Dear anyone,

I would like to apologize in advance. This story is vastly different than "The Announcement." It takes a darker tone than the other one and reads differently too. I hope you like it. Coming soon is another story in the same arc as "The Announcement."

Prologue – Captain's Funeral

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining in the bluest of blue skies, but everyone around was filled with sorrow. This day was the day of Captain Roy Montgomery's funeral. A man who had spent his whole life trying to make up for one mistake he had made so long ago. He tried to protect Kate from the men responsible for her mother's death and died doing so.

All the people in attendance were listening to Detective Kate Beckett deliver her speech but she was talking to only one person there. Richard Castle, her partner, her best friend and the man she loved.

As Castle stood there looking at Kate admiring her bravery and strength, something caught his eye. It glinted in the sunlight and made him look out over the gravestones. It was something that normally would not be there. He figured it out too late, as sound of the shot rang through the grounds. Castle tried to get to her. He tried…

She lay on the ground looking up at Richard. He begged her not to go; he told her that he loved her. That's what she needed to hold on to. He loves her. His love for her is what she held onto. It's what keeps her alive.

Everyone waited at the hospital for news. Dr. Josh Davidson walked down the hall with her blood on his scrubs, they all held their breath for an update but instead of giving them news, he attacked Castle. Josh blamed him for Kate being so near death. Alexis jumped to her father's defense, almost striking Josh, but someone grabbed her and pulled her back.

News did eventually come. She's alive! That's all the matters to Castle. She's alive! He does not care about Josh or anything else.

She is alive!

Chapter 1 – Dashed Hopes

Castle was leaving Kate's room when Lanie entered. "Hey writer-boy, how are you?" Lanie asked.

He gave her a quick, false smile, "I'm good but I have to run. See you later."

Lanie could see something was off about him but let it slide. "Okay, see you later." She turned to continue into Kate's room. "Hey girl, you doing any better today?" Lanie said to Kate even before she was entirely in the room.

Kate weakly replied, "Yeah I'm…" she straightened up in bed, "Still hurt but I'm getting better."

Lanie sat in the chair next to the bed near the window. "Good. I saw Castle, but he looked a little down. What's up with that? I assumed he'd be happy to see you alive and kicking." She was curious because seeing Castle down was as rare as a pink unicorn in Central Park.

"I asked if we could talk later. I told him I would call him." Kate shifted in her bed, the discomfort showing on her face.

Lanie instantly knew she was not getting the whole story from her friend. Most normal people would let it go but not Lanie, she needed to know the truth when it came to Kate and Castle.

"Spill it" Lanie demanded. It was less of a statement or question, it was a command and you followed General Lanie's orders.

Kate knew she had no choice in the matter, Lanie would find out on her own if she did not tell her. So taking a breath, she steeled herself and said "He told me that he loves me." Lanie face was one of joy for her friend. "Right after I got shot. When I was on the ground. He told me to hang on because he loves me and I did. I held on because of him, for him, for us. "

Lanie was overjoyed but stopped quickly when she saw Kate shifting her eyes back and forth. "That a good thing, right?"

"I told him that I don't remember anything about the afternoon. Not being shot or what he said" Kate confessed to her friend. She looked down at her hands to hide the guilt written all over her face.

Lanie was both confused and a little angry by what Kate admitted. "Why the hell did you tell him that? He loves you and you love him. That's obvious to anyone and everyone who's ever met the both of you."

Kate could see the anger on the good doctor's face. Lanie had always encouraged the idea of the two of them as a couple. She felt the need to defend her decision. "I know and I do love him but I told him that to protect him. I could still die from this or the people who did this could come after me again. I don't want to hurt him. It could be him next time or I could be killed and I can't do that to him. Be a couple and then die on him….it would be devastating. So I've decided that after my mom's case is solved, I will tell him the truth. Tell him that I love him too. Is that okay with you?" Kate asked the last part softly.

"No it's not, but I understand. You are trying to protect him." Lanie knew that admitting she loved him back was a big step for Miss Kate Beckett.

Castle stepped back from the door after hearing the full conversion between the two women. His heart raced with the idea of Kate and him, together. But he had to solve the case first and there was nothing in the world that would stop him from accomplishing that. She was worth the risk; the hope of them together was worth the ultimate risk.

