99. 99: Sunday

99

Castle kinda hates that Kate and Alexis are there to see the nurse maneuver him into a wheelchair, but he's going to have to get used to it. Kate will probably be around to see a lot more humiliating attempts at recovery, even if Alexis is out of the house, but hopefully Beckett will be at the precinct enough that he'll have the space to be a baby without fear of unmanliness.

Also, he'll have the loft to himself, for the most part. Alexis leaves for college on Thursday, his mother will be working at her school; he can moan and throw a few pity parties for himself behind closed doors, then get his game face on for when Kate comes by for dinner.

(Or, like in his fantasies, she sneaks inside with her key, wakes him up with a deep kiss, and just that black, lace-)

Rick swallows hard and shifts in the wheelchair as Kate's fingers skim his shoulder, curl at his neck.

"You good?" she murmurs.

"Fine. Yeah." Fantasizing about you.

"There are a few photographers downstairs. So we can do main doors or sneak out-"

"How's my hair?" he says, giving her twitch of his lips.

Some of her sober and braced-for-impact air falls away; her thumb strokes his nape as she leans over and kisses him softly. "Your hair is. . .let's call it the hospital special."

He grins, watches her retreat. "Then I'm ready for my adoring public. I gotta look the part, right?"

"I hate that you do," she murmurs, and he ignores that because he had a good day yesterday, so did she, and he's not letting her second guess their course of action.

The nurse returns with his doctor, and Castle wishes he could tell Molly good-bye. But her shift doesn't start until 7, and he's not sticking around for that. He wants to get home - his own bed - some DVR and ice cream and maybe Kate will stay for a while tonight, let him stroke his fingers through her hair until he gets sleepy.

Yeah. Perfect day. For a guy who's been shot.

"You ready to break out of here, Mr Castle?"

He glances up to the doctor and nods. "Definitely. Release the Kraken."

Alexis is the only one who laughs.

He does walk in on his own steam; he's proud of that. He feels all right - not good, a long country mile from great - but he can walk into his loft and let Kate guide him to his bedroom.

He lets out a controlled breath and eases down onto the bed, sitting on the edge for a moment with his eyes closed. Kate doesn't touch him, doesn't hover, and he realizes just how good she is at this. Previous experience.

"I'd have made you crazy," he acknowledges, his eyes still closed to keep control of the trembling that wants to shake his limbs.

"What?"

"Last summer. I'd have made you absolutely stark raving-"

Her mouth on his is a shock, but such a lovely way to shut him up. He parts her lips with the brush of his tongue, strange to be kissing her without his hands on her or hers on him, just the touch of this one electric contact.

When she pulls back, he opens his eyes, finds hers so startlingly green. So green. The afternoon light pours in his windows and highlights every gorgeous plane of her bone structure, limns her lashes with fairy dust and her lips with that soft and tender smile.

"Hey," he murmurs, still catching his breath. Nicked lung or just what Kate does to him? Hard to say.

"I've missed you," she murmurs, and her forefinger and thumb come up to stroke at his jaw. "It was strange to be here and you not."

"Here now."

She hums something and taps on his knees; at her silent direction, he lifts his feet into bed and gingerly scoots back against the headboard. Kate strokes her hand up his shin as she moves for the closet, his bag in her hand.

"Don't unpack stuff. Leave it," he says. "Come back here."

But she's already got the closet door open and he sees her pause in the threshold, a huge black suitcase at her feet, spilling over.

A black suitcase.

In his closet.

"Kate?"

She shrugs and drops his bag on the floor, next to her suitcase, and then she comes back to him, a knee on the mattress as she leans over and crawls into bed with him.

"You're right. I'll leave it. I can do it when you fall asleep. Which should be in. . .oh, ten minutes or so." She grins at him as she comes, laughing at his constant and sudden napping-narcolepsy, and she takes up a spot beside him, leaning against the headboard as well.

"Wait. Right. Okay, but-"

"But what?" She's on his good side, and she tilts lightly towards him, runs her fingers down his forearm to tangle their hands.

