This one is short, sorry! I'll try to get a better one up tonight or tomorrow morning.

The rest of the night went by fairly uneventful. Castle woke up when Alexis and Martha returned. They had dinner, talked, and eventually returned home when it was clear Castle was getting too tired to follow the conversation anymore. Kate had been out in the hall the entire time, catching bits and pieces of their conversations. She wished more than anything to be a part of this family. It had been so long since she felt part of a happy family. Her definition of family was no longer just her and her dad; it included those people in the hospital room. It made her concerned that she would never get that back, that the damage was too great to fix.

As they left, Alexis walked past her without a glance in her direction. Martha, on the other hand, stopped with her hand on Kate's shoulder.

"Katherine, dear, we are on our way home for the evening. Go on in there and sleep in a more comfortable chair. Richard is asleep, and if he throws a fit just tell him I sent you in there."

Martha then released the hold on her, winked, and walked to catch up with her granddaughter. It was almost like… Martha was offering her an olive branch. She was immensely grateful in the trust the older woman constantly showed her. She knows that Martha is still concerned for her son, and that she can't trust Kate to not hurt him again. However, she still went out of her way to make Kate a little more comfortable. She loved that woman in a way she hadn't loved someone since she was 19 years old. Maybe this is what the love of a mother looks like…

Kate stood from the chair, stretched, she had been sitting there for hours and felt her muscles screaming at her for the inactivity. She crept in to his room as quietly as possible. She could tell he was asleep, and that it would be very difficult to wake him up, but she didn't want to risk it. If he could sleep through the night then maybe she would get to sit in here and watch him. Once he woke up Castle would throw her out.

While she sat there, she decided to catch up with the guys. She hadn't heard anything from them in quite some time and was hoping there would've been an update sooner. Texting would probably be the less intrusive way to contact them. She felt very uneasy with them right now, and didn't want to bother them anymore than she had to.

"Espo, how is the case going? Any updates?"

10 minutes later, she received a response. "We broke him. He is writing his statement now, and will be arraigned in the morning. Tell Castle it's over."

"He is sleeping right now, I'll update him when he wakes up. Thanks Espo."

She waited for a response, but she knew there wouldn't be one. The only conversation the boys were willing to engage in was case or Castle related. Maybe she should push a little more with him. Might as well keep talking now, she has talked more today than she has…ever.

"Espo, can we talk some time? I want to fix this."

"Girl, you hurt my boy. You hurt us. You will be fine once you go back to DC. No worries."

"I'm not going back, Javier. I want back on the team."

"Later... yes."

"Thanks, Javi. I'm sorry."

There wasn't another response. They had said all that needed said for now. They will need to talk it out later, but now wasn't the time. She appreciated the boys even more after DC. She didn't realize how much she had relied on them during the job. She missed her partners.

Kate needed to finish one more thing before she would call it a day.

"Ryan, I know you are pissed. I know it's going to take a lot to make it up to you. I am sorry though."

No response.

"You should know I quit my job, I'm back for good, and I want back on the team. When you guys are ready for me."

No response.

"Let me know when you are ready to talk, Kevin."

"Ok."

With that, Kate put down her phone and settled in to the chair. She felt emotionally beaten up today. She had talked with nearly every one that mattered to her, and the majority of the conversations didn't go in her favor. Yet, she still felt better than she had in over 4 months. It felt great to be back in the same room with Castle. She felt, even though it is going to be rough, that they would eventually get back together. This time they would be stronger and in a better place. They would be ready for marriage.

Kate woke up around 4 am the next morning from sounds Castle was making in his sleep. He was tossing and turning, clearly in the midst of a nightmare. He was whispering her name over and over again, pained with every breath. She quickly got up and began to stroke his arm, leaning over his body to whisper to him, like she had done the day before. Like she had done so many times before in their beds after a bad case. Like she did for almost 3 weeks after Alexis had been kidnapped.

Within a few minutes he began to calm down. His breathes evened out, and he seemed to stop shaking so much. Kate swiped her hand over his forehead to move the hair from his eyes. His forehead was damp for perspiration. This helped him, the touch of something real during the nightmare. He also liked to talk it out once he finally woke up. She wonders briefly if maybe he would let her help him with this, or if it would be crossing the line.

Kate lost track of time while standing over her writer. The nightmare had passed, but she couldn't bring herself to leave his side. She held his hand in hers, while the other arm stroked his face, his arms, and his chest. It was impossible for her to remove her gaze off of him. This was as close as Kate had been to Castle in so long.

"Kate?" Castle whispered groggily. His voice deep with sleep and laced with confusion.

"Hey, Castle. How ya doing?" She whispered right back. She didn't remove her hands from him.

"You're here." Castle was struggling with separating himself from the dream he just had. He watched her die in the park, unable to get to her or call for help. Yet here she was. Holding him.

"Of course. You were having a nightmare…" she paused, "Want to talk about it?"

After a few moments, Castle finally replied. "Not really. I just… I keep replaying our shootings over and over every time I sleep. Every time it's a little different."

"Both shootings?" Why would he be thinking about hers? It had been almost 2 years ago since she was shot.

Instead of replying Castle lifted his hand from her grasp. He wanted to keep the connection with her, but he didn't want to give her the wrong idea.

"Thanks for helping me. I'm gonna… try to go back to sleep."

"Oh! Espo said they got the guy. He can't hurt you anymore."

Castle let out a breath. He hadn't realized how important that was to him until now. It helped to know that he wouldn't be able to do this to anyone else. Castle looked at Kate and nodded, not knowing what to say or if he would be able to voice just how good this was.

"Sleep, Castle. I'll be here to protect you. Goodnight." Kate said. She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed to make her point before she retreated back to her seat. Even though she didn't want Castle to have nightmares, she counted this as a small victory. A way of proving herself to him again.

She thought she heard him whisper, "Until tomorrow…"