Author's Note: Spoilers for 4.7 Cops and Robbers. I haven't read any of the other post-Cops and Robbers fics yet, but I'm sure I wasn't the only one (besides Rick and Kate, of course) that wished Martha had been gagged at some point during the hostage situation. Her interruption was maddening! That whole scene was great, though; the actors did such a wonderful job with their facial expressions in this one that I couldn't resist scripting their thoughts. One-shot.
Disclaimer: Castle and its characters do not belong to me and I make no money from them. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just enjoying some time with a few of my favorite characters. The story is mine, however, except where I'm directly quoting the episodes.
The Only Ones Here
NO! As the command post swayed from the massive force of the bank lobby exploding, Kate was as near to panicking as she'd been in a long time. Her phone conversation with Ryan and Esposito halted and she pushed open the van door. Ash and debris was everywhere; it was on the ground, swirling in the air and all over the SWAT team. The air was unnaturally silent and she wasn't certain whether to attribute it to temporary damage to her hearing or a collective case of stunned shock. It reminded Kate of 9/11 after the towers collapsed, but just as soon as the comparison entered her mind, she pushed the unsettling thoughts aside, most of all the consideration of casualties. Everything had seemed to move in slow motion up until that point, including her brain, and then suddenly everything shifted into overdrive.
This can't be happening! I just promised Alexis that her dad and grandma would be fine.
She was going in—it didn't matter if someone else had point, but she was going into that bank and bring him out alive. She had to. That's all. She had to.
"Castle!" Her voice sounded off, hoarse in her own ears.
"Castle!" Answer me! You have to be all right. You've defeated bombs before; I've watched you do it! Now answer me!
"Castle!" It was the third time she shouted his name into the eerie silence that he finally responded.
"Beckett!" She had dreaded the absence of that voice, knowing that its loss would mean so many things missing from her life; hearing it now was pure music.
Their eyes locked through the bars of the vault. She felt a wonderful sense of relief as she watched the right side of his mouth twitch up and his hand raise in a small wave. For a few terrifying minutes, she had feared she would never see that lopsided, boyish grin animate his features. After shouting to the other officers the location of the hostages, her only thought was to get to Rick.
Kneeling down in front of him, she took a moment to make sure he was unharmed. His smile answered hers. Releasing his hands from the plastic tie, she touched his chest lightly as if to assure herself that he was right there in front of her, unchanged and very much alive. Suddenly realizing the intimacy of the gesture, she moved to finger his collar, unable to completely cease contact.
She could see the moment when his expression changed and was sure that she was giving away how she felt in her own face. It didn't matter anymore, though. He was safe, he was here, and she would not object if he decided that the occasion warranted a kiss—she thought it did. The same smile that she had worn as she'd knelt in front of him found its way to her face again.
"He's not the only one here, you know." Martha held up her hands, motioning for the detective to release her from the binding.
Kate's thoughts took a moment to process what had just been said. Not the only one here? Not the only one here!
Martha could not have been any more effective had she splashed cold water directly into Kate's face. Not only had she been about to throw herself into his arms, but she had been about to do it in front of a vault full of hostages and SWAT officers!
"I'm so—" Busted! Oh, she'd never live this one down. "I'm so sorry Martha."
Maybe no one had noticed.
Kate. In his weaker moments, he had wondered if he'd ever hear her voice again, let alone calling his name. He savored the sound. Then it came again. He recognized a raspy tone in her voice, the desperation that seemed intertwined with his name.
"Castle!" It was the third time she shouted his name into the eerie silence that he finally responded.
"Beckett!"
He saw her form push open first one barred door then the other. She had come for him, keeping her promise from earlier today, the one that Sal thought was for him. She was getting him out of here.
"I told you! Hah!" Outwardly, he had always projected the firm belief that the police, that Kate, would bring this situation to an end and all of the hostages would be set free. But a part of him had been afraid that the moment when she'd squeezed his hand just before she took Sal out would be the last touch he had from her. That tiny doubting part had drunk in that last moment when she had glanced back at him, just before she reluctantly turned away and the door closed between them.
But she was here now. Her smile was positively radiant and her eyes sparkled as she bent down to look into his face.
"Here you go. Ready? Okay." She split the plastic tie that bound his hands and then reached out and placed her hand on his chest. "How are you?" His breath caught in his throat and he found himself incapable of speech. Too soon, she moved her hand to his collar; her eyebrows raised in question, then she smiled again and his heart began beating erratically. Maybe this was his chance to tell her again that he loved her; at least he'd know for sure that she'd heard him this time. Perhaps it was the perfect time to force the issue, once and for all.
Opening his mouth to respond—
"He's not the only one here, you know." Martha held up her hands, motioning for the detective to release her from the binding.
Rick fought the urge to strangle his mother before Kate released her hands. Resting his head against the metal behind him, he accepted that the moment was lost. We will have serious words when we get home, Mother.