The usual disclaimers apply: I'm not making any money off of this, Castle belongs to ABC and Andrew Marlowe, and any similarities to real people or places are strictly a coincidence.

Author's notes are at the bottom. Please enjoy!


The Spellbound Affair

Chapter Nine


Kate Beckett was the third to the lobby of Castle's posh building. Martha, of course, had been first and the numerous police officers, belonging to the cruisers outside, also loitered about the lobby. She had counted three marked cars, all with their blue and reds flashing, when she walked up to the building from the direction of the nearest subway stop.

The aging actress marked her quickly and waved her over. Beckett didn't hesitate to join Martha, who energetically described the state of the loft. Beckett surmised that there must already be some uniforms upstairs, clearing the loft before the rest of the officers and robbery detectives headed up. According to Martha, she had noticed that the apartment had been tossed the second she opened the front door. Furniture had been knocked over, papers were strewn about, and no small amount of broken glass and ceramic littered the floor. Beckett sincerely hoped that nothing of truly great value had been broken but knowing the family like she did, any loss would be mourned.

"Did you notice anything missing?" asked Beckett when Martha finally paused to regain her breath.

"I didn't even look. As soon as I saw the mess I called Richard. I followed his sage advice and came back down here to call the police."

"Ma'am, they should be finished shortly and we can look around to see if anything is missing." A uniformed officer stood politely a few feet away with his radio in hand.

"Sure, sure." Martha waved her hand flippantly near the side of her head. "I'll be over there." She started walking towards the set of glass doors that would gain her access to the busy sidewalk. Beckett followed her, guessing that the older woman needed company more than Beckett needed to sate her desire to investigate.

People had started to gather and gawk, whispering amongst themselves about what had drawn out the NYPD in such numbers. Beckett found herself wondering the same thing but then realized that the local precinct would be aware that it had been Richard Castle's apartment ransacked. It would also know about the writer's close friendship with the mayor. In order to escape the crowd, the two ambled down the street until they were beyond the double parked police cruisers and most of the pedestrians.

A yellow taxi screeched to a halt in the middle of the street a few yards behind them. Beckett whipped around to find the reason. A few seconds later, the passenger side rear door flew open, allowing a small blond boy and his slightly taller Hispanic companion to slip out. The detective realized that Castle must have noticed his girlfriend and mother on the sidewalk and requested the last second stop.

"Hey, boys," she greeted. The two miniaturized detectives hurried over to them, slipping easily between the parked cars.

"Hi, Beckett," replied Kevin. Javier offered her a brief head nod before asking after Martha's well-being.

"I've been better, darling, but don't think I haven't handled much, much worse. Thank goodness no one was home when that conniving thief snuck it and made a mess of everything," said Martha. Beckett finally saw Castle emerge from the taxi. He slammed the door shut and tapped the roof twice in farewell. He approached the waiting group briskly.

"Mother, are you all right?"

"Yes, I was just telling Javier that this is barely worth fretting about." Beckett feared to see what the woman was like when something was worth fretting over. She seemed shaken enough to the detective. "Come here, boys, tell me about your afternoon." Martha motioned for Beckett's colleagues to join her on the grassy side of the walk. Castle and Beckett hovered near the curb.

"Have you had a look yet?" asked Castle.

"No, I've only been here long enough to meet your mother and walk down this way," replied Beckett. "They weren't done clearing the loft yet. Maybe they're done now."

"Let's walk back." Beckett nodded. She slipped her hand into Castle's as they started back up the street. Martha and the boys followed a few steps behind them. Since Castle was uncharacteristically quiet - though probably not for one who'd just suffered a home invasion - she listened in on the enthusiastic description Javier was giving Martha about how much further he'd catapulted himself from a swing set than his partner. Kevin insisted that Javier was spinning yarns and that he had actually landed furthest out. Beckett smiled faintly, her eyes growing watery, as she listened to the high pitched child voices. She imagined that their good humor would sour rapidly after she relayed what she'd learned from Randy Bellefonte.

"Sounds like you had an exciting day," she said softly to Castle.

"They are determined to drive me mad," said Castle. "Alexis never pulled stunts like that."

