Again, thanks a lot to everyone that reviewed/favorited and everything, it means a lot! The actual plot is coming next chapter, but I needed to set up our favorite characters before I could start the actual story, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or any of the other characters. They belong to Andrew Marlowe and ABC *sigh*

Alexis jumped and lost the page of the book she was reading when the front door opened and slammed closed. "Dad?"

"Yeah." Richard Castle sighed as he joined her in the kitchen and unceremoniously dropped his body on the stool next to his daughter. "What's the matter, you seem upset."

Castle stared distractedly at the pile of books filling up the space on the kitchen counter, not sure where to start. "I saw Kate today."

"What?" Alexis's head snapped up to shot her father a surprised look. "Is she back in town? Where did you see her?"

"At my book signing." Castle softly replied, still in mild shock from his encounter with the detective. He had been so surprised when he saw her in the waiting line, this had been the last place he could've ever expected her to be. "She waited for me, after. Oh, and she is back in town. She's already back to work."

"Huh."

Castle glanced at his daughter with a quirked eyebrow, taking in her serious features and her stern tone." "Huh? That's your response?"

Alexis bit her lip, not answering and instead began picking up her books to clear the space. Her father knew she was avoiding the question, but he had no idea why. "Sweetie, you know you have the right to voice your opinion, whatever it is."

"Ugh, it's just that, that, she leaves for three months, never calls and you spend all of your time thinking about her, and write about her and, and baking for her, and still she doesn't do anything? That's rude!" Alexis finally exploded, frustrated. "Did she at least thank you for all the packages you sent her?"

"We didn't get around talking about that..." Castle admitted with a slight frown. He was so busy staring at her that asking her about them didn't even cross his mind. "We only spoke for a few minutes, she had an appointment she had to go to."

"To see her boyfriend?"

"Alexis!" Castle chided her, not particularly enjoying her sassy attitude anymore. "She broke up with him when she was still in the hospital. And for the record, she had an appointment with her physical therapist."

"Oh." The teenager's annoyance visibly left her upon hearing her father's words. She glanced up at him guiltily, not sure what to say. She always liked Kate and, while she firmly believed she was perfect for her father, she just couldn't stand there and watch as he got his heart broken all over again. "I'm just..."

Castle nodded with a soft smile, having a suspicion of what his daughter was thinking. "I know what I'm doing, sweetheart. I promise. Things are going to be different this time."

"How do you know? What's so different now that wasn't for the last three years?" The girl challenged one last time.

The writer leaned forward and engulfed his daughter in his arms, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I read between the lines. And also, I saw it in her eyes, Alexis. Kate is terrified about what's happened to her, and to let her guard down."

Alexis melted into her father's embrace, the frustration she felt before turning into a dull sadness and concern for the detective. "Why? She knows you would never want to hurt her."

"I think that...she's built those walls around her such a long time ago to protect herself that she doesn't know how to break them down anymore."

"Then we're going to have to help her."

Beckett groaned when a gentle knock echoed through her apartment. She shot a longing look at her couch and at the thick, warm blanket that had been waiting for her and, sighing, padded barefoot to the door but not before making a brief stop to small desk to retrieve her gun.

Standing on her toes to look through the eye of the door, Beckett raised an eyebrow but she had a small grin lighting her face as she opened the door for her partner. "Castle, hey."

"Hey. Can I come in?"

The detective rolled her eyes but moved aside to let the man enter, her hand going up behind her back to hide her gun.

Castle came in and pretended to not notice the weapon in his partner hand, looking the other way as she quickly put it back to safety. Part of him was upset at the insecurity his friend displayed but, at the same time, he was relieved that she was cautious at all times. He watched her putting the bolts back on the door and noted that there were two more locks now.

If he momentarily thought that four locks for such a small apartment was a bit much, considering this was Beckett's home, he would have been happy to see bolts from top to bottom, and on either side. Plus one of those antique locks, with the heavy piece of wood you put all the way across the door to prevent anyone outside from coming in.

He was so distracted that it was only when the young woman poked him in the chest that he realized he had zoned out. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked what was in the bags." Kate asked almost hesitantly, suspecting what the writer had been thinking about. "You didn't have to bring anything for me to open the door, you know? I do that for free when being asked nicely."

