. I knew you'd like it."

Looking at Castle, so many thoughts swirl around her head. Kate wants to say something to explain what he's getting himself into. Trying to come up with any words that don't succeed in making her feel ridiculous appears to be useless. Still she feels like she has to try. She's looking away from him before her words are out of her mouth, "Look Castle, I know they're just dreams. I'm being stupid."

Beckett beating herself up like this is something he's never been able to stand seeing. He's glad it's rare because she doesn't deserve it. Castle reaches his hand out to her chin, rubbing his finger underneath it a few times before gently lifting it up so her eyes are forced to meet his, "You're many things. Beautiful. Stubborn. Smart. Extraordinary. Stupid is definitely not one of them."