Hey everybody. This started out as little idea, but as soon as I started writing I had bigger plans for it. No spoilers, but it is set in current season 4 and I may add in things based on episodes as they air. I needed to let my Caskett frustration out cause they are just not moving fast enough for me right now. Please read and Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle in any way, shape, or form. (Except in my dreams)

"Are you okay?" Castle asked in the car on the way back to precinct.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Beckett managed with a weak smile.

"Could you say that any less convincingly?" He was worried about her. They had just taken down a particularly rough suspect, and she was thrown around fairly good before he could interfere. Not that stopped the guy from pulling a gun out of his waist band forcing Beckett to shoot him.

"I'm okay, I just hit my head when he tackled me."

"Yeah, I saw. That's why I'm worried. You went down pretty hard."

"I just need to go home; it's been a long day." She hoped he wouldn't push it. This case had been long and challenging. Kate was tired, and he was right. Her head hurt like hell. It was time to go home.

"Kate, if you have a concussion you shouldn't go home and sleep alone."

She couldn't help herself and gave him her signature glare at that comment.

"You know what I mean. You should have had the medics check you out before they took him to the hospital. It was just a leg wound; he could have waited a minute."

"Castle, I'm fine and if I am concussed they would have tried to convince me to go the hospital. It's happened before."

"Just have a Lanie take a look, it won't take long." He pleaded. Castle could tell Beckett wasn't herself, and it had taken her a long time to get up after that hit. Only moving when the suspect pulled the gun neither one of them knew he had.

"Castle, I'm fine. She's busy, and I want to go home"

"You know she's not too busy, and would be happy to do it" He wasn't going to stop till she agreed. He knew Kate hated to admit when she hurt, but he was going to make her.

"Are you going to let this go?" Kate asked even though she already knew the answer.

"No." Castle was firm in a way Beckett found kinda hot.

"Fine" If she was being honest, she was going to go have Lanie check her anyways. She didn't want Castle to know how bad she was hurting, but she wasn't stupid. Her head really hurt and was getting worse.

When they got back, she told Castle to head up stairs and she would go down to see Lanie. He was kinda surprised she told him to say. He had just assumed she would be sending him home.

Lanie was in her office on the computer when Kate knocked.

"Come in." The ME responded and turned away from the screen.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Lanie asked looking back at the screen, her rather cheery voice made Kate's head pound. But it wasn't Lanie's fault she was just happy. Her and Esposito were having dinner tonight.

"Are you busy?" Kate asked sheepishly.

"Not really, just writing up an autopsy report. You find your guy?" Lanie asked still facing the computer, typing away.

"Yeah, but I had to shoot him. We'll have to wait to question him."

The detective now had Lanie's full attention now.

"What happened?" She asked, concern in her voice.

"That's why I'm here. I took a couple of hits before I could take him down. He tackled me into a wall pretty hard. I hit my head and was wondering if you could check my pupils. I'm pretty sure I have a concussion. I didn't think it was that bad, but Castle noticed I was acting weird, so I figured I better play it safe. That and he wouldn't stop harassing me about it." Kate admitted. She knew it was Lanie, and she shouldn't feel embarrassed, but the cop in her hated saying a suspect got one up on her.

"Of course, here sit." She said pointing to the extra chair and turning to dig through her drawer for a penlight. "Did you lose consciousness?"

"No, everything was blurry but it only lasted a second, and I remember everything." Beckett tried to sound confident and not in pain.

"Ok, look straight at me." Lanie replied shining the light in the detective's eyes.

"Kate" She said wearily.

"Yea, Lanie" Kate breathed.

"Any nausea, dizziness, or fatigue?" Lanie asked. Her tone had completely changed from the Beckett first got there.

"I'm always tired, you know that. But I'm a little dizzy"

"You're lucky, I'm off tonight and can stay with you cause if not I'd be sending you to the ER." Lanie said with a worried look on her face.

