Winter Heat

Ch. 1: Fire

Summary: After the murder of a Toy Shop owner uncovers some Christmas coincidences and other bizarre twists, our favorite characters find themselves wondering how a seemingly simple case could put them into a situation they never saw coming. Caskett, some romance and set season 4ish. Enjoy!

The element of fire is a powerful thing. Fire is the thing burning in your soul, moving you to fight for the things you believe in. Fire represents a dream, a virtue, and a belief. If the fire has caught onto something, it fights for it until it has consumed it or until it has burned it down. It doesn't know fear or doubt, and it doesn't know mercy or shame either. If it wants something, it will get over everything in its path to get to it. Fire is the passion that keeps you going, even when hope is lost.

Detective Kate Beckett had used the phrase, "Fight fire with fire," many times since she had joined the police force. It was the only way to outsmart the criminals she had encountered and to get the upper hand. However, as she was learning now, whoever coined this phrase clearly didn't mean fight the spiritual element with the physical one.

The smoke and flames were closing in around her and she was completely helpless. It was becoming too much to breathe, and with every breath she took, there was a violent cough that followed. She longed to be outside in the crisp December air where she could not only inhale some fresh air, but where she could cool off as well. The heat was becoming too much to bear and she could feel her skin beginning to blister.

As a black haze crept upon her, the only thing she could think of was how she never had the chance to answer Castle's question…

As she began to wake again, she noticed that everything was different. It was quiet aside from the sound of a beeping machine, she was no longer burning up but freezing cold, and the air smelled of disinfectant. She opened her eyes and couldn't help but squint at the bright lights of the room. She blinked a few times, trying to form a clear image and figure out where she was. A blur of who she assumed was a person moved towards her and she finally understood that she must be in a hospital. She was alive.

As the person came to her side, their image began to clear up and she recognized the man as none other than her father.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything, her father smiled, put a hand on her cheek and said, "Welcome back, Katie."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I know this chapter leaves a lot of questions, but they will eventually be answered.