A/N- As mentioned in last chapter- this is in Castle's POV of chapter 15 events. (Craig thanks for one of the plot ideas of this chapter- hope I did your idea justice)

Jo- I've checked myself into comma-rehab. I promise. Thank you.

Disclaimer- Castle is not mine, but all the mistakes are.

The More Things Change…

…the more they stay the same. Kate Beckett is bored with life, but when a serial killer starts dedicating murders to her- someone enters the scene to aid with the investigation and her life may never be the same. Season 2- AU Caskett meeting.

Chapter 16

Richard Castle was bored.

In the time since Kate left him to his own devices, he had finished the rest of Heat Wave and sent it off to Gina. She had initially thought he was joking when he told her that he finished the rest of his draft. It had been the first deadline in years that he had met. Of course he didn't go into detail with his ex-wife; she didn't need to know that his current girlfriend had been the reason for his sudden inspiration.

Now it was Friday. He had originally planned to go back to the city tomorrow, but he was going stir-crazy. He knew that Beckett had a rather intense case that she was investigating and she had just texted him that they had finally caught the suspect. Case closed? That was pretty much the universe telling him that he should go back to the city a day early and surprise her. He didn't want to overwhelm her since he could tell she was stressed, so maybe he could just bring her a nice bottle of red and give her a long massage. She deserved it. The few times that they had talked during the week it didn't sound like she was getting much sleep. She was spreading herself thin.

They could have a nice relaxing Friday night and then tomorrow could be their original plan. A re-creation of their first date.

He laughed a little to himself as he started getting things together to leave for the city. This amazing woman had him infatuated more than any other woman ever had before. From the moment they met; he knew. He knew that he was completely done for. Kate Beckett was everything he had ever wanted and more in his ideal woman. She was intelligent, challenging, maddening and devastatingly beautiful; all wrapped up in the body of a badass detective. He was pretty sure he could spend a life time trying to learn everything there was to know about her and he would only discover a fraction of what there was to learn.

After his second divorce, he had never imagined he would find someone who he could be serious about. He had been completely content living his life hopping from one party girl to the next; until he had met her. When Agent Shaw had told him that they would be assisting the NYPD on a case, he could have never imagined that his whole life would change. Yet it did; from that moment he knew he needed to be in Detective Beckett's life.

Sure his usual charm didn't work on her. She was smarter than that, but their fast friendship had quickly grown. And now? Now there was no denying how deep his feelings were. He didn't want to put too much pressure on their newly defined relationship, but he had wanted to tell her as she was leaving; he thought she should know how much this weekend had meant to him. However, when he stood there, it hadn't felt like it was the right time.

Maybe tonight, over the bottle of red; maybe he could finally say the words that had left him tongue tied. He had fallen in love with Kate Beckett and tonight he would finally tell her.

When Castle got back into the city that night, he wasted no time in heading over to Beckett's place, stopping in at his apartment only long enough to change and choose the perfect bottle of wine before he was on his way out the door again. As he exited the elevator on the first floor he glanced at his phone, noticing that he missed a call from her. He smiled as he listened to the voicemail; it sounded like she had a similar idea for their date tomorrow. She truly was the perfect woman.

The night was so nice, lending itself perfectly to walking to her apartment. He tried to call her back as he made his way along the streets, but it went right to voicemail. Hopefully she wasn't already sleeping. As much as he wanted to see her, he would feel bad if he woke her up. Castle paused for a moment; maybe this was a bad idea. He should've just waited until tomorrow when they had originally planned to see one another.

He was about to turn back around when he saw a flower cart with a huge selection of bouquets. Those flowers were too beautiful to pass up; it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to bring his gorgeous girlfriend some of her favorite flowers and a great bottle of wine. Even if she was too tired for him to stay; he could still surprise her.

Selecting the perfect bunch of flowers for her took him longer than expected, so he debated calling her again to warn her of his visit, before going with his original plan. But as he stepped out of her elevator, the butterflies in his stomach increased, and he tried to tamp them down; Kate had spent all weekend in his arms. She wasn't going to have a change of heart. He needed to get his confident attitude back. She had admitted they were together. Even if she wasn't ready to say it back, she needed to know how he felt. His inner monologue was cut short as he walked along the hall to her apartment.