"Lanie, I'm fine. I can take care of myself." Kate refuted, a little too loud for the way she was feeling and winced at the sound of her own voice.

"Really?" Lanie sarcastically responded gesturing to Kate who was now holding her head. "I'm not letting you go home alone. Head injuries can get worse in the following hours. You need someone to look out for changes, and not let you sleep for too long at a time. I know you're exhausted."

"I'll set my alarm, for what every couple of hours?" Kate tried to persuade her.

"And when you don't wake up, is you're alarm gonna call an ambulance for you? I know that new iPhone of yours is fancy but it's not that good. Go tell Gates that you need tomorrow off and get your stuff. I'll meet you up there"

"Lanie" Beckett pleaded

"I'm not messing around, Kate. Concussions can be serious, and writer boy was right. You're not okay."

"You have your date with Esposito tonight."

"You know he'll understand. We'll reschedule." Lanie said with a smile. She was eager to see Javi, but this was more important. And she knew he would feel the same.

"No, you are guys are trying to work things out, I'm not going to get in the way of that."

"You're not, we can wait a few days." Lanie knew she was stubborn, and it was going to take a little persistence.

"You should go, I'll be okay." Kate really just wanted to go home and take a long bath. She felt well enough to be alone.

"What if I go, and come over after. But you stay awake, and call me if it gets worse. Better yet call an ambulance, then call me." Lanie tried to bargain with her, since Beckett wasn't backing down.

"Lanie, it's not a big deal. I don't need to go the hospital!"

"Take some Tylenol, no Advil or aspirin. I'll be there as soon as we're done" Lanie chose to just ignore her.

"I'm not having you rush your date, and we both you won't be done till tomorrow morning." Kate said breaking into a smile. "I see the way you look at each other, and you know my opinion on you two at Ryan's wedding."

"Girl, you sound like me. Maybe there is something seriously wrong" Lanie laughed.

There was a light knock at the door.

"Come in"

Castle ducked his head in . "Hey, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, you were gone awhile."

"Yeah, Castle. I'm good." Beckett said firmly. She wanted him to believe her.

"Except for the concussion" Lanie chimed in. Kate knew by the look on his face she was unsuccessful, but Lanie didn't need to spell it out for him.

"I knew you had one" Castle said. Kate expected him to gloat, he was usually proud that he knew her so well, but he just looked concerned.

"And she doesn't seem to want any help either." Lanie added, knowing with Castle here, she would convince her friend to accept some.

"Kate" Castle looked at her like she was child even using the voice he usually reserved for when Alexis was in trouble. Not that he ever needed it much.

"Shut it Castle. Lanie, I just don't want you cancelling your plans. I'm fine. You guys freak out over the smallest things. I've had a concussion before. I can take care of myself. I know what to look for." Beckett could deal with Lanie pestering her, but Castle was too much.

"Why don't you just come over to the loft? I just talked to Alexis, dinner is almost done, and there'll be more than enough." Castle suggested with that look on his face that made Kate melt.

"Will it get you two off my back?" Beckett was feeling rather defensive, but she knew Castle was going to win this one. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't say no to those eyes.

"We're just worried about you. You really scared us in back in May, nobody wants to take any chances" Lanie pleaded, her tone sombre and sad. She clearly didn't pick up on the way Rick and Kate were looking at each other.

"I'm sorry" Kate breathed.

"Get your stuff, let's go. If we wait much longer the food will be cold" Castle said making her decision for her. She walked out, but Castle didn't follow. Kate didn't want to argue anymore and headed towards the elevator. Lanie's words had hit her hard, and she felt terrible emotionally and physically. Castle probably just wanted to ask what to look for, and maybe that wasn't such a bad idea as her head was really hurting.

"She's really alright?" Castle questioned, when Beckett was out of sight.

"Yea, she should be fine. I'm just worried, you understand" Lanie answered.

"Yeah, yeah I do"

"I'll be over later to take her home. I'm basically only worried about her falling asleep. I know she's exhausted." The ME explained.

