So here's my new story. It takes place during 2x13 Sucker Punch, and goes AU from there. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
"I let her down." Beckett said, staring into her coffee mug.
"No, you didn't." Castle replied, stepping closer.
"Rathborne's in the wind. Dick Coonan's about to walk. I missed something." She said, shaking her head.
"Could have been me. Rathborne could've checked the routing number, realized the money was coming from my account, not Dick's. I was arrogant."
Beckett stops, considering her next words. Arrogant is the last thing she'd call him right now. When they were in that interrogation and he had offered up $100,000 as if it was nothing, just for the chance to find her mom's killer…it meant everything. Castle standing in front of her now, thinking it was all his fault…she couldn't let him do that to himself.
"I didn't think you were arrogant, Castle. I thought what you did was sweet. And I will pay you back as…"
"Negative, ghost rider. Small price to pay for a shot at your mother's killer." He said, interrupting her.
Beckett paused, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Her killer." She said, looking at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
"Coonan said it was a hundred grand to catch her killer."
"And you never told him it was your mother that was murdered." Castle replied, the recognition finally dawning on him.
. . .
Beckett and Castle raced down to lockup, only to see Coonan already signing his release forms.
"There was no Rathborne." Beckett said, walking up to him. "That was just a cover. It was you."
He looked her up and down, a smirk on his face. "Clever girl."
In a move too quick for her to anticipate, Coonan hit the guard in the throat and grabbed his gun. Before Kate could draw her weapon, he's had Castle in his grasp; one arm around his neck, the other shoving the gun into his side.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah. Now here's what's gonna happen." Coonan said, shoving the gun harder into Castle's side, making him wince." We're just gonna stroll on over to the elevator together. Nice and easy."
"That'll never happen." Beckett said, her eyes trained on the gun at Castle's side. She stared at them, wide eyed, debating her next move
"You make a sound, you attempt a signal, you so much as clear your throat and I'll put a round in this man's liver. And he will die slowly and in considerable pain."
Beckett removed the hand resting on her gun and walked out of lockup ahead of them. Her step wavered slightly when she heard Castle grunt in pain behind her.
"What, no pithy remarks from the peanut gallery? Not so funny facing your death, is it?" Coonan said, smirking.
"I don't know, Dick. Last time I checked, this was a police station." Castle replied, disgruntled.
At that moment, Montgomery noticed them walking out. Beckett's body language is tense, and Coonan is standing unusually close to Castle.
"You knew before I arrested you, didn't you?" Beckett said. "You knew my mom was your victim."
"It wasn't personal, okay?" Coonan replied, lacking emotion. "She was just another job."
The vein in Beckett's forehead started to throb. She had to take a deep breath and stop herself from pulling out her gun and ending this right there.
"She was my mother." Kate growled. "Who hired you to kill her?"
He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Forget it. You'll never touch them. They'll bury you."
"Tell. Me. Who." She snarled.
Before he could reply, Montgomery jumped around the corner, gun drawn and pointed at Coonan.
Beckett stepped closer to Montgomery, putting her hands up. "No. No! No! Sir! I need him alive."
"That's right." Coonan replied, unconcerned. "You do need me. Now, back him off, or Castle dies." He said, once again digging the gun into his Rick's lower back.
"Sir, back off. Please." Beckett said, begging.
Montgomery shook his head. "You know I can't do that." He said, keeping his eyes and weapon trained on Coonan.
"Hey! You wanna learn who ordered the hit on your mommy," Coonan said, looking at Beckett. "You better make sure I make it out of here."
"Roy, please." Kate said, looking at her Captain.
Montgomery slowly lowered his gun, putting it back in the holster, keeping a firm grip on it.
"That's right, Roy." Coonan said with a gleam in his eyes. "Nice and easy. Nice and easy."
They began moving closer to the elevator, Coonan slamming the elevator button with his elbow. Beckett heard the lift getting closer. She had to act quickly, before the two of them could get inside. If those doors closed, she knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill Castle.
Before Kate could think of her next move, the elevator doors opened. Coonan grinned, looking at Beckett with a smirk on his face. "Well everyone, it's been fun, but it's time to go."
In the next instant, Beckett pulled her weapon, and Coonan slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Castle's head.
Rick crumpled to the floor instantly, while two rounds entered Dick Coonan's chest before he could take another step.
Beckett rushed forward, dropping to her knees next to Castle. Running her hands over his face, she swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall as he lies motionless on the floor.
"Call the medics!" Beckett yelled.
"C'mon Castle, wake up. Wake up for me." She said, looking at him desperately.
Getting no response, she guided his head gently into her lap, though the commotion continued around her.
While she had rushed straight to Castle, Ryan and Esposito had went to check on Coonan, making sure he was dead.
