Her job was to know what was going to happen before it happened if that was at all possible. But it never quite worked out that way but she tried. All she saw on the horizon with Castle following her to crime scenes was a disaster waiting to happen. She did have a plan to keep him chasing his tail for a while and she hoped it would work out to her advantage. She knew that he was no dope. He knew when the wool was going to be pulled over his eyes, so at most, she would get away with it for about two cases before he put it together and stopped her. But until then she would enjoy the freedom that she has without him tagging along.

He had done what he set out to do before she arrived. His new vest was in the trunk of her unit and he just went to the fourth floor to wait for her to come in. Today was one of the days she rode to work on the subway and at the time she left he knew that she'd be in earlier than her team.

By the time Kate had arrived at the 12th precinct, she exited the elevator on the 4th floor and her eyes immediately went to two places almost simultaneously. Her first glance was to her captain's office and the second looked at the conference room. That's where she saw him sitting at the oval conference table just staring out into the bullpen. Her Captain's office was pitch black. That in itself was not out of the norm because she was just earlier than usual. She pays no attention to the writer sitting in the conference room and heads directly for her desk. For her today is mostly a paperwork day but there is always the possibility of a case that just might drop into their laps.

Ten and a half hours earlier…

"Gentlemen and I use that term loosely, I didn't fly up from D.C. for my health! Let's get on with this meeting. I don't have all day."

Montgomery, McAllister, and Raglan look at each other and follow Bracken into the office building in a single file.

Not knowing how this is going to play out Roy takes the lead.

"Raglan close the door," Roy asks as they all sit down at the small conference table in the office.

"Could someone please tell me why I am here?" Bracken asks in a pissed off tone.

Bracken's attitude shakes McAllister and Raglan and it's visible on their faces, but Roy knows the man and he is just acting the part, he hopes.

"The three of you have a lot of balls asking me to come to this meeting. My time is valuable and I don't need to spend it with the likes of you three discussing issues that are not a priority right now. This is why I have you here. To make decisions that I thought you were able to handle.

"We want assurances, Bracken. We want to make sure that we're all on the same page here. We have a lot of cash tied up in this and word on the street is that you're shopping around for new blood. This is unacceptable."

"Unacceptable? Assurances? You're lucky that I don't pin Arman's murder or that bitch lawyer Beckett's murder or her co-worker's deaths on the three of you and then I'll be done with each of you. This way you'd be dealt with once and for all. I know people Roy, very dangerous people who'll drop everything to do what I ask of them. And the cash that you have tied up in Simmons' organization? Need I remind you that that is all tainted money? You'll never be able to spend it on anything. So count that cash as a write-off. And as for assurances, you don't deserve them. This is my organization! I decide who I will have in charge of the money that flows into my election funds. Yes, you heard right about my election funds. I will be running for president in the next election."

"Whoa… Calm down. We're just trying to get…."

"Do you want to see calm? Try to summon me to another one of these useless meetings and you'll see how calm I can be. Listen up all of you. You will never and I mean never order me to any meeting that is not of my request. I call the shots here, not the three of you. Understand?"

"But before I leave there is one item that we need to discuss. What's with assigning this new detective to your homicide squad? I can see only one reason for you to keep her close and if it's not what I am thinking you'll have a lot of explaining to do. So start talking Roy."

Now it was Montgomery's turn to be shaken. He never knew that Bracken would have information regarding Beckett and why she was working out of his house. But he must be in the loop more than he thought so to speak.

"By assigning her to my precinct I can keep an eye on her. That's the only reason she is working at the 12th. And for now, it's working. But my issues with the writer are becoming harder to stop. He's digging into areas that we need to stop him from going near."

"What writer?" Bracken asks.

"A hack named Richard Castle. He is researching his next book and acting like a man with connections."

Bracken almost turns white as a sheet when he hears the name.

"You ass! That's because he does have connections. He is like a golden boy. Why am I just now hearing about this?"

To say that Roy was pissed off was an understatement. He would challenge Bracken relentlessly now.

"So it seems that your moles in the department don't seem to have the juice they once had huh Bracken."

"There's no need to worry about my moles. Everything I have there tells me what I need to know within the department. Tell me everything about why he is there and don't leave anything out."

Roy explained why Castle was at the 12th and that now he was able to go out into the field and follow Beckett to actual crime scenes. The looks he was being given seemed to be getting worse as Roy continued with his explanation. When he was done he just sat there. Raglan and McAllister just looked at him like he was a dead man.

"Deal with both of them, Montgomery. I want them hidden so far away from any mainstream investigation that they won't be able to see the light of day! I don't care what you need to do, just do it and make sure that it's a permanent assignment."