"Haha, funny." Castle laughed mockingly as he walked up to the counter and dropped the bags on it. "I figured you wouldn't have had the time to go grocery shopping, since you never go," he pointed out with a stern look, "so I thought I'd bring some food over. Not junk or anything, just regular but still delicious comfort food."

"Castle..."

Castle ignored Kate's warning and began unpacking several plastic containers. They were different sizes and shapes, but all seemed to contain homemade food, which made the woman frown awkwardly. "Um, Castle? Did you cook?"

"Sure. Alexis and I were bored this afternoon so we tried this new recipe book she bought the other day and we kind of went overboard, so we thought we'd share." The man easily answered. "Care to give me a hand? I don't know where you want to put everything."

Kate sighed, conflicted. She didn't want to accept so much from him again, especially after everything he's sent her over the summer, but on the other hand...Rick was a great cook, as well as Alexis and from what she could see through the transparent containers, the food did look delicious. 'Damn.' "Seriously Castle, I can't-"

"Nuh-uh. I am not taking no for an answer. You need to eat healthy. Heck, you need to eat, period, and I am more than happy to provide you with that, at least for now. You wouldn't want all of it to go to waste, would you?"

Castle turned around to find Beckett staring darkly at him, pissed at his comment about needing to eat more, no doubt. He stared back, although he kept his hands busy by grabbing a container nearby and opening the lid just enough for the smell to escape. The writer fought a smirk as he watched Beckett's demeanor change, knowing that if he showed he was the one currently winning, she'd probably try and shoot him. "Come on, it's primavera chicken and wild rice, you love primavera chicken, don't you detective?"

Beckett glared one last second to prove her point but failed when her stomach decided to growl at the exact same moment. Without losing a beat Castle completely removed the lid and put the meal in the microwave, and waited for the woman to make a move.

"Just how much did you cook?" She finally asked as she joined him to the counter, eyeing gleefully the insane amount of food the man had brought her.

"There were more of it, actually but, as it turns out, we made a slight mistake when we tried to make homemade raspberry jam." Castle began telling, opening the freezer door and easily filling it with the food he had brought. "Someone, who shall remain nameless, kind of accidentally dropped a whole bag of sugar into the mix."

Castle laughed at the disgusted face his partner made, his heart skipping a beat as he listen to her soft but genuine laugh. He hadn't realized before how much he had missed her but now that she was before him, all smile and looking absolutely adorable in her slightly too large navy NYPD shirt and grey yoga pants. She had tied her hair into a loose ponytail and a few straight hairs hung loose down her face and, not for the first time, the writer was amazed at her natural beauty and grace.

Castle's smile faded somewhat and he frowned at his friend's tired features. His concern grew when she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a yawn. "You sure I'm not interrupting? You're tired, I should go." He offered even though the last thing he wanted to do was leave.

"No, don't go, it's okay." Kate quickly spoke, finding herself unwilling to let the man go so fast. Sure, she had been looking forward to a quiet night watching tv but now that Castle was there, she didn't want to be alone anymore. "I'm always tired anyway, you being here won't change that. I mean, it's not me that's tired but more my body. I'm fine, Castle, I wasn't even close to go to bed yet."

"Okay, if you're sure then."

Beckett grinned, pleased that her friend had decided to stay. "I am."

The microwave beeped so, after gracing the detective with a pleased smile, Castle turned around to take the food out while Beckett moved to a cabinet to retrieve mugs. "I'm sorry I'm out of wine but could I interest you in a hot chocolate, or tea maybe?"

"Ooh, I wouldn't say no to a hot chocolate, it's surprisingly cold out tonight." Castle grinned like a child as he put the container on the counter before going back to search of a plate and utensils. He turned around just as Kate used her left arm to grab something on a higher shelf but cringed when she strained her muscles and surgical scar. She was able to swallow back a painful gasp but no matter how quick she tried to hide it, Castle had already noticed. 'Damn.'

To her surprise though, the writer didn't say anything and merely stepped next to her to grab the cocoa on the higher shelf. "I keep forgetting how much shorter than me you are when you're not wearing those insane spiked heels."

"Ah, but come on Castle, you know you love them." She retorted slyly as she took the milk out of the fridge, the only thing she had thought to buy this morning, to make the hot chocolates.