"You - is that your suitcase in there with like clothes for a year?"

"Yeah. I'll move it. It's blocking the whole closet, I know. Actually, I should just hang everything up, but I have some stuff I need drawers for, and I wanted to ask you first-"

"Ask me what?" he gasps, because if he doesn't know better, it sounds like Kate Beckett has moved in with him.

She eyes him. "Which drawer I can have? You have a lot of clothes, Castle, and you're very particular about them. I didn't want to move the wrong-"

"Wait, no, the clothes? What do I care? But the drawer - the suitcase - did you just move in with me?"

She laughs - she laughs - and an eyebrow goes up, her mouth is in that pressed lips smile that gets him every damn time, and he puts a sloppy, excited kiss on it, laughing back.

"You moved in. Kate. You moved-"

"Just for now, Castle," she says, still laughing at him, but it's gentler like she's giving him bad news. "Just while you need me."

"I always need you," he says adamantly.

"While you're laid up, then," she corrects, smoothing a hand at his jaw. "It's not long, Castle. I just didn't think it was a good idea to have no one else in the house with you who could - well, pick you up off the floor if-"

"That is so not sexy or romantic, Kate Beckett."

"It wasn't meant to be," she says, and even though his face is right up against hers, he can still see that smile. "It's completely practical."

"Hush," he murmurs, kissing her again. "You're ruining my nice illusions."

"That's my job in this relationship. Realist," she says back, but she accepts his kiss, moves to the corner of his mouth, and pushes in closer. "I will be going back home, Rick. Don't get used to me being here."

"Too late."

Alexis treats him like he'll break, but Kate's been there, and she just can't. Castle keeps shooting her these appreciative looks, like he's grateful for it. They are more alike than she knew.

The plan for today is endless television - or at least until she and Alexis can get Castle to take his pain pill and fall asleep. It might take some cleverness on Kate's part.

Alexis curls up at her father's good side, her head on his thigh as they flip through the DVR. Kate is restless, unable to sit down and stay there, knowing her needs meds and some rest, but after she grabs another water bottle and his pills, and then gets back up for - she doesn't know what - Castle reaches across his body to grab her.

"Sit."

She pauses, studies his face, and then sinks back down onto the bed. She keeps herself away from him - she's on his injured side - but he pouts at her and strokes his fingers along the inside of her wrist.

Kate sighs and slides a little closer, making sure she's not against his shoulder, and then she lays her hand on his thigh. He lets go of her wrist and puts his palm back over Alexis's shoulder.

His daughter keeps searching through programs. "We watched all of these, right, Kate?"

"I think so," she murmurs back, her body stiff from keeping it carefully away from him.

"And I don't feel like cop shows," Alexis mutters.

"I hardly ever feel like cop shows. Too much like work."

Alexis laughs, her head tilting back on Castle's knee to look at Kate. "I never thought of that. You're right." She glances back to the tv listing. "Reality tv?"

"Not in the mood, really." Too much reality lately.

"Hm," Alexis draws out. Kate runs her fingers over and over Castle's hip, feels her body unwind even if his doesn't. He's home. They're okay. He's going to be okay.

They have security downstairs; she has work tomorrow. Alexis moves into her dorm room on Thursday, so things will be getting back to a new normal soon enough. This is nice, the three of them together one last weekend. If she stops thinking about it so much, she could almost believe nothing is wrong.

"How about this?" the girl says. "I can't find anything else that looks good."

Kate glances to the screen, sees she's stopped on a sci-fi show, then looks to Castle for his approval. He's got his head tilted back against the headboard, his eyes fluttering, mouth in a tight grimace. Yeah, that's what she thought.

"That's good, Alexis," she says. "Go ahead."

Alexis doesn't look back at her father, just plays the episode, snuggling in against his leg. She pulls a blanket up over her legs and leaves the remote on the bed, but she does shoot Kate a conspiratorial glance.

Kate turns her body into his, making sure not to touch his shoulder, his right side at all. "Castle," she murmurs, waiting until his eyes open for good, staring up at the ceiling. "You need to take a pill."

