A/N: I don't know what's wrong with me.
She watched in horror at the sight before her. She watched him crumple to the floor. The amazing father, son, partner, the 9-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush, and the man she loved was shot right in front of her, and she could not do anything about it.
She strained against the duct tape holding her back. She needed to be there urging him to stay with her. She needed to track down those sons of bitches that shot him and make them pay.
Only now did she think it was important to use her pocketknife. She fished it out and positioned it before she sliced upward. She did the same again to the tape holding back her legs until she was free from the chair.
She stood up, dropped the knife, and rushed to his side. She fell to her knees beside him when her legs couldn't support her anymore. She felt tears build in her eyes, and a few traveled down her face.
She closed her eyes and willed her tears to stop. She then reopened them with a mask over her emotions to fully assess the situation.
The lamp above his head provided a bit of light. His face has deathly pale, and his breathing was growing weaker. She willed herself to look down at his torso to find the wound. There was a large red stain in the white fabric of his shirt surrounding the middle of his chest. Her heart sank at the knowledge that the bullet was so near to his heart just like it was when she was shot at Montgomery's funeral.
She gingerly unbuttoned his shirt slightly and moved the stained cloth aside as if she was holding porcelain. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the angry torn skin so close to where his heart should be. Keeping her tears at bay, she carefully reached for a handkerchief in his jacket pocket and folded it into a neat square large enough to cover the wound. She then placed it over the wound, gently applying pressure to try to stop the bleeding.
She watched the once white piece of cloth turn red as it soaked up his blood. A shaky hand reached up to cradle his face. "Please be alright," she whispered, her voice cracking.
His eyes shot open and scanned his surroundings. His gaze fell on a figure hovering over him. He blinked a few times until his vision became clear.
Her hair was adorably mushed, and her eyes were a striking green. He almost smiled until he saw the tears traveling down her face. It pained him to see her cry, even more so since he was the cause of it.
He lifted his shaking right hand and whipped the tears before they fell off the side of her face. He cradled her cheek, and she leaned into his hand. He offered a weak smile and was pleased when he saw her do the same.
He tried to sit up but winced. Her heart broke again at seeing him in pain. She whispered soothing things into his ear and urged him to relax.
He gazed into her eyes and saw the worry, hurt, and…love. "Kate, I'm-I'm sorry," he managed to say. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault, Castle," she replied.
"Yes it is, Kate. It was my stupid need for answers that brought us here in the first place. I put us in danger, and nothing you can say will ever change that," he replied, putting the seriousness in his voice. "That need for answers solved this case, Rick. That need helped me find out who killed my mom, and for that, I am forever grateful," she replied, offering a smile.
"That need for answers got me shot and us in an abandoned warehouse in Europe where no one can hear us scream," he replied. "You getting shot is my fault. I should've seen him coming, and if I were a better cop, I would've," she said, looking down.
"Kate," he whispered, and when she didn't look up, he lifted her chin with his index finger until she was staring at him. "You are a good cop. I told you a long time ago that you don't give up. You don't back down, and that's what makes you extraordinary. I still mean every word," he said, pouring all his love into his words.
She offered a weak smile which he returned. He was glad to see her smile even when things weren't looking good. He stared into her eyes and silently told her that he loved her in that eye communication thing they do.
Kate heard an ambulance's siren not far off. It had been a while since he'd been shot, and he grew worse. He was hardly breathing, and his eyes fought to remain open. She felt his hand start to grow slack, and she visibly saw the life start to leave his body.
"Help is on the way. Just stay with me," she pleaded. "Kate, take care of Alexis for me, will you? Remember how you promised me during that mummy case? Make sure Mother doesn't destroy the loft," he managed to say with the little breath he had left.
"Rick, you're not going to die. I won't let you," she choked out. Tears were streaming down her face. He gave her a weak smile and pressed something into her palm.
She looked down and saw that it was a small black box. Her mind immediately thought what most people would, but he wouldn't… It isn't…
"I asked the manager at the jewelry store you went to yesterday to find out which one you liked the best. I was going to ask you on our anniversary, but under the circumstances, I thought it best to give it to you now," he said. "Rick…," she whispered, staring into his eyes.
"I love you, Katherine Houghton Beckett," he stated. She took a shaky breath before she said, "I love you too."
