Kate walked steadily, determined to drag this out but to also keep the situation calm. Her son was in the middle of this and she wouldn't expose him to any unnecessary dangers.
The blanket was soft beneath her fingers and it made her heart ache, knowing if this went wrong, and she lost Owen in any way, shape or form, she would never be whole again.
Carter hadn't moved, having given Kate the benefit of the doubt and left the baby alone so she could say goodbye. He liked the detective, her only fault was her arrogance, that she thought she was above the rules, that she thought she could have a baby without getting married and just pretend that that was okay. It wasn't, but she seemed to love the baby she'd produced, so the least he could do was let her say goodbye.
Kate knelt beside the couch, gently stroking her fingertip down the length of the baby's nose.
"Hey baby." She whispered, gently sliding her hand under the back of his head before carefully slipping the middle of the blanket beneath it. "Momma loves you so much my boy, so very very much." She carefully wadded up the sides of the blanket and pressed them firmly against his ears. "You just stay here baby okay? Your mommy is gonna fix this."
Silently and carefully, she slid her gun from the waistband of her sweats and kept it out of the sight of either of the males in the room as she stood slowly to face the intruder.
"You know," she started conversationally, "I think I've changed my mind."
Carter's face contorted into confusion before he spotted the gun held, barrel down, at her thigh.
"You want to take my son, you should feel free. But you're gonna have to kill me first." She hissed. "And then, you better run. And run fast. Because that boy's daddy will find you. Rick Castle will find you and he will kill you. And if he doesn't, my baby's family will, because that boy has the full force of the NYPD behind him. You wanna take my boy, you had better be prepared to take on the whole damn police force. Provided of course, you make it through me."
Carter smiled, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Really Kate? Oh man I thought you would make good choices but there we go." With a quick movement, Carter took his own gun from the back of his jeans and aimed it at her chest. "You really want to take me on little girl? Because we can do this if you really want."
Kate felt her entire body break out in goosebumps but stood fast, keeping her stance between him and the baby. "You really gonna shoot me Carter? Didn't really think that was your style, thought you were more of a blade man."
Carter smiled at her. "Given the scar on your chest, I thought this might be more familiar."
"Just how many liberties did you take while I was tied to that table?!" Kate cried, the voice that had been niggling at the back of her head since she woke up- the voice that reminded her that she didn't have any idea what had happened between being knocked out, and waking up in that basement- reared up at the thought that if he knew where her scar was, what it looked like, what else had he 'discovered'?
The looked of utter insult that crossed his face was strangely comforting. "I would never. Kate you were in the process of bringing something so precious into the world. Why would I sully that with such a heinous suggestion of impropriety?"
Kate held the shudder that threatened to rip through her, but only just.
"Kate, just, put the gun down and we can both go on with our lives."
"If I put my gun down, are you going to kidnap my son?"
"Save." Carter corrected petulantly. "But yes."
"Then I will stand here until you kill me. That's the only way you're walking out of here with him."
Carter sighed before looking down and shaking his head.
He paused for a breath, before raising his head quickly and cocking his gun, taking a fast step towards her as he did.
With the speed of a marksman who trusts his weapon, Kate aimed and shot her own gun, hitting him centre mass and waiting the precious seconds it took for him to drop to the floor, before turning to her now screaming child, Owen having been startled and frightened by the loud noise.
"It's okay my angel." Kate murmured, gathering him in her arms even as she pulled up her phone. She needed to call the precinct, but more importantly, she needed her fiancé. "It's all going to be okay now Owen. Everything is going to be okay."