A/N: Thank you all who have followed/favorited and reviewed this story. I can't tell you how happy I am that you guys have reviewed it as an interesting read. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. It's a bit fluffier than the ones I've posted so far, but goes back to plot in the next one. I hope it's not too abrupt. Let me know. Keep the reviews coming. : ) Happy reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Big surprise.

Chapter 8

Ryan, Esposito and Castle quickly caught up to them in one of the squad cars. She had picked up speed and changed her route. Castle thought she must've known that she was followed. But Smith picked up speed too. They were going fast and turning at high speeds. Now they'd left the main roads for some of the by-lanes. They'd left the siren off until they saw him drawing a gun from his back pocket. He was aiming for her but got distracted when he heard them coming from behind. Beckett turned again onto the main road. She must've heard them too. He turned behind her and them behind him. There was nowhere to go ahead and the turn was too sharp, she had to skid to a stop. Her bike skidded from under her and she rolled on to the ground. Luckily her momentum had slowed enough that she probably wasn't too hurt. Daniel Smith - they presumed – didn't stop. Instead he swerved his bike onto some steps to his left that led through a park. People screamed as the whole thing went down, there was utter chaos everywhere. They stopped the squad car and made to get out just as Esposito instructed Castle "Hey man, you go check on Beckett just in case, I'll go after this guy on foot, see where he goes. Ryan call for back up." He set off running.

Castle would have checked on Beckett anyway. He saw Ryan starting to talk on the police radio and himself ran towards Beckett.

"Beckett! Kate – are you okay." He saw her struggling to get up and reached over to help her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just sprained my ankle and scraped my knee a bit. Help me up" she said.

He did just that and more. She was surprised as he enveloped her in a hug. She could feel his heart beating as quickly as hers was and didn't fight it. She hugged him back. "I'm okay Rick. I promise" she said and then he finally let her go.

Ryan came over to them. "You okay Beckett?"

"Yeah, thanks Ryan. I'm fine, just an ankle sprain" she told him. "Could have been worse" she realized it had been the wrong thing to say when she took in Castle's expression. He was face was full of concern.

"Javi went after the guy but he was riding like a pro. I called in back-up but there's probably a greater chance of him escaping. I'll go back to the precinct check out footage from the closest traffic cameras from earlier. Maybe we'll get a clue where he came from. How long he was waiting. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I'll come with you."

"No. You might be fine, but this is enough for you today. Espo and I will take care of it. See you in the morning" She could be stubborn, so could he. He's learnt from the best after all and with Beckett sometimes you had to fight fire with fire. He went back to the squad car and took off.

"Come home with me tonight" Castle said.

"What? Castle I'm fine. I can go home" she said.

"No" Castle said as he gently caught her arm. "He was waiting for you Kate. We don't know where he is, he could come back for you later."

It was getting harder to say no to that pleading look he gave her. Truth be told, she didn't look forward to the prospect of going home alone either. The PTSD might largely be under control but it could still creep up when she knew she's being hunted. But Kate Beckett was stubborn. "Castle, he could come after you too. What about Alexis and Martha? We can't put them in danger over this."

"They aren't home. Alexis has gone for a weeklong vacation with Paige's family and mother is out this entire month touring with her school for a play" before she could argue he went on "and if I'm in danger too, then come protect me, I'm all alone at home." He said softly giving her a tired smile. As an afterthought he added "My building has better security too. We can go pick up your clothes and then I'm taking you home."

She didn't know what to be more afraid of – a killer who might strike her at her home, or staying alone with Castle at his loft. He thought she would fight him more. He knew how bull-headed she could be and he was prepared to be just as much if not more. He was preparing arguments in his head while wondering what she would say next which is why he was surprised at what she said. "Okay Castle."

He couldn't hide his surprise. "Okay?" but he thought better of it. No giving her chances for backsides "Okay. Let's go then. You're ankle is sprained. We'll take a cab now and you can collect your bike tomorrow." He hurried to park her bike near-by in an empty spot and quickly got back to her side. He looked so happy that she agreed that she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from going up.

