The Root of All Evil

A/N: I apologize for the delay but here is chapter 12! You all are awesome, thank you for all of your kind words. :)

Chapter 12

Kate lay curled up on her side facing away from him. Her breath rose and fell slowly, her eyes closed as her arm curled around her belly. To the rest of the group she may have appeared to be asleep but Castle knew better. She couldn't hide the slight hitch of her breath, the way her eyelids weren't fluttering and how her feet weren't twitching like they did when she was asleep. The fire began to die down and Alexis was already curled up, fast asleep on his other side, near the smoldering pile of ashes lighting up the sky dimly as the men continued to sit, starting at it and each other.

Castle's arm crept out to wrap around her, protectively, and she let out a sniffle confirming his suspicion that she was far from sleep. He sighed as he rested his head back on the tree trunk behind him and stared up at the star-speckled sky. He could feel the others staring at him as they attempted to be inconspicuous, only casting glances at him every couple of seconds from under the rims of their hats and heavy lidded eyes. He felt her hand grasp his in the darkness and pull their joined fists up to rest against her chest. Slowly, he slid down to lay behind her, his front pressed up against her back and she flipped around to face him, her face buried in his chest before he could say a word, a dampness growing on his dirt and sweat stained shirt.

Her lips were moving against his chest a repeated pattern, over and over, the same silent words repeated against his skin. He dipped his head down to kiss the top of hers and finally could make out the whispered phrase.

"I'm so sorry, Castle. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

His arms curled around her tightly as his heart broke in his chest, clutching her to him as a lifeline for both of them.

"It wasn't your fault. It's okay," he murmured into her head and a shuffle of leaves told him that the others were attempting to move further away, to give them some privacy in the small clearing.

He bent his head down in an attempt to kiss her, to show her that he still loved her, all of her, but she pressed her lips together and dipped her head away from him again, pulling back slightly as he wrapped his arms tighter around her, keeping her pressed against him.

"You're not allowed to run away this time Kate. I'm not letting you go," he whispered against her head and he breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her head nod against him.

She wasn't running this time.

Kate pressed against him, relishing the feeling of his body against hers, the flutter of their unborn child in between them as their other, grown one, lay sleeping at their side. He was here with her and he was okay. She had saved him, and they would be okay together. Wouldn't they? She had never asked… oh, no, she had never asked.

Her head nuzzled in against him, her lips resting softly against his neck, her breath washing over him. "Did he hurt you?"

Castle sighed as a palm rested against her back, pressing her to him once again in reassurance. She was here, with him. "No, he didn't hurt me. I barely remember any of it. I think they drugged me because I was asleep for most of the time."

She lifted her head to look at him in the dying firelight, lifting a finger to trace the lines of his face and the dark circles under his eyes, Her finger curled in on itself as she pulled it down his cheek. She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth to stifle another sob, her eyes glistening with tears. He was so thin and she hadn't noticed. He had to be starving and exhausted. His skin was pale and clammy, his face too drawn.

All she wanted to do was to kiss him to feel his body against hers in reassurance that they were both here; they were both alive but she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to do it, to allow him to kiss her after she had… It wasn't fair to him to have to do that and all she could remember was the feeling of Stevenson in her mouth. She didn't want to remember that as she felt her husband's lips on hers. So she buried her face back into his neck and allowed her lip to brush his skin in a ghost of a kiss. She felt his body shudder against her and she forced herself to believe that it was out of lust and want and not one of repulsion.

"I love you, Kate. Always," he whispered softly into her hair and she relaxed against him. With those words the want and lust were easier to believe in. Almost.

Sunlight brought back the steel, the look of sheer determination and strength. If they hadn't of been there, if they hadn't of seen her breakdown, witnessed the whispered words, it would be like it had never happened. But even with the knowledge, it only took one glare and growled sentence for Demming and Esposito to bite back any protests and follow Kate's lead.

They trekked back through the woods in silence, only the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves cracking under their feet filling the air. As they reached the edge of the woods, Kate froze at the sight of the smoldering pile of lumber that used to be her home. They had tried to warn her about the state of the homestead: Alexis and Esposito. They had said that it was gone; that it had burnt to the ground but part of her hadn't believed it. Until now, until she stood staring in disbelief at the remnants of the house she had grown up in, the house that her father had built for her mother.

"It's gone," she breathed as she felt Castle's hand tighten around her waist and press her into his side. "Castle."

Here eyes drifted to the side, tracing the path up from her father's home to her own. Her small cabin was still standing, perfectly intact except for a few broken windows.

"It all happened so fast, Kate. We tried, I promise but there was nothing we could do," Alexis explained, the grief evident on her face.

