Chapter 13: Case Reopened

You gave me all

"Hey, Kate. How was your day?" Castle smiles as he opens his door for her. He had decided not to go in to the precinct with her that morning as he was headed to LA the following day.

She just stands there, staring past him as if he isn't there in front of her. After a moment, she comes out of her trance. "Hi," she steps past him into the loft.

He closes the door behind her and turns to face her, "What's wrong, Kate?"

The detective closes her eyes, knowing that she had to tell him but not wanting to do it right before he left. She exhales, opens her eyes, and speaks. "Hal Lockwood or whoever he is was killed in prison this afternoon."

He grabs her hand, "I'm sorry, Kate. I know he was your last lead on her case. But apparently his boss considered him a threat, thought he'd give in and talk to you soon. Maybe whoever killed Lockwood will lead you to him. When I get back, I'll be by your side every step of the way until you've arrested every single one of them. I'll cancel my trip, and we can start tomorrow."

"No, you go. Ryan and Esposito will help me out on this. Montgomery's going to let us handle it for now. I'll call you if I need to talk or build theory."

"I'll always be there for you," he leans in to give her a gentle kiss.

Kate hesitates before taking his other hand in hers. "There's something else… that you should know."

"What is it?"

"Whoever killed him sent me a threat."

"What?" he squeezes her hands.

"It was a picture of me; they're still watching me. It said I'd end up like my mother if I kept pursuing this case."

"I'm not leaving you, Kate. I'll call Paula right now and tell her it's off."

"No, Castle," she tugs on his hands to keep him from going anywhere. "You're going to LA tomorrow."

"But they're trying to kill you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me. Montgomery's got people patrolling and watching me."

"Okay… if I'm still leaving, you and Alexis are coming with me in the morning. Ryan and Esposito can hunt these guys down."

"Absolutely not, Castle. Take Alexis if you want, but I'm not going. This is my case, Castle, my mother's case. I can't just walk away from it because the guys who had her killed want me dead too."

"Please, Kate," he whispers, looking into her eyes.

"No."

"Then I'm going to drug you and drag you with me. We'll stay out there until the whole thing is over."

"I'll have you arrested for kidnapping and assault," she counters.

"I just want you to be safe."

"I will be. There are units circling my block and your block for any signs of danger. Montgomery put a team on me at all times; they're patrolling the hallway tonight. And he's also got a team for Alexis if she's going to be staying; they're in the lobby of the building."

"Raglan was shot from a building across the street from the coffee shop. They could take you out the same way, and none of this protection will do a thing to stop them."

She leads him over to the couch, and they both take a seat. "Castle, you know more about me than anyone else. You know more about my mom's case than anyone else. Lanie is my best friend, and even she doesn't know everything that you do."

"Does that mean I'm your new best friend?" he gives her a small smile.

"You know that I have to do this, Rick. I have to bring her justice."

"So let me stay. Let me help you," he pleads.

"No. I can't let my job interfere with yours. Everyone has been telling me that I'm never going to catch these guys. I'm sure you're not going to miss anything in five days' time."

"Five days is plenty of time for them to kill you."

"Rick."

Castle brushes her hair behind her ear, keeping his hand resting on her cheek. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I'm not going to go and do anything that will make me an easy target, Rick. Besides, you're the one that comes up with the dumb ideas that almost get us killed."

"Hey, I rather enjoyed that last dumb idea. Well, not the whole almost dying part… but the rest was fantastic."

"Thank you for letting me do this."

"I wasn't there for you after it happened, and I don't know how bad it was for you. But if you feel yourself falling into that dark place again, call me. Any time. And I'll always answer. Plus Alexis will still be here; I know she's not me, but she's always been pretty good at cheering me up after a bad day."

"You're really going to leave your daughter here?" she looks up at him questioningly.

"Of course. Someone has to take care of you while I'm gone. And I'm sure you'll do everything you can to make sure nothing happens to her."

She nods in agreement, "The two officers will follow her from class to class until we catch these guys if that's what we want them to do."

"Montgomery must really like you to have eight officers pulled off their regular duties," he muses.

"Maybe."

"So does this mean you're not really going to be able to take care of Alexis? You're going to be working late everyday to search for these guys and forget about her?"

"I will leave the precinct by six every night, Castle. Unless something really big comes up."

"And you'll still be off Saturday?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I left you directions and my credit card on the kitchen counter. You can go over them in the morning before I leave and see if you have any questions."

"Directions?" she raises an eyebrow. "I think I can handle a teenage girl, Castle. Especially one as sweet as Alexis."

"I just don't want you to forget anything."

She rolls her eyes, "We'll be fine."

"And this," he reaches in his pocket and holds his hand out to her, "is for you."

Kate frowns as she reaches for his hand. She takes the key from him. "Castle…"

"If you're going to be staying here for five days, you have to be able to get inside. It doesn't have to mean any more than that right now."

"Thanks," she whispers, hands shaking as she pulls out her key ring and attempts to put his key on it.

He gently takes it from her and slides the key on, "Kate, you really need to get some rest."

They make their way to the bedroom and change into their pajamas before sliding into bed. She slides as close as possible to him when he joins her. "Rick?"

"Yes, Kate?"

"There's something I need to tell you… in case something does happen to me while you're gone."

"What is it?" he pulls back slightly to look at her face.

"I love you, Rick."

It pains him to hear these words. He'd been hoping to hear her say them for the past two years, but now that she had finally said them, it didn't feel right; she was just saying them because she thought that she could die without seeing him again. "Kate… I love you too," he whispers, needing her to know his feelings.

She leans in to give him the most passionate kiss she can without letting things go too far for her comfort.

A/N: Sorry for not replying to reviews yet again. Finals are this week and I've been busy studying and with band. I have one in a little bit and then I get to spend my entire staring at anatomy some more and trying not to think about how awesome tonight's episode will be. I'll try to reply this time and update again Wednesday maybe. Thanks.