A/N: This is not the end, I repeat, this is not the end. There are still a few more chapters to go. Thanks again for the amazing response to the last chapter, you all sure know how to make a new girl feel welcome! I can't believe how close to the end we are, I still have a few plot twists up my sleeve. As Stana says "Evil laugh, evil laugh." Thank you for joining me on this journey. This chapter will put me over the 75K mark which was my goal! All mistakes are my own! Happy reading! :)

Disclaimer: I write about the characters because I love them, but I have no complaints about the show. Castle and its writers are amazing!

Chapter 26: The Dragon

There's a moment when everything freezes around her, when all the sounds of the world fall away and a maddening silence takes over. She's been staring at it for close to twenty minutes now, the message the shooter left for her at the crime scene. It's something she's been told before, something she remembers quite well. Only now that it's staring back at her, the message rings louder than ever. "You woke the Dragon." These four small words hold a lifetime of meaning and a warning that she thought she would never understand until now.

They'd watched the video, confirming that it was indeed the shooter that left her the message. Prints at the scene brought back matches to an id and although it's in their system, she's sure it's just an alias. For now they know him as Cole Maddox and he's their only link to The Dragon. Her need to process things had been understood by all and the only person who's left in the room with her while she stares at the picture, is the one who's never left her side. Castle is being the very definition of strong right now and she's impressed with how well he holds it together in times like this.

She knows he's waiting, giving her the time she needs, he knows when to push her and when to back off. He's been silent the entire time since the boys handed her the picture. He was beside her when they did, she knows he saw it, but he just squeezed her hand and took a seat not far from where she's standing. She wants to talk to him, needs his reassuring remarks, but she can't seem to find the strength to move. He must sense this, the man reads her like no one else ever has, because he's suddenly behind her again and the soft press of his hand to her back has her fighting the tears.

"Kate?"

For a fleeting moment she considers pulling away from him, shutting herself down like she's used to doing when it comes to this case. She won't though; she won't do that to him and won't ruin all of the progress that they have made. She knows the moment she turns to him and lets him in she's going to border on falling apart, but as long as he is with her it doesn't really matter if she does. He's patient with her, always has been, but he knows what this case does to her and he seems to think better of coming up behind her. Just as he turns to leave the room she remembers how to make her body move and she stops him before he can leave.

"Castle…" It's quiet and for a minute she wonders if she even said it out loud, but he turns back to her, nervously rooted in the spot he's standing in. She comes to him instead, shutting the door and closing the blinds so that they can have a little more privacy. She steps up in front of him and slowly lifts her gaze to his. He's worried, she can see it all over his face and she wants nothing more than to erase that worry.

"When I told you not to let me go, I meant it. No matter what happens or how much I try to pull away, please don't let me go. I need you here with me, okay?"

He nods as he reaches out for her, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her to him. "I know what this case does to you, Kate. I'll be whatever you need me to be."

She fists her hands in his shirt, holding him to her at the same time that she allows him to anchor her. "I just need you, right now, during it all and at the end of this, nothing else matters more than the fact that I need you."

Her breathing speeds up as she battles with her emotions, she can't fall apart yet, not when they've just started putting the pieces together. They have a chance to take this man down and that's what they are going to do. She can fall apart later, when they are home and she's safe in his arms.

"We're going to get through this; I'm not letting you go." He tightens his grip on her, holding her until she calms down. She pulls back when a knock sounds at the door, lifting up on the tips of her toes to quickly capture his lips. It's a silent thank you for his support and a promise of what's to come.

When they open the door to allow the boys and Gates to come in, she pulls herself together and lets her detective side take control. She hasn't really expected Gates to allow her and Castle to work the case, they are both extremely close to it and it could hurt their progress more than it helps them. She's shocked when Gates hands her badge and glock back to her and it takes her a minute before she can process what's happening.

"Detective Beckett, I know we haven't discussed your return to work yet but given that Mr. Castle seems to be healed and the circumstances of this case, I think you need to be re-instated immediately. That however, does not mean that I am allowing you to fully work this case, you will follow direct orders, am I clear?"

'Yes Sir, thank you."

