Kate's eyes slowly fluttered open. She was groggy and disoriented from a sleeping pill she had been given. She glanced around, finding she was on the bathroom floor. She was curled up next to the toilet, her back against the side of the tub. Her head throbbed, her body ached and she felt as though she were in a dream. In the darkness she saw a shadowy figure standing over her. The figure covered her with a blanket; it was only then that she realized she was curled next to a sleeping Castle.

"Katherine, take this," Martha whispered.

"Mom?" Kate asked weakly as she tried to sit up.

"Don't get up. You need to rest." Martha handed Kate the pills which she quickly downed. "That should help you get some sleep," Martha explained. "That's the best thing for you."

Martha headed to the door but stopped to turn her heels in the doorway. "And Katherine?"

"Hmm?"

"Richard loves you, dear. He loves you so much." She took a second before she spoke again. "We… they all love you. You're loved here. Now get some sleep." With that, Martha left.

Castle woke up in the middle of the night to Kate vomiting again. With her head down in the porcelain, he fixed her hair as best he could, hoping to avoid getting vomit in her hair. He rubbed her back gently as she heaved. "It's okay, Beckett. Get it all out. It's okay."

After, it seemed like every time one of them began to sleep, she'd get sick and wake them both up. She got so bad that he had gotten his local bodega to deliver Pedialyte for her, which she promptly threw up.

The next time Castle opened his eyes it was morning. Kate was tucked into him, her head on his chest as she snored softly. He swiped the hair from her face and gently stroked her cheek. Without waking she sighed and nuzzled into him. He was inching the blanket up to cover her more when Martha walked in.

"Oh, you're up," she whispered. "How is she?"

"Asleep. Finally. She had a rough night."

"Seems like you both did. She was so disoriented when I checked on her."

"You checked on her?"

"Three times," she explained. "The rest of the time you were up with her." Martha thought for a moment. "Poor thing. Katherine thought I was her mother last night. She must have thought she was dreaming."

"What did you say to her?" He'd carried so much guilt over reopening her mothers case that he felt protective over her when it came to her mother."

"I said she was loved by all of us."

"You told her I loved her?" He hissed, lightly covering her ear.

"Would it hurt her to hear those words?" Martha gave Kate a look of pity. "Besides, she'll think it's her own subconscious telling her. It's all very subliminal, Richard." Martha looked at her watch, "I'm late. I've got to go." With that, Martha was gone.

Castle watched Kate as she slept, trying to commit every inch of her to memory. Watching her closely, he noticed she was shaking slightly. He knew he needed to get her off the floor, hopefully without waking her.

With ease he stood, lifting her into his arms. As he took a few steps Kate began to stir. "Shhh, I've got you," he soothed, hoping she'd sleep through it.

"Castle?" She asked weakly.

"It's me. I'm just taking you to bed…" he realized the sexual innuendo in what he said. "To sleep! Taking you to sleep in bed—" he didn't need to say anything else, Kate had already fallen back asleep.

In his bedroom, he laid her down on the bed, covering her carefully. He grabbed an extra blanket and let it near her in case she got cold in the night. He was careful to lay along the edge of the bed. Even with a king sized mattress, he didn't want Kate to think it was about sharing a bed. The last thing he needed was her to misconstrue the situation and think he had ulterior motives.

The next time Castle opened his eyes Kate was by Castle's side, her head resting on his torso. He stared at her, amazed she moved back to him. As worried as he was for her, a part of him was grateful for the chance to see her guard down. Between admitting she loved him and curling up with him, he was feeling much more confident about his chances with her. He just needed to find a way to keep her guard down.

"Hey, you're up," Castle whispered when Kate lifted her head. "How do you feel?"

"Like I was hit by a truck. How did I end up here?" Her voice was nasally and congested.

"You don't remember?" He thought a moment. "I guess you were pretty out of it. You're sick, Kate. The flu, I'm guessing. You were delirious with a fever—"

"So you brought me home with you?" She chuckled, half amused.

"You needed someone to take care of you. Be lucky you don't remember."

"I remember some things," she admitted.

"Such as?"

"You. Every time I woke up, you were right by my side." The thought brought a smile to her face. "I remember throwing up—"

"Which time?" He quipped.

Kate wanted to add that she remembered a dream, but she didn't. She didn't need Castle thinking she believed in the supernatural. Still, the dream was comforting. And, even if only in a dream, it was nice to hear that Castle loved her. It was even nicer to wake up with him.

"Do you think you can eat?" Castle asked. "I stocked up on jello and soup…"

"I should probably get out of your hair…I should get back to the precinct, really…"

"You're still sick. And probably contagious." Kate crinkled her nose and furrowed her brow, a clear sign that Castle was right. Castle smiled at the victory. "So it's agreed, you'll stay here."

"I can be sick in my own apartment, out of your hair. You shouldn't have to—"

"I know I don't have to," he interrupted. "We're … we're … partners," he chose his words carefully and vowed to be able to say they were more than partners one day. "You needed me, Kate. And you could need me again. I just think—"

"Okay," she agreed.

"Wait, what?"

"I'll stay here, Castle. I'll wait a few days and then go back to the real world. But for now—"

"Sleepover!" He interrupted. He only had a few days to tell Kate how he felt and to make her feel the same way back, but suddenly, he felt like he had a chance.