Chapter 25: Rescuing Alex

Once they were inside the building, Kate turned to Castle and handed him a gun.

He was confused, "You want me to hold it while you tie your shoes?"

"No, I want you to take it, just in case. You're going to be my only backup here Castle. Jordan and her team are in the other building."When Kate was certain that Castle was comfortable with what she was asking of him, they set off to find Dunn.

Kate took the lead as they quietly crept through the building and before long she heard noises like those from a police scanner. She crept stealthily through the shadows and just as she peered around a support beam, she saw something that made her heart stop. There across the room from where she was standing she saw Alex tied to a chair with duct tape covering her mouth. The blonde's hair was in disarray and she appeared to have a bruise forming just above her left eye. When Kate saw that bruise she wanted to kill Dunn for laying a hand on her girlfriend, but she controlled her anger because she knew that charging in would only lessen Alex's chances of getting out of this alive.

"I'm almost sad to see it come to an end, Miss Cabot. I didn't want to have to involve a civilian, but this was the only way I could guarantee Nikki would be there to burn with the rest of the FBI,"Dunn said as he carefully watched the other building, waiting for just the right moment to blow it up.

As he was speaking, Kate managed to make eye contact with Alex and in that instant, she silently told her girlfriend not to panic because she was going to get her out of there alive. Alex nodded, but she was still afraid that Dunn was going to do something to hurt Kate.

Kate turned to Castle and whispered, "I'm going to draw him away from Alex. You untie her and get her out of here, then get the FBI. Go."

Castle knew enough not to argue and he quickly moved away to follow Kate's instructions.

Kate, meanwhile, took a breath and then stepped into view and addressed Dunn, "I thought it was me you were after."

The moment he heard her voice, Dunn turned around and was shocked to see Nikki Heat standing there. He couldn't believe that she had figured out where to look, especially because he'd been one step ahead this whole time.

Despite the fact that she wanted to check on Alex, Kate kept her eyes focused on Dunn because she knew that even a small slip up could spell disaster. She steeled herself and gave Dunn a warning, "Put your hands up, Dunn, or I will take you down."

He raised his right hand, in which he held a pair of binoculars, and set them down. Then he straightened up and showed her his left hand, "Why don't you put your gun down, Nikki? If you shoot me, my hand could tense up and I might just detonate the 19 pounds of cyclonite that Agent Shaw and the rest of her team are sitting on, turning them to mist..."

Alex was trembling in the chair, her heart beating so hard she thought it might explode. She didn't know what Kate had planned, but it seemed like this guy had all the angles covered.

"They're not in the building anymore," she bluffed, knowing that somehow her poker face would see her through this. "I only sent them in there to throw you off."

Dunn looked as though he'd been sucker punched, but he quickly recovered, "You're lying."He held up the detonator and was only an inch away from pressing the button.

Kate held her ground, "Why would they be in there if I knew that you were in here? Face it Dunn, I beat you. Nikki Heat won."

Dunn eyed his gun and then returned his gaze to Nikki, his hand clenching the detonator, "No..." Then he glanced at the gun again and yelled, "No!"before he tossed the detonator and lunged for the gun. He could almost feel it in his grasp when Alex kicked it away and he had no choice but to shield himself behind the blonde. He hovered behind Alex for just a moment before he took off in an attempt to escape from Nikki.

As soon as he was clear of Alex, Kate took an open shot at Dunn and then ran after him, determined not to let him get away again.

Just as Kate disappeared from the room, Castle came up to Alex and asked, "You ok?"He pulled the tape off so she could answer.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Across the street waiting outside of a room filled with 19 pounds of cyclonite,"he said as he struggled to untie her.

"She was bluffing?"Alex asked with wide eyes.

"She was profiling,"he said as the rope finally started to give way.

"Just go help her, I'll be fine, I got this!"she said, desperate for Castle to go help Kate before something bad happened to her.