She glances at Castle and once again, he seems to be okay with everything that's happening. She suddenly remembers that she also hasn't discussed Castle returning as her partner with Gates either. "Um Sir?"

"Yes, Detective?"

"Does this mean that Castle is allowed to return with me as well? He's been an intricate part of this team and although he isn't a cop, he's been the best partner I have ever had."

She holds her breath while Gates considers her request, they haven't necessarily been discreet about their relationship and she's pretty sure Gates figured things out when she sent her on leave anyway. The precinct has always had strict policies about co-workers dating and in spite of the fact that Castle isn't employed with the NYPD; Gates could still kick him to the curb.

When Gates finally answers she directs her answer towards Castle.

"I run a tight ship around here, Mr. Castle. I will not put up with any immaturity or things that get in my way or the way of my detectives. I also strictly enforce the dating policy. I am aware that there is something going on between you and Detective Beckett and I do not wish to see it in my precinct, am I clear?"

She lets out the breath she's been holding, watching closely to be sure that she heard correctly.

"Yes Sir, thank you for allowing me to continue this opportunity."

"Don't make me regret my decision." She eyes him sharply before turning back to the rest of the team. "Let's see if we can put this case to rest. Continue monitoring video surveillance and report back to me before proceeding. Maddox has proven to be lethal and if we get the chance to take him down, I want to be sure that happens."

She leaves them to do what they do best and returns to her office. They gather around the table and begin to work on finding anything they can to catch Maddox.

Hours later they're still where they were when they arrived at the precinct and Kate's eyes have started to cross from looking at the same things over and over. Castle doesn't look much better than her and she reaches under the table and squeezes his knee. She doesn't realize that the boys are watching them until Espo speaks up.

"Kate, why don't you both call it a night, we haven't made any progress today and the case will still be here in the morning. We'll make sure there is a protective detail on you and the loft."

She starts to protest, but she knows that Espo is right, what more can they really do tonight? She glances at Castle and he nods, reaching out to take her hand as he stands.

"Thanks for everything boys, we'll see you tomorrow."

They say their goodnights and head for the elevator, once again holding on to each other. He opens her car door when they make it to the car, kissing her softly on the cheek and then closing the door behind her after she settles in. He rounds the car and slides into the driver's seat.

They haven't eaten dinner and she's hungrier than she would care to admit, but just as he always does, Castle seems to read her mind. "Hey are you hungry? We could call in an order to Remy's, I'll run in and pick it up."

"Yeah that sounds really good actually. It's been a while since we ate anything."

He calls in the order as he puts the car in drive and prepares to pull out. In only a few moments he's pulling the car to the side of the road in front of Remy's. He watches in the rear view mirror as the officers assigned to their protective detail pull in behind him.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

She nods at him, leaning in to kiss him briefly before he opens the door and exits the car. She closes her eyes, not realizing exactly how tired she was until now and enjoys the silence as she waits for him to come back. It's only seconds before she hears the door open and the car starts and she makes a note to commend Remy's on their fast service. She keeps her eyes closed waiting for the smell of their food to flood her senses. When the smell doesn't come and the car lurches off the curb she sits straight up in her seat.

"Hello again Detective."

She tenses at the sound of his voice, knowing immediately who it is. How the hell he managed to get into Castle's car and pull away from the curb without the detail catching sight of it she'll never know but as she glances in the side mirror and sees no signs of them being followed she starts to panic a little. She's fought with this man once and he left her hanging off the side of a cliff after dealing several devastating blows to her body. She's not sure she'll survive this time around.

"Maddox, what are you doing?"

He laughs at her question, and the sound sends chills through her entire body.

"I see we're on a more personal level now, good to know you've done your homework."

She tries desperately to come up with some way to escape, but at the speed they are going there's no way she would survive any type of exit from the car. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket and knows it can only be one person so she discretely hits the answer button, knowing that the longer she can keep the line connected the better chance they have at tracking her. She's been through tons of training and seminars on how to talk to the suspect and she tries to recall the tactics as the car continues to speed through the city.

"Maddox, why are you doing this?"

"Because Detective, you were supposed to be dead by now and instead you're making my job much too hard. I was hired to do a job and I intend to follow through, I'm going to put you in the ground once and for all."

