"Castle?"

There was no response from the man sleeping on the couch, so Beckett tried again.

"Castle?"

Still no response. Under normal circumstances, she'd let him sleep, but she knew he needed something to eat, so Beckett sat down beside him, her leg tucked up under her, and leaned over until she was right against him and her chin practically resting on his shoulder – although she was careful not to put any pressure where she might cause him pain.

"Rick?"

The whisper was right in his ear, and she'd purposely made her voice sultry and lower than normal. Whether it was the use of his first name, or the breathy sound so close to his ear, he stirred just a little.

"Hmmm?"

Beckett smiled, bringing her hand up to run her fingers through his hair – again being careful not to hurt him. She wanted him awake, not miserable.

"Hey, wake up for me, will you?"

"I'm sleepy…"

"I know. But I need you to eat."

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up and eat for me, Rick."

He opened his eyes, and she smiled. He looked sleepy and absolutely adorable. And a little confused to have her so close to him.

"Kate?"

"Yeah."

He didn't move his head, but she saw him look around a little before returning his gaze to hers.

"I'm sleepy."

She nodded.

"I know. But I need you to eat."

"Can't I sleep first?"

He closed his eyes, more than ready to make the word into an action, but Beckett reached out and touched her finger to his nose. Which was odd enough to make him open his eyes again.

"I need you to eat," she repeated. "If you don't eat now, you're going to be miserable later. Eat now and you'll probably be able to sleep all night."

"I'm miserable already," he reminded her, a little more awake than he had been. "Remember?"

"I know. Eat your dinner and I'll let you go back to sleep."

He sighed and nodded, forcing himself upright a little more.

"Can you make it to the table or should I bring it to you?"

"I'll go to the table," he said, still mostly asleep but trying to force himself awake, now. He rubbed his face and winced because it really hurt to do that. The pain woke him even more, though, and he looked over at the table and then at her. "What's for dinner?"

"I made burgers."

"Yeah?"

She got up and pulled him to his feet, but she didn't let go of his hand as she led him over to the table and got him settled into one of the chairs. There were plates on the counter by the stove, and the sink was filled with soapy water and had a dish strainer near at hand.

"Yeah. Are you going to be able to stay awake long enough to eat?"

He nodded, breathing in deeply of the smell of their dinner.

"Yes."

"Good." Beckett went over to the stove and returned with a couple of plates. She placed one in front of him, and put the other in her place. On the plate was a hamburger with cheese and all the toppings he liked on his burgers, with homemade French fries and some potato salad. She left and returned a moment later with a glass of iced tea for both of them and sat down across from him. "There's another in there for you if you make it through that one."

Castle mumbled something that sounded like 'it smells delicious' and started eating, hungrily enough to make her glad that she'd gone to the extra effort to make the meal. (She had been thinking of simply making sandwiches and potato salad) She started eating, too, with just much enthusiasm – although she did chew her food rather than wolf it down.

"Did you hear anything, yet?" he asked her, looking up from his almost finished burger. He noticed that her hair was damp and she was wearing casual lounging pants and a sweatshirt. Obviously she'd decided to take a shower while he'd been sleeping.

"I heard from Lanie. She's pretty sure they'll have an ID on the woman by morning, and wanted to make sure that I was taking good care of you. So make sure the next time you see her that you tell her I made you dinner, okay?"

He smiled.

"I will."

She reached for her phone, flipped through it a moment and then handed it over to him.

"Do you recognize this man?"

He took the phone and looked at the picture that was on the display. And before he could even think, he nodded.

"That's Jeremy."

Beckett looked surprised.

"You know him?"

"Yeah. I mean… I know his name is Jeremy."

"How do you know him?"

"I don't."

"But you know his name?"

"Yeah. Who is he?"

"We're not sure. We think the dead woman's boyfriend. Know his last name?"

Castle thought about it but then had to shake his head.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. It's more than we knew." She noticed he'd already almost finished eating what she'd put in front of him. "Do you want another burger?"

He hesitated, and then shook his head. "No. Thanks." Any more and he'd make himself sick. He finished off the last of his dinner and took his plate to the sink. To her surprise, he started washing the dishes in the sink, rather than return to the couch.

"I can do that."

He looked over at her and shrugged.

"You cooked."

Which made her smile. She turned her attention back to finishing her meal, and then called Esposito and told him that Castle had recognized the guy in the picture as a man named Jeremy and suggested he have them look through the woman's phone for a number for someone named Jeremy. After she hung up with him, she brought her plate over and put it in the sink.

Castle looked entirely at home washing the dishes, and not at all like the ultra famous writer who ate at first class restaurants and stayed at classy four-star hotels. Beckett pulled the dishtowel from where he'd draped it over his shoulder and started drying the dishes that he'd put into the drainer.

"How did you sleep?" she asked as they worked side-by-side cleaning what little mess had been made.

"Good."

"Any dreams?"

"No."

He sounded relieved, and she couldn't blame him, considering the way he'd woken earlier. He certainly had looked like he was sleeping soundly.

"How are you feeling?"

"I ache, but no worse than before, and I'm not as tired as I was." He smiled over at her. "And I'm pleasantly full."

Which made her smile, and she finished drying the last dish while he emptied the water from the sink and wiped it down. When the kitchen was cleaned, they both carried their tea over to the couch and sat down. Beckett leaned over him and picked up the remote from where it had been dropped when he'd fallen asleep and turned on the TV.

"Tell me there's cable…"

"There is." She smiled. "It's better than spying on the neighbors."