"Well, they are males and two, Alexis sounds like she was a pretty mature little girl."

"Why couldn't the Hex-man have turned her back into a kid?"

They came up on the crowd near the still-flashing cruisers. The chatter behind her instantly stopped, causing Beckett to glance behind herself. Both of her partners were slowly backing away with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"We know some of those cops," said Javier. "They'll recognize us."

"I doubt anyone will draw the connection," said Beckett. "Who would ever guess that you two have been cursed like this?"

"Even still…" Kevin gravitated towards his partner, looking around warily at the crush of spectators and cops.

"Mother, why don't you take the boys and check out a hotel suite for the night?" suggested Castle. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a shiny silver credit card. His somber expression slid into a deep frown as he glanced across the street. "That guy over there doesn't look creepy or anything."

"Who?" Beckett turned and looked in the direction Castle was facing. It didn't take her long to locate the single man hovering suspiciously near a tree on the other side of the road. He did seem inordinately interested in the on-goings at Castle's building, but that's not what caused Beckett's heart to jump into her throat. The greasy black hair and artificially pale complexion of the man were familiar to her. As if confirming her identification of the man, the bruise on her cheek tinged briefly.

"Do you think he's the one who broke into the loft?" asked Martha.

"Worse," said Beckett. She shrugged out of her light suit coat quickly and dropped it over Kevin's head. He didn't have a chance to protest before she lifted him into her arms and guided his head to her shoulder, making sure the coat fully covered his upper body and head. "That's Rayford Bellefonte."

"Shit." Castle seemed to understand her sudden desire to hide her boys and disappear into the crowd. She'd told him about the older brother's threats towards the currently handicapped detectives and how she absolutely did not want the man to come in contact with Kevin and Javier. Castle was just in his shirt sleeves since the weather was nice. He did the next best thing he could by taking Javier's hand and positioning himself between the youth and the peeper.

Beckett led the push through the crowd. She apologized to those that she rudely bumped as she made for Castle's building but that didn't stop her from roughly shoving aside the next gawker who got in her way. Dozens of thoughts rampaged through her mind, all focused on how Rayford Bellefonte had located Castle's building and why he was casing the area. She hated jumping to conclusions but she strongly felt that he was the one who broke in, looking for something to do with her. Or, looking for someone. She checked that her jacket still shielded Kevin completely.

A few yards in front of her, she could see the glass doors to the building. The distance seemed insurmountable, despite her crossing it in the space of a heartbeat. She pushed open the door, barely waiting for the gap to widen enough to fit through as she crossed the threshold. The sleeve of her coat caught on the door handle and was torn away as Beckett's momentum carried her into the relative safety of the lobby. She turned to reach for it but Castle had already grabbed it on his way in.

Beckett hurried towards a vacant bench on the far wall. Her trajectory was interrupted by a hand on her elbow. She turned quickly to see who had accosted her. Fortunately for Detective Demming, she recognized him in time to stop her fist from connecting with his face.

"Kate, are you all right?"

"Yes, fine," she answered a bit breathlessly. "You're working this case?"

"I have a personal interest in it," he replied. "Since there's no word of any dead bodies, I'm guessing you're here since you're still an item with Castle?" She'd broken up with him nearly two years ago but he still kept a small candle lit for her in his heart.

"Yes." She wanted to end this conversation. To her dismay, Demming seemed determined to make up for lost time.

"Who's this?" He reached towards Kevin, though he stopped short of actually making contact. Curiosity and an insatiable desire for attention had prompted the toddler to twist in Beckett's arms so he could see the robbery detective. Beckett worried her bottom lip and frantically searched for an answer to his question. Demming studied the blond boy closely, his brow furrowing minutely.

When his intuitive gaze slid sideways towards where Castle, Martha, and Javier were grouped, Beckett blurted out the only semi-plausible excuse she could think of. "He's one of Castle's relations. Castle has family in town right now."

"I see. What's your name, kiddo?" Of course, Kevin wouldn't actually talk to the other detective, so Beckett once again scrambled for an answer.

"Seamus." She immediately mentally kicked herself. The blatantly Irish name would be fine in any situation where she wasn't trying to create distance between her detectives' two identities.

