A/N: Thank you for your feedback!

Disclaimer: Castle I do not own. Me want Castle and Beckett making babies!

Underneath the Wreckage

Chapter 3

Kate stared at the darkness out the window. The cloud of smoke and ash covered everything in sight. There was an eerie silence very uncharacteristic of New York, the 'city that never sleeps'. In a few seconds several sirens were heard, but they sounded so far away Kate barely took notice. She was rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle. She wasn't even breathing.

She finally a deep breath. The air was stuffy; dust and smoke entered from underneath the door. She coughed trying to get fresh air into her lungs.

Kate took a moment to observe her surroundings. A coffee shop, of all places. She was taking shelter in a coffee shop. At least she could live off only coffee; she has practically done it for a couple of years now. There were several booths and tables that were scattered in the small space. If it was any other day, she would find the red and white tablecloths charming, even homey. But today, they seem dull and haunted, like it was the last place in the world she would want to be.

A sudden pressure in her chest made it difficult to breathe. In that moment she realized Alexis was still clinging to her neck. The little girl was shaking in her arms, with her little skinny legs circling her hip, tightening her grip on Kate. One of Kate's hands brushed the girl's hair, in a gesture that was supposed to be soothing, reassuring. But at the touch, Alexis flinched and the gripped tighten.

"Hey," Kate whispered, trying to get her voice to sound strong, but instead it had a nervous tremble. "Hey, Alexis, we're okay. We're okay."

She trailed a hand trough Alexis' back, underneath the backpack Kate didn't notice she had. She eventually felt how the girl's breathing even out and tried to control her own. Kate's heart was racing, like never in her life, and she could feel Alexis' on her chest.

A hand came to touch her shoulder and she spun in one quick motion. Her wide and startled eyes met an older woman's. This was the woman that let them in, the woman who called out to her while she was running from the cloud of smoke that was now haunting the streets of New York, the woman that saved their lives.

"Dears, come. The kitchen is safer." She smiled at them and signaled behind the counter. Kate followed with Alexis still on her arms.

She was older, but not that much. Maybe mid-fifty. She had dark hair, with some white strands peeking out of a neatly done bun. She had piercing dark eyes and a soft smile. Her face was soft and calm in spite of the lines on her forehead that pointed out that she was concerned and nervous. But really, who wouldn't?

There were half a dozen people gathered around the kitchen. Kate couldn't focus on their faces, suddenly feeling dizzy and weak. The woman noticed and pulled a chair near them. Kate sat down with Alexis on her lap, her little face hidden on the crook of her neck.

Silence filled the room, until an older man came entered the room. He had the same calm and welcoming face, very similar to the woman's. Kate guessed they were related, and they worked around the kitchen in practiced harmony. Yeah, related or married most of their lives.

"Somebody hurt?" he asked. In his hands he had a first aid kit. He started taking care of a young man who had a scratch on his cheek.

"Hey, kid. You hurt?" She untangled Alexis' hands from her neck and pulled back to look at her. She had dark smudges on her porcelain face and her bright red hair was covered by a layer of dust, making her complexion dull and dreary. But her blue eyes were brighter and in a darker blue than Kate remembered.

Alexis stared at her for several seconds and then lowered her gaze. Kate inspected her face, arms and legs.

"You're okay. "

"Are we going to die?" Alexis asked in a voice so low it was barely audible.

A knot formed on Kate's throat. She didn't know how to respond and Alexis' voice was broken, and she knew how it felt to be broken.

"We're okay," she managed to repeat, unsure of what to say. "We're okay."

The older woman approached to them and offered a sweet smile.

"You need anything, Officer?"

"No, we're fine," Kate answered. She realized she was wearing her uniform. She felt she had to do something; establish order, take charge and lead them into safety. It was her job: in times of need was a police officer she had to be ready to take control. But how could she do that when she didn't feel safe at all. She didn't know what to do. They don't prepare you enough in the academy for this. But she needed to do something, anything.

"Can you take her?" she asked the woman. "I have to…"

"Sure," the woman interrupted.

