Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the characters.
A/N: This is written for Otorisosa-kan's August "First-Sentence-Exchange-Prompt-Challenge." The story must begin with: "He stared into the darkness of the alley, wondering how the woman he had come to love could vanish into thin air as if she was nothing more than the mist of the early dawn." and was put forward by Historyexplorer12.
He stared into the darkness of the alley, wondering how the woman he had come to love could vanish into thin air as if she was nothing more than the mist of the early dawn. As he had turned into the alley he had known what he would find, but despite writing the very scene that was being played out he could not and would not bring himself to believe that she was gone. Instead he stared at the emptiness refusing to believe his eyes. Part of him wanted to scream her name as if that would magically bring her back, but he knew it would do no good, she was gone and it was his fault. She was gone and within thirty minutes would be dead because that is how he had written it.
Ever since Dunn had come after Beckett he knew it was dangerous to keep the series going, but it had taken him this long to end his relationship with the other lady of his life, Nikki Heat. But when he finally made up his mind to end the series rumours spread like wildfire and with the rumours came the letters and emails. Some pleaded for him not to end the series, some tried threats. But he had ignored them all, wanting to protect Beckett and oblivious to the danger. But in the end all he had done was write her death warrant as his leaked manuscript was being played out before his eyes. As with so many of his mistakes it was his loved ones who payed the price.
He had spent months agonizing over Nikki Heat's demise and he knew the scene of her disappearance by heart. Staring down the alley it was clear the person behind this knew the scene as well as he did. What he didn't know because he had been too invested in Nikki to write it was where she was killed. He knew when the body would be found and where it would be found, but not where she had died. He had not been able to write those final moments of his fictional heroine. Instead he had left it up to the reader to imagine it. It was because of his cowardliness that he had no idea where to look for the woman who kept him grounded, the woman he loved and the woman he was not sure he could live without.
So now he found himself frozen, staring down the alleyway, praying to a God he didn't believe in, that Kate would be okay. It was then that he heard a gunshot. Immediately his eyes focused and his brows crinkled in confusion, for although he didn't know where Nikki Heat had died, he knew how and it was not a gunshot.
He immediately sprinted down the alley towards where he hoped the gunshot had come from. As he ran he shouted for Kate.
"In here." A familiar voice finally shouted from a building off the alley. As he heard the call his heart began to flutter. Bursting into the warehouse he saw Kate, his Kate, standing over a prone and apparently deceased body. A body he immediately recognised as one of his publisher's assistants.
"How? You should be dead." He said in disbelief.
The comment causing Kate to look over to him in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"In the book, Nikki Heat died." Castle said still stunned that Kate was okay, that was until he saw a scowl take over her features.
"How many times do I need to tell you and your groupies I am not Nikki Heat?" Kate said annoyed.
"No you're not." Castle agreed. "You are so much better."
-The End