Chapter 6

Kate's phone rang for the second time just before 6 PM, nearly three hours of solid sleep after Castle had brought her to bed. She jerked awake, her body in the very same position it'd been in when she'd drifted off, enveloped in the curve of his. She reached for the nightstand to answer, but the sound stopped, the call lost to the sluggishness of her waking haze, and she grumbled in frustration at its most inconsiderate intrusion.

Her bedroom was tickled with shadows, the city night just beginning its crawl inside, and there was quiet all around her, so much so that she was able to discern each drip of her bathroom faucet into the basin below. She rolled onto her back in a welcome stretch, and an ache-filled hiss escaped her lips, her injured wrist trapped messily beneath her. Extricating it, her eyes fell to the space in bed beside her, the space once occupied by the weight of his body now empty.

Kate pulled her body upright and sat, legs crossed, elbows at rest on her knees, her focus trained on the crumpled sheet of the unexpected void. Fear and sadness overtook her, her fingers returning cold from their exploratory trip across the cotton. But it had to have been real. It couldn't have been a dream. There was a weight gone from inside her, a hope in its place she could literally feel. Only Castle held that key. Only Castle.

She leaned back against the headboard and grabbed for her phone- maybe he'd called or written, she didn't care which. Two missed calls and a series of text messages awaited her, none of which originated from him. She considered tossing the phone aside and ignoring all of it, but one of the calls was from her father, and she knew better.

He hadn't left a message, so she entered the requisite keystrokes and dialed him back. A part of her wished he wouldn't answer, wished she could simply leave word after his clumsy outgoing message that she was fine, comfortable, without need. He picked up after the second ring. Of course.

"Katie, hi," he said, sounding stunned, as though she were the last person he'd ever expected to hear from, as though he hadn't seen her in ages. "How're you feeling? Did you eat?"

Two sentences in and he'd already brought up the food. She wasn't at all surprised. "Hi, dad, I'm feeling fine right now, thanks. I had an apple earlier, yeah." She hadn't actually gotten around to eating it, but that conversation wasn't going to happen. "And I just woke up, so-"

"Oh, sweetie, did the phone wake you? I'm so sorry. That was stupid of me."

"Dad, don't worry about it, really, it's-"

The squeak of distant floorboards distracted her from the rest of her thought and she fell silent. She watched the doorway and waited, not frightened, but on the pins and needles of anticipation. It had to have been real. It couldn't have been a dream. And when he appeared, she was struck with such overwhelming gratitude, with such relief, she nearly cried out.

Her father's Katie? Are you there? reverberated from the phone held loosely at her ear, but she'd forgotten all about him. She smiled widely at Castle and he at her, his body leaning against the door frame, entirely real. He motioned with his hand, an unspoken signal, a reminder to her of the phone she was holding and of the clearly impatient party waiting on the other end.

"Oh, dad? I'm so sorry. I need to go take care of something. Can we talk later?"

Castle looked at her with wondering eyes, his presence, perhaps, an intrusion on a moment she'd rather he not be around for. Kate held up a finger, a gesture insistent upon his staying right where he was.

"Is everything okay, Katie? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, dad, I just need to…go."

"If you say so. Though you don't sound okay. Maybe I should stop by on my-"

"No! I mean…that's really not necessary. I'm just going to go back to sleep, anyway, maybe have a cup of tea first." She only wanted Castle. "Really, dad, I'll call you in the morning, okay?"

She couldn't hear it, but she felt it- the defeat. He wanted to take care of her, not something he often found himself in a position to do. "The morning it is, then, I guess. But if you need anything tonight, no matter what time it is, you call me."

"I will. Thank you again for all your help today."

"I love you, Katie. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you too, dad. Bye."

She released a voracious yawn and dropped the phone onto the bed in front of her, not yet ready to dive into the collection of text messages that also awaited her. Certainly not with Castle standing near enough that she could smell his clean skin. "Hi," she said, her voice demure, perfectly girlish. "You gonna stand over there and watch me all night, or what?"

"If you'd let me, I would. You look more beautiful than you ever have."

"Right," she chucked. "I look like Frankenstein." She patted down her hair and touched lightly at her forehead, the bandage gone but the skin swollen and rough. She was familiar with the texture in a way she wished no one ever was, or ever had to be.

"You look breathtaking." He said it because he believed it, not because she needed to hear it.