Kate had lost Dunn in a maze of boxes, but she knew he had to be close by, after all, he wasn't going to run away now, not when he had her right there for the taking. She walked down the hallway on her guard, her gun out in front of her as she carefully scanned the area. She heard sounds coming from the freight elevator, so she quietly headed that way. She was in the elevator when Dunn jumped down from his hiding spot and landed on her back. She immediately went into attack mode and she ran backwards into the wall, smashing Dunn between her body and the concrete. The impact loosened his grip enough for her to free her arm and elbow him in the gut, but when she spun around to hit him in the face, he grabbed her by the wrist and used the momentum to slam her against a metal roll-up door.

He slammed her right hand against the wall, loosening her grip just enough so that he could grab her gun from her and then he tossed her on the floor. He smiled smugly as he pointed the gun at her, "That's how all my stories end, with someone else dead."

Kate lay there, winded and defeated as Dunn aimed her own gun at her, but before he could pull the trigger, Castle lifted the gun that Kate had given him and fired a single bullet at Dunn. In the blink of an eye, the bullet hit Dunn's hand and Kate's gun was knocked to the floor, just feet from where he stood.

Dunn quickly scrambled across the floor and just as he felt the cold steel in his grasp, a foot clamped down, preventing him from picking it up. He looked up to see Alex standing there with the gun she had kicked away from Dunn earlier in her hands.

"Collar him,"Alex said as she aimed the gun at his head and looked at Kate.

Kate stood up from the floor and took a second to admire Alex like this, badass with the gun in her hand aimed at Dunn like she knew exactly what she was doing. She had to admit, Alex looked hot.

She walked over and picked Dunn up off the ground to cuff him.

"This isn't over Heat."Dunn said, his sick little melodrama still swirling around in his head.

"It's not Heat. It's Beckett," she said with finality as she tightened the cuffs to make her point. "You have the right to remain silent, so shut the hell up," she ordered as she walked Dunn out of the building. She turned to Alex just before she walked past and smiled, "Thank you."

"Like I was going to let that psycho kill my girl," she said, her grip so tight on the gun that her knuckles were turning white. She lowered the firearm when Castle put his hand over hers and said, "You're a hell of a shot, Rick."

He watched as Kate escorted Dunn out and said, "I was aiming for his head."

She chuckled, the warmth suddenly returning to her body, and then said, "Come on."

They walked out of the building together and when they reached the street, Castle looked at the SUVs parked on the sidewalk and said, "Maybe we should give them some room. I don't want anything to get in the way of Dunn's arrest."

"Would you mind taking me home? I really don't think I can be around this drama anymore tonight..."

Castle looked at Alex and nodded, "Sure, just let me tell Kate so she doesn't worry, ok?"The last thing Castle wanted or needed was a pissed off Kate yelling at him for not telling her he was taking Alex home.

Alex put her arms around herself, a cold chill running through her body, one she was certain she wouldn't be able to shake for a long time. She was watching the scene around her, but it was like she was detached from herself. She had been a part of it, a part of his game, and it was just like before with the cartel. She just wanted things to be normal and they weren't normal.

Castle slid in next to Kate as she was filling Jordan in on what had happened in the building with Dunn and the agent said, "I'd really like her to give me a statement while everything's still fresh in her memory."

Although she wasn't addressing him directly, Castle felt the need to intervene on Alex's behalf, "Um, can she do that tomorrow? She's a bit shaken up. She asked if I could take her home."Despite the fact that Shaw had asked the question, he directed most of his attention to Kate. After all, Alex was Kate's girlfriend and he needed the detective's ok more than he needed Shaw's.

Kate turned to Castle then glanced past him to where Alex was standing, "Um, yeah that's fine..." She turned back to Jordan and said, "Give a minute. I just want to make sure she's ok."

Jordan nodded, knowing that it was a good time to back off.

Kate walked towards Alex and stopped just inches away from the blonde, "Hey baby, did he hurt you? Are you ok?"

Alex lifted her eyes to Kate and it was evident that she was distant, occupied. "I'm...numb. But I'm sure by tomorrow I'll feel more like myself. Go take care of that son of a bitch and come home as soon as you can, ok?"

Kate closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Alex, burying her face in the blonde's neck and inhaling the scent that always calmed her. They stood like that for a few moments before Kate pulled back and looked into Alex's eyes, whispering, "I was so, scared when I found out you'd been taken. I thought I was going to lose you. I am so sorry that you got pulled into this mess." Kate placed a hand on Alex's cheek, "I'll be home as soon as I can and I'm going to hold you all night long, but in the meantime, I'm going to ask Castle to stay with you until I get there, ok?"