"Huh." Beckett cringed at the skepticism in his tone. "A relation of Castle, you say? If you ask me, he's a dead ringer for Detective Ryan."

She appreciated that he kept his voice low. He knew… what he knew was probably still a mystery to the man, but he knew he was somehow looking at a child that he last remembered seeing as an adult. However, knowing this also meant he understood her desire for subterfuge. "What happened, Kate? The official story at the precinct is that some suspect tried to poison Detectives Ryan and Esposito and they were recovering at home."

"I can explain, but somewhere much more private." She pleaded with her eyes and he capitulated.

"Fine." He looked once more at Kevin, who bravely met his eyes. Beckett could feel him trembling nervously at being outted to someone not in their immediate group. "The first responders gave the all clear a few minutes ago. You ready to head upstairs?"

"Yes. Let me just give… Seamus… to his great-aunt." Demming stayed behind while Beckett joined Castle, Martha, and Javier. Kevin settled into her side again and his little forehead bumped against her temple.

"Told you so."

"Shh." She turned her head to drop a light kiss on his cheek. She set him on the bench next to Javier and took a cursory look around the lobby to make sure Bellefonte hadn't followed them inside. Fortunately, the doorman was putting extra effort into making sure only residents of the building made it past the glass doors. Beckett suspected that he felt guilty that his laxness previously had resulted in the building's most famous tenant being robbed.

Beckett was at a loss for what to do with her junior partners. They understandably did not want to go upstairs and be surrounded by their colleagues, especially after Demming had recognized mini-Ryan with little trouble. She did want to go upstairs with Castle. She kept a noteworthy amount of stuff at his loft now for which she wanted to account and she was determined to figure out for exactly what Bellefonte had been searching. She felt sure it was the older brother. Finally, she didn't feel comfortable burdening Martha with the boys while knowing that Bellefonte was without, whether he was the home invader or not.

"You look like you're trying to make an impossible decision," said Castle. He rested his hand on her elbow. He seemed preoccupied. She realized that he was also keeping a wary eye on the front door.

"If it's your detectives you're worrying about, don't," said Martha. "I'll take Javier and Kevin to the little coffee bar over there." She motioned towards an interior glass storefront where Beckett could see the familiar barstools and booths that made up the building's private coffee shop. It wasn't as good as the public shops that Castle liked to frequent for their morning fixes but it was convenient and satisfactory in its own right.

"Thank you." Beckett took one last look around the lobby and peered out the front windows. Bellefonte was still keeping a low profile. Nonetheless, she didn't let down her guard. "Javi, Kev, is that all right? You can come upstairs with Castle and me if you want."

"I'd rather not," said Kevin. Javier nodded in agreement. With that decision made, Beckett and Castle headed for the elevator while Martha and the boys crossed the lobby.

xXx

It didn't take long for Castle to realize that robbery had not been the suspect's intention when tossing his loft. The destruction seemed a little personal - innocent vases and miscellaneous decorations had been smashed out of spite - but nothing of value was missing. He reached down to pick up a shard of white ceramic that used to make up the #1 DAD mug that Alexis had gotten him as a gag gift for his birthday two years ago. It was easily and inexpensively replaced but the sentimental value was lost.

Each room had been searched, though the guest room was hit the hardest. All of the drawers were pulled out of the dresser, the bedding was ripped off the mattress, and all of the contents of the closet had been drug out and strewn around the room. "I think your theory that someone was looking for the boys is looking more and more solid," he whispered to Kate.

"And the only one who'd be looking for them is Bellefonte the Older," replied Kate in an equally low voice.

"Not necessarily. Maybe the FBI got wind of their unique circumstances and wants to kidnap them for 'scientific research'?"

"Not now, Castle." She sounded annoyed. Truthfully, the weak joke hadn't lifted his spirits much either, so he resigned to being serious. "Do you think he was trying to ID them?" Kate picked up one of Javier's t-shirts and absently folded it. Really, it didn't look any better than when it had been a wadded mess on the floor, but at least now it was on top of the dresser.

"It would be really easy to figure out who they are, especially since he spent a bit of time down at the 12th yesterday. Though, a name wouldn't get him too much closer. He must have been looking for an address?"