"Ok, so should I not let her sleep?" Rick asked.

"She can, just wake her up every two hours or so, ask some simple questions, and then let her go back to sleep. But I doubt she'll want to till she gets home. If she gets really tired or can't seem to stay awake that's a bad sign"

"Alright, I better get up there, before she leaves"

"Ok, see you later. And thank you"

"It's no problem. You know I'd do anything for her." Castle replied with a smile and headed towards the elevator.

"Kate! What a nice surprise. How are you, darling?" Martha exclaimed when they entered the loft.

"Hi, Martha. I'm doing okay. How are you?" Kate tried to put on a smile, but had a feeling she was failing.

"Mother, could you try not to be so loud. Beckett's lying, she was attacked by suspect and has a concussion." Castle told her as he gently helped Kate take off her coat.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." Martha said softly.

"Don't worry about it, I'm really fine" Kate took off her heels, but before she could bend down to move them over by the door, Castle picked them up and asked what he could get for her.

"Thanks, um Lanie said I should take some Tylenol." Kate was suddenly a little nervous, she was usually comfortable at his apartment, but the way him and Martha were looking at her made her uneasy

"I thought I heard voices" Alexis said coming down the stairs. "Hey, Detective Beckett. How are you feeling? My dad said you hit your head."

"Hi Alexis, yeah a suspect got a little rough. I'm fine though, just a small concussion. And by the way you know you can call me Kate" She said with a smile. Beckett wanted to down play her injury as much as possible, not just for herself but for Alexis. Kate knew that the girl wasn't happy about her dad being put in the line of danger. She didn't want her to worry anymore.

The teenager just smiled, and Castle walked back in handing Kate two pills heading to the kitchen.

"Thanks" Kate smiled and everyone followed to the table.

"How's the internship search coming, sweetie?" Castle asked his daughter. He wanted her to be successful, but it was clouded by how much he just wanted her to relax and have a little fun. She would have plenty time to study and work towards her future, but he knows his daughter and a break wasn't going to happen.

"Okay, I found a few I'm interested in, but most of the deadlines and coming up really soon. Plus they're super competitive, and I'll be one of the youngest kids applying. So I don't think I will get any of them." Alexis sounded small and embarrassed.

"What field are you looking into?" Kate asked. She wanted the teenager to know she cared.

"I'm not sure. I got applications for a law firm, and programs at Mount Sinai med school and Microsoft."

"Sounds impressive" Kate said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess. That's probably why I won't get in." Alexis responded sarcastically.

"Honey" Castle reach over and grabbed her hand trying to comfort her.

"Try not to worry, Alexis. Everyone gets rejected sometimes. I know it can seem overwhelming, but it really gets better. This is a hard time for everyone. You're growing up and that's not easy. But trust me, everything will play out in exactly the right way. Whether it seems that way now or not."

"Thanks, Kate."

Castle couldn't help but stare at his partner across the table. There was nothing but love in his eyes. Kate turned her head and met his glance. She didn't like to admit the attraction, but this was one of those moments when she had to. The two of them could have entire conversation with their eyes. On a case, it certainly came in handy, but right now they were saying something completely different. He was saying thank you and maybe I love you. And she was saying it back. The thought scared and exhilarated her at the same time. In an instant, she broke gaze and turned away slightly freaked. Castle had to smile, the moment had been that perfect.

The rest of the dinner pasted with only small conversation and the passing of bowls. When they were done, Kate offered to help but Castle would not have it and sent her to living room to relax.

"How are you feeling?" Rick asked as he took a seat next to Kate on the couch.

"Better, thanks. " Kate murmured as his words broke her out of haze. "Where'd your mom and Alexis go?"

"Out and upstairs"

Kate nodded in response and wondered how long she had been daydreaming or maybe actual dreaming, she was exhausted.

"Thank you... for what you said to Alexis. I think it helped."

