Author's Note: I've been really busy with work lately, so I have to admit I didn't spend a lot of time writing this story. I just thought I should do something nice to celebrate getting through the summer hiatus. Here's a short story in anticipation for the less than 24 hours to Castle Season 5 Premiere. Hope you enjoy it!

Detective Kate Beckett pressed herself against the wall, tucking in her legs so that no part of her body was exposed to whoever might be waiting behind the concrete. She didn't want to be an easy target. She held her gun close to her body, the barrel pointed upwards, as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Beside her, Beckett could hear the steady breathing of fellow detectives Ryan and Esposito.

The three of them were in a warehouse filled with broken slabs of concrete and metal supports. It was nothing that would be difficult to navigate through normally, but in the pitch black darkness, the building's unusual configuration could prove to be dangerous obstacles. As far as anyone could tell, there was no way to turn on the lights. The detectives would have to work through this situation in its present conditions – however perilous they might be.

Even if the detectives managed to find a light switch, none of them would dare turn it on. The sudden burst of light would be noticed by anyone in the warehouse and alert them of the detectives' whereabouts. The detectives were not about to make a mistake like that – especially when they knew they were not alone.

"What do we know about them?" Beckett asked her teammates. She kept her voice low, on the off-chance that the enemies were much closer to them than they had expected.

"Usual, no-good crooks," Esposito said.

"Hucksters and charlatans," Ryan interjected. "One of them can read minds and anticipate your every move."

Beckett smirked. Mind tricks and sleight of hand. It sounded like something Castle would enjoy if he was here. Unfortunately, the writer had other things to do and – for the first time in what seemed like years – actually left this kind of work to the professionals.

Esposito spoke up, bringing Beckett back to the present. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to focus on the situation.

"The good news is: it looks like there are only two – maybe three – of them here," Esposito said, glancing over the side of the concrete slab they were hiding behind. "It's nothing we can't take."

Beckett nodded. "All right. Ryan, you take the left flank. Esposito, you take the right. Castle and–"

She paused. Right. Castle wasn't here. It was strange: even now, she would sometimes get annoyed by Castle's childish behavior and his tendency to pop up out of nowhere with one of his ridiculous theories – yet the one time he wasn't around, Beckett found that she really missed him.

Beckett shook her head. She wasn't going to let a few feelings break her focus right when she needed it the most.

"Ryan, take the left," she repeated, making sure she didn't slip up this time. "Esposito take the right. I'll make my way around and get them from behind."

Detective Beckett edged her way around the room, keeping her gun locked and loaded in case anyone managed to sneak up on her. It was still pitch black in the warehouse, yet Beckett's eyes had adjusted enough that she could make out the walls of concrete around her. It was getting easier to avoid the obstacles in her path.

It was quiet, so quiet that Beckett could hear the sound of her heart pounding her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to quell the sound. It seemed to work: silence fell across the room. Then there was the slightest sound of movement – like a small breeze rushing past. Yet Beckett knew better than to assume that it was merely the wind. She turned towards the sound, her gun aimed towards the darkness. The shadowy figure of a man stepped towards Beckett.

"NYPD," Beckett said, her gun aimed at the man's chest. "Identify yourself."

A familiar voice responded back. "Beckett, it's me."

Beckett blinked, but she refused to lower her weapon. "Castle?"

"You're pointing a gun," Beckett hissed, "aren't you?"

"So are you," Castle responded.

Beckett took a deep breath. Seeing Castle on the other side pointing a gun had knocked the wind out of her. She bit her lip, not even sure of what to say.

"I can't believe you're part of this," she finally said.

"It's not what you think," Castle tried to explain. "These people – I didn't want to do this, but I owed them. I couldn't get out of it. You have to understand: I didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," Beckett snapped back.

Beckett could feel her emotions getting the best of her. She raised her voice. She knew there were others in the building, but she didn't care if anyone heard her. As far as she was concerned, the only person she cared about was the one standing across the room.

"You could have walked away. You could have said no – but you didn't." She sighed. "You were my partner. I thought I could trust you, Castle, but apparently, I was wrong. I should have known you'd hurt me in the end."

"No," Castle murmured to himself. He bent down. Metal touched the cold floor with a clang. Castle stood up to face Beckett, his hands raised in the air. "You should know that I could never do that to you."

Beckett breathed a sigh of relief, the weight lifting from her chest. She took a step forward, circling her way towards the writer. She kept her gun fixed on Castle's chest, unwilling to let down her guard. He did not move. Even as she made his way behind him, the writer kept his gaze forward. It was as though he had expected what would come next.

"Richard Castle," Beckett began, but her words were cut off by a shrill voice hidden in the shadows.