"Hey!" She opened her mouth to snap at Castle when he took the mugs from her hand but he didn't leave her the chance. He gently but firmly pushed her around the island and made her sit where a steaming plate of food waited for her. "Please eat while it's hot, I can take care of these. And for the record, I do love them but I don't care whether you wear stilettos, slippers, Converse's or if you're showing off those cute little toes," He waggled his eyebrows with a small smirk, "You're always beautiful to me."

Kate blushed and stammered unintelligible words, mumbling something about beating him down for making her blush, but one look at the plate and she caved, too hungry to be annoyed furthermore. It occurred to her that she had easily caved more than once in the last five minutes, something she normally didn't do, especially not with Castle. Not that fast and certainly not without a fight anyway.

Castle, on his side, was thinking the same thing. Either Beckett was exhausted and didn't even think of arguing back, or something was bothering her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The man observed his partner closely and he could see the woman's mind reeling as she debated about opening up or not. "Did you really bake everything yourself?" She finally asked, so softly he almost missed it.

"What? Yes, of course, I just told you about it. Although I said cooked, not baked." Castle frowned, definitely concerned now.

"No, I meant, this summer? The cookies, the muffins, everything. You did that?" Kate asked again but she knew. Deep down, she knew he'd taken the time to do all of it for her, because since patience had never been his best quality and he had promised he wouldn't go back to the cabin, he had to do something else for her. And it made her happy because no one else had ever taken the time to do such a thing for her, but it also scared her to death because she wasn't ready to return the favor yet.

Sensing her dilemma, Castle sighed and abandoned the steaming mugs to go and sit next to Kate. He hesitantly put a hand on her arm and breathed out in relief when she didn't flinch or shy away. "Kate. I promised you, remember? I kept my promise so far and I'll continue to honor it as long as I have to, because I know that somewhere behind that wall, you want this as well."

"And to answer your question, yes. I did bake everything I sent you, except for the bear claws. You are too insanely picky about those for me to even try to make them myself." He smiled as he was rewarded with a wary chuckle. "You and I, we can do this. One day at the time. One brick at a time. Hell, one tiny little morsel of it at a time if that's what we need to do. But we'll win. I promise you. We will get there."

Kate choked down a sob but there was nothing she could do about the tears that had pooled in her eyes. She cursed them as she felt them run down her cheeks. "I don't want it."

Castle's heart sank at her words, his face falling. "What?"

"I want it gone. I don't want to have that stupid wall inside me anymore, I want it gone." She whimpered, her eyes closed so she missed the relieved look that washed over Castle's face when he grasped her words. She wanted it to. And he had been right. She had trapped herself inside that wall for so long that she now had no idea how to tear it down.

Making a bold move and hoping it wouldn't get him shot, Castle grabbed the edge of Kate's stool and pulled it to him. The move startled the woman and she shrieked as she lost her balance, but Castle reached out and swiftly grabbed her by the waist. "Castle, what the hell?"

"Come here."

"What?"

"I just want a hug. Please?" Castle admitted, his voice low and warm as he put a hand on Kate's back, and gently pushed her closer to him. She resisted at first, her body stiffening in his arms, but the feel of Castle's warm hands tracing soothing circles on her back after feeling so cold for so long finally did it.

Kate leaned into the man's embrace and let herself relax for the first time in months. Castle's arms closed around her like a tight blanket, sharing his warmth with the slender woman. He could feel her shaky breathing against his chest, but she wasn't crying. She refused to completely let go, he knew.

Getting to finally hold her in his arms, Castle tightly closed his eyes and savor the moment. They had only scarcely hugged over the years, and he had cherished every single one of those times, but tonight was special. Because the last time Castle had his hands on Kate, she had been dying.

Whereas her body had been cold and stiff then, it was now warm and relaxed; whereas her breathing had been shallow and struggling then, it was now slightly shaky, but deep and quiet. But, most importantly, whereas her heart had been beating erratically in a desperate attempt at keeping her alive, Kate's heart was now beating a little fast, but it was strong and regular.

There was no blood, no gut-wrenching terror this time. Kate Beckett was safe in his arms and Castle made a quick but heartfelt prayer for having her back into his life again.

