Author: Cha-Cha

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters so plase do not sue.

Practical

'NYPD Freeze!' Esposito yelled to the fleeing suspect, his gun held out in front of him. Of course, said suspect did nothing but run in the opposite direction. Javier and Ryan immediately gave chase, weaving their way through the park.

The suspect was quick and nimble as he dodged and forced people to scatter as he ran. Both men knew Beckett and Castle were coming in from the other side to help cut him off, and so far the suspect was going in the correct direction. They had managed to reach the bridge that bisected the park when the Beckett and Castle caught up to them.

The suspect slowed down, finally stopping by the short wall that was always being threatened to be replaced by something much higher.

'Police! Put your hands up in the air and turn around.' Ryan shouted out, the three Detectives guns trained on the man. Reluctantly the man did as he was asked, the backs of his legs touching the small wall as he did so. Beckett gave a nod to the two male Detectives, and Ryan and Esposito moved in to the suspect, Ryan reaching for his handcuffs while Esposito read him his rights.

The handcuffs had barely enclosed the suspect's wrists when the man suddenly lurched up, knocking Ryan off balance and over the side of the bridge. Unfortunately for the suspect, he was still holding onto the cuffs, pulling him over as well. Esposito made an instinctive grab for the two men, but only managed to find himself in freefall before the shock of freezing water hit him.

Beckett could only look on in horror as the three men disappeared. Reacting immediately, she called for the ambulance and ran around to the other side of the bridge where there was a slight dip into the water, the only place she knew they would be able to get out.

The cold was biting and seeped through every part of his body. Trying not to panic, Ryan began to swim up to the surface, gasping in the air as soon as he broke the surface. The suspect was next to him, doing his best to stay above the water, but with his arms tied behind his back, unable to swim away. It was only a few seconds before he saw Esposito break the surface, and the last piece of tension in him broke, they were all okay.

Kevin didn't need to say anything when Javier swam over, the glance they shared was enough to reassure each other. Instead, Javier turned the suspect onto his back, telling him firmly to stay still or he'd leave him in the water, and began to drag him to where they had spotted Beckett and Castle waiting. From somewhere it looked like Castle had towels, something he knew he was going to want as soon as he left the water. With that incentive, he began to concentrate on his swimming, it was slightly harder in clothes, a feature he'd never practiced before, but slowly but surely he made it to the edge.

Beckett grabbed the suspect, dragging him roughly out of the water while Castle helped his partner out of the water. Instead of taking the blanket though, Javier waited for Ryan to catch up, he wasn't that far behind, before helping him to haul him out.

'Thanks bro,' Kevin managed to get out as his teeth began to chatter. Castle quickly moved in and wrapped the towels he was carrying around the shoulders of the two men; they were both grateful for the warmth they provided.

'You two okay?' Beckett called over, her eyes looking them over intently as though she would be able to spot any injuries they had, though her grip never loosened on the suspect. Two uniformed cops joined her and took the suspect away to the nearby squad car where they would wait for the ambulance, allowing her to join the group of men.

'Be fine.' Esposito answered, trying to ignore how cold he was feeling. All he really wanted to do was go home, shower and change. Instead, they were more likely to be headed back to the precinct where he would be allowed a quick shower and change into his spare clothes from his locker before starting on the pile of paperwork that would result from the case. What a fantastic evening to look forward to! He thought sarcastically.

Beckett gave a snort at his idea of fine. She had known the two men far too long.

'You can both go home after the paramedics check you out. The case is pretty much sealed; we'll get the finishing touches tomorrow.' Beckett ordered them. There really wasn't anything else that was urgent that night, on fact he best thing for them would be to get warm and recover from their unexpected plunge.

'Sure we can't go home now?' Ryan requested through chattering teeth, not at all keen to hang around anymore. Beckett's raised eyebrows told them all they needed to know.

'Look, my place is only a block away, and I have two showers. Why not clean up there?' Castle put forward his idea; there was no reason for them to go too far to get dry. The two detectives exchanged a glance before making their decision.

'Thanks man, appreciate it.' Esposito answered for both of them. There wasn't much time to talk anymore as the paramedics turned up, taking the soaked men away.