"What are you doing?" it screamed. "You had her – you could have taken her!"

"We should have known we couldn't trust you," another voice shouted out – this time from the other side of the room. The two were both female, but this second voice seemed much younger than the first.

Beckett swiveled back and forth, her gun pointed upward. She listened carefully for the voices but could not find their owners. Whoever it was must have been waiting in the rafters, hiding among the shadows. Beckett frowned. It would be too difficult to shoot from down here.

A clang echoed through the room as metal touched the cold ground. Beckett turned away from the rafters and looked back towards the sound. Castle was bent over, reaching for something on the ground. Beckett's eyes widened. She raised her gun, following Castle as he stood up.

"You're holding the gun again," Beckett said.

"So are you," Castle retorted.

"For my protection–"

"And this one is for mine," Castle said. "Beckett, please – no matter what happens, no matter what bad choices I've made, you should know I'll always be on your side."

He took a step towards her. All of Beckett's training reminded her to keep her distance. She had to stay in control of the situation as best as she could. Letting Castle get to her certainly wouldn't help her – yet Beckett found herself dropping her guard. She and Castle had been partners for years. He had trusted her with his life, and she had trusted him with hers. No matter how much the evidence pointed towards Castle's involvement in this, Beckett couldn't believe that he'd ever betray her.

She let him approach.

"Thank you," Castle murmured. "Don't worry: I have your back."

Beckett took a deep breath. "You better."

"Tell me what's going on," Beckett said. "How did you get involved in all this?"

"It's a long story," Castle said, covering Beckett's blind side. "One we don't have time for right now."

Beckett frowned, but she understood what Castle meant. The two of them were still in the warehouse, and those two women – whoever they were – must still be hiding somewhere, ready to attack. Beckett and Castle circled around, guns pointed towards the rafters. They couldn't let anything distract them - not even a story.

Yet Beckett still wanted to know. One of the most important parts of being an investigator was to have all the facts, and in a high-stress situation, knowing your enemy could be the difference between getting a shot or being shot.

"Those two women," Beckett said, "are they the only ones?"

Castle nodded. "They're the only ones we have to worry about. As far as I know, there's no one else in this warehouse – and I doubt anyone else will show up."

"What can you tell me about them?"

Castle inhaled sharply but said nothing. He seemed to be contemplating his words, trying to figure out how much he could reveal. A part of Beckett wanted to yell at him. This was important, and he knew it. If Castle was going to be on Beckett's team, he couldn't keep any secrets from her.

Yet another part of her thought of the secrets they had once kept from each other. They were not good secrets to keep – they had nearly destroyed their relationship – yet both of them had their reasons. If Castle was keeping secrets from her now, he must have had his reasons. Beckett would just have to trust him.

Beckett sighed. "Look, if you can't tell me who they are, can you at least tell me where in the building they might be? Esposito and Ryan are in–"

"Stop talking," Castle said.

Beckett frowned. "Excuse me?"

"One of them can read minds," Castle explained.

Beckett raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she repeated.

Castle sighed. "Look, I know you don't believe in that kind of stuff, but just take my word on it that somehow, some way, these people can get into your head and know exactly what you're thinking. So if you want to beat them, you're going to have to stop thinking."

"No wonder you did so well with them."

Castle frowned.

"Oh, come on," Beckett said. "That has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Mind-reading criminals? Since when did we drop into an episode of Heroes?"

"Hey, that was a good show," Castle retorted. "And I thought you liked Hana. Didn't you say she was bad-ass?"

"That's not the point, Castle," Beckett said. "Now focus. This isn't exactly the time to get distracted by TV shows."

"No, this is exactly the time to get distracted. If we're thinking about something unrelated to all this, there's no way they'll get into our heads. They won't be able to figure out our plans."

"Yeah, but neither will we," Beckett retorted. She let out a small groan, both frustrated and amused by the writer's nonsensical ideas. "Come on, Castle: are you here to help me or just drag me down?"

Castle turned towards the detective and flashed a smile. Beckett couldn't help but return the favor. Even when they first started working together, Castle's smile had a way of getting inside her. Beckett would glare and pretend to be annoyed, deep down, she knew from day one that Castle was very important to her.

"Of course I'm here to drag you down," Castle joked. He leaned in and gave Beckett a quick kiss. "Try as you might, Detective, you're never going to get rid of me. I love you too much to leave you alone."

Even in the dark, Beckett could feel her cheeks burn bright red. She still had not said those three words to him – she hadn't found the right time or place – but he knew. He understood why it was so hard for her to say it, even though he had said it so many times before. She wanted it to be perfect – and perfect hadn't come yet. Castle knew, and he was willing to wait. However long it took her, Castle would always be there. That was why Beckett trusted him. No matter what would happen, she knew her partner would always be there.

