Summary: How Castle and Beckett reacted to the gun shots in the helicopter hangar, and how they coped with the immediate aftermath. Spoilers for season 3 finale.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Castle, which saddens me.

The Necessity Of Silence

"I forgive you. I forgive you." Kate Beckett pleaded with her captain, Roy Montgomery. Although what he did might have caused her mother's murder, she could not allow him to die instead of her.

A tear escaped from Roy's eye. With difficulty, he stated, "This is my spot, Kate. This is where I stand." Kate shook her head as her eyes filled with tears as well.

"No… No!"

Montgomery and Castle both saw the SUV approaching the hangar. "Castle…" Roy started.

"No! No, sir! Please listen to me; you don't have to do this!" Kate begged, emotion flooding her words. The car grew even closer.

Roy turned and yelled, "Castle! Get her out of here, NOW!"

"You don't have to do this sir-"Kate was cut off as Castle's arms wrapped around her waist and began to pull her away. As Beckett started to struggle against hi, Castle picked her up off the ground and carried her to the back of the hangar.

"NO! GOD, CASTLE! LET ME GO! PLEASE!"

Castle gritted his teeth and bore through it. This was to save her life; this was to keep her from certain death. It made the blows of her heels to his shins seem bearable and practically painless.

Kate sobbed and wailed as Castle kicked open the back door and started towards the car. The detective seemed to be getting delirious. Her racking sobs sent painful stabs into Rick Castle's heart. He hated to see her cry, especially when she was in pain. True heartbreak.

"Rick, please." The sobs were too much for Rick to handle, and he set her down on her feet. But, they still had a walk to the car, and Castle kept a tight grip on her.

But she was losing grip of herself. Unintelligible moans of despair escaped Kate's lips. Rick thought that she might be getting too loud. Lockwood and possibly others could probably hear her. Quietly, he began shushing her. By then they had reached the car.

The shushing had no effect on the detective, so Castle was forced to place his hand over her mouth.

"Kate… shhh… please." Castle pleaded. He was keeping her against the car with his body.

Despite the horrifying circumstance, the closeness of Castle began to soothe Kate, even if it was just a little. Their eyes met, hers full of tears, his filled with fear. Kate used her other hand to touch his warm cheek. She loved him, so much. Her mind raced, thinking about what might be happening at this moment in the hangar. Castle moved his hand from her mouth, trusting her to have calmed down. Kate whimpered weakly, and the tears started to flow again.

Rick soothed her like a child, wiping away her tears with his left hand, and holding her cheek with his right. When the tears had vanished, he moved his left hand behind her neck to support the back of her head. Kate linked her hands behind his neck. The hair there was the softest.

They stayed in that position for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only less than a minute. There were no words between them, just the silent messages in their eyes.

Kate was still on alert, and was beginning to worry again about Roy. She kept her ears open for any sounds of struggle or a gun shot. With her heightened sense of anxiety, she began to hyperventilate.

As if on cue, five shots rang out into the night.

Kate's eyes widened in horror, Rick's in anxiety. He had to keep her away, and to keep her quiet. He had a quick solution to that.

As Kate opened her mouth to scream, Castle crushed his lips onto hers. The detective's screams of anguish were now silenced and stopped. She tried to pull away, but Castle kept her mouth locked on his.

Eventually, Kate's defense fell as she eased halfway into the kiss. This caught Castle off guard, who was expecting to fight her until she would be silent, who was expecting her to reject him completely.

A sudden rush of emotion had them both clawing at each other, the kiss becoming demanding and passionate. The situation had been a powder-keg, which just received a spark.

When Kate broke for air, she was seeing stars. She was so disoriented that the next three shots seemed distant and far off. She buried her head in the crook of Rick's neck. He simply pulled her closer, knowing this closeness would keep her sane, for now.

Finally, as the post-kiss high was wearing off, the shots registered in the detective's brain. Was it Roy's or Lockwood's gun? Beckett coolly unlatched herself from Castle's grasp. The situation hit Kate like a freight train, that her captain might have been shot. As she started half-heartedly towards the hangar, the final shot was fired.

Castle did not stop her from running into the building, but followed close behind her.