Alexis tensed and her eyes opened wide. She began to shake her head and new tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey, Alexis. Don't cry. I'm not going anywhere. I just need to see if there's something I can do. Okay?"

"Please…" she pleaded. "Please, don't leave me."

Kate's felt as if her heart was being squeezed. The girl was so scared and was begging her not to go, not to leave her.

"I'm not leaving you, sweetie. I'm just going to do some police stuff. I'm not even leaving the coffee shop. I'm just going to look around." Alexis was still crying. "Hey, this nice woman…"

"Eliza," the woman clarified.

"Eliza is just going to take care of you for a few minutes. I promise I will be back soon."

Alexis gave her a sad nod and got off of Kate's lap. She accepted Eliza's hand and they both walked towards the kitchen sink.

"Let's get you cleaned up, sweetie." Alexis' eyes didn't leave Kate's, but she followed the other woman without a protest.

Kate stood up and headed out of the kitchen. There she felt her chest tighten and she couldn't breathe. She has never been so overwhelmed. Not even when her mother was killed. She tried to soothe the knot on her chest by pressing her hand on it and making small circles. Taking deep breaths she walked toward the glass windows where the gray cloud was still visible, covering everything outside. Kate could make out darker silhouettes moving through the darkness; people…people actually survived and were walking and breathing that smoke. Kate suddenly felt blessed for being where she was. In spite of everything she was safe and alive. She hadn't been grateful for being alive in years and feeling was making her relax.

She heard a static coming from under one of the tables: her two-way radio. She had no idea how it ended up in there. She ran towards it, bent down to grabbed it but the device slipping through her trembling fingers. Great moment to be clumsy, Kate.

She tried to get in touch with dispatch, but she only received static as an answer. She tried a second time, and a third and a fourth…

The sudden frustration of being unable to communicate with the precinct made her break. With an irritated yell, that was more of a grunt, she threw the radio and hit a wall, breaking into pieces in the process…Great, just perfect.

The outburst of anger didn't help improve her mood. Now she was frustrated because her only way to communicate with the precinct was scattered to pieces on the floor, and she completely oblivious of what was happening outside she felt more vulnerable than before.

She walked back to the kitchen, stretching her neck to the sides. She heard a loud crack and felt a little relieved from the tension that was building up on her body. The small group was gather around a radio, one of the men, dressed in a power suit, trying to get it to work.

All they heard was static.

Alexis was sitting on one of the counters, while Eliza cleaned her face with a damp cloth. She saw the relief in those big blue eyes as soon as she noticed Kate entering the room. As she approached them she could hear Eliza's soft voice.

"There you are. Now that we got that beautiful face all cleaned up, do you want some cookies?"

Alexis shook her head. "No, thank you."

The static that filled the room was replaced by a nervous commentator's voice. Everyone started at the radio as if the device was going to explode at any moment. No one moved, no one said anything.

"Today, two planes have crashed into the Twins Towers in Lower Manhattan. The first one, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the North Tower at approximately 8:45 this morning. The second one, United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the South Tower twenty minutes after. After an hour, the South Tower collapsed, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that covered Lower Manhattan."

"I feel like in a movie," the young man with the scratch on his face said. "I can't believe this is happening. This…"

"Shhhh," said the woman beside him.

"There is no estimate of casualties yet, but we can assume its thousands." The commentator's voice began breaking. "They are evacuating the North Tower and the surrounding buildings have been compromised."

Kate pressed her back to the wall behind her and let herself fall slowly to the floor. She sat there, dumbfounded, as the news of what was actually happening registered in her brain.

"We received information that twenty minutes before the South Tower collided, another plane crashed into the Pentagon."

There was a collective gasp. A younger woman was sobbing quietly, her face buried in her hands.

"We are under a terrorist attack. Citizens of the United States, we have to be strong. There is talk that a fourth plane has been hijacked and that is going towards the White House. President Bush…"

Alexis climbed down from the counter she was sitting on and ran towards Kate. She hesitated once she was standing in front of her. Kate knew what the girl wanted, so she opened her arms and the girl settled between her legs, hugging her tight. Kate had to admit she needed a hug too. She drowned the voice coming out of the radio and whispered soothing words into the girl's ears.

