Chapter 7 - Reviving the little girl

"Everybody down!"

Rick pulled Kate down beside him as the window they had been standing on front of shattered. They both rolled away from the window and took refuge behind a column. The lobby descended into silence, broken only by occasional sobs and whimpers. Rick looked around the column towards the window. He called up to Jordan to get folks looking for the shooter and told the guard to activate lockdown procedures. He called around to people in the lobby trying to ascertain injuries but no one was hurt. Kate grabbed him and told the guard to get EMTs enroute as he was bleeding.

"Rick, you're bleeding." She put her fingers against his right temple and pulled them away covered with his blood. "Sit down and rest...please, Love." He nodded and sat down on the floor. He was starting to feel the pain and suspected it was just a graze but he knew head wounds bled a lot. He heard Kate call the precinct on her cell and then come back over to sit beside him.

"It's a good thing that the windows in this building are UL 752 Level 10 or this wouldn't have ended so well."

Kate looked confused. "What does UL 752 Level 10 mean?"

"It's a designate for bulletproof glass. UL 752 Level 10 glass is designed to stop the .50 BMG, which is what I think we had fired against us. We'll have to wait for ballistics but I'm sure that's what we're up against. I must have royally pissed off someone."

"Rick, it could have been me that they were shooting at."

He shook his head. "I got grazed and the bullets came from behind me. I was the target. The guy must have been a hell of a shot, though. He would have to hit the exact same spot several times in order to get it to shatter." He looked over as NYPD uniformed officers approached on foot with the EMT's behind them. "I better give Jordan a heads up."

TCOP2

Jordan got off the phone with Rick and immediately called the local agent in charge of the field office and then the Director. Emergency plans were activated. NYPD came on the scene and Kate ran point.

Jordan finally made it down to the lobby and found Rick sitting with an EMT. "What happened to you?"

Rick looked up at her. "Nothing…It's just a graze. The only injuries to everyone else were minor."

She looked for Kate. "Where's Kate?"

He shrugged. "She's running point for the NYPD since she was already at the scene. She was here a few minutes ago...she keeps checking on me."

"If you weren't hurt I'd smack you. She's worried so you let her hover."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Smartass." She shook her head at his grin and went to find Kate.

TCOP

As soon as he saw the glass shatter he started breaking down his rifle and cleaning up his brass. He knew that they would find his nest but he had to get away. He threw everything into his duffel bag and went down the stairs and out to the street. His job was to scare them and he was sure he'd done that.

He grabbed a taxi and headed for Central Park, figuring he would be followed. He put a Yankees cap on and smiled at the driver as he made small talk about the team. He paid him with a tip and casually got out and made his way into the park. He went to a portion where there were no cameras and flipped his hoodie inside out, changing the color from black to maroon. He hit a button on his shirt and an air bladder filled, making him appear heavier. He pulled some sneakers from his bag and changed shoes. His hat went into the bag and he pulled out a Mets one and put it on. Within three minutes he had mde enough changes to appear that he was not the same person that walked here. He followed a path through some bushes and found a different walking path. Making his way past Strawberry fields, he got to the street and grabbed another cab and headed for Times Square to lose himself in the crowds.

As he walked through Times Square, he stopped at a hot dog vendor and took his lunch to some bleachers that had been set up. As he sat and ate he reflected back upon his life. He grew up in a middle class neighborhood in a small Midwestern town near St. Louis. His mother stayed at home and his father ran the family business. His older brother had joined their father right out of high school, but he had decided that he wanted more. He wanted excitement and his hometown would not provide that, so he enlisted in the Navy. His first appointment had been aboard USS Dallas, a Los Angeles class submarine and lasted for almost five years. He had drawn the attention of one of the Commanders and was sent to learn to be a SEAL. He went through Seal Prep and BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL school), graduating with honors. He went through the rest of his training including Jump school and was sent to a SEAL team, where he made friends with some of the toughest individuals he had ever seen.

After being a SEAL for over ten years he had been sent on a mission into Afghanistan as part of a team to capture one of the warlords. Everything had gone fine until they were forced to kill several civilians to keep them quiet. He had been tried and court-martialed and spent three years in prison. Upon his release he had been hired by a company specializing in mercenaries and that was where he had honed his shooting skills.

He looked around and headed into Macy's to waste some time before he headed back to call in.

TCOP2

Kate woke up Thursday morning to find Rick in the throes of a nightmare. She held him until he calmed down, whispering calming words until he stilled. She watched him slowly shake of his slumber and open his eyes. "Hey."

