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When Jerry had yanked him into the room he hadn't known what to expect, but somehow the simplicity of the scene he'd observed made it all the worse. The stark, dull room with off-white walls and old scuffed floorboards. The large oak dining table, Beckett lying there, practically motionless, tied and taped to that same table. The single chair placed facing the table in the far corner. The piece of thin green rope sitting on that chair.

He ran to without thinking and knelt there, staring into her beautiful brown eyes before Jerry pulled him away again. He'd guessed the man's plan, but as those words hit him 'I need you to be watching while I kill your girl,' all he wanted to do was shout and fight. There was no point in doing that, he knew, if there were then Beckett would be. But he was cuffed and she was bound up too tight. He needed a plan, an incredibly ridiculous, crazy, stupid plan. Just the kind of plan that was refusing to offer itself to him.

'Any last words, Kate darling?' Jerry was crooning at her. Castle looked up and saw that he was stroking her hair. That was it. The anger bubbled up inside him and he ran at Jerry, shoving him away from Beckett with his shoulder

'Ooh, getting protective are we? Well too bad, Castle. You never appreciated her, so now she's my bitch,'

Castle aimed a kick at his shins but missed and Jerry retaliated by slapping him right where his eye was swelling. He staggered back at the blow and Jerry ran and grabbed the rope from the chair and climbed on top of the table. It was wide enough that he could kneel on it easily without kneeling on top of Beckett, but as he watched her flinch at a clumsy slip that brought his leg into her ribs, he seemed to take delight in her pain and sat back so that most of his weight was crushing her ribcage. Then in one deft movement that displayed a menacingly rehearsed skill, he looped the rope around her throat and began to pull.

Castle's head was throbbing and his vision was going blurry, but he could see well enough to aim another kick at Jerry's unprotected back. Unfortunately Jerry was quicker, he saw Castle from the corner of his eye and dodged his foot as it attempted to knock him off the table. He tugged harder on the rope and Beckett began to make choked coughs as she struggled under her bonds.

The table was big and heavy, especially with two people on top of it, but Castle knew that his next idea was probably the best he could come up with in the current situation. He ran at the table and pushed, rocking it ever so slightly, but not nearly enough to move it. He tried again as he saw Beckett's head straining back, trying to pull away from the thin rope. It rocked more violently and Jerry aimed a half-hearted punch in Castle's direction, but he was too involved with Beckett.

Third time lucky, Castle thought. He ran at the table again, throwing all his weight at it and using his cuffed hands to push it upwards. It rocked up onto two legs and he bent down and whacked his shoulder into the underside, finally sending it tipping over onto it's top on the floor with an almighty crash. Jerry cried out as the table and Beckett fell on top of him, scrambling madly to get out from underneath

'Help me!' he croaked at Castle, who was nursing his shoulder 'I can't…I can't…can't breathe,' he panted

'Well now you know how they all feel,' Castle told him calmly 'How do I get out of these?' he demanded, shaking his hands and their unsavoury accessories.

'K…Key,' Jerry replied breathlessly 'In my…my jacket,' he nodded his chin towards the corner opposite the chair where a black leather jacket lay crumpled against the wall. Castle stumbled over and fished around in the pockets until he found the small silver key. He walked back to Jerry and presented his hands to him 'Undo them,' he instructed, casting a nervous glance towards Beckett's still form, and reluctantly Jerry obliged. Castle flexed his newly freed wrists. Then, being careful to move Beckett as little as possible, he pulled Jerry out from underneath her and led him over to the heavy wooden chair, attaching him to it with the handcuffs before the breathless man even knew what was happening.

'Do you have a phone?' Castle asked him

'What's it to you?' Jerry snapped back

'Call 911,' he looked at him angrily 'Now,' Jerry dug his free hand into his pocket and dug out his phone, beginning to fiddle with it.

Castle rushed back to Beckett. She was unconscious.

'Beckett? Beckett? Kate? Can you hear me?' that awful feeling of panic was creeping back. He tugged at the restraints that held her, managing to loosen them a little and gently pulled her hair out of her face. Her neck was red and purple, bruised by the rope and bleeding from where it had cut into her. Images from that damned murder board began to flash across his mind again and for the first time through the haze and confusion he took in her bleached hair. It was falling softly around her, and though he preferred her natural brunette waves, he couldn't help feeling she looked innocently beautiful. Peaceful. She was so still, he didn't like how still she was. It was too still, but he couldn't work out exactly why. Then it came to him.

Breathing.

She wasn't breathing.

His hand flew to her neck to feel frantically for a pulse 'C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!' he begged her

Nothing.

Everything about her was still, even her warm, loving heart, and Castle's panic gave way to a wave of despair that didn't just tug at him but pulled him right under the surface. He was drowning, and in answer to her still heart, his own heart was breaking.

There's the actual cliffhanger :) Hope you like it, I personally always like reviews :)

Emz :) xxx