It was a recurring nightmare that Kate Beckett had been experiencing since she was a little girl.

It is dark outside and she's alone, there is a man chasing her and although she tries to run she finds she can't. Her legs are too heavy and she's moving in slow motion. The fear and frustration overwhelm her as she struggles in vain to escape. She struggles to run fast enough, to break whatever spell it is that seems to have been cast upon her.

Watching the abandoned building that her daughter once called home crumble to the ground was like having that nightmare all over again. Only this time she couldn't wake up.

She'd been here before. It was if every neuron in Kate's brain misfired at the same time, failing to help her find the words or the actions to respond to the horror in front of her.

All that Kate could comprehend as a sense of déjà vu. She'd been here before.

Only last time it wasn't her daughter in an old building. Last time it was the love of her life in a bank. Still, the impending sense of loss and devastation was the same. She'd been here before.

The scenarios were so different, yet so similar. One minute Kate Beckett was preparing to do what she needed to do to be sure everyone remained safe, and in the next moment nothing-just shock as she watched her whole world come crumbling down. She couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, couldn't think past the fact that her everything was inside a building that had just collapsed.

Things seemed to be moving in slow motion as she tried to formulate a coherent thought. It wasn't until she felt a firm hand take her own that time begun to return to normal. With his supportive squeeze she was anchored and things sped up again, became loud and bright and overwhelming.

Mia. Mia was inside that building and something inside Kate knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was hurt. She was hurt badly. How could anyone survive that? She pushed the intrusive thought away and began to mobilize.

"Mia!" She finally found her voice, screaming desperately-waiting for some miracle to occur as she continued to cry out "Mia!"

Rick pulled her against him, as if his mere strength could hold her up and keep her going. The blast was a shock, the subsequent collapse of the building was pure and utter devastation.

The detective and the writer could both hear sirens in the distance, their volume increasing as the emergency vehicles drew closer. Kate screamed once more, "Mia!"

Her legs finally began to obey her as she pushed herself out of Castle's arms. In the next instant she was running. Pulling at debris and pushing as much as she could aside as she made her way into what remained of the unstable structure.

"Mia! Please!" She screamed again, looking for any sign of life in the rubble. She heard no response.

Castle was there in an instant, pulling Kate back from the debris in a feeble attempt to keep her safe.

"Kate, fire rescue and paramedics are here. We need to let them do their job." He held her against his chest, arms wrapped around her torso very much in the same way he held her once long ago. However, unlike with Montgomery's death, Kate broke away. She launched herself onto a pile of cinder blocks near the closest door frame, pulling at the pieces she could manage to lift.

"Mia." She called desperately, half screaming and half sobbing.

"Help me!" She yelled to Castle as she continued to dig through what pieces of debris she could lift.

"Kate." Castle called sadly.

"Castle, please." Her voice was filled with fear and desperation. They both knew she was grasping at straws. However, she continued to dig as if she knew something that nobody else did.

"Please Kate. It isn't safe here. We've got to wait for-" in the next instant he was silenced by the unthinkable. He and Kate saw it at the very same time. Beneath the rubble was a hand.

"Mia!" Both adults called her name as they began to dig away at the rubble. Slowly but surely they were making progress as more of the girl's arm came into view. Soon they could make out the hoodie she wore. Still, a major piece of cinder block rested across the girl's torso and they were unable to lift it away. Kate continued to dig around it, attempting to free the parts of Mia she could, hoping the girl would have air to breathe.

"Over here!" Castle yelled as the paramedics and rescue squad joined them. Three large men were soon at their sides. Working together to lift the heavier pieces of concrete moved things along quickly and soon they could see the rest of Mia's battered and bruised body. What they couldn't see was whether the girl was still alive or not.

Once they had access the paramedics began to work. This time when Castle took hold of her body and pulled her against him Kate followed. While not letting Mia out of her sight she held to him as if her own life hung in the balance. He could feel her body trembling and did everything in his power to comfort her while they both watched helplessly.

The paramedics tossed words back and forth as they worked on the teen's lifeless body.

"Do we have a pulse? She's not breathing." The first paramedic spoke, attempting to stabilize her neck.

"Not that I can tell, I'm not getting anything. She's got multiple fractures and lacerations; and the Contusions to her abdomen indicate some pretty serious internal bleeding" The next answered while attempting to interrupt the flow of blood from several gaping wounds.

Soon they had a mask over Mia's battered face, squeezing oxygen through a hand held pump. It was hard to tell if the teen's skin tone was normal, as she was completely covered in dirt and debris.

"Ok, I've got a pulse, but it's weak and thready." The first paramedic stated as he continued his work around her neck and head.

"What is her name?" He questioned Beckett.

"Mia. Her name is Mia. Please…She's only 13." Beckett spoke, barely keeping the panic from her voice.

A third paramedic, who'd been navigating placement of the stretcher, spoke into his radio as they attempted to stabilize Mia. "We've got a 13-year-old girl, crush injuries from a building collapse. Pulse is weak and erratic and we Suspect internal bleeding. Please have a trauma surgeon on standby." The paramedic spoke with some authority as they began to move Mia from the building and loaded her into the back of an ambulance.

"Are you her parents?" The first paramedic asked as they loaded their equipment alongside Mia's lifeless body and prepared to leave.

"Yes." Castle answered for the both of them, afraid they would make him stay behind if they learned that he wasn't Mia's father. He wasn't prepared to leave Mia alone and couldn't fathom not being with Kate at the moment.

Kate didn't correct him. Truth be told, Castle wasn't sure if Kate was hearing any of their conversation.

The paramedic nodded and invited them into the ambulance.

Soon they were en route to the nearest trauma center, praying for a miracle as Mia's battered body fought to survive.