Beckett's eyes lit up. "Did he find the safe?"

"No… I don't think he's very good at invading homes. It's not even that well hidden." Kate followed Castle into the master closet, where he pushed aside a few hanging suits to reveal a camouflaged wall safe. He deftly keyed in the combination and pulled the door open. Inside, they could both see a few boxes of Castle's most valuable possessions, a case for Kate's favorite jewelry, and most importantly: two police issued side arms, two leather wallets, two NYPD badges, and two sets of police handcuffs. Castle flipped open one of the wallets to reveal Javier's driver's license. "I guess our unwelcome guest will have to find another way to locate our friends' homes."

"He didn't have much trouble finding yours," said Kate.

Demming called for them from the doorway to Castle's home office. Castle closed up the safe. They joined the burglary detective in front of Castle's disorganized desk. Kate had informed him briefly of the exchange between Demming and Kevin, so the writer could easily recognize the look of confusion barely masked by Demming's professional expression.

"Find anything missing yet?"

"No, it really looks like this was more of a search for information than valuables." Kate checked her watch to confirm that only fifteen minutes had passed since they'd parted with her boys downstairs.

"For information on Esposito and Ryan?" The confusion showed more prominently on Demming's face as he thought about the youngsters he'd seen in the lobby and the stash of little kid paraphernalia in the guest room. Kate nodded in affirmation. "What in the hell happened?"

"This really isn't the time to talk about this," said Castle. He looked out into the main space of his home where more officers and CSI continued to investigate. None were paying them any attention.

"I guess not." Demming started to look a little constipated. He turned to Kate, his longtime ex-girlfriend. "Well, we managed to lift a fingerprint that doesn't belong to anyone who lives here - permanently or temporarily." He shot a questioning look at Kate, seeking unwanted confirmation that she was of the more permanent type of resident. Kate acted as if she didn't notice.

"How did you get results so quickly?"

"You guys got the RTCC, we got portable print scanners." He showed Beckett the little device. It had a small black light on the front, with which he scanned the top of Castle's desk. When he located a clear fingerprint, he scanned it. The digital image appeared on a small screen and immediately it started comparing the print to those in the national registry. It took about thirty seconds for a match to appear. The name 'Castle, Richard Edgar' appeared in blocky letters under the print, as well as an indication that the print was from his right index finger.

"I'm very jealous," said Kate.

"It's not perfect," said Demming. "The portable has to be manually updated and sometimes it's flaky about getting good scans. Apparently the department couldn't afford anything as nice as the FBI uses."

"So, who is our mystery visitor?" asked Castle.

Demming pulled out his notepad. "Rayford Bellefonte, 52. Hispanic, lives upstate by himself. No real job listed, giving him plenty of free time to rack up a list of priors. The most recent is an arrest two days ago for assaulting a Detective Kate Beckett." He raised his eyebrow expectantly.

Kate absently touched the sore spot on her cheek. "His mother is a suspect in the murder I am investigating. She's also the one who 'poisoned' Ryan and Esposito."

"Bellefonte's report does include a blurb about him stating that he is capable of witchcraft. Must run in the family."

"It appears so," said Kate. "I spoke with his younger brother just over an hour ago. Unlike his mother and brother, Randy Bellefonte sounds like he wants to help undo the spell. By the way, I spotted Rayford Bellefonte watching the building on our way in."

"I'll alert the men downstairs."

"You're taking all of this surprisingly well." A little too easily, thought Castle. Even he had been thrown for a loop when the homicide detectives had transformed into little kids and he dealt in the realm of the inexplicable for a living.

"Believe it or not, this isn't my first experience with the supernatural," said Demming. "No, I'm not paranoid or gullible, either."

"I didn't believe in any of this before Friday," said Kate. She hugged herself loosely. Castle worried that she was losing her adrenaline rush from the new crime scene and was starting to slip into the dark feelings that had plagued her ever since the world had been turned upside down on her head. When she'd called to invite him and the boys to ice cream, Castle could tell she'd learned something unfavorable during her interview with Bellefonte Two. In the madness to deal with the home invasion, whatever she wanted to tell him had been put on the back burner.