He smiled sleepily. "Hey. Did I wake you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but it's okay. The alarm will go off in less than ten minutes anyway. Bad dream?"

"Yeah. I thought I was in the hospital and couldn't move."

She leaned down and kissed him gently. "You're here, at home with me."

He nodded and rolled out of bed. "Want to grab a shower with me?" She jumped up and followed him, closing the bathroom door behind her.

TCOP2

Jordan sat at the desk waiting on Rick and Kate to come in. She looked around at the floor they were on and sighed. They were the last three. She had finished her wrap up reports and just had to help Rick integrate them into one document.

She heard the elevator and looked up to see Rick exit the elevator alone. "Where's Kate?"

He smiled. "She went into the precinct to finish the paperwork on yesterday's fun." He looked around. "We need to order sagebrush to complete the effect."

She laughed. "Well, get your report done so we can combine ours."

He raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think mine's not done?"

"I haven't seen you typing it up."

He logged into his PC and opened his email. Clicking on an attachment he opened his and Kate's combined reports. "Where's yours?"

She rolled her eyes and emailed it to him. "In your inbox, sir…"

He shook his head and grinned. He opened her report and copied it into the already open one, taking a minute to match fonts and clean it up.

"I'll print it out so we can both proof it. Want to grab the copies and I will grab us some coffee?"

She nodded. "I want…"

"…a slim decaf one shot caramel one shot chocolate."

"How did you…?"

"Magic, Agent Shaw….magic!" He laughed and walked away while she went to grab their print outs.

TCOP2

Kate walked into the precinct and waved to the desk sergeant. As she rode the elevator up to homicide, she thought back to the past few weeks. Shaking her head at the craziness of it, she got off the elevator to head into the bullpen.

She headed for her desk when she realized that something was off.

Ryan looked up and smiled. "Welcome back, Beckett. Cap's been doing some redecorating while you were gone."

"Why are there four desks? Are we getting someone new?"

Ryan laughed. "No, someone old. The new desk is for Castle."

Her eyes widened. "Really? Now we'll never be rid of him!" They both laughed as Kate sat down and logged into her computer. "I'm not really back. I just want to finish the paperwork from the shooting and I will be back on Monday. Castle is taking me up to the Hamptons for the weekend."

Ryan grinned. "I'm glad things are going so well for you. Jenny was asking after you guys when she heard about the shooting. It's cool that she comes tomorrow night, right?"

Kate nodded. "Of course! Lanie is coming too." Ryan smiled as they both went back to their paperwork.

TCOP2

Joey and Tommy looked down at the table. They had read the newspaper articles about the shooting and Rick had let them know he was okay. They had put the word out that there was a bounty for the shooter; no one took shots at the family!

Lucy walked in and hugged her brother. "Everything okay?"

Tommy smiled and pulled her close. "We're okay. Derek had someone take some shots at him, but we're handling it."

She nodded. "I heard about it. He okay?"

Joey grinned. "Derek is a hard man to put down. I almost feel sorry for the schmuck that took the shot, though. Between us, the FBI and the NYPD he isn't gonna be able to rest. Best part is all three of us are sharing info. So far we've tracked him to Macy's after the shooting…if we get to him first he won't get away."

TCOP2

By noon Rick was shutting down his PC and waiting on the facilities team to finish shutting down the office. Jordan was stopping by the loft for dinner before catching a late flight back to DC. She would miss the following night's party but she missed her daughter and Rick could definitely understand that. He had already sent her off to finish packing and return her rental car. He was having his car service pick her up and bring her for dinner and Kate said she would driver her to the airport.

He heard the elevator and Kate walked off. She caught his eye and smiled. "Well, we've done all we can until we get some leads on the shooter. What's left here?"

"Just waiting on the guys to come and pick up the equipment and ship it back to DC. Jordan will unpack it and wipe it on Monday."

"Did she head to her hotel?"

He nodded. "I sent her on…we finished the final report and there was no point in her waiting here with me."

"That makes sense. So are we ready for tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I've closed down the bar for a private party and ordered food. We should have about thirty people total and I've stocked appropriately." He looked up as the elevator door opened and the facilities team stepped off. They did a quick inventory and identified the items going back to DC. Once Rick reviewed it he signed the release and left them to their work.

He looked at Kate. "Ready?"

She smiled. "Let's go." They walked to the elevator and took it to the parking garage, ending their adventure.

TCOP2

Jordan was amazed at how good of a cook Rick was. She was a meat and potatoes kind of girl but after his dinner of several dishes of French cuisine she could learn to appreciate other things. It was nice to be able to sit and chat with the two of them without having to talk about the cases.