"Well," the older woman's voice interrupted Beckett's thoughts, "isn't that sweet?"

Beckett turned towards the voice, her gun searching for its target. The woman seemed to be standing directly in front of Beckett – and very close. Beckett silently cursed herself. While she and Castle had been distracted, the woman must have snuck on them. Now the perpetrators – whoever they were – had the upper hand. Beckett could barely make out the woman's silhouette amidst the many shadows – and she had no clue where the younger one had disappeared to.

"Foolish Richard," the woman spoke, as Beckett strained to find her in the dark. "You should have known better than to betray us like that."

"You should have known better than to trust me," Richard retorted. He took a step towards the woman, his arm reaching behind to guard Beckett. "Betraying you is nothing compared to betraying my partner. Your threats mean nothing: whatever you do to me, I will always be on Detective Beckett's side."

Beckett smiled. Castle was being a bit overdramatic – it wasn't like Beckett couldn't protect herself. She did have a gun, after all – but it was kind of sweet.

"How valiant of you," the older woman said.

"But what if something were to happen to Detective Beckett?" the younger voice sang out from behind.

Beckett glanced over her shoulder. The silver reflection of a gun barrel locked itself onto her, but she couldn't let herself get startled. Even if there was a weapon pointed at her back, there was still the one aimed at her chest.

Castle, however, did not manage to keep his cool. He whipped around to face the second woman, brandishing his gun like a sword. It was a wonder he didn't accidentally pull the trigger.

"Calm down, Castle," Beckett hissed. "We can handle this."

Castle didn't seem to hear a word she had said. His entire body was shaking. Beckett could nearly feel the anxiety radiating off him.

"Don't you dare," Castle spat out, his voice seething with rage. "I know I said I would help you, but this has gone too far."

"You knew exactly what you were getting into," the younger woman replied. "We warned you what would happen if you brought the police."

"Now it's time to pay the price," the older woman said. She called out to the younger one. "Finish them off."

Beckett held her gun steady. She forced herself to look forward, keeping her focus on finding the older woman in the dark. If Castle could handle the other woman, Beckett could take out the older one – and the two of them would be fine. She hoped. Beckett held her ground, bracing herself for the worst.

A shot rang out behind her. Still, Beckett refused to look back. Focus on the target, she thought to herself. Castle would have to have her back.

"No!" Castle yelled out.

Beckett gasped as Castle rammed into her, knocking the gun out of her hands. He wrapped his arms around Beckett, shielding her as the two of them fell to the ground. They hit the cold ground with a thud, Castle still holding Beckett tight.

"What are you–" Beckett began before another round of shots cut her off.

A moment passed in silence. Beckett found herself holding her breath. She waited for the shots to sear through her body, now that she and Castle were fully exposed on the warehouse floor – yet they never came.

"Are they gone?" Beckett whispered – half to Castle, half to herself.

Castle didn't respond.

"Castle," Beckett murmured, "I don't know what happened, but I think it's over."

Footsteps pattered across the floor. Voices called out – faintly at first but growing with strength. Beckett inhaled sharply, her eyes searching the floor for her gun. If the women had changed their minds about taking Castle and her out, Beckett was not going down without a fight.

"Beckett!" the voice called out. "Beckett, are you in here?"

Beckett breathed out a sigh of relief. Those voices weren't the enemies at all. Esposito and Ryan had found them. It would be okay.

"Castle," she said. "You can get off me now – it's over."

The writer let out a small groan.

"Castle?" Beckett said, slipping out from underneath him. She raised herself to a sitting position and turned back towards Castle. The writer didn't move.

"They got me," Castle said, his face contorted into a cringe.

Beckett's eyes widened with shock. She rushed to Castle's side and cradled his body in her arms. Castle whimpered, his eyes struggling to open.

"Kate," he murmured, his voice growing faint, "I'm done."

"No," Beckett said. "No, you're not. Castle, you're fine. You're going to be fine."

She repeated the words over and over, as though her chanting might somehow make them true. Castle's breathing labored. He turned towards Beckett, forcing himself to smile. "I'm sorry."

Beckett inhaled sharply. "Don't say that," she murmured, running her fingers through his hair. "Just hang on, Castle. Stay with me."

She opened her mouth. She needed to say those three little words that she had never managed to before. If this was it – if there would be no other perfect moment – then Beckett knew she had to get them out.

Yet they never did. Beckett turned towards Castle, her whole body shaking. Why couldn't she say them? Why was it so hard to just let them out?

"I'm sorry," Beckett murmured. "I– I–"

"It's okay," Castle said, his hand reaching out to take hers. "I know."