She keeps her voice soft so he won't think Alexis can hear, and she sees Castle's throat work.

"I know it makes you tired, but it also keeps you from tensing up. Trust me on this. You need to stay relaxed."

He lifts his head carefully from the back of the bed frame, gives her a long look.

She turns and grabs the pills and the bottle of water, offers them to him. "I'm hoping I can keep you from making the same mistakes I did."

Castle sighs, giving the medicine an evil look. He lifts his hand from Alexis and plucks one of the pills from Kate's palm, throws it back with an awkward and tense movement that tells her just how badly he must feel, and then he downs the water.

He gives a little cough, wincing, and then Kate takes the water bottle back, puts it and the other pill on the bedside table, and sits back gingerly against the headboard.

Castle reaches across his body and snags her fingers, lacing them together, running his thumb along her knuckles.

She studies his face for a moment; he's not watching the show at all, she can tell. He's keeping himself held together against the pain of sitting up, despite all the pillows around him.

She waits and it takes a little while, but his body eventually eases, his eyes slip shut.

After a few minutes more, Kate leans down and touches Alexis's shoulder. "He's asleep."

Alexis lifts up, dropping the act, and gives Kate a soft sigh. "Good. That's good. Thank you, Kate."

"He'll be fine. Let's let him rest."

And the two women slide out of Castle's bed and head for the door.

"They're talking about it on the fan site," Alexis murmurs.

Kate glances over her shoulder, both of them sitting at the dining room table. Alexis said she needed to work on last minute school stuff, but Kate knew from the beginning that the girl was surfing the internet for news. She's just grateful for the company; it's too quiet out here with Castle dozing in the bedroom.

"Yeah?" Kate tries to read quickly as Alexis scrolls. "Good stuff or bad stuff?"

"Uh. Little of both. I might-" Alexis pulls the laptop towards herself, gives Kate a look. "Maybe I should enforce the Castle rule here."

"What?" Kate laughs. "What is the Castle rule?"

"You don't get to read anything about yourself. You have to go through me."

Kate rolls her eyes. "Your dad's got an ego. I don't."

"You'd be surprised what hurts," Alexis says quietly, fiercely, and reaches out to grasp Kate by the wrist, as if holding her back. "Let me look first."

Kate sits back, surprised to find that the girl is actually trying to protect her. Like family. "Okay," she breathes out. "You look first."

Alexis nods and goes back to scrolling through the message boards. Kate sits at the table with her, paperwork for the 12th spread in front of her. All kinds of forms she's got to sign and get in order so that she can go back on Monday. She also got a dressing down from the Captain about sharing information with the press on active cases, but Kate couldn't care less: it was in an email and she has a feeling that Gates didn't really mean it.

"Okay, it's not so bad, actually." Alexis gives her a fleeting smile. "Most people kinda hate your guts for snatching Dad off the market-"

Kate rolls her eyes.

"-but they're crazy. There are some good discussions about the guy behind this. Theories flying around - maybe he's a senator for New York, maybe he was a rival mafia boss, maybe he's a judge-"

"A judge-" Kate gasps. "That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, you know they're all fans of a mystery writer, Kate."

She grins back at Alexis. "Point taken. Go on."

"Not much else really. A few people are serious on here though, talking about how awful it is that this has been going on for the last twenty years and no one stopped it."

She nods. "Good. We need some people taking this seriously."

"I did some google news searches as well," Alexis adds slowly. "Dad's shooting got picked up, and then there's a kind of aside about how his girlfriend the detective has her own theory, but-"

"Oh, damn," Kate mutters, pressing her hand to her forehead. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Great," she says, wiping her hand down her face and staring into the darkness. "That does us no good. Acting like I'm some dumb, paranoid girlfriend."

"You never know, Kate. It's at least out there. I'm proud of you guys."

Kate shook her head. "Well, thanks?"

"It's kind of scary to talk to them, I know. Especially when you feel like they have all the advantages, when you need them so badly to get it right. And we all know they never do. They never do. But you still did it."