"I think that's a good idea. I don't want to be on my own. Just promise me that you'll hurry, ok?"

Kate smiled as she leaned closer for a quick kiss, "I promise I'll be as fast as I can." She turned to Castle who was standing far enough away to not hear their conversation, but close enough that she only had to raise her voice a little to get his attention, "Castle, can you come here?"

He walked over and noticed that Kate was holding out the keys to the SUV that they were standing next to. "Here, drive carefully ok?"she said as she handed them to him.

Castle nodded, "I will."Then he went around to the driver's side, got in, and started the vehicle.

Kate opened the passenger door then turned to Alex, "I love you, I'll see you in a little while, ok?"

"Ok,"Alex said absently as she got into the SUV. She buckled her seatbelt almost robotically and once she was settled, she put her arms around herself again. She stared out the window, but she wasn't registering any of it. Instead she was replaying the events of the last 24 hours and how close both she and Kate had come to being killed and she felt as though she might vomit. She never wanted to be that close to the brink again.

Kate watched them drive away and she sensed there was something off about her girlfriend, but for now there was nothing she could do. Instead, she focused on making sure that Dunn couldn't slither out of this on a technicality. She walked back over to Jordan and noticed a peculiar look on the other woman's face, "What?"

"You're honestly going to come down to the station with us instead of going home to your girlfriend?"

Kate looked around, "It's my job, besides I have to pick up my car before I go home."

"He's not going anywhere, Kate," Shaw assured her. "You can come in tomorrow and write the report, but I really think you should go home to her. She didn't look so good."

Kate turned back to look in the direction that the SUV had disappeared and she sighed, "Yeah you're probably right. Can I get a ride to the precinct so I can pick up my car?"

"Of course,"Avery said. Shaw was going to ride with Dunn to make sure he didn't try anything funny, so her partner offered Kate a ride in his car.

Kate and Avery drove to the precinct in silence, the detective too deep in her thoughts to make any kind of meaningful conversation with the agent. When they arrived, Kate thanked him for the ride and then went out to the lot to pick up her can and drive home.

When she arrived at the building, she pulled into Alex's assigned spot in that garage and cut the engine. She turned around and reached for the statue in the back seat and then got out of the car. She set the alarm, headed to the elevator, and pressed the button for Alex's floor. She stepped off the elevator and cross the short hallway to the front door, her key slipping inside the lock with practiced ease. She entered the loft and closed the door securely behind her before making her way into the living room where she found Castle sitting on the couch reading a magazine.

He looked up when the door opened and smiled, "Hey, that was fast. Alex is in the bedroom, she seemed tired."

Kate smiled, "Thanks Castle. You can go home now, I've got this."

With that, Castle took his leave and Kate locked up behind him. She took off her coat and placed the statue on a shelf in the living room before heading to the bedroom to check on Alex. She slowly opened the door and was about walk in when she heard Alex's voice.

"Rick?"Alex asked as she sat up in bed. She was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face clean. The bruise was purple and very clear thanks to her fair complexion. She was a ball of nerves and she knew that feeling wasn't going to pass any time soon.

Kate stuck her head into the room and looked at Alex, "No baby, it's me. I sent Castle home. Can I come in?"

Alex swallowed and let out a breath. "Sure, come in,"she said, her mouth suddenly dry.

Kate stepped into the room and closed the door. She took one step forward then stopped, her eyes going straight to the purple bruise on Alex's forehead. After a moment, Kate slowly walked closer until she was standing next to the bed.

She carefully sat down and looked at Alex, "Oh baby, I am so sorry that you got pulled into this mess. I'm so sorry he hurt you."Kate suddenly felt the overwhelming guilt that had been sitting on the edge of her mind as it flooded her system. She was supposed to protect this woman, keep her safe like she had promised her she would and then this happened. Kate once again knew what it felt like to fail, only this time it was worse because the woman she loved had been injured and Kate kept thinking that she could've done something to prevent it.