She's beyond panicking now, of all the ways she thought her life would end, this isn't one of them. There's no way Castle or the boys will get to her in time, they're going too fast and Maddox is too skilled at his job.

"Just tell me who's behind this, please? If you're going to kill me anyway, why does it matter if I know?"

He makes a sudden sharp turn and she closes her eyes, expecting to crash any second, but Castle's Ferrari just purrs and grips the road through the turn. He slams on the breaks and the car comes to a screeching stop in front of a building that's obviously under construction.

He gets out keeping his gun trained on her as he rounds the car. "Get out of the car and keep your hands where I can see them."

She follows his demands, slowly getting out of the car and trying to keep her legs steady and her entire body trembles. He's ignored her question about who's behind everything and she focusing on getting the answer out of him before he kills her. He shoves her forward ahead of him and she feels the barrel of the gun press up against her lower back as they walk.

"I'm going to let you in on something Detective; there was a man that was trying to protect you. It seems your old boss sent him a package the same night that some of my colleagues killed him in that hangar. It contained a file with evidence that would be damaging to my boss's career. He was supposed to use it to guarantee your safety, but I got to him first. If you somehow manage to live after this, don't bother trying to find him, I'd say he won't make it through the night."

He opens a door leading into the building and pushes her through before he continues talking. "In case you haven't put it together yet, this is where the second copy of the file is hidden, and once I find it, you'll never have enough information to stop The Dragon, it won't matter anyway, because you'll be dead."

Her phone vibrates again in her pocket and she wonders how long the call stayed connected before it ended. There's no way she can check it now and she silently hopes that they were able to track them here, they might be too late to save her but maybe they can still catch Maddox. She takes in all the information he's given her, making sure to remember every detail in case she somehow manages to survive.

He takes a zip tie and binds her hands behind her back then pushes her backwards until her back hits one of the walls of the building. He trains his gun on her again as he makes his way towards the floor safes and starts working on opening the one that must contain the file he is looking for. She's still directly in his line of sight and she knows he'll shoot her if she tries anything so she stays where she is, hoping that time is on her side.

It's not long before she hears the click indicating that he's unlocked the safe. She swallows thickly knowing that the moment he gets his hands on that file it's all over for her. He pulls the door on the safe open and after peering inside stands and turns his attention back on her. The grin that splits across his face can only be described as one word, evil.

"Good news, well for me it is, for you it's the complete opposite. How does it feel to have come this close to finding out who ordered to hit on your mother only to die before you ever do?"

She glares at him, pressing her lips tightly together. She won't give him the satisfaction of breaking her down before he kills her. He walks towards her and she presses her back further against the wall, trying to think of anything to delay the inevitable. He places the barrel of his gun against her head and she hears the click as he cocks the gun and the bullet enters the chamber. She closes her eyes, not wanting him to be the last thing she looks at as she dies.

The seconds that pass by feel like hours and her mind flashes with images of her life. She focuses on all the good times letting the happiness of them flood through her body, making peace with what's about to happen. As the last images comes to her mind she can't help but smile, Castle's face the first time she told him that she loved him, the first time they made love, and when she told him that she'd move in with him. Not getting to tell him goodbye is one of the worst things ever, but it's also a blessing because she'd be falling apart right now if he was there.

She waits for the piercing pain of the bullet and yet it doesn't come. She slowly opens her eyes to find Maddox watching her. He laughs and pulls the gun away from her head as he steps back towards the safe.

"I'm not quite ready to take you out; I want you to see the file that would have saved your life. What fun would this be if we didn't play a little first, huh?"

He bends down over the safe watching her face as he does so and she fights to keep her emotions from showing. Just as he's about to reach down and pull the file out she hears sirens and commotion from outside the door. She glances nervously at the door and then back at Maddox, unsure of what his reaction is going to be. His entire body stiffens when he hears them and he mutters a string of curses as he stands again and walks towards her.

"Get over in the corner by the door and do not move!" He shouts at her as he shoves her towards it and she stumbles into the corner.

He backs towards the safe again, keeping his body facing the door as she hears the thundering of footsteps approaching the building.