Kate grinned faintly and tucked the sheet up around her waist. "Come over here, Castle." The light of the room was shifting with each passing minute, but she could see him as clearly as if it were day, the pierce of blue, the soft shine of pink- handsome, arresting.

He climbed into bed with her for the second time, somehow even more remarkable than the first, and she reached out her hand for his, his warm fingers weaving a path between hers. They sat shoulder to shoulder in the stillness, their minds overflowing with too many words to say.

"You looked so tired. I'm glad you were able to sleep," he said, finally, needful of the release.

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping these last few weeks. Even a couple of hours felt good. Seems I have you to thank for that."

He knew it wasn't an accusation, but a pang of guilt struck him, nonetheless. "Well, any time you'd like me to help make you feel good, please let me know."

"I'll keep that in mind," she told him through a perceptible smile, her hand playfully squeezing his. "I, um, I thought, when I woke up- I got scared that I'd dreamt this, that none of it had really happened. When I realized you weren't next to me, I felt scared. I'm really glad you're here, Rick, that you're real."

He took a notable pause, let the words wash over him. "I like when you say it like that."

"Say what?"

"My name, when you're not angry with me. You make it sound soft. I like that."

"Well, I'll remember that. You know, should the occasion ever arise again."

"Touché, Katherine, touché. I must say, you're pretty funny when you haven't slept for weeks and when you've been in a car accident and look like Frankenstein. Still not as funny as I, but…" He trailed off and let her laughter fill him up. "Hey, why don't you let me make you something to eat, hmm? I snooped while you were sleeping and actually found things that weren't surrounded by Styrofoam."

She wanted to offer a clever retort, but, honestly, she was famished and food sounded divine. "I'd like that, actually, if you eat with me." It was such a simple thing, sharing a meal, yet they'd done so little of it that didn't involve paper wrappers and pint-sized cartons- besides the fact that she found the image of him cooking for her terribly sexy.

"Oh, I look forward to it. Especially since I already know what we're having. Come on!"

He slid from the bed and came around to her side, helped her up and out and back into her discarded robe. Her hand in his, they moved into the kitchen, his excitement bordering adorably on that of a child's on Christmas morning. "So, how do you feel about breakfast for dinner? You love it, right?" He hadn't even allowed her a second to formulate her own response.

"I think it sounds delicious, as long as I don't have to be the one to make it."

"No, no, no, you go over there and sit down, relax, and I'll take care of everything. It'll be ready before you know it."

Kate slipped back into the bedroom to retrieve her phone, the text messages she'd ignored thus far popping back into her mind. She was working a case- now, sort of working a case, thanks to the damn accident- and she was curious to see if she'd gotten anything from Ryan or Espo.

She padded into the living room, phone now in hand, and glanced into the kitchen, Castle already immersed in the task at hand. Somewhere, she had no idea where, he'd found an apron and it hung loosely from his neck. She didn't even know she owned an apron, but, in that moment, she was very glad she did, and she managed to snap a photo without him knowing. For later. "You aren't going to burn down my kitchen, are you, Castle?"

"Very funny," he called out, without breaking focus. "That only happened one time and it was years ago."

"You know, maybe I should write a book about you one day. They'd put it on a shelf as far away from the self-help section as possible, no doubt."

"Quiet, or there shall be no french toast for you."

Kate sat across the room on the couch and opened her messages. Lanie had checked in, Gates had ordered her not to return to work until the following week, but she'd done so in a surprisingly compassionate way, and Espo had sent the four or five others, all but one of which were related to the Talia Thorne case. She assured Lanie she was fine, didn't mention Castle or anything that'd happened since she left the hospital- for now, she thanked Gates and let her know she'd keep her informed about the doctor's recommendations, but she decided to call Espo back, wanted to talk through it instead.

"Hey, girl, how's your vacation?"

"You know me, the proverbial slacker. Any excuse to get myself out of doing any real work."

She looked up and Castle was watching her, curious, interested, as he always was. She grinned and he reciprocated, not at all bashful about having been caught.

"I just saw your messages. Sorry, I knocked out for a bit."

"Glad to hear that. Hell, if I'd known all it'd take for you to relax for a few days was a concussion, I'd have hit you over the head with something years ago."

"That's sweet, really."

"That's what partners are for. Hey, speaking of which, did you ever hear from Castle? He called me last night. He was really worried about you."

