Hey look a new chapter :P Thank you for all of those who are reading this! Also a great thanks to Morgan aka pinktheatre for looking over this chapter. Hopefully you guys will like it and continue on with me!


7:00 AM

"Detective Beckett."

Gate's voice had Beckett blinking at her watch in wonder, "Sir." She tried to get her mind to work as she swirled in her chair to look at the captain. It was eerie how she was seated in the same position with her desk cluttered with evidence just like she had been almost a year ago the night Roy died. "I didn't realize it was morning."

"I can tell." Concerned, Gates scanned the mess that once was her desk, something of a shock since the detective always kept her area clean. It was also clear that Beckett had spent some part of the night crying as her hazel eyes were near bloodshot. "Everything all right Kate?"

Beckett opened her mouth to say yes, but thought better of it as she could tell the older woman was indeed worried. Gate had never addressed any of the squad by their given names. "No, sir it's not." As much as Beckett didn't want to involve the captain it was looking like she had no choice. "It's about my mother's case, Montgomery's death and my shooting."

Gate lifted one eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, "The three cases I told you to leave alone because we had no evidence?"

There was no real sting behind the woman's voice taking the detective by surprise. It was almost as if she already knew what was going on. "Castle talked to you, didn't he?"

"Can't say he was too pleased with the idea." Over the last nine months the writer and captain had trouble finding their ground around one another. Gates never did anything to hide or mask her disapproval of having Castle around at first, but in the last two months seem to be wavering. "He did, thought I have half a mind to lock him up."

"Half the mind? Figured you were just itching to find a reason to get rid of him." Beckett muttered then stiffened when she realized what she said. She had to remind herself once again that this wasn't Montgomery. "Sir."

Gates let her comment pass, "I've got some one after one of my own, I'll be damn if I just sit back and let it happen. We went to the Commissioner last night to get the go ahead to dig."

"Last night?"

"I am assuming after he left you judging by the state he was in." Gates couldn't recall ever seeing the wrtier so disheveled, even after he was huncuffed and facing down a hungry tiger. "He ran into Dr. Parish on the way out and told her what happened and that she might need you."

That explained how Lanie knew what happened. Beckett chewed on her bottom lips knowing that she owed the ME an apology for some of the things she said to her on the way out of the cemetery. "We don't know how far this goes." And that's what made this all so dangerous because they didn't know who they could trust. Didn't know who was on their team or playing against them. "We need to be prepared that this might open Pandora's Box and find ourselves pitted against those who thought it would be closed forever."

Gates leaned in, her gaze hot and heavy ready for the challenge. "We are going to take these people down. I don't care who they are or how much power they might have now. They're going to come down like a ton of bricks. You and I might not have gotten off on the right foot, but I'm your captain and I'm standing by you like I have all year. If you're going for blood, we'll go for the throat."

It took a moment for Beckett to work past the shock. "Thank you, Sir."

A smile graced the Captain's features as she pushed to her feet, "I understand your need for space, but Castle wants to be in on it too. I told him it was your choice."

Beckett never thought she'd see the day where Gates would be advocating on the writer's behalf. Sighing, she glanced at her phone that had been curiously silent for the past couple of hours. Castle had called her every five minutes and sent a text message in between intervals. "Thank you Captain." It was the first time Beckett used that title when talking to her. "I was going to wait until Ryan and Esposito got here before going through everything that's here. Between what Castle found and what I did I just hope that I'm not right. If I am things are going to get ugly."

"Good."

Beckett found herself blinking in amazement after the woman by what just happened. She figured the moment Gates learned of this she was going to be furious and demanded her shield and piece. It would appear that Beckett had misjudged the woman completely. Shaking her mind clear, she focused on the note pad before her and hoped that they could get this done quick and painlessly even though she knew the chances of that were slim. To soon her mind was drifting back to the empty space beside her desk. Without Castle in it the thing was just a raggedy piece of furniture. Her heart ached when she looked at her silent phone, the screen covered in notifications of miss calls, voice mail, and text messages. It was just another eerie similarity to a year ago. Beckett never thought with all they had been through the past year they'd end up back here. Back being at odds with her hell bent on trying to do this herself. The truth was she didn't want to do it that way. When she slapped the cuffs on these men she wanted Castle by her side because without him it wasn't worth it.