Then Kate's resolve shattered yet again. The moment she opened the door, she saw the splay of lifeless bodies across the concrete.

"No!" She sobbed as she ran over to the body that mattered the most. Crying in grief, Beckett lightly touched the cheek of her loyal captain. She leaned her forehead down to touch his, her tears running down to his lifeless face.

Hiding his silent tears, Castle went back out the back door and pulled out his cell phone. The moment Esposito picked up, he did not let Castle talk.

"Yo, Castle! Have you heard from Beckett? We know who the third cop is, it's Montgomery. Where are you?" He managed to say in one breath.

Taking a deep breath, Rick said, "I… uh… I'm with Beckett. And Montgomery. Esposito, he's dead. He brought Kate out here to lure Lockwood. They… killed each other." The salty tears continued to trickle from his crystal blue eyes.

The line was silent for a full minute. A strangled voice, that sounded a lot like Ryan, asked. "Where are you guys?"

"The helicopter hangar."

And the call ended.

Castle could still hear the cries of Beckett in the building. He slowly opened the door and walked over to the love of his life crouching over the body of her mentor. Beckett was so lost in her thoughts that she barely felt the hand rubbing her back. An inner sense knew it was Rick.

"I'm so sorry, Kate." said the choking voice behind her. He sounded like he was in pain.

Kate quickly turned around to face the writer. "Why are you sorry?" Her voice was surprisingly calm.

And for one of the few times in Castle's life, he lost it. Endless sobs racked him senseless as he leaned against the bullet-ridden helicopter. With a broken cry, he exclaimed, "This is all my fault!"

The sight of the man she loved losing himself in front of her whipped her into action. She stood up and quickly ran to embrace him. He clung to her like she had done maybe minutes before.

"Hey, hey! Shhh… it's okay. What do you mean, this is your fault?"

Not looking into her eyes, Rick whispered. "If only… If only I hadn't shadowed you, opened your mother's case… this all wouldn't have happened!"

Kate looked at him incredulously. "No, no, no! Castle. Castle, look at me." He slowly turned his head to stare at her. Kate gathered herself together, and stated.

"None of this is your fault. Castle, Raglin would have found me anyway. Hal Lockwood would have tracked me down anyway. It is thanks to you that I am even alive, Rick. Please understand that you…" her eyes turned misty again. "…You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. This could never be your fault."

Rick pulled her into a tight embrace. It seemed like they could not get close enough to each other. They held one another until they saw and heard the blue and whites pulling up to the helicopter hangar.

Castle began to loosen his grip on the detective as Ryan and Esposito ran up to them. But before they did, they saw Roy Montgomery on the ground.

"Oh, God!" Esposito immediately broke down crying and shaking.

"Captain…" Kevin Ryan whispered, eyes watering. The sight was too much for them to take.

Castle and Beckett, still entangled in each other's arms, took the two shocked men into their embrace. The family stood there silently, mourning their mentor and their dear friend.

Not able to deal with the ME or the crime scene unit, Esposito and Ryan immediately left to go home.

Kate and Rick had to stay; they had to answer the routine crime scene questions. The assigned detectives tried their best to be sympathetic, but the two of them were broken on the inside. Every question seemed too personal, so they refused to answer with tears in their eyes. Finally, after the ordeal, they were given permission to leave the crime scene.

On the way to Castle's car, he pulled her to his side. He whispered softly in her ear. "Do you want to stay with me tonight?"

Sniffling and sighing, Beckett nodded. Josh was not in the country, and she did not want to go home to an empty house at a time like this.

Rick stopped them halfway to the car, and faced Kate suddenly. She gave him an inquisitive look. He simply leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Kate gripped his arms, and poured out her love for him in her response. They broke apart reluctantly, and slowly continued to the car.

Once on their way to Castle's apartment, Castle reached over to grab her hand on her lap. She took his hand and interlaced their fingers.

It had been a long night, and they deserved peace. At least for now.

TBC?

It's up to you, readers, if you want it to continue. I at least wanted to post this chapter for the fun of it. Believe me, I can write more. Please review and give me your feedback. Thank you very much!