Checking her phone again, Alexis Castle was annoyed, it had been 20 minutes since her father said her was 'here' in a text, but she hadn't yet seen him. She wondered if he was downstairs talking to the doorman.
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Both Beckett and Esposito were balancing large boxes with files in the elevator. An awkward moment prevailed as they both watched the numbers descend.
"So, you and Castle . . ."
She set her face like stone, she was not finishing that sentence for him. Javier Esposito knew exactly how far he could push Kate Beckett.
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Alexis opened the door to the detectives, surprised to see them. An awkward moment followed where she did not invite them in.
"Your dad wanted some files," Beckett said neutrally.
"Where is he?"
"You mean you haven't seen him today?" Beckett immediately looked horrified.
She exchanged a look with Esposito as Alexis opened the door wide enough to let them in.
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He sucker punched the man standing in front of him before he could utter a response. Castle doubled over, but raised his eyes enough to watch the man who shot Kate Beckett. Rage filled him. Ragged breaths punctuated the air.
"What does she know?"
"Nothing, she knows nothing, no one does. What the hell is this all about?" His need for answers outweighed his fear.
The sniper laughed, "You really think I'm going to answer that? Tell me what she knows." Castle swallowed hard and launched in.
"She knows that you shot her. She knows that."
"Yeah? Does she know that was a kill shot? She's a tough girl, got a little taste of it the other day on that roof. You get a little taste of it too?"
Castle glared.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. In fact, I'm thinking you are the easiest way to end this."
"You kill her, you kill me, there are others behind us. How many more people need to die for this guy? Whatever he's paying you, I'll pay you double to give me the information on him."
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She couldn't panic in front of Alexis, but she felt it rising. She'd pressed redial on the phone for the third time, felt hope draining from her.
"Not at the precinct," Esposito said holding the phone away.
"Have Ryan trace his cell. Alexis, when was the last time you heard from him?"
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She was canvasing the area outside the building, looking for cameras, asking questions to anyone in the area. Esposito jogged up, "camera across the street catches the front entrance." She ran behind him into the bodega.
"Shit," they both said at the same time when they saw the footage.
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"Okay, the traffic cam down the block caught the plate, I'm running it now." Ryan was moving through the bull pen, directing several other cops with hand signals, "Castle's phone is pinging off a tower at 51st and 8th , but GPS is narrowing it down to a one block radius, full of co-op buildings, no way to pinpoint it further. I'm running what I can now."
"Alright bro, we're on our way." Esposito replied without a second thought about the moniker.
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"Beckett, we're gonna find him." Espo looked over at her from the driver's seat, tried to inject a little hope. She looked stricken, but didn't answer.
Ryan had a team ready when they arrived, directed them to start searching. Kate raised her face to look at the four skyscrapers surrounding them, felt the crushing weight of desperation. She bit her lip, turning slowly in a circle.
"Found the car," Esposito called.
She and Ryan raced toward him, followed him through the closest parking garage exit leading to a corridor of apartments, a bank of elevators, at least two exits.
Her heart was telling her this was impossible. She leaned her back against the nearest wall, aware of Ryan and Espo already knocking on doors.
Her phone rang. The caller ID read Captain Gates.
"Detective, we've got a call for a disturbance at your location, seventh floor, apartment 725."
She acknowledged Gates with a simple, "got it."
"Guys, seventh floor." They crowded each other pushing for the closest exit stairs.
Esposito took lead, followed by Ryan. They moved communicating in signals and body language. It was Ryan who kicked open the door while all three called, "NYPD."
(In keeping with the style of the show, I would pause for an exceptionally long commercial break right here, just sit back and pretend to be frustrated for a minute.)
Castle lay in the fetal position not moving. Kate knelt on the floor next to him instantly, her team moved to clear rooms on either side when she heard the unmistakable click of a gun, felt a barrel pressed in the back of her head.
"I'm pretty sure this time I can do some unrecoverable damage," her shooter said behind her.
Kate Beckett trembled as she raised both hands out to her sides and heard the thud of her gun dropping to the floor.
"You shoot her, we shoot you," came Esposito's voice behind her.
"No, I'll tell you what we are all going to do," the sniper snarled never taking his eyes off Beckett, "you are going to turn around and leave this apartment while Kate and I have a nice chat."
"Ain't gonna happen man." Esposito spat.
Ryan raised the stakes, "it's too late, we've already seen you, we know everything she knows, you kill her, we kill you, this whole thing goes public. I think your employer might not be too happy."