Her front door was open.

That was odd.

That was more than odd; still he tried to rationalize his fear, forcing himself to knock on the door frame as he called out. "Kate?"

No answer.

Shit.

Something was wrong. Walking into the apartment he saw that her entire family room was trashed. Someone was looking for something. Oh shit. Her case files! "Kate!" he yelled louder, but there was no answer. In the middle of all mess, there was a picture of her and her mom at what appeared to be Central Park. Written over the photo in bold black letters; 'We warned you!'

"Kate?!" His voice and search started to get frantic. The horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing, but as he entered her bedroom he saw it was far worse than he imagined. His girlfriend was lying on the floor of her bedroom, unconscious in a pool of blood.

"No, no, no, Kate." He dove toward her body. Please be alive; please be alive. Tears clouded his vision as panic took over his reactions. He nearly cried out with relief when he felt a pulse and could hear her breathing. Barely. "Kate, please. Stay with me, Kate." Pulling her lifeless body into his arms, brushing her hair out of her face and trying to find where she was bleeding. He could prevent the tears from rolling down his cheeks. How could this have happened?

"Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate."

He waited too long to tell her. Could she even hear him? He needed to get her help. She needed to make it; she needed to be okay. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Please—please. My girlfriend was attacked. Please, I don't know if she's going to make it. She needs an ambulance!" His words weren't entirely coherent but he couldn't even think straight.

She had stopped looking into this over a week. Why had they come after her now?

Castle paced across the waiting room. His thoughts were jumbled; he didn't know if she was okay. They wouldn't tell him anything. Every time the door swung open, his heart dropped into his stomach. What if they were coming to tell him she hadn't made it? What if those bastards had hurt her so bad that she couldn't come back from the injuries? What would he do if he lost her?

"Mr. Castle?" He jumped at the sound of his name. His thoughts were racing through his mind so quickly that he hadn't even noticed the doctor standing there.

"That's me. Do you have news? How's Kate?"

"Mr. Castle. I'm Dr. Josh Davidson. You're Ms. Beckett's next of kin?" The doctor stood there with a calm nature, looking more like a runway model than a doctor. Was he even qualified?

"I'm her boyfriend. I'm the one that found her and called 911. How is she?" Castle asked emotion heavy in his throat.

"She's in serious condition, but she's stable," Dr. Davidson explained.

"I rode the ambulance here with her; you need to give me something more. Can I see her? Is she up?" Desperation weaved its way into his tone; Castle wasn't going to let some hospital protocol prevent him from knowing what was going on. Beckett was lifeless when he last saw her; he needed to see that she had survived. He couldn't wait any longer.

"She's still unconscious. Hospital rules state I can only discuss specifics with family. Do you know who I should call?" Dr. Davidson could take his hospital rules and his flowing hair and he could get the hell out of his way. Kate needed him.

"Her mother, Johanna Beckett. I tried to call already, after I called 911 actually, but she didn't—" They were interrupted by a woman walking up to the discussion.

"Rick?"

Castle was about to ask who this woman was, but then he took a good look at her. Standing in front of him was someone who looked nearly identical to Kate, but about twenty or so years older. No question this was her mom.

"Mrs. Beckett?"

"Johanna, please. I came as soon as I got your message." She assured Castle, before turning her attention to the doctor. "Where's Katie? I need to see my daughter."

"Johanna Beckett?" The doctor wasn't one for putting context clues together, was he? Maybe the doctor didn't deserve the snarky thoughts, but he was standing here, wasting their time. Time that they could be spending with Kate.

"Yes. I'm assuming you're my daughter's doctor. How is she?"

"Mrs. Beckett, I'm Dr. Josh Davidson. I was working in the ER when your daughter came in. We can discuss her injuries in private if you'd like," he explained, motioning to the group of chairs against the wall.

"That's nonsense. Anything you can tell me, you can tell Rick." A smile formed on Castle's face; he loved her mom already.