Slowly as the sounds of the morning shuffle began to dim around her Beckett realized why Castle had been hiding this, not that she was anywhere close to forgiving him for it. The names she had written down were not your normal every day people. For some reason when she heard the mixed voices of Ryan and Esposito a chill ran through her body leaving her full of dread. When Beckett turned around she found both men frowning with Gates just outside her office.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Guys?" Shaking, Beckett forced her weight on to her legs. Her heart was in her throat when she spoke again. "What's going on?"

Gates looked at her, the woman's dark eyes filled with worry. "It's Castle."

Her vision went back and she found herself gripping her desk for dear life. The boys were across the room in a heartbeat ready to catch her if her legs gave out like they wanted to. No! This couldn't be happening. This just was a very bad dream and soon she would wake up to find Castle sleeping next to her.

Ryan reached a hand out to steady her, "We're not sure. We think he's been kidnapped."

"Think?" Her mind began to race with images of a broken Castle bleeding out in some dark room. Or worse. "What do you mean think?"

"His office at the Old Haunt has been tossed and the alarm there had been tripped. I got the call just now." Gates calmly explained, "CSU is already on the scene-."

"I need to get down there. We need to be there to do this." Dazed, Beckett turned in search for her jacket only she couldn't get the message to her damn brain. It was too busy going through horrors of what could have happened to her partner. "Wait-No." She stopped and forced herself to focus. This wasn't the time to think with her heart. She had to be a cop first and a lover second because if Gates knew then she was off the case. Then her mind went to his family, her family, and knew that was where she was needed the most. The boys could handle the scene Beckett had to get to Alexis. "Has his family-Have Martha and Alexis been contacted? I need to tell them, I need to take care of them."

"No we just found out." Espositio whispered, "Beckett they found a good amount of blood at the scene."

At the news the female detective swayed and paled, "You two go down there. I have to get to the loft and tell Alexis." God how was she going to break this news to the teenager. Alexis just seemed to get her feet back on solid ground after her father nearly being killed in a bank robbery, not to mention nearly being eaten by a tiger, and this would just derail her completely. Beckett didn't want to see the horror in the girl's eyes or the fear.

"No Ryan I want you to drive Beckett." Gates' statement took the three detectives by surprise, but none of them objected. "Esposito get down to the scene and we will be there when we can. The clock is ticking and I'm not going to waste a second of it. When anyone gets something you call and we will get everyone running here."

"The case." The fucking case that seemed to taint every good thing in her life.

Gates frowned, "I know."

The two males exchanged confused looks as Ryan asked, "What case?"

Beckett was surprised that Castle had managed to keep the truth from them as well. "My mother's case. He has been investigating it on his own." She caught the expressions on the faces of disbelief, anger, and slight betrayal of being kept into the dark. It seemed they didn't like being kept in the dark anymore then she did. "We need keep whatever we find close to our chest."

"Agreed." Gate's voice was filled with rage, not at them but the situation. "I don't know where the leak is, but we have one. Now go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

8:00 AM

Castle awoke with a splitting headache and a throbbing pain in his side. As his eyes fluttered open, a groan rumbled in his throat at the throbbing it caused against his skull. How much did I drink? As soon as the question finished crossing his mind he remembered what happened. Men broke into his office at the Old Haunt and there was bang. Using what little light he had, Castle shifted in his chair, it letting out a groan of protest, to see a dark stain streaking his shirt and jeans. They bullet had grazed him as they said they didn't want him dead just yet. There was a struggle when he tried to fight them off, but two against one wasn't a fairfight and it didn't help he wasn't the best of fighters.

