Hello everybody! It's been a reaaaaaally long time since I've written anything, but I just couldn't pass up the amazing-ness that is going to be Kill shot! I guess the promo just inspired me! So here's my take on the episode, that will be proven wrong in two weeks (TWO WEEKS) I haven't read any pre-ep on Kill shot, so sorry if we had the same idea, totally involuntary and no plagiarism involved!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my sore throat after I yelled at my computer so much after watching the promo.
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The bottle of whisky and the glass she kept refilling were on the coffee table. She was off the case because the Captain thought she couldn't take it. She knew she could solve it. True, she had frozen on her first day back. But it was her first day back. She had made it through. She could solve this case. But going rogue wasn't going to help her this time. The boys didn't want to give her any information. Even Castle was doing all he could to keep her from investigating. They could solve it together if he would just
A shot reverberated throughout her apartment. She cried out and took cover behind her couch, knocking over the coffee table, spilling the bottle and the glass at the same time. She closed the blinds and stayed on the floor. The shooter was back and was trying to kill her. He was at her front door now. Yelling her name. "Beckett. Kate." Repeating "Kate" over and over. The panic rose in her chest, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't do anything. She could see everything more clearly but couldn't think of any weapon to defend herself. Just the idea of using her gun made her trouble breathing worse. He was trying to kill her. He was even threatening to knock down her door if she didn't open it. Did he really think she was going to let him inside? She crawled to her bathroom, staying hidden from the windows. She heard the shot destroying the doorjamb. He was coming for her.
She could hear him calling her name over and over. But why was he sounding so worried? She had nowhere to go. She couldn't escape. She had nothing to defend herself with. She felt her limbs go numb. She was going to die in her apartment, in her bathroom. There would be no one to keep pressure on her wound. No one to keep her from slipping into sweet oblivion. No one to tell her to stay because he loved her. No deep worried voice in the ambulance just before she felt herself letting go. He was at her door now. Still repeating her name. The doorknob turned.
But he had no rifle, not even a gun. He was tall but he knelt down to the floor. "Oh my God, Kate," he said in a soft tone. She thought she recognized that voice. Could she know the sniper? "Kate, look at me! Kate, it's me." Finally, her eyes found their focus and colours went back to normal. What was Castle doing here? Was the sniper gone? She would have asked if she could just. Stop. Shaking. Her heart was still beating so fast she feared it might just stop. Why wasn't he worried? The sniper couldn't be that far. But Castle seemed calm and was showing her how to breathe. She mimicked him and gradually her heart and her shaking slowed down. When he took her in his arms, he almost crushed her. She was still taking deep breaths but she could feel his shallow ones in the crook of her neck where he had his face.
After some time, he relinquished his hold on her and looked at her, his hands framing her face. "What happened?" he asked worriedly. "A shot was fired, the sniper was coming for me, didn't you see him?" she answered. He searched her face, not understanding. "Kate, there was nobody in your apartment. No shot was fired. I was in my car just below your window. But there was an ambulance that drove by just a few seconds before you closed your blinds. That's why I came up, I got worried. I heard you crying through the door but you wouldn't open it. The super agreed to open it for me." That wasn't possible, Kate thought. There had to have been someone in her apartment. Unless…
"Kate, I think the ambulance in addition with the sniper case triggered a panic attack." Finally, finally, the fog lifted. Unless… her PTSD decided to act up. She was so embarrassed. She must have made such a fool of herself thinking Castle was the one attacking her… Like he would ever hurt her. She then realized they were still sitting on her bathroom floor and the tiles were really cold. She made a move to get up but her legs couldn't support her very well. Understanding what she was trying to do, Castle got up and helped her stand and stay up.
Supporting her by holding one of her hand and having one arm around her waist, he guided her to one of her armchairs to avoid the broken glass and the alcohol on the floor. He would clean it up later. She seemed to be getting better with each passing second. She was still wringing her hands but she had stopped shaking. He knelt down in front of her. "Pack a bag and go home with me." It was a testament both to her state and to how far they had come since her previous apartment had exploded that she accepted without putting up a fight and went to her bedroom to start packing. She was exhausted and the panic attack had taken everything out of her.
She opened her closet to grab a bag. She filled it with some underwear, some shirts and some jeans. She didn't know how long she would be gone. God, she felt so ashamed of herself… But Castle didn't seem to find her ridiculous, he seemed genuinely worried. She must have really freaked him out.
When she got back to the living room, she realized Castle had cleaned up her mess and thanked him. They made their way to the front door and she took his hand both to comfort herself and to reassure him that she was okay. Okay, so she wasn't doing as well as she thought and she probably wouldn't be fine for a while. But in time, she would get there.
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