Kate gave his daughter a wan smile and pressed her palms flat against the table, kept herself together. As soon as Castle felt better, he said he wanted to do a sit-down interview, make it clear to people what was going on.

It could still work. If they build up enough momentum over this thing, it could truly work.

It just might keep their family safe.

It's late and he should be sleeping. He is, sort of. A little bit.

He's waiting for Kate to come to bed.

Hm. Taking a long time.

He lets his eyes drift shut again, not bothered by the gentle light of the bedside lamp, and rolls onto his side-

The pain is fierce and immediate, burns bright through his chest; Castle yelps, can't keep it in, a string of curses getting past his clenched teeth as his head falls back against the pillow, his hands fists on the sheets, his body frozen.

Fuck, fuck-

"Castle."

And of course Kate heard him. He hears the soft patting of feet as she comes to his side, but keeps his eyes tightly shut, doesn't want to see the concern on her face, the sympathy leaking from her eyes.

She knows too much, knows exactly what it's like, and while there are times when it comes in handy, right now it's no help at all.

"I'm fine," he grunts, feels her fingers at his temple, light and tender, her body bent over his. "Fine. Just tried to roll over. My bad."

His voice is strained, thin, but he can't do better than that when the pain is still sizzling through his nerves, all of him on fire.

"Rick," she sighs softly, and her lips brush his jaw, delicate, her love cresting the wave of his agony.

He wants her to go.

He wants a moment to himself to get this under control, let the hurt wash away before he can pull himself together again; but when he opens his mouth to tell her, he's met with her kiss, a slow, tentative kiss, a touch of her tongue.

His focus shifts.

And it helps.

It's not like the fiery throb vanishes, of course not, but his nerve endings get distracted by this new attraction, the wet, open cave of her mouth against his, and it makes it easier to breathe until the pain ebbs away, until his body recovers from the aggression of movement.

"Better?" she murmurs after a moment, still so very close.

"Uh-huh," he answers stupidly, a little dazed, his senses overwhelmed with her.

"You gotta be more careful, Castle," she says, her nose nudging his.

He huffs. "Half-asleep is what I was."

She tilts her head at him, eyes shimmering and rich in the soft light. "And asleep is what you should be. You need to rest."

"Wanna rest with me?" he suggests, lifting an eyebrow and trying his best not to sound too pathetic.

She pressed her mouth together, smiles through it.

"You're not quite up for it yet," she says, gentle.

"Why, Detective Beckett, such a dirty mind. I was only suggesting an innocent nap."

"Naps are never innocent with you."

"Just lie down with me," he presses, suddenly tired of their game, not able to keep up the banter tonight. She gives him a look and he knows he's given himself away, revealed just how badly he needs painless sleep, but he doesn't care as long as it gets him the pliant length of Kate's body against his.

She stands up with a last brush of her fingers to his, moves around the bed, shedding her clothes as she goes. Shorts first, then off go her socks, her tank top, her bra.

He can't tear his eyes away from the graceful curve of her breasts, stares at her as she reaches for the shapeless t-shirt she often wears to bed. His body reacts to the sight of her, even in his exhaustion, even when he knows there's nothing he can do about it.

Kate slips between the sheets, the bare expanse of her legs disappearing from his view, and he curls a hand around her neck, brings her closer.

"I'm going to hurt you," she protests quietly, but he tugs anyway, pulls until the warmth of her body is aligned with his. He runs his fingers in her hair until she eases against him, tangling his hand at her neck.

He twists to press a kiss to her mouth, traces her bottom lip with his tongue, delighting in her soft intake of air, how readily she parts for him.

He untangles his hand and feels for the thin cotton of her t-shirt, fingers brushing her abs on his way up. He cups her gently, his thumb sliding over her, feels her body catch at his touch.

"Castle," she says, just a breath over his lips. "You can't-"

"No," he murmurs, lets his hand drift down, skimming her belly button, farther. "But you can."

She lets out a shaky sigh. "But-"

"You said you missed me - here," he murmurs, pressing hard, grinning with his mouth at her jaw.

"Yes," she gasps, hips moving. "Oh, I've missed you, Castle."