Title: Things that go Bump in the Night

Summary: After a particularly bad nightmare, Beckett makes use of her key to Castle's loft. An unexpected surprise awaits… Set post-Boom, pre-Knockout, minor spoilers.

Rating: M – Angst, Hurt / Comfort. Adult themes, moderate language.

Disclaimer: The usual. Sadly.

Author's Note: Erm… yet another one that just appeared out of nowhere. I mean really nowhere. As usual, reviews appreciated.

NevynR

Beckett turned over again, still unable to get comfortable. Woken from what little sleep she had gotten by a nightmare, she tried everything she could to get back to sleep, but to no avail. She rolled over and looked at the bedside clock: 3:15am. Damn, she though, running her hands through her hair in frustration. I've got at least three hours until I need to be up. Josh was... somewhere, she couldn't remember if it was Haiti, or Japan, or somewhere ending in -stan, and her bed was cold. No, she was cold, and having that damned nightmare about the freezer again left a chill inside her that she just couldn't shake.

She thought for a second about calling the only other person she knew who would understand: Castle. Her hand was reaching out to grab her cell phone before she realised what she was doing. Sighing in frustration, she knew he wouldn't mind her calling him at such an indecent hour, but he was in Boston doing book signings all week, and from the bags under his eyes when he had gotten back from the last time he'd gone away for one, she knew he'd be exhausted.

Still thinking about her partner, an insidious little thought crept into the back of her mind. She needed something familiar, something… comforting. Although the nightmare chilled her to the core every time, there were parts of it that she didn't mind so much: the feeling of being wrapped in his arms as they sat in silence in the frosty air, the rise and fall of his chest as she snuggled into him, the steady beat of his heart, keeping them warm, the way his breath ruffled her hair as he rested his cheek on top of her head, unable to keep his head upright any longer.

In the cold dark of the night, she knew that she needed him, even though she tried hard not to admit it. Even if it was just to hold her and whisper to that it would be okay, that he'd be there for her, always, to keep the cold at bay, to chase the nightmares away. Trying to avoid thinking directly about what she was considering doing, her mind whirled. It was Friday night (well, Saturday morning, really), Castle was away until Sunday. Before he'd left, he mentioned that Alexis was on a school camp, and that Martha was out of town doing… something, she couldn't really remember what. The Loft would be empty, she thought, skittish even inside her own head. He never says anything he doesn't mean, and he did say that I'd be welcome any time. He gave me the key when I was living there, and told me to keep it even when I moved back into my apartment. Why not? He'll never know, and it's probably the only way I am going to get anything like rest tonight…

With that thought still doing laps of her head, she got up and pulled on a pair of sweats and a jumper. Slipping on a pair of warm socks and her sneakers, she grabbed her gun, badge, watch, necklace and cell phone, and headed over.

Silently, she opened the door to the loft. She paused briefly and heard nothing, just the silence of a place that was empty. No lights on, no small sounds to indicate anybody was home. Quickly, she made her way up to Castle's room and went in. Placing the gun, phone and badge on the bedside table, she stripped off her jumper and sweats, she slipped under the covers, the scent of him wrapping her as warmly as the ridiculously comfortable bed. Snuggling down, she inhaled the scent that was just him, and was asleep in seconds.

Fatigue stinging his eyes, Richard Castle opened the door to the loft and shuffled in. Pushing the door closed behind him with his foot, he noted the absence of any movement, almost glad that his mother and daughter were away. Too tired to care, he dumped his bag near the couch, and headed towards his bedroom, shedding his clothes as he went. Clad in his boxers, he walked into his bedroom in the pitch black and fell into bed.

His head had barely hit the pillow, when a number of things became immediately apparent, even to his exhausted mind: one – his bed was warm. Two – it was occupied, by persons unknown; and three – that person had just moved.

Kate woke to the sudden sensation of a weight settling into the bed. Forgetting for a moment where she was, she panicked. Instinct taking over, she reached to the bedside table for her gun. The instant her hand hit the grip, she rolled, pinning the body beneath her.

There was a frozen instant when a double 'click' echoed in the room – her flicking the safety on her service pistol, and him hitting the light switch on the bedside lamp.

"Castle!"

"Beckett!"

"What the hell?"

"Beckett, you're in my bed… Why are you in my bed?"

