Go easy ok, this is my second fanfic of castle ever.

Chasing Vengeance to the Grave

"Stay with me okay. Kate…. I love you. I love you Kate." He saw a glimmer of a smile on her face before her eyes slid closed. He felt a tear fall as he recognized that she wasn't breathing anymore.

The paramedic arrived, "Sir, you need to move. I have to get her to the hospital, as soon as possible or she'll die." Castle was too focused on holding Kate that he missed most of what he said but caught the word 'die'. He let go for the medic to help her.

As the medic was working on Kate, he heard the squad of cops chase after the shooter in the Northeast direction. His emotions suddenly shifted from extreme sadness to pure hate towards the shooter. He ran at his top speed towards the spot where he saw the light reflecting off the scope in the previous minutes prior to Kate's shooting.

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After the swarm of cops cleared and Kate was being loaded into an ambulance, Esposito and Ryan saw Castle. Ryan looked at Esposito and they instantly knew what he up to, "damn it, Castle is taking off towards the shooter". They chased after him but he was running faster than them and was already a good distance down the cemetery. They saw him ahead tackling somebody to the ground. Esposito looked to Ryan, and knew that Castle wouldn't be able to control himself and feared the worst to happen. They saw the scuffle and the gun lying closely by the two men fighting.

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Castle saw the shooter and he looked like he was in his mid thirties, clean cut and squared jaw. He looked like he could be the figurehead of an ex-marine.

"Hey jackass over here"! Castle yelled as he tackled him to the ground at the first chance he got near him. He got up and started beating the crap out of the shooters' face. He felt a heavy blow to his gut and a couple punches to his face. He hardly felt the punches coming his way because all he felt was the need to kill the guy for shooting Kate. They grappled each other until they broke loose and got to their feet, Castle then went for a football tackle to the shooters' waist.

As he had his arm around the shooters' neck, effectively choking him, he saw the boys run up to the scene. For a moment before he saw the boys he saw red, but after seeing them he knew Kate wouldn't want the guy to die but serve his time in prison, in a sense true justice.

Castle released the hold slightly for the boys to come forward to cuff him, but he didn't see the shooter spin out of the hold and grab for his gun. His eyed widened as he saw everything happen in slow motion, the guy was smirking as he pulled the trigger. He saw the boys screaming and jumping forward to the shooter in hopes to save him.

Xxxx

Ryan saw the shooter reach for the gun, and leaped into action because he knew that Castle was going to get shot if he didn't do something, especially since Kate was alive and on the way to the hospital. Esposito quickly grabbed the shooters arms, but not before a gunshot rang out.

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Castle heard the shot and froze in shock; he looked down at his chest and saw a hole in his suit right above his heart. He gently put a hand to it and when it came away his hand was tainted in crimson blood. He collapsed on the grass, and looked over and saw Esposito kneeling on top of the shooter cuffing him menacingly, while telling him his rights. The next thing he saw was Ryan kneeling over him putting pressure on his chest to stop bleeding while yelling for him to hang the hell on, and was also telling Esposito to go get the medics.

He could tell that he was losing a lot of blood because his vision was getting blurry and he was having a difficult time keeping himself conscious. He felt himself slipping away he told, "Ryan tell them I'm sorry, but he killed her and I couldn't let him get away with that. Not when I..." he was fumbling with his words. "Kate finally has justice for her and her mom ".

Ryan grabbed Castle by the jacket and started yelling, "Hey stay with me man, don't you dare leave, not when she's…..".

He wasn't paying attention to Ryan, but just before the blackness took hold, he saw Kate in his memories. The day he met her, the day she told him of her mom, the day he saw her at the Heat Wave release, the day and the day she told him that she was a one-writer kind of girl. Castle held on for as long as he could but he finally was pulled asunder by the blackness.

Ryan saw his face glaze over and he had one of the biggest smiles you'd ever seen. He knew that Castle was thinking of her, he and the whole 12th had known that he'd loved Kate ,but she was the only one oblivious to it. He checked his breathing and then his pulse and found none. He exhaled heavily, while letting tears fall. Esposito arrived a moment later only to meet tears and a motionless Castle.

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Two Days Later

Jim, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito, Martha and Alexis were all in the room waiting for Kate to wake from her coma. Everybody but Jim and Alexis was talking quietly to one another. Jim had gotten to know the young Castle and found out more about the man who loved his daughter. The more he found out, the more he mourned for Castle, knowing that he gave his life for Kate.