"Do you need anything else from us, detective?" If not, he planned to take Kate immediately downstairs to collect the rest of the 'family' and find someplace safe to bunk for the night.

"No," said Demming. "Unless you can think of anything that is missing, we'll just finish here and lock up when we leave."

"An offer I won't refuse." Feeling like a very big man, Castle held out his hand to his previous challenger for Kate's affection. Demming shook it briefly. Kate got a hug, much to Castle's chagrin. Demming promised to call when he was leaving and the implication was heavy that he wanted an explanation at that time.

After putting together an overnight kit for themselves and the boys, Castle and Kate walked out of the loft together and rode the elevator down to the lobby in silence. She stood close enough to his side that her shoulder brushed his whenever one of them inhaled. He was just about to slip his arm around her waist when the steel doors slid open and the chaotic noise spilled into the car. The media had arrived.

The newsmongers were thwarted by the police and the overly diligent doorman. Castle raised his hand to block his face from the rapidly flashing cameras trying to get a candid of him through the glass. It seemed to take much too long to reach the relative safety of the coffee shop.

Martha had commandeered a booth in the far corner, well out of sight. She sat with her back to the wall, sipping at a tepid cup of coffee. Before she could protest, Castle stole a gulp of the black liquid. The flavor of coffee was nearly drowned out by the burn of the whiskey. Unprepared for the assault, Castle nearly choked on the drink. To his relief, he managed to swallow his mouthful and probably only turned very slightly red in the process. "Mother, is there any coffee in your Jameson?"

"Hush you. It's been a trying day." Martha waved her son away flippantly.

Kate had more wisely decided to sample from the unfinished bowl of Napoleon ice cream melting expediently before Kevin. Castle knew it was impressive that the shop had ice cream at all, so he tried not to complain that Napoleon was the only flavor they stocked.

"What did you find?" asked Javier. He was scrunched up against the wall now that Kate had slid in next to him and Kevin. Castle nudged his mother over so he could sit as well.

"They found Rayford Bellefonte's fingerprints," she answered. "Nothing was stolen, which makes me think he was trying to find the two of you."

"Did you tell them that the jackass was waiting outside when we walked up?" asked Javier.

"Language," scolded Castle at the same time Kate said, "Yes."

"And our stuff?" asked Kevin quietly.

"Still in the safe." Castle knew that Kevin Ryan still carried a measure of guilt with him for the murder of Jane Herzfeld, committed with his old service weapon that Jerry Tyson had stolen and given to a Chinese mob frenemy. It was the youngest detective who had suggested placing his and Javier's gear in the safe in the first place, to prevent the weapons and ID from falling into the wrong hands.

"What now?" Javier leaned against the edge of the table so he could see Kate more clearly around his partner. "Are you going back to the precinct?"

"Not tonight." Castle could hear the hint of depression in her tone again. The boys noticed as well. Each of them watched her in concern for a moment, but neither commented. It was part of their 'cop rules.'

"I still think a hotel is the best option," said the writer. "Bellefonte One found my loft so it's only a matter of time 'til he comes after us at Kate's or one of your places."

"I wish he'd try again," said Javier. "I'm all for letting him take his best shot. He'll be the one to regret it."

"I'd feel a lot better about your bravado if you were about two feet taller." Castle was starting to get used to Little Kid Javier's murderous glares so this one didn't faze him much.

"It was already generous of you to let us take over your guest room," said Kevin. "A hotel is too much and the probability that Bellefonte will find and try to break into one of our places tonight is low. I agree with Javi."

"You would," complained Castle. "Regardless, mother and I are getting a hotel. The loft is completely torn apart."

"You're not leaving my sight until Bellefonte is behind bars, for good," said Kate. Her tone allowed for no argument and she stared down her partners for added measure. Kevin sighed and dropped his head to the table top. Javier opened his mouth to argue but closed it again without speaking after a moment of thought. "Really, am I that bad?" Kate's attempt to lighten the mood was severely handicapped by her own roiling emotions. Her forced smile barely curled the corners of her mouth.

"Compromise," offered Castle. "Mother and I will go book our hotel room while you three swing by Kevin's place to pick up his laptop. You should check on Javier's apartment, too. We'll meet up again tonight." He hated to delay hearing what Kate had learned at the hospital but that's what it meant to compromise. Kate took a deep breath to soldier her constitution and nodded in agreement. Javier and Kevin didn't outright protest so Castle opted to view that as support for his plan.