"No one's going to connect those dots. You should have left this alone after you survived our first encounter," he wrapped his arm around Beckett's neck and roughly pulled her up to standing. She glanced down at Castle's still unmoving body. She needed to know.
"Castle?" She felt tears pricking her eyes, heard the desperation in her own voice.
He didn't respond.
Her assailant turned her around to face Ryan and Esposito.
They were both in the Weaver stance, solid, unmoving. Her brothers. She had a moment of clarity even as a haze covered her eyes. If Castle was dead, what difference did any of this make?
"Beckett!" Esposito used his military voice.
"Just go Javi. Just go." Her voice low, "I've got this."
"Listen to the lady. I think she might want to know about her mommy and I'll want to know what she knows, and then when we can finish our business. It will be painless I promise. Oh and gentlemen, you pursue this investigation any further and you'll end up like Kate here, I will hunt down anyone near and dear to you. Got a wife? Got a kid?" Ryan visibly swallowed. Her sniper took a step toward them, pushing Beckett, forcing them backward. A macabre dance.
A shot rang out.
All four locked in the dance stopped, Beckett felt rather than saw him fall behind her, stepped forward as Ryan and Esposito covered their suspect.
A keening came from the room. Low and soft it loomed louder, like the sound of a train. It was a moment before Kate realized it was coming from her. Castle was sitting up, holding her freshly fired gun in his hands.
He lowered the weapon as he met her eyes.
In her peripheral vision, Esposito was shaking his head.
She crumpled to the floor, folding in on herself.
Sympathy and something suspiciously like pity shone from the eyes of all three of the men still alive in the room.
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"Tyler Masters," Gates said, file in hand, "the fingerprints confirm his identity."
"The question still remains, who was he working for?" Ryan's eyes searched his teammates.
"And what did Smith have on him? How is Smith connected whoever is behind this?" Esposito added.
Gates brainstormed further, "What's his focus on Detective Beckett when you are all investigating this?"
Castle was uncharacteristically quiet. Kate was sitting next to him on the desk as they discussed the murder board, their thighs touching.
"He wouldn't take a bribe," Castle finally spoke, "I offered him more money than his employer would pay him."
They were silent for a moment, exchanging glances.
"A guy like that? Hired killer?" Esposito interjected, "That doesn't make sense, he should have jumped on more money. It's obvious you're good for it."
"If he was loyal to his employer, does that mean they have some kind of history?"
They all pondered that question a moment.
"We'll run that tomorrow, right now people go home, good work, come back fresh and ready to hit this tomorrow."
Kate's eyes met Gates directly. Roy said those words once. Hit this.
"I mean it, everybody go home." She was pointedly still holding Beckett's gaze.
All four caught the same elevator down to the ground floor, although none saw Kate's fingers brush Castle's for the ride.
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"Dad!" Alexis threw herself into her father's arms. He'd spoken with her earlier, told her he was okay. Kate felt a pang of guilt, she wasn't the only one dependent on Castle.
An awkward Kate hovered in the background. Alexis finally saw her over his shoulder, released her dad.
"I'm going to take a shower," Kate said, "I had a break-in at my house so your dad offered your guest room."
He shot her a grateful look and watched her climb the stairs as he snagged Alexis in another hug.
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He was lying awake in his bed when the door opened. Kate stood in the moonlight, wearing only a long white t-shirt. He wasn't sure he was actually seeing her or her apparition in some twilight sleep.
He was only really certain when she pulled back the covers and slipped in beside him smelling of sweet conditioner and some heady mix of Kate, pulling him close as they lay on their sides facing each other.
"You killed a man today," she whispered, running her finger over the side of his face.
"No Kate, I kept a man from taking you away from me again." He pressed his forehead against hers.
In the silence, she kissed him softly, languidly. Pushed him back so she lay on top of him, let him grieve his actions on her neck; made him forget as she stroked his chest.
They didn't need to speak, there was no harried, frenzied action like there had been the night before. This time it was the slow, sweet dance of two people healing their pain.
A/N: Thank you dear readers and reviewers, I really appreciate all your sweet words of praise. I promise this won't be a long fic, maybe one more chapter, definitely done by next Monday. Then I'm off on a two week trip to Egypt during which time I will be doing no posting. I love being an international woman of mystery, I just need to meet my Richard Castle . . .*sigh*. Review me, please?