Manhattan, New York City

Alexis Castle was caught in a labyrinth of terror with no end and no beginning. She ran for her life, twisting and turning through the maze, but the faster she ran, the closer the thing came...gurgles of fiendish laughter filled her ears and the stench of rotten flesh made her gag…she tripped and cried out in pain…the monster was pulling at her arms….it was just too strong… "Get off! Leave me alone!"

"Alexis! It's me, Kate!"

Alexis opened her eyes and cried out in relief. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" She jumped up from the sofa and threw her arms around Kate's shoulders. "A stinky zombie was after me, it was horrible." Sobs escaped her throat, but she didn't care, because Kate was here, and Kate was strong. "It's dad, I don't know what to do."

"Shhh, it's ok."

"You have a key?"

"Yes. I got worried when you didn't answer the door."

Alexis sniffled and felt her lip quivering, but managed to steady herself with a deep breath. "Dad spoke your name just before he passed out, that's why I called you. He looks terrible, Kate, please help." Alexis clamped her arms around the detective just as the tears began to flow.

It was contagious. Kate Beckett cried right along with Alexis, her own frustrations draining away with each rolling tear. Alexis was clinging like a child to a mother, but Kate did not disengage the embrace. Instead, she held on tight, closed her eyes and relived the details: urgent phone calls abruptly transformed her quiet Saturday night into an emotional roller coaster ride. Castle was a hero, Ryan said. Castle had true grit, Esposito solemnly informed her. True grit? Hero? What was the deal here, and why were they talking about Castle as though he was a modern-day John Wayne? What kind of trouble could her mystery writer get into tending bar at the Haunt on a Saturday night? Her police friends were only too happy to spill the shocking news, and after a dozen revealing phone calls, Kate was bent over the toilet retching out her misery. Now here she was in his home, trying to grasp the implications of his actions while she hugged his daughter, who was mere inches from a breakdown. Reluctantly, Kate pulled away and wiped at her wet cheeks. Alexis did the same, looking self-conscious and miserable.

"It's time."

They walked hand in hand to the dark bedroom. Inside, Alexis flipped on the bedside light and Kate gasped in horror. The orange glow of the small lamp exposed the ugly truth, and it was worse than she had imagined.

"What should we do?"

"Just give me a minute, Alexis." Kate pulled up the sheet and leaned in for a cursory examination, but puffed out a gasp of surprise when Rick's naked torso filled her vision. Despite the dim light, fist-sized discolorations on his rib cage were all too visible, as were jagged lacerations on his face, now partially hidden under a small ice pack. The skin of his right eye socket was already puffy and blue. For Alexis' sake, she managed to hold back the profanity that threatened to spew out of her mouth and mutely followed Alexis out to the kitchen. As she walked, Kate's anger quickly became laced with stabs of raw panic. What to do? Alexis was wide-eyed and fidgeting nervously, watching her every move.

"Is it bad, Kate? What do you think? Should we call 911? Should we take him to a hospital?"

Kate grasped the girl's shoulders gently, "Please try to relax; did the police visit?"

"No. Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

Kate sucked in a breath and picked her words carefully. "Look Alexis, I understand that you're frightened, but we need to be rational and calm." Calm, however, was nowhere to be found, as Kate's stomach churned with worry. "The whole story will come out soon enough, whether we like it or not." Kate paced the length of the kitchen, her gut heaving painfully with thoughts of the inevitable fallout that would soon cover them like a dirty blanket. "Your father didn't want to go to the hospital, so we'll honour his decision and help him get through the night."

"But what about the black eye? I put ice on it..."

"That was quick thinking; ice is good for the swelling." Kate felt better now that a plan was in the works, and even Alexis seemed to have settled down. "I've seen plenty of guys in fist-fights, and fortunately it's the ego that tends to suffer the most. That said, we really don't know the extent of your dad's injuries, so I'm going to watch carefully." Kate stopped pacing and smiled, hoping to lighten up the tension. "How about I take the first shift and you get some sleep?"

Alexis released a long sigh and slumped against the kitchen counter. "Sleep? I need to talk, not sleep."

Talk? Chit chat at 1:00 am? No surprise there, she was a Castle after all. She debated the wisdom of a late night heart-to-heart with the daughter of the man….oh hell. "We only have a few minutes." Kate sank into the soft sofa and immediately felt exhaustion trickle down inside her body like water seeping through sand. Alexis plopped herself down too, her mane of auburn hair bouncing like satin ribbons. No doubt that pretty face could stop a stable full of cowboys in their tracks. Kate envisioned a frantic Rick begging her to run background checks on all the love-struck young bucks lined up at the door. Maybe he'd make them compete in bull-riding, or calf-roping, and allow one of the poor contestants to get to level two. She let herself relax for the first time in hours, and reflexively touched Alexis' hair. "Look at you, growing up into such a beautiful young woman; I hope you'll take it slow with Ashley, you both have a lot of life to discover before you get too serious."

