Hey! Next chap, hope you like it. Thank you so much to everyone who has shown their appreciation in all the various ways, 'specially the reviewers. Means a lot! :)

Disclaimer: I own nada

If what Castle had been running on before was adrenaline, then now it was sheer hope. He'd ignored Ryan and Esposito's shouts as he's bolted off into New York's back street's and he knew that he should feel guilty about that, but right now he just couldn't. Clarke had given him the location and he'd just run. He didn't want to wait for the official nonsense, the agonisingly slow car journey through what was rapidly becoming a steady gridlock of rush hour traffic.

He needed to run.

He needed to see.

See to believe.

He wove quickly between pedestrians, ducking down through back streets and alleys whenever it was quicker.

Finally, his heart pounding in his ears and his breath coming in long deep pants, he rounded the corner to see the yellow police tape.

His eyes searched through the crown of officials who were already busying themselves with tasks that seemed trivial to him. The photographer irritated him in particular, all that clicking and flashing, where was his respect?

Then he saw it, the body, covered with a sheet.

Her body?

He walked towards it slowly, his mind seizing up. Don't be her, don't be her, don't be her. Don't. Be. Her.

'Sir?' a man called from behind him 'Excuse me, sir?' the man ran up to block his view

'Get out of my way"' he shouted at him, noting on some level that the uniform was only doing his job

'Sir, this is a crime scene. You can't go over there,'

'You don't understand, I have to,'

'I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you through,'

'Please!' he didn't care that he was begging, he was way past being above it anymore 'Please, you have to let me through. You have to let me see her!'

'I'm sorry, sir, are you a relation of the victim's?'

'No but she might – '

'I'm sorry, sir, if you're not a relation then I really can't let you through. Now why don't you let me help you on your way?'

Castle allowed the uniform to lead him politely but firmly by the arm back out of the alleyway and a little ways down the street

'May I call anyone for you, sir?' he asked, probably innocently but to castle he just sounded patronising

'No. Thank you, I think I'll walk home,'

'Er, sir, all due respect but I don't think that's a good idea. I mean you seem quite emotionally shaken, and physically it doesn't look like you could walk all that far really. May I ask what happened to you, sir, if there's anything I can do for you,'

'No, it's a long story,' Castle turned to a convenient shop window to look at himself and gasped

It was bad

The right side of his face was swollen all around his eye and he had a whole load of cuts and bruises. His clothes were crumpled and covered in blood and he realised with shock that he was only wearing one shoe. Come to think of it, he didn't really look just like he'd been beaten up, the state of his clothes almost made it look like he'd committed a murder himself. Why wasn't the uniform more alarmed by his appearance?

Why was he still being walked calmly along the street?

Why had the uniform got his hat pulled down so far?

Castle snapped out of his haze and looked, really looked at the uniform.

God, I'm an idiot, he cursed himself. His emotions were obviously clear on his face

'Ah, woken up then, have we?'

'Jerry,' Castle greeted him curtly, through clenched teeth 'Where's Beckett, Jerry? Just tell me,'

He laughed

'All in good time, Castle, all in good time. Now, would you like me to cuff you, or can I trust you to do it yourself?' He pulled the cuffs out of his belt and held them out on his finger, grinning.

…

'Kate? Kaaaatie? Kate, darling? Wake up, my dear,' Beckett looked around, blinking. She tried to get up but realised she was strapped down to something…a table maybe?

'Ooh, there we go. She's awake!' he clapped his hands and she flinched away from the sound. Not because it hurt, more because it disgusted her.

It didn't hurt.

Strange.

It should hurt. She'd spent the last twenty four hours being beaten and bashed around, and her head had taken the brunt of it. It should hurt. The fact that it didn't worried her. She felt weird though, strangely awake.

'It's the caffeine,' he told her, as if he'd read her mind 'You've been in and out of consciousness see, and I need you awake. So whenever your eyes were open I poured caffeine down your pretty little throat. Coffee, energy drinks, I even got you to swallow a tablet or two,'

'But…' she wanted to speak but she couldn't get her mind working properly

'Shh, it's okay, I know, it's hard,' he walked over to her and started stroking her hair, he clearly thought it was reassuring

'Thing is, if your head's throbbing as bad as it should be, all things considered, you're not going to enjoy this next bit nearly as much. So, I had to give you some painkillers as well, only turns out they don't mix with the caffeine so good. I imagine you're feeling kinda weird right now, my dear, Oh well, at least you're conscious now, and properly this time,'

She didn't really understand what he was on about, all she could think of was trying to get out. Well, that, and Castle.

Castle.

Where was he? She needed him. Needed to know he was okay at least

'Oh, I almost forgot, before we get started…I brought a little present for you. Well, actually it's not for your benefit as much as for my enjoyment, but let's pretend I'm being all generous,'

She watched him stride back out of the room, and then, almost as if he'd read her mind again, he returned with something that made her heart race. Castle.

Her Castle.

Covered in blood and various injuries. He looked like he was in pain, a significant amount of pain, and suddenly she felt incredibly angry and tried again in a vain struggle to free herself.

'Castle!' speech wasn't as difficult when it was his name, it was effortless. She watched his eyes widen in horror as he took in the room and it's contents, herself included. He shrugged off Jerry's hand from his shoulder and ran ti her, kneeling by the table. She tried to turn her body towards him but all she could move was her head. She stared into his eyes for all too short a time before Jerry yanked him up by the collar and pulled him away from her. She thrashed against the restraints, trying to turn to look behind her, to see him again.

'Pleasantries over, Castle-sit down, and pay attention. I need you to be watching while I kill your girl,'

Right, before you kill me for doing another cliffhanger, I've already uploaded the next chapter cos I didn't really want to leave this here but you'll understand why I did when you read the beginning of the next one. Hope you liked it anyway :)

Emz :) xxxs