Chapter 2

"Come with me if you want to live!"

Castle stopped thinking and grabbed Beckett's hand, letting her tug him through the open door into the kitchen. She raced through the room, and he struggled to keep up, but she still clutched his hand, her grip iron strong, so he kept pace, his lungs bursting. Around them, the staff parted, clearing a path for them as they ran, Beckett reaching the door on the other side and throwing it open to reveal a staircase.

"Come on, down here," she urged, releasing his hand, and he gulped in as much air as he could, following her down the stairs, one level after the other. Twenty floors; by no means a skyscraper, but why had he always insisted on having his book launch parties at rooftop bars? The idea of stars above his head didn't seem as sexy now that he wheezed down flight after flight. He'd launch his next book in a garden, he decided. A garden with a lot of quick getaways, and a car waiting for them-

There was a car waiting for them.

As they reached the ground floor, running through the hotel lobby to the street, Beckett dashed around the other side of an unfamiliar sports car, her speed preternatural as she reached across, throwing the passenger door open.

"Get in," she urged, hitting the gas before he'd even closed the door. She roared through the street, weaving around the many cabs, reaching behind her while he stared in horror at the traffic they were sure to hit-

She turned back around, jerking the wheel sharply to avoid a head-on collision before tossing him the bag she'd just grabbed from the backseat.

"Here. You need to be armed," she said. "We don't have much time."

Armed?

She wanted him to be armed.

He stared at her. Who was she, and what had she done with Kate Beckett? The last time she'd willingly allowed him to be armed was when they were heading into the showdown with Hal Lockwood, but that had been different; her backup piece was a good sight different to the - he looked down with trepidation - zipped duffel, its weight heavy on his legs. He swallowed, shooting her another look before opening it and rummaging through the contents.

This definitely wasn't her back up piece.

This was a whole other world of hurt, the collection of guns both automatic and semi-automatic more than he could get his head around. He selected a handgun, praying he wouldn't be called upon to fire from a moving vehicle. He was good, he just wasn't that good.

"Beckett. Kate. What the hell is going on? What about everyone else at the party?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Not our biggest problem right now. We have to get out of the city," was all she said. "Where are Alexis and Martha?"

"Uh- mother is out of town? And Alexis is at the loft, so-"

"So we're going to have to go get her."

Beckett's mouth was set in a grim line, and his own jaw dropped.

"Seriously? Beckett? What the hell is-"

He stopped before he could finish the sentence, understanding flooding him. They weren't safe, no one was. Putting a bullet in her at Montgomery's funeral wasn't enough, and now everyone was in danger.

"The dragon," he finished, his voice low as she threaded across the city, making unpredictable turns, her ultimate path remaining South-West as she headed toward the loft.

A wry twist of her lips quashed that idea before she opened her mouth to tell him, "You should wish it was the dragon."

"But who else wants us dead?" he protested, and she shrugged as they squealed to a stop outside his apartment.

"Go," she said. "Fast. Really fast, Castle. Five minutes, tops. Get Alexis, some money, the keys to your place in the Hamptons, and be back down here and ready to go."

"Road trip snacks?" he asked, his brain finally working clearly enough to attempt a joke, but it fell flat as she scanned their surroundings, the look in her eyes uncannily like the one the gunman had worn as he'd opened fire on the crowd.

"Four minutes," was her only answer.

"But Dad, what's happening?" Alexis asked as he hurried her into the elevator.

He stabbed at the button for the ground floor, rocking back and forth as the doors closed. "I have no idea, sweetie. But Kate's here, and, well, let's just go."

"But your book launch party-"

He shook his head, unwilling to divulge what had happened there, unwilling to even think about what might have happened to the guests who had attended; he needed to stay calm for Alexis' sake. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Now Beckett's in trouble, and we have to go."

"Is this about her shooting?" Alexis asked, and he hesitated. Beckett had said this had nothing to do with the dragon, but it had to, surely?

"I don't know, okay? But we have to get out of the city, and we have to go now."

The elevator opened and he caught the doorman's eye, raising a quick hand in farewell before racing toward the street. Beckett nodded as he approached, and she leaped back into the car as he threw his bag in the trunk, taking Alexis' rucksack from her and tossing it in as well. He opened his own door, sliding the passenger seat forward so his daughter could squeeze into the back, before shifting it back again, sitting down in a hurry as Beckett took off, the tires screeching.

"Uh- where are we going?" Alexis spoke up, and Beckett nodded.

"The Hamptons, Alexis. We can lay low there for a while, figure out our next move."

"The Hamptons? It's not exactly a secret that I own that place," Castle protested, and Beckett shook her head.

"It's closer than the cabin upstate, and they don't know about either of them yet. Besides, it's July, so going up to the cabin right now would be confusing."

"What cabin?" Castle asked, and Beckett glanced at him as she ran a red.

"B- My dad's cabin," she said. "It's- it's important, later on. Trust me. But for now…" she shook her head, and Castle huffed. Why did he have the distinct feeling he was only getting half the story?

"It's nice to see you looking so well, Detective Beckett," Alexis' small voice spoke up again from the backseat, and he saw as Beckett glanced in the rear view mirror, her expression even as she looked at his daughter.

"Thank you, Alexis," she said at last. "I'm just glad I can help."

"But help with what?" Castle asked.

"I'll explain it all later, I promise. Right now we have to get you out of town, that's the main thing. I have to keep you safe, and then-"

"And who's keeping you safe?" Castle asked, anger erupting now that the adrenalin was wearing off. "God, Beckett. They wanted to shoot you. They did shoot you. And now you show up here as if everything is normal- oh, except for that bit where they want to kill us!" His fury showed itself as sarcasm, but Beckett didn't flinch as she guided the car onto the Williamsburg Bridge.

"Yes, that shouldn't be normal," she said. "But don't worry, Castle. It's going to be okay." She grinned, a wide smile spreading across her face, and for a second she was unrecognizable, her long hair shining in the streetlights that cast a fast-flickering glow into the car. "We're going to make it okay, that's what I'm pr- that's what I'm here for."

He slumped down into the seat, his head pressed hard against the headrest. Fine. She could be like this. Never mind that she'd just showed up out of nowhere after more than two months of radio silence. Never mind that her insistence on an impromptu trip to the Hamptons made no sense. Never mind that she'd dumped a bag of weapons in his lap. Never mind that he was now on the run with his daughter-

This was insane.

"I have to call my mother," he told her, and she nodded, her eyes on the road.

"Go ahead. Don't tell her where we are. Just tell her if she- tell her not to go to the loft when she comes back to town, okay? And if she… sees someone who looks like you? She should go in the other direction."

From the backseat, Alexis let out a whimper, and he turned to say something comforting, but… what could he offer her?

"Don't worry, Alexis," Beckett said, her tone anything but reassuring, and he glared at her before pulling his cell from his pocket.

"Hey!" he said, something occurring to him before he could place the call. "What the hell does that mean? Someone who looks like me?"

A/N: Many thanks to the reviewers with kind words, and to my betas, J&K! x