But it was also a little uncomfortable to be honest. She watched Rick and Kate and it was evident the depth of their feelings for each other. The crush that she had carried for Rick since she met him withered on the vine as she watched them interact. She was lost in thought when Kate nudged her. "Huh?"

Kate laughed softly. "Where were you, Jordan?"

"Wool gathering. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were looking forward to going home."

"Definitely. I miss my daughter." There was no mistaking the way that her eyes shone.

Kate smiled. "Well we'll miss you. Will you keep in touch?"

Jordan shifted her eyes to Rick briefly and then turned towards Kate. "I'll try, but I don't know how often. We get called out a lot and sometimes for weeks at a time." Kate hadn't missed the glance but didn't comment on it; the rest of the evening before Jordan left she watched and understood that this was the Agent saying goodbye to them. She watched as Jordan briefly hugged the both of them as she got ready to head to the airport and felt a little bad for her.

Rick was not ignorant of the elephant in the room. After she left he came over to Kate and held her close. "Well, it was nice to be able to chat with her before she left."

"Yeah."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad we got a chance to say goodbye. I have a feeling we won't hear from her very often." He felt Kate nod against his chest. "I mean, I hope she finds what it is she's looking for."

Kate looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Come on, Detective. Let's get to bed; tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

TCOP2

The following night, the party was in full swing when the contingent from the 12th precinct arrived. Kate greeted them and pointed them towards the food and the bar. Lanie hugged her and gushed over her engagement ring. Jenny congratulated her and went to find Rick. The mayor hugged her and thanked her for all that she had done.

She felt a little overwhelmed until she felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind. She leaned back into him and smiled. He kissed the top of her head. "Okay, Katie love?"

"I'm great, Alex. Did you see the mayor?"

"Yeah, Bobby and I got a chance to chat for a few minutes. I'm glad that it's finally over."

She snuggled back into him some more. "So am I. When are we leaving?"

He turned her around and kissed her gently. "In about thirty minutes."

"Rick! We'll be driving pretty late."

"Don't worry. I know a guy."

She rolled her eyes. Of course he knew a guy. "Let's mingle for a bit then."

"Sounds good." He took her hand and headed off to talk to people.

TCOP2

He had called in and they instructed him to follow Rick and Kate to the Hamptons. He packed his bags for a few days and headed to a local diner to grab a bite before he went to the bar to wait.

The bell rang as he entered and he took a seat at the counter. The waitress took his order and dropped off his drink. He looked around and saw a teenager heading for what had to be the last payphone in the city. He sipped his drink and smiled as the waitress put his plate in front of him.

He ate slowly and enjoyed his burger. He finished up and went to pay the check at the cash register, The old man took his money and made change, then headed back to talk to the cook. He put his change in his pocket and turned around into the barrel of a pistol.

The heavyset man on the other end smiled. "My boss would like to have a chat with you."

He looked over and saw the other two guns pointed at him. He didn't have time to react as he saw the pistol swung at him and everything went black.

The heavyset man looked over at the teen. "Here, kid. The boss sent you a gift." He handed the kid an envelope and nodded to his associates to pick up the unconscious man. He grabbed the guy's bag and laid a hundred dollar bill on the counter. He smiled at the old man that owned the diner. 'Joey wanted to give you a little something for your trouble. Have a good night." The three men carried the man to their car and drove off with him.

TCOP2

Kate rolled her eyes as the left the Old Haunt. Rick grinned and helped her into the town car.

"Don't you think it's a bit much?"

Rick smirked. "Let me spoil you a bit." She nodded and gave him a quick kiss before he nodded to the driver. She snuggled into him expecting a nice long road trip. She was pulled from her reverie twenty minutes later as Rick opened the door. "Coming Kate?"

She looked at him confused and started to get out of the car. She heard a whirring sound and jumped out to look. Sitting on a concrete pad about twenty yards away was a helicopter. Rick was grinning like a fool and the driver was headed towards it with their bags.

She sighed. She had known she was marrying a child in a grown man's body. After a minute, she grinned. Maybe there was still a little girl inside her because the more she thought about it, riding on a helicopter to go for a weekend to the Hamptons with her fiance actually sounded kind of cool. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards their ride to see what the weekend would bring.

The end…for now.

AN: Well, there you have it. As requested, the Takedown. I have rough ideas for a couple more in the series, but have some others stories underway to finish and post first. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review; your feedback is most appreciated. Once again, I own none of the characters you recognized. And some may be OOC as it is an AU fic after all!

See you next time.

C.