I sobbed while writing this, so, prepare yourself. Grab the tissues, my dear readers.
P.S. LONGEST CHAPTER YET WOOHOO
"They're alive?" Gates let out a relieved sigh as she heard Esposito utter the words.
"Yep, but they're in a basement and for some reason, the basement isn't on the blueprint of the building. The fire crews can't get to them. We need to find another way for them to get out," the Hispanic detective said.
"What makes you think there even is another way out?"
"The arsonist set the explosives to go off to destroy all evidence that he had, but what if someone discovered him while he was still in the building?"
"He'd need another way out," Gates answered.
"Exactly. He wouldn't blow himself up. I think he altered the blueprints so the basement purposely wasn't on them."
"Okay, but what makes you think that?"
"When we talked to Ryan on the phone, he said the arsonist's workspace was right next to an open air shaft. It ran all the way down to the basement.
"So you think it's an escape route?"
"If cops were to raid the building and they were covering the front and back, where would he go?"
"To the one room that isn't on the blueprint!" Gates said with a smirk of possible victory.
"Exactly. Then, he'd blow the place and everyone would think he died. It's the best way to disappear. But, the only way it works is if there's another way out of the room, and the only person who knows that is the arsonist himself."
"Find him," Gates said sternly.
"Sir?" Tori said as she peeked her head inside the Captain's door. "I have something you need to see."
"Esposito, I have to go. Keep me updated."
"I went back through the Pyrolicious website and found that six videos are contributed to our arsonist. Each was uploaded to the site shortly after the building was burned. But, the interesting thing I found was that one member logged in and viewed each of these videos just minutes after they were posted, and only these videos," Tori explained.
"That's him. He's checking out his work. What's his name?" Gates said.
"I don't have his real name, just a username. firebug447."
"I'll call in the guy who runs the website and see what he knows," Gates said as she strode out of the tech room to make the call.
Gates had gotten some information from Pavlik, but he didn't help a whole lot. He told Gates that he didn't know the arsonist's real name because he never paid for his membership on the site with a credit card. He said that sometimes they would instant message, but the arsonist was careful and never said anything relating to his personal information. The one thing that he did say about the arsonist was something that he had said before. "He couldn't deal with the suffering. Sick and dying buildings need to burn and be put out of their misery."
"Are you sure you don't see another way out?" Beckett asked Ryan as she watched the firemen douse the building with streams of water, which seemed to be doing nothing.
"If there is, it's covered by debris. Any idea where that other way out is?"
"Espo's on the phone with the building department; he's trying to get ahold of the original blueprints."
"We're just assuming there's a way out. We're g-giving the guy m-more credit than h-he deserves," Castle said as he sunk down against one of the walls, holding his head and letting his eyelids droop.
Ryan looked toward him and sighed. "We're both getting sleepy. The carbon monoxide's building up," he panted.
"Ryan you listen to me. You two need to hang on, okay? They're coming for you."
"I appreciate the pep talk, but we both know that the fire's too hot and there's no way we're going to make it out of here."
"No, Ryan please, I-"
"Beckett," he said, cutting her off. "We're going to lose the phone soon so, there's something I need you to do."
Jenny was groaning in pain and breathing heavily as Lanie held her hand, talking her through her contractions.
Beckett walked up to the ajar doors of the ambulance. "Jenny," she said with no emotion as she held her phone out to the woman.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's him."
"It's Kevin?" she sat up as best as she could and snatched the phone from the detective. "Is it you? It's really you?" she said into the phone as she panted in pain.
"Yeah, yeah it's me beautiful," Ryan said into the phone as the tears fell down his face. As soon as he really realized that this would be his last few moments with his wife, he started to get emotional.
"Where are you? The baby's coming," Jenny said, trying to be hopeful.
"I'm inside," Ryan said in a raspy voice as he held back a sob.
"Inside…?" Jenny asked as she looked out the small side mirror of the ambulance to see the engulfed building. In this moment, Lanie looked to Esposito with questioning eyes, and he looked back at her and simply shook his head.
An unexpected, choked sob came from Beckett and Lanie walked over and stepped out of the ambulance to wrap her arms around her crying best friend.
"I'm sorry; I know I promised but… I'm not going to be there," Ryan said to his wife.
"Don't say that. Please don't say that!" Jenny said as her eyes became watery.
"I'm sorry," Ryan choked out.
Jenny cried out in pain and took in a deep breath as she fought through another contraction, and her tears started to fall.
"I love you more than anything. Remember that. Always remember that."
"Kevin, please. Don't leave me," Jenny cried.
"Oh, I-I don't want to." Ryan chuckled as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his face.
"We need a name," Jenny panted, "for the baby. We need to do that together."
"If it's a boy, Javier."
"And if it's a girl?"
"Sarah Grace, after your grandmother. Now, I need to give the phone to Castle because he needs to talk to Beckett before we lose the connection."
"I love you so much Kevin," Jenny cried.
"I love you too baby, so much."
Jenny threw the phone down on the bed and buried her face in her hands as she cried. Lanie released Beckett from her embrace and grabbed the phone for her, holding it to her ear. On the other side of the line, Kevin got up and walked over to Castle. He handed him the phone and patted his back before going back to where he was sitting while he had his last chat with his wife.
"Hello?" Castle rasped into the phone.
"Rick," Beckett choked out.
"Hey," he cried as he heard the emotion and angst in her voice.
"Hey babe," she cried. "I love you so much Castle. God, you mean the world to me. You're my everything and I don't know what I'm going to do without you. You're the only person in my life that I've ever given my whole heart to and loved more than anything. Before I met you, I didn't believe in love and magic, but now that you're in my life, you've proven that all of those things are real and that I really can be happy. You are the one that makes me so happy and once you're gone, my life will be over. I thought I had suffered all the heartbreak I possibly could when my mom died and my dad started drinking but God Castle, this is so much worse," she cried, rambling into the phone quickly.
"Kate, please don't do this, I can't-"
"All you did was annoy the hell out of me when you first came to the precinct and I thought I was going to never be able to tolerate you, but I learned to befriend you, like you, and now I love you with all of my heart, Rick. Knowing that you love me and having the feeling of loving you back is the most amazing thing. Every moment I've shared with you is a moment I'll never forget. Even in the worst of times, we learned to get through the issues together. Everything was so perfect now that I had you and we were getting married. One day we could have a family and make this whole new life together, but now that you won't be here, I don't know what I'm going to do without you. You're my one and done and I'll never be able to come back from this. When I lose you, I'll also lose myself, Rick. I'll never recover. I love you so much Rick and God, I'm so sorry that this is happening!"
"Kate, you have nothing to be sorry for," Castle cried. You are the most amazing woman I have ever been fortunate enough to have in my life and being with you for the last five years has been the five most amazing years of my life. I love you more than anything on this earth and I need you to know that that will never change, even after I'm gone. Go out there and continue being you after I'm gone, Kate, please. Don't fall into depression and make yourself sick with sadness. Do what makes you happy, because when you're happy, I'm happy. Now, I'll be with you forever. I love you so much, Kate, alwa-"
"Rick? Rick?" Kate yelled into the phone as the static covered his words, and then silence took over.
"No!" Beckett yelled as she threw her phone to the ground and crumbled to the ground with it. She sobbed as she held her face in her hands. Esposito and Lanie helped her up and sat her in the ambulance, where she held Jenny's hands and cried with her as they both mourned the losses of their loved ones.
The loved ones that they'd never get back.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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