They made a quick stop at her place and got her clothes and a few things she thought she'd need. He insisted she pack enough clothes for a few days, just until they caught Smith, and as a precaution. She did it to stop Castle from arguing anymore. She was already tired and her ankle was hurting if she put too much pressure on it. They got home to the loft a little after an hour. She let him take her bags and set her up in his guest room while she huffed and sat down on his living room couch.

She admitted – only to herself – that she felt better and safer to be with Castle too. She didn't very much like the idea of going home alone to her apartment after what had just happened, not that she would say as much to anyone. Plus how could she really say no to the man who watched her die in his arms, who waited for three months without so much as a word from her and still forgave and took her back when she showed up again. How could she say no when he was obviously hurting about the past too, when all he was trying to do was be her wall instead of trying to push past it.

Castle finally came down and sat beside her after setting down a first-aid kit on the table. She felt warm and cared for. 'This man. He cares so much for her, makes it so hard to keep her defenses upright' she thinks to herself. As he started examining her foot she felt sparks of electricity jolting into her body from where he was touching her. It took all her strength not to gasp and flex her leg away from him.

He wrapped her ankle deftly in a bandage and then cleaned her knee – fortunately very minor scraping – and put band-aid on it. She could only watch him as he did this and felt grateful that he couldn't see her right at that moment because there's no way that she could've hidden her adoration – her love - for him. Once he was done he packed the kit back and leaned back into the couch facing her. "I can make pasta in garlic sauce really quickly if you're hungry" he said.

The way she was looking at him right then, he could feel the butterflies forming a conga line inside him. He didn't know what to make of it but he couldn't will himself to look away. "Pasta sounds good" she finally said. Her stomach must have agreed with her cause it audibly growled as he got up. He chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen.

They ate the pasta in a comfortable silence and then bade each other good night. He was still worried about her. Soon after they'd retired to bed both of them were awake. He heard a noise from the kitchen decided to investigate.

"Hey" he said as he saw her filling a glass with water. "Couldn't sleep?"

He knows her too well. "Yeah. Just" she shrugs.

He went over to her side of the counter and grabbed her free hand gently. He intertwined their hands and led her to the couch. When did they get to this point? She should be fighting this but instead she's just staring at their linked hands. She should be pulling her hand away from his but she can't. This feels good, it feels safe and above all it feels right. Once they sat on the couch he said "I couldn't sleep either" and adds a shrug much like the one she had earlier. "I've decided to cash in on that rain check. Pun intended" he smiles. He still hadn't left her hand and she still didn't want him to. They both leaned towards the table. She put her glass down now that her thirst is quenched and he picked up the remote and turned on the DVD. "I was going to watch this movie anyway. To fend off the boredom since Alexis and mother aren't home. You don't mind watching 'Despicable me' do you?" She gave him an amused grin and raised an eyebrow. She knew what he was doing. He was always good at distracting her and he was always good at picking the correct time to distract her.

"Really Rick? A cartoon movie?"

He smiled at her use of his name. "It's a really intelligent cartoon movie, Kate."

She looked back at the screen with a close-mouthed smile on her face which he took as a yes. Something light-hearted would do them some good tonight. He turned the movie on and they started watching. A few minutes later she was snuggling into him. She sat to his right with her sprained but bandaged – thanks to him - right ankle on the table and she was leaning into him with her head in the crook of his right shoulder. If she were to look up at his face she'd be looking at the most contented man on the planet. She needed to feel him at her side just as much as he needed her. The few months they'd spent apart after her shooting when she had been healing alone, she always wondered what it would have been like to have him right there besides him. In her mind he was with her of course, but she'd wished for the physical and emotional comfort of having him next to her as well. She didn't have to wonder anymore. It felt perfect, so good. If he were to look down at her face he'd be looking at the most contented woman on the planet.

The T.V. was set to switch off on a timer at the end of the movie. They fell asleep more or less in that position, in each other's arms and though it would kill their muscles the next morning, this was the most comfortable sleep that either of them could ask for.