Author's note: Short A/N for a long chapter :) Be warned, angst will ensue.

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine; neither is some of the dialogue.

"How'd you get in here," Castle whispered, quickly closing the door to his office so no one else would hear.

"It's rather easy, actually. Your doorman is kind, but lets almost anyone in with a good excuse," his father smiled sheepishly.

"Is that what you came to tell me? That I need to hire a better doorman?" Castle asked, undecided on whether to hate or trust the man sitting in front of him. It seemed like those were the only two options.

"I found her. Took me a while; something spooked of the old woman I asked you to look into. Tracked her down last week, finally got her to talk," he said matter-of-factly.

"And?" Castle, having no patience for games.

"Volkov works out of a cigar factory in Queens; he keeps Beckett in the basement."

For the first time in weeks, Castle felt like he was alive again. He knew where Beckett was, and he was going to get her out of there.

"So what's our plan. How do we get there?"

"You will need to call up your buddies, take the FBI agent with you too. Here's the address," he slipped him a piece of paper from his inner left pocket.

"What about you? I thought this whole mess came down to you?" Castle attempted to control his temper.

"I will be there too, but I will be working from the sidelines. They can't know of my involvement, son. When you get Beckett out, it has to be you and the NYPD. Not me. Now listen closely…"

It hadn't taken long for Castle to assemble a team. Explaining how he had found out about the place, was more complicated. Eventually he went with the "I have connections in places and people that owe me" card, and hoped that would suffice. They were two minutes out, only one police car. Since they didn't have any proof of Beckett being there, they couldn't simply enter the building with two SWAT teams, like they'd done last time. Instead, Ryan had found a health inspection claim from a while back, that suspected the factory of practices that didn't abide to NYC's health code. This would have to explain to One PP and the press, how they'd entered legally; if all things went according to plan, that is. Esposito and Ryan sat in the front, which meant Castle was stuck with Sorenson in the back.

Castle had argued against Sorenson, but as Hunt had pointed out; they could use all the hands they could get. And when it came down to it, Becket had a better shot with Sorenson on the case, than with Castle, who was merely a writer. He had had a point, and so, there they sat.

"Alright, we'll be there in less than a minute. According to the plans, the opening to the sewer system should be accessible from here. Are you sure this is how you want to play it?" Esposito mistrusting the plan his father had come up with. Castle couldn't tell them that there would be an extra set of eyes and ears on site, so he repeated that yes, that's how he wanted to go about it.

The car came to a halt, one block away. They got out as quietly as possible, forming lines as they headed towards the warehouse. They found the trapdoor right where Hunt had marked it on their map.

"See you on the other side," Castle said, lowering himself in the hole. The three guys nodded, closed the door, and Castle was on his own, but not for long. He turned on his flashlight, got himself oriented and started walking east towards the factory where they held Beckett.

"Everything alright?" Hunt's voice sounded through the earpiece.

"Yes, everything's in place."

"Perfect, at the next intersection go left; it will take you another 3 minutes and then you should find the conduit on your right-hand side. As we've discussed, once you've hit those, they will lose power which will allow your friends in."

Castle made his way through the cylinder, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness. He was glad the sewer wasn't in use anymore; he would have been far less excited to have to weed his way through sewage water. He hoped that everything would go to plan; that the boys got to their positions in time, and he'd get Beckett out safely.

"Alright, I'm there," he said, his flashlight hitting a wall of tubes and an electricity conduit.

"The one you want is the third one from the bottom."

"Got it," he said, as he wrapped a detonator on the third pipe from the bottom.

"Set it to thirty seconds," Castle pressed a few buttons, like his dad had taught him.

"Thirty seconds going in now," he said, as he moved away from the pipes. He was about to go back from whence he came, when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, don't move," a heavy female Russian voice said. Another guy next to her was pointing his weapon straight at Castle.

"We might have a problem," Castle said to his earpiece, while he raised his left arm, the right one still healing from being dislocated.

After explaining his wound, Castle was allowed to walk with only one arm raised. They had confiscated the gun and the earpiece he was carrying, and lead him out of the sewage into the factory. They entered a large hangar, where machines would normally work. Now, it was empty except for some couches, a table, spotlights, and at least ten armed people. On the couch sat a man Castle couldn't make out; the light was directed at him, which created a blind spot.

"You are like your father, Mister Castle," the man on the couch got up, stepped out of the light, and Castle could finally see his face. Gregor Volkov.