She really wasn't ready to discuss what'd happened with Castle. Eventually, yes, but not now, and certainly not with him standing just a few feet away. "Can we just not talk about that right now? Tell me what's going on with the case." She took a quick peek, and Castle was at the sink, his back to her. Soon. But not now.

"Sure, yeah. So, we sat on Taryn's place yesterday after we left the hospital and we got her. Came home just after nine, reeked of pot, got completely hysterical when we told her about her sister. Just lost it. We brought her in and she ID'd the body. Said she hadn't seen Talia in a couple of weeks but hadn't thought much of it since she disappeared with her boyfriend like that all the time."

"Jimmy said he thought Micky and Talia's relationship might've been more than just friendship."

"Yeah. Apparently Talia thought so. Her sister definitely said it was a boyfriend. She never met him though. Guess Talia didn't spend much time at home, from the way it sounds."

"Anything on Micky? Where he might be?"

"We're workin' on it. And Taryn's making us a list of any of Talia's friends and acquaintances she can think of. Didn't know how helpful she could be, but she said she'd try to come up with somethin'. And, we ran Jimmy, just in case. He came back clean- an arrest for drug possession when he was younger but it was just weed, no big deal."

"Okay, well, keep me posted. I have to be out a few days, doctor's orders. I'm already clawing at the damn walls."

"No problem. Hey, hang on one-I'm trying to have a conversation here, Ryan, do you mind? Okay! Shit, bro- Ryan hopes you feel better. Christ. Please get back in here soon."

"Try not to kill each other until I get back, okay?"

"No promises. I'll call you tomorrow. Get some rest. 'Night."

"Thanks, Espo. G'night."

She hung up and cleared out the remaining text messages, deleted Espo's earlier voicemail as well, the call she'd chosen to ignore from the warmth of Castle's lap. It was like missing a limb, being away from the 12th, feeling what once filled that space but was now gone. It was days, just a few days, she knew, but it was a balance thrown off, a chink in the armor, a test she'd already taken once and passed.

She dropped her head back against the top of the couch, her feet balanced along the edge of the coffee table. Her eyes fell closed as the subtle scent of spice wafted toward her from the kitchen. When she opened her eyes again, Castle was leaning above her, his lips pulling back from her forehead. "Hey- I, did I fall asleep?"

"You did." He smiled because he couldn't help it. "You ready for some dinner? Or breakfast, as it were?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Smells good."

"Stay here, I'll bring it over." He went to the kitchen and prepared them each a plate: french toast with cinnamon, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers, and fresh fruit. Jim had unwittingly provided him with everything he needed to assemble a perfect breakfast feast.

He returned with a plate in each hand and silverware in his pocket, setting everything down in front of her with beaming pride and a hint of conceit. "Bon appétit." He moved to sit and then remembered. "Oh, wait…" He'd made her a fresh cup of tea, the mug she left behind earlier cold and unworthy of rescue. One final run to the kitchen and all was perfect- the meal, and the companion.

"Castle, this looks incredible," she told him, as she inched off of the couch and onto an oversized pillow on the floor. He followed suit, empathetic of her current physical constraints. "My dad would be very proud, not only that I'm about to eat this amazing meal, but that you created such delights with his hodgepodge of ingredients."

"It was nothing, really. But, I'll be more than happy to let you thank me properly later." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes- the reaction he'd expect, though she secretly relished the idea. "So, I wasn't trying to listen in or anything, but you were talking to Espo about the case? About that woman at the motel?" It made him sick to remember how he'd left the motel that night, and the back of his neck grew hot as the memory flashed across his mind.

"Yeah, we were able to ID her and locate her sister, and the boys are checking into a possible boyfriend who's also missing at the moment but…" She hesitated, stopped her thought mid-sentence. "You know what? I don't really want to talk about work or the case or Espo." They rarely had time together like this. This was new and different and she didn't want it to be about anyone or anything else.

Castle pushed a chunk of egg around the plate with his fork. "When you, uh, when you told him you didn't want to talk about it, did you mean me?"

He'd heard plenty.

She put down her fork and sipped her tea. "I did, yes." Today was about honesty. "Look, Castle-"

"They probably hate me, too, for being such a jackass. Can't blame them for that, I suppose."