"I'm going to be fine...eventually. I just need to be here, in my our home where I'm safe. I just need some time to recover and remind myself that we're both going to be all right. For now, I'm just having a hard time feeling like myself. I thought we were both going to die andI couldn't go back down that road, Kate. I couldn't."

Kate didn't know how to respond to that, she didn't know what the right thing to say was, but she tried anyway and hoped she wouldn't make it worse, "Ok, I can understand that, um...would it be ok if I held you?"

Alex looked at her and nodded, though she still felt as though she wasn't really in her body and she didn't know how that was going to affect things. She sat very still on the bed and waited for Kate to come closer.

Kate slipped her shoes off and slid onto the bed so that she could wrap her arms around Alex. She leaned against the headboard and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder as she lightly rubbed Alex's tummy. After a few minutes of silence, Kate asked, "Baby? What did you mean by you couldn't go back down that road?"

Alex's body grew tense as the memories flooded her mind. She kept her eyes down, "When I was shot, I thought that I was going to die that night. I could feel the searing pain and then it was hard to breathe and before I knew it, I started slipping away. It was just black and I didn't know if I'd wake up again once I closed my eyes. I've never felt fear like that before or since...at least, not until tonight...I knew he was going to kill me...but what made it worse was knowing that he wanted to kill you and if he'd done it before he took care of me...I" She was crying at this point, "I didn't want that to be my last memory...I didn't want to lose everything that I had my heart set on..."

Kate tightened her grip on Alex and she shifted closer, "Baby, I would never let him or anyone else take away what we have. If he hadn't had that detonator in his hand I would've shot him right then and there, but I couldn't risk the lives of the FBI agents in the other building just because he had you tied to a chair. I have never been so scared as when I saw you sitting there. I knew that, above anything else, I had to get you out of there alive, no matter what."

Kate paused for a moment and then continued, "But we're safe now. He's in custody and he's not going to be able to bother us ever again. I promise you that." Kate raised her hand and wiped away the tears on Alex's face before she gently turned her to look in her eyes. Once she had Alex's attention she said, "I promise you Alexandra Cabot, here and now, that I will never let anything like this ever happen to you again. You and me, we're going to have the life we planned with kids and a home and maybe even a dog or two. We're going to spend our lives together and nothing and no one is ever going to get this close to you ever again."Kate sealed her promise with a kiss. She knew that even if it meant sacrificing her own life, she'd never let anyone hurt Alex ever again.

Alex buried her head into Kate's shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking and the sounds of her cries so agonized that she couldn't even believe they were coming from her own mouth. She held onto Kate and just let everything out until she literally had nothing left inside. She grew very still at that point and kept her head down, everything quiet except for the sound of her breathing.

Kate held Alex as she cried it out, rubbing slow circles on her back, her own heart breaking at the anguish she heard coming from her lover. When Alex finally grew silent, Kate held her closer and whispered, "I'm right here baby. I love you and I promise you I am not going anywhere."

"You don't know that,"Alex said in a whisper as she held onto Kate for dear life.

Kate thought for a second, "Maybe not, but I do know that it would take nothing short of actual death to make me leave you. And even then, I'll probably try to convince St. Peter to send me back because you need me."Kate kissed Alex's head as she held her close.

Alex just nodded and did her best to let Kate's words sink in. She felt emotionally and physically exhausted and she asked, "Can we go to bed? I just...I don't think I can stay awake much longer."

Kate smiled, "Of course baby." She slid down until they were both lying on the bed. She didn't want to let go of Alex so she pulled the bottom corner of the comforter over them and settled Alex into her arms. "Good night baby, we'll talk more tomorrow. I have a special surprise for you."

Alex managed a smile and said, "Good night, love. I can't wait to see what it is."She fell asleep, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

Kate smiled to herself as she thought of their statue, how it survived the explosion. To her that meant that they were meant to be together, that they were going to have the future they dreamed of. Kate thought back to the call she'd gotten earlier from Tiffany's...the ring was ready. In all the excitement she'd forgotten about that, but she knew that soon she would have to go pick it up. Kate closed her eyes as she imagined Alex saying yes over and over again and soon, she was fast asleep, sweet dreams of Alex in a white dress dancing in her head.

TBC...