"Getting involved where you do not belong," he said with a heavy accent.

"Well technically, it was you who got me involved," he retorted, immediately regretting his constant need to open his mouth. Volkov didn't seem to be bothered in the least as he continued, his arm raised, gun in hand.

"Did he really think I would not be prepared for an attack? He took his time though, her time's almost over," his voice echoing off the walls.

"Beckett, where is she?"

"Ah, but that is not what we agreed upon. A life for a life, Mister Castle."

"Take me then. You wanted a life for a life, what better way to get your vengeance than to kill me."

"You don't understand, do you? You think we would be even like this? No, I need him to understand what it feels like. To have your daughter be so taken by grief that she takes her own life. I want him to watch as I destroy you and your girl."

"иди возьми ее (go get her)," he said to one of his guards who left towards where Castle believed the basement to be.

Another guard walked up to him, and handed him the earpiece Castle had been wearing.

"I know you are here, I know you are close, and I want you to know that I have your son," he said to it, his gun raised again. "You have ten seconds to show yourself in this hangar, give yourself up. Or I will kill him, right here and now."

He started counting down, walking back towards his couch. As if a king, he placed himself on his golden throne. His eyes fixated on the door of the hangar, where he expected for Hunt to show his face any second now. He was at five. Castle looked around, his heart almost erupting from his body of sheer adrenaline.

"Four, three, two-"

Hunt spoke through the earpiece.

"You're not going to kill my son, Volkov," Castle was just able to hear.

"No? And why is that?"

"Because you'll be dead," was all Castle needed to hear. What followed was one big blur. Everything went at triple speed, but at the same time, it seemed as if time had stopped entirely. The earpiece exploded, Volkov lay dead on the floor. The guard closest to him, was gone too. Castle started running towards the basement. He heard shots being fired. The guards in the room took cover; aimed aimlessly as bullets rained down on them; he could hear Esposito and Sorenson's screams as they fired another round. With his uninjured arm, Castle blasted through the door towards the basement. He heard shots at the end of the declining hallway, his feet gaining speed. "Beckett, Ryan," he yelled. He heard a scream in the distance.

I'm almost there, he wanted to scream. He turned the corner and there they were. Three Russian bodies lay on the ground, Ryan holding Beckett. She was alive. He ran towards her, unable to contain his emotions; he finally had her back. As he reached out to her, Ryan collapsed to the ground. He was just in time to support Beckett, who seemed to be near unconsciousness herself.

"Ryan!" he screamed. Trying to combine the weight of Beckett on his injured shoulder, while checking if Ryan was alright. He was shot in his upper left shoulder, his vest coloring dark.

"Shit," he cursed. Yelling out for Esposito and Sorenson, hoping they would come get them. He lowered Beckett to the side, hoping that whatever had happened to her; she'd be fine. He tore a piece of his shirt, wrapping it around Ryan's shoulder, providing pressure to the wound. He yelled again, as Ryan seemed to fluctuate in and out of consciousness. Then, he heard footsteps headed his way.

"Castle," he heard Esposito.

"Espo, we're here!" flashlights hit his eyes.

"Damn it," he heard Esposito, as he ran in on the situation.

"They're on their way, Sorenson is at the door ready to let them in."

Esposito took over from Castle, picking up Ryan whose face had gone white.

"Come on buddy," he heard him say; Ryan muttering under his breath.

Castle hurried back to Beckett; he picked her up, his shoulder screaming out in pain. He pushed through it, needing for her to be okay. He felt her breath against his neck, reassuring him that she was alive. Back in the hangar, he heard sirens approaching. The space was the definition of a bloodbath. Bodies lay spread out over the floor, red its new color.

Sorenson had come back to aid Esposito as they carried Ryan out of the factory. Castle followed, grateful to have her in his arms. Exiting the hangar, he was blinded by the excess of lights. A helicopter was flying above them, three vans of local TV stations stood lined up next to one another; on his left, there were two ambulances, three cop cars.

"Castle," he heard Lanie call out from the left. With effort, he carried Beckett to the ambulance.

"Lanie, I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's alive. She's breathing," he said as she opened the door for them. Two paramedics ready to take her. They were ready to kick him out when Lanie interjected.

"We're both staying, so get your asses moving and get this woman to the hospital," she spat, not waiting for an answer, already closing the door. Once the ambulance started moving, Castle seemed to be able to take his first breath in what seemed hours. His eyes never left Beckett. She looked terrible. Worse than when she had been shot at Montgomery's funeral, last year, if that was even possible.

