Chapter 2 – Some Place Safe

A/N: How you all finding it so far? Leave a review for me, will you? As my inbox's flooded, I don't check e-mails that often... so reviews are more appreciated. You can PM me too though.

- If you see my own review on my story, ignore it. Its just a friend bugging me. (Unfortunately she knows my password which I have to change now)

- Pardon my grammatical errors please :)

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, Andrew W Marlowe and ABC are doing a damn good job with 'em.

Castle just stared at her, lying in his arms, unconscious. At that moment, he forgot the enmity and unresolved feelings he had and just realized how much of an impact she had on him. He reached for his pocket to grab his mobile and immediately called the ambulance. She lay in his arms breathing peace and contentment but looking pale. She had lost a few pounds and seemed more fragile than she really was. He lifted her with intense care but with much ease as if she was weightless and took her downstairs, saving the ambulance some time. Once she was safely admitted in the hospital, time literally flew as he informed everyone at the precinct and her dad about her whereabouts. He messaged Alexis and Martha as well, telling them that everything was fine. Time's pace changed along with the change in scene because between Kate's admission and doctor's report, time seemed to stand still. As soon as the doctor in charge of Kate showed, he was surrounded by Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Jenny, Gates, Jim and Castle, all asking him about her condition.

'She's fine, she blacked out because of strain and over exhaustion, she's got a sprained ankle and a few stitches on her lower lip and left arm, actually her left arm had a deeper cut and some shattered glass fragments were also found embedded in the wound, but nothing severe...she just needs rest and a good diet... at most a pain killer for the cuts and bruises, you can meet her in an hour or so' he said, throwing a smile towards them before heading down the corridor.

Everyone took a sigh of relief, satisfied with the current situation as something worse could have happened too. Castle was still confused about what caused her to get those cuts on her arm and lower lip as well as why she was bathed in mud. He turned towards Ryan and Esposito for answers with questioning eyes and an understanding passed between them, though it seemed that even they didn't know the whole story. He decided to ask Kate and get the story out of her by hook or by crook because showing at his doorstep late at night after a month of absence and then blacking out in his arms was something unusual and difficult to digest. When the silence became unbearable, the most unexpected person seemed to break it. It was Gates and she spoke directly to Castle.

'Mr Castle... do you know that Detective Beckett's life is threatened?' she asked him and all he could do was give her a nod. Yes I know.

'The man knows where she lives and she's on the run for her life... we can't give her sniper a second chance!' Gates said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

'I understand...' Castle said and nodded for her to continue.

'Her every move is being tracked and since she didn't meet you for almost a month until now, the safest place for her is your loft. He'll not even think of looking for her there...' Gates was asking him to hide Kate in his loft. She had no idea about how badly things had ended between them and Castle didn't want to go through the same thing twice. Gates was quite brusque with him. He protested.

'But sir things aren't the same between us'.

'I don't know how things exactly are between you two but the focus here is Beckett's safety, do you care enough for her Mr Castle to keep your personal issues on hold for some time?' she asked, raising an eyebrow. The mention of Kate's safety got to him and he acquiesced to Gates orders without any further questions or excuses. It was about her safety and that's what he wanted all along, to know she was alive. The easiest way to keep a track of her was to make her stay 24/7 before his eyes though this idea disturbed him a little as the anger inside him hadn't dissolved and he was afraid that it would burst out of him in front of her.

'Is Richard Castle present here?' a nurse shouted as she came out from Beckett's room.

'Yes, I'm Richard Castle... is there any problem? Is she alright?' Castle asked in a worried voice.

'She's fine, just asking for you... you may go in' the nurse said, giving him a positive signal. Castle entered her room, with his head bowed but after he closed the door, he slowly raised his eyes to meet Kate's. She stared at him, glad to see a familiar face after all the chaos and madness she had been through. Castle walked to her bedside, pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. He glided his fingers for a brief moment against the back of her soft hand resting on his side. He just wanted to make sure that she was alive and real, not his imagination or hallucination troubling him. Kate's eyes automatically closed for a second, cherishing his touch, taking it in. Trying not to touch sensitive conversation topics, he softly said:

'I dread meeting you in hospitals but I'm glad you're fine...'

'Thank you for...everything...' she said, with same softness in her voice that he had.

'Just what partners do, we're after all... just partners' he said with the same softness but making sure she got the hint. Beckett realized that he was hurting more than she was, not physically but mentally. Castle decided not to confront her right now thus he just decided to tell her what was in store for her next.

'You're coming with me to my place Kate... your dad will go and get what you need from your apartment... you can't go to that place, it's not safe' Castle told her frankly.

'I can't ask you to do that' she said. She didn't want him to do anything for her as he had already done a lot. He blindly followed her, comforted her, stood up for her, saved her but never expected anything from her in return. His love was boundless and she sometimes thought that there had to be some limit that she couldn't cross. She hoped that she hadn't crossed it by now because she still believed in them.

'You're right...you can't ask me to do anything for you... because I'll do it anyway if it means to keep you alive, and you don't even have to ask... coz Gates already did' he said staring at Kate but then again breaking the eye contact. He now started getting up from his chair, placing his hand on her bed for support. She had to do something to lessen the pain. She had to tell him how lost, insecure, guilty, incomplete, miserable, confused she had been for a month without him. She placed her hand on his hand that was resting on the bed for support. She held it tight.

'Stay Rick...I'm so-' she started but was interrupted by the sudden loss of contact between them, he had pulled his hand away from her grasp. The irony was clearly evident here: When he had asked her to stay that morning, she had walked away and now when she wanted him to stay, he was doing the same... walking away. Though the situation was about a hundred times more heart-breaking and complicated then than it was right now but she got an idea of how much it must have hurt him.

'You'll be discharged in a few hours and you'll come directly with me' Castle said, giving her a fake smile before he headed out. Outside, he gave everyone waiting a go sign. He really had changed... he remained demure when others spoke, not his usual cocky self... what had she done to him. Kate met everyone one by one but all she could think about was that she wasn't only risking her life but Castle's too by going with him to his loft. Castle knew that too but was ready to take her in anyway. That was really a brazen attempt on his part to save her life, the same life which she a while back was ready to give away just for a shot at her mother's killer and her shooter, not caring about how it would affect him. The sniper wasn't the obstacle in their relationship, she was.

-CB -CB -CB -CB

They both drove down to Castle's loft in silence. As Kate had sprained her ankle too, Castle helped her out of the car by holding her by the waist with his right hand and placing her left arm around his neck, so that he was sure of his grip on her. They went up the elevator, staying close to each other. They couldn't help it. She smelled nice, the same perfume she wore when she had showed up at his door and kissed him. The same she wore that unforgettable night which could have led to the start of a new chapter in their lives if the morning that followed hadn't gone so awfully wrong. They reached the front door and Castle opened the lock with one hand, the other still supporting Kate. As soon as the door clicked open, Kate walked slowly towards the couch on her own while Castle stayed there, bending a little to pick up a note lying on the wooden loft floor. Someone had slipped it in from under the door. It was a message, addressed to Castle from him, the sniper... Cole Maddox. What really had happened this past month to make him so frustrated with her? Castle decided to open it in front of her and ask her the whole story of what exactly she had gotten herself into.

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