The snowy flakes drifted to the ground under the full moon. All was quiet and would remain so for awhile. A red splotch began to melt the snow next to its owner. A man lay on the ground, a sharp icicle dug gruesomely into his chest. The snow drifted down and began to cover the dead form.
Richard Castle stood in his kitchen, wearing a gray long sleeved shirt and jeans, taking every topping in his fridge out and putting them on the island.
"Richard Castle. What are you doing?" said Martha, Castle's mother.
"Nothing. Just a little experiment for Alexis's science project," Castle said, smiling innocently.
"Okay dad. I got the snow." Alexis came through the front door, carrying a bucket a perfectly white, fluffy snow.
Martha looked back at Castle as he glanced at her, a guilty expression on his face.
"You were going to make homemade snowcones, weren't you?" Martha asked.
Castle put up his right hand, "Guilty as charged," he said laughing and helping Alexis put the snow on the counter.
"Well don't let me spoil your fun. I'm out to get my hair done." She turned around and headed for the door.
"Bye mom," Castle called after her. "Okay. So what we do . . ." Castle began just as his phone rang. He looked at the number and quickly answered it.
"Hey Beckett," he said into the phone. He paused for a moment and then quickly said, "I'll be right there." He closed the phone and quickly rushed toward the door. He stopped and turned, looking at Alexis. "Snow check?" he asked.
"Yah," she said, picking up the bucket, "I'll just put this on ice."
"Thanks," Castle said, and ran out the door.
"The body was found at approximately 5 o'clock this morning by a local farmer. The farmer said that he was out in his field chasing after a rogue cow when he tripped over the body." Kate Beckett said, walking around the body and talking to her boys.
"Hey Kate. What did I miss?" Castle said, just as he looked down. "Wow. That guy has a giant hole in his chest." He looked around and then back at Beckett. "Where is the murder weapon?"
"That's what we were trying to find out. Now there appears to be a lot of water in the wound so we were thinking that maybe he was killed by an object that melted." Beckett said, looking around the group.
"Death by icicle. Creative. Bet you've never heard of that one before." Castle said, following them away from the crime scene.
"Hey Kate?" Ryan called. "I think that I may have found something."
"What've you got?" Beckett said, walking toward him with Castle close at her heels.
"It seems that the farmer that was supposedly was chasing some cow . . . has no cows. And also, his house was the closest to the crime scene."
"We're on it." Beckett said, walking out, Castle still following her like a loyal basset hound.
"Sir, we just want to talk to you," Kate said, knocking on the door again.
"Kate. Maybe we should try later?" Castle said, touching her arm.
"No. He's here. I know he is." Kate said, continuing to knock.
Chick chick. The sound came from inside the house and Castle jumped into action. Just as the gun was fired, Castle dove and tackled Kate. They flew and smacked into the ground. Castle gasped and clutched the back of his thigh. It seared with pain and Castle had to use all his strength to not cry out in pain. Kate brushed back her hair and looked over at him.
"Castle?" she said, crawling to his side. She grabbed his leg right above the wound and he cried out, a sound of intense pain and agony.
Suddenly, something hit the back of her head and the whole world went black.
Kate woke up and looked around. She had a splitting headache and she couldn't see Castle.
"If you are looking for your friend, you might as well give up. I left him outside. I don't need him anymore." Kate recognized the gruff voice as the farmer that said he had found the body.
"What did you do to him?" Kate said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She couldn't loose Castle.
"Nothing. That is just it. He'll either die of frost bite or blood loss. If he is lucky, I might go play with him later and get it over with." The man chuckled and walked out of the cold barn, leaving Kate shivering in the dark.
"Castle . . ." Kate said, looking down at the snow covered floor.
Castle lay unconscious in the snow. He'd been out for awhile now. The cold finally got to him and he bolted awake.
"Kate? Kate?" He said twisting around in the snow. Castle forgot about his leg wound and made the mistake of standing up. He cried out in pain and fell back down to the snow, once again clutching his thigh.
"Kate?" he called again, his voice now thin and ragged with pain. He began to crawl through the snow, a trail of thick, red blood, smearing the snow behind him. How did he get into this? Crawling was making his leg hurt even more. He took a deep breath and stood up, gritting his teeth against the deep, shearing pain that tore through his leg. He limped around a tree only to come face to face with a man. His red hunting jacket and jeans suggested that he was a man that was used to the outdoor environment. The man's face looked like worn leather with a scraggly beard and a black baseball cap. He would have been scared if he wasn't so angry about being shot and Kate being taken away from him.
"Where is Kate Beckett?" Castle said, glaring at the man.
"She is no longer your concern. I have come to tell you that you and I will be playing a little game." The man said.
"I'm in no mood for games . . ." Castle said, still glaring with a look that had death written all over it.