By that time, the spiked coffee and melted ice cream were gone. Castle dropped a couple dollars on the table for whomever had to bus their dishes. He didn't fail to notice the hard look that Javier gave the bills. The writer decided to try to think of ways to let the detectives contribute financially to their informal and impromptu community. While it meant nothing to the millionaire to foot the bill for food and clothes, it was clear that Javier at least was starting to feel kept. That did not sit well with the fiercely independent veteran.

A uniformed officer met them at the exit to the coffee bar to inform Kate that his crew had done a sweep of the area and not found Rayford Bellefonte. They'd keep their eyes open but it appeared the man had decided to make himself scarce after being made by the homicide detective. Kate thanked him, though Castle could tell she was unhappy with the answer. They were now saddled with the task of getting out of the building while preventing anyone from getting a good look at the children in their company. Both shrunken detectives refused to be carried out hidden under jackets again so Castle went for the next best thing. He returned upstairs briefly to retrieve a couple of Alexis' ball caps. The hats wouldn't give the boys total anonymity but it was better than nothing. Before they walked outside, Kate knelt down and flipped up the collars of the once nice kid shirts that now bore the evidence of their swing set escapades.

Reporters jostled for quotes and photo-ops as Castle led the way through the dense crowd. He clutched Javier's small hand tightly, practically dragging the younger man through the press of people and cameras. Kate followed, likewise pulling Kevin along. Martha brought up the rear, though she didn't seem to mind the attention as much. A couple of officers stepped in to assist their colleague and finally they were free, standing in the middle of the wide sidewalk where it was possible to get a breath of air that smelled only of the City and not a wicked menagerie of perfumes and colognes.

The boys slipped free of the full size adults and led the procession towards the subway station two blocks away. It was just as easy as trying to find a taxi, especially considering that the size of their group would require one of the yellow minivans. Castle divided his attention between the two in front of him and the woman next to him. Kevin and Javier stayed close together, clearly conversing about something too quietly for the writer to overhear. Kate's lips were set in a thin line as she glared ahead and did her best to hold it together a little bit longer.

They were a block away from the entrance to the underground station when two nondescript men stepped out from behind an idling delivery truck, directly into the small space between the kids and the adults. The larger man was already shoving Castle and Kate roughly backwards while the other went after Kevin and Javier by the time the writer realized they were under siege.

xXx

Beckett grasped what was going on even while Castle floundered to catch up. She immediately reached for her side arm. The thug must have known that she would be the biggest deterrent to their pickup. He grabbed her arm and swung her around, slamming her into the side of the delivery truck. She merely grunted at the impact. Shoving herself away from the aluminum side of the vehicle, she threw a left hook simultaneously with reaching again for her gun. He rolled away from her punch and it barely grazed his stubble.

Castle finally jumped into action, trying to grab the man's sweatshirt to pull him away from the detective. The gray material slid out the writer's hold as the man twisted away. Beckett pointed her gun at his face. "NYPD, stand down immediately. Put your hands in the air where I can see them."

The man did raise his hands, but in more of a 'hey, I don't got a problem with you' than 'I surrender.' He flashed a dazzling white smile at the couple as he sidled to the right and then dashed around the back of the truck. Beckett went to follow him but was stopped by Castle's hand on her arm. "The boys," he said breathlessly, pointing up the street. Her focus on the first thug had caused her to forget that she couldn't assume that her partners had the other perp handled by themselves.

Fifteen yards away, the second man shoved Martha Rodgers towards the wrought iron gate that protected the entrance to a street level apartment. She had been ineffectually bashing the man with her heavy purse, which now hit the ground with an echoing thud a few feet from her. Javier squared off with the attacker and wiped his hand under his nose, smearing the trickle of blood over his lower arm. Beckett thought the effect of the gesture should have been diminished by his small stature but he somehow managed to pull it off with the same bravado he would have full size. His partner inched around behind the guy, looking equally serious. Beckett could practically see the wheels turning in the Irishman's mind as he searched for a way to bring down the felon.