His brain was a bit fuzzy on what happened once he hit the floor with no intentions of getting back up. His face felt like it had been hit by a truck and he could feel something moist rolling down the side of this face and down his neck. Head wound check. His shifted in his chair to notice that it was made of metal and his legs from the calf down were taped, most likely with duck tape, to the legs of the chair. Trying to remember more, the writer swept his gaze around the dim room to try to figure out where the hell he was. There was a small amount of light getting through the grim of one window that was to his left. The floor was bare and covered in about an inch of dust, the walls were in a state of decay and there was no site of a door. He figured the chair he was bound to be about in the center of the room and well away from anything that could be useful for his escape. Castle shifted his arms that were handcuffed behind him and doubted he was going to be around long to even begin to think of an escape plan.

"You're awake."

The voice came from behind so Castle had to fight through the pain to wrench his head back the best he could to catch a glimpse of the door he missed. He could barely make out the figure until he stepped through the stream of light from the window, even then the features were masked in shadows. "You don't sound to please about that."

"Well my employer would rather have you dead but we ran into some complications. So I get the pleasure of keeping your around for a while longer."

The voice was rough and unfamiliar. "You're not going to get anything out of me."

With a soft chuckle, the figure bent to loom his face over the writer's, "You sound so sure of yourself there Mr. Castle."

Castle did everything he could to memorize every plane, dip, and scar of the man's face. "Because I am. I know what you want and you're not getting it."

"I am really good at my job and know how to press the right buttons." The figure shifted and Castle caught the glow of a cell phone.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

8:45 AM

"Stay out here." Beckett told Ryan just outside the door of Castle's loft needing to do this alone. The man wavered wanting to argue but sighed and then nodded. The moment she walked through the door Alexis was already halfway across the living room with a sigh of relieve only that sigh turned to a gasp when she realized it wasn't her father. Beckett saw the terror and her heart tightened in pain wanting to anything she could to take that look away. "Alexis."

"What happened?" The redhead demanded. "Dad didn't come home and I know something went down between you two."

Her years of training worked against her because she was suppose to remain emotionless and detached from the situation only there was no way Beckett could do that. The man she loved was kidnapped, possibly dead, and his daughter was looking at her for something she couldn't give her. Reassurance. "He's been kidnapped." There was a sharp intake of breath and Beckett had to reach out to stabalizw the teenager. "I want you to listen to me, okay. We are going to find him." The strength in her own voice surprised Beckett. "I promise."

'You can't promise." Tears streamed down Alexis' pale face, "He could be dead. He-."

"Alexis." Beckett gave her one hard shake, "Don't go there. He's alive and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him out. I know it's hard right now but you need to keep your head level. Can you do that for me?"

Alexis gave a silent nod.

"Okay." Beckett eased her grip a bit, "Where is your grandmother?"

"At the school."

"We're going to call her and then-." Beckett nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone she was reaching for came to life in her pocket. Gathering her wits, she pulled it to her ear, "Beckett."

"Kate."

"Rick." Relief poured out of her like a tidal wave and Beckett had to keep the teenager from snapping up the phone. "Thank god. Please tell me you're okay."

"I am for the most part." His voice was horse and strained with fear. "Listen to me please. Don't do anything please because it won't matter. They're going to kill me."

The detective's heart dropped straight into her stomach as his desperate voice filled her head. "No I'm going to find you. I'm going to-."

"Kate please." The writer pleaded with his muse, "If you come they will kill you."

"Don't do that." Tears burned the back of her throat but she refused to let them show as Alexis was watching her like a hawk. She was going to get him back because she couldn't let Alexis go through her life with the same pain she had. Castle shouldn't even be in this position in the first place. It was only because of her own selfish needs was Castle in the line of danger when he should have been home safely in his expansive loft. "I'm not done being mad at you Richard Castle, so I'm going to find you so I can finish that."

He let out a soft chuckle and the detective nearly broke at that, "Kate ta-."