Kate pulled out of Castle's arms and took a couple quick steps to Alexis' side, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. "You did nothing wrong. You got out alive."

She pulled back with one last squeeze of the girl, turning to face the men with a fire in her eyes. "Let's get these bastards."

The three exchanged a look before following her as she turned towards her cabin, pushing through the still intact door to the small space. The sheets on the bed were still rumpled and their clothes were still strewn about, like they had been when she said they should do the washing soon before they had nothing left to wear. Castle had teased back that he had no problem with being clothes-less. She threw him a fresh shirt and pair of pants as the others set about gathering up various weapons: knives, guns and her bow and quiver of arrows, which she immediately held out her hand for. She wasn't giving up her very best weapon. Not today, not for this.

She held up a dress with a sigh and turned towards the corner to change when she was stopped by a hand on the arm and turned to see Castle holding out a pair of pants, one of hers that had been modified to fit around her growing belly.

"But I thought…" her voice trailed off as she reached out for them and looked up at him in wonder. He had only had one pair made for her and they had been confiscated when she was imprisoned.

"I had a couple more pairs made for you. I was going to give them to you as a surprise but, you know…"

He shrugged in response to her knowing gaze and she flung herself towards him, her lip almost meeting his before she pulled back abruptly, like she had been burned. Her hand came up to cup his cheek in thanks, her thumb skimming the rough line of stubbles along his jaw as her eyes locked with his, shining with apology.

"It's okay, Kate. We'll get there," he whispered as he bent down, brushing his lips up over her cheek, coming to rest on her forehead. She nodded against his lips and for the first time, she actually started to believe it.

The group was silent as they crept to the edge of town, crouched low to the ground. Kate's bare feet slid through the dirt and grass so to not make a sound. She crept up behind a building, peaking around the corner to catch a glimpse of Main Street. She took another step forward, to round the corner when she felt a tug on her arm and spun around to see Castle gazing at her with a pleading look in his eye.

She narrowed her eyes at him briefly in question before widening them again. She let out a sigh as his hand tightened around her bicep and weighed the situation for a moment before lowering her eyes and nodding in resolution. She took a step back and nodded to Esposito to take the lead.

Espo's eyes flickered to hers, studying them for a second, double checking her decision before nodding back and stepping to the front of the line as she fell back, adjusting the strap of the quiver across her shoulders and pulled herself up onto a barrel, grasping onto the railing of the balcony so she could swing herself up onto the roof of the saloon.

This time she would stay out of harm's way, for him, because she owed him and for the baby because after all this, she couldn't risk losing her daughter, again.

She crouched low to the ground, one hand wrapped around her belly, as she crawled forward and into place at the edge of the roof, overlooking Main Street. She had a perfect view of the jailhouse. Stevenson stepped out the front door and her breath caught in her chest. A low whistle signaled from down below and she backed down from the ledge and crawled over to the right side of the building, peering over the edge to see Ryan take his place beside Esposito in the ally below, a group of Cherokee falling in behind them. Daniel wrapped his arm around Alexis giving her a quick squeeze. Castle checked the revolver in his hand as Demming did the same. She sucked in a breath as Castle's gaze tilted up to meet hers, as if he instinctively knew she was watching him. There was a darkness in his eyes that she had never seen before. His jaw clenched and in that moment she knew exactly what he meant to do. She let out a low groan.

"No, Castle, please no," she pleaded, her lips moving silently with a frantic shake of her head. His gaze hardened before his eyes broke from hers and she sat back with a resigned sigh before moving back into place at the front of the building, pulling an arrow from her quiver.

Esposito let out another low whistle and she watched as the whole group moved forward with a loud yell.

Her eyes flickered up as Stevenson looked up in alarm. She drew back her arm, aiming her arrow at the man with a deep breath. She could take him out before Castle even got near him. She inhaled again, steadying her hand and gaze as she kept her eyes trained on her attacker. Exhaling slowly she straightened her body adjusting her aim as Stevenson moved to the side, falling back behind his deputies who were running towards the attacking mob.

Spineless Bastard.

Kate took in another breath as she aimed again and she once again had a clear shot. She pulled back the arrow, preparing to release.

A shot rang out and Kate's bow fell to the floor as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Castle lowered his gun, standing in the middle of the mob as he stared straight ahead.

Stevenson fell to the ground, one perfect hole through his forehead as Castle turned his head to look back up at her.

Their gaze broke as they both turned to look at Laura as the freckle-faced girl lowered the still smoking gun to her side, letting it fall from her fingertips to the ground below.

A/N: So what do you think of that twist? Did you see that coming? ;)