Oh my goodness! I can't believe that season finale! The Hanger scene at the end was one of the best scenes of Castle I have ever seen! And how about that cliffhanger! I was 100% not expecting that! I was crying hysterically after that! I just watched it again and was crying hysterically a couple minutes ago! I mean, I know Beckett is going to be okay because she has to be in next season but it was so unexpected and so sad! Beckett is my hero and to see her shot like that broke my heart. I was crying for hours. And when Castle told her he loved her, it made me cry harder! I don't want to wait three months to find out if she's okay! It's too long! Yes, I get that I may sound like a crazy psychotic obsessed freak fan, but "I assure you, my intentions are pure." Ha-ha lol I just had to throw that in there. But really, I'm not crazy. I just look up to her and it was a scary moment. Probably for a lot of people. If you think I'm crazy, don't read the fic that I worked really hard on. Your choice. For the other people, enjoy!

Title: Battles We Will Fight

Summary: The battles we will fight can be no worse than this. Nothing can. And he can't do anything to help. All he can do is wait. I worked on this fic and was so proud of it so, I really hope you like it.

Rating: T

Pairing: Castle/Beckett

Setting: Between the season 3 finale and season 4

Written by: AlwaysAOneWriterGirl221

He loves her. When he finally tells her, is it supposed to be too late? If he had told her earlier like he should have, she would have known and they would have had a chance. But now, she lies in front of him, closed eyes and faded smile. Her uniform, bloody from the wound the sniper had caused. And yet, he couldn't find the urge to cry. He was in shock. His beloved detective had been shot and there was nothing he could do. He had tried to save her but he was too late. A part of him thought that she would wake up any second, telling him that she had been wearing a bulletproof vest and that she loved him too. But the other half, the half that had been taught to recognize reality by who he knew to be the best detective in New York, knew that she wouldn't. And so, he did the only thing he could do until the ambulance got there. He held her. He held her as tightly as he could without having to think that he might break the, now so fragile, female detective in his arms. In the distance, he could hear the faint yelling of his colleagues, his friends, running after the sniper. No one was approaching them, not even her father, because they could all see that he needed time. Time to soak in the scene around him. Time to hold her, his partner, the one he's loved since day one. They didn't know whether she'd survived or not. Neither did he. He couldn't bring himself to check. He thought that if he could just pretend that it wasn't true for a little longer, he'd still have her. She'd still be with him. And that was when he let go and let his tears fall. They were silent tears. He couldn't break down like that, not in front of Alexis. And when the ambulance pulled into the cemetery, a very small feeling of hope sparked inside of him. But that tiny bit of hope that he had faded as they took her away from him. All he could hear were the sounds of the ambulance sirens fading into the distance as he stared into nothingness, not even thinking. As of now, he felt powerless. Powerless to help her. She was already gone and he was still there, sitting on the blood-stained grass. No one approached him then either. He needed to be alone and everyone knew that. He didn't know her fate. He didn't know whether she was dead or alive. And that scared him. But there was one thing that he did know. One thing that he wouldn't let go. Katherine Beckett was a fighter. And she certainly wouldn't give up this battle.

Richard Castle sat in a hospital room. He doesn't like hospitals. He never did. But there he sat, next to the bed that held his favorite detective. She looked so fragile and pale. So pale. He'd never seen her like this before and he didn't like it. She had come out of surgery an hour ago and still wasn't awake. This bothered the writer. If anything had happened to her in the past, she would always just bounce back and say it was 'just a scratch.' But this time, it was different. This time she had been shot. This time, he was scared to death. Not that he hadn't been scared for her before. He was always scared for her. Every time she went into a building with her vest on. Every time she had gone to visit Lockwood in prison. Hell, even if she got a paper cut, he'd be worried about her. The doctor said that he was sure she was going to be fine. And yet, he was still frightened. Frightened that the odds might be against her this time. Frightened that he wouldn't ever get to see her beautiful smile when he walked into the precinct, holding her cup of coffee, ready for a new day. And so, there he sat, her hand held tightly in his as he waited. He wouldn't sleep; he wouldn't eat until he knew she was going to be okay, until he knew for sure. Every once and a while, a nurse would come in and check her vitals and blood pressure and every time she left, she'd look at him, sadness in her face, like she knew that if this didn't work out, it would destroy him. And it would. He couldn't lose her. It had taken them 3 years to get to this level of trust that they had developed for each other. He didn't want that to be thrown away. She taught him that there was more to life than women and late-night book parties by showing him that, indeed, lives can be cut short. If he had to thank one person for helping him meet her, it would be Harrison Tisdale. Harrison had committed his copycat murders 3 years ago and led Detective Beckett to him. He would be lying if he said that their relationship didn't come off to a rocky start and that he wasn't that much of a wiseass, but the joy is in the journey and what you do to make it through. And here he was today, still by her side 3 years later. And he was never going to leave. Not after everything they'd been through. He loved her more than anything and he would do anything for her not to be in that bed. And yet, here they are. This is what she got for trying to solve her mother's murder. It seemed so unfair. This shouldn't be happening. But no matter what the outcome was, she would always be extraordinary. Nothing would change that, ever. And then, it happened. His head had been lying on the bed as it did. A squeeze. He was holding her hand and she squeezed back. He quickly looked up to find her eyes slowly fluttering open. She was waking up. "Kate?" he asked softly, not wanting to shock her anymore than she had already been. After adjusting to the light, her eyes fully opened and she looked at him. She just stared for a second. He wanted to know that she was okay, for her to make some kind of response. Still just staring, her eyes had begun to turn glassy, water beginning to overcome them.

"I love you, too."

The joy is in the journey and the thrill is in the chase. No matter where you go, they way you get there is what matters in the end. But sometimes, it's not enough. Sometimes, on your journey, there are road blocks. Road blocks that stop you from continuing the journey you started just to complete. And sometimes, we never even get to complete that journey. We get to a point in the road where there is a stop sign, showing you that there is a cliff ahead. Sure, you could go around. Lucky people can. But sometimes, that's not an option. So, you can't continue and you can't go back. What now?

I hope you liked it! I needed to keep my mind off of Beckett being shot and my thoughts were just whizzing around and going crazy. So, I came up with this! (During school, shh) Oh, and I just thought that little excerpt at the end up because I was bored. Next thing I knew I just started typing and there it was. And I kind of liked it. So, there it is. Well, I hope you liked it! And do you see that little button right below this post. The one that says 'Review'? Well, it likes to be clicked on. That's why it's there… just sayin'…