The man, similarly dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans as his accomplice, lunged for Javier. The ex-military man ducked under his arms and cut around close to the man's legs. The thug nearly overbalanced trying to make a grab for the detective. He managed to catch himself with a one-legged hop. Kevin threw his negligible weight against Small Perp, ending his bid for balance rather effectively. Unfortunately, he was back on his feet before Beckett could reach them.

"NYPD, halt!" She didn't really expect the man to listen any better than his friend. What she really wanted was for him to draw a weapon so she could put him out of their misery. Javier drove his pointy elbow into the man's diaphragm, forcing the wind out of his lungs and causing him to double over. He stayed on his feet and moved a few steps away, trying to regain his ability to breathe.

"Give me your taser." Javier held his hand out. Beckett unclipped the small device from her belt without a second thought and pressed it into the boy's hands. It wasn't the same as a gun but at least her partner now had something with which to defend himself. She held her gun steady on the gasping assailant.

"Get down on the ground, on your stomach!" She stalked closer, one hand on the trigger of her semi-automatic and the other braced beneath it. "Now!"

Instead of going down easily, Small Perp tried tackling her. He never finished the maneuver. His whole body shuddered as electricity pumped through it. He went down then, screaming in pain and rolling on the ground, his hands clutching the favorite part of his anatomy. Beckett cast a reproachful look at her partner. "Hey, I shot from my chest level." Javier tossed down the taser, its barbs still embedded in the V between the thug's legs.

"I'm more annoyed that now I'm going to have to get a new one. I don't ever want to touch that one again." Javier rewarded her with a half smirk and the familiar glint that had been missing from his eyes recently.

"Remind me never to anger you while armed with a taser," quipped Castle. He joined them, looking a little disappointed to have missed out on the action while checking on his mother's well-being. Beckett rolled her eyes. Small Perp had stopped screaming and was now lying on his side, whimpering. Beckett forced his hands behind his back and snapped on the cuffs a little more roughly than she usually did. She started reciting his Miranda rights, only to be interrupted when Kevin shouted her name. She whipped her head around to see Big Perp re-enter the altercation brandishing a hunting knife. His original intent had been the detective arresting his fellow kidnapper; however, Kevin's shout had clued him in to an easier prey. The mini-detective came to the same realization a moment later. He turned and fled as quickly as his short little legs could carry him, drawing the armed assailant away from his partners.

Beckett and Castle both gave chase. She had seen the Calvary finally arrive after the sounds of the confrontation reached the mass still stationed outside Castle's building. They could deal with Small Perp. Big Perp was quick on his feet and overtook Kevin in the space of only a few strides. He snatched up the toddler and stuffed him under one arm like a human football. Kevin struggled against the hold but was unable to break free.

Beckett knew she couldn't fire her weapon at the fleeing man while he had a hostage. Instead, she fired a warning shot over his shoulder, hitting a metal street sign with a satisfying ping. Instead of heeding the warning, the man turned back towards her and lobbed the knife at her head. His aim was wide and she barely had to dodge the weapon but it did slow her down. Big Perp adjusted his hold on the toddler so that his wide chest was shielded from her bullets by the smaller body. Beckett cursed a blue streak under her breath.

"Put him down, ass-wipe!" Javier came up beside her, tailed by a flustered looking uniformed cop.

"Fuck you," replied the kidnapper. Beckett knew it was against police protocol but her decision making abilities were severely hampered by the sight of her junior partner struggling against a captor he had no chance of escaping. She fired another warning shot at the feet of Big Perp. She wouldn't assume that he was now unarmed but he acted as if his only remaining recourse was to run. He knew that sprinting down the sidewalk would present the detective with a bulls-eye on his back so he darted into the street instead.

Right into the path of an oblivious driver, armed with a Honda Civic.

to be continued…


Author's Notes:

Let me know what you think! Some of the references are to the Nikki Heat novels. I read all four of the currently released books in about a week, so I can't remember what happened in which book.

Thank you, my amazing reviewers. I very much look forward to your feedback, so please let me know if you're still enjoying the story. I write for fun but I always want to improve, so constructive criticism is always welcome. All mistakes are my own.