"I don't care if you are in the mood for games! You play, or I kill you and your precious little Beckett right now! Understood?" the man said, almost screaming at him. Castle stood silently, putting his weight on his good leg. "Alright? Good. Now, the object of the game for you is quiet simple. Don't die! Ok." Castle remained silent. "Good. Now I will be chasing you with this shotgun," he said, holding up the gun, "this handgun," he said, holding the other gun, "and these knives," he said, gesturing to his belt which held several sheaths that contained knives. "Now, what you are supposed to do is disarm me and then overpower me. If you do this, you win. But, if I win, that means that I will have hunted you down and killed you. No pressure." The man sadistically grinned, showing a crooked smile. "May the best man win."
Castle realized immediately what the man was doing as soon as he said this. The man began to raise the shotgun in Castle's direction. Castle dove behind the tree, feeling the snow explode where he had once stood. Scrambling to his feet, he began to run away from the man. He wasn't really running away from the man though. He was running to Kate.
She assessed her situation. She was tied to a chair with duck tape and it seemed that he had taken her handcuffs and handcuffed her too her chair on one hand. Not only were her hands duck taped but also her legs. She couldn't move anything. That's when the gunshot rang out. She squirmed in her chair and looked around trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of Castle. She moved her arms, moved her legs and tried to see if anything would come free. Nothing did. She began to move her chair, jumping it across the floor. One of the legs caught and she fell over onto her side. This was even worse and she became scared. Of course she would never show it but she sure did feel it. That's when she remembered the edges of her handcuffs. Maybe this curse was actually a blessing.
Castle ran through the trees, searching for that cabin. Every step sent a ripple of pain up his leg, making it more and more difficult to move by the second. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Castle was attacked. Something came down from the tree's and tackled him to the ground. Castle cried out in pain as he felt his leg give and buckle from underneath him. He fell into the snow and looked up. A man stood nearby clutching a knife.
"I'm gonna carve you up good, cop." He said, tossing the knife from hand to hand. He dove forward toward Castle, who rolled to the side, narrowly missing the sharp, glistening blade. The second time, Castle wasn't so lucky. The man ran forward again and anticipated the roll. He caught Castle on the shoulder, slicing a deep gash in the skin. Castle realized that he would not survive for long just rolling around so he got up and grabbed a thick branch, wielding it in front of him like a sword. The man dove forward and instead of stabbing Castle, he stabbed the branch. Castle twisted it, wrenching it out of the man's grasp. Castle took the knife and brandished it in front of him, showing its shining blade. The man's smile disappeared and he ran away into the forest. Castle lowered his arm and fell into the snow, watching the blood from his arm drip down and stain the glistening, white, perfect snow. He took a deep sigh and stood up, realizing that he still had a long way to go.
Kate was partially free on one hand. She had used the edge of the handcuff to cut through the duck tape on one hand and she was working on the other hand even though she could barely reach it. The edge of the handcuff finally cut through the thick duck tape, freeing her other hand. At this point she was able to reach down and rip off the duck tape. It came away on one foot easily but only after this did she notice the wire tucked into the other. She followed it to a closet and realized that it was probably hooked to some kind of huge explosive. She let her head fall back on the chair and looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing there. What she was expecting to see she didn't know. It just seemed that her predicament was getting worse and worse. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to die. She had to find Castle. Suddenly, the man appeared in the doorway, heavily armed with guns and knives. Kate didn't want to think of what he was going to do with them.
"Unless your friend is very good, he is dead right now." The man grinned sadistically to emphasize the point. "I called a friend that like to play the same game. He said yes and came over. Thought that it would be fun." The man laughed and left the barn, once again leaving her in the cold. Now she was very cold. She didn't dress to be outside in the cold for this long. She had to find Castle and get out of here. She was getting so tired.
Castle could now see the barn. He instinctively knew that Kate was in there. He had to get into that building and it didn't look like it would be that hard. That crazy man was no longer there. Castle walked toward the barn, hearing to icy snow crunch under his feet. He was limping and every single step hurt. He didn't know how much blood he had lost but he knew it wouldn't be too long before he went. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him.
"Don't move, Mr. Castle. Unless of course you want another bullet in the back of your head." Castle turned around and saw the man. He no longer held the shotgun and instead he held the handgun. It was pointed directly at Castle's forehead.
"Just shooting me," Castle took a deep breath, "wouldn't be very sporting."
