(Castle's POV)
Here I was on my back in a pool of blood with the most beautiful woman in the world looking down at me in fear. Three small holes in my chest were bleeding non-stop all three holes caused by bullets. I have written many death scenes, but I never thought I could write my own. It was going just the way I wanted it; with Kate Beckett by my side.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
"So you're saying that the murder we're currently investigating should have started in the victim's best friend's house."
Kate nodded her head, "No it's just a hypothesis, Castle. Nothing is definate until there's proof."
"Ah, yes. Proof. Forgot about that." I replied and smiled as she rolled her eyes. I followed her to the front door and she knocked on the door. A man, in his thirties, answered the door. "Carl Bradsworth, mind if we ask you a few questions?"
Carl stepped aside, "Sure. Come on in. Do you want something to drink?"
"No, we're fine." I replied and walked around looking at the paintings that were hanging on the walls. I could hear Beckett asking the normal questions.
"Where were you the night of Danny Foss's death?" Beckett asked.
The man looked stunned, then sick. "Danny's dead? Oh my god... He was my best friend back in college. He said he moved to Washington state for business, when did he come back to New York?"
"About a week ago. Carl, I'm sorry about your friend's death, but he was killed just a few blocks from here. So, I must ask you again, where were you the night of Danny Foss's death?" Kate said, I knew she hated to question people like this after what happened to her mother. However, we needed details; proof.
I looked at another painting and saw it was a new painting, but it was an a thin sheet of paper. The end of it was folded upward and on that little fold I saw the letters H-I-M-O-T-A-G-E. What in the world is a himotage? I took down the painting and turned it so I could see the letters more clearly. What I saw stunned me for a moment and I looked at Carl, "Hey. Can I use your bathroom? I have bladder problems."
Carl looked nervous, "Yeah. Go straight through the hallway and make a right, third door down."
"Room with the toilet. Got ya." I started walking toward my supposed destination. When I entered the bathroom, I closed the door and stood quietly, listening for any movement. The letters on the paper said 'Help, I'm a hostage'. Now I wondered how I could warn Kate, then it dawned on me. I ran a hand through my hair and I hoped I could pull this off. I found a cup on the sink and got some toilet water in the small container since it was too risky to use the sink. I slowly poured the water back into the toilet, the noise it made actually sounded like somebody using the bathroom. I flushed the toilet and threw the cup away, then I walked to the sink to wash my hands. As I had expected the handles made a lot of noise when I turned the knob. I didn't know if the kidnapper was outside the door or in the room next to the bathroom, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Castle, the ambulance is on it's way. Just hang in there for a bit longer. Esposito, Ryan, and Lani are on their way to the hospital to meet us there." Kate said as she put pressure on the bullet wounds. I don't even know when she put her hands on my chest, but I didn't care. Her voice was soothing and sweet; loving. I laid my hand on one of hers and smiled at her.
Thump thump, thump, thump thump, thump
I walked back to the living room and sat down beside of Beckett. There was a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand and she tried to write what Carl was telling her about his alibi. I took the paper away from her and she looked up at me with shock gleaming in her eyes. "I write a lot faster than you do." I looked over at Carl, "Continue." He continued to tell me where he was the night of the victim's death, but I wasn't writing that. Once I was done writing, I gently touched my leg to Beckett's trying to get her attention. It worked and she looked at me. I tapped my finger to the paper and she looked at it, reading it a few times before believing it.
Once Carl was finished talking, Beckett stood up. "That's all we needed to know, Carl. Thank you for your time." We went around the corner to go to the front door, but a man was blocking it. In his hand was a pistol equiped with a silencer pointed straight at Beckett. I had figured the kidnapper would just let us go without an incident and we could call back-up once we got off the property. I saw the man's finger tighten on the trigger and Beckett reached for her gun, but it was too late. Three shots were fired just after I pulled Beckett behind me. I felt three bullets enter my chest and I heard the deafening sound of Beckett's gun firing. The man had fell dead the same time I fell to the floor. I always thought that gunshot victims would feel the pain, but I knew now that depended on one thing; if it hit a vital point. I felt no pain, so I figured the bullet embedded into a vital organ or vein. I saw Kate get on her knees next to me and she told Carl to call an ambulance. Then she pulled her own cell phone out and called somebody. Probably Esposito, Ryan, and Lani.
I was growing weaker by the moment. I could feel the life drain out of me with every heartbeat, but I didn't care. Here I was, dying, with Beckett, the woman of my dreams, by my side. Her eyes were watering when I grabbed her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back and a tear fell, dripping onto my bloody chest. "Kate." I whispered. "I need to tell you something-"
She cut me off, "I got to tell you something too."
"You want to say it at the same time?" I asked.
"Yeah." She whispered.
Thump... thump... thump... thump... thump...
We both said, "I love you."
I smiled and she smiled back before kissing me on the lips.
Thump... thu-... thu-... th-... th-... th-... th-...
I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of her lips on mine.
Th-... th-... th-... th-... th-... th...
The last thing I felt was Kate Beckett's lips and her falling tears dripping onto my cheek.
One Year and a Half Later
(Beckett's POV)
I was talking to Esposito and Ryan about Ryan and Jenny's wedding, when they looked behind me and smiled. "Guess who." Esposito said and grinned at me.
I turned around and watched the man walk toward me, smiling as he walked up to us, "Hey guys. Kate, you ready to go?"
"Whenever you are, but I'm starved." I said.
The man smiled at me, "Chinese?"
"You read my mind." I said and he put his arm through mine. We said goodbye to Esposito and Ryan and started walking away.
Ryan said from behind us, "You two behave yourselves!"
I laughed with the man beside me trying to hide a grin. We walked onto the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. I still held on to the man's hand. I looked into his eyes and he smiled as he looked into mine. I put my head against his chest, hearing the heartbeat I once thought I would never hear again. The elevator opened and me and my soulmate, Richard Castle, walked out of the building.