Title: Retaliation
Characters/Pairings: Castle/Beckett
Rating: K+
Warnings/Spoilers: Minor violence
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, anyone or anyplace.
"Castle!"
"Bro!"
Ryan and Esposito came around the corner and ran toward Castle.
Richard Castle, the celebrated writer, the charming playboy, the famous bon vivant was trying to kill a man with his bare hands.
As the experienced detectives rushed down the alley, they quickly assessed the scene before them. Their boss, Detective Katherine Beckett lay curled up on her side, her back to the alley opening. Castle was straddling a man who lay on his back. The writer was savagely beating the man's face.
The man's visage was a bloody mess of damaged skin and muscle. His hands where flailing ineffectually at Castle's arms. There was evidence of bruised knuckles as if he too had been in a fight but the detectives did not see a mark on Castle's face.
Castle was still smashing into the mangled face when Ryan and Esposito reached him. Each one of them grabbed one of Castle's arms.
"That's enough," Esposito told him.
"You're going to kill him," Ryan stated.
Castle continued to struggle against their restraint. He looked up at them and they froze a split second at the look of pure hatred in his eyes that had turned dark with passion. Their momentary hesitation allowed Castle to jerk his arms out their hold. But before he could strike the man again, they again took hold of his arms and drug him away from the man who was not going anywhere after the beating he had taken.
"Let me go!" Castle yelled. "I'm going to kill him!"
"Dude," Ryan soothed, "you may have already done that."
"You need to take care of Beckett," Esposito insisted.
Castle blinked a few times taking deep breathes. Suddenly he looked at the two men as if realizing for the first time where he was and what he was doing.
"Kate!" Castle started toward Beckett's still motionless body. "Get help. He's hurt her badly," he added over his shoulder.
"Officer down," he heard Esposito send the call that would bring all the help they would need to resolve the situation.
Shaking with fear and residue adrenaline, Castle knelt against Beckett's back and reached out a hand to pull her hair back so he could see how badly she had been hurt.
"Kate?" The harsh gravel was gone from his voice as he almost whispered her name.
There was a soft whimper from the policewoman that drew a breaking sob from the man who knelt beside her. She shifted her shoulders.
"Don't move," he insisted immediately. "Help's on the way. Just lay still."
His hand still held her hair back. To his surprise, she slowly reached up to latch onto his thumb. He shifted so she could easily pull his hand closer. Esposito came over to find Castle sitting on the cobblestones, one arm draped across Beckett. She had her fist knotted around Castle's thumb, her hand tight against her chest just under her chin. The remaining fingers of Castle's captured hand tenderly cradled her hand.
"Where are the paramedics?" Castle demanded.
"Coming," Ryan assured him as he too approached.
Castle glanced up to see both men standing beside him.
"Where's Snyder?" he growled.
"Dude, he is not going anywhere," Esposito assured him. "Between your beating and Ryan's cuffs, he's well contained."
Ryan nodded in agreement.
Castle started to remove his hand from Beckett's. Her grip tightened and she whimpered again.
"Just let me get my coat off. You're shivering," he told her, his voice again velvety smooth.
"We got it," Ryan said quickly, realizing what Castle was talking about.
A moment later, Ryan's and Esposito's jackets were covering Beckett. The violent shivering slowed as she felt the warmth.
A couple of uniform officers were directing paramedics toward Greg Snyder, the suspect Castle had been attaching.
"Forget that scumbag," Esposito ordered harshly. "We have an officer down over here!"
Instantly the intensity in the alley escaladed. There was a moment when Beckett refused to let go of Castle before he could assure her that he would not go far. Then she was evaluated by the paramedics for a quick moment before being rolled onto her back.
Esposito and Ryan both made involuntary sounds. They looked around for Snyder but he was safely away from their reach and surrounded by other officers who had arrived. Ryan laid a hand on Castle's shoulder as if in support. Esposito and Castle locked eyes a moment before Esposito jerk his chin up as if assuring Castle they had his back over what he had done to Snyder.
The paramedics were cleaning Kate Beckett's face. Bruises were already forming on her delicate skin. One corner of her mouth was split and oozing blood. One eye was starting to swell dangerously. Kate flexed her right hand, drawing attention to it from everyone around her. It was obvious that she had tried to fight back. An EMT applied an ice pack to the back of her hand, checked the other hand and did the same.
A gurney arrived. Castle, Esposito and Ryan were moved back as Kate was prepared for transport. As the gurney moved toward the street and the waiting ambulance, the detectives grabbed their discarded jackets and grimaced at each other. The offending articles of clothing were spotted with blood and undefined liquid from the stinking stones of the alley.
"Throw them away," Castle told them as he hurried after Kate. "I'll get you new ones to replace those," he assured them as he quickened his pace.
