Chapter Three
Rick was tired. He had not slept well for the last few nights. He could never really rest when he was worried about Alexis, his mother or Kate. Alexis has been stressing out about her speech at graduation but it was his fight with Kate made sleep or even writing impossible. His daughter's speech today had been wonderful, he knew it would be and Kate was now safe and warm resting in his arms but his mind kept going over and over what Kate said earlier. "He got away…I almost died." Rick was both angry and ashamed that he deserted Kate. She asked him to be there, make sure she didn't fall down the rabbit hole of her mother's case again. He promised that he would always be there, they would work to solve the mystery; find "The Dragon" and bring him down. Then he remembered his words to her the previous night. "Yeah, you're right. It's your life and you can throw it away if you want but I'm not going to stick around and watch. It's over...I'm done." Rick once tried to step in front a bullet for her a year ago. Was he really trying to get Kate to stop working her mother's case to save her or was he really protecting himself?
Rick knew that Kate was in way too deep. He begged her not to go after the sniper who shot her, knowing only one of them would survive. He saw all the bruises on her. What did he do to Kate to put those marks all over her? She refused to tell him what happened earlier, so his writers mind filled in that blank with a long and growing list of horrifying scenarios. Whatever happened to her today; Kate chose him. She said she just wanted him…..but he didn't deserve her. He abandoned her when she needed him the most. She faced a trained killer all alone.
Rick nearly bolted up in bed. Oh God, maybe she didn't go alone. Rick was now wide awake. He knew Esposito and Ryan would never let her go alone. Were they all right? He recalled Kate's eyes were red when she arrived; it was obvious she had been crying. The rain had washed away her tears but she looked so sad. Why was she soaking wet when she arrived? His list of questions kept growing until Rick was no longer sure he wanted to hear the answers.
A flash of lightening lit the room followed by a boom of thunder. "Rick?" The woman in his arms turned towards the sound but she was too tired to open her eyes.
"I'm here, Kate. It's just the storm. You're safe. Are you warm enough?" He was stunned when Kate turned fully in his arms and cuddled into his chest, twining her legs with his. The feel of her skin against his and the sound she made, somewhere between a hummed acknowledgement and a purr; Rick felt himself get instantly hard again. He had been fighting his body's response to her earlier as he dried Kate off and put her to bed. "Oh God Kate, you are going to be the death of me." He whispered into her hair and kissed her forehead and then stretched out on his back with Kate draped all over him. Another flash of lightening brightened the room momentarily; he saw her bruises had become darker and more colorful. Every mark hit him like a whip. He didn't protect her, he failed her, this was all his fault.
Rick knew that Kate wouldn't stop; she would track down and face her assassin. He should have been there. She nearly died, AGAIN. That was twice he had nearly lost her. Rick vowed there would be no third time. He would keep her safe no matter what happened. Despite two divorces, he took his vows very seriously. He would never desert her again. If he had to, he would kidnap Kate and they would simply disappear together, out of the Dragon's reach. Rick covered Kate again with the sheet. She was safe and he would make damned sure she stayed that way. For the next few hours he alternated watching Kate sleep and viewing the storm raging outside his windows until he finally drifted into a sweet dream of happily everafter.
Rick was having a rather erotic dream about Kate, which was not all that unusual but this dream felt so real. He could almost feel her hands running through his hair and touching his face. Having gotten practically no sleep, he snuggled back into the pillow. The pillow felt wrong...and it was moving. Pulling back, he opened one eye and realized sometime in the last few hours he had exchanged positions with Kate. She was on her back and he was draped all over her, his head nestled between her breasts. He picked his head up to find Kate was smiling at him.
"Good Morning."
"Ahhh, morning?" Kate wanted to giggle; he looked totally confused, very sleepy and utterly adorable. "Are you OK? Can I get you anything?"
"I was going to get up and make some coffee for us but I had a bad case of writer on my chest."
Rick sat up and blushed. "Sorry, let me make you some coffee." He started to get out of bed and quickly realized he was naked and his blush deepened. He turned his back to Kate and tried to pull the sheet around him but it was stuck. Rick tugged on it but it was still stuck. He looked to find out what it was stuck on, only to find Kate playing tug of war with the sheet and chuckling at him.
"Well, will wonders never cease, the great Richard Castle is blushing. Trust me Ricky; you have nothing to be embarrassed about."
Rick spotted the towel he'd used last night on the floor beside the bed. He grabbed it and wrapped it quickly around his waist, stood up and threw the sheet back towards Kate in triumph.
"Why thank you, Kate!" He turned to leave the room with as much dignity as he could muster. "Coffee will be ready in ten minutes, if you want to jump in for a shower. Any thoughts on breakfast?"
Getting no answer he turned back to Kate for an answer. She was undressing him with her eyes and since he was only wearing a towel...Rick felt his body responding to her smoldering look and he needed no answer to that question.