A ruffling noise filled Beckett's ear as she figured the phone had been taken away from Castle and she waited for something to happen. For what felt like eternity the phone was silent, but the call was still going through.

"Detective Beckett."

The male's voice was deep and unfamiliar to her, "Yes."

"I don't think Mr. Castle likes it to much that I'm talking to you." There was humor in the man's voice as he talked. "Well he's not really going to like me all here in a few moments. You've got yourself a courageous partner here, Detective Beckett. He thinks I can't make him talk and he thinks he's prepared for torture. Such valor for a writer, I think he could almost pass for a cop."

"What do you want?" Beckett held Alexis at arm's length so she didn't hear the voice on the other end of the phone. What she couldn't do was keep her hands from trembling as she awaited her answer.

"What your partner here doesn't know is that there are other forms of torture then just physical." The man contained as if Beckett hadn't even spoken.

Beckett was surprised as she heard the phone being pressed back against Castle's ear, but it only lasted for a moment when something caught her eyes. Before she could even breathe, she dropped the phone and took Alexis down with her to the ground just as the first bullet flew the glass shattering it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Beckett!" His cry was met with the sound of bullets, shattering glass, and shouts. The writer strained to make them out through the chaos and swore in between Beckett calling out for Ryan he heard his daughter's scream. "Alexis!" Fear stopped his heart as he screamed his daughter's name over and over again. He fought against his restraints, ignoring his body's want to protest as he opened his wounds, desperately trying to free any part of himself. "You god damn bastard!"

The last thing Castle heard before he welcomed the blackness was the sound of gunfire and his daughter's scream.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Stay down." Beckett pushed the teenager back down in between her legs so she could use her own body as a shield. All around glass was shattering, bullets rippping through the air, and possessions where exploding. She felt a searing pain in her arm only to ignore it as she tried to get her mind to stop from shutting down. If she did that now than they were both dead and he only concern right now wasn't her own safety, but Alexis's.

"Beckett, you're a sitting duck!" Ryan shouted through the roar of gunfire from his potion behind the stairs. He had busted through the door and into hell, diving for cover but not before catching the edge of a bullet to the leg. "Beckett move."

Beckett hooked her arm around the teenager and nearly threw her into the kitchen, taking cover behind the island counter. She ignored the glass cutting into her skin as she kept Alexis covered from the continue on slaughter of bullets. Her blood was roaring in her ears from the adrenaline, "Ryan!"

"I'm good." He called back working the radio from his belt. Trying to keep calm he rattled off the address and the situation to dispatch before leaning out of cover to view the situation. The loft looked like a bomb had gone off as glass, stuffing, and other debris covered the hardwood floor. "I can't see anything."

Fuck! With her mind reeling, Beckett struggled to take in the situation around her. They were sitting ducks as the kitchen was the only safe place from the bullet storm. She was in no position to fire back and wouldn't risk her bullet going astray and hitting innocent bystanders. Waiting it out seemed like their only option. "Ryan you have to get out of here. Have the responding units surrounded the building and not use sirens."

"No way." Ryan replied, "I'm not leaving you two."

"I wasn't giving you an option." Beckett snapped There was a small break in the gun fire she assumed the gunmen needed to reload. She looked around her cover to lock eyes with the male detective. There was a grim look upon his boyish face, "Kevin this is your only chance. Go!"

"Where is Alexis?"

Torn from the memory of the morning events, Beckett turned around to see Martha struggling to make her way through the crowd of emergency personnel. The first thing she did once her mind stop reeling was call her father and Martha to warn them. To get them to get out of the city without telling anyone where they were going and to wait until they heard from either her or the boys. Cursing the woman for not following directions, Beckett stood to go only to have Alexis clasp onto her hand like a vise. "Your grandmother is here."

"Don't leave." Alexis begged her voice trembling with the fear that she wouldn't allow on her face. "Please not you too."