When Castle noticed Kate's body becoming heavier against him several moments later, he smiled and gently, carefully, pressed his lips on the top of the detective's slumbering head. "Kate?"

Castle's smile grew wider when a sleepy grunt answered him, followed by an elbow in the ribs. "Oww."

"Oh, Castle I'm sorry, are you okay?" Beckett quickly pushed herself back up and glanced guiltily at the man, watching nervously as Castle rubbed his ribs where she had accidentally elbowed him. "I didn't mean to-"

"Kate, relax, it's fine. As long as you didn't try to gut me intentionally, I won't hold grudges." Castle joked but from the startled look on the young woman's face, now was not the right time for pleasantries. "It was a joke. I tend to do that a lot, remember? Richard Castle, joker extraordinaire."

Beckett snorted and nodded sheepishly. "As if I could forget." Getting nervous at the way Castle was staring at her, Kate slowly slid down the stool and shot a brief look at the clock. It was barely 8:30 and she was already exhausted but she didn't want to show it, or Castle was going to want to leave her.

Castle watched lovingly the woman that had stolen his heart as she stood up and, against his best intentions, couldn't help but be amazed. Even when she was obviously tired, Kate was still the most beautiful girl in the world to him. Even when she was dressed in sweats and didn't have any makeup on, the only thing Rick could think of was how he wished he could hug her, or even just hold her hand and tell her how he loved her and cared about her.

He wanted much more than just that but he didn't mind waiting. He didn't mind because even if she didn't realize it, Kate gave him a little something of her every day that went by. Whether it was a smile only directed at him, a few words whispered to his ear or by the way she unconsciously opened up to him, Castle was rewarded daily just by waiting for the right time to come.

That was how he knew she was more tired than she was letting him on. The way her eyes were slightly narrowed under the harsh light of the kitchen indicated the beginning of a headache, and he certainly didn't miss the way her hand had come up, absently grazing over her ribs, her fingers stroking her scar. She must have pulled it harder than he had thought at first and he wondered how long it would take before it would stop bothering her completely, at least physically. Probably not before several months if not longer, he thought with a sad sigh.

Kate heard him and she turned around quickly, letting her hand to drop by her side. Castle's upset features weren't lost on her. "So, are those hot chocolates coming or what?"

"Kate," Castle began and, if he normally would have given into the warning glare Beckett was shooting him now, tonight he decided to ignore it. "Don't push me away, Kate. I'm not asking for a full-on 'let's lie on the couch and reveal all your darkest secrets' therapy session, I just want to know how you are. We haven't spoken in three months, I think it's fair for me to be concerned and care about you."

He hadn't missed how her eyes had widened at his comment about the therapy session, but he dismissed it, figuring it had been about the couch comment. "Kate. Please."

For a moment he thought she was going to shut him down and faked being tired and having a headache (despite those both facts being accurate) so she could get out of it and run away, as usual. Castle was not expecting for a minute he would get an honest answer from his partner and best friend so when she spoke, he had to physically restrain himself to jump up and rush over to her side to hug her again.

Kate stared hard at her clock, not seeing the time but instead focusing on the ticking it made every second that went by. She was at a crossroad and, as much as it terrified her, it wouldn't be the last one. She had hoped to have more time to get back in the hang of things but, of course, fate had decided otherwise. "Castle, I-"

"Please."

"I..." 'Oh, hell.' "I'm not running away, it's just...I'm tired, okay? I haven't slept much in the last couple of days, my first meeting with the new captain wasn't exactly fun and, and...my side hurts." She breathed out as the words came out of her mouth faster and more numerous than she intended. She lowered her head and looked everywhere but at the man, cursing herself for having admitted so much.

Her head snapped up in surprise when she felt hands on her shoulders, having not heard the writer stand up and walking up to her. He had the sweetest smile on her face, soft and considerate and, proud, maybe? Kate felt herself blush as Castle's hand came up to gently rest under her chin, making sure she would look at him while he talked. "Thank you."

Kate stared back at the deep, sparkling blue eyes that were locked on hers and she swallowed thickly, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her. "For what?"

"First, for not throwing me out for pushing you; Second, for trusting me enough to open up to me; And third, thank you for the hug...and for coming back. Thank you."

