AN: I wrote this chapter instead of writing more of my story for English, so I really hope that it was worth it. Personally, I think it's a pretty decent chapter, but that's up to you guys to decide. Let me know what you think in a review!

Disclaimer: I own no part of Castle.


"Retired NYPD cop gunned down in front of one of my people, which means I'm gonna have to do a damn press conference," Montgomery said as John Raglan's body was wheeled into the medical examiner's van. He switched his gaze from the wrapped body to the detective standing next to him. "Tell me you didn't come in here without backup."

"Sir, I-"

"We were backing her, Captain," Ryan covered for Beckett before she could say anything.

"Yeah, we were just, uh," Esposito paused and pointed somewhere behind him, "down the block when it happened.

"Yeah, uh huh," Montgomery said flatly, obviously not believing a word of it. Both he and Beckett watched the two detectives walk away before he spoke again. "Hell am I gonna do with you?"

"You're going to let me work this case," she told him firmly.

He shook his head. "You're too close to this; it's all over your face. You're thinking 'What was Raglan gonna tell me before he died?' when you should be thinking how you're gonna catch the guy that killed him."

"Sir, Raglan was killed because he was gonna tell me something about my mother's case. Nobody knows it better than I do!" she defended.

"Yeah, but I know you," Montgomery fought back. "You're gonna want to pick up those scissors and run around the house with 'em. But I'm telling you now: walk, don't run. Go where the evidence leads, not the other way around. Do you read me?" His words were demanding, but his voice stayed calm, more concerned than angry.

"Yes, sir," she nodded, "loud and clear."

Her captain turned and walked away, leaving her to go back inside the coffee shop to find out what CSU had found. The man pulled the bullet out of the cushioning of the booth and told Beckett, Ryan and Esposito that it was from a .338 Magnum and was an anti-personnel round. When asked about the trajectory, he handed Beckett an aerosol can so she could spray the beam that showed the angle the bullet had come in. She bent down to follow the line of the laser, then made her best estimate of where it had come from.

"Alright, I make the building across the street, fourth floor," she said. "Esposito-"

"Yeah," he interrupted, already knowing what she ask going to ask of him. "I'll lock it down. Somebody had to have seen something in there."

Beckett turned her attention to the other detective, who looked up from his notes to nod to his partner as he stepped out to leave. "Ryan, I am betting that Raglan's murderer followed him here. Can you check with his neighbors, see if anyone was hanging around his place this morning?"

"You got it," he responded immediately, silent sympathy for her in his eyes.

She thanked him before he walked away, paced a few steps before seeing Castle walking up to her, wiping off his hands with a paper towel.

"Hey," she said softly. "You good?" she asked worriedly after his short "hey" in response.

"Yeah I think I got it all off my hands." He was obviously troubled by what had happened, his mind playing over what had happened again and again to the point where his eyes still looked horrified.

"It's different when it happens right in front of you," she commented, snapping his mind away from the images flashing in his head. "Close enough to watch the lights go out." She wasn't distracting him from what he had seen, but the understanding she showed certainly didn't hurt.

"Yeah," he nodded, his mouth pressing into a firm line. "When I saw the blood on your shirt, I'd thought you'd been shot." He paused a moment and stepped towards her, taking her hand in his. "All I can think of is how you must've felt when I was the one on the receiving end of a gun."

She visibly shuddered at the memory, her grip on his hand tightening. "I can't say it wasn't terrifying. In my head, I couldn't help but go over all the things we never did, all the things we could have done if I hadn't turned you down so many times, if I hadn't been with Demming, or with Josh, if-"

"Kate," he stopped her ramblings. "There's no point in going over that now. Just think of all the things we can do now because of what happened."

"I know," she mumbled. "It'd be better if you weren't so limited."

His eyebrows raised. "Katherine Beckett, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

A smile spread across her face. "Shut up; you know it's not just me who's… frustrated."

Castle glanced around to see if anyone was looking at them, and, seeing that everyone was busy, snuck a quick kiss to her lips. "Only a couple more weeks and we'll be able to do everything." He kept his voice low to ensure no one heard them, then stepped back to distance himself from his girlfriend before he did something inappropriate.

"Umm, I'm gonna go to the twelfth," she said after a moment, turning towards the door. "How 'bout I drop you off at your place?"

"Not a chance," he answered before she was even finished asking. She whipped her head around at his words, smiling at the knowledge that he wanted to come with her regardless of how today's events might have affected him.

As they rode in the car, Beckett couldn't help but think about her partner's reaction today. It wasn't that they weren't expected, just not as much as she expected. Other than his initial shock, he didn't seem to have the lasting effects she had expected. It wasn't like his panic attack where for the next few hours he had been shaky and hypersensitive to what was going on around him, but instead he was almost back to normal, the only difference was his relatively taciturn state.

"Castle?" she started, suddenly knowing what might have caused his lack of response.

"Hmm?"

"Did you go to see someone about your… your shooting?"

The question knocked him from his trance. "What, uh, what makes you think that?"

She sighed. "You just didn't really… You aren't as freaked out as I thought you would be, considering how you reacted to a glass breaking."

He seemed to have a moment of inner turmoil, and she automatically knew what was keeping him from saying anything. He hadn't liked the idea of seeing a therapist in the first place, and she knew he probably thought she might think less of him for seeking one out.

"Rick, you know I love you, right?"

He blinked at her. "Of course."

"Nothing is ever going to change that; I'm in this for the long haul. So yes or no, did you go to a therapist."

"Yes," he said after letting out a deep breath.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I- I don't know. I guess I was worried you might think that I was weak. I know it's stupid, but you're always so strong and-"

"Rick," she cut him off, "I've told you before that I went to therapy about my mother's case. Why would I think less of you for doing the same thing I once did? If anything, I'm proud of you for doing it on your own instead of me having to push you to do it." She reached over the console and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't ever be afraid to tell me something like that. I'm here for you, no matter what happens."

His mouth opened and closed as he tried to come up with something to say, but to no avail. Instead, he said the only three words that could possibly capture everything he didn't have the words to say: "I love you."

"I love you, too," she responded, her smile coming through even in her voice. "Now, let's see if we can't catch the bastard who killed John Raglan."