My apologies for posting this update so late, it's not typically what I do. But it's spring and farm work and work work are keeping me plenty busy. Please enjoy. Oh, and rest assured, this isn't the end of it.

Everything had happened so fast that her mind never had a chance to order her body to react. As a matter of fact, the attack had felt more like a dance, her weight being shifted from one side to the next in one smooth motion as warm hands caressed her body.

Then, like the strong muscles of a python, a set of arms began to tighten around her, putting her into a position of complete tension, unable to move, her head cocked uncomfortably to the side, never giving her a chance to scream for help.

After the swift onset of the attack, he stalled, his rapid breaths next to her ear sounding panicked, the complete opposite of the stillness in his hands as he wrapped them around her chin and back of her head, ready for the deadly maneuver.

With his body pressed against hers, she could feel his chest heaving, moving both of them slightly each time he inhaled.

Unable to stop a fearful gasp, Beckett tried to reach for the gun at her side but couldn't, her hands too far away, the motion quite possibly enough to break her neck.

As the faint scent of the familiar aftershave filled her surroundings, she looked over at her bedroom window right next to a fire escape ladder, the latch set to open, then at the life-sized mirror that was slightly tilted, grateful to see Caste and Ryan approach, the detective having pulled his Glock as a precaution.

"Espo…listen to me. It's over…you don't have to do this anymore…", she whispered, not surprised when he didn't react.

Instead, she could hear his breathing slow down, as though he was stilling his body, preparing for the kill one last time.

"Javi, let her go. You've been lied to. He's programmed you. It's over. Just let her go, please.", came Ryan's stern command, the gun in his hand shaking as he moved around the door frame, coming just close enough to get in a clean shot if needed.

Finally, she heard him draw in a deep breath, his arms relaxing for a moment, just to tense up again.

"Shoot me, Kev. Please…I can't stop this.", came his desperate plea, Esposito's body slowly beginning to shake.

"Nobody is going to shoot you, bro, you hear me? All I need you to do is to let Beckett go. We're going to get you the help you need."

"You don't understand. I can't…stop it…"

As if to prove a point, his arms tightened even more, tilting her head off to the side enough to make her neck pop in protest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…", Ryan countered and took another step closer, Castle hovering behind him, the writer's brown eyes wide in fear, "Let's just…let's relax. You can stop this. You already started to fight this. That's why you looked at that camera, didn't you? Something inside you knew that you needed our help. Now, Lafayette may have programmed you to kill Beckett, make her your last target, but you know what? He's dead. He killed himself when the net closed in on him. It's over. All of it."

"I don't want…to…hurt her…", Esposito begged in undisguised panic, his ragged breaths filling the otherwise still room, "Please bro, shoot me. I can't have her die. I don't want to kill her. Please shoot me. Now!"

"I can't do that, Javi. You're my best friend and I am going to help you work through this. You are not going to die. You will be fine. Just let her go. I know you can do it."

"Listen to him, Espo. He's right.", Beckett tried, her delicate hands powerless to fight the strong arm wrapped around her neck, "Those meds he forced you to take are wearing off. I know it may not feel like it right now, but you're going to be ok."

"I don't want to kill you, Kate. Please…I don't know how much longer I can fight…my own body.", Esposito whispered, the trembling finally moving into his arms and hands.

She was about to respond when Castle pushed past Ryan, his hand reaching over to gently lower the detective's gun before stopping just short of them.

"Listen to me, Javier. Remember what you told me about Lafayette, how he taught you that trick on how to stay grounded? The...ehm…the numbers? Remember that?"

Behind her, she could feel Esposito nod carefully, then releasing a strained breath as he fought his body's reflexes.

"He said that it's important to stay grounded, that it will…it will help you in times like these. So why don't we remember that exercise now? Why don't you think of 3 things you can see? Let's start with that, shall we?"

Easing up on some of the tension around her neck, she could feel him tilt his head, following Castle's advice.

"Here, let me help you out a bit on this, Javier…", the writer continued, his voice trembling slightly as he pointed at Ryan, "Right here, thing one is your best friend. This guy has been worried sick about you for the past twenty-four hours. He doesn't want you to get hurt and sure as hell doesn't want to be responsible for your death. Thing two. Beckett. You two have been through a lot together, more than the rest of us. You guys make a great team. Well…not as fun of a team as it is with me and Ryan involved, but she's still your friend and she will always be there for you. Thing three. Look at yourself in that mirror over here…go and look at that guy. Because he is a good guy, somebody who would give his life for his friends without thinking twice. He's tough as nails and terrifying when you first meet him…but he's one of the kindest and most compassionate people I know. It's the same guy who nearly caused Lafayette to give up on his horrible experiments altogether because you bravely defied almost all his attempts to coerce you."

"I can't…fight this any longer…please, Kev…just shoot me.", Esposito breathed, his sweaty jaw pushed against Beckett's temple as she felt his weight slowly shifting.

"No, we're not done yet, Javier. Let's think of three things you can hear now.", Castle continued bravely, his body remaining stoically still, "First thing. Think about what you're not hearing…sirens. It's just the four of us here, nobody else. Matter of fact, there's an untouched beer out there with your name on it whenever you're ready. Thing two. Your guy Ryan right here. He already said he's not going to shoot you and I know he won't. You know he won't. None of us are going to hurt you. Thing three. I am going to shut up here in a moment and I want you to listen to yourself. You're hearing your heart hammering? All that fear that's been driven into your body? It's from all the lies that Lafayette planted in your mind over these past few days. When you went to meet with Chantal, he paid her to drug you and once you were out cold, he brought you to his clinic and started to mess with you. He got you hooked on these horrible pills and had you come back to his place every other day so that he could track the progress of his manipulation. He preyed on your PTSD and used you as his lab rat. But you survived all that. All you have to do is hang in there just a little bit longer until all that…all that poison leaves your body. Then it'll all become crystal clear. But in the meantime, you have to trust us and let her go. Please…Javier, I am begging you. Please don't hurt her."

When his voice threatened to break, Castle looked over at her, that deep sadness in his eyes tearing on her heart strings.

As the promised seconds of silence ensued, the tension in her small bedroom grew to unbearable levels, everyone remaining completely still, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the dramatic incident.

Finally, she felt Espo move his chin to the top of her head, his shaking hands letting go of her with a heart-wrenching sob, his weight shifting as though he was going to lose his balance.

With a sigh of relief, Beckett turned around, wrapping the detective in a tight embrace, the rest of the crew coming up to join them.

Between the countless reassurances that things were going to be alright, she could hear Esposito weep against her shoulder, the unimaginable torment from Lafayette's experiments finally bubbling to the surface, releasing raw anger and fear that none of them could even begin to understand.

"Shhhhhh…it's ok. You're going to be ok.", she whispered over and over again and kissed his cheek before grabbing the back of his neck with her free hand, pulling him closer into her arms.

"You're stronger than this, Espo, just remember that."

To either side of them, Castle and Ryan waited patiently, eyes glassy with tears, never realizing how much stronger their bond had become over the past few minutes.

Relishing the happy end to a case that had the makings of a tragedy; Beckett took a moment to glance over at the writer, mouthing a quiet thank you that was answered in kind.

Seconds later, that childlike grin and the genuine warmth in his features turned into an exaggerated expression of relief as he pretended to reach for a bottle of liquor and drown a double shot, holding one hand over his throbbing heart.

Instead of scowling, she decided to smile, knowing that some heroes came in the strangest of shapes.