Rick Castle hears a knock on his doors at 4:27 in the morning and opens it only to feel the body of his favorite New York detective collapse into his arms.
•••
I'm asking myself
If living without a feeling is really living
Is heaven everything any good
If everything's all you have
Cheryl - It's About Time
•••
Kate's eyes were burning. Her whole body was burning, and hurting. Her whole body felt sticky. She rapidly blinked her eyes to adjust to the light. She knew she was on a bed and it felt soft. She rolled around and immediately felt pain all over, more than when she was laying still. She wanted to sit up, and see where she was but she couldn't. It hurt too much. But she did. She let out a groan of pain and wrapped her arm around her stomach. She felt skin against skin. Why didn't she have a shirt on. She had a bra on, but no shirt. She looked down and she had no pants on but did have underwear. What the hell happened to her? She was scared. Her head was pounding and so was her heart. She felt dizzy and couldn't keep her body from trembling. Kate looked to her right and saw a glass of water and an a pill laying on the table.
She picked up to glass and smelled, making sure it was only water. It was, so she took a sip and moved her hair out of her face, "ugh." She groaned and quirky pushed the covers off of her. She slowly moved her legs over the side of the bed and saw light shades of purple showing through her skin. She pushed her body up and immediately hit the floor with a boom. She cowered afraid of who was going to come in and what was going to happen.
The door quickly opened, and a familiar figure came in. Castle. Kate backed away in fear and Castle quickly bent and calmed her down, "It's ok, Kate, shh, it's ok."
"Wha-what?"
"You're ok."
She paused for a second before looking down at herself.
"Don't look Castle!" She yelled as she covered herself, "Where are my clothes?"
"I put them in the washer when you came here. They were...dirty."
"I came here?"
"Yeah, a cab dropped you off. The front desk called me and told me that there was a woman down here asking for me."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it will come to you, can I help you up?"
"No, turn around!"
"I'm the one who put you in the bed, I've already seen-"
"Castle!"
"Fine!" He put his hands up in surrender and turned around.
He heard Kate struggling behind him and then her sigh, "Castle, I need your help." She complained.
"That's what I was saying." He went to turn around and she smacked him.
"No!"
"Then what do you want me to do!"
"Go get me a blanket." She somewhat demanded in her groggy state.
"Ok, fine hold on." Castle ran out of the bedroom and then almost seven seconds later was back covering his eyes while holding a black and white blanket. He handed it to Kate and when she said ok, he turned around.
"Just don't grab to hard, ok?"
"Yeah, I know." The two wrapped their arms around each other as Rick helped Kate to her feet. Her knees buckled, but he was there to catch her.
"Castle-" she complained.
"I'm trying," he put one of her arms around his shoulders and let the other dangle by her side, "do you want to go to the bed, or the living room?"
"Living room." Kate mumbled putting her head down.
Eventually they made it there, the two of them seeming like conjoined twins.
"B-barstool." She pointed out. Rick helped her up and sat her down going being the island counter to get another glass and some more pills.
"Did you take the pill I gave you?" He asked turning on the faucet. She shook her head no.
"Here, take them." He added placing two pills in her hand, along with the water glass. Kate took a sip of the water and tossed the pills in her mouth. The sensation of the water going down her throat, brought on a flashback.
"Need a drink?"
"Um, no. Designated driver." Kate smiled as she attempted to scoot away from this mysterious stranger.
"You sure? It's a concoction of my two favorites, Rum and Vodka."
"No thanks."
"Come on, you know you want it." He slightly jiggled the glass and flashed a smirk.
"I really don't."
"Come on."
"No!" She laughed.
"Please, baby."
"Baby?"
"Princess?"
"If I take a sip will you go?" She smiled.
"For now." His smirk grew into a charming devilish grin and he handed her the glass.
"Cheers," She laughed a little and rose her glass into the air and took a sip and quickly cringed her face, "Wow, that's definitely something."
"It sure is, but maybe I'll see you around." He winked, leaving her with the drink.
"It tastes weird." She cocked her brow and looked at him.
"The best things do." He then walked away and drifted into thin air.
Kate dropped her glass and it fell to the wood floor and shattered. Both her and Castle jumped.
"I'm sorry." Kate immediately said before Castle cold get in a word.
"It's...fine, but what happened? Did you get a flashback or something?" He asked, bending down to pick up the bigger glass pieces before proceeding to sweep up the smaller shards.
"I-I don't know, I-I think so." She made eye contact with Castle and seemed to move to help him.
