She caved. "Okay, you can only write one thing though, because you only told me one part of what I wanted to know."

"Agreed."

Later, as she drifted off to sleep, she glanced down at her cast again. On it, he had written one word: Extraordinary.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

Flashes of death...Trapped in a car, underwater, incapable of breathing...Locked in a freezer, unbearable cold, unable to remain conscious...Immobilized in front of a bomb with seconds left, the future slipping away...Frightened in a tub, loud explosion, burning towels...Impacted by a gunshot in the chest, falling, blood everywhere...

A loud clap of thunder and flash of lightning startled Kate awake from her nightmare. She was trembling and covered in a cold sweat. Her head throbbed, her arm ached, and she was frightened. The thunder and the lightening only served to magnify her fear. She was completely alone, and she didn't remember where she was. With the next powerful bang of thunder, she took off running. She ran out of the guest room and stumbled down the stairs. Another blast of thunder and lightning shattered around her, and she collapsed onto the floor with a blood-curdling scream. She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulled them up to her chin, and started to sob uncontrollably.

Castle was jolted out of sleep by Kate's terrifying scream. "Kate!...Are you okay? Kate?" he yelled, as he scrambled out of bed and rushed out of his bedroom. He was not prepared for what he saw next. In the middle of his living room floor, Kate was shaking and sobbing. He immediately got down onto the floor and wrapped her protectively in his arms.

'Kate, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Kate continued to cry.

Castle gently wiped some of her tears away with his thumb. "Everything's going to be okay, Kate. Do you hear me? Everything's going to be okay. I promise, but sweetie, you need to tell me what's wrong? Did you fall?"

"No," Kate whimpered softly between sobs. Castle continued to hold her in his arms as he gently stroked her hair. Although she was trembling, he noticed that she didn't appear to be physically hurt. Finally, after a few minutes, he felt her relax a little, and her tears started to subside.

"Kate, what happened?"

"I...I had a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"It wasn't about one thing, but different things. Drowning in a car, freezing to death, being in an explosion,...being shot. The lightning and the thunder woke me up...I didn't know where I was, Rick. I was scared. I felt like I was suffocating. I ran. The thunder...It sounded like gunshots." Fresh tears fell down Kate's cheeks.

Castle wiped her tears away again. "Shh...I've got you now. The nightmare's over. It's only a storm. No gunshots. I promise. Are you sure you didn't fall?"

"I'm sure. The nightmare just felt so real," she sighed and shifted in his arms, and he noticed that she grimaced in pain.

A fierce protectiveness overcame him. Memories or no memories, this was the woman he loved, and she was carrying his child. He gently scooped Kate up in his arms.

"It's okay...I can make it to my room, Rick."

"You're not going back to your room. You're staying with me tonight," he growled. He carried her through his study and to his bedroom. Then, he carefully laid her on his bed.

"You're in pain. Is it your arm?"

She nodded, and he placed a pillow under her cast. He retrieved an ice pack, the pain medication that her doctor prescribed, and a glass of water. 'Take these."

She must have been in a considerate amount of pain because she didn't protest about taking the medication. Afterwards, he tucked her in under the covers, and then he settled himself beside her on top of the covers.

"Aren't you going to get cold out there?"

"I'm trying to be a gentleman."

"Well, I have proof that you haven't always been a gentleman." Kate glanced down at her stomach and managed a smile.

"Au contraire, Kate. Even when I'm bad, I'm good." He warmly smiled back at her.

"And was it good when we created little Ricky?" Kate shyly whispered.

Castle laughed, "Little Ricky, huh? What about little Katie?"

Kate grinned, "We'll talk about this later. It's been a long night, and we both need to get some sleep. So, shut up and get under the covers. I won't bite."

"Is that a promise?" Castle chuckled while he climbed under the covers.

"I don't make promises that I can't keep."

As Castle envisioned ravishing Kate's body, silence enveloped the room, except for periodic explosions of thunder and lightning. Eventually, he heard Kate's voice. It was small and frightened. "Will you hold me?"

Castle immediately scooted over next to her and pulled her back against his chest. She tucked her head under his chin while he wrapped one arm securely around her. The smell of cherries enveloped him, and he buried his face in her hair and possessively placed a kiss on the top of her head. He hesitated for a few seconds, but then he boldly placed his other hand over the small swelling that was their baby. A small gasp escaped from Kate's mouth. In return, she tentatively placed her hand over his and gently squeezed it. They both snuggled closer together.

He leaned his head down and whispered into her ear, "Oh, and Kate?"

"Huh?" she shivered as she felt his warm breath against her neck.

"It was so much more than good. You have no idea."

Sorry so long since last update, but life sometimes just seems to get in the way. Next chapter, it's time to turn up the heat again. Are you guys still out there reading? Please review so I know!