Make your stand
"No." He couldn't breathe. He was being ripped apart as she fell beneath him. "C'mon Kate, stay here. Stay right here." But her eyes were closed, and he could feel her slipping away beneath his fingertips as the world around them erupted.
Someone – Ryan – was shouting from what Castle was sure was a great distance, repeating it over and over.
"Beckett's down! Beckett's down!" it was muted to his ears though, as though a wall of fog had risen around just her and him. Someone was shouting down a cell, panic driven, a voice he almost didn't recognise. Alexis. The officers that were in attendance had circled the crowd, guns drawn, voices repeating "Down! Everybody stay on the ground!"
"Esposito! She's down!" Ryan again, though it didn't sound like him, his voice was strangled, broken, and the seconds dragged past. He was moving through syrup, reaching for her as her breath wavered. Blood at the corner of her mouth slammed the air back into him and suddenly everything was too loud.
His fingers found the mark. Hand pressing into her chest as she lay limp beneath him. "Make your stand Kate." He whispered, pressing into the hot stickiness that oozed through his fingers. Louder now. "Make your stand and fight it – I'm standing here beside you."
"Beckett, get up." Ryan dropped beside them, fingers pulling off one of her gloves and searching her wrist. "You heard him Beckett – Make your stand." But she didn't respond. Another body beside him – Esposito – his fingers brushing back her hair, trying to wake her.
"No, no, no. C'mon girl – you're better than this!"
He wasn't sure who said it, he only focused on her face, and pressing harder into the oozing mess, sure that his fingers could somehow keep her together. She shuddered beneath him. Body falling apart as the blazing sun streamed down on the cemetery. On them.
"I got it!" Ryan's voice shook, his fingers pressed tightly, tight enough to bruise, at the base of her wrist. Castle's eyes finally dragged away from her face met the detectives. "I've got her – just." Dragging his eyes back to his partners, he let her head drop gently to the grass to wipe the trail of blood from her cheek. Sirens in the distance. To far away. He didn't know what to do.
He couldn't fight her battle – no matter how resiliently he stood firm beside her. He would always – always stand beside her. He could never – he would never, let her go but she needed to make her stand and he didn't know how to help her do that.
This wasn't a book – and words don't save lives.
A sequel? Yes - there will be one.
More fics based on the last 3 minutes of the greatest season finale ever? Oh most definately.
Does Castle belong to me? Clearly not - that cliffhanger killed me dead - Im not that brilliant.
Review - I really need to debrief this episode with other fans - Im flipping out.