Beckett didn't even spare Coonan another glance, focusing all of her attention on her partner.
"It's gonna be okay, Castle, it's gonna be okay…" She murmured, running her fingers through his hair.
…
Kate kept murmuring reassuring words to Castle until the paramedics arrived a few minutes later. They ushered her out of the way, checking his vitals and quickly loading him onto the gurney.
"I'm going with you." She said as they headed into the elevator.
…
Fifteen agonizingly slow minutes later, they finally arrived at the hospital. Jumping out of the back and rushing inside.
Beckett ran beside the gurney, holding tight onto the hand she hadn't let go of since they climbed into the ambulance outside the precinct.
She was stopped just before the gurney crossed lines into the prohibited area.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to wait here. You can't go any further." A nurse said, gently laying a hand on her arm.
"But he's my partner." Beckett replied gravely, looking past the nurse and at Castle's motionless body.
"And the doctors will take good care of him." She said. "I'll show you to the waiting area."
Kate nodded, thanking the nurse before plopping down heavily in the chair. Pulling out her cell phone, she sighed before finding the right number and hitting send. She bit her lip, waiting for an answer.
"Well hello darling!" Martha said in greeting.
"Martha…I-"
"What happened? Is Richard okay?" She interrupted, noticing her tone immediately.
"There's been an accident. We're at Presbyterian right now. They just took him into surgery."
"Oh my goodness…I'll get Alexis; we'll be there as soon as we can."
…
Kate leaned against the wall, holding the tears back.
This was all her fault. Castle would have never been in this situation if it wasn't for her.
Beckett's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the boys calling her name. They rushed over, wanting to know if there was any news on Castle's condition.
She shook her head, telling them he hadn't woken up in the ambulance and had just gone into surgery.
"Coonan's dead. They hauled the body down to the morgue right after you guys left."
Beckett nodded absently, staring at the wall in front of her.
"Yo Becks, he's gonna be ok." Esposito said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.
A tear rolled down her cheek before she brushed it away, taking in a deep breath.
…
Fifteen minutes later, Martha and Alexis rushed into the hospital.
"Kate!" Alexis yelled, rushing forward and crushing her in a hug.
Without hesitation, Beckett wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her closer.
"What happened? Grams said they took him into surgery. Is he gonna be ok?" She said into Kate's neck, squeezing her tighter.
Pulling back to look Alexis in the eye, Beckett ran her fingers through the girl's hair soothingly. "A suspect got a hold of your dad at the precinct. He hit him in the back of the head with his gun. Castle was unconscious when I got to him, and the doctor's took him into surgery as soon as we got here. That's all I know sweetie."
…
Everyone sat silently in the waiting area, looking up every time a doctor walked past.
Lanie and Montgomery had joined them shortly after Alexis and Martha had arrived, also hoping for news.
After an hour and half with no news, Beckett had gone to the nurse's station, hoping for an update on Castle. It was useless though. All they could tell her was that he was in surgery, and that the doctor would be out to explain Castle's condition when he was finished.
…
Another two hours later, they were finally going to get some answers.
"Family of Richard Castle?" The doctor asked, looking towards everyone in the waiting area.
All of them stood, and Kate's heart swelled. They were all family. Her, the boys, Montgomery, Lanie….and now Castle.
"How is he?" Martha asked, holding on to Alexis's hand.
"He's stable. When Mr. Castle was brought in, he had a lot of intracranial pressure that caused us worry. We were able to drill into the skull and remove the excess fluid that was causing the swelling. We'll keep a careful eye on him the next 24-48 hours to check for any brain damage the pressure may have caused, but we won't know more about his condition until he wakes up."
"Can we see him?" Alexis asked eagerly.
"He's just finishing up on his post-op care, but we'll get him situated shortly. I'll have a nurse bring you to the room when he's ready. For now I think it's best if we keep the visits short, and limited to a few people at a time. Don't be alarmed if he doesn't wake up right away either. His brain needs time to heal, and the sedation might take hours to ware off. The good thing is that the worst of it is over."
Beckett thanked the doctor and shook his hand before pulling Alexis and Martha, followed by Lanie and the boys into a hug.
Less than fifteen minutes later, a nurse came to inform them that Castle was settled, and to take visitors to his room. Martha and Alexis began to follow the nurse, stopping when they noticed Beckett wasn't following after them.
"Katherine? Aren't you coming?" Martha asked.
"You guys should go-"
"Please Kate? It would be good for dad if we were all there." Alexis said, the worry still in her eyes.
Beckett hesitated a moment before nodding, giving everyone else a shy smile before following after the two red-headed women.
…
The three women entered the room silently, each taking in a stuttering breath when they saw Castle lying in the hospital bed.
Beckett clenched her fists and bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay.
He looked so pale and small, lying in the hospital bed that seemed to dwarf his size.
