Chapter 7:
She has to bribe him, promise to spend the afternoon resting until Ryan and Espo come to pick them up sometime tonight, for him to agree to go out and look around the village to pass the time.
Being inside that tiny little room all day has been making her antsy, and she's eager to move her healing limbs and get a breath of fresh air in the summer sun outside. Castle's still worried about her, she can tell by the way he's been watching her every movement with a hawk-like gaze, and it's things like this that make her regret showing him how vulnerable she feels at the moment. She doesn't want him to see her as the woman who flinches at loud noises, who has a breakdown on the phone with him and at any memory of the day she was shot.
It's the main reason she never wanted him to see any of this in the first place; she wants him to see her as the Beckett he knows and…loves.
She stutters in a breath, ducking her chin to hide behind her hair, the unruly curls dry now in the warmth of the summer air. He still doesn't know that she remembers every single moment from that day, especially his confession, and she can't help worrying about his reaction if he ever finds out.
"Do you know this place very well?" Castle asks, snapping her away from her thoughts as he scans the village square before him, and she can tell he's observing the locals and tourists around them, picking up fodder for his novels.
His novels. Nikki Heat. She's going to have to ask him about that.
She shrugs, scuffing her shoe against the cobblestone path beneath them. It's pretty uneven, and she's nearly tripped over it twice already. "Not really, I haven't been here since I was pretty young."
He nods at her, scrunching the empty paper bag in his fist, dropping it into a trashcan they pass before he wipes his hands on his jeans. They'd stopped at a bakery for a snack, not being able to resist the delicious smell of cinnamon and fresh bread, and she couldn't help but smile when he handed her a bear claw. Just like old times.
Speaking of which…
"Castle," she says, swallowing a mouthful of the pastry while she waits for him to turn to her, take his eyes off the group of kids throwing coins in the fountain towards the middle of the square. "What's happening with Nikki Heat?"
He sighs, shoving his hands inside his pockets, keeping stride next to her. "I managed to finish Heat Rises," he explains, and she feels the surge of excitement at the words. She'd wanted to read it, desperately wanted to read it, but she didn't know how to reach out to him and ask for a copy without completely disregarding her need for space. "I actually brought an early copy for you, but it's still at your dad's cabin."
She feels her shoulders droop at the words. Her father's cabin; all shot up and completely dangerous for them right now. Another safe haven that's been tainted by the stain of her mother's case.
"Do you think we'll be able to go back?" she hears him ask, and she looks up at him, sees the regret shining back at her. He still feels responsible for all of this, doesn't he?
"Eventually," she reassures him, trying to pull a smile up on her lips. "But obviously it won't be safe until CSU goes through it and we know for sure those guys aren't going to come back."
He nods thoughtfully, and she can see the guilt he's trying to hold back, slowly draining him.
Enough of that.
"Hey," she nudges his arm, pulling him to a stop. "Stop blaming yourself, Castle. None of this is your fault and you really need to start believing that."
"Kate, they followed me out here," he sighs, running a hand down his face tiredly, the exhaustion of the past couple of days, or maybe even months, starting to weigh him down. "If it weren't for me, they never would have come for you."
She shakes her head, moving towards him and gripping his arm, their height difference causing her head to tilt up so she can look directly at him. "If it weren't for you, I would be dead."
His eyes widen from the shock of her words, the direct bluntness of her mentioning her own mortality clearly getting to him. But he needs to understand this. "You're the one who carried me out of that hangar to save me, Castle. You're the one who tried to jump in front of a bullet for me, and you're the one who managed to get us away from those gunmen. You've saved me a dozen times before that, in more ways than you can imagine, so don't you dare blame yourself for this when you're the reason I'm standing here right now."
They're both pretty silent as they continue walking through the village, letting the warmth of the sun beam down on them, and Beckett fights to ignore the twitching ache, ever present on her side. Any loud noises still startle her, but she's managing to keep her reaction to just little flinches, trying not to alert Castle and worry him more.
The vast variety of stores here are astounding, and she can't believe she's never spent more time here over the past summers. Little homemade jewellery stores, an entire shop dedicated to selling local fruit and honey, but it's the antique store just ahead of them that catches her eye.