His smile could've lit the city. "We would've had a lovely wedding, Kate. We would've had it anywhere you wanted. You'd be wearing a white dress that took you an entire day to find, and I'd be startled when the preacher asks me to say my vows because I was too mesmerized by your eyes. We'd have a reception where the boys would get incredibly drunk and start singing. We'd go anywhere you'd want for our honeymoon and ignore the boys and Lanie's texts. We could've had a little one, boy or girl, or both if you wanted," he stated, his eyes imagining what he was saying.
"We will do everything you just imagined, Rick. You're going to live, we're gonna get married, and we're gonna make babies one day," she stated in all the seriousness she could manage. He laughed before it turned into a fit of coughing.
She heard paramedics behind her. "Kate, I love you, no matter what happens. Always," he whispered. "Rick," she whispered her voice barely audible. "Miss, we're going to have to ask you to step aside," a man said.
His mother and daughter arrived along with her dad, Lanie, Jenny, and the boys about an hour after they took him into surgery. She just stared at the wall holding a cup of coffee in her hands. The nurse briefed them on what happened, and she heard Alexis and Martha's hearts break.
She cradled Alexis as the young ginger cried on her shoulder. She had promised Rick that she'd take care of Alexis, and she wasn't going to break it. She'd slipped the ring he'd given her on her left ring finger shortly after she and the ambulance arrived. Lanie was the first to notice and the others expressed their congratulations. She couldn't hear them; she only thought of him.
Seven hours after they took him into surgery, the doctor finally came out. Kate was the first to stand, whipping away her tears and turned on Detective Kate Beckett mode. She noticed the blood on his scrubs and his somber expression. Her instincts told her something was wrong, but the blind hope of love caused her to ignore them.
"He died during the operation. We did everything we could. I'm sorry for your loss," he said.
Only a week later, she stood in front of a podium in her uniform for the second time in her career. He got a hero's funeral as anything else just didn't feel appropriate. She gazed at the crowd before she took a shaky breath before she began her eulogy.
"When I first met him, I thought he was a self-centered jackass, and I completely hated him. He annoyed the hell out of me, and I wanted him gone from the precinct.
"It was probably when he helped me find Dick Coonan that I finally fully accepted him as my partner. He offered to stop shadowing me since I had to shoot Coonan to save him, but I replied that I had gotten used to him pulling my pigtails and that he made my job a little more fun. I also threatened to shoot him if he told anyone." At this, everyone provided a small chuckle.
"He's saved my life more times than I can remember. If you'd asked him, he'd tell you the exact number since he keeps count. Twice he'd tried to warn me about my mother's case, but I was too driven by revenge to listen to him. Both times, I almost lost him until the second time I realized that it wasn't worth my life.
"We've been together for nearly a year now. They've been the best months I've ever lived since my mother died. We kept asking ourselves why we hadn't done this a long time ago."
"That's 'cause you two were so fucking blind that you couldn't see what was right in front of you," Lanie blurted out. Every chuckled and Kate managed a smile.
"For once, Dr. Parish is right. Rick is an amazing man, and he is important to each one of us for different reasons. Sure, he may be an annoying, egotistical, self-centered jackass sometimes, but he was an important part of our lives. Rick, if you're out there right now watching, I just wanted to say that I love you. Always," she concluded.
Not a single soul had dry eyes. Kate herself broke down just as she sat down. The preacher's words didn't reach her ears as she cried for the man she loved, her one-and-done.
It's raining as two figures walk through the deserted cemetery. They stop in front of one underneath a willow tree. The rain grows heavier, but they don't register it as they are wrapped in their little bubble.
Kate places flowers by the headstone. It's been a few years, but this is the first time she came with someone. She stepped back and gazed at the slab of granite.
"Is that daddy?" the little boy asked his mother. She nodded and gazed down at her son. He looked so much like his father that it was starting to scare her.
"His name was...Ri-chard Ed-gar Castle?" he asked, hoping he said his father's name correctly. At his mother's nod, he felt pleased.
"Mommy?" he asked moments later. "Yes, Kyle?" she asked. "What was daddy like?" he asked.
Kate smiled and gazed off into the distance. She could've sworn that she caught a glimpse of Richard Castle smiling back before he disappeared. She turned to her son and simply said, "Why don't we head home, and I'll tell you over a bowl of ice cream?"
The young boy nodded in agreement, and Kate took his small hand. As they were walking out, Kate felt eyes on her back. She turned and saw him smiling back at her. "I'm so proud of you, Kate. Our baby boy is perfect, and you're doing a great job. I love you, and I'll see you again someday." With those words, he was gone.