Here is another story I have been working on. I'm not sure if it's any good. Let me know. Hope you enjoy.

Kate Beckett woke up with a feeling in her stomach she hadn't felt since she was a teenager. When she was young, starting her first period when she was thirteen, she got excruciatingly painful cramps. Her first period, her mom had allowed her to stay home from school because she had been in so much pain. She had curled up in bed with her, massaging her back while Kate held a hot water bottle to her stomach. They had watch movies as Kate learned to cope with her uterus's obvious dislike for her body becoming a woman. After the first one, Kate learned to manage the pain with lots of Advil. Right around the time her mother died, her cramps had lightened substantially and she had spent most of her adult life being able to get by with minimal cramping and no back pain.

However, today was not anything like that. Her stomach and back were absolutely killing her. She knew that even with Advil, she was going to be in pain all day. She briefly thought about calling in sick, saying she had the stomach bug that was going around, but she knew that she couldn't. She forced herself out of bed and felt a chill go up her spine. She wished so badly that Castle was there, holding her and keeping her warm, but he had a deadline to reach and had gone to his apartment the night before to concentrate. She thought about calling him, but she didn't want to seem like a needy girlfriend.

She got in a burning hot shower and tried to alleviate her cramps. It did absolutely nothing. When she got out, she dressed in her most comfortable clothes that still looked professional. She decided to forgo the heel in favor of a comfortable pair of flats. She went into the kitchen to fix herself something for breakfast. She popped two pieces of bread into the toaster, grabbing a banana off the counter and peeling it slowly. She always ate bananas when she was having cramps because they were supposed to help. She ate it as she looked for some Advil, only to realize she only had one pill left. She usually took four for cramps. She would have to go to the store before work.

She was almost in tears by the time she left for work. And on top of the fact that her stomach and back were killing her, she was starting to get a headache and her breakfast was not agreeing with her. She drove to the drug store, picking up the largest bottle of Advil they sold along with a bottle of water. She also grabbed a bottle of Pepto in hopes to settle her increasingly upset stomach. She took four out of the Advil and threw them in her mouth, taking a quick gulp of water. Then she opened the Pepto and took a swig of it.

She drove to the precinct, knowing that if she hurried, she could still make it on time. She arrived at her usual time. By the time she got off the elevator, the only thing she could think about was sitting in her chair and not getting up until she had to go home. She was a bit surprised to see Rick already at her desk with the usual two cups of coffee in his hand.

"Morning," she said, as he got up, kissing her and handing her the coffee, "Thanks." She sunk into her chair, wincing a bit.

"You alright?" he asked, noticing right away.

"Yeah," she said, "Just not feeling 100% today."

"Why did you come in?" he asked, putting a hand in her back.

"I'll be fine," she said, subconsciously rubbing her stomach.

He looked her over for a moment before realizing what was going on. "You have cramps, don't you?" he asked, sitting down in a chair he had pulled up.

"How the heck did you know that?" she asked, looking at him through pained eyes.

"I know you," he said, "I have been your partner for five years. I know you inside and out." She just shook her head and went back to her paperwork.

However, her headache was slowly starting to get worse and the Advil was doing next to nothing. She picked up her coffee in hopes that it would help with the headache, but she only found that it made her already upset stomach feel worse. He noticed her not drinking her coffee and becoming slightly more pale than normal.

"You feeling alright?" he asked, putting his hand on her forehead.

"Not really," she admitted, "I have a headache, my stomach is slightly upset, and my cramps are way worse than normal."

"Why don't you go home?" he asked, "Ryan and Esposito can cover for today. Besides, it's a slow day. That stomach bug has half the city shut down."

"I guess you might be right," she said, knowing there was no point in trying to work. She was miserable and feeling worse with every passing second.

"I'll go asked Gates for the day off," she said, getting up and nearly doubling over in pain.

"Let me help you," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Yo Beckett," Esposito called as they made their way to the Captain's office, "You alright?"

"Yeah," Ryan said, "You look like crap, no offence. Did you catch the bug?"

"I'm fine," she said, "I don't have the bug, but I'm gonna take a day. You two alright without me?"

"Yeah," Esposito said, "You look like you could use a day."

"Feel better," Ryan said. The two detectives went back to their paperwork.

Castle led Beckett into Gate's office.

"Detective," Gates said, "You look like crap. Do you have the bug?"

"No Sir," Kate said, "But I would like to take a day. I'm not feeling well at all."

"Go home," Gates said, "Don't bother coming back until you are 100%. Feel better."

"Thank you Sir," Kate said, leaning on Rick as they left.

"See you later Mr. Castle," Gates called as they left.

"Goodbye Sir," Castle called as they closed the door. He led Kate to the elevator. Once safely inside, she buried her face in his chest, wrapping both arms around her stomach.

"I've never seen you like this before," he said, "Do I need to take you to the hospital?"

"No," she said, "I've had cramps like this before, just not since I was young. My mom used to curl up in bed with me and we would watch movies together while I held a hot water bottle on my stomach and she rubbed my back. I was in so much pain, but somehow, she made it all seem just a little better. After she died, I never had problems like this."

"I'm sorry," he said, as he guided her to her car, helping her into the passenger's side before taking her keys and getting in the driver's side.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asked, seeing her wince as he started driving.

"No," she said, putting her head on the window.

She was suddenly very warm and the glass was cool thanks to the chilly fall day. He rubbed her shoulder as they drove. They spent the rest of the ride in silence, Kate attempting to keep herself from crying. She fell asleep a few minutes later.

I know it might seem a little out of character for both of them, but we have never seem Kate sick before (Hint Hint writers). This is what I think she would be like if she were. Please let me know if you want more.