It was near the end of visiting hours and everybody but Jim, Martha, Alexis and Lanie had left. They all wanted to be there when she woke, especially Alexis. Alexis felt that the only close connection to her father was through the Detective, and she also wanted to be there when they told her about him.

It was close to 9:30 pm when Kate stirred, they were all at their feet, Lanie was the first to call the doctor.

Kate opened her eyes only to be blinded by the bright lights, she slowly recognized that she was in a hospital. "Ugghh, oh man", she groaned.

"Hey Katie-girl, welcome back, you had us scared for a while there" he said with a smile.

"Where'd I go", she paused and looked around.

The doctor spoke up, "You have been in a coma for two days, but you're healing nicely so you'll be fine. I'll check with you later okay," with that he left the room.

"I was shot wasn't I, at Captain Montgomery's funeral". Everything came rushing back to her; she closed her eyes, trying to remember. The one thing that kept coming up was Castle hovering over her saying, "Kate… I love you. I love you, Kate".

She opened her eyes and nodded, "I remember everything". She looked around the room recognizing the faces but one was missing, Castle.

"Where's Castle," she asked with a smile, while looking at everyone. She lost the smile as soon as she saw Martha's solemn face and Alexis' puffy eyes. "Where is he," she asked louder, "somebody answer me now"!

Lanie grabbed her hand and , "I'm so sorry, but ….", she was interrupted by Kate soft sobbing.

Kate was softly repeating, "no, no, he can't be, he…".

Jim stepped in, "Honey, after you were shot, he thought you were dead. He in his anger took after the shooter. From what I heard from the boys, he tackled and fought him, but just as they were about to arrest him…." he paused. "The shooter got loose and grabbed his gun and shot him. Ryan told me that he said that his last words were, 'Kate finally has justice for her and her mom', and I'm so sorry Katie."

Kate sobbed harder, but Alexis stepped forward and asked everyone for a moment alone with Kate. Everybody vacated, but Alexis stopped Martha and got something from her.

When they were alone there was a silence for a moment, before Alexis broke it. "Kate, I wanted to tell you that my father deeply cared for you and his last act was for everyone he cared about, but mainly he did what he did for you. I just want you to know that, because of my father you are family, so Gram and I expect you to come around once in a while ok? For him, please."

"I promise I will, especially after what he told me."

"What did he say?"

"That he loved me," she started sobbing again after the memory passed.

"I know, I think I kind of already knew". Kate looked at the teen in shock of the confession.

"Hey, he was a changed man since the first day he met you. Any way before I leave I wanted to give you this." She held out a envelope with Kate's name written in his handwriting.

"What's this?"

"It's for you; it was with his will in his desk along with the manuscripts of the Nikki Heat Series, which are yours if you want them." She smiled sadly, and left the room.

Kate opened the letter:

Dear Kate,

If you are reading this then it's most likely in the event of my death. I don't know how I died but I hope it was at least saving you. Heh, I always wanted the hero's death, not that I wanted to die, but here we are. I don't know when you're reading this but I'm hoping that we were able to live and love each other, I don't even know if there is an us, but I loved you with all my heart. Even if you didn't love in return I would of still loved you even though. I dreamed of calling you my wife, and hopefully I got to. I'm sorry for all the pain and sadness I've caused you and if I could I would happily take it from you. Please take care of Alexis and Mother for me, and try to have some fun every once in a while even if you don't want to…, then do it for me. I'll make sure to tell your mother hello for you, I promise. It'll be good to meet her, since your dad once told me that you are a spitting image of her, so I have a feeling we'll get along just fine. I'll always be with you, watching over you forever, until we meet again Kate. So, live for me Kate, live a happy life. You deserve every happiness Kate and the story of forever with someone you love, even if it's not with me.

I will love you for eternity. Always.

Eternally Yours,

Richard Alexander Rodgers aka "Castle"

She had tears brimming in her eyes, as it hit her that he loved her and that he was her one, and that she was too damn blind to see it. She held the letter to her chest and thought of him, she also could of sworn that she felt a hand on hers, and coincidentally it felt like his, and she knew he was holding his promise of Always.

End

Don't Hate me please. If you liked please review, and go easy okay this is my second ever fanfiction.