Her face seemed emaciated, all the color drained. Her hair was greasy, tangled with blood. She had scrapes over her arms, her wrists were bloody, as if they'd been cuffed for too long a period. The same marks were visible on her ankles.

The ride seemed to take forever; the paramedics poked her with needles, attaching IVs and fluids. At least her heart monitor was somewhat stable. Lanie who kept holding both Beckett and Castle's hand told him as much. Beckett was going to get through this.

Once they arrived, their privileges to follow Beckett were revoked. The doctors told them she was in good care, but Castle was barely listening. He felt how Lanie pushed him down on a chair, after which he remembered about Ryan.

"Ryan," his voice said weakly.

"I'm calling them now; they should be here any second. They left right after us," Lanie said, worried.

"We shouldn't have let him go alone," Castle muttered to himself.

"Castle, don't-" Lanie interjected.

"It's true, Lanie. He had to face three guards by himself to get Beckett out."

"You couldn't have known, Castle," she replied, going to voicemail yet again. But he knew he could have, they knew approximately how many guards were on scene. They shouldn't have let him go by himself.

The ER doors opened, with Ryan on a gurney followed by Esposito and Sorenson. Both Castle and Lanie got up, but allowing space for them to pass. Ryan looked worse than he had on the scene.

"Oh, Javi. Is he alright?" Lanie asked, throwing her arms around Espo whose face had gone white too.

"They say the bullet went through, so he should live," he responded unconvincingly.

Sorenson who looked bad as well, sat himself down. Exhausted, he looked up again at Castle.

"Your guy, tell him I said thanks," he smiled weakly. Castle nodded, unable to even lift the corners of his mouth. When he and Hunt had come up with the plan, they knew Volkov would want to communicate with Hunt. With Esposito and Sorenson in the room, they hoped he wouldn't reveal Hunt's identity; that's why they went for the earpiece instead of a radio. He hoped it had been enough; and that Hunt had made it out in time for the press and cops to arrive on scene.

It was 2 am. Ryan was still in surgery, but Beckett had been brought to a room. Captain Gates had come by, asking for an explanation for this unauthorized bloodbath. Esposito had done most of the talking, allowing Castle to sit with his hands in his air, waiting to hear back about both Kevin and Kate. Then Jim Beckett had shown up; when he heard that they'd been able to save Beckett and she was alive, he hugged the three men, and Lanie who was crying. A little later, Martha and Alexis joined the gang, their faces distraught. Alexis in tears, poking her dad for having lied to her about Beckett. Castle didn't get the time to apologize, when she hugged him fiercely as she whispered: "I'm glad you're both alright."

"Me too, honey. Me too."

It was 4 am, Ryan was still in the ICU, recovering from his surgery. Jenny had only been able to make it in half an hour ago. Castle was still in his chair, Alexis was sleeping with her head on his lap. A doctor made his way over to the group of people, a clipboard in his hand.

"I would like to speak to a family member of Katherine Beckett?" his voice was lowered. Jim Beckett got up, while the others raised their heads.

"Will you follow me somewhere private?" Castle was about to object when Mr. Beckett replied: "I trust these people with my daughter's life. Whatever you want to tell me, they should hear it too."

The doctor glanced at them, hesitantly, before he opened his chart.

"When your daughter came in, she was in very bad condition. She was dehydrated, sleep deprived and malnourished; she also sustained multiple injuries. Two of her ribs are fractured, her wrists and ankles are strained, one of her ligaments is torn. We put her on various fluids and antibiotics. It is good that she came in when she did. We will have to keep her here for a while, until all her vitals are stable again. But we believe she will make a full physical recovery. Mentally, we don't know yet. From what I can tell, she has been through a lot. And I suggest you consider therapy from the moment she is capable of it."

"Thank you doctor-"

"Wise," he replied kindly.

"When can I see my daughter?"

"I suggest you all go home; we don't suspect her to wake up for the next ten to twenty-four hours. Her body will need all the rest she can get. But if you want," seeing Jim's disappointment, "I can allow you five minutes, just to see her?"

"Thank you, that would be very kind. Are we allowed to go by two?" he asked, glancing at Castle who smiled back at him.

"Uhm, sure, one more couldn't hurt. Just know that she is wired up to a lot of machines right now, and she looks very weak."

"Rick?" Jim awaited him expectantly. The others remained seated, not wanting to leave yet. Waiting for Jenny to be allowed to see her husband.