A moment later, he was involved in an altercation at the back of the ambulance. The paramedics were telling Castle he couldn't come. He was assuring them that they were not leaving until he was inside.
He held up a fist, his index finger pointing up and ordered, "Hold it."
He pulled his phone from his pocket. "I assume if you are ordered to let me ride by the mayor that will be good enough for you?" he asked pulling up his speed dial list.
"That won't be necessary."
Everyone turned to the authoritative voice that spoke behind them. They saw Captain Roy Montgomery holding up his badge for identification.
"Castle stays with Beckett as long as she wants him there," he ordered. "Make sure they get that order at the hospital."
"Fine," the lead EMT agreed. "Can we go now?"
Montgomery glanced at Ryan and Esposito as they came to stand beside him. Each man was holding a disgusting jacket at arm's length. He raised an eyebrow in a question.
Ryan shrugged. "She was cold."
"And Castle's jacket was too nice to hit the ground?" the Captain asked.
Both detectives flashed evil grins.
"Castle's hand," Esposito informed their captain, "was being tightly held by Detective Beckett and he was unable to remove it."
Montgomery smiled gently and gave them a small nod before going back to his car to follow the ambulance to the hospital.
C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B
Alexis Castle and her grandmother, Martha Rogers, hurried down the hall toward the room number they had been given when they had talked to Captain Montgomery. Stopping just inside the door, they saw Kate Beckett looking very pale under her bruises, cuts and swellings. Alexis looked up and down the bed quickly making sure there was no other major damage. She gasped when her eyes reached Beckett's right hand.
Castle sat beside the hospital bed, his hands were carefully cradling Beckett's bandaged right hand. But Alexis' sound had not been because of the obviously minor injuries to Beckett's hands under the light bandaging. It had been pulled from her in shock at the sight of her father's hands as they clumsily held Beckett's hand. It was an effort for him because of the large bandaging on his own hands.
"Richard! Your hands!" Martha exclaimed.
"Shh," he hissed at them. "She just got to sleep again."
Tenderly depositing Beckett's hand on the bed beside her, he rose and motioned his family to precede him out into the hallway.
"What happened?" Alexis demanded.
Large, upset blue eyes stared at him as if searching for an answer in his face.
He took a deep breath. He knew they would be upset. He had not decided just how much to tell them.
"The suspect attached Ka ... Beckett."
Another deep breath.
"I subdued him," he added.
He held up his bandaged hands.
"The left one is just scraped and scratched," he continued.
There was an awkward pause as Alexis and Martha regarded him with concerned but firm looks. He sighed again.
"There are three small fractures in my right hand," he confessed quickly.
"Oh, my ..." Alexis broke off.
He gave her a grin and wiggled an eyebrow.
"Perfect excuse to get the new Naturally Speaking software I've been wanting."
The two females glared at him.
He regarded them soberly for a long moment. His eyes clouded. He sighed and lowered his head slightly.
"He was beating her."
He raised his face. There were tears in his eyes.
"He had knocked her down and was beating her," he added.
"Oh, Dad!"
Alexis' small exclamation of understanding was combined with her throwing her arms tightly around his neck. Awkwardly because of his bandaged hands, he enfolded her slender frame in an embrace. Over her head his eyes locked with his mother's. Martha's face had frozen. For all the kidding they did about his growing up, both knew exactly where his reaction to Kate's attack had originated.
One of Martha's short-lived marriages had resulted in the immediate departure of the man because he had flown into a jealous rage and beat Martha one night. Castle had witnessed it. It was the shaken 10-year-old boy who had called for an ambulance to help his battered mother. Since that night, the one form of physical contact that Richard Castle would not tolerate was a man striking a woman.
Castle released his daughter and she took a step back. He turned to face his mother.
"He was beating her. I stopped it," he told her dully.
Without a word, Martha wrapped her son in her arms.
"I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"I want to get back in there. I want to be there if she wakes up," he told them. "You want to come sit with me for a while?"
C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B
Montgomery looked into the hospital room. Martha and Alexis both looked up at him. Martha rose and went out into the hall.
"How's she doing?" the captain asked.
"Well, she was restless a couple of hours ago but she seems better now. Richard has gone with the boys to get something to eat."
"Get their stories straight more likely," Montgomery told her.
Martha looked at him wide-eyed.
"Detective Beckett and my son were attacked by a vicious suspect. Detective Beckett was disabled and my son was able to fend that madman off until help could arrive. Is there any other story?"
She looked hard at the veteran police officer. Their eyes locked for a long moment. He looked away first.
"No, ma'am. I'm sure that's exactly how Ryan and Esposito will write it up."
