After the interview with Stephens, going over every single detail he can remember from his time away, he should have been prepared for the high risk of nightmares and return of memories that night. After his physical therapy appointment that followed their visit with Lanie awoke all of his injuries to dance with pain along his flesh, he should have known to expect the inevitable.
The dreams he's dealt tonight are different though. Rather than the crack of a whip to his back, the throbbing of his shoulders as his arms are extended above his head for too long, and Tyson's malicious grin flashing behind his eyes, he dreams of being in the back of a car. He dreams of the black sedan that drove him off the road, of the two voices he could hear, a male and a female. Tyson and Nieman.
"I have a place near the water, perfect for this. Used to belong to my father, but I had it… renovated to fit my tastes," the woman is explaining. "Extremely secluded too. No one will find us there, not even her."
"How long do you think we should keep him?" Tyson asks, his tone oddly curious, excited, and Nieman makes a noncommittal sound in response.
"As long as it takes to break him, to break her. That's the job, isn't it? Mutually beneficial for all."
All?
Flashes of a forest come next, the smell of a storm, a star-filled sky over his head. The blurred crescent of the moon is above him, guiding him, and his heart is pounding to the tempo of run, run, run even as the bullet slices through his side.
He jerks awake with his heart galloping in his chest, cracking his ribcage and suppressing his lungs-
"Castle." Kate is beside him, in present time, in his bed with a hand to his back. And that's why he wasn't prepared for it this time. Ever since she started innocently sleeping in his bed last week, the nightmares haven't been quite as prevalent. "Breathe, Castle. You're okay."
Rick tries to follow her instruction, but the breath gets caught in his throat. He has to gasp to force it down, to refill his desiccated lungs before he rolls over in the bed, wincing as he rests his sweat dampened back to the mattress. He finds Kate lying on her side, watching him with knowing eyes, trying to suppress the concern he so easily evokes these days.
"Bad dream?" she murmurs, reaching out to comb back the flop of hair clinging to his forehead.
"Yeah," he rasps, clearing his throat and closing his eyes at her touch. "Weird one. Just listening to them talk. Running away in the woods."
"Tyson and Nieman?" she asks, letting her hand trail down to rest atop his shoulder. He represses the urge to shudder at the sound of their names in her mouth, simply forces a nod.
"They took me to a place Nieman had somewhere by the water, belonged to her father, but she - she changed it. Said it was secluded, that they needed to break me. Us," he recounts without pausing, getting it all out before it fades.
Kate shifts onto her elbow beside him. "Break us?"
"Tyson asked her how long to keep me, she said as long as it takes to break me, you. That it was mutually beneficial for all," he mutters, rubbing at his temples as a headache begins to form. "Then it all fast forwarded and I was running through woods and felt the gunshot."
Rick moves his hand to his side where the graze has continued to heal. It no longer stings so fiercely, but now, at the potential memory of its origin, the wound throbs beneath his fingertips.
"I'll text Stephens in the morning," she mumbles, and he sighs in relief. He doesn't want to have to deal with all of this tonight, at one in the morning; he really doesn't want to deal with it at all. "Hey, Castle, it's going to be okay."
He doesn't realize he's allowed his frustration to leak out onto his face, to bleed into his features for her to see.
"I just want things to be normal again," he confesses on an exhale that is far too unsteady, far too telling. But he's just so tired, exhausted by his own mind. "I want my life back."
"You're getting it back," Kate whispers, moving in closer to his side, the warmth of her body radiating onto his. Her hand rises to drape at his chest. "I know things are different, but... I'm here, Alexis is here, and your mom is getting help. I know Lily's a new addition for you, but she's here too. We'll get to the bottom of your disappearance, convict Tyson and Nieman, and we'll keep moving forward," she promises, her words soft but strong, fusing him with hope. Because from the sound of her voice alone, she really believes it and that makes all the difference. "We'll find a new normal."
