I want to thank everyone who has stayed with this story. As some of you might know I lost all of my notes, outline and partial chapters when I had a mishap with a flash drive. It seems that a flash drive and the heal of a Justin boot don't mix. That doesn't take into consideration my writers block. I don't know if this chapter is up to par with the others in this story, but I hope you like it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and my other works.

Chapter 117

Three detectives, a Homeland Security agent, and a writer stood in the observation room of the homicide department of the twelfth precinct. Their eyes were trained on the man in the interrogation room. His eyes were locked on the mirror in front of him, almost willing himself to see through the glass to the other side.

A noise from the door captured the attention of the observers as Will Sorenson strolled into the room with Mirov. "Can someone explain to me why he's in there and not one of us?" Esposito asked angrily.

"It seems that the attorney general of the United States along with the directors of the FBI and Homeland Security felt that he should continue to handle this case. They feel that I overstepped when I took over the case," Gray replied. What he wasn't telling anyone in the room was that it was the director of the CIA who ordered him to relinquish control of the case. Sorenson had been told that Gray took control only after he had been incapacitated.

Sorenson sat down across from Mirov with the file that contained the Russian's arrest report. He flipped through the file; all the while the Russian stared at the glass. Sorenson finally put down the paperwork, leaned back into his chair, and began to study the man across from him expecting to see a hint of insecurity and nervousness. Surprisingly all he saw was a man that exuded supreme confidence, not fearful of the situation at all. Almost as if he knew something Sorenson didn't.

"Mr. Mirov, let me introduce myself. I'm Supervisory Agent William Sorenson of the FBI. Now Mr. Mirov, do you mind if I call you Pyotr?" When the Russian didn't respond Sorenson continued. "Well Pyotr, I want to talk about the six men who were found dead in a hangar in New Jersey. Can you tell me what you know about these men?" Sorenson pulled out six photos of the men that unbeknownst to him Castle had killed, and laid them on the table. "These men here, what do you know about them?"

Nothing. Not a smirk, not a smile, barely a breath. Nothing. That was the response Sorenson received from the prisoner, well that was until he spoke. "I'll speak to Gabriel and Gabriel alone."

Sorenson's jaw tightened in annoyance. "I don't know any Gabriel."

"If you don't maybe you should ask the woman who gave me this headache." He pointed to the bump on his head that the barrel of Kate's gun left. "She called him her fiancé. And if you want me to answer any question, it had better be him that asks them." With that he closed his mouth and went back to staring at the mirror.

Xx

Sorenson stepped into the observation room his eyes searching out Castle. "I'm guessing you're this Gabriel? Is that correct?" Castle answered with only a nod. "Just how does this guy know you?"

"Will, that's classified." There was no animosity in his voice, just resolve, and it took Sorenson aback. Castle should be angry with him, there should be outrage in his voice. Castle should be taunting him, especially after the events in the gym. But he wasn't. If anything he was cordial. "Okay you can go in, but if things go wrong I'm coming in. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear." He moved to the door before turning back to the remaining occupants of the room searching for Kate. "You might not want to hear this Kate." He stepped out of the room with Will following.

"Wait just a minute." Sorenson's arm moved to block Castle keeping him from entering the interrogation room. "I want to apologize for how I've acted toward you and Kate. I was out of line."

"Listen Will, let's just nail this guy and make sure Kate is safe. As far as you and me, we're good, but you owe Kate an apology." Will nodded, removed his arm, and returned to observation.

Xx

Castle entered the room and pulled the door closed behind him. He leaned in the corner formed by the door and the mirror never taking his eyes off the man sitting in the chair. "How can I help you Pyotr?"

Mirov took his eyes from the mirror, turned to Castle and mockingly said, "Gabriel, how nice to see you. How many years has it been ten, twelve?"

"Thirteen."

"Ah yes, thirteen. It looks like you have had a good life since we last met," the Russian smirked.

"I can't complain. And you seem to have prospered." Castle pushed himself out of the corner and took up the seat that Sorenson vacated earlier. "You appear to have made a new life for yourself here or did you just bring your old life with you?"

The Russian studied Castle for an eternity, or at least it felt that way to Richard. When he finally spoke it was with a gravelly voice that was full of anger and hatred. "What I want to know is how? How are you alive? The last time I saw you, you were hanging from a meat hook. I was assured that you had met your end. But now here you are, and I would like to know how."

"I guess you shouldn't trust everything your men tell you, now should you?" Castle chided trying to get under his adversary's skin and from Mirov's glare he could tell it was working.

Xx

Meanwhile in the observation room the occupants were mesmerized by the drama taking place in the other room. It would take a chainsaw to cut the tension between the two men. "How does Castle know this guy Kate? And why does Mirov call him Gabriel?" Sorenson questioned.

Kate shrugged and started to answer but was cut off by Gray. "Castle was one of ours. A spook, code name Gabriel and he had dealings with Mirov back in the late nineties. Ninety-nine to be precise."

Sorenson looked at Gray and then back to the interrogation room where Castle was now talking with the Russian. He whispered, "CIA?"

Xx

"Pyotr, now that you've played twenty questions I have a few for you. Like how did you know I was in Uzbekistan? Why are you in my city? And just Why. The. Hell. Do. You. Want. My. Wife. Dead!?" His voice rose with each word until he was nearly screaming.

Mirov chuckled which drew Castle's ire even more. "Pyotr I wouldn't piss me off right now. You see, we can hold you on a domestic terrorism warrant. You aren't going anywhere for quite a while."

"I find it amusing that you think you have a say in what happens to me. Truth be told, you don't have a say now and you didn't have one all of those years ago. I, on the other hand, have all of the say...whether you live or die. Whether you're woman lives or dies or your daughter for that matter." Mirov was extremely happy with himself at the moment, but the moment would pass soon enough.