Alexis smiled back. "Dad says the same thing; he's probably worried that I'll elope and leave him alone with Gram."

"Go easy on him, he's a good father and only wants the best for you."

"I know. There are so many things I want to talk to you about Kate, but we never get enough time together."

Oh boy, not good. "What's on your mind that can't wait until morning?"

"You and dad are on my mind." Alexis absently gathered her hair into a thick rope while she spoke. "Why aren't the two of you together? You must know by now that dad's crazy about you."

"Wow, I'm not comfortable discussing this."

"But why not? He loves spending his days with you, and the word Goddess has come up more than a few times." Alexis giggled and hiccupped.

"Goddess? I bet I could work that to my advantage."

"Yeah, but on the downside, he's been raging about a dude he calls motorcycle boy, and how you are just using this guy because you have other issues you don't want to face. Who is he? Just dump him, Kate."

This was beyond belief, how could Rick divulge such personal stuff to his kid? Other issues? "Your father and I have a strange relationship, it's actually very…"

"Oh no you don't! No crap about it being complicated. Has he kissed you?"

Wouldn't you love to know? Kate bit her lip and let out a sigh. Her most tight-lipped suspects wouldn't last five minutes in the interrogation room with this young woman. Alexis Castle, like her father, was a force to be reckoned with, and she hoped that young Ashley possessed nerves of steel. "This isn't Facebook and we're not having this conversation. You'll just have to trust us."

"But..."

She silenced Alexis with a hand on her arm. "Thanks for your insight, but right now I'm going to look after a soft-hearted cowboy and you're going to hit the hay. Got it, partner?" Kate rewarded the worried looking teen with one last tidbit, "I'll be in bed with your dad; I want to be close by if he wakes up in distress." And out of there before he finds me. Or not?

"Complicated, I see what you mean. Don't worry; I'll get you up early enough." Alexis stood up and stretched luxuriously, like a slinky ginger cat. "Do you have supplies? I have tons of lounge pants."

"Lounge pants and a T-shirt would be nice, thanks."

"Back in a flash."

Alexis glanced at her with a shy smile before turning to take the stairs two at a time, and she was back before Kate could finish massaging the kinks out of her neck. A colorful ball of clothing flew towards her and Kate snagged it out of the air.

"Is your grandmother away?"

"Yup, Gram's gone for the weekend, and that's probably a good thing." Alexis hugged her again. "Thank you for coming over, dad will be so happy. See you bright and early."

"Hey, give that zombie a kick in the ass for me." Kate called after her.

Kate sighed, flopped onto the sofa and closed her eyes. Cowboy Rick will NOT be happy to see me, and early is a time of day I don't want to think about. She had been dangerously tempted to pour out her heart to Alexis, and she could easily imagine how their conversation might have played out: "Who is motorcycle boy? An amusement. Do you love my dad? Yes, oh yes. Why can't you tell him? I'm terrified of falling so deeply that I never touch the bottom. Dad is strong; he'll catch you, Kate. Yes, I know. Being in love is wonderful. Yes, it is. Trust him. With all my heart. Tell him you love him. I will. Kiss him. Can't wait. I'm glad we had this little talk, Kate. Me too, for sure."

If only reality could be so deliciously simple. She was reluctant to relinquish her warm spot on the sofa, but the night was slipping away and Rick needed attention. She padded silently into his dark bedroom, and immediately felt her flesh tingle with the subtle vibrations dancing through the air. Kate closed her eyes as the sound of his breathing enveloped her in a silken net. She fumbled her way to the adjoining washroom and found a washcloth, which she soaked in cold water and placed over the worst of the cuts. He didn't move a muscle. The ice pack was warm and had fallen on the floor. "Thank you for being my hero, Castle," she whispered to the darkness. Kate changed into Alexis' clothing and slipped into the space beside him. Carefully, she moved in closer. Male body heat hit her head on, as did the smell of sweat and alcohol.

He should have gone to a hospital. He should have called her. He should have turned away when trouble reared its ugly head. Too many should-haves, not enough answers. Kate knew that the Haunt was a popular bar with many of the downtown officers, and Rick was always the one to socialize, even while working a shift behind the taps. If nothing else, this incident was the stuff of legend; it was another chapter in the colourful history of the Haunt. She reached out to gently touch Rick's warm and muscular shoulder. He had taken a beating for a reason, but all she had to go on was a wild story from a bunch of chatty cops. Guilt gnawed at her gut, but there was no point in worrying until after she heard the tale directly from cowboy Rick's shapely mouth. Tomorrow he would tell her the truth; there could be no secrets between them. Kate yawned sleepily in the warm cocoon, and struggled to keep the fluffy cloud of sleep from smothering her all too soon.