"Oh, Castle," she hums, touching his arm lightly. He's looking calmer, a little lighter now that she's set him straight about his guilt. "Look at this."
He tilts his head, following her gaze towards the glass window, and they both squint against the reflection of the sun, trying to look into the store. Even from here they can see that it's full of little trinkets, decorative ornaments from all over the world. How has she never been here?
"Can we go in?" she asks, already moving towards the door. She's feeling pretty rough, but she can hang on for a little while longer.
"Beckett, you should be resting," he sighs, but still follows her anyway. "We weren't supposed to be out this long."
She ignores him and leans against the door, opening it as she tries not to wince at the pull in her muscles. It'll be okay for now, then she'll indulge Castle's paranoia and go back to the room.
A musty old smell fills her nose as she steps inside, the play of light shining through the large windows making the store feel warm, sunshine reflecting off the antiques in a gold aura. She breathes it in, relishing the comforting feel of the place, and she looks around, scanning the shelves of vases and bowls, little animal figurines with tribal patterns decorating them.
The ring of the bell attached to the door signals her to Castle following her inside, and she turns to face him, grinning.
"See," she waves her arm at the room as she watches him glance around the shop himself. "This place is great. We don't have to stay long; let's just look around a little."
"Okay, fine," he relents, giving her a half smile. "This is pretty awesome."
"I love finding stores like this," she nods, motioning him to follow her as she starts down one of the aisles, the dark wood of the shelves filled with miniature ornaments that look like they're mostly made out of ceramic, all different shapes, sizes and colours. "So much history and culture all in one place."
He follows her as she examines each shelf, taking in every item from the little dolphin figurines to the large two-toned vase that's covered with hand-painted cherry blossoms, the flowers twirling up and around as they reach the neck. The owner greets them as they pass the counter, before disappearing towards a storage room in the back, welcoming them to look around the room next door as well.
Castle finds himself enamoured with a wooden elephant, small enough to fit in his palm. It's next to some others that look as though they might have actually been made from fruit, and she tells him how her nonna once brought her back a pair of maracas created from fruit after a vacation in Jamaica. She likes this one too though, and runs her fingernail through the line of carvings on its side, the swirled patterns etched delicately in the wood.
He doesn't put it back, just cradles it in his hand as they continue looking around, and they eventually make their way to the back of the store.
"Did the owner say we can go in there?" Castle points towards the open door leading to the connecting room at the back, the large glass of the windows causing the midday sun to shine brightly over the more sparsely decorated area.
"I don't see why not," she shrugs, eyeing the room eagerly. "Might as well have a quick look."
They slip inside, eyeing the larger antiques spread out over the space, the huge bay windows throwing natural light over the room. Castle moves ahead of her, already distracted by the rows of antique guns inside the glass cases in the centre, the polished brown wood of the floor glaring brightly in the sun.
"Beckett, check this out," he calls over to her, leaning over the glass to get a better look. "These are so cool. They're like the guns from that case we worked last year."
She comes up behind him slowly as she eyes the large windows spanning the entire left side of the room, looking out onto the trees and shrubs in the surrounding garden. It looks gorgeous, but she can't help feeling ridiculously exposed here, and she finds herself surreptitiously circling the scar under her shirt with her index finger, clutching her palm to her chest.
Attempting to distract herself, she leans over his shoulder, eyeing the gun collection before them, laid down carefully on the red cushioning inside the cases. They all look more like works of art than weapons, obviously detailed and crafted by hard-working hands, but she sees a small note attached to the case. Squinting her eyes slightly, she leans closer towards it to read the letters explaining that the barrels have been modified for everyday use.
The glint of the sun shining off one of the larger vases beside her catches her eye, and she swings towards it, the material of her oversized t-shirt flaring out around her. Castle's babbling on about something to do with lead balls from beside her, still looking inside the cases, but she can't hear him, his voice sounding distant and tinny inside her head all of a sudden.
Another flash in the corner of her eye, and she gasps, spinning to face it, her heart rate elevating inside her chest, the sound of blood starting to rush through her ears. She's trembling, she realises suddenly, and she can feel Castle's hand on her shoulder, firm and grounding, sounding as though he's speaking through a pillow at her.
