I never liked Headhunters. So I changed the story. The case is the same.

I don't own anything, just playing.


Kate's heels were making a clicking sound as she paced back and forth; the sharp clicks reminded her of a ticking time bomb. Kate felt the pressure; she needed to figure out what the hell was going on with Castle. He'd changed. The session with Dr. Burke kept replaying in her head. She'd gone to a session hoping to get a plan of action. She'd left Dr. Burke's office with, more questions.

Dr. Burke: What do you think he's telling you with his behavior?

Beckett: That maybe he's not there anymore? That maybe he's not ready? What if I waited too long?

Dr. Burke: You weren't waiting, Kate. You were healing.

Beckett: Yeah, but then in the meantime, he's moved on.

Dr. Burke: Or he's protecting himself by not taking more emotional risks.

Beckett: So then what do I do?

Dr. Burke: What do you want to do?

Kate what do you want?

I want Castle to look at me the way he used to

I want Castle to be there, like he ALWAYS was.

I want Castle to L…I want him to tell me he loves me when I'm not dying before his eyes. I want it to be real.

I want Castle to sweep me up and take me away, for a weekend to his house in the Hampton's.

I want Castle to unleash the passion he's held back for the last three years.

I want Castle to be consumed with love for me in the same way my heart aches for him. Kate wiped an errant tear from her face. She quickly blinked back the rest of them.

I can not fall apart.

I will figure this out.

I will not lose him.

She glanced quickly around the precinct. The boys were still canvassing the apartment building where the Vic. lived. They were asking the residents what they'd seen or heard.

Partners; Kate was missing hers. He'd given some lame excuse; he needed a new perspective a new muse to shadow. He needed new inspiration. It would add to" his writing"….Pff, he" needed" to be here with her. God she missed him. "What have I done?" Kate asks herself.

"Becket" Kate answered her phone with the hostility she felt toward one Detective Ethan Slaughter.

"Girl, what the in the hell is going on with writer boy?" Laine had just finished sewing the "Y-shaped incision closed. She'd finished the autopsy on the Vic a young street punk who went by the name of Glitch.

"So, did Castle come in with Slaughter?"

"Yes, you know that boy isn't called Slaughter for 'nothing. His last three partners ended up dead." Laine pulled the sheet up over the victim. She readied the body to return to cold storage.

Kate rubbed her forehead. Her head and her heart were pounding. "I've heard most of his partners don't make it past day one." This was not helping. Kate's agitation level was spiking. She felt like a bottle of Diet Coke, Slaughter was the Mentos. Dropped together; eruption.

"He um…he said he need inspiration or something like that."

"What he is going to get is dead." Laine removed her gloves and trashed them.

"Laine"

"Okay, I know not helping… I'm just saying Castle better watch his back, Meet me for lunch, Remy's one hour, girl we need to talk." Laine hung up the phone and took the body to the cold storage locker. "Slaughter is bad news, all I'm saying." This wasn't the first time Laine talked to a corpse.

"Yo, Beckett" Javi and Ryan returned to the precinct. This wasn't the twelfth's case; the boys were trying to protect Castle. They were worried too. They knew Slaughter reputation. He was reckless, and unpredictable.

"The Jamaican gang is in a turf war with the Westies. A new player Cesar Vales and his gang are trying to start a war between the two rival gangs." Ryan had run across the gangs during his work undercover. When Gangs went to war there were casualties. Both sides would stop at nothing to gain control. It was all about the power. The gangs didn't care about innocent bystanders, they viewed kids as future gang members, they were fair game.

"They kill each other off, boom, in steps in Vales with his gang to take over." Espo went over by Kate's desk and sat on the corner.

Kate's fears were just confirmed. Castle was in the middle of a gang war. "Guy's Slaughter is not going to have Castle's back, he is a solo player."

"I got a call from Castle; he wanted me to run plates." Javi looked at Kate

"Run them, but give me the information."

"You got it, boss." Javi headed out to run the plates.

Ryan came over and asks "How's the trial prep going?" He really wanted to ask how Kate was holding up. He knew she was worried about her partner.

"Fine"

Ryan knew when a woman said "fine" it was anything but fine. Beckett was in worse shape than he thought. The entire precinct could all see the duo were more than partners. They belonged together. They needed each other. Their timing sucked. Ryan went to help Espo. They needed to get Castle out of this mess as soon as possible.

Kate looked at her Dad's watch. If she left now she could walk to Remy's and clear her head. Kate went to let the boys know she was headed to lunch.

Kate punched the button on the elevator, she needed to get out. The walls felt like they were closing in. The curls in her chestnut-brown hair bounced as the detective shook her head. It wasn't that long ago; she built the walls around herself to protect her from getting hurt; now the same walls were going to bury her if she didn't stop them.

Kate searched her brain. She was trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Castle changed. He was going to tell her something after the bombing case. Ryan interrupted and he never told her. Kate looked up, she was about to pass Remy's she saw Laine frantically waving at her through the window.

Oops.

"I thought for a minute there you were headed to Jersey." Laine was studying Kate

"I...I was just, I can't….he's changed Laine" Kate was hurting.

"Honey, I don't know what's going on with writer boy, but I do know he loves you."

Kate's eyes were tear filled "I…don't know Lanie….he won't even look at me." Tears spilled from Kate.

"I've racked my brain, I don't know what happened."

Laine just listened; she knew her friend was hurting.

"I came out of the interrogation and there was a cup of coffee on my desk like always, but Castle was gone. He didn't come back that day. When he did come back….he was…..distant. He went back to "player Castle" bimbo's and fast cars."

"Interrogation?"

"The bombing case"

Laine nodded

"I was angry the guy was lying to me, telling me he didn't remember. I yelled at him I knew damn well he remembered. I was shot and I remembered everything that happened that day. In living color. I wish I could forget…"

Kate dropped her head

"Oh God"

"What?"

Kate's eyes were still closed when she raised her head and opened them to look into Laine's.

"He heard me"

Laine had a puzzled look on her face.

"He heard me admit, I lied to him. I remembered what he told me that day."

"What did he say?"

"Stay with me Kate, I love you Kate, stay with me."

"Oh…Kate… no wonder…He's hurt"

"When I woke up in the hospital, I was confused. Castle came in and I remembered him telling me he loved me, I was scared Laine. Josh was there, I told Castle I didn't remember anything I told him I'd call, and then I took off. I was a wreck. I ran and hid. I wanted to be better; I wanted it to be real. I didn't know if he meant it, or he was just scared.

"Kate, he meant it, that man would move a mountain for you, a bucket of dirt at a time, if that's what you wanted. You have to tell him how you feel."

"What if I waited to long?"

"Then you live with the choices you made. Not telling him is one mistake you can't afford to make. You owe him the truth. The man waited for you Kate, he put his life on hold…for you. Don't you think he's got enough material for twenty books by now? He stayed for you."

Kate was trying to hold back the tears. When she thought about losing Castle forever the tears poured from her eyes.

The waitress placed the food on the table. She left quickly.

"Eat, your gonna' need to keep up your strength, you need to rescue writer boy from Slaughter."

Kate nodded. "I love him Laine"

"Oh, honey. I know you do."