Chapter 7
Ok so this took a while, it was a mixture of school work, food poisoning and school camp. I know these last few chapters have taken a while and I apologise. Thanks for those people who continue to read my fic, and the reviews continue to help every chapter.
To say that they had nothing would be an understatement. Lockwood was in the wind, they had no luck in finding the third cop and the helicopter had still not been found. Beckett was staring at the murder board, hoping something would magically appear and this would all be over. "Beckett" Ryan yelled bringing her out of the trance she had gotten herself into. "What's up Ryan?" "They found it, they found the helicopter."
Beckett jumped out of her seat and rushed over to where Ryan was sitting, grabbed the note he held up, anticipating that she would ask for the address he wrote it on a yellow sticky note before she walked over, and rushed back to her desk to grab her coat. Castle noticing what was happening got up to and grabbed his coat and caught up to Beckett.
They arrived at the hanger not long after they left the precinct. Beckett and Castle exited the car and headed over to the helicopter that was in the hanger.
"Yours?" Castle asked motioning toward the bullet holes that breached the helicopter.
"Yeah."
"That smell. That's ahh-"
"Bleach in the cabin. They destroyed the DNA evidence.
Ryan and Espo walked toward them when they finished interviewing the mechanic. Ryan had a black pad in one hand and a pen in the other. "Mechanic says that the chopper must have been stolen before anyone had noticed it was missing," Ryan began. "He says that he wouldn't even know anybody used it if it weren't for the bullet holes," Espo finished.
"Who does the helicopter belong to," Castle asked.
"Hedge fund manager from upstate." Ryan replied checking his black pad to assure that he was right.
"Where is he now?" Beckett questioned
"Sailing in the Caribbean with his family." Ryan answered once again looking at the black pad
"Alright, check his background and the mechanic's and anybody else who works here." Beckett finished turning around and headed out the door of the hanger, toward her car, castle following behind her.
Castle sat in his car outside Beckett's apartment thinking about what he and Montgomery had talked about earlier that day, was he really the only one that could stop her and if he went up there now and old her to stop investigating her mother's case, the case that he got her to re-open after she specifically told him not to, how was she going to take it. The risk of her getting killed was too much to handle, so he reached for the handle of the car door, opened it, got out of his car and headed towards Beckett's apartment.
Castle stood there for a while thinking about what he was going to say and how he was going to convince her to give up the case that runs her life. He raised his left hand and left hand and gently knocked on her door 3 times.
"Castle, what are you doing here?" Beckett asked when she saw who was at the door.
"Can I come in?" castle replied more serious than he has been in a while.
"Yeah." Beckett replied motioning toward her couch.
"So, we went over all of Raglan and McCallister's old arrest records, and you were right, there was a third cop that was with them on a lot of those arrests. But, then someone went back into those reports and removed their name. So, Ryan and Esposito are right now looking into who was running the records room back then."
"Castle, you could have just called me and told me this over the phone."
"Well, yeah I… I thought that…"
"Castle if you've got something to say something, please just say it."
"Beckett, everyone associated with this case is dead, everyone. First your mom, then Raglan, then McCallister. You know they're coming for you next. "
"Montgomery has a protective detail on me. Wasn't that hard to spot."
"That's not going to be enough to stop Lockwood; you know that. Think about what they're up against. Professional killers? I-I've been working with you for three years; you know me. I'm the guy who says we can move that rubber tree plant. But you know what, Beckett? I don't think we're going to win this."
"Castle, they killed my mother. What do you want me to do here?"
"Walk away. They're going to kill you, Kate. And if you don't care about that, at least think about how that's going to affect the people that love you. You really want to put your dad through that? And what about us?"
"What about us Rick?"
"I don't want anything to happen to you Kate, I care about you."
"Yeah, well, last time I checked, it was my life, not your personal jungle gym. And for the past three years, I have been running around with the school's funniest kid, and it's not enough."
"You know what? This isn't about your mother's case anymore. This is about you needing a place to hide. Because you've been chasing this thing so long, you're afraid to find out who you are without it."