She looked around the room, and reality came crashing down. Her face aflame with embarrassment, she reached over to his bedside table and placed the pistol down. Trying not to meet his eyes, she went to move off him, but halted as she realised he was wearing nothing but his boxers, the quilt having been thrown off them when she pinned him down. Her shifting weight causing his eyes to roll slightly, an almost-suppressed groan slipped from his lips, and drew her attention to the fact that only her bikini briefs and his boxers separated her from his groin, which was making it more than evident that he wasn't exactly unhappy to be pinned to the bed. In fact, the rapidly hardening evidence, coupled with the deep rumble coming from his chest caused her stomach to clench involuntarily. Her breath catching, her hips rocked, grinding herself onto him without a conscious thought of what she was doing.

All thoughts of fatigue driven from him, his eyes wandered freely over the form he beheld. A pale blue singlet and black briefs, her hair unbound, and the traces of sleep still on her face, she took his breath away. The singlet hugging her curves, the thin material was unable to hide her body's reaction to him.

"Oh, God, Kate!" His whispered exclamation was sufficient to snap her back to reality, she jerked her head up to meet his heated gaze.

Struggling with the sensations coursing through her body, she fought hard to clamp down on the rising tide of warmth filling her. Breathing erratically, her heart thundering in her chest, she pulled herself back from the brink. Without pausing to think, she rolled off him, almost hiding the small whimper that escaped her lips at the loss of contact between them. Shame flushed her face, replacing the heat of her earlier desire as she realised what she had almost allowed to happen. Guilt flashed through her when she thought of her boyfriend, on the other side of the world, off saving lives. Even in the privacy of her own head, the thought sounded bitter to her. Firmly, she pushed the thought aside.

"Kate? Are you okay?" His voice, soft and gentle, dragged her thoughts back to the here and now.

"I should go..." The bed shifted under her as he rolled over closer to her, his hand resting on her shoulder, the heat causing some of the tension in her to fall away.

"Kate, please, tell me what's wrong..." Still not looking at him, she answered, her voice faint.

"Castle, I'm fine. I shouldn't have come here. I need to..."

"You aren't fine, Beckett." He replied soothingly. Slowly, he sat up, crossing his legs in front of him. Scooting up behind her, he placed his free hand on her other shoulder, squeezing gently, thumbs beginning to ease the knots she hadn't realised she had. She sighed quietly as his hands began to work their magic, feeling the tension drain out of her.

"I..." She paused, trying to find the words. "I needed something...comforting. I had the nightmares again."

"Which one?" He asked.

"The freezer... I woke up, and I was so cold. Cold and alone, and I freaked. I knew you were away, and the loft would be empty, and..." She swallowed before continuing. "I don't know why, but since then, every time I have that nightmare, I feel... safer when you are nearby. Usually, I can shake it, but tonight it was just too much. I shouldn't have come over, and I know that wasn't why you let me keep a key for here, that was for emergencies, and I couldn't call you so late, I knew you'd be asleep... This was the closest I could get. I'm sorry Rick. I'm sorry for breaking into your place and helping myself..."

"Kate," He cut her rapid rambling off. "Listen to me..." He paused for a second to make sure she wasn't going to bolt. "I meant what I said when you moved back to your place. That key is yours, and you are welcome here any time. That means whether or not I, or anybody else is here. If you need it, it's an emergency. For what it's worth, I didn't mean to scare the hell out of you when I came home. I wasn't supposed to be home until Sunday, but something came up, and the last day of the signing got cancelled, so I caught the first flight home." As he spoke, he felt her shift, leaning back into his touch as her breathing settled, her head slowly nodding towards her chest. Quietly, gently, he continued, trying not to startle her again. "You don't have to go, Kate. If you need it, you can stay... No funny business, I promise..." Sensing her hesitation, he played his trump card. He reached down and grabbed the quilt and slid it back up the bed, flicking the corner so it covered her legs as she sat on the edge of the bed. A little pressure towards the pillows, and she gave in, laying down once more.

"Thanks, Castle... for everything." Tucking the quilt up around her neck, he turned the light off and snuggled down, his arm settling across her hip above the quilt, almost but not quite spooning, their bodies separated by less than an inch. The comforting heat of his body warming her back and legs, she finally surrendered to sleep once more as he breathed in the darkness, she only just caught his last words: "Always. Sleep well, Kate."