The Conversation

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: All theirs. Rating: M Time: After Castle and Beckett's argument in Always.

Authors note: I have always hated the end of the argument in Always. Of all the things that I think Castle would do, leaving Beckett when she's facing death is at the bottom of the list. That said, I'm not at all sure he'd do what I wrote below, but… Maybe Castle does have some problems?

"Well, I guess there's nothing I can say, is there? Um, okay…Yeah, you're right, Kate. It's your life. You can throw it away if you want, but I'm not gonna stick around and watch you, so this is, uh…over. I'm done."

Rick turned on his heel and walked towards the door.

Kate had to have the last word. "Fine, leave. That's what the class clowns always do."

Castle stopped short. Something snapped. Seriously snapped. "The class clown? You think all I do is comic relief? Fine, I'll show you something hilarious. You won't be able to stop laughing." He turned and strode towards Beckett.

"Get out of here, Castle! I don't need you and I don't want you around."

Beckett grabbed at him but was surprised when he lowered his shoulder and knocked her on her butt. He went past her and into her bedroom.

"Don't you dare go into my bedroom!" She screamed and went after him.

She stood in the doorway. "Castle, I'm warning you…" The words died in her mouth when he turned around. Her service pistol was in his hands. However, he was holding it with the muzzle towards him with his thumb hooked around the trigger.

"You're going to love this little bit of comedy, Beckett." He took a step towards her. "Do you know what your problem is? You always get to the deaths after they're all over. You've never gotten to see one actually happen. I did, though. I got to ride in the ambulance with you and watch you die. I got to see the life drain from you. I got to sit there praying while the medics worked on you." He took another step towards her. "Come on, Kate. You have a thing for death, don't you? You think about it. You live it. You immerse yourself in it. And my death should really excite you. How many times have you threatened to shoot me in the past? Isn't this the perfect end to our partnership? You shoot me and then go out into the world with a big bulls-eye on your back. And before you know it, we're both dead."

Beckett took two steps backwards into her living room again. As she always did, she suppressed any emotion so she could deal with the situation in front of her. Even so, a tiny portion of her mind was screaming. "Castle, put the gun down. You don't want to do this." She said as calmly as she could

Castle laughed. "Why not? It's not like you'll get into trouble. Gates will probably write you up for a commendation for killing me. But, wait. You'll be dead too. It's a win-win situation."

Castle took three steps towards her, she grabbed the butt of the weapon, but his hand closed over hers. He was trying to force her trigger finger onto the trigger. He pulled her towards him.

"There we go. We're aimed right at my heart. Hey, we can have matching scars. How about that. Come on, Beckett, all you have to do is put your finger on the trigger and pull."

Beckett managed to slide her other hand around the butt of her pistol and wedge her other trigger finger behind the trigger. She could feel the pressure of Castle's thumb moving the trigger ever so slightly.

"Castle, the gun is loaded, there's a round in the chamber and you took the safety off." Beckett tried to switch the safety on, but Castle's finger was over it and wouldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.

"What good is an unloaded gun, Beckett? Look, all you have to do is think of this as shooting an accessory for the Espresso machine. That's all I really am to you, isn't it? Something to bring you coffee every morning for years?"

"Rick, please. Put the gun down. You know that isn't right."

"Hey, what would I know? I'm just a ten year old on a sugar high. The funniest kind in the third grade. I have the attention span of a cocker spaniel, remember? I'm the problem you've been trying to get rid of for years. Now's your chance. Take it." Beckett could feel his thumb pressing down harder on the trigger. Castle's smile was so creepy, Beckett shuddered. "Don't you have some snotty remark to make? Hell, I've been putting up with them for four years now. Why stop now? Wouldn't you like to insult my intelligence? How about what I do for a living? Hey! How about my ex-wives? That's always good for a laugh. Or how about my sexuality? That's always good for a Beckett one liner."

"I'm sorry I ever said any of those things to you, Castle."

"Yeah. I can see your heart breaking from here. Just like mine did." Castle chuckled. "Isn't death your solution to all of your problems, Kate? It worked for Coonan and Lockwood. Of course it worked for your mom, the other three that Coonan killed. It worked for Montgomery. It'll work for us. No more wall. No more intrusive writer. Just a tombstone."

"I know what you're doing now. You're trying to get me mad by talking about my mother and Montgomery. It won't work." Kate lowered her voice. "Please, Rick. Let go of the gun."

"When you pry it from my cold, dead hands."

Castle braced himself and Beckett saw her opening. She snap kicked Castle in the groin. She felt his grip loosen and kicked again. And again. She tore the pistol from his hands as he sank to his knees, groaning in pain. Beckett slammed him down onto his face and straddled him. She pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed his hands behind him. "Stay down." She barked. She stood and ran to her bedroom. She grabbed her backup pistol and ran to her closet. Buried in the bottom was a gun safe she'd bought years before. She put both weapons inside and spun the combination lock.

When she walked back into her living room, Castle was on his knees. She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down onto his face. "I said stay down."

She stood there over him, dragging ragged breaths into her lungs. She could feel the adrenaline coursing in her veins.

She knelt by him. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Sure. I fell in love with Detective Kate Beckett. You can't get any crazier than that."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I am absolutely furious with you. What you did was unforgiveable. You had no right to make decisions about my life without even considering my wishes. You kept information from me that could help me catch my mother's killer." Kate felt a catch in her throat. "You did that because you loved me." She said quietly.

"I won't make that mistake again." Castle snarled. "How about letting me up and letting me go home. I'm sick of you, Beckett."

"We aren't done here."

"Go to hell, Detective."

Castle tried to lever himself up off the floor, but couldn't get any leverage with Beckett holding his shoulder down.

"So, your plan is to screw up my life and then walk out the door?"

"Your life was screwed up before I ever met you. You'll be screwed up for the rest of your short life." Castle kept trying to rise from the floor, but wasn't able.

"Okay, I was screwed up. You had nothing to do with that. But when we met, no all-powerful conspiracy was sending hit men after me. I had put my mother's murder behind me. You got her file. You gave my mom's file to Dr. Murray. That led us to Coonan. When I killed Coonan, to save you, by the way, they, whoever the hell they are, knew I was looking for my mom's killer again. Now they want me dead. In what fantasy world does that not make this your fault, Castle?"

Castle stopped trying to stand. Beckett waited and finally he spoke. "What the hell do you want me to do? Stand around and watch you die? I will not go through that again."

"What I expect is that we'll do what we always do. Tomorrow my partner and I will go to the 12th. We'll go over every scrap of evidence we have. We'll have Esposito and Ryan to help us. We will find this son of a bitch and we'll take him down, just like we always do. And when we're done, we'll both be alive, just like we always are. That is what I expect you to do, Castle. That is the absolute minimum I will accept from you after what you did to me. Do you understand that?"

"Where do you get your plans from, Beckett? Wile E. Coyote? My plans make more sense than that."

Beckett looked down at Castle, glad he couldn't see her face and the tears in her eyes. "You bastard." She said softly.

So, does everyone think his would be a good place to stop for a while?