This is unbetaed. Authors note at the end.

"Everybody, clear the area! Now!" EMTs rushed past me, pushing me firmly to the side.

"Javi?" I tried to whisper in shock, falling to my knees next to the body on the ground. "Javier!" I screamed.

"Hey, Ryan." A gentle hand laid itself on my back and I looked up from where my head had been resting in my hands. Beckett held out a cup of coffee as if it were an olive branch, Castle close behind her with two other disposable paper cups. I grasped it thankfully and tried to smile at their concerned expressions. From the way their frowns deepened, I hadn't succeeded.

"He's gonna be alright, you know," Castle told me, passing Beckett her cup and flopping down ungracefully in one of the hard plastic seats next to me. Beckett smoothed her coat before sitting, stretching her injured leg out in front of her. I looked down at the bright checkered tiles, unable to formulate a response. As I covered my face again, I could feel the silent support on either side of me, and I let myself slip into a light trance.

Arms wrapped around my torso, pulling me back. "Let them do their job," Beckett murmured in my ear. I fought her, my vision blurring as I stared at the blood seeping into the ground. Tears leaked from my eyes and I slumped against my captor, uniforms rushing Randy past us and out the door.

"It's gonna be okay."

"Detective Ryan?" I looked up at the doctor who had stepped out of the emergency bay doors.

"Yes?" I answered, voice scratchy from lack of use. She smiled kindly at me. "Mr. Esposito's awake, and asking for you. We just moved him out of the ICU, so you can visit him if you like." I jumped up from my seat, startling my companions. I glanced down at Beckett, a silent question in my eyes. She curled her lips up in a smile and patted my arm.

"We can wait," she said softly. "Go." I nodded and turned back to the doctor, allowing her to lead me through another set of light blue doors labeled 'recovery'. She left me at the doorway of a private room with a smile and a comment on visiting hours.

"Kev?" I glanced up and met Espo's smiling brown eyes. Instead of the relief I thought I'd feel, rage coursed through me. Javier had thrown himself in front of Randy just in time to take the shot meant for me.

"What the fuck?" I growled stalking towards the white hospital bed. Javier flinched and had the grace to look sheepish. "If you weren't lying in a damn hospital bed, I would punch you in your bastardy face!" Javier's face contorted like he was trying not to laugh.

"Bastardy?" My eyes snapped back to his from where they were staring at his blood stained bandage and all the fight drained out of me, replace by exhaustion from the whole day.

"You almost died," I whispered, hands clenching into fists at my side. "You- you did die on the way here. They had to revive you." Javi's amused expression crumbled in the face of my defeated posture. I walked over to the arm chair by his bed and slumped into it, taking the hand Javi offered me. He stiffened in surprise and released my hand only to touch my chest. I hissed and flinched away. His expression darkened and he hit the nurse button.

"Why didn't you get that seen to?" I scowled at him.

"It's not that bad." A nurse came in, tilting her head questioningly.

"Everything okay?" She queried.

"No, ma'am. My partner here has neglected to see to a cut on his chest." She glanced at me and sighed.

"You cop types are all the same." I made a face at her as she motioned for me to stand up. "Shirt off."

"This is not what I want to be doing right now," I informed Javi as the nurse snapped on a pair of white gloves and grinned at me.

~/~

"Kevin," Javi's voice filtered through my half asleep state. I jerked up, groaning in stiffness and dislodging Javier's hand from where it had been rubbing at my scalp. He smiled at me and jerked his head at the door.

"Hey, guys." Beckett smiled at us, Castle shifting uncomfortably behind her. "Visiting hours are over." I sighed and looked back at Javi's apologetic face. "We'll give you guys a moment," she called, probably dragging Castle unwillingly behind her on her way out.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." I muttered, blinking tiredly. His hand made its' way back into my hair, scratching soothingly. I melted into it and reached out to cup his face.

"It's okay. I did too," he informed me, silent laughter crinkling the corners of his eyes. I sobered up immediately.