"I want my Daddy," cried Alexis into her chest.

"I know sweetie, I know."

The group gathered in the school's lobby was clearly upset. Several parents were asking, well, demanding to know where their kids were. Rick was one of them.

"Please stay calm," the director told them. "I've been trying to communicate with the group but the cell lines are not working."

Rick tried calling from his own cell, but the call didn't go through. From the window he could see the cloud dissipating, and a lonely tower still in flames. It was so bizarre, seeing just one, so odd. The cloud didn't expand to their block, but he could see the cars outside covered in a slick layer of light gray dust.

There was a television in a nearby office and everyone was watching in silence. They played in a loop how the tower fell; they played it from different angles.

Rick was aware of what was happening. But he was only thinking of Alexis and getting home.

Pacing around the lobby, he stared obsessively trough the window looking for any sign of that dammed yellow bus.

"They're here!" one of the mother's yelled and they all stampeded out the doors and into the sidewalk.

The bus' door opened and crying children ran towards their parents. Rick was looking for a red top of head, but couldn't find it. One of the teachers descended slowly the stairs, carrying a purple jacked he quickly recognized. The young woman was pale and trembling, streams of tears running through her face.

Rick couldn't talk, he couldn't move. He felt a chill run through his body and his knees weakened.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Castle," the woman said between sobs.

"Where is she?" was all he could say. "Where is she?"

"I'm so sorry. When the explosion…we got in the bus…" the woman couldn't talk, overwhelmed by her guilt. "I'm so sorry."

"Where is she?" he yelled, the heat of arising panic making his body react violently.

"The last time I saw her was when he got out in the World Trade Center."

That was all he could register. He stared at the remaining burning tower, ignoring the commotion around him. The young teacher nearly fainted; one of the parents helped her get inside. He felt someone touching his shoulder in a comforting gesture, but Rick didn't look who it was.

Alexis. World Trade Center. Alexis.

His little girl, his angel, his sole purpose of life was somewhere in that burning hell. She could be scared and alone. She could be hurt. She could be…He didn't even want to think it.

"No." He started taking small steps towards the street. "Alexis."

A loud rumble was heard in the distance, coming at them like a train at the subway station. Before he knew what was happening, several people were pulling him back inside. There was yelling and pushing and pulling.

"No, Alexis" He was struggling in the arms that held him. "Alexis!" he screamed from the top of his lungs, scarring his throat. "Alexis!"

He fought off the two men who were pulling him inside and held on to the school's gate. He was sure he was going to die now, his heart beating hard against his chest.

"ALEXIS!"

This is a dream. This has to be a nightmare. Please wake up, now.

With this mantra on his head, he saw as the second tower crumbled and disappeared from his sight.

"Alexis."

"Officer?" Alexis looked up to her, big eyes. She was now calm, they were both calmer.

"Kate. Call me Kate."

"How are we going to find my Daddy?"

"I'm a police officer. It's part my job to find people. When we get out of here we'll go to the station and start looking for him, okay?"

"You won't leave me?"

"Of course not. We'll find your dad."

Kate tightened the hug and pulled Alexis closer to her. There was something comforting in calming this little girl. She had never been good with kids, but she saw in Alexis a lot of herself. Lost, sad, grasping at the only hope in her life; pretty much how she's been living the last few years. But unlike herself, Alexis had someone looking after her. Kate vowed to get her safe into her father's arms.

The earth beneath them began to shake violently. Everyone screamed and took cover under the tables that were available in the kitchen. She crawled with Alexis in her arms to the nearest table, where Eliza and the older man were. They were holding hands and whispering. They were praying.

Kate was not a very religious person, but she pleaded to anyone willing to hear her to save their lives. Or at least to spare them from suffering a painful and tragic death.

She covered Alexis' little body with her own as the roar of the earth grew louder and nearer.

She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

Finally I can update! I spent the whole day trying to update. I was uploading the document last night when FF threw that tantrum. Reviews are ike food. Feed me, please! Let me know what you think of the story.