AN: Since this is AU, I needed to add a little cannon in here (and what better way to do it than to add my favorite episode into the mix with these next chapters). Enjoy!

It had been a few days since he had seen Kate. She gave him his time with Alexis, which he appreciated, and told her she wasn't intruding, but she assured him that she was spending Father's Day weekend with her dad. As much as he had enjoyed his time with Alexis, he did miss Kate. He missed her smile, her laugh, well he missed everything about her.

He had two coffees, per usual, as he entered the precinct. He had to admit, that he did miss seeing her in the morning when he got coffee. However, shadowing her was much better. He got to see her do what she loved and he also got to be there to help her. He saw her at her desk, looking at the elephants that were at her desk. He made his way over to her and once he was closer, it seemed to knock her out of her trance. She gave him one of those smiles, the one that he believed was just reserved for him, and it made his heart flutter.

"Hey."

"Hey," he handed her her coffee, making sure to linger a little and brush his fingers against hers. "I didn't expect you to be here today. There's no case today….well yet."

"I missed you." He saw the slight blush. "But I can't stay long. My mother is going to the bank on Lex and she needs my help with obtaining a loan. But if you need anything at all, I will cancel."

"Even if it's paperwork?"

"The only thing worse than being there is paperwork."

"You know, how come we're partners when I'm chasing down bad guys and as soon as there's paperwork, I'm on a solo mission?"

He placed a kiss on the top of her head, not thinking about his actions. "Because even though I'm great with words, your talent for paperwork is exceptional. I'll come by later. Call me if you need me."

She smiled as she watched him leave before taking a sip of her coffee.

—-

She wasn't expecting him to call so soon. It had only been about a half-hour since he left. "Castle, you can't be…"

"Beckett, the bank is being robbed. There's a man and a woman here dressed in scrubs, and both of them have suspicious bulges in their jackets. "

"Castle, I think your writer's imagination is getting away with you." That's when she heard a voice say "Everybody on the floor, now!"

"Definitely not my imagination."

She looked over at Ryan, who was speaking with Esposito. "There's a 10-30 New Amsterdam Bank and Trust on Lex. Call dispatch."

"10-30? Since when are we handling bank robberies?"

"Castle's there."Ryan grabbed his phone and Espositio headed into his office, assuming he would also contact someone. "Castle's what's going on? How many are there?"


To say that today wasn't turning out to be what they expected was an understatement. She was now outside of a bank that Castle was in with four robbers, in a trailer, trying to negotiate with "Trapper John" because he would only talk to "the lady with the bedroom voice." She knew coming back to homicide was going to be, well, more exhausting and thrilling than being at the bakery, but she hadn't expected this. She also knew that if she was still at Johanna's, she would be on the sidelines for this. She was feeling more hopeless than she already was.

Thoughts were racing through her head, ones like what if she never saw Castle again, how she might use that favor Bracken mentioned to get some "justice" of her own. That she never told Castle she loved him. Sure, they hadn't been dating long (almost three months, maybe four considering she couldn't really remember at a moment like this) but a moment like this had her wishing she had said it this morning. She had a feeling he knew. She knew he loved her.

She was now in the process of getting into an EMT's uniform, knowing that she wouldn't be able to talk to either Castle or Martha, but she would hope that just seeing her would bring them some relief and possibly give herself some too. She wheeled the stretcher in when the door opened. She spotted Castle as soon as he saw her. It took everything in her not to run over to him, to assure him that she would get him out of this. He came over to her when she approached the man on the floor who needed attention.

"Hey, Sal, hey, buddy. How are you doing? Sal, listen to me, I want you to know that there are people out there that care about you, so just keep breathing." She placed her hand over his, wanting to have contact with him in a way that wouldn't draw any attention. She was a little surprised when she felt him slip her a note, but made sure she didn't show it. He had been resourceful so far, in sending her information while still being a hostage, and she didn't want him in any more danger than he already was. She looked at him, wanting to say all the things that she knew couldn't say at the moment. She just hoped her eyes conveyed that she loved him and that she was going to get him out of there. "I promise you I'm gonna get you out of here." She made sure to look at Castle when she said that.

He helped her put Sal onto the stretcher and she wheeled him out of there. She looked back, making sure to take Castle in and once again hoping her eyes told him that she loved him and that she was going to get him out of this. The door closed behind her and all she wanted to do was go back in. She let the real EMTs take care of Sal as she went to read his note.

The heart was sweet, but the mention of C4 wasn't. She hadn't been back even for a month and she had already had two cases of saving someone from explosives…and this one involved her boyfriend and his mother. She went into the trailer to inform the captain of the new information she received.


She not only heard the explosion, but she also felt it. She opened the trailer to see the smoke coming from the building and her world felt like it stopped. She felt like she was going to be sick. She should have told him to stay with her today and made something up. She should have gone with him. She should have tried to get more than just Sal out of there. She wasn't sure when she was able to get her footing, but when she did she went straight into the building, drawing her gun and holding her flashlight. She heard her name being shouted behind her, but she didn't care. She was going in there.

"Castle! Castle!"

"Beckett!?"

She rushed towards the sound of his voice and saw him, Martha, and the others safe (yet tied up) on the floor. "They're in here!" She put her weapon away and knelt next to Castle. She cut the ties holding his wrists together and was immediately brought into his arms. She breathed him in as she nuzzled into his neck and wrapped her arms around him. "I thought I lost you."

"No, no, never."

She pulled back and she was about to say something when Martha interrupted. "He's not the only one, you know." Castle sighed.

"I'm sorry, Martha." She cut the ties off of her wrist. She was taken aback, just a little, when she felt Martha's arms around her, pulling her into a hug... "I'm glad you're safe."

"All thanks to you, darling." Castle coughed as if to say "aren't you forgetting someone." "And you too, Richard."

Kate smiled as she helped them up from the floor. She looked at Castle, as Martha made her way outside, "You sure you're okay?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He let her know that he loved her, that he was more than thrilled to be able to see her again and to kiss her, that he was okay, and that so was she.