Disclaimer: I don't own it.

It was now eight o'clock. She sat up on the balcony watching him closely as she waited for the right moment to make her move. There was currently a whole crowd of people at the bar. As she watched she took notice that he wasn't the typical runner. Usually it was low life, broke ass man on the totem pole they were after. This man was well groomed and dressed like he had money and he was carrying himself with an air of pride. Eventually as the concussive music got the better of the crowd, they moved to the dance floor. He was more or less alone. It was now or never.

Rosa sat calmly by himself. No one that was looking for him was going to find him here, not in this little crack in the wall, except her. He could feel those eyes on him and a moment later a gentle hand slid across the back of his shoulders. His eyes met hers as she sat beside him. She really was stunningly beautiful.

"I've never seen you here before, handsome. Can I buy you a drink?" Kate's eyes worked their magic as her small finger caught between her teeth.

He smiled as he leaned closer to her, covering her hand with his own. "You may not, but I will happily buy you one." He motioned for the bartender. "Perhaps we could enjoy our drinks and each others company in a more private setting?"

Smiling she stood with him. "Of course" His hand rested on the small of her back as they walked back up to the balcony and toward a private back hall with several adjoining rooms. This was going to be easier than she thought.

Castle watched with a sharp eye. He saw every move she had made and witnessed the relieved look in her eyes as they walked toward the back. She thought this was going marvelously. To bad she didn't know her marvelous mark was hired to kill her, information he had just received from Ryan a moment before. He stood quickly and followed them, just out of sight. As soon as they had entered a room he tried to slip into the hall and over to their door unfortunately there were two hulking guards to get through first.

On the couch inside the small room, Kate slid smoothly closer to Dante as her hand traveled from his shoulder downward. "So, tell me about yourself." She spoke lightly.

He grabbed her hand abruptly as it reached his stomach. "Only when you tell me why a homicide detective from New York is doubling as an assassin in Vegas?"

Kate's heart nearly stopped beating with shock.

He smiled and stood taking a few steps away from her. "Gian sent me to kill you in return for my own safety. Count your self lucky that I don't trust a damn thing he says. He'd as soon put a bullet in me as Hundaro, but he wanted someone to take care of you."

He wasn't making any even potentially hostile movement and chances were, that if he really wanted her dead, she would be already. "How did he find out?"

"Really, Detective Beckett? There isn't a person in New York that doesn't know your face. I have to admit though, you would have been fine if it wasn't for your pet. The red hair, heavy make up, new wardrobe, I wouldn't have been able to place you without two pictures side by side and Gian wasn't able to either until you showed up with a "body guard". To my grave surprise he showed up on my doorstep perhaps only ten minutes after you had left him and my does he have a bone to pick with you." He took from the inquisitive arch in her brow that she needed him to elaborate. "Something about knowing he shouldn't have trusted you from the start, but being too blinded by your beauty and overcome with lust to care about betrayal. He's a very passionate all be it not so intelligent man." He paused for only a moment and met her eyes. "Speaking of intelligence, I would have thought you smarter than to bring Richard Castle into this. He is a very famous man. Did you really think he would be mistaken for anyone else?"

Her teeth clenched head reeling form all he had just shared with her. "He wasn't part of the original plan."

"Well, I think I can safely say that we are probably very far from your original plan at this point, detective. Now the only question is, where do we go from here? You and I both want to stay alive. If I leave this room, I'm a dead man, because Gian will not protect me and if you leave he'll kill you himself."

They both jumped, startled as someone came smashing through the door.

"Kate!" Castle staggered as he tried to regain his footing.

"Castle!"

"He's was sent to kill you!" He grabbed her arm pulling her back and stepped in front of her, glaring at Dante.

"I take it subtlety is not his forte?" Rosa smirked.

"Never." She was staring daggers into his back as she pushed him out of her way. "Castle, what the hell are you doing here? How did you even get here? You shouldn't have been able to so much as move a finger for another three hours."

He stared at her perplexed at how relaxed she was over having just heard this man was sent to kill her. "Anti-venom, but he's…" He pointed to Rosa.

She held her hand up cutting him off. "You took my anti-venom?" Her face flushed with anger when she finally fully realized what that meant. "You played me!"

"You tried to poison me, Kate!" His own frustration with her was enough to keep him from cringing the way he usually did when she was mad at him. Instead, he broadened his shoulders and glared back into her furious eyes stepping toward her and invading her space even though she didn't back down. "Ever since this whole thing started it's been one stupid decision after another. You've lied to me, gone out of your way to throw me off, and you have no room to talk about being played when it was you who tried to seduce me only to leave me behind yet again! All I've done this entire time is chase you around to keep you safe and for what? For you to blow me off and push me away?"