All three of them looked at each other knowing that there was more they wanted to talk about but it seemed like the meeting was over. They were sure of it when Bracken got up and walked out of the office, out the door, and got into his waiting town car parked outside.

What all three men came away with from this meeting was the fact that Bracken was going to run for president. They're not sure if he meant to let it slip out but the fact that he was even considering running for the top office had them scared shitless. There was no way that they could let him get that far up the food chain. They're going to need to decide on what measures to take to prevent him from getting that far. From the looks of it, they've created a monster. Because with the power that that office holds he will be unstoppable if he gets elected.

Bracken gets into the limo and relaxes. Very rarely does anyone get the upper hand over him. But when he heard the writer's name he immediately went to a brief he had read a while ago about his lineage. It seems that Mister Castle is well-connected in certain government circles. He just can't remember for the life of him which three-letter agency he was associated with. He needs to get his hands on that report so he can further investigate how much of a problem the writer will be for him. He has to rethink his strategy about what to do with his issues in the city. But one thing is for sure he will handle Simmons posthaste.

She was neck-deep in paperwork and knew that he was watching her do it. It made her a little pissed off that he could just sit in the conference room and watch her. So instead of finishing the report, she was writing coffee was badly needed to keep her going. She decided that a cup of coffee would be just what she needed to get through the day. She rises from her desk and walks over to the break room where the sludge that passes for coffee sits in the pot waiting.

Rick decides that knowing she will be needing caffeine soon, jumps out of his chair the second he sees her heading towards the break room. It's about 10:45 in the morning and he knows she needs her caffeine fix right about now. So doing what might be obvious, he heads towards the break room as well hoping that he can have a word with her before she completely shuts him out.

When he walks to the break room she's pouring the coffee into her favorite blue mug. So he decides to start with something generic so to speak to start the conversation. As he thinks about a good conversation starter he pulls down a clean mug and pours himself a cup of the dark brew for himself.

He sees that she makes a face after swallowing her first sip. He's curious as to why so he does the same. The results are instantaneous and his face looks like he just ate ten Sour Patch Kids all at once

"Detective Beckett I don't know how you can drink what you call an excuse for this coffee. It's terrible."

"Do something about it then, superstar."

Rick takes one more sip just to make sure that he was not imagining things and the result is the same.

"My god! This is the worst tasting coffee I have ever tasted. It tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid."

Kate, who is used to what passes as coffee, lets a small smirk appear on her face after she hears his description of the coffee. Before she can explain that the NYPD doesn't have his budget to spend on a new coffee machine or better coffee, her cell phone starts ringing.

"Beckett. Okay right. I'm on my way."

Dispatch gives her the address for her next crime scene. Rick who is still standing at the counter with the coffee cup in his hand looks at her as she ends the call.

"Dead body?" Rick asks as Kate leaves the breakroom. "Yes." He says as he follows her out.

Kate has already started to move back towards her desk to pick up her coat and her gun. She knows that there's no way in hell she's going to get away from him and he does have the okay to follow her to crime scenes now. So she actually stops and turns to him and says,

"Yes, Castle I have a new crime scene to go to. But before we get in the car a word of warning. You are there simply to observe there will be no putting your two cents in or bothering Esposito or Ryan. Do I make myself clear?"

"I completely understand."

For the first time in his adult life, he actually feels like he's making a difference. They make their way down and out of the precinct and into her car. It's then when he remembers his vest is in the trunk near hers. Esposito and Ryan are the lead car while Kate and Rick follow.

Things changed drastically when they got to the scene. They pull up under small-caliber gunfire being exchanged between a SWAT unit and a possible suspect. She knows that she cannot let him anywhere near what is going on out there. So she tells him he will stay in the car.

"Castle under no circumstances are you to get out of this car that's a direct order. Understood?" Kate tells him.

"Understood. Scouts honor." Rick watches as Kate gets out and he obediently sits in the passenger seat of her unit watching the events unfold through the front windshield. His vest is off to the side of the trunk where he hopes she won't see it; he knows that hers is under the rear decklid shelf so she might miss it completely. The next thing he sees is her walking to the SWAT truck in a hurry while securing her vest with the Velcro straps and removing her gun from her holster.

The gunfire is still going off at a rapid pace between both parties. The second Kate turns the corner and heads towards the SWAT team, Rick pops the automatic trunk release in the glove box and is out of the car and running for the trunk. He dons his vest quickly and secures the velcro straps making sure that if he does get shot he won't be wearing his vest in the wrong way. Never having done anything like this before he hugs the wall of the building like they do on just about every cop show he has ever seen and follows the path that Beckett took to get to the shootout.