"They're just protective, Castle. They know me too well. And, of course they don't hate you; they just don't understand what's going on. I'll talk to them. We'll talk to them, when the time is right. Tonight wasn't that time. Let's just see how things go for now." She reached out her hand to him. "They don't hate you, I promise. Just make sure the Ferrari's gassed up." She offered her own wink, and he pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

XXX

"A man who cooks and cleans is a man I want around," she uttered, her belly satiated, her head angled against the soft curve of his shoulder. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Ha," he chuckled, his body vibrating from the sudden burst. "Does that mean you want me to stay?" He tried to ask the question without revealing the underlying screams of I want to stay. Please let me stay. But they were there, and they were roaring.

"I want you to stay."

He turned and kissed the top of her head. "Come on. Let's go dream." He got up from the couch and helped her do the same. They turned the lights out as they moved and wandered together back into the darkness of the bedroom. It was still early by any normal day's standards, but this day wasn't at all normal. She flipped on the light in the bathroom and prepared for sleep, and he perched himself on the end of the bed and waited, listened to the sound of her in her ritual. It was silly, he knew, the amount of joy he took in being present for something so mundane, so regular.

She emerged moments later, her form in silhouette against the light. "I found an extra toothbrush for you. I left it on the sink." She walked past him and around to her side of the bed, pulled her phone out of her robe's pocket and plugged it back in on the nightstand to charge. "If you need something else, let me know."

"Thanks." He stood and turned to her. "I'll just be right back." He sounded nervous. He was nervous. Talking himself down from it was futile.

He disappeared behind the bathroom door and took a deep breath, the scent of her in every particle of the air around him. That wasn't helping. He stepped up to the sink and splashed cold water against the too-warm skin of his face, stared himself in the mirror in silent meditation- Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. He opened the fresh toothbrush and coated it, spent more minutes brushing than was necessary, lost in thoughts of what waited for him on the other side of the door.

She was in bed when he finally came out, the sheet on his side turned down and ready for him. He removed his shoes and his jeans and climbed in next to her without a sound. He rotated onto his side, as she was, and scooted in close, their knees kissing beneath the covers.

"You tired?" she murmured, the delivery of her words clear evidence of her own weariness.

"I'll get there. You sleep and I'll be right here." He brushed his thumb along the soft skin of her cheek.

"Rick?"

"Hmm."

"What happens tomorrow?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out together."

XXX

It was early. Too early. Early enough to warrant a grumble until she felt the warmth of his palm against the exposed skin of her lower back. It wasn't a hint or a suggestion or an overture- he was asleep, not even aware. It just felt true, right.

She'd imagined it before, what it might be like to wake with his body next to hers, not as a result of such unfortunate circumstance as kidnapping, but out of want. Her insides fluttered with the realization that anything she'd dreamed up paled in comparison with the actuality of this moment.

Kate remained still, anxious as she was to turn and face him, to watch him sleep until the assertive light of morning forced him awake. His fingers twitched involuntarily and it tickled a chill up her body, her subsequent giggle only partially stifled by the pillow beneath her.

"What's so funny?" he mumbled sleepily, the sound of his voice startling her.

"You tickled me."

"You'll never be able to prove that, Detective. Your case, I surmise, is very, very weak."

She rolled over gratefully, his hand never leaving her skin, merely gliding over the curve of her hip to the flat of her belly. "My case is like no case you've ever seen, I can assure you." Apparently, subtext waited for no dawn.

"Well, that sounds- "

"Castle, I want to take you somewhere," she blurted, stepping on his forthcoming retort. "Is your car ready to go?"

He pushed himself up slowly, his weight on one arm. "My car? Then I think what you meant to say was you'd like me to take you somewhere."

She pursed her lips in disapproval and he apologized, his fingers tracing diversionary lines up and down her forearm. "Where are we going?"

"Yeah? You'll go with me?" She trapped his traveling hand with her cheek and kissed it softly, her lip tender but her excitement overcoming the obstacle.

"Wherever you lead."

"It's where I was when I knew, when I really knew this was what I wanted- that you were what I wanted and what I wanted to fight for. I want to take you to my dad's cabin."

He couldn't speak right away, her words overwhelming to hear and even more so to try and process. He lowered himself back onto his pillow, his eyes on hers without breach. "But don't you need to see the doctor for a follow up? I want to make sure you're-"

"My appointment isn't until Monday. I don't want to sit around and mope until then." She leaned in close. "So you'll come?"

He was absolutely powerless against that face, that voice, that dangle of hair tickling his bare skin.

"What do I need to pack?"