The man laughed, lowering the gun. He threw the gun into the trees and drew the knife, twirling its handle in his hand. "Then lets dance pretty boy." He ran forward, holding the knife above his head, screaming a war cry. He slashed the knife in Castle's direction. Castle barely dodged it. Jumping out of the way, but still feeling the sharp blade scratch his chest, causing a shearing pain. The man took another swipe and this time Castle made a successful dodge and managed to avoid the crazy farmer. Castle looked at his feet for something to defend himself with and saw a rock. He scrambled to pick it up, which proved to be difficult because of his leg wound. He finally grasped it and chucked it at the man. It knocked his hand and the knife went flying. It sailed through the air and struck a tree. The man grabbed the second knife and began to chase Castle leading him further and further away from the barn. Castle couldn't run anymore and turned and decided to fight. He turned just in time to be struck in the side with a knife. He cried out in pain and looked down, only to see the handle sticking out of his side. It sheared with pain and he gasped for air. He kicked the man and he went sprawling backward. He then grabbed the handle and took a deep breath. He began to slowly pull the knife and felt it slide out of him, taking blood with it. The man charged toward him and stopped abruptly when he stood in front of Castle. He looked down at himself and saw the knife sticking out of his gut, piercing his stomach. He fell back and his breathing slowed. As Castle walked away, he wanted the last word. He reached into his boot and grabbed the knife that sat invisibly under his pant leg. He took hold of the blade and threw it. It twirled threw the air and jammed itself into Castle's back. He cried out and fell to the ground. He looked around and saw that the man lay dead in the snow. He forced himself to his feet and stumbled back towards the barn. He was approaching the barn when he fell to the cold snow. He couldn't get up. He was too cold, he was in too much pain. He felt as if he had been ripped apart and was slowly bleeding to death, which he was. He had lost too much blood. The darkness was closing in. He was falling, falling, falling. Goodbye, Kate.
She just had to risk it. She was dead any way you put it. She grabbed hold of the wire and pulled. She braced herself for the fiery inferno that was about to engulf her. Nothing happened. She shrugged and found her keys to her handcuffs. She rubbed her wrists and stood up. She had to find Castle and she ran outside. She didn't have to go far. He lay in the snow, face down. A knife stuck out of his back.
"Castle!" she rand down the steps and grabbed him. There was no response. She grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled. It came out followed by a lot of blood. She took her coat off and placed it on the wound in his back. She then flipped him over and saw that he had several more wounds. He had 2 more knife wounds in his side and shoulder and a deep gash in his chest. He had all these and also the gunshot wound in the back of his leg. It was amazing that he had even lasted this long. She pulled out her phone and called 911, explaining that she was a cop and the her . . . partner was down with several injuries. She also told them that she didn't think he would last too long. She hung up and returned her attention back to Castle . . . who was looking up at her. But his eyes were dull, improperly focused. She realized that he could go at any time. "Castle. Don't leave me. Not after all we've been through. It can't end this way. Not after all the annoying times that you have followed me around, gotten me in trouble, and embarrassed me. I won't let it end this way. So don't you dare leave me."
Castle tried to speak and a bloody froth bubbled onto his lips, but he coked it back. In an incredibly weak, thin voice, Castle choked out "I wouldn't dare leave you. I still have books to write." And with this he fell limp into Kate's arms, where she slowly cradled him as the tears started to fall. Kate didn't even hear the sirens as she did something she hadn't done in a long time. Kate hadn't asked God for anything since he took her mother away from her, but at that moment, Kate prayed. "God, I know we don't get along, but please don't take Castle away from me too. You have my mother, let me keep Castle. It is the least you can do for me." And with the end of her prayer, the paramedics swooped in a carried the unconscious, dying Castle away from her.
The walls were white. The floor was white. The sheets were white. Everything was white. Everything was numb, distant. Castle looked around himself and saw two people. Alexis and Martha sat there, calling his name. He couldn't respond. He fell back to the realm of darkness.
Alexis and Martha were gone. They had been there for a whole day and had gone home to get some rest. Kate had mostly recovered from her minor injuries and sat by his bed. They said that it may be a long time before he wakes up because of the extent of his injuries. It had been two days. She was tired but refused to leave his bedside. Honestly, she felt responsible for his injuries. Suddenly, Castle stirred.
"Kate?" he asked, his voice thin and weak.
"Yes, Castle. I'm here." She said.
"You look beautiful." He said, obviously affected by the loads of morphine he was on.
"Thanks Castle."she said shyly grinning, happy his injuries hadn't hurt his sense of humor, and just glad that he was alive and responsive.
"But seriously Castle, I am not a damsel in distress. You don't have to rescue me. Thanks this time, but next time can you please just stick with covering my back? Kate said in a maternal tone.
"Sure, whatever you saaaaaaaaay….." and with that Castle went unconscious again, but this time he passed out with a smile on his face.
"Oh Rick," she said, playing with his fluffy hair, "what am I going to do with you?" Kate left the room, also smiling all the way.
It was a week later and he felt better. He wasn't so tired all the time and he was awake for most of the day. Kate walked into his apartment and her eyes absolutely sparkled.
"Hey Castle." She said, her voice as beautiful as gold.
"Hello Kate. Good to see you, but come here. I got the advanced marketing pictures for "Nikki Heat: Action Barbie". What do you think?"
"Castle! You made a Barbie doll out of me! I am going to kill you." Yelled Kate.
"So does that mean you love it or hate it? Because I already have plans for "Jameson Rook: Journalist Ken". Said Castle with a very childish attitude about him.
"Oh Castle. I better get a cut of this. And this is a children's toy so Nikki Heat: Action Barbie has to be dressed modestly ." Kate responded, as Castle feigned depression.
"Awww. You take the fun out of everything." Castle sadly replied. And they both cracked up, happy in each other's company.