Genre: Crime, Drama, Action, Romance, Humor and Family

Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Just in case, this Prologue is pretty short, but that's the only way I find I can write them when they're this kind of opening to the story. So quick apology in advance for how brief this is! But, chapter 1 will be posted a little bit sooner than I normally would post chapters since I don't want to make you readers wait with having read so little to start out with, so look out for it in a day or two if you want to keep reading this story!

A/N #2: The title of this story is a lyric from the song Jet by Paul McCartney, from his album Band on the Run. The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Long Leather Coat, also by Paul McCartney, from his album Off the Ground: The Complete Works.

Now I Am Alone

Sliding on the icy pavement, the young woman looked behind her and saw that for the moment she was free. Turning, she started to run and instantly felt a thousand pricks of ice on her left foot. She whirled back around to get her high heel, toppled on its side on the black ground. But before she could grab it, she heard footsteps behind her, and took off at a run, screaming for help.

What she had thought would be a narrow street to a larger one where she could finally find someone to help her, the woman nearly ran into a brick wall that was almost gone in the darkness of the alley. She screamed louder, looking for a fire escape that she could maybe use. But the buildings were smooth on both sides, only the windows marring each floor. She cursed her luck at being caught in between what looked to be two office buildings; all the windows were dark. She looked ahead of her, and saw her attacker walking, almost leisurely to her.

"Please," she sobbed as she slid down to the ground, not even feeling the cold then as she knew her life was in their hands. "Please, I have children, don't hurt me. I don't even know who you are, I won't say a word!"

There was no reply from the attacker, and she tried to press herself harder against the brick wall behind her, begging as hard as she could, trying to get some kind of sympathy. But her attacker's shadow engulfed her as they closed the gap between them and finally were towering above her, a shadow in nothing but black that she had been unable to identify as she had been chased down like she was little more than an animal. And she knew when they began to reach down that she was out of time, and keeping a mental image of her husband and two sons in front of her as hands reached out to her throat, she tried to fight back though she knew her attacker was in complete control.

Tossing aside the weapon as it was useless since it had fulfilled its purpose; the attacker reached into a pocket and pulled out the piece of paper prepared in advance. Everything had been prepared in advance; though they'd had to herd her to the alley as she'd nearly escaped; but it had been easy, it was as if she had been little more than cattle. She was useless; the beginning domino in a chain the attacker was using to finish what should have been done many years before.

Unfolding the paper, the attacker set it down on the woman's chest, seeing for a moment the tracks of tears reflecting the little light in the alley; tears that had fallen down her face as she'd begged uselessly for her life. A smile spread across the attacker's face though it was covered by a mask, as their gloved hand picked up her limp wrist, resting it gently on the piece of paper to keep it in place. Moving it almost as if they were her lover in a tender moment.

Stepping back from the scene, the attacker nodded, and backed away a little more, before turning sharply and striding out of the alley, shoes ricocheting as they met the icy ground. Everything was ready.

The woman lay on her back, her head against the brick wall, staring sightlessly at the sky above her which slowly began to slide into dawn. The paper on her chest had only two words written on them, the black ink sharp against the bleach white paper and the paleness of her stiffening skin.

Two words in black with the blood of the woman dripping into the white. Red, black and white. Two words; a threat; a name.