So here's a second chapter, hope you like it.

What if had managed to get to Beckett in time?

He saw the flash of something catching the sunlight behind a gravestone and before he really had time to process what was happening he was surging forward, yelling out to Kate and tackling her to the ground, just as the gun shot cracked through the air.

Everyone screamed and dived to the floor, using the chairs for a much cover as possible.

"Where'd the shot come from?" Ryan called out.

Lanie tried to stand, to get to Castle and Beckett, neither of whom were moving as far as she could see, but Esposito pulled her back down. "Get down Lanie," he said, peering around the chairs.

"Shot came from the northeast," someone said. Most of the cops present headed in that direction, staying as low as possible.

Back up at the front Beckett had gotten the wind knocked out of her by Castle's mad tackle. "Castle," she said, as the other cops began to move.

"Beckett are you ok?" Castle asked.

Beckett nodded. "Thank you," she said, "You saved me."

"What are partners for," he said, rolling off of her.

"Castle, you've been hit," Beckett exclaimed as she saw the stain of red spreading across his shirt, his jacket having opened in his heroic act.

"So I have," Castle said pressing his hand to his abdomen and bringing it away bloody, "Would you look at that."

At his words Beckett realised he was going into shock and that the bullet hadn't just grazed him, it had actually hit him. She put her hands over the hole she could now see in his shirt and applied pressure, trying to lessen the blood loss.

"You've got to stay awake for me ok Castle," she pleaded.

"Tired Kate, so tired," Castle replied, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Open your eyes for me Rick, come on, you can do it," Beckett begged, pushing harder and applying more pressure. "Lanie," she then shouted, "Lanie I need help. God Lanie I need you." she turned her attention back to Castle, whose eyes were still shut. "Come on Castle, open your eyes for me. I want to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours Rick."

"Did you just call me beautiful detective?" came Castle's weak reply as he eyes fluttered open once more, "And all it took was getting shot."

Beckett let out a cross between a laugh and a sob and realised that she had tears streaming down her face.

"Hey don't cry Beckett," Castle said weakly, trying to lift his hand to brush them away but failing, "I don't like it when you're sad."

"Ok Castle, I won't cry as long as your eyes are open," Beckett bargained.

"Ok Beckett," Castle agreed but his voice was getting weaker.

"Lanie," Beckett screamed, tearing her eyes away from Castle's, "Lanie where are you? I need you, Castle's been hit."

"Shush," Castle said, "You can't shout like that at night, not even in New York."

"Castle, it's not night, it's the middle of the day," Beckett said in a worried tone.

"But it's getting dark," he protested weakly, "It's time to sleep."

"No Castle," she said as his eyes began to shut again, "We had an agreement, you keep your eyes open and I don't cry."

"Kate," came Lanie's voice from just to her side. Beckett had been so concentrated on Castle she hadn't even noticed her arrive.

"He took the bullet Lanie," she said in a weak voice.

"Oh honey. There's an ambulance on its way," Lanie said in an attempt to comfort her before she looked at Castle, "Hey Castle, can you tell me what hurts?"

"Lanie, what are you doing here so late? Did Kate call you?"

"Yes honey," Lanie answered, "Now can you tell me what hurts?" She replaced Beckett's hand and pressed the gauze from the rudimentary first aid kit she had found to his abdomen.

"Kate," she said, "Can you unbutton his shirt please."

Beckett nodded numbly and started working on the buttons.

"Hehe," Castle chuckled, "Don't take my clothes off in front of people Kate."

"Do you hurt anywhere Castle?" Lanie pressed.

"I feel like I'm on clouds Lanie," Castle answered before he chuckled again, "That tickles Kate."

Beckett finished unbuttoning him and in a quick move Lanie pulled aside the shirt before applying more pressure to the wound. Now that the clothes were out of the way she could push harder without worrying about too many foreign objects getting into the wound which would inhibit his healing later on.

"You look really pretty Kate," Castle said almost breathlessly, his eyes shutting again.

"Come on Rick," Beckett said, "Open your eyes."

Castle opened them and said, "I don't want you to cry Kate."

"Lanie where's the ambulance. I don't know how much longer he's going to last."

Just as she finished speaking the EMT's arrived. Lanie swapped with one of them and moved back, stripping off the rubber gloves she had found as she went.

Beckett stayed by his side as the EMTs got him onto the stretcher. "Come on Castle," Beckett said.

"Where are we going Kate?" Castle asked weakly.

"Hospital Rick, you've been shot remember," Beckett answered, keeping stride with the EMTs and stretcher as they wheeled Castle through the headstones and towards the flashing lights of the ambulance.

"Kate," Lanie called after her," Stay with Castle. I'll get Alexis and Martha to the hospital."

Beckett nodded but otherwise didn't respond as she concentrated on Castle.

"Who are you to him?" one of the EMTs asked as they loaded him in.

"His partner," Beckett answered, climbing into the back of the ambulance after Castle and the stretcher, daring them to say anything.

The doors slam and they sped away. "Kate," came Castle's voice, which was now barely above a whisper, "Where was I shot?"

"In the abdomen Castle," Beckett answered.

Castle reached out blindly and weakly took hold of her hand. Beckett gave it a squeeze as he began to talk, "If I don't make it make sure Alexis ad Martha are looked after and tell them I love them."

"Don't talk like that Castle," she demanded, feeling the tears that were once again running down her cheeks.

"Kate," Castle said, "I just want you to know, if I don't make it…"

"No Castle," Beckett cut him off, "Don't say anything, you can tell me after your surgery."

"Kate," Castle said again and Beckett had to move closer to hear his voice, "Thank you for putting me up with me following you around. I just want you to know that I love you Kate."

As he finished speaking his eyelids slid shut, hiding his beautiful blue eyes from Beckett's tear filled ones. "Come on Rick," she begged, "Open your eyes. Please don't do this now."

His eyes however stayed shut and Beckett let the flood gates open as the heart monitor he was attached to let out and unholy noise. She made herself as small as possible in the corner as the EMTs moved about, trying to save her partner's life.

She sat and prayed to anyone who was listening that Castle would be ok, that he would live. That he would be able to hold Alexis again, and hug his mother and talk to her and make her feel better even after the hardest of cases, and most of all so that she could tell him she felt the same way, that she loved him too.