"Don't ever do that again," I told him firmly. When he looked like he was about to argue, I cut him off. "I'm serious. How would you feel if I did something like that?" His face fell and his hand tightened in my hair. "Exactly. Javi, I'm not a damned delicate flower. You know that I can take care of myself." Javi sighed and nodded.

"Alright, Corazon. I get your point." I smiled and leaned down to kiss him, flicking my tongue against his lips before retreating back.

"You two are disgustingly adorable, but we need to get back to the precinct," Castle called, poking his head in the door. My hand slipped off Javi's face as his slipped out of my hair, and I smiled sadly.

"I'll be back tomorrow," I told him. Javi nodded.

"Go. Catch the damn bastards behind this." As I walked out the door, Castle's hands came down on my shoulder.

"So let me tell you what I'm going to do to you if you hurt him," he started smiling in that fake amicable way of his.

~/~ 6 months later ~/~

"Hey babe, have you seen my holster?" I handed Javier the leather loops and looked around the messy apartment as he slid it on. The red couch was covered in clothing from the night before, strewn haphazardly in our haste to get them off.

I shuddered as I remembered the desperation with which we had clung together, mouths locked, stumbling over shoes and boxes that we had yet to finish unpacking. Javier glanced up at my expression and grinned smugly. I glared sharply back at him.

"Have you seen my tie?" I asked, shaking off the memory. No time for that now, I thought. We had to get to work before Beckett killed us for being late again. Javi sauntered up to me and I backed up hastily. Instead of the kiss I was expecting, he crowded close, reaching behind me and looping a length of cloth around the back of my neck.

"Right here, where I left it last night," he murmured into my ear. I bit my lip as the sensation brought another memory, this one of when we had made it into bed. My whimpers had been muffled in the sheets as Javi had licked me open before slowly rocking into me, covering me from my fingers where they gripped the pillows to my toes where they had scrunched up the comforter. He hadn't touched my cock that time, just rubbed me against the sheets and whispered hotly into my ear and he slowly thrust into my clenching hole.

"Mmm, you were so willing last night," he whispered in my ear, as if he could hear my thoughts. "Came without a hand on you, just spread open and writhing on my dick, didn't you?" He slid a leg in between mine, pressing up against my quickly hardening erection. I rutted against the firm muscle helplessly, whining as Javi nibbled on the tip of my ear. His hands came around to cup my ass, pulling me more firmly onto his leg.

"W-we're gonna be late," I hissed, arching into his grip.

"M-hm," he hummed, massaging the flesh under his hands, encouraging my hips to roll against his firm thigh. "We're going to be even later when you have to change your pants," he chuckled. I gasped and gripped his shirt, right where the newly healed scar lay. It only took a few more thrusts before I was coming in my pants like a teenager, face mashed against Javi's collarbone. A hand smoothed over my back soothingly and I quickly detangled myself, looking around our apartment for a new pair of pants to replace the ones with quickly cooling come in them.

"I hate you," I growled at my fiancé, digging around in a box labeled 'clothes'. Javi laughed, the smug bastard, as he adjusted his rather large hard-on in his jeans.

"No you don't," he informed me, tilting my chin up and pressing a chaste kiss against my lips. "You love me. Now hurry up, we're gonna be late." He dodged my smack and went to stride out the door.

"Meet you at the car!" I called, rolling my eyes fondly. Our cat, Sparky came up and head butted my ankle, meowing up at me. I smiled and reached down to give her a quick scratch, finally content.

~/~

Oh my god. So. It's finally finished. Not the ending that I'm sure some of you waited almost two years for, sure, but I couldn't hold on to what had happened to me any longer and I felt really, really bad about making you guys wait that long. I love you all, and I appreciate the patience and reviews (even if they did come a year after I posted the last chapter).

I hope you enjoyed this story and I look forward to hopefully writing more in the future! It won't be in the Castle fandom, but I'm thinking maybe Teen Wolf or Merlin? Let me know your thoughts I love you all! You guys are the best.

-Spade