Her eyes can't seem to focus, and all she can take in right now is the glints of light reminding her of a sniper's scope, the furious ponding of her heart beneath her aching sternum.
"Beckett?" she hears, but his voiced is muffled, sounding distant and she stares up at the looming windows before her. "Kate, what's wrong?"
She sees it then. The lone figure appearing out from behind the green shrubs lining the outside of the window, the slight raise of a long object in his hands.
Reacting by instinct, she throws herself behind the case of guns, dragging Castle down with her, just seconds before a spray of bullets shatter through the windows with a fantastic smash.
"Holy fuck," Castle huffs out from next to her, the both of them crouched down behind their makeshift shields of cases. "Talk about 'A Hail of Bullets'."
"Castle," she groans, trying to ignore the phantom sting in her chest. "I don't care how bad the situation is, you have no excuse for making a pun that terrible."
The sound of rapid fire assaults their ears again, and they both huddle behind the case, shielding themselves from the shards of glass falling above them. Beckett doesn't think there's more than one shooter, but she's certainly not going to be getting close enough to find out.
Once the shooting ceases for a moment, the guy realising that they've hidden, Castle shifts himself so that he can get his feet underneath him, crouching down low before he takes a quick look over the shattered glass above them.
"We just cannot catch a break, can we?" He says once he's ducked down again, more shooting sounding now, likely in response to the sight of his head.
"See anything?" she gasps, trying desperately to control her breathing, not flinch like she's being hit every time she hears a shot go off. She has her back to the case, staring at the wall behind them, now marred with bullet holes. That had nearly been them.
He shakes his head, shuffling himself closer towards her. She feels the warmth of his arm around her, shaking her slightly, and she realises that she's gone into a kind of daze.
"Stay with me, Beckett," he says, squeezing her shoulder as he stares at her meaningfully, pleading with her. "Don't disappear; I need my partner."
She stares up at him, body still shaking slightly, but she grits her teeth and nods at him, determination flooding through her veins as it mixes with the rush of adrenaline. Mimicking his positon, she turns around and crouches before the case, the protective glass shattered into jagged pieces now.
Eyeing the antique guns still lying inside, the lead bullets nestled in the cushions beside them, she's suddenly struck with a thought.
"Castle," she says, grabbing hold of his sleeve as she tugs him back down, out of the range of their shooter. "I have an idea."
He turns towards her eagerly, his complete and utter trust in her open to see in his expression.
She lifts a hand up slightly, motioning to the inside of the case. "We need to load one of these guns," she explains in between the heavy breaths aching from her lungs. "It should distract him long enough for us to get away from the windows. Besides, if he sees us firing back, that we're armed in some way, he might just give up. He's already missed us, and the owner is only in the other room, so he'll have heard all this and called the cops by now anyway."
His eyes light up, and he cups the side of her face suddenly. For a terrifying moment, she thinks he's going to kiss her, but he only pulls her forward, smacks his lips to the top of her head, before reaching up to slide one of the antique guns down.
She's not sure whether she's relieved or disappointed.
Castle fumbles, trying to load the lead balls into the modified barrel of the gun, and she mentally shakes herself, leaning over to take it from him. She tries to still her own trembling hands, and eventually manages to load the bullets. Not trusting herself to fire a weapon right now, she hands it back to him.
He stares down at the firearm, confused. Glancing up at her in question, she gives him a wave of her hands. "Don't worry about aiming," she tells him, voiced hushed. "Just give 'em a warning."
Tightening his jaw, he nods at her, shifting on his knees as he braces himself over the edge of the case. She has a few seconds to steady herself, prepare for the jarring sound before he fires, but it still shocks her, the noise echoing loudly inside her head long after he's shot.
His hand grips onto her shoulder tightly as he throws the gun to the side, pushing her forwards and urging her to get moving. Shaking away the rising levels of anxiety clouding her mind and fuelled by adrenaline, she ignores the screaming ache in her side as she gets up and crouches, taking the opportunity to run for cover.
Whistles of bullets zip through the air around them as they weave through the display cases, and she keeps a hand clasped tightly around Castle's as she drags him along behind her. She gasps when she feels the burst of air from one of the bullets brush the back of her head, only a hairsbreadth away from driving right through her.