"No, no, no. Stay there. It's fine. I'm almost done anyways." He placed a soft hand on her leg before returning to picking up the glass. He finished within no time and sat back down next to her. He saw the pain, confusion, and fear in her eyes and her wanted nothing more than to help. She looked pale and her face was skinny. He could see the outlines of them and it worried him deeply. She didn't deserve this. He placed a hand on top of hers and watched as her body trembled. He quickly removed it and folded his in front of him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He looked over at her but she didn't meet his gaze. She shook her head no and closed her eyes, keeping back tears.
"No."
"Well I'm here if you need me."
"I know." She made a quick one second glance before looking away again.
"Can I tell you secret?"
Kate stumbled the halls of the bar, or the place of the violation, whatever you want to call it. Her legs became jelly, her head became heavy, and she began to have blurry sight. She couldn't see straight, she couldn't walk straight. She constantly bounced of the walls of the upstairs hallway where few people lingered. She tripped over her own feet and fell into the arms of an unfamiliar, yet surprisingly comfortable she body.
"Woa-ahh," he said, "be careful, you could get hurt."
"I-my head feels funny." Kate mumbled letting her limbs go numb.
"Can I tell you a secret?" He whispered his lips against her ear.
"I-uh...go ahead." She giggled, delusional, her thoughts jumbled.
"I put something in your drink." He stroked her cheek, and helped her walk to a darker part of the house.
"Haha, funnn." Kate droned closing her eyes, relying on this malevolent man to take her where he wanted.
"I think so too."
"Kate. Kate!"
"What?" Kate landed back on earth and wiped the tears she didn't know were falling.
"I've been calling you for almost a minute and a half now."
"Oh."
"Do you want-" Kate interrupted him before he could finish.
"I have to go." Kate hopped up off the stool and caught herself before she fell. Castle went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Where do you have to go?"
"I-I don't know, but I just have to get away from here." She said looking around him frantically.
"Why? What did I do?"
"Nothing! I just-I have to go."
"Kate-"
"Please."
"Listen, I'll leave you alone, but I need you to stay here.
Silence...
"You're remembering things, aren't you?
Silence...
"That's good."
Silence...
"Kate, you still don't know what happened to you, but I think I do, and I could be wrong, but if and when you remember, I don't think you'll want to be alone."
"Yeah, well I do, I've always been alone."
"I just-"
"Well I don't want any! I'm scared right now, Castle. I have no idea what happened to me, and you have no right to tell me what to do, because you weren't there! Just stop talking! Just stop everything!"
Castle nodded his head and turned to leave the room. He went upstairs and left Kate behind to be alone, because that's what she thought she wanted, even though they both knew she didn't.
He connected their mouths in a fury of neediness, craving what he thought she had. Kate didn't know any better, so she kissed him back, trying to figure out if he had what she craved. Kate felt a groan of discomfort rise in her throat as he pushed her against the wall next to the bathroom. Kate felt her feet leave the floor as her 'man' wrapped his arms tightly around her and threw her sharply onto the bathroom floor. He slid her into a stall. He climbed on top of her and rubbed his hands up and down her body. Kate tried to push the hands away, but in her drugged out state she was no match for his strong ones. They pinned her hands above her head and raked their free one over the bare skin of their victim. Unconsciousness was approaching Kate, and while it claimed her, and while she wasn't able see, she was able to feel. She could feel the sickening sensation that his hands left all over her, inside her, she can remember the feeling of him ripping off her clothes and feeling her. Not only does her stomach churn as he does these things, she is defenseless and unable to stop any of it. Kate can hear the sounds of him undoing his belt, and remembers her hands squeezing shut with pain as he enters her. Kate knows she is crying and she knows her body is moving along with every violent thrust as he slams into her. Her cries must mean nothing. Her scared unconscious pleas for him to stop, for him to stop hurting her, she constantly repeats as she choked on her words, please, please, no, no. She was scared. She will never be more afraid in her life. The last thing she feels is the excruciating sensation as her releases himself into her letting it go inside of her and all over her, that would leave a sticky sensation as it dries on her sweat filled, violated, raped body.
Kate screamed awake, hoping that she would not be back in that cursed bedroom. She found her stiff body laying in Castle's bed, still in her bra and panties, still feeling the sticky dry sensation all over, everywhere. Kate began to have trouble breathing, her tears were clouding her vision, and what was coming out of her mouth were desperate cries, desperate screams. The screams that no one heard, the cries that were silenced.
She heard Rick burst through the door and hurried over to Kate. He sat down on the bed and she flung herself onto him.