"No problem, Castle. I was a mess at her age. College seemed so overwhelming, I was totally convinced I was going to make the wrong decision and screw up my whole life." Kate laughed. She had no idea then but her choice really didn't matter because a year later her whole world was destroyed.

"I was the exact opposite. I was so carefree back then. All I wanted was to live and write and be free. College was my chance to do what I wanted and actual school work was not part of the plan." Castle responded with his own laugh, but he could see the pain in her eyes and it wasn't physical.

They just sat in silence for a few minutes. Each reminiscing in their own minds. College was a very different experience for them. He had the time of his life, while she went through the darkest part of hers.

"You okay?" He asked breaking the quiet.

"Just thinking, but it's getting late. I should go." Kate said standing up. Castle grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her down.

"You can't" He said softly.

"What?"

"I promised Lanie I'd keep you here till she could come. She doesn't want you going home alone."

"I really feel much better. She doesn't need to end her date." Kate huffed reaching for her phone.

"Kate, just stay. Listen to her. There's no shame in needing help once in awhile."

"I'm not ashamed."

"I know. Sorry" Castle said backing off.

"No, I'm sorry you're right. It's just I'm used to taking care of myself."

"It doesn't have to be that way" Rick offered.

"Thank you"

"Always"

The moment was interrupted, as usual. The sound of Kate's phone gave her a reason to look away. It was a text from Lanie.

How do you feel? Be honest, The screen read.

"It's Lanie" Kate shared as she wrote back. Doing better. Take your time

"Is she coming now?" Castle asked not even hiding the disappointment in his voice.

"I don't think yet. Unless, do you want her to?"

"No, no. Stay" The words rushing out of Castle's mouth.

Kate's phone chimed again. Good to hear, I'll be about an hour or so.

Kate responded with a quick "Ok thanks" and set her phone back on the end table.

"She'll be here in like an hour."

"Oh ok. You want to watch tv or something?"

"Sure" Kate said with a smile as she reached over grabbing the remote and handing it to him.

"No, you pick." Castle said denying the object.

After much channel surfing, they settled on some random movie. Castle got all excited, and Kate didn't care. She was lost in her own thoughts.

About twenty minutes later, Kate was struggling to keep her head up and feeling the stress of the day in the dark, semi-quiet room.

"You okay?" Castle whispered.

"Just tired" She answered bringing her hand up to hold her head as she rested on arm on the couch. Kate thought she should annoyed at the insane amount of times he had asked her that question, but she strangely wasn't.

"Can you even see sitting like that?"

"Um yeah, it's fine."

"You know, you could ... rest your head on my shoulder? It would be more comfortable." Castle suggested completely unsure of himself.

Kate knew this was one of situations that meant so much more than it appeared. She was hurt, and he was literally offering for her to lean on him. Kate wanted to, she did. She wanted to take the wall down and use him for support instead. Maybe it was the headache resurfacing as the medicine wore off or maybe she was really ready for this small step, but she scooted over and placed her head on his shoulder. He snaked his arm around her back and pulled her in closer. She accepted and snuggle into his warm body.

"Comfy?" He questioned, trying to make sure he didn't just imagine her acceptance of their current position.

"You have no idea." She replied as a sly smile took over her face just as he looked over.

Kate could not believe how at ease she felt. The pain of the day was seemingly fading away. She was relaxed cuddling up on the couch with him. She should have figured he'd be a great cuddler. For about 30 minutes everything was perfect. They both were happier than they had been in a long time and one step closer to actually telling each other that. But a knock at the door, ruined their peace.

"That's Lanie" Castle whispered but he didn't move.

"Yeah" Kate said pausing for a second before shifting away.

Castle got up and answered the door.

Hope everyone liked it. I plan to update about once or twice a week, but I'm college student so things come up. Not too sure how long I'm going to take it, but should be a decent amount of chapters based on response. Reviews are appreciated :)

Thanks for reading

Meagan