A/N: Because there aren't enough post-finale fics, and I totally have nothing better to do. Finals next week? What are you talking about? Anyways, this is not in any way unique (it's a post-finale fic, duh) but I don't think anyone's done the dream thing yet, haha. That's next chapter though. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy it and it helps you get through the summer. Because I'm basically living off of fanfiction, interviews, and reruns right now, haha.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Castle.

She heard the shot and a millisecond later felt the bullet pierce her skin. The next second someone larger than her hit her and pushed her to the ground. In the confusion she didn't know whether it was a friend or foe. Either way, it didn't matter; her body was already going into shock.

Her hand was red with blood as she touched it to her uniform—or was that her vision? There had been no hurt initially, just a prick and shock, but when she hit the ground the jarring sent searing pain through her chest. She tried to gasp but couldn't, couldn't speak or cry out, just try to keep breathing. She could hear screaming and uproar, heard people yelling her name, but the sound was wrong, like she was underwater. For one moment of delirium she was ten years old again, at the pool with her dad during the summer. After all, everything was blue, wasn't it? But it was too blue. And red tinged the edges of her line of sight. What was wrong? Where was her father? Would he let her fall, sink? Why were people screaming in terror?

Someone hovered over her, so close—who was it? "Don't leave me," a voice pleaded, quiet though people screamed all around them. "Stay with me."

I'm not leaving, she wanted to reply, but who was she talking to and why couldn't she speak? I want to stay with you. Can you make the pain go away? Can you save me from sinking?

Everything else was beginning to die away in her ears, but she heard the voice again, repeating one thing. "I love you, Kate, I love you." So familiar. To whom did the voice belong? Images flashed before her blind eyes of every person she'd ever loved. Just that voice...she wanted to see him, to kiss him, but she couldn't see, couldn't move.

For just a moment her vision cleared and she saw him, watching her in terror, Castle. She comprehended for that moment what he had said and what he had meant and she smiled weakly, before her eyes rolled up in her head and he cradled her body gently, unable to cry.

"Kate! Katie!"

Another person broke through the police trying to keep the crowd down out of the line of any further fire and threw himself onto the ground on Kate's other side.

"Katie, oh God, Kate," he gasped, as though all the breath had left him and all the oxygen had left the world. "You can't leave me, Katie, you're all I've got."

"Help! Someone, help!" Castle yelled. "Doctor, please!" He knew he was at a funeral, in a cemetery, someone here must be a doctor, be able to save her, right? He turned quickly, scanning the chaos behind him. He caught Lanie's eye. Esposito held her down but she struggled to get to them. She pulled against him harder.

"Javier! Javier, let me go!" She broke away and crawled to them. She checked first for a pulse, then for the entry wound. "Sweetie, sweetie, hold on," she told the unconscious detective. "I need some sort of fabric."

"My jacket?" Castle asked quickly.

"It's too stiff, give me your shirt."

Without a question he yanked his pressed shirt off and handed it to her. She pressed it to the wound, blood immediately soaking it through. Had it been any other circumstances he probably would've complained, but he had any number of other shirts. He could get a new one. He only had one of her. She was irreplaceable.

"Oh my God, she's losing too much blood," he choked. His muse, his Kate, was falling apart in front of him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was just a writer, and he couldn't help her.

"It's not as much as it looks," she snapped, but she still looked worried. "We need to get her to a hospital. I'm no surgeon. If she doesn't get help she'll-"

"Please don't say it," Castle pleaded. He pulled off Kate's bloody glove and held onto her hand, rubbing warmth back into her faintly cold skin. Jim sat opposite him, cradling her head. He looked up at Castle and they met each other's eyes.

"You promised to protect her."

"I'm sorry," Castle muttered. "I'm sorry. I should've—the gun, I saw the glinting-"

"Thank you."

Castle started. "What?"

"Katie told me you carried her out of that hangar. If it weren't for you she would've died there with Captain Montgomery. This right now was no one's fault except the shooter."

Castle's blood ran cold. "The shooter. He's going to get away!"

"No, man, we got him. He tried to run out... There are about fifty service men here. We got him in the leg, he's not going anywhere." Esposito knelt down beside him.

"No, that's not good enough!" Castle snarled. He felt fire in his chest and mind. He wanted to rip that man apart limb by limb. He wanted to put a bullet in his chest. He wanted him to feel the panic and terror he'd seen in his partner's eyes. "That's not enough, he should die-"

He was about to get up, already on his knees, ready to get justice, but Ryan held him down. "No, Castle, she needs you here."

They heard sirens approaching and paramedics swarmed around them. Lanie and the boys backed away but Castle kept hold of her hand, and Jim remained at her head.

"You two related to her?" one of the guys asked.

"I'm her father," Jim said.

"I'm her...I'm her, um, partner," Castle mumbled.

"Work partner?" the guy asked. "You're not married?"

For one crazy moment Castle wanted to laugh. One of the other guys, fixing an oxygen mask over her mouth, glanced up at Castle and said, "No, he's the writer dude. He's that mystery writer. Richard Castle. So that makes her the muse."

"Thanks for that, Dave," the first guy snorted. Castle knew that these guys' confidence meant they were probably experienced and knew what they were doing, but it infuriated him, their calm and indifference. Reasonably, he knew that it wasn't indifference, merely objectivity, which most doctors were expert at, but the reasonable part of his mind was outweighed at the moment.

Castle was forced to let go of her hand as they lifted her onto the stretcher, but he flitted around the doctors (much to their annoyance) as they moved her. They'd cleared Jim to ride in the ambulance, but Castle had to drive himself. When they reached the vehicle the guys stopped him, but he kept watching her. Hooked up to all those wires she looked so small and weak, no color in her skin and her fingers limp. She looked so-

"She's going to make it, right?" Castle asked, craning his neck to keep sight of her as they got ready to shut the doors. "She's not going to-"

He couldn't bring himself to say it, couldn't hardly think it without wanting to puke.

"She's strong, but she was hit extremely close to the heart. Any closer and she'd already be dead, so I guess be thankful for that. I can't say anything, not yet, but we have the best cardiac surgeon in the area." He shut the doors and got in on the passenger side, and Castle stood in a cemetery parking lot watching the flashing lights disappear. Once the sirens had finally faded he turned to find his mother and daughter waiting at his car. Without a word, they got into the car, and he nodded to Ryan and Esposito, who were already pulling out to follow the ambulance back to the hospital.

A/N: This is sort of the prologue, so stay tuned for the next chapters. I'm probably an idiot for posting this before I finish the whole story, but I'll try. My Castle deprivation, aka CMW or Castle Monday Withdrawal can probably keep me going. Don't forget to let me know what you thought! 3