He is cautious when he reaches the end of the building and pokes his head out to see what is going on. What he sees in front of him is nothing that he was prepared for. Ryan and Esposito are pinned down at the front right fender of the SWAT truck. Three SWAT members are on the left side of the SWAT truck with their AR-15 rifles and sniper rifle aimed at the third-story window. Beckett is across the street behind a marked unit from the 14th Precinct. She's positioned at the left rear side of the car. Everybody has their weapons drawn but only the SWAT team is firing in response to the shooter firing at them. Knowing that they're preoccupied with the shooter firing bullets at them he can move freely among the SWAT truck and out into the street. No one pays him any attention as she crosses behind the SWAT truck and takes cover. He can look up and see the person firing down on them has the advantage. And every time they fire back their rounds come nowhere close to hitting their target.

Then everything goes silent, not a shot is fired so Rick freezes. Then he hears shouting from the window where the shooter is perched.

"I'm not coming out!" The shooter shouts.

"Why don't we take some time and talk about this?" The SWAT commander replies.

"NO! I know your playbook. The second I agree to come down and talk to you guys I'll be shot. No thank you, I'd rather take my chances up here. The only way I'm coming out of here is in a body bag."

The second the last syllable of the last word was said the gunfire erupted again. Knowing that staying out in the open will probably get himself shot, he moves to Beckett's six o'clock position and hides behind a tree. Now he has a total view of what's going on tactically. The rounds the shooter is firing are hitting closer to their intended targets and now the SWAT team is taking cover behind their own truck to avoid being hit.

He watches the SWAT team member with the sniper rifle as he moves towards the back of the truck. He's quick to grab a small duffel bag from the truck then crosses the street running practically right past him. He watches as the SWAT member runs into the building opposite where the suspect is. The building across the street is only four stories tall and in less than two minutes he's on the roof. He has the best overall shot and he takes his time setting up his weapon and targeting the shooter. When he is all set, he informs the lieutenant that he is in position and is ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Then the unthinkable happens. The shooter has reloaded his handgun with a fresh magazine. The first four rounds he fires at Esposito and Ryan misses them. Then he aims his weapon at Beckett and fires two quick rounds in succession. The first one embeds itself into the trunk lid of the marked unit she's behind the second one he thinks he sees the bullet grazing her left shoulder. Before he can even think about it he is out from behind the tree and running towards Beckett. He's not sure if she ducked out of the way of the round that was fired at her or she was actually hit. This turned out to be a very big mistake on his part.

Rick stands about six foot four and weighs in at about two hundred and ten pounds making him the best target to shoot at. The second he popped out from behind the tree he became the shooter's next target. By the time he rounds the rear of the squad car to avoid being shot by a stray bullet, he's thrown off balance and almost falls before he gets to Beckett. He gets himself upright and the first thing he notices when he kneels at Beckett's side is all the blood. It's on her shirt, her vest, and her neck.

"Beckett, are you okay?" Rick panicky asks as he looks her over for any visible wounds.

Beckett looks up from where she is on her back. What she sees is something she can't believe. What she sees is Richard Castle wearing a bulletproof vest with white block letters printed on the front of it. It wouldn't be so funny if it had said POLICE but in this case, it says, WRITER and she can't help letting a laugh go.

"Castle, why are you here? You were supposed to stay in the car!" She asks regaining her composure.

"I wanted to see what was going on. Are you okay?"

"Sure Castle, why wouldn't I be? I just fell backward when that last round hit the back of the car."

"But Beckett you've got blood all over you!"

Kate quickly looks to where Rick is pointing and sees blood on her vest on her sleeve and her pant leg. But she has no wounds in any of those locations so she kneels up and looks at Rick's shoulder. She can see the red splotch of blood right between his shoulder and bicep.

"Castle your hit!" Rick looks to where she is now applying pressure and sees the blood that is just pumping out with every heartbeat. He's starting to feel light-headed now and he falls to his knees. Before he knows it he's lying on his back on the street.

The shooter reloads once more and starts firing rounds at the two remaining SWAT members. That's when the lieutenant gave the order for the sniper to take him out. With the green light the sniper lines up a headshot and the suspect's head explodes in fragments eliminating the threat.

"I need a medic here now!" Kate screams.

The first to hear her yelling is Ryan and Esposito. They are at her side before the medic arrives and what they see is Castle down on the street bleeding profusely.

"Beckett, what happened?" Ryan asks.

"I'm not sure other than the obvious. I told him to stay in the car."

Before he loses consciousness Castle blurts out in a whisper to Kate,

"I was never a scout."

His eyes slowly roll into the back of his head and his lids close. The medics readied him for transport by stabilizing his shoulder, starting an IV for fluid replenishment, and wrapping his wound. It all happened so fast and within five minutes of him being shot he was heading towards the hospital.

TBC