As he walked down the hall, hands grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, and forced him against the wall. Now he was face to face with Dr. Josh Davidson for the second time in days.

"Rick, I'm only going to tell you this once. Stay away from her or I will gut you the same way you tried to gut me" Josh threatened.

Castle was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"It's your fault she is in here, that she got shot, that she had to fight for her life. She is mine. If you hurt her, you are damaging what's mine. I won't allow that" Josh hissed at him.

"She's not a possession, Josh. She is a human being" Castle saw a little crazy in Josh's eyes.

"Just stay away from her. Now leave before I call security" Josh said before releasing him and stalking away.

Castle straightened himself and passed the run-in with Josh off as stress of the day and situation. Castle headed directly to the 12th to get started on the case and to make his future with Kate.

It was two weeks later when Kate headed to her father's cabin. She headed out to her father's cabin to get some rest and recuperate.

Castle was just waiting patiently for her to call. He knew that she was having a tough time but he expected to hear from her at some point. He continued going to the 12th to work on the case and finally, he and the boys got their first break in the case. It wasn't a big break but it led to another clue and another break. Eventually it got them to what they needed.

Six weeks later, the person behind the whole thing was dead, choosing a self-inflicted bullet to the skull rather than jail. The only person left was the person who had shot Kate, Cole Maddax. The trio, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito, tracked him down to a high rise apartment building, just a few blocks away from Castle's loft.

They got Maddax but the cost was Ryan shot through his right shoulder, Castle's broke his left hand, and Esposito had snapped an ankle badly. To them it was worth the price, though. Kate was safe and Cole was dead. One shot to the face and three to the heart. The official reports said that Esposito shot him while he was on the ground after breaking his ankle because Cole was standing over him and going to shoot him.

A couple of hours had passed before each of them dragged their way back to the 12th after being released from the hospital. They were not fit to be there; nonetheless there they were, happy. Everyone except for Castle, he still had not heard from Kate. She did not even know that her mother's case was over, but Castle always had his brothers for this celebration. Brotherhood made stronger by the war they just went through together.

They were standing around the break room talking with the new captain, John Wall, when Lanie walked in, her face set in stone. She looked like she was resolving herself to tell them bad news.

"What's wrong?" Esposito asked noticing her mood was one of unhappiness and like she was trying not to cry.

Lanie couldn't speak, knowing that she was going to cause pain. She just held out her phone and played the voicemail on speakerphone.

"Hey Lanie, it's Kate. I'm fine and getting better each day, but that's not why I called. I got married last weekend. To Josh. Don't tell the guys, please. I will be back in a couple of months and I'll make the announcement then. See you soon, bye." Kate had sounded pleased but calm.

The room was silent as everyone just stared at each other.

Lanie broke the silence by saying, "I'm so sorry, Castle" as she looked at him and witnessed the soul-crushing pain that was evident on his face. Every part of him was in pain. It was like his soul was being crushed as the words replayed over and over in his head. Castle set his coffee down and walked away from the room, the bullpen, and the 12th precinct. He wasn't entirely aware of what he was doing. He just needed to get away, away from the memories and reminders of her.

"Am I missing something?" Captain Wall asked Ryan.

Ryan glanced up from his cup where he had been trying to comprehend the wrongness of that message. "He's in love with her, has been almost since day one of knowing her..." Ryan did not get to finish his thought as Lanie cut in.

"She's in love with him too. She was even before they met." She now turned to Esposito and became aware that he was fuming. "What's wrong baby?"

"After everything he has done for her. He ki…" he trails off before finishing the sentence as he realized everyone was listening to him. "Then she doesn't call him for two months and marries that jackhole!" Esposito gritted through his teeth. He shook his head in frustration, "I just don't understand how she could do that to him. She could have talked to him. He's been waiting for her to call like she said she would." He sighed in defeat and hobbled back to his desk on his crutches. He grabbed his coat before yelling back to the captain, "I am going to take the rest of the day and find him."

"I'm coming with you" Ryan shouts to Esposito. They couldn't let go alone.

Please review. The story is actually done, but I would like to hear what is wrong with it so I can avoid the same mistakes in the future.