It all happens so fast she really doesn't have time to react. She sees Espo and Ryan before anyone else, both with their guns drawn and shouting at Maddox and then more officers flood in behind them. She keeps her eyes trained on the door, she knows Castle is out there, he has to be, he promised not to let her go.

He runs into the building, yelling her name and she wants to cry out for him, wants to be in his arms so badly she shakes with the emotion of it. Castle only manages two steps towards her when Maddox aims his gun directly at him. The yells and reprimands of the other officers are lost to him as he focuses in on Castle. She can't stop herself from crying out, she's seen the man she loves get shot once, and she can't bear to see it again. Maddox seems to think he has a chance as long as he focuses his threat on Castle and Beckett. He smirks keeping his gun aimed as he reaches down to pick up the file.

The clicking sound of the bomb activating registers moments before it goes off. Castle grabs her and hauls her backwards before covering her body with his own as the explosion hits. She can hear the voices of other officers and she prays none of them were close enough to it to get hurt. When Castle eases off of her she takes in the scene, cringing slightly at what she sees.

The floor bomb has not only destroyed the file, but Maddox as well. There's nothing left where the shooter had been standing.

She looks back at Castle only to find his eyes wide with terror and his hands trembling. She knows that look and she's actually surprised that he held it together as long as he did. He never even flinched when Maddox pointed his gun at him, but the explosion seems to have triggered the PTSD. She calls out for Ryan and he's at her side instantly.

"Ryan, hurry get this zip tie off me, I have to help Castle."

He quickly pulls out a knife and cuts her hands loose and she manages to grab Castle's hand and pull him outside the building before he completely loses it. She presses him up against the wall outside of the building and wraps her hands around his.

"Castle, it's okay babe, everyone's okay. Maddox is dead, it's over. You saved me."

His hands are still trembling and his body is shaking with such force that it vibrates through her own. His breath is coming in short, gasping intakes and he grips her hands tightly as she speaks.

"I'm right here Castle, I'm not going anywhere." She moves closer until her body is pressed up against his and then she lets go of his hands to wrap herself around him. She lays her head against his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart.

Eventually his heart rate begins to slow and his arms come around her. She lifts her head to look at him, sighing in relief when he looks down at her.

"Hey, welcome back, are you okay?"

He tightens his hold on her as he nods. "I was so scared that I had lost you. When I came out of Remy's and saw my car speeding away, I knew that Maddox had you. I thought I would never see you again and all I could think about was how I promised not to let you go and I broke my promise."

"Rick it wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known that he was waiting for you to get out of the car. You didn't break your promise and you came for me, you were so brave in there."

She reaches a hand up to his face, softly caressing his cheek with her thumb and he covers her hand with his own. "I'm so glad you're okay, if I had lost you…" He trails off, unable to finish his sentence as the emotions clog his throat.

"Shh you didn't lose me, I'm right here." She tilts her head up until her lips connect with his and he surges into the kiss, desperate for her and the confirmation that she's alive.

It's several hours before they are able to head home. They give their statements and consult with Gates, who has them questioning her bad ass persona. She sends them home and tells them to take the next day off as well.

When they finally make it back to the loft, she's barely holding herself together. The weight of the day and the finality of it are clawing at her and slowly dragging her under. She's suddenly extremely thankful that Castle sent his mother and daughter out of town; she doesn't want them to see her like this.

They've been through so much in the last few months and she wonders how many times a person can escape death before the chances are up.

He follows her into their bedroom, shedding his clothes at the same time that she does. He pulls her to him to second they are in the bed and she goes willingly, wrapping her body around his until there's no space left between them. She presses her lips to the scar on his chest as a tear slides down her cheek.

"Kate, let it go babe, I've got you. I love you so much."

She can't find the words to answer him so she shows him instead.

In the safe, strong embrace of his arms she falls apart in ways that she hasn't done since her mother died. When she's finished he puts her back together in ways that no one else could ever do. With his lips he soothes her, with his touch he strengthens her and with his love he heals her. It's not quite the victory she wants for her mother, but as Captain Montgomery once stated, "There are no victories, there's only the battle." They fought the battle and they're still here to tell the story. Maddox is dead, she's alive and the man she loves is by her side. She's found her soul mate and together they will continue to make their stand. They may have woke The Dragon but they haven't been defeated by it.