Xx

Castle strolled out of the interrogation with a newfound purpose; he had to know who sold him out all of those years ago. He was met by the observers who witnessed the interrogation. Sorenson motioned for everyone to follow him to the conference room. Esposito closed the door after everyone entered.

"Okay Castle, what's going on? It's obvious to everyone in this room that you and this Mirov have a history, so spill it," Sorenson demanded.

A deep sigh let out by Richard Castle was heard throughout the room; he was about to spill classified information for the first time in his life. But he felt that his friends and partners needed to know and even if he didn't care for Sorenson he knew that Will was good at his job. Castle couldn't hinder this anymore and looked at Gray in silent communication not unlike what he and Kate used. Upon receiving an almost imperceptible nod, well imperceptible to anyone in the room but him, he said, "This cannot leave this room, it's classified, might even be a matter of national security."

After that statement the unthinkable happened. Sorenson spoke up first. "You have my guarantee that nothing will leave this room. And if it does I will make the offending party regret that he was born in this country." Noticing the stares from both the NYPD and FBI members present he continued, "I might not care for Castle, but from what little I can gather from this week he has earned my trust. He might be more than just a writer-monkey." Will threw in that last part as an attempt at levity.

"In nineteen ninety-eight the CIA intercepted a communiqué from someone in the Chechen separatist movement. They had found a seller of Uranium-235 from Russia. We sent a couple of agents into Russia and Iran to identify who the seller was and how the sale was to take place," Castle paused to let the others in the room come to their own conclusions before continuing. "Mirov was the Russian and a general by the name of Nazr was the Chechen buyer. I was able to eliminate the buyer easily enough but Mirov was a different story. He knew when I was coming and where I was coming from. His guys caught me in Uzbekistan and it wasn't pretty. I escaped, but not before I caught a round in the leg. I made it to an extraction point where I was met by a Delta team, but the team leader refused to land the chopper. He said it was too hot, too many bad guys in the area so they left me."

"Oh shit! How could they!?" Esposito exclaimed in outrage.

"Apparently it's pretty easy when you're bought and paid for. What I want to know is who the one on top of the food chain is. There's no way that Lockwood would have met Mirov. There's a middle man and we need to know who." Castle was practically seething.

A stunned Sorenson looked around the room. "So it was you in the hanger?" A nod from Castle let him know he was correct. "And you did it to protect Kate." Castle sighed and told the entire events of the past few days to an even more stunned Sorenson if that was possible. "What happens now?"

"Honestly Will I don't have any idea. I don't know how Mirov possibly thinks he will walk out of here, but he does."

Will leaned back into his chair contemplating the situation and wondering how in the hell he was going to close this case when everything he knew about it was from a CIA operative, or former operative. How much of this would go away before he could get an indictment, or could he even try to get one? His head was beginning to ache with what he could tell was going to be the worst migraine of his life. Before he could speak the door opened revealing a tall man with piercing blue eyes and a head full of white hair along with Gage and a man no one had seen before. Well, no one except Castle.

"Jackson Hunt, CIA. I want the room cleared. Everyone except Beckett's team and the agent in charge out! NOW!" Everyone looked to Sorenson for direction; after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few seconds, he motioned for everyone to leave. No one except Castle realized the two with Hunt had taken up different corners of the room. When the door closed Hunt spoke again. "I am here for Mirov," he stated matter-of-factly. "I have a writ from the attorney general of the United States that says he's mine."

Castle froze, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The man who had fathered him was the same one who sold him out all those years ago. He had ordered Lockwood to leave him in the desert of a foreign country to die. "Why?" was the only word that he could muster at the moment.

But Kate didn't have that problem, in fact she had plenty of words to say. "You son of a bitch, how could you. How could you leave your own son to die?"

"You don't get to talk to me like that. You don't get to judge me. I am a patriot, what I did I did for my country and I would do it again if I had to." He turned back to Sorenson. "Now get me my prisoner!"

"And if I refuse?" Sorenson asked defiantly, unaware of the man standing behind him until he felt the barrel of a gun behind his left ear.

"If you refuse I tell Maddox to pull the trigger." The way he spoke wasn't malicious but cold and calculating. "I have a job to do and you're wasting my time." He turned to Ryan, "Go and get him for me, will you son? And think about that pretty fiancée of yours before you refuse."

Castle spoke up for the first time, still stunned that his father had been willing to let him die. "Go on Ryan, go get him." Ryan looked around the room and could tell no one was willing to challenge Castle's command so he did what he was told.

Hunt looked at his son and shook his head. "I really wish I didn't have to do this son…" Castle cut him off before he could finish his words, his lies. "This isn't over Dad." Pure venom spewed from Castle's mouth as they left the conference room seeing Mirov exit with Ryan. "This isn't over Mirov. Before tomorrow night I will find you. And Dad, you and your two pet killers better hope I never see you again because if I do there will be no more talking between us."

"I guess this is goodbye son." Hunt's voice cracked slightly as he spoke. "Take care of him detective." With that he entered the elevator car; he turned around and smiled never seeing Maddox point his finger at Castle, pointed as if firing a gun.

Castle turned and stalked toward the breakroom. "I really need a cup of coffee." Kate followed, entering right behind him. "Babe, sit down. I'll make it." Just as she poured the first cup she heard, "Son of a bitch!" They both ran out of the breakroom to see Ryan at the elevator looking at Mirov's body. His throat had been cut from ear to ear.

Thoughts?

I would like to think that no matter what an FBI agent could put aside his differences with someone to complete his investigation. That's why I wrote Sorenson the way I did in this chapter, that and the fact that Castle kicked his ass a few chapters ago.