Rick peels his eyes open to seek hers in the pale glow of city lights illuminating his room, blanketing her in starlight.
"Can we go on a date?"
One of her eyebrows arches, but there's amusement in the gesture, curling at the corners of her mouth.
"You know," he adds with a shrug. "As a way of working towards this new normal in the meantime."
"Smooth, Castle," she chuckles, leaning in on her elbow and dusting her lips along his brow. "But yeah, you can take me on a date."
His heart accelerates for an entirely different reason then, and even as Kate settles against him, drifts to sleep with her head pillowed by his bicep, he remains awake for a while longer, giddy over the fact that she said yes.
Kate returns to her apartment to get ready for their 'date' two days later, kind of enjoying the idea of having plans for the first time in so long, a 'normal' Friday night out that didn't center around being a mom.
The fact that it's a night out with Castle makes it all the more thrilling.
Alexis promptly offered to watch Lily the moment Castle told her of their plans and Lanie helped Kate shop for a new dress the day before, because even though she has a few in her closet that Castle hasn't seen, Tom has, and she wants this night to feel unmarred by the last six years.
She doesn't want to think about Tyson and Nieman and the nightmares they've inflicted upon Rick, about Agent Stephens currently digging up anything he can find on the pair, to locate evidence of that property by the water Rick mentioned. She doesn't want to think about her failed marriage to Tom and the papers that showed up on her desk that morning citing irreconcilable differences.
She doesn't want to think about anything except how excited Castle has been since she casually accepted his suggestion of a date while in his bed two nights ago, how the long dormant flutter in her stomach has returned and has her lips threatening to split into a stupid smile as she puts the finishing touches on her makeup for the night.
Kate runs her fingers through the loose curls of her hair, eyeing the honey colored highlights she had done during yesterday's shopping trip with Lanie. Castle hasn't seen her yet, isn't expecting the change from dark brown, but she thinks he'll like it as much as she does. The familiar style has her feeling younger, like the happier version of herself that once existed so easily with him. A part of her she was certain disappeared with him too, only making reappearances for Lily's sake.
"You look so pretty, Momma," her daughter gushes from atop Kate's bed, laid out on her stomach with her legs kicking back and forth behind her.
"Thank you, Peanut," Kate chuckles, adjusting the v neck of the deep purple dress, tucking the chain holding her ring just below the dip of fabric that barely covers her old bullet scar. The damaged flesh isn't noticeable to anyone but her anymore. Probably to him as well.
Yeah, she's sure Castle would spot it in a heartbeat even though it's nothing more than a slight discoloration against her skin now.
A knock on the door has Lily sitting up in the bed, meeting Kate's eyes in the mirror. She sighs to ignore the butterflies stirring up a storm now, smothers her grin at Lily's enthusiasm.
"Go ahead."
Lily bounces from the bed, skipping for the front door while Kate eases a second earring into place. She critically assesses her makeup once more as she steps into the tall, matching purple stilettos Lanie convinced her to splurge on.
She can hear the low rumble of Castle's voice in the foyer now, talking to Lily, and it's utterly ridiculous how nervous she feels, as if this really is their first date. She was on the verge of marrying this man six years ago, would probably still be married to him now if she's being honest with herself. They would have celebrated six years together just a few weeks ago. And even now, after everything, she shares his bed, comforts him after nightmares, kissed him here just a few nights ago in the bathroom she currently stands in. There's no reason to be nervous and yet the butterflies migrating to perch along the lattice of her ribcage say otherwise.
But it isn't a bad thing. No, the sensation tickled, hummed pleasantly through her chest, and she turns away from the mirror with a deep breath.
"See, look," Lily whispers, intercepting Kate in the bedroom doorway with Alexis's hand in hers, dragging her older sister along until they nearly bump into her.
"Oh, wow, Kate," Alexis expels on a breath, her blue eyes sweeping over the dress, lingering on her hair.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Lily drawls, swaying into Alexis's side with a wistful sigh, and Kate rolls her eyes at her daughter's theatrics.
