Disclaimer 1: Not mine. If it was, the season would NOT have ended like THAT.
Disclaimer 2: I actually didn't mind the whole "ex-boyfriend is the husband" storyline despite it being somewhat implausible. (Though I did find Rogan O'Leary to be completely irritating and annoying. If I was Beckett/Castle I would've smacked him upside the head when he was tied up in that barn. Better yet, one from each on both sides.) But that ending? Yeah, sorry no that doesn't work for me. My humbled opinion? Episode should've been an hour and a half with the last third devoted to a happy wedding. But let's work with what we've got, shall we?
(In advance, please excuse any spelling errors or bad grammar. Language was never my best subject in school.)
For Better or Worse: Redux
Kate leapt out of the car practically before it came to a full stop; her sole focus was the fire ball she can see even from down the road. Her heart pounding with adrenaline and dread as she neared, praying that it was not Rick's car engulfed in the infernal; that the local PD had somehow made a mistake when they called. But her hopes were dashed and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she saw the familiar Mercedes in a crumpled heap.
Despite the turmoil and devastation that was threatening to overwhelm her entire existence, Beckett's detective instincts soon kicked in and she started observing "the crime scene." The car had scratches along the entire driver's side, meaning that it was not a single car accident. It was possible to be a collision of some sort but if that was the case, where was the other car? Another vehicle would not have been left unscathed and continued on after an accident that left Rick's car in such a state down a ditch. Could it be that Castle was deliberately run off the road?
And finally with a small measure of relief, Beckett realized that there is nobody in the car, which meant that there's a possibility he's still alive. But where was he? Given the state the car was in, he would've sustained injuries and couldn't have gotten far on his own and if he was targeted, would whomever it was that ran him off the road have finished the job?
Dread started to rise in Kate again as she looked around for any sort of clue. All she saw was open fields on one side and thick forest of trees on the other. Just then two more cars pulled up and out stepped Martha, Alexis, Lanie, her father and the boys, all looking horrifyingly at the burning car.
"Oh my god! NO! Dad?" Alexis screamed.
"Alexis, your father's not in there." Beckett reassured the teen as best she could give her own panic at the whole situation. Turning to Esposito and Ryan, Kate tried to be as matter of fact as she could "Guys, I think Castle was targeted. But there's no body so that's good. I don't see any blood or even signs of struggle either. He would've gotten hurt from the crash so I don't think he couldn't have gotten very far on his own."
"You think who ever did this wanted him alive and taken him somewhere?"
"I don't know, but that would certainly explain why he's not here and there's no other car. Ryan, coordinate with the local PD to set up roadblocks right away. Maybe we'll get lucky and they haven't gotten far."
"You got it."
"In the meantime, we should canvas the area. See if we can find something useful." Esposito chimed in, more than a little amazed that his friend can even function at all given what's happened.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Beckett took a deep breath and tried not to imagine the worst case scenario. Being with Castle for so long has undoubtedly rubbed off on her in terms of her vivid imagination. But now is not the time to let that rule her.
"Have faith Beckett, your man's got more lives than a cat. He'll find a way to get back to you. The guy's practically a magician; maybe he's already managed to escape somehow."
While the detectives were outlining their game plan, the other members of their group had wandered off into the nearby woods and field hoping against hope that Castle was somehow there.
"RICK!"
"DAD!"
"CASTLE!"
"RICHARD!"
Five minutes passed and everybody had just about given up any hope of a miracle that Castle was somehow there when a rustling sound directed their attention towards the trees again. Not quite believing their eyes the group stared, stunned as Castle limped out with an arm supported by none other than his father.
Castle looked like an extra from a horror movie. The other arm not being supported by the other man was hanging limply by his side. Probably separated shoulder or broken bones or both. Blood has dried and caked on his face from where it had flowed from a gash on his forehead that was likely to leave another scar. And the shuffle walk that he was doing meant an ankle injury of some sort. But all Kate saw was that he was alive.
Running towards him as fast as her heels and wedding dress would allow, Kate wrapped her arms around Castle if for no other reason than to assure herself that he was real and not a figment of her desperate imagination. Rick slowly moved his good arm away from his father and wrapped it around Kate loosely, returning her embrace.
"Oh my god, Castle! What happened?"
Falling down onto the ground to rest from the exertion that was simply walking, Castle said one word that sent a chill down Kate's spine, "Bracken."
Okay, Castle's version of events and his father's role coming up next.
And rest assure there will be a wedding one way or another. I'm no AWM. :p