A/N: So this popped into my head, and it just wouldn't go away so I started typing. I am contemplating writing a follow up chapter or two, located at the hospital and maybe even further than that. Please let me know if you would like that. This is a tag to For Better or Worse, what I think happened off camera that last few minutes. This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

… Or Worse

Kate was getting worried, her gut working overtime; he said he was only twenty minutes away, that was over an hour ago. If he ran into trouble he would have called. She can't stand it anymore; she picks up her phone and dials his number and hears his voice: "This is Richard Castle, leave me a message."

"Straight to voicemail", she tells the now anxious women in the room with her. Her phone starts vibrating in her hand and for just a moment she is sure it's him calling to tell her he got a flat and he'll be there in just a while, but the caller id states that the incoming call is from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I am calling for Kate Beckett", the voice on the phone states.

"Yes, this is she", Kate answers with her gut clenching tightly.

"Miss Beckett this is Sheriff Dunham of the Hampton PD. May I ask, do you know a Mr Castle?"

"Yes, I do. I am his fiancée."

"I am afraid there was an accident, we found Mr Castle's phone outside the vehicle, and the call log indicates that you were the last call he made, that is why I am calling you now." Kate feels the world tumbling around her – if Rick was OK he would have called her himself. She snaps her attention back to the voice on the phone: "Miss Beckett, are you still there?"

"Yes, yes I am here. Where is he? Is he alright? Can I talk to him?"

"I think it is best if I come to you, where are you at this moment?"

Oh no, this is bad, very bad. Why doesn't he say anything reassuring, or just come out and say what he has to say? Kate looks up and sees the worried faces of Alexis, Martha and Lanie looking at her. She pulls herself together, takes a deep breath and tells the Sheriff: "I think it is better to come to you, where are you?"

"I don't think that is a good idea…" she can hear it in his voice, it's bad, really bad.

"Where are you? I'm coming there", she is sure that if she can just be there everything will be OK. She needs to be there right now.

She can hear the resignation in the sheriff's voice when he speaks again: "About five miles out of the Hamptons on the New York-Hamptons road, but I really don't think you should be here."

Kate hangs up before he can get another word out. She looks at the women in the room with her and calmly says "Rick was in an accident, I am going there right now. You stay here; I will call as soon as I know anything." She turns on her heel and heads out the door before she can register the shock on their faces, if she sees it now she will lose control. And that she can't let that happen, she is the strong one and that is how it is going to stay.

Kate hears Martha's soft exclamation of "Oh my Lord" before the door closes behind her, followed by a louder "Katherine!" in an attempt to call her back. She chooses to ignore it; although she knows that it must be just a big a shock, if not bigger, to Rick's mother and daughter to hear such news as it is to her.

Kate lifts up her wedding dress' hem as she runs down the stairs to get to the car. When she reaches the bottom of the staircase she almost runs into Javier, who is seemingly looking for her. "Hi, Beckett. I was just coming to look for you. What is the hold up? Have you heard from Castle?"

"He's been in an accident. I am going to him now", is all she gets out before attempting to push past Esposito.

The impact of her words shows on his face for just a moment before he acts, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "I am coming with you; you can't drive dressed like that." She wants to tell him no, but realises that he is right – it is going to be near impossible to drive dressed in her wedding gown. So she simply nods her consent as she turns back around and starts moving again, hearing him following her out the door.

She knows she won't fit – dress and all – in the front seat of the Rolls, so she opens the back door and gets in, hearing, rather than seeing, Javier getting in the driver seat. He starts the car and asks her where they are headed. She tells him where to go and then just sits in the backseat, waiting for them to reach their destination. Only once they hit the open road does she realise that they are in the wedding getaway car, it was parked at the end of the driveway so that they could simply get in and go after the reception. Now it is just her, not knowing if there will ever be a wedding.

There is only one word going through Kate's mind as they speed along "Please, please, please…" She hears Javier taking in a sharp breath and cursing softy, and as she leans forward to look out the front window she sees a plume of black smoke curling into the air near the road in front of them. She tells herself that is not where they are headed, just a bushfire nothing more, but as they go around a bend she sees a multitude of police cars, fire engines and an ambulance standing in the road, lights flashing steadily warning of impending doom. And her heart sinks.

Kate is out of the car even as Javier is slowing it to a stop. Once again gathering her dress about her, ignoring the calls of "Hey, lady stop! You can't go there!" as she runs to the edge of the embankment, from where she can see the smoke emanating. She can't believe her eyes, even as she feels the heat coming off the burning Mercedes – his Mercedes – and the smoke clogging the air.

Her brain, no her heart, is screaming out Rick Castle's name: CASTLE! She wants to run down the embankment, wants to go and get him – save him. Her body is not listening to her: no sound comes from her mouth, her feet are not moving, and her breath is stuck in her throat. She can feel the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. No, no, no, this can't be! Suddenly her knees starts to buckle and she feels herself crumbling to the ground, helpless in that moment to stop it from happening.

Kate feels a pair of strong arms keeping her from totally collapsing to the ground, and for just a fraction of a second she thinks it is Castle keeping her upright. Then she hears Javier's voice in her ear: "Beckett, you alright?" and she knows it's just Esposito who finally caught up to her, just in time to catch her and lower her gently into a sitting position.

The world around her comes slowly into focus as Javier snaps his fingers in front of her face, a worried look on his own. "You with me Beckett?" When he sees that she is finally focusing on him he hands her a bottle of water with the command "Drink". She shakily takes the bottle from him and automatically takes a sip. Now she sees the man dressed as a sheriff standing right behind Javier and she attempts to get up, she has to talk to him. Needs to know, even when her brain says maybe she doesn't want to.

"Miss Beckett?" the sheriff asks as he crouches in front of her. She simply nods, her voice still not taking orders from her brain. "Miss Beckett, we found Mr Castle a few yards away from the car when we got here. He was unconscious at the time, but he is on his way to the hospital right now."

Thanks for reading :)