"Stunning," Alexis confirms with a bright smile, looking so very pleased. It infuses Kate with a familiar surge of relief. Even after all these years, it's still so good to have his daughter's support, her approval, to have created this unbreakable bond with the younger woman that she never would have fathomed before. "Dad's going to be left totally speechless."
A blush threatens to creep up her throat, onto her cheeks, and she tucks a stray curl behind her ear. "Yeah?"
"Kate." Alexis narrows her gaze. "He already looks at you like you hung the moon and the stars. He always has."
Kate hooks an arm around Alexis's shoulders at that, murmurs a 'thank you' into her hair, and brushes a hand through Lily's before she nudges them both forward.
"Come on, we all know how well your dad does with waiting."
"I heard that," Castle calls from her living room. "And I think I happen to be excellent with waiting. Not to mention you're always…" His sentence trails as she finally walks into the room, her smile blooming at the sight of him in her favorite purple button down. Because, of course, they would match without even trying. "Worth waiting for," he gets out on a breath, his eyes like sapphires, riveted to her, and it's been so long since she's felt this beautiful, this wanted.
"Looking pretty good yourself, Castle," she murmurs, unabashedly scaling her gaze along the suit jacket that sits so well on his shoulders. It frames the breadth of his chest and hides the narrowness of his hips that she and Alexis have been working hard in the kitchen to rid him of.
"Dad," Alexis murmurs, an amused expression claiming her face. "Reservation."
"Oh, yes, we should-" He gestures towards the door and Kate tears her eyes away from him to find Lily watching with a mischievous grin.
"Hey," she calls, bending to Lily's height when she trots over. Kate cups one of her daughter's cheeks in her palm, taps her thumb to the corner of Lily's upturned lips. "Be good for Alexis. No negotiating bedtimes or late night coloring sessions, got it?"
"Yes, Momma," Lily sighs, but she embraces her mother's waist when Kate wraps her in a snug embrace.
"Love you," she adds with a kiss to the top of Lily's head before rising to reach for Alexis, trading kids with Castle. "And thank you."
"Anytime. No better way to unwind on my night off than with the munchkin and a Harry Potter movie marathon," Alexis winks, giving Kate a firm squeeze.
As she withdraws from Alexis, she catches sight of Castle spinning Lily around in a hug, eliciting a string of giggles even as Lily hugs him back. Her heart swells as their daughter buries her face in his shoulder, tightens her fingers in his jacket before he puts her down.
"See you guys later," Castle announces after he's deposited Lily to the sofa with one last kiss to the top of her head.
He follows Kate to the door, stealing her coat from her fingers when she retrieves it from the closet.
He holds it up at her back, his fingertips grazing along her nape as she slides her arms through. He takes his time adjusting the fabric so she can flip her hair over the collar, rivulets of heat dripping down her vertebrae as his hands linger for a second longer.
"Have fun, you two," Alexis sing-songs from the couch, a knowing smirk on her lips.
Castle returns his hands to his sides and opens the front door.
Lily rises to her knees on the sofa, waves to them both as they step out into the hall.
"Yeah, have fun!" their daughter chimes in.
"You too," Kate calls back with a grin before Rick can close the door.
Once they're finally standing on the other side, alone in the hallway, he meets her eyes with an almost nervous smile lacing along his lips.
"Ready?"
"Yeah," she murmurs, leaning into the comfortable but maddening weight of the hand he places to the small of her back.
They walk down the hallway side by side, but she steals his fingers from her spine once they're in the elevator. His palm is slightly sweaty and she almost wants to tease him for it, but the warmth of his hand seeping into the skin of hers is too welcome and she doesn't want to risk him withdrawing it.
She leans into his side while the lift descends instead, briefly touching her head to his shoulder and squeezing his hand a little tighter.