in the shallows

Disclaimer: I'm fairly certain Marlowe isn't stopped from writing because of homework.

Everything's okay, until it isn't.

And it had been so good. Because the man who had once shot her has been caught, and the ones who had taken Castle will pay. And she loves him. And he knows. And he loves her too.

And everything's okay.

Until it isn't.

It's her door. There's something wrong with the door. She doesn't know what it is, but something's wrong, and she hopes she's just overreacting. Maybe it's just her and how everything's so perfect that her own mind must create some horrible situation in which it all tips over onto its head and-

The blood. Where did the blood imprint on the door go? It's gone.

Automatically, her hand reaches for the gun that isn't there, or the badge that she no longer has. No. She needs to calm down. Maybe the nice yet nosey old lady two doors down had noticed, took it upon herself to clean it up. She's always been so nice to Kate since the shooting, after all.

But when her hand meets the door, it falls open easily. Of course. This was never going to be a simply act of kindness.

There's no one in her line of sight, so she steps into her apartment fully, tensed, eyes darting around wildly as she absorbs the place. There's nothing out of place, nothing missing, but the hand on the door is gone and the door was already open. There's something, something-

Someone.

A man. No different to any other man in a suit. Nothing special that she can notice from behind, nothing distinguishable in his looks. But he's broken into her apartment and cleaned her door and now he's- he's standing before her makeshift murderboard for Castle, the box filled with her Mom's files beside him, taking down everything piece by piece. Calmly. It's rather disturbing, his calm demeanour, and her voice is babbling strong and powerfully from her thought before she can think to apprehend him instead.

"Put. The files. Down."

He stills, and she stays where she is, four feet behind him. Then he turns, a small smile on his face and holding the photo of her and Castle that she treasures in his hands.

"Hello, Detective Beckett."

There's a flash of recognition inside of her, flares brightly in her chest as she glares at him.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He continues. "I'm Senator Bracken."

His voice is cool, smooth, and her mind flashes back to a fly she had once received in her mail the other day. Bracken's face on the card, surrounded by the American flag, smiling like there's no wrong he can ever do and telling her to vote for him. She's not so intrested in Politics anymore, but she had been thinking about it, weighing up the options. The thought of it now twists her insides in the wrong way, leaves a nauseous taste in her mouth.

Bracken's mouth twists into a chilling smiles. "Never even heard of me before, huh?"

Kate doesn't answer, instead takes a step forward, heart drumming frantically in her chest. No. She needs to keep the power in this situation. Too much has been lost already for her to be outplayed now.

"I gave you an order, Bracken. Put them down."

And then he laughs, actually full on laughs with hints of a sneer at her, as if she's just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. But he sobers instantly at the menacing look on her face.

"Oh." He realizes, "You're serious."

Kate grits her teeth. "Put them down, walks out of that door, and this will never have happened, Bracken."

But he places the photo of her and Castle in the box, eyebrows raised. "I think you're forgetting who has the power here, Detective."

Bravely, she takes another confident step forwards, eyes never breaking their glare. There's venom and ice in her voice when she speaks. "This isn't about power, Senator. This is about burying this thing. Your past."

A flicker of emotion- actual real, human emotion- flashes across his face briefly, but it shutters away before she can properly register what it had been.

"It was buried. Until you came along. I have to stop it, Detective, stop you. There's too much at stake."

Anger flashes through her. "Too much at stake?"

Bracken opens his mouth as if he's going to respond, but she closes the distance between them to stand before him, fire flickering wildly in her eyes that hides the tears she feels burning there.

"What do you have at stake, Bracken? A career? My mother was stabbed in an alley because of you. She bled to death alone in a pile of garbage!" She cries, "And then you order a hit on Richard Castle- an innocent man in all of this! Is that what your life is, Senator? Murdering the innocent?"

But Bracken shakes his head, looks away from her and his jaw locks. "He wasn't innocent. I didn't murder him. It wasn't- It was never me. Just foolish people willing to do anything for money. It was never me, I didn't-"

"It was all you, Senator. You murdered them all." Kate grinds out, invading his personal space, feeling a wave of pleasure wash over her heart at the pain in his eyes.

"It was one mistake, Detective. You can't tell me you've never made mistakes- Ones that have had massive repercussions."

Kate's mind flashes back to all the mistakes she'd made, all those things she'd done that she never should've. The most important ones. The least important ones. Not combating her Dad's drinking habit, not being able to let this case go, letting Castle leave her and him getting hurt because of this, because of her. But no. These are not her fault. This man caused all of them.

"You sound a bit delusional, you know? But then again, who are you? You're a disgraced cop, obsessed with her mother's murder. And who am I?" Bracken pauses, composes himself with a smile before he continues. "I'm a decent man looking out for the little guy. That's who the public sees. And every time they elect me, I'm humbled. I strive harder to live up to that ideal. I want to be that man. And I won't let you, or anyone else, get in my way."

But no- He can't threaten her like that anymore.

"You're not pulling the shots here, I am."

Bracken takes a step back, eyebrows raised. "Are you forgetting your place here, Detective?"

And for some reason, Kate's mouth twists into a cruel grin. There's happiness, somewhere, deep down inside of her. But nausea is overriding every one of senses, a horrible twisting in her gut. She can't believe what she's going to do- The one thing she's always told herself that never, ever will, no matter what the circumstances.

"You don't want more blood on your hands here, Senator. You want to be that man? Then let this go. Leave me alone."

It's Brackens turn to step into her personal space, looming over her now. "Oh yeah? And what? Let you run off to your little Detective friends, let you investigate me and ruin everything?"

Kate smirks. "This may have become your life, Senator, but it's not mine. Not anymore. I'm done with being afraid, it's your turn now."

So Kate pushes past him, roots through the box for that picture of her and Castle, grateful for the curtain of her hair hiding her facial expression and the bitter tears stinging her eyes. She holds it to her chest, fingers curling around the dog-eared photo as she takes in a large, deep breathe.

"Take them."

"Excuse me?" Bracken asks in surprise.

Kate pushes away from the box, still clutching the photo but gesturing to the box. "Take the files and leave me alone. Prove to me that you actually want to be that man, and I will leave you alone."

Slowly, Bracken walks towards the box with Johanna Beckett's file and everything to do with it- including Castle's recent abduction. Some old, deserted part of Kate itches to reach out and stop it, to finalise everything here, to kill the man with her bare hands and get the justice that her Mother deserves.

But no. Her life is worth more than that.

As Bracken begins to walk away from her, box in his arms, she calls across the room: "If you come after me though, Senator, if you go back on your word, if you harm me or anyone I care about… I swear, I will come for you."

Then Bracken pauses in the doorway, turns back to her but doesn't meet her eyes.

"You think he's innocent, but… Richard Castle investigated it all. Behind your back. Check who you want to hold close, Detective."

And on that bombshell, the man who had caused it all walks out of her apartment without a second glance back at her.