Castle placed a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead, waking her up.

"Sweety, I'm going to see Beckett for a minute ok?"

"Alright," she mumbled as he placed her head on the chair. He followed Doctor Wise and Mr. Beckett through the hallway. After a minute they halted next to room 117.

"After you," Mr. Beckett said. Castle took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he'd see as he opened the door. The room was dark, except for the multiple red and yellow lights of monitors and machines that buzzed around her bed.

She looked fragile, almost unrecognizable. He walked around the bed, allowing for Mr. Beckett to take the seat by her side. They sat there in silence. Neither daring or feeling the need to speak. He reached out to her hand, warm in his. She was alive. She was safe. After the five minutes were up, they were escorted back to the others, who informed them that Jenny was allowed to see Ryan. One after the other, they started to leave. Both were safe; they would reconvene in the morning.

The next day, Beckett was still asleep. Ryan on the other hand, was up and talking. While normally, only two people were allowed in the room, the hospital had made an exception which meant the room was overcrowded. Castle and his family had come to see him, Jenny and Esposito had never left his side; Lanie was there too, Captain Gates and Sorenson had made an appearance.

They were laughing, cracking jokes. Ryan retelling how he had tricked one of the guards into believing he was a guard too, just by faking a Russian accent. While everything was light and fun, Castle and the others knew reality was looming around the corner. Luckily, they had had the health inspector warrant with them when they had raided the place; it was somewhat able to explain how two NYPD officers, a Special agent and a mystery writer/consultant had taken down the KGB's most effective spy and his whole entourage, while Interpol had been looking for them for years.

The other part that was very real, was when Kate would awake, and how she would cope with the horrors she most certainly would have endured.

From the moment he was allowed, Castle spent every waking minute by her bedside. He observed as they changed her tubes, how the machines slowly lessened over the days. Castle wasn't the only one. Whenever Jim Beckett was able to leave work, he was seated next to his daughter; Sorenson too made it twice to three times a day, to check up on her.

It was on the fourth day that she finally awoke. Mr. Beckett had just gone out to get some coffee when Beckett started to stir. Both Sorenson and Castle got up from their chairs, holding their breaths expectantly.

"I'll call a nurse," Sorenson said, already exiting the room. Castle got closer, saw how life, for the first time in four days, seemed to take hold of her body again. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the light and the room.

"Hey, here to bust you out," Castle said, trying to go for the funny but cute approach.

Beckett tried to get up, grimaced as she moved, her eyes still trying to focus.

"Where am I?" her voice sounded raspy, barely audible.

"Hospital, Sorenson went to get a nurse," he said, softly, allowing her to gain consciousness over her surroundings.

"Sorenson's here?" she asked puzzled. At that same moment, Sorenson entered with a male nurse who started looking at her charts, readjusting some cables and lifting the bed in a more upright position.

"Hey, Will," she spoke, giving him a soft smile.

"You gave us quite the scare, Kate," Sorenson approached her from the other side of the bed.

Kate extended her hand to his, "why are you here?" she asked.

Castle watched closely as the two exchanged pleasantries. He was disappointed to say the least, a little hurt if he was being honest. He had expected her to be hazy when she would first awake; what he hadn't expected was for her to completely ignore him, and go all lovey-dovey on Sorenson.

"Castle couldn't crack it on his own, so he had to call me in," he joked. She on the other hand seemed puzzled.

"Castle?" she looked at him for the first time. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh god, the pain meds must be making me fuzzy. It's like Richard Castle is standing here," he heard her say.

"Ha ha, very funny, Kate," Castle responded. While his heart had stopped, he was sure she must be joking, right?

"Um," she looked at both of them, unsure of what was happening.

"Kate, what do you mean?" Sorenson tried, just as confused as Castle.

"Remember this mystery author I used to love, this officer looks just like him," she replied, giving Castle a shy smile.

"Truly, you only seem taller than I would have pictured him," she added, sensing the awkwardness in the room.

"So you're telling the truth when you say you have no idea who I am?" Caslte tried again. Hoping with all his heart that Kate was pulling one cruel joke.

"Um… should I?" she asked, glancing between Castle and Sorenson, hoping for someone to explain to her what the hell was going on.

Author's note: This is where the second part of this story ends. I would like to express the biggest of gratitudes for your kind words, and your continued interest. While these two parts were influenced by two specific Castle episodes, part three will leave canon completely. I hope you have as much fun reading it, as I had writing it. I wish you the best x