"As you wish. Your daughter came in badly beaten," Dr. Model Boy explained, glaring at Castle the entire time. It was almost like he thought…

"Wait a second, I didn't do this!" he yelled. It was one thing for the doctor to use hospital rules to prevent him from giving out information, but it was another issue if he was insinuating that Castle was responsible for Kate's injuries.

"I'm not saying you did," Dr. Davidson said, looking down at his chart.

"No, but you're looking at me like you are assuming this is my fault," he argued. This wasn't making the best first impression with Johanna, but he wouldn't let this doctor accuse him of this in front of Kate's mom.

"I'm not saying anything. I've just seen a few too many times where a boyfriend gets a little too hands on with his girlfriend, if you catch my drift."

"Well you can just cut the assumptions," Johanna interrupted, blindly defending Castle.

"Thank you. Yes, stop assuming things. Kate could take me down with one hand behind her back. She's a NYPD detective; now please tell me what's wrong with my girlfriend!"

"I apologize." Josh cleared his throat, but it didn't prevent the flush of embarrassment from staining his cheeks. "As I was saying, Ms. Beckett came into the ER badly beaten. She'd lost a lot of blood, has a couple cracked ribs, a broken arm and a concussion. She's stable, but we're keeping her sedated for the time being."

"How did she lose so much blood?" her mom asked.

"Her attacker most likely had a knife on him. I'm not a detective by any means, but there were a couple deep cuts on her body. I can't entirely be sure what happened but if the person did indeed have a knife then she's even luckier to be alive."

"Oh my God," Johanna cried, covering her mouth in shock. It took her a moment to gain her composure before she urged the doctor to continue.

"You can go in and see her now. But only one at a time, and please do not disturb her. She needs her rest."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Yes, thanks," Castle said, unable to completely trust the pretty boy doctor, although he had most likely saved her life, so he was grateful to him for that fact alone. The doctor walked away, leaving Johanna and Castle to just stare at each other. "This was not the way I would have wanted to meet my girlfriend's mom." A nervous laugh escaped Castle's lips as he explained; this was probably one of the most awkward meetings ever.

"Rick, this isn't your fault. And trust me I would've loved to meet you under different circumstances as well. I'm just so thankful that you found her."

"I'm just glad that she'll be okay. It was horrible finding her like that," he said.

"You're lucky that the attacker wasn't still there or you could've been hurt as well. Was it a robbery?"

"I don't think this was random; and I think you know that as well."

"What—what do you mean?" she whispered, eyes wide.

"Kate told me everything and while this is not the place to have this discussion, there's something you need to know." He handed her the folded up picture from the crime scene. In all of the commotion of calling the cops, he'd had the right mind to grab it before it was taken into evidence.

"Rick—" she gasped, reaching for the photo with a horrified look on her face.

"I don't know if you're in danger too."

"Please don't judge me for wishing this was a random attack," she stated, shaking her head. He could tell that her thoughts were a million miles away, staring down at the picture.

"I'm not judging because I wished the same thing. It's just—it's obviously not."

"Okay—okay. I need you to hold onto this and I need you to look out for Katie." Johanna appeared to be forming a plan. She had the same look of determination on her face that Kate got when she was deciding something at work.

"Of course. Always," he said with a nod.

"I'm not going to stay long. Let me go check in on her and then…" Her eyes drifted away from his, but not before he could see the pain within them.

"You need to keep yourself safe Johanna. You won't be doing Kate any favors if you get yourself killed."

"This needs to end. I've let this go on for far too long."

"Maybe," he said, pausing to find the right words. "Maybe you did, but now you have the best detective on the case."

"She can't continue looking into this. You can't let her."

"No offense, but you and I can't tell her what to do. Your daughter is a strong willed, amazing woman who makes her own choices in life. As much as I'd like to tell her to drop it and stay safe with me on some tropical island… in just the short time that I've known her, even I know that she would laugh in my face or worse."

"I don't want her to get herself killed over this, over something that I started." She stood up and pulled him into a hug. Maybe it should be awkward, but it felt nice to hug someone who was just as concerned as he was.

"Trust me, I don't either. But trying to tell her what to do won't do either of us any good. What she needs is back up. What she needs is support. And that's what I intend to do; I'm her partner in this in every sense of the word," he explained, giving her arm one last squeeze as she started to walk toward to corridor.