Martha and Alexis stood on each side of the bed, holding his hand and whispering comforting words to him.
Kate decided to stay out of the way, choosing to sit down on the small couch in the corner of the room.
…
Lanie, the boys, and Montgomery had stopped by for a few minutes before they had to head back to work and start the paperwork the incident had caused.
Now being almost 9 p.m., visiting hours were coming to a close. Alexis and Martha reluctantly left, saying their goodbyes to Kate and promising to be back early the next morning.
When the nurse told Beckett that visiting hours were over and started again at 7 a.m., she pulled out her badge, keeping her gaze trained on Castle.
She'd migrated next to his bed shortly after entering the room; taking a hold of his hand and not letting go since.
The nurse nodded, saying she'd bring in a pillow and blanket. Kate gratefully thanked her, and resumed looking at the man lying in the bed.
Finally being alone in the room, the exhaustion quickly set in. Beckett's head fell to edge of the bed resting on her arm, while the other still clutched onto Castle's hand.
…
Beckett woke up the next morning to hushed voices coming from room.
Lifting her head, she saw Alexis and Martha talking together on the couch.
"Good morning, Katherine." Martha said, noticing she was awake.
"Martha, Alexis. Hi…what time is it?" Beckett asked, running a hand through her hair.
"Just after seven dear."
Kate nodded, standing up and stretching. "I should…I should probably head home, get ready for work. Will you call me if anything changes or if he wakes up?"
"Of course, darling. You go do what you need to do." Martha said, sweeping her into an unexpected hug.
…
Forty-five minutes later Beckett strode into the precinct, the exhaustion clear on her face.
"Hey Beckett, how's Castle doing?" Ryan said, coming from the breakroom, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands.
"No changes. Any new updates?" She asked, heading to her desk.
"Finished the paperwork from yesterday, we just need your signature on a few of the pages." Kevin said, handing her the file.
"Thanks Ryan." She said with a grateful smile. "Where's Javi?"
"Went down to file a few things. By the way, Captain said he wanted to talk to you when you got settled." He said, gesturing towards Montgomery's office.
Kate nodded, heading towards his office. She knocked twice before stepping inside and shutting the door.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Take a seat Beckett." Montgomery said, nodding towards the empty chair. "How's Castle doing?"
"No new changes, sir." She said, shaking her head.
"I called you in here because I wanted to tell you to take a few days off."
"Sir?"
"This case was rough on you Beckett, and with everything that happened yesterday, I want you to take some time off, clear your head. Go spend some time with Castle and his family." Montgomery said, not leaving any room for debate.
"Yes, sir." Beckett said, nodding.
…
Kate stopped for coffee on her way to the hospital, noticing that even though it was her order, it just didn't taste the same without Castle giving it to her.
Beckett shook her head, the realization hitting her in the chest hard.
She needed Castle. He'd been such an incorrigible, stubborn, know-it-all jackass in the beginning of their partnership, but since then…she's gotten use to him pulling her pigtails. She looked forward to seeing him every day, though she'd never admit that to him.
Taking in a shaky breath, Kate threw the rest of her coffee in the garbage before heading to the hospital.
Walking back into Castle's room, Beckett was met with the chattering of two red heads.
"Kate! Hey! What are you doing back here so soon?" Alexis said, a small smile on her face.
"Montgomery gave me a few days off, so here I am."
…
The three of them sat in the hospital room, talking for hours. Castle had yet to wake up, but the doctor assured them that his brain needed rest and he'd wake up when he was ready.
Around 8 p.m., Martha had convinced Alexis to head back to the loft for the evening. They had been there all day with little rest and little to eat.
Alexis was worried, leaving her father alone, but Beckett assured her that she would stay with him. The girl nodded, giving Kate a grateful hug before leaving with her grandmother.
Beckett made her way back over to the side of Castle's bed, sitting in the chair she'd claimed as hers, intertwining their fingers.
"Please wake up Rick. I know you probably need time to rest, but Alexis and Martha, they're so worried. I'm worried. The doctor said you're through the worst of it, but I just need to see that for myself." Kate said, stroking his cheek gently. "I miss you Castle. I never thought I'd be saying that, but I miss your jokes and your theories…"
Kate lay her head down on the bed again, not willing to leave him.
…
Beckett woke to the feeling of something running up and down her arm and the soft voice of her name being called.
"Kate….Hey Kate…"
She knitted her brow in confusion, before everything came crashing back to her.
"Oh god, Castle!" She said, lifting her head. "You're awake!"
When Beckett saw the look on his face, she immediately knew something was wrong.
"Castle, what is it? What's wrong?" She said, clutching his fingers.
"Kate, I can't….I can't see."
Well there you go, Chapter 1. Please review and let me know what you think!
-S