"You don't know me, Castle. You think you do, but you don't."
"I know you crawled inside your mother's case and I know you hide there and are afraid to come out."
"You know what castle, if you care about me as much as you say you do, you'll let me live my life how I want and stop intruding where you don't belong. If you can't live with that then just go."
Castle was hurt, he didn't mean for this to happen. Beckett was right it was her life and if she was going to throw it away, he wasn't going to stick around and watch so he grabbed his stuff and left the apartment slamming the door on the way out.
Castle was woken up by the sound of his phone; he jumped out of bed thinking it was Beckett. It wasn't.
"Montgomery, what is it? Is Kate alright?" Castle asked frantically.
"Yes she's fine; actually I need your help."
Castle sat in silence and listened to Montgomery explain how he was the third cop and what he was going to do to stop Lockwood and save Beckett.
"What do you need me to do?" Castle asks after Montgomery finished explaining the plan.
"Like I said before you're the only one who can stop Beckett. She is going to want to stay with me and fight Lockwood, I need you to drag her out when I give you the signal, she's not going to like it but at least she will be safe."
"What about you? He'll kill you."
"That's a price I will have to pay."
Castle hung up the phone, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water before going back to bed, tomorrow was going to be a trying day and he needed all the energy he could get.
Beckett walked into the hanger at the time she was given by Montgomery when he had messaged her earlier that day.
"Captain?" Beckett yells walking further into the hanger.
"Over here."
Beckett's phone buzzes, there's an incoming message from Espo. 'The third cop- it's Montgomery' the message reads and her heart stops, that's when Montgomery advances from the shadow holding a gun.
"Put the gun down Roy."
"Kate, I can't go to jail for this. I can't put my family through that."
"Why?"
"I was a rookie when it happened, Kate. McCallister and Raglan were heroes to me. I believed in what we were doing. We were just going to snatch Pulgatti that night. Bob Armen wasn't even supposed to be there. Armen reached for my gun. That's when I heard the shot. I didn't even know it was my gun that went off until Armen went down. Then McCallister pulled me into the van. I remember him saying,' it's okay, kid. It's not your fault. Happens in this town every day'. McCallister and Raglan tried to drown it. But not me. I put it all into the job, Kate. I became the best cop I could be. And then, when you walked into the 12th, I felt the hand of God. I knew he was giving me another chance, and I thought, 'If I could protect you the way I should've protected her.'"
"Did you kill my mom?"
"No but she died because of what we did that night, look Kate I bought you here to lure them, I need you to leave so I can end this an you will be safe."
"No! I'm not leaving you."
"Now castle!" Montgomery yelled and within seconds castle had Beckett in his arms and was dragging her out of the hanger. He lent her against the car and held her there. A few gun shots went off inside and when he knew it was safe castle let Beckett go. They both ran in to see everyone dead, Beckett ran over to Montgomery, lent over him and began to cry.
"Roy Montgomery taught me what it meant to be a cop. He taught me that we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes. Captain Montgomery once said to me that, for us there is no victory. There are only battles. And in the end, the best you could hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you're very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you. Our captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is... "Beckett is saying her eulogy at the captain's funeral and as castle looks out to the distance he spots a flash of light. It took him a while to process but without a second thought he jumps over and tackles Beckett to the ground just as a shot is taken.
"Kate!"
"I'm fine castle. Thank you." Beckett replies they sit up and lean against the podium. Beckett stared standing up only to be stopped by castle
"What if he's still here?" castle questions more of a statement then a question really.
"ok I'll wait for the all clear, thank you again for saving me, I know we said some hurtful things yesterday but I didn't mean any of them."
"I know, I didn't either."
"Castle?"
"Yeah."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Castle takes Beckett into his arms and passionately kisses her, the kiss didn't last long but when the separated they stayed in a hug, reassurance that they truly where sorry and loved each other.
I'm sorry for the wait, please review follow. I have the next chapter planned so hopefully it won't take as long for me to update. Sorry if this isn't the best writing it is late and was sort of a rush job.