Kate grinned, her cheeks burning again. "Always."

Castle nodded and smiled, fighting the urge of making a silly dance again. His right hand had began tracing small, random but soothing patterns on her shoulder and down her arm as he spoke. His hand absently move down and soon joined Kate's over to her side, where her hand had sneaked up during her confession. He mimicked Kate's earlier movements, his fingers tracing delicately the shirt over the detective's surgical scar, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

Kate's breath caught in her chest, the foreign yet familiar touch sending shivers down her spine. Her fingers lightly grabbed Castle's and lowered them gently, her scar tingling even after the loss of contact. "Castle..."

"Katherine..."

Kate knew what he wanted even if she knew he'd never flat out asked to see it. To see them. Never would he dare ask to see her scars, because it wasn't something you'd do. Not if you cared enough about that person. Kate knew why Castle wanted to see them, just like she knew why he had needed their previous hug even more than she did. "I'm okay...Cas- Rick." Even after knowing him for four years, it was still weird for her to call him by his first name. "I may not be completely fine, but I'm okay. I, I...someday. Someday you will, but not tonight. I-I just can't."

Once again Castle nodded in understanding and squeezed Kate's fingers before releasing them. "Can I have another hug then?"

Kate rolled her eyes good-naturedly and let the taller man gather her in his arms again, stiffening only briefly before giving in and hugging him back.

The moment was lost as Kate's stomach growled loudly, making Castle chuckle. "I think someone is still hungry." He laughed as he let the woman he loved pull away, relishing the slightly embarrassed look she shot him. "Things kind of got out of control before I had time to eat more than one bite."

"Well we can't let that heavenly chicken go to waste now, do we?" Castle moved quickly, checked the plate's temperature and, once satisfied that it was still warm enough, went back to Beckett and dragged her to the couch. "Castle, what are you doing?"

"Come on, Beckett, you were about to drop on that couch and spend the night watching God knows what when I barged in so that's what you'll do." He said as he grabbed the blanket and indicating her to take place on the comfy piece of furniture. His eyes narrowing when the woman glared, Castle changed tactics. "Fine whatever, suit yourself. You're right, you should rest. You're going to need those extra hours of sleep since I am cutting you off coffee."

"What? That's not fair!" Beckett yelled in indignation, annoyed at the writer's childish blackmail. Truth was that daily coffee routine she had going on with the man was something she loved more than she'd cared to admit, and for him to threatened to take that away from her, especially after the way she's been craving it all summer long was just plain cruel. "That coffee better be amazing tomorrow." She groused with one last scowl. "And can I have my hot chocolate now?"

"Of course." Castle smiled widely once he was out of Kate's sight and smirked when he heard her almost whining 'stop smirking!' as he came back with the food and hot beverage. Settled comfortably under the blanket and reaching for the remotes, she accepted gratefully the plate Castle handed her but winced faintly as she twisted her torso the wrong way. Kate bit her lip, her mind suddenly reeling and struggling to make a decision. "Castle, do you think you could, um, do you think you could grab my bottle of painkillers in the kitchen cabinet? The one where I keep the glasses?"

Castle's expression softened immediately and it only took him a minute to fetch them, Kate accepted them with a strained smile. "Thanks."

"Hey. There is nothing wrong about asking for help or anything that can help you get better." He told her quietly as he took a seat on the couch as well.

"I know." Beckett replied tersely but she didn't sound convinced. "It's just...It's..."

"I know." Castle smiled gently, giving Kate's knee a light squeeze before getting up. "I'll let you get some rest, it's getting late."

Kate washed off her pills with a mouthful of cocoa, dropping the bottle of painkillers in her lap and glancing at the tv hastily before making up her mind. "Castle?"

"Don't worry, Katherine, you will have coffee and a bear claw on your desk in the morning." The man grinned, turning around to wish his friend goodnight.

"Oh. No, um, that's not...I was just wondering if you wanted to stay a while longer, if you didn't have other plans? There's a Naked Gun marathon that just started a few minutes ago, if you want to watch it too? With me, I mean."

Castle smiled, his eyes meeting up with Kate's deeply expressive sienna eyes nervous ones. "You had me at the word Naked, detective."

"Just sit your ass on the couch, Rick."

"Yes, ma'am."