Making it behind another display case, this one larger and angled away from the towering windows to providing slightly more cover, they throw themselves down.
They sit there, still and silent, as they wait for the inevitable retaliation when the shooter realises he's running out of time. With their backs to the wood of the case, they stare at one another, breathing heavily with panic and she can still feel the adrenaline pumping harshly through her veins. Her senses are heightened, aware of every crush of glass, the play of shadows on the wall in front of them, and she can't quite seem to still her shaking hands.
Castle nudges himself closer to her, sliding over so that their shoulders press against one another, and she's glad to have the stability of his solid form next to her, the heat of him a comforting presence by her side.
More shots ring out when the guy's reloaded his clip, and it sounds closer this time. Crouching forward as an automatic reaction, she shields herself from the bullets smashing antiques to pieces around them, a rain of glass and ceramic showering over them, and she winces at the scratches as the fall on her.
A sold weight is pressed against her back, and it only takes a glance at the strong arms surrounding her to let her know Castle's using himself to shield her. She's about to push him off, yell at him for protecting her over himself again, when the blare of sirens reach her eardrums.
"It's about time," she hears him sigh once the shooting has finally ceased, replaced by the screech of tyres just outside the windows as the gunmen makes his escape, and he carefully moves off her. "Are you alright?"
She nods warily, pieces of debris and dust falling from her shoulders, and she can't help but wince as she sits up. The pull of her muscles are tight, strained again, letting her know that she's going to need a heavy dose of pain meds and a long sleep once they finally get back to safety.
Turning to look at him, she brushes off the larger pieces still littering her shoulders and back, when she notices the streak of red marring the side of his face, just over the bruise that's still trying to heal.
"Castle," she gasps, reaching out, before she catches herself at the last second. "Your face."
He narrows his eyes, reaching a tentative hand up to inspect the graze, face twisting when he finds the place where a shard of glass must have caught him. Looking back up, he stares at her, face blank.
"Do I still look pretty?"
She barks out a startled laugh, leaning closer to slap him lightly on the arm. Her breath is still being dragged out of her, shallow gasps that can't quite reach her lungs, and her side and chest are aching with pulsing throbs, yet he still manages to make her laugh. Even when hired gunmen are on the hunt to take her out, he's making sure she's smiling.
"You look just as ruggedly handsome as ever, Castle."
He grins at her, eyes crinkling at the corners as they shine a bright blue towards her. Butterflies erupt in her stomach at the sight of the jovial writer she's been missing, peeking out from behind the shadow he's cloaked himself with, a strange sensation overcoming her suddenly.
She wants to kiss him.
Blinking, she's startled by the though, but she can't deny it. She wants to lean forward, cup his face in her palms, wipe the blood and dust away with her thumbs as she stares into the blue eyes that haunt her dreams, lean forward and claim his lips with her own.
She sways towards him, and they're so close that she can feel his breath dusting her face. Opening her mouth, she's about to say something, she has no idea what, when a sudden clatter of noise signals the arrival of police officers around them, checking the area and making sure they're both okay.
She inhales a long breath as one of the officers takes her to the side to give her a once over, and she realises with a sudden clarity the implications of what she was about to do, the fog of the moment having cleared. He doesn't even know that she remembers what he said, and she almost kissed him.
Castle chooses that moment to come over to her, giving her a lopsided smile that has her insides twisting. He holds his hand out to her, and she tilts her head in confusion.
"I'm going to donate some money to the owner to help replace all this," he shrugs, before opening his fist to show her the little wooden elephant he'd found for her earlier. "And, I managed to hang onto this little guy for you."
She closes her eyes, chuckling softly as she hangs her head, tears springing to her eyes. "Thank you," she hums, glancing back up at him from under her eyelashes.
"Now, can we finally head back now?"
She takes a breath, nodding at him as she takes the elephant in her own hand, stroking the delicate curve of its trunk with her finger. "Let's go, Castle."
A/N: The response to the last chapter was so overwhelming, and I'm so glad that people are enjoying this little story of mine.
Once again, thank you all so much for your support, and I want to express my gratitude to anonymous reviewers, because unfortunately I can't thank you individually for your lovely comments.
Also, apologies for any mistakes I might have missed while editing this. Hope you like it!
