A/N: And the wait is over! Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I wrote it in Venice, Italy (in case you were wondering =P). Special thanks to SciFiGirl65 for your continual support, I love getting your reviews :)

"You can't pull me off of this case, Sir," Kate protested.

"I can. And I will," Gates said coldly, "You and Mr. Castle are now possible targets, and there is no way you can stay objective with that information brought to light."

"Sir, with all due respect, I know this case better than anyone. Taking me off would be a mistake," Kate argued further.

"The decision has been made, Detective Beckett. Take a few days off, enjoy the vacation," Gates said, closing the file in front of her.

Kate stood for a moment, about to say something else, then decided against it. "Yes, sir."

Storming out of the office, Kate made her way over to her desk.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Castle asked, standing up from his seat.

"Gates pulled me off the case," Kate said shortly.

"She can do that? What about us?" Castle asked, no doubt thinking about the threats placed against them.

"We've already been assigned protective details," Kate sighed.

"Wait, does that mean," Castle looked around and lowered his voice, "We can't... You know?"

"No more spending the night. At least not until this case is finished," Kate said firmly.

Castle looked disappointed, "Can I at least take you out for dinner?"

Kate rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "We've gone for dinner before, Castle."

"I'll pick you up at eight?" Castle said, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

"Don't be late," Kate winked.

"So," Castle spoke over his steak and mashed potato dinner, "Do you want kids?"

Kate almost choked on the water she had just started drinking. "Wow, Castle. Don't beat around the bush."

"Well, we've been dating for a couple months, and it's kind of an important subject," Castle said defensively.

"Fair enough," Kate dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "I've always wanted kids... but I don't know. Being a cop is dangerous, and I would want to give my children a guarantee that I would come home for dinner every night. Right now, I can't do that."

Castle nodded thoughtfully, "But you do want them?"

Kate laughed, "Why, Castle? Do you?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "Alexis is going to college next month, and although I still look 25," he said jokingly, "I won't be young forever. Plus, Alexis has always wanted a little sister," Castle winked.

"Well, why don't we cross that bridge when we come to it?" Kate said with a smile.

"Right," Castle grinned. "However, I'm not sure how much fun a hormonal Kate Beckett would be..."

Kate chucked a small chunk of carrot at his face and laughed when it bounced off of his nose.

"Oh, it's on," Castle said, gearing up to return fire with a spoonful of potato.

"Hey, crazy. Not here," Kate said, gesturing to the other diners who were making continual, judging glances at their table.

Castle lowered the spoon and mouthed, "This isn't over."

Kate winked daringly, then turned away to ask the waiter for the bill.

"Alexis and I used to have food fights every Friday night. I've got some homemade mini catapults in the back closet we can use..." Castle was silenced by Kate's finger gently touching his lips.

"I was thinking we could stick to whipped cream," Kate whispered.

Castle's heart skipped a beat, his mouth drying up. "Cherries too?"

Kate shrugged, the waiter having arrived. "If you insist."

Castle took the bill, never taking his eyes off of the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Let me get it, Castle," Kate broke the moment.

"Excuse me, but I am a gentleman. Letting you pay would forever scar my chivalrous record," Castle said dashingly.

"Alright, Prince Charming," Kate grinned.

"Well that was great, thank you, Castle," Kate said as the pair walked towards his apartment.

"Always," Castle smiled.

Kate looked up at the stone brick walls on either side of them in the dark alley they had taken to avoid the knowing stares of the cops acting as their details. She wondered what it would be like to have a life with Richard Castle, the man she had grown to love. In the middle of her musings of houses, white picket fences and children - all things she never thought she would actually have - Kate heard a loud bang, and whipped around to see Castle lying on the ground, a man wielding the butt end of a crowbar standing above him.

Kate instantly adopted a defensive pose, wishing for the gun normally strapped to her hip.

The masked figure was taller than her, about 6'2 and standing with 190 pounds of pure muscle. He turned the crowbar around in his hands so the pronged end was facing her.

He swung the crowbar, but Kate anticipated it, ducking down and using the man's lack of balance to sweep him off of his feet. He landed with a loud thud, and Kate jumped on top of him, trying to pry the crowbar out of his grip while he lay stunned on the ground.

The man regained his senses faster than Kate expected. He swung the crowbar again, this time its teeth catching her lip, ripping it open.

Kate gasped, the pain immense. Blood instantly poured out of the wound and spattered onto the ground.

The man grabbed onto Kate, pulling her up by her throat and throwing her up against the building's wall behind her. Squeezing her neck, the man smiled as the lack of air began to affect the woman in front of him.

Kate tried to shake off the black spots that were quickly clouding her vision. Everything was fading, the noise of the city lowering to a distant hum. Refusing to lose, Kate jerked her knee upwards into the man's groin. He lost his grip and she instantly sucked in mouthfuls of air, coughing and gasping as the oxygen rushed back into her lungs.

The man stood up and backhanded Kate's cheek, hard.

Tears welled up in her eyes; more from shock than pain. The water broke loose from the confines of her tear ducts when the crowbar returned to smash into her hand, instantly mangling it. Kate grunted and fell to the ground when the man threw his knee into her stomach.

Her entire body in unbelievable pain, Kate looked over at Castle who was a mere four feet from where she lay on the ground. The thoughts of a child flashed through her mind again, before the man brought the pronged end of the crowbar down on her skull and her consciousness ceased to exist.

A/N: Duh. Duh. Duh... Feel free to let me know what you think, it's great to get a hello from my readers! Next 2 chapters are in the works, I'll update in a few days. Thanks everyone!