"Katie is really lucky to have someone like you in her life."

"And I'm really lucky to have her. Now go check on her, I'll wait right here," he said with a supportive smile.

While Johanna was sitting with Beckett, Castle's mind was running wild with all the what-if possibilities. Her attacker had a knife; he could have stabbed her and left her for dead. The thought of finding the woman he loved lying dead in her apartment left him visibly shaking.

"You okay?" a silver-haired man asked, coming up behind him at the coffee pot.

"Yeah. Sorry. Just lost in thought," Castle said, clearing his throat.

"Wife?"

"My girlfriend," he whispered, turning away from the pot and walking to the set of chairs in the waiting area.

"You're Richard Castle, right?"

"Yes, I am, but I'm sorry I'm not in the mood to sign anything right now," he sighed, looking down at his coffee cup.

"No, no," the man said with a laugh. "Quite an ego you have on you. I'm Mike Royce. I'm a friend of Beckett's."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day. It's nice of you to come, but she's still unconscious."

"Yeah, I've heard. I don't want to interrupt or take much of your time now. I don't even—"

"Royce, how can I help you?" He didn't mean to sound rude, but Kate was lying in a hospital bed. He wasn't in the mood to be social and entertain a friend that she'd never even mentioned before. Castle brought his hand up to rub his eyes and squeeze the bridge of his nose. The day was starting to wear on him.

"I heard what happened to her and I know why it happened…" Royce started to explain, but then abruptly stopped. Castle's eyes flashed open, glaring at the man before him.

"You know why? How? How do you know?" he stuttered his questions at Royce, staggering toward him.

"Rick, it's a long story; one that I don't intend to get into with you in a hospital waiting room. But this—this is for Beckett." Royce reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "When she's recovered from this—I want to help her."

"Are you involved in this?" Castle hissed. Anger fired up in his veins at the idea that this man, someone who claimed to be Kate's friend, could possibly be involved in what had happened to her. "Did you do this to her?"

"No, no!" he insisted, shaking his head. "But what I did—it set the ball in motion. She's paying for sins a group of us committed that night long ago."

"I swear, if you laid a hand on her," he growled, grabbing at the material of Royce's shirt. Holding a handful near his chest, Castle shook him. His nostrils flared and he was close to punching the older man, but the look in Royce's eyes stopped him.

"I would never hurt her, Castle. Never. That's why after I found out what they did to her—against all ideas of self-preservation, I want to help her. Need to help her."

"Then tell the police. If you know something, if you could end this, then do it. I can't see her getting hurt anymore. Especially if you have the ability to put a stop to it!" he yelled. Sure, he knew better then to cause a scene, but his nerves were frayed. Kate had nearly been killed over her investigating her dad's death. Nothing about this was fair.

"Telling the police wouldn't help at this point. This goes too deep. There are too many people involved in the network. Hell, there is probably someone in this hospital monitoring things. That's why I can't stay. That's why I'm not going to wait for her to wake up. But I need you to give this to her," Royce explained, handing him the letter. "When she's ready, give it to her. It's where she can find me. We'll get justice for her family, once and for all."

"How can we trust you?"

"You don't have to, but she already does. That's all that matters." The man swallowed the last of his coffee, threw out the cup and then walked away.

An old friend was involved? How deep did this go?

Standing at the foot of her bed with Royce's letter burning a hole in his pocket, he watched as Kate's eyes fluttered open. A small smile formed on her lips when her gaze met his. All of his hesitation vanished when he looked into her eyes. He was at her side in an instant and threaded his hand carefully with hers.

"Hey, Beautiful," he whispered, brushing some of the matted hair from her face.

"Hey, Castle," Kate rasped. "If you think this is bad—you should see the other guy."

He smiled down at her and feathered a kiss onto her forehead. Gently running his hand down her cheek, he wiped away the stray tear that rolled down her face.

"I'm sure you kicked his ass." He nodded, kissing the back of her hand that he held. She was alive and they were together.

Royce's letter could wait.

TBC

Thank you so much for reading! Still with me? I'd love to hear your thoughts!