They were tired more tired than either of them been before. The mad bomber had targeted many locales but luckily the precinct was empty with Gates calling an emergency forcing everyone out on patrol. Rick look at his partner he was worried. They had just gotten in before their next shift was to begin. Kate was getting angry at the bomber. 3 days of running around and they were no close to finding any clue. Rick stood listened to the warning audio sent to his twitter account. Kate still standing looked over at her partner and saw the lines on his face it really made him seemed old!

"Rick? ...Castle?" Kate said turning to look at him

"Huh?" Rick turned with the smart phone plastered to his ear.

"Go Home!" Kate commanded in a very tired voice.

"You coming" Rick queried.

"No I have to stay but you don't I want to know you are safe." Kate said placing her hand on his face.

Rick leaned into the touch and luxuriated. He allowed the feeling of his lover's hand caress his face. Rick now moved away to sit in his chair.

"No can do! You stay I stay that is the deal!" Rick said sitting in his chair when a click was heard followed by a very loud ticking noise.

"Rick stay Still!" Kate hissed as her eyes opened wide as she bent down to look under the chair. There was a bomb which was activated under his chair. The countdown gave them 15 minutes.

15 minutes? That was all the time was left? Kate felt cheated.

"Rick it is a bomb and it is not the only one. The floor is rigged to explode when this one goes off." Kate said with a panic rising in her voice.

No Kate this is wrong…you need to be calm her internal talk told her. But Kate did not want to be calm her man was in danger. They only had 15 minutes. Now 14 she needed to say something she had not dared to do.

"Rick I love you" came unbidden from her lips.

Rick was worried if this was going to be the last he sees of Kate. He needed to say something encouraging. But when Kate blurted out those words it caught him by complete surprise. His mind went blank. He knew it had to be pretty bad for Kate to finally say those words. At least there is comfort she did say them before the end.

"I know Kate I know…look I might not make it out of here" Rick said. "Please remember Alexis you promised."

Kate was having unshed tears in her eyes. Then she heard

"Liquid Nitrogen! There is some in the lab." Rick said.

"Right…!" Kate sprung into action. She raced down the stairs to warn everyone to evacuate the building.

Kate yelled at everyone to get out as she raced down to the lab and found the canister and brought it up to the 4th floor.

Kate put a dish filled with the volatile liquid. Then carefully moved a stack of books under the chair then carefully placed the dish to cover the bomb.

Kate held her breath. It was working but Rick needed to get out of there. The freezing process was only a stop gap measure the liquid was sublimating quickly.

"Rick run!" Kate said as she pulled on him. They both dashed to the stair well. Rick legs were not co operating at the best so Kate half drugged him down the stairs then out the door. They were met with the Bomb squad and Gates who were standing away from the building behind a quickly erected barricade. Rick was placed in the EMT van. They were checking him over while Kate stood outside informing the bomb squad what she has seen.

While checking notes the building erupted into a fireball and collapsed. The van was rocked by the explosion. Whoever had wired the build made it implode not explode. Kate was weary when she saw the slow collapse of her home. The precinct where she first did her first patrol was gone nothing left but rubble.

Kate turned her attention on her partner.

"How is he?" Kate asked the EMT.

"Other than elevated heart rate he is good to go" The EMT stated.

"See nothing to worry about" Rick quipped as he climbed out of the vehicle into Kate's out stretched arms.

Kate was glad. They had survived another life threatening situation.

"Let's go home!" Rick said.

"Yeah" Kate said melting into his side.

Together they watched the NYFD put out the blazes. Then they caught a cab to the loft. Kate made sure everyone was notified in a short text then removed the battery. No one was going to disturb them now.