C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B
The three men looked at each other. All three nodded. Ryan, Esposito and Castle leaned back in their chairs, the purpose of their conversation obviously concluded.
"How are your hands?" Esposito asked.
Castle made a dismissive face. "The left hand is just covered to keep it clean until it scabs over."
There was a pause.
"And the right?" Ryan asked.
Castle shrugged. "Three broken bones."
"Man, you're a writer," Esposito exclaimed softly.
Castle's liquid face took on another equally dismissive look.
"It'll be okay." There was a long pause before he added softly, "It was worth it." He looked hard at the two detectives, "He is going away, isn't he?"
"Absolutely," Ryan assured him.
"Even if we didn't have an air-tight case against him in the first place ..." Esposito started.
"... which we do," Ryan added.
"He still attacked a New York City police detective ..."
"... and her ride-along."
"And he assaulted the Mayor's ..."
"... favorite author and man-about-town."
Castle smiled at the duo and their half-and-half sentences.
"I know it's not necessary, but thanks," he told them.
The unspoken knowledge that his excessive force would look justified in the reports brought the briefest nods from each detective. His eyes twinkled merrily in answer.
"And as soon as Becket is out of here, we are going to one of my favorite tailors. You two are getting new suits on me."
The two men smiled back their appreciation.
C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B
A soft moan had Castle immediately alert.
"Kate?" he asked softly.
If she was awake he wanted her to know he was there. If she wasn't, he didn't want to disturb her. He smiled brightly as her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Hey," he said softly.
She started to reply, frowned and her tongue flicked out to dampen her lips.
"Hold it," he told her, turning to get a glass of water.
Carefully he picked up a glass and held it so she could sip on the straw. Suddenly the straw dropped from her mouth as she stared at the bandaged hands holding her glass. Her eyes snapped up to lock with his.
"I'm going to be fine," he assured her.
He sat the glass down and turned back to her. Her brows were creased in concern.
"How bad …"
"You or me?" he grinned.
"Castle," she warned.
"Both of us look worse than we are. You had to have one small stitch on your forehead, very close to the hairline. No one will ever notice it. Everything else will heal just fine. The most serious is a couple of bruised ribs, but everyone has assured me you will be able to deal with that."
His eyebrow lifted, curiosity filled his eyes.
"They tell me you've had worse," it was almost but not quite a question.
"Your hands," she demanded.
He held them up and twisted his wrists so she could see the bandages front and back.
"Left one comes off in a day or two. I'll have an orthopedics guy look at the right one tomorrow … three broken bones is all."
Her eyes watered with unshed tears.
"Why?" she asked.
He regarded her for along silent moment. He knew this was a defining moment in their relationship. He could flip off an answer. Or he could open up and trust her with a piece of himself. He took a deep breath.
"He was beating you," he answered softly. "No man is ever going to beat a woman in front of me."
She studied him. The sentence did not exactly end, rather it seemed to trail off.
"Again?" she asked the unspoken word.
His eyes held hers for a long moment before he agreed softly, "again."
Her eyes made the unvoiced demand. He knew her past. She wanted to know his. With a short nod, he told her about watching his mother be beaten when he was ten.
"I couldn't do anything then. I'll never stand by again."
The silence was heavy.
"Not any woman," he continued. "Especially one I care about."
Mild surprise flickered in her eyes. The corners of her mouth curled slightly. The infant grin was immediately replaced by a grimace of pain. Castle laughed.
"Nothing like hurting your face so badly you can't smile," he teased her gently.
She gave a brief nod. "In my own defense, I did have a little bit of help."
He sobered instantly. "He won't be 'helping' anyone for a long time."
"Thank you," she whispered.
He picked up one of her hands in his again.
"It's late. Try to get some more sleep," he told her.
She settled back against her pillows.
"Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked, suddenly sounding unsure of herself.
His gentle smile was back. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up."
Surprising them both, he leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead.
"Go to sleep," he ordered lovingly.
She stared at his eyes for a long time.
"You try to get some, too," she told him as her eyes drifted shut.
He watched as her face relaxed into sleep. Depositing her hand onto the bed, he settled down into the recliner that had been moved close enough that he could reach her hand if she woke again.
When Ryan stuck his head into the room a short time later, he smiled to see both Castle and Beckett sound asleep, their bandaged hands laying inches apart on the crisp white sheet.
Esposito came up beside him, looked into the room and also grinned.
"It was worth losing a jacket to see those two like this," Esposito stated as they started down the hallway to a waiting area.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to turn down a suit from Castle's favorite tailor," Ryan assured him.
"Absolutely not," Esposito agreed with a big smile.
"This is really going to be interesting when they both get back to work," Ryan speculated.
"Oh, yeah," came his partners answer as the two detectives went to find their own comfort spots for the remainder of the night.
The End