AN: After the news of today, I feel like I need to write a happy fic...but I promised you the next chapter. Enjoy and thank you, always.

Castle was in the back of the ambulance, getting his hand bandaged up, which the paramedic wasn't doing a very good job with in his opinion since it was painful. Even though this was painful, he would have done it again and again. There was no way he was going to let Beckett die in the hands of Lockwood or the hands of anyone for that matter. Not if he had anything to say about it. He was unwrapping it when Beckett hopped into the back of the ambulance and sat across from him.

"Hey Chuck Norris." That caused him to smile and she smiled at the fact. She reached over to his hand, seeing he was having trouble. "How's the hand?"

"Uh, excruciating." He watched her as she bandaged his hand. "How's Ryan and Esposito?"

"Hm, mild hypothermia, wounded pride. Guess which one will heal first?" She smiled at him and he returned her smile. "Thank you. For having my back in there."

"Always."

She smiled. "Come on, let me take you home." She helped him out of the ambulance, being careful not to touch his bad hand as she did so. "So, what's the story you're going to tell Alexis and Martha?"

"I don't think I can top the truth with this one. Punching out an assassin. Like you said, that's Chuck Norris status."

She got him home and headed inside with him. It was pretty late, so she wasn't surprised not to see Alexis or Martha in the living room.

"Not that I don't mind the company, but you don't have to stay, Beckett. I got it from here. Although, I'm not going to object if you want to undress me," he teased.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "How much pain medicine did they give you?"

"Oh that's not the medicine talking. You should know that by now, Beckett."

She shook her head as she made her way with him into his office. She sat down on the side of his desk as he sat down in his chair. "Seeing if you can type still?"

"Hoping that I can't since it's a perfect excuse as to why I can't meet my deadline next week."

"Oh, so that's why you punched him out?"

"Guilty as charged," he teased. There was silence between them for a few minutes and he noticed that she was just looking around his office. He had a feeling something was on her mind and she was debating on whether not sharing it with him. "Something on your mind, Beckett?"

She looked at him and sighed. "I think Josh is keeping something from me."

He wasn't expecting that to come out of her mouth. "You think he has a secret murder board?" He teased a bit, trying to let her know that she could open up to him.

She gave him a look before she spoke again. "I called the hospital, seeing if I could get an address for where Josh was working in Africa. I wanted to send him a little care package and they told me that he wasn't in Africa. He just requested some vacation time."

"Where do you think he is?"

"I have no idea, but I don't think it's Africa and if it is, he's definitely not donating his services to help sick patients."

"I'd offer to punch him, but I only have one good hand."

She smiled. "I just hope he's not in trouble."

"I'm sure he's okay, but he might not be when you interrogate him to find out where he was and why he lied to you about his whereabouts. Especially if you did what you did today and basically throw him into the mirror."

"He deserved it."

"Never said he didn't."

She looked at him and gave him a soft smile. "Castle, do you mind if I stay here tonight? They arrested Lockwood, but whoever hired him is still out there."

She definitely took him by surprised when she said that. "Yea, of course. You're always welcomed here, Kate."

She gave him another soft smile. "Thank you."

Demming watched her walk Castle inside and waited for about an hour for her to come back down, but she never did. The lights went out and he chuckled. "Guess that kiss wasn't just an undercover one." He drove off, knowing that she wouldn't be leaving here for the night, and headed to his place. He opened the door and saw that Josh was still up. He was staying with him until he was "back from Africa."

"You might want to come back home a little early."

He turned off the T.V. "Why's that?"

"Your girlfriend is spending the night with the writer."

"What?!"

He took off his jacket and hung it up. "I followed them to his place and waited an hour for her to come down. The lights were all off and there was no sign of Kate Beckett coming down to head back home for the night."

"Do you think?"

Demming shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but they kissed tonight as well so I wouldn't be surprised."

"They kissed?!"

"It was a form of a distraction, but that didn't look like a distraction kiss. So, if it were me, I'd call your airline and get on the next plane."

Kate had woken up early and sneaked out before anyone else woke up. She sent a text to Castle, saying that she was called into work early and she was fine. She wasn't really called into work though. She just had to get her mind around the thoughts that were running through her head. She didn't want to have a conversation about their kiss, since she wasn't sure what to say to that. She unlocked the door to her apartment and saw that Josh was in her kitchen, making coffee.

"Josh? What are you doing here?"

He turned around and smiled at her. "I got an early flight back. Figured I'd surprise you and make you breakfast, but when I got here I saw that you were no where to be found."

"Yea, I stayed at the precinct. Needed to feel a little safer after everything that happened yesterday."

"What happened," he played dumb.

"I found a connection to my mother's murder. Before I head back to the precinct, I'm going to head over to the prison and see if he'll talk. I just came by to shower and get a new pair of clothes. Rain check on the breakfast."

"Yea, sure."

Neither one of them mentioned what they wanted to ask the other. She headed into her bedroom and he took a sip of his coffee.