"Well, maybe you should listen when I tell you to stay home, Castle!"

"You never told me anything, Kate! That's why I came after you! You're so stubborn sometimes, and it makes you do really stupid stuff. Why couldn't you just trust me!" Both of them stared hard at each other for a moment. She knew he was right, but was too proud to admit it and he knew that she had nothing to stand on, but if she wanted to be like this, then fine. "Finish this. I'll be waiting for you outside." He pushed past her despite her protests leaving the two of them alone.

Her heart was heavy and aching. She had gone too far and she knew it. She drew a deep breath as if to sigh when a loud crack pealed through the air making her duck instinctively. She knew that sound. Kate spun, her hand retrieving her gun from the hidden holster on her thigh. Rosa was lying on the floor, presumably dead and Gian was standing in the doorway, gun freshly fired, ready to go again.

"Ah, Bella, I thought you'd be here. Look, I've brought a little fly for you."

Her face turned a ghastly shade of pale when she saw Castle with a gun pointed at him. "Let him go, Gian." Her gun was ready, but unless she wanted to hit Castle, she couldn't take a shot.

"I can't do that, Detective, is it?" He almost spat the words. "You lied to me, Bella. I knew from the start you were too good to be true." He pressed the gun deep into Castle's shoulder making him cringe. "I have to admit, I was skeptical after you were arrested." He paused for a moment, gazing longingly at her. "I wanted you. I still want you." His voice was thick with desire. "I came looking for you again hoping you would prove my initial instincts wrong, but no, it was all one big act."

She watched as the fury came back into his face. "Gian, put the gun down and I'll explain."

"Oh no, the time for explanations is over. It's time for blood. Now I understand why you would never be mine. You were too busy with this dog!"

A gun shot rang out along with a loud painful cry and the next thing she knew, Castle was falling into her. "Castle!" She caught him, relief washing over her when she saw the wound in his shoulder and not in his head or chest. It was a peripheral shot, he'd live.

Gian smirked as he watched the two of them try to regain footing, knowing he had the upper hand. "I suppose with Rosa dead, neither of you are of any use to me now. Such a pity, to waist so much beauty."

Everything in the next few seconds happened so quickly that it was all a blur. Kate's gun was finally pointed at his chest now that Castle was out of her way, but Gian was a split second ahead of her. She felt Castle's hand on her stomach and heard him scream her name as two shots rang out, one definitely from her gun, the other from Gian's. She felt tightness and pressure on her chest, but no pain and for a moment couldn't figure out why. Another two shots, rang but still no pain, only pressure. Suddenly her brain made the connection. Castle had grabbed her from behind at the last second and spun them around. His arms were locked tightly around her chest, encasing her with his body. She felt something warm and wet dripping down her side, but she was sure she wasn't hit. Horror struck her instantly. She wasn't hit, Castle was. "Castle?" She pushed his arms out enough so that she could turn to face him.

He fell to the ground, unable to stand without the support of her body.

"Castle!" She fell beside him frantically searching for his wounds. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rosa, his gun still drawn and pointed at Gian, who was lying on the floor in a quickly growing pool of blood.

There were two bullet holes that she could see, one in his shoulder from the first shot and one in his side. It looked as though the bullet had made it clean through him, just missing her.

"Kate," He gasped for air, one hand clutching her arm, the other gripping his chest.

She was already on the phone getting the ambulance. "It's ok. You're going to be alright." She didn't know whether she was trying to comfort him or herself. Her hands were covered in his blood at this point from trying to keep pressure on his side.

He tried to reach for her face as she spoke to the operator, but the pain that shot through his chest was excruciating.

"Don't move." She dropped the phone finally finished with it.

"I can't...can't breath." He gasped.

Her brow furrowed. She rolled him to his good side, apologizing as he cried out in pain. Her heart nearly stopped beating when she saw a third wound. This bullet didn't make it all the way though, which meant it was lodged somewhere in his chest. She lowered him gently to his back again.

"Kate," He rasped her name. He knew this wasn't good. His vision was blurry and it felt like his lungs were full of water. She was saying something to him, but at this point he couldn't even hear her voice. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form. If this was it, he wanted to tell her he loved her. One of her hands gripped his tightly to her chest, the other was cupping his face as her thumb stroked his cheek gently. Then everything started to slow down. He knew she was still there, he could still feel her beside him. There was pressure on what he could only imagine were his wounds. His eyes closed, too heavy to remain open. She was screaming something, but he couldn't make it out. Then, silence and darkness took him.