Numb.

That's all she could feel.

Numbness spreading like wild fire throughout her body.

Fear.

That's all he could feel.

Fear encasing his whole being preventing him from movement.

As the seconds ticked by reality started to set in and any feeling was pushed to the back of his brain. Richard Castle opened his eyes to find his wife flopped on the floor.

NO!

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

Rick's didn't think he just acted; he threw himself down onto the ground by Kate's side, tears running down his face and terror trembling through his body.

"Kate! Kate, baby, wake up! Wake up! Please baby just open your eyes." Rick continued his pleading as his hands skimmed her entire body looking to see where she was hit.

But he couldn't.

There was no bullet wound. There wasn't even the slightest cut, graze or bruise. Confusion suddenly hit him. If she wasn't shot then…

It was then paramedics rushed into the room and sprinted to where Rick had been standing only moments ago with a gun pointed at his wife. Then he saw it. Her. That evil creature lying in a pool of her own blood. A bullet wound to her chest.

What? Who shot her? Rick thought in confusion. None of this made any sense. It was then he lifted his head and glanced around the room to see Esposito standing at the basement's entrance, gun in hand and relived look on his face.

A groan left his wife's lips, drawing his attention back to her.

"Kate, Baby? Can you please open your eyes. It's okay, your safe now, please just open your eyes."

Rick's desperate eyes were met with his wife's confused ones. Kate wasn't sure if this was a dream. Or a nightmare. Was she dead? If so why was Rick here? Was he dead also?

But Kate didn't care. He was here. That's all that matters.

Kate gently pushed her head off the ground and pulled her arms up to wrap around her husband's neck. Rick, seeing she needed physical contact, swooped his arm under her knees and pulled her gently into his lap.

The warmth of his body and love and relief in his eyes showed her this was not any dream nor nightmare. It was real.

"Rick…what happened?"

"I don't know for sure but I think the bullet Esposito fired came very close to you. The sound knocked you out…She's gone Kate. She can't hurt us anymore." Kate's eyes pooled with tears. She had come so close to losing him. Way too close. Kate's lips suddenly met his with an unforseen passion considering the circumstances.

Once Rick's momentary shock had worn off, he responded to the passionately love filled kiss immediately. For what seemed like seconds was actually minutes before they were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. And although Kate knew she had to stop she didn't. If anything she threw herself more into their embrace, braiding her fingers into her husband's hair and slipping her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. The interrupting throat cleared again, and Rick had to be the one to pull away.

Kate sighed and then looked up to meet the eyes of her captain.

"Beckett…Ah sorry to interrupt but you need to get up now. The paramedics need to take you to the hospital." He spoke a bit uncomfortably; he defiantly was not use to his number one detective behaving in such a displaying manner.

Rick helped Kate up off the floor as Montgomery spoke. Once Kate realised what her captain had just told her she went into full flourished stubborn Beckett.

"Sir, I don't need to go to the hospital, I am perfectly fine. I just want to go home."

"Beckett do not argue with me! You are going to the hospital to get checked out. You blacked out and probably have concussion from hitting your head on the ground. Go or consider yourself suspended." Captain replied with authority.

Rick saw that Kate was considering the ups and downs of getting suspended and knew where this was going.

"Hey, Kate he's right. I need you to be okay. Please. It won't take long and will not leave your side okay? Let's just get it over with." Kate's eyes met her husbands and saw the need and worry in them. Immediately wanting him not to worry and be hurt, she slowly nodded her head in consent.

"Okay." She whispered quietly, "Let's go."

And with that Rick lifted her swiftly into his arms and walked out of the basement and off to the hospital.

Little did they know the biggest shock was yet to come.

Thanks for all of the support so far. Means a lot. I have just discovered how to see how many people actually read my stories (I know, a bit slow on the uptake) and let me just say WOW!

Thank you so much for all of the support.

Please review and please let me know if you want anything to happen, the story has no specific ending. So input accepted. And please please REVIEW!

LJ