A/N: Tonight's episode was amazing. Loved Stana's scene - she was on fire! I've never seen Beckett so bad-ass before. Anyways, seeing Castle and Beckett together and actually getting to feel out their dynamic as a couple I decided to update tonight. Hope you enjoy it!


Castle opened his eyes, feeling them peel apart with a small burning sensation. Looking over at Kate, he saw her tightly bound to a steel metal chair adjacent to him. She looked terrible; her normally well kept curls in knots, makeup dried in a runny mess on her cheeks and her clothing rumpled and bloodstained.

"Kate," Castle choked out.

She looked up at him, "Castle, I -"

Her words were cut off by a loud snapping noise. Kate screamed in pain, her head striking the back of the chair as electricity pounded through her veins.

"God, damn it!" Castle roared, throwing himself forward against his restraints and cursing every expletive he could think of. "Stop!"

Mercifully, the machine was turned off and Kate relaxed, her body slumping against the chair while her chest heaved.

"That was just a taste, Mr. Castle," the man smirked. "I'll have my fun, and if you two ruin my moment in any way…"

Castle's chair lit up and he arched his back against the jolt, clenching his teeth together and letting out a low growl.

A knock sounded in a far off room. The man looked up, and excused himself. "I'll be back in just a moment."

Kate turned to Castle, who was still recovering from the electricity's effects. "Castle, look at me. Please. Castle, please just look at me."

Castle focused his blurred vision until he was looking at Beckett. "Are you… ok?" he asked.

A tear slipped down Kate's cheek, "Yes, I'm fine." She cleared her throat as it wavered slightly, "Castle, we have to get out of here. Do you hear me? Is there any way you can break your bonds?"

"I tried but I'm stuck. Kate, he knows what he's doing. He's already had three test runs before he got to us."

"His victims weren't us, Castle. Come on, we've been in worse situations before this," Kate said, trying to elicit a smile.

Castle gave her a look, "No, I'm pretty sure this is the worst predicament we've ever found ourselves in."

Kate was silent for a moment. Castle examined her, taking her in and holding her in his mind's eye. He flash backed to some of his favourite memories. The way she looked the morning after they had first slept together. Her hair in a sexy, bed-head frizz and her body covered in one of his shirts. He remembered how easily her clothing fell off at his touch, and how she leaned into his kiss, their tongues finding each other in a passionate game of hide and seek.

"Kate," Castle started. "If we don't make it out of this, I want you to know that - "

"Don't start," Kate cut him off. "Don't give up on me, Castle. Not yet. We are not dead yet. Do you hear me? We are still breathing, and we are still alive. So just - don't."

"I love you," Castle whispered.

Kate looked up and found his eyes, "Please." A second tear slipped down her face. "Please, don't."


Ryan rapped on the door, watching as Esposito peered through the window.

"How'd you find this guy again?" Esposito asked, his face almost touching the paned glass.

"He was a witness in the first murder," Ryan answered.

"That's what we're going on? A witness as a potential suspect?" Javier raised his eyebrows.

Ryan turned towards Esposito, "Look, man. We don't have anything else to go on and this is day three. Castle and Beckett only have five more days and I sure as hell don't want to turn down any leads. Do you?" Ryan asked heatedly.

Esposito stared at his partner, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Besides, he looked... shifty." Ryan said, readjusting his weight on his left foot and turning back towards the door.

Music suddenly blared from inside the house, so loud that it shook the boards on the front steps whenever the bass sounded.

Esposito pounded on the door, "Police, open up."

The door swung open almost instantly. "Hello, officers," the man greeted.

Esposito took in his scruffy appearance. "Mr. Alexander Rippner?"

"The one and only."

"Would you mind turning that down please?" Esposito asked.

"Sorry, it's broken. I can't get the damn thing to turn down once it's on. What can I do for you?" Rippner said, directing the conversation away from the music drowning out any sound coming from inside the house.

Esposito frowned at the man's demeanor. He tried to look into the house through the doorway, but Rippner blocked it with his large frame.

"You were a witness in the case of Carson Polinski. We have a few more questions to ask you, if you'd like to come down to the station?" Ryan said.

"Sorry boys, I'm actually not available right now. I gave you all the information I had regarding the murder of that Polinski guy, and unless you have an arrest warrant, I'm not going anywhere with you," Rippner smiled. "You have a good day now."

Ryan flinched as the door slammed shut.

"Sorry, bro," Esposito said.

"He's got to have an overdue parking ticket or something we can grab him for," Ryan said.

"I thought you checked into him and said he was clean?" Esposito said.

"There's got to be something I missed." Ryan stared at the deserted area around him, "I guess all we can do is keep an eye on him for now."

"Hey, did you hear how he was blasting that music?"

"Are you joking me? It's still on," Ryan looked at his partner.

"Nobody has a stereo on that loud unless they're trying to hide something," Esposito said.

"Like screaming," Ryan suggested.

"Or cries for help," Esposito contributed.

The partners looked at each other before simultaneously whipping out their phones.

"Yes, I need a search warrant for an Alexander Rippner..."


A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it and please feel free to review!