Summary: Beckett goes after Castle.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the TV show CASTLE or the characters contained in the fic

Rating: K+

Pairing: Kate and Castle

Note: This is for my Friend Kat!

WATCHING HER SLEEP:

Richard Castle, Master of the Macabre, sat alone on his couch thinking about the woman currently sleeping alone in his spare bedroom. Tonight she had nearly died because of some wacko's need to challenge her. He felt responsible still. It was his novel, his arrogance to base Nikki Heat off of Kate in the first place. The only reason she was in danger was because of the character he created. Rick sighed looking at the stairs. He could keep the sight of the explosion from creeping into his mind. That had to be the single worse night of his life; knowing that Kate was in there. His only thought had been to get to her no matter the risk to his being; Kate was important.

Castle rose from the couch, going to the stairs. He had thought he was going to go straight to bed as he carefully and quietly climbed up, but as he past her door he stopped. Turning the door knob Rick poked his head in to check on her. There she was, asleep, under the covers, and she was breathing in and out. Rick should have been content with just seeing her, but it wasn't enough. Knowing every creaky floor board Rick made his way to the side of the bed where and arm chair waited. Gently he sat down so he could watch Kate sleep. She looked so gentle, fragile, in sleep. It was hard to see her as the hard as nails detective he annoyed on a regular basis. But here she was, sound asleep and still alive.

Rick looked at her bandaged left wrist. That had been the extent of her injures, just a laceration to her wrist. To say that Kate Beckett was lucky had to be an understatement. Reaching out he took her left hand in his using his thumb to rub back and forth along the edge of the white bandage. Her fingers flexed and he froze. Castle thought he had woken her, of course if he had then he would have lots to explain, but she remained deep in the arms of sleep. "I'm sorry," He leaned in close to whisper those two little words that he had been exercising frequently lately.

"Not your fault Castle," Kate slurred slowly coming out of sleep. She had been so tired that she missed the door opening, but she hadn't missed the feeling of his hand taking hers. The touch was gentle, barely there, but her nerve endings came to life with just the touch of his skin on hers. Her skin never ceased to tingle for hours after he touched her. She squeezed his hand back and smiled a sleepy smile.

"Still," Rick started to say but fell silent. There was nothing to say.

"Shh shh shh, Castle, he would have killed some other way." She was trying to be logical through the sleep. Kate had said it before, but Castle needed to hear it again. Sleep was tugging at her again. She wanted to rest, but at the same time she didn't want Castle to leave her alone. "Don't go…" She said, barely above a whisper.

"Kate, I don't…." Rick couldn't finish. He wanted so desperately to stay with Kate, to sleep beside her, and hold her close to make sure she was still with him. Rick sighed moving on to the bed with her curing into his side. He settled down with Kate finally resting her head on his chest just above his heart while the fingers of his free hand tangled in her hair. Rick fought back the emotion that was choking him. He had come so close to losing her tonight that his heart had stopped until he had found her.

"I'm right here Rick," Kate mumbled feeling so warm and safe being in Castle's arms. His arms around her kept her feeling safe. She hadn't truly felt that for a while. Odd how it was Castle, someone who annoyed her constantly, to give that to her, to give her safety. Kate tightened her hold on his for as long as she could before weariness drove her back into sleep.

"I'm not leaving you Kate," Castle gently kissed the top of her head feeling Kate's breathing even out. She was asleep again and he wasn't. he couldn't. He feared as soon as he closed his eyes she would be gone despite the fact that he had his arms wound tightly around her.

Beckett slipped back into sleep with the warmth and protection of Richard Castle all around her. It was a safety that she thought she would never know. How was it that an infuriating novelist made he yearn for more? Simple. She had never known anyone like him before and she never would again. Rick was the total opposite of her and that thrilled her. She was serious where he turned everything into a joke. How did she find him so appealing? Easy. He was Rick and he knew her. Kate found that so comforting and handy at times.

Castle waited until he was sure Beckett was asleep. As much as he wanted to remain with her, come morning she wouldn't welcome him. In the morning she would be Top Homicide Cop; Kate Beckett and he would just be her tag along. Kate would pull that around her like a shield to guard her against the man who had tried to kill her. Gently Rick untangled his fingers from her mass of brown hair and slid off the side of the bed slowly until he was sitting on the floor staring at her. In her sleep Kate shifted into the warmth of the bed he left behind but she didn't wake. Gently he pulled the covers up and around her. Rick didn't want to leave, but he did. Sneaking back down the stairs he went to his study and started to write again. It was what he did best when his mind wouldn't turn off. Tonight he would get very little sleep.

THE NEXT MORNING:

Beckett rubbed at her eyes as she carefully walked down the stairs in Castle's apartment. The hem if her borrowed shirt, Rick's shirt, swayed against her thighs as she took each step. She had woken this morning alone with his lingering scent around her. It told her that last night was not a dream and that he had enough respect or how she would feel in the morning to leave. Kate was still glad for the small amount of comfort he had given her though. Moving through the apartment she thought that he would be on the couch, but he wasn't. Then she noticed the door to his study was open. Peeking inside Kate saw him asleep at his desk with his computer booted up. 'No doubt writing like the mad man he is.' she thought with a smile. She never understood the freedom he gained in writing. It seemed too much of a headache to her. But Castle was phenomenal at it. All his novels held her rapt attention.

Backing away from the door Kate wanted to do something nice for Castle. She made her was to the kitchen to start cooking Sunday brunch just like her mom used to do. After all Castle had made her breakfast the last time he was at her place; the night he told he was her protection. Kate resisted the urge to laugh. But he had been a comfort that night too by just being on her couch. So she would make him breakfast just to say thanks. Maybe she should make pancakes.