Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Prompt #13: Crash - It's rare that she is so physically dependent on him, but Castle doesn't complain or crow about it.

Words: 699

When I find the bastard that did this to you, Castle thought, Ryan and Esposito can shoot out his kneecaps, Lanie will tie him down to her autopsy table, and I will gut him myself with the bone saw.

He was thinking this as he surveyed the destruction in what used to be Beckett's living room. The closed curtains were shredded until they looked like rags. Glass shards and bits of paper littered the carpet, throwing light in strange patterns over the cieling and walls of her apartment. Most of her furniture was still upright, but more than one looked a little battered. Crouched in the corner, clutching her Glock in one hand and a bottle of scotch in the other, was Beckett. She'd apparently nodded off during the night, but Castle was not about to walk over and try to wake her. Not while she was armed.

"Beckett?" he said softly.

She jerked awake like it was a gunshot that went off by her ear. Her Glock came up and leveled right at Castle's chest. "Freeze!" she screamed.

"Kate, it's me!" he shouted back. "It's Rick!"

The reaction was instantaneous. Beckett dropped her weapon and the bottle as her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, Castle," she whispered, horrified at what she'd almost done. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry - "

"Hey, hey," he said soothingly, quickly crossing the room and pulling her into his arms. "Shh, it's all right. You're okay, I'm okay, we're fine. Shh, Beckett, it's all right."

She broke down sobbing, her hands reaching up his back and clutching the fabric of his jacket at his shoulder blades. Castle held her up, crushing her against his chest and whispering calming words into her hair. He'd known she was spiraling ever since the sniper case, but to see her this broken after a simple surprise ambush - it was heartbreaking. The Detective Beckett he knew was nowhere to be found. In her place was Kate, scared and alone and hurt.

Something in his soul wanted the blood of the bastard who'd done this to his Kate. He wanted to hurt the sniper who'd shot his partner, leaving her with a scar on her chest and prescription-grade PTSD issues. He wanted to scoop her up into his arms and protect her from the hurts and horrors of this world.

Deciding to act on the least violent of his urges, Castle squatted and slipped an arm behind her knees to pick her up. His concern immediately increased when Kate didn't fight him, just pressed herself closer like a frightened child. She was in a worse state than he'd originally thought.

"All right Kate, it's okay," he kept saying as he maneuvered his way to her bedroom. Setting her down on the bed, he pulled off her heels and guided her out of her jacket, pulled the clips and pins out of her hair, and coaxed her to lie down. "Shh, sweetheart, it's all right now," he murmured, not even realizing that he'd said the endearment. His fatherly instincts were in full gear; she reminded him of a younger Alexis after the girl had a nightmare. "It's okay, I'm here. You want water?"

"Yeah," she whispered, already half-asleep again.

Getting up carefully, he strode back through the ruined living room and into the kitchen. Filling a glass of water took moments, and once he set it on her nightstand, Castle tucked her in. "Just sleep, Kate," he whispered to her. "I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you."

Beckett didn't answer, so he knew she was officially asleep. Careful to keep quiet, Castle slipped out of her room and shut the door. He walked into the living room and surveyed the damage, cataloging what could be saved and what had to be replaced. Then he rolled up his sleeves and hunted for some cleaning supplies.

If he worked quickly and quietly enough, maybe he could have the place liveable before Beckett woke up for work.

Vulnerable!Kate is hard to describe, but I hope I did her justice.

Review please!