"Honey." Beckett sat back down on the edge the gurney and gently brushed the teenager's hair from her face. It was pale and held a few shallow scraps from the flying glass; it was also coated with absolute fear. Fear that Beckett had hoped never to see on the girls face after the whole bank situation. A morning that haunted her more than her own shooting because she had come to damn close to losing Castle and breaking her promise to Alexis."I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be ten feet away so I can get your grandmother through."

"No hospital." Alexis begged. She didn't want to be too far from Beckett because she needed to know everything that was going on. She needed to be reassured that everything was being done to find her father. Plus she knew with Beckett she was safe. The detective had proved that by throwing her body in front of her, using it as a shield to make sure no harm came. Alexis gaze flickered to the wound on her arm. Beckett had taken a bullet and bleed for her safety, so yes where ever Beckett was she knew there would be safety.

"I promise." Beckett gave the hand on last squeeze and climbed out the back of the ambulance calling to the uniforms that held a line to keep onlookers away. "Let her through."

Martha's gazed locked onto the detective's battered face as she flew through the crowd, "Kate." Gently as she could, Martha took Beckett by the shoulder to inspect for herself. Blood streaked down the woman's pale face from a good size cut just above the eye, her left check was bruised and her lower lip was busted. The sleeve of Beckett's torn white blouse was crimson, the wound on her arm still flowing as it had been left untreated. With a quick glance down, Martha noted she was favoring her right leg.

"I'm okay." Beckett answered before Martha could open her mouth. "Alexis is fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises from the glass."

"You're hurt."

"I'll get checked out once they get done with Alexis. And you!" Beckett dragged a bloody hand through her hair, "Were suppose to be half way out of the city by now."

"You expect me why two people I love were involved in a shootout?" Martha demanded her voice stern and left Beckett no room to put up an argument. "Any news on Richard?"

Beckett shook her head, "No. I'm sorry Martha and after this I have no clue what the hell we are dealing with. I just know that he's alive."

"It's all right." Martha assured, "Because I know you're going to find him."

Beckett wished she had as much faith as Martha did. These men, whoever they may be, were playing for keeps. They didn't care that they lit up Castle's loft in the broad daylight with no mind to innocent bystanders. "Go see Alexis." Once the woman was off, Beckett pushed her way through the scene to find Ryan. The last update she got was that two of the three shooters were down. She needed to know if they had at least one alive to drag answers out of.

"Beckett!" Ryan waved her over to the stop across the street where a paramedic was bandaging his leg.

"You okay?" Beckett asked dropping herself down beside him.

"Just a graze." Ryan took in her appearance but knew better then try to force medical attention on her. "How is Alexis?"

"Shaken and for the most part unharmed trying to put up a good front."

"Guess she's starting to take after you."

Beckett felt her lips tug at the thought, "What do you got?"

"I was able to corner them on the third floor on the fire escape before the first unit arrived. It looks like they left their gear up in the apartment so I'm guess it won't be any use to helping us ID whoever they are. We had to take two down." Ryan frowned at that wishing he had some type of good news for her, "And the last isn't saying a word."

"We'll see how long that last." Away from prying eyes, Beckett dropped her face into her torn hands needing a moment to collect herself. Seven minutes. That's how long the attack had lasted, though it felt like eternity. A measly four hundred and twenty seconds had taken nearly ten years off her life as each bullet ripped through the walls seeking to kill. The entire time Beckett braced herself for the searing pain to start. Prayed that she wouldn't hear Alexis scream an agony from being hit. Beckett knew the pain, bared the scar of being shot. She didn't want Alexis to have to carry that around. "God Alexis." The thought of losing the girl had fear gripping her heart so tight she couldn't find her breath. Blood or not that girl was hers and Beckett would fight to the death to keep her safe.

Ryan gently laid a hand on Beckett's shoulder, "We're going to get Castle back." He softly assured, "And we're going to make these bastards pay. They messed with the wrong family."


So Yes? No? Again thanks for reading this far!

Erin aka tonks32 tumblr)