A/N: Sorry...it's been awhile...again. At least the wait wasn't as long as it was for the last chapter, right? Sorry but it's short too. Only one chapter left after this! Please review!!


Kate watched in absolute horror as Castle tackled Melissa, only to be jumped on by the two goons that were keeping her held captive. The fact that she couldn't do anything but watch and struggle against her restraints made her even more frantic.

That's when the gunshot went off.

Her heart was beating furiously as she prayed to whatever God that may exist for Castle to be okay. To live. If he died it would be her fault. What would she say to Martha? Oh, God, what about Alexis?

There was a pool of blood beginning to form under the four people still struggling a few feet away from her. The only thing was that one of the bodies was no longer moving. She couldn't tell who it was who had been hit…who was most likely dead.

There was a yell, and the gun came skidding across the floor towards her. She trapped it under her still-bound-together feet and attempted to turn so that she could grab it with her hands. She barely had a chance, though, as Melissa broke away from the fight and began crawling towards her.

The blonde woman was covered in blood that was not hers. Kate's heart leaped to her throat. Melissa was still alive and Castle…

Her thoughts were cut short as Melissa lunged for the gun.

Beckett had been humiliated enough in the passed day to last her a lifetime. It was with a sick sort of delight that she aimed a well placed kick right into Melissa's face. The crunch of her breaking nose made it even better. After what she had put Beckett through, she deserved it.

It was at that moment that Ryan and Esposito got there with back up. Cops swarmed the room, guns drawn, and immediately surrounded the two fighting men and the one dead, or at least Kate assumed it was dead, body. Esposito and Ryan were the first ones to reach Beckett, and with unnecessary roughness they cuffed Melissa and had her escorted outside to a squad car. On the other side of the room another person, one of the two kidnappers, was cuffed and being shoved after Melissa.

"Beckett, you okay?" Ryan pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting the rope binding her feet together. Esposito muttered a quiet apology and ripped the duct tape off of her mouth, then began to cut off the rope binding her hands.

"I'm fine. Where's Castle?" Her eyes were frantic. She couldn't see anything through the wall of cops separating her from her kidnappers and Castle.

Esposito and Ryan both looked in the same direction that she was.

"Is he…?" Ryan trailed off, looking at Esposito.

"No. No!" Kate exclaimed. "He's not dead! That stupid idiot can't be dead!" Despite herself, tears began pricking her eyes. He very well may be dead...and there's nothing that she can do about it.

What was she going to do?

What about Alexis?

She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tears. "Castle…,"

"Yeah?"

Her eyes flew open. There he was, standing in front of her, covered in blood that she hoped wasn't his. He kneeled down to be on the same eye level as her.

"Castle!"

Ignoring the fact that she was a detective, and completely forgetting that she was strong and independent, Kate Beckett threw herself at him and hugged him as tightly as she could. She paid no attention to the way that her shoulders were burning from her hands being tied behind her back for so long, or that her wrists were completely rubbed raw from the ropes. She barely even noticed that she was getting the blood that Castle was covered in all over herself. She could only focus on the fact that he was here…alive.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry, Kate. This was all my fault. I had no idea that Melissa would do something like this." All traces of the joking man-child he frequently acted like were gone. "I'm so sorry. Just say the word and I'm finished with Nikki Heat. I'll stop bothering you and things can go back to how it used to be. I—,"

"Shut up, Castle." She smiled, even though the tears were still shining in her eyes.

Without a second thought, Kate leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Castle stiffened, completely confused, but a moment later he relaxed and deepened the kiss. He held her against him as tight as he could, and Kate moved one hand to the back of his neck, the other holding onto his shirt.

He'd almost died. She'd almost died. It took this experience to put everything into perspective for her. With the job she had, nothing could be certain. She had a chance to be shot and killed every single day. She knew this. She was fully aware of the risks when she decided to become a detective. But it wasn't until right now that the fact that life was short registered in her mind. That was why she had decided to enjoy it.

That was why she tugged Castle a little bit closer.