A/N: There are still two chapters and an epilogue left after this one, keep that in mind when you get to the end of this one. I promised a happy ending and I will not break that promise! There is another short M rated section in this chapter and once again if you would like to skip it, it is clearly marked. This story is only ten reviews from the 500 mark and I can't tell you all how much that means to me. I'm so glad that I decided to write this story! All mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: Some dialogue in this one is from the show, I do not own any of it.

Chapter 27: The Aftermath

She thought the longest night of her life was the night her mother was murdered. He thought the longest night of his was after he got shot. While each of those nights was long and difficult in many ways, neither compares to this night. Castle battles dreams of not getting to her in time, of the explosion taking her life. Kate battles dreams of him getting shot a second time and Maddox pulling the trigger while he holds his gun to her head.

Somehow they manage to help each other through, taking turns being the strong one. By the time the sun is streaming through the window, they're both physically and mentally exhausted. She's draped across his chest while he traces soothing patterns on her back. His latest nightmare had been only minutes ago. He'd woken her up with deep, heart-wrenching sobs that had vibrated the entire bed. She'd draped herself over his body, holding him as her tears mixed with his. They hadn't discussed the dreams, neither able to bear voicing them out loud, they just held on to each other, anchored each other.

She glances at the clock on the bedside table groaning when she realizes it's only five a.m. They might have managed an hour of sleep at the most and it's definitely not going to be enough to get them through the day. She kisses her way up his chest until she reaches his lips, and he responds immediately, kissing her back until she's pulling away, breathless.

"We had a pretty rough night huh?" He breathes his words into her neck, holding her close to him.

"Yeah, it's at the top of my worst nights list for sure. I'm so sorry, Rick."

'Hey," He lifts her chin before he continues, "Why are you apologizing?"

She sighs as she raises up, resting her head on her hands and looking at him. "This is all my fault, none of this would have ever happened if it wasn't for me."

She watches as his gaze shifts to the red marks that are painted across her wrists from where the zip ties held her. He lingers there a moment before looking back up at her. "Kate no, don't think like that please, none of this is your fault. Wanting justice for your mother and wanting to take down the man who tried to shoot you doesn't make anything your fault."

She looks away from him, his words make complete sense, but she still blames herself.

"I just..if I never would have gone after him.."

He cuts her off before she can continue, pressing his fingers to her lips. "No Kate, I'm not letting you carry this guilt around; you don't deserve to carry it. Please listen to me, this isn't your fault and I will never blame you for any of it."

She swipes at a tear as it falls down her cheek, nodding as she moves to sit up. "I love you, Castle, I'm so thankful for you."

He sits up beside her and places a soft kiss on her shoulder. "I love you too, and I'll always be here for you."

She stretches out her body, wincing when she feels the first signs of a headache. He either feels the same way or once again reads her mind because he's climbing out of the bed seconds later.

"Where are you going?" She questions him as he pulls on his boxers.

"I'm going to start a bath for you, I've got some amazing bath salts that Alexis brought back from Paris, it's exactly what you need. You can go ahead and get in and relax and I'll make us some food."

He smiles at her before walking into the bathroom and starting the water. A few minutes later he comes back into the bedroom and scoops her into his arms before she can stop him. She half-heartedly swats at his shoulder as he carries her into the bathroom and sets her down in front of the tub.

"Castle, I could have walked in here on my own, I'm tired not helpless." She catches the slight fall of his face before he starts to turn and walk out of the bathroom. "Hey," she catches his arm and turns him back to her, "Thank you for taking such good care of me, I guess being carried in the arms of the man I love isn't so bad." She kisses his cheek and then lets him go, smiling at the pep in his step as he goes.

She sinks into the bath a few moments after he leaves, sighing in pleasure as the warm water envelops her tired body. The aroma from the bath salts smells like heaven and she instantly feels the tension leaving her body. She leans her back against the tub and thinks about all the ways she's going to thank Castle for suggesting a bath. She's been in there for several minutes and is about to call out for him when she hears the soft fall of his steps as he enters the bathroom.

He's carrying a plate filled with various snacks and two glasses of wine and she could care less that it's only six in the morning because the amazing bath paired with a glass of wine sounds like the perfect combo. He sets her glass on the side of the tub and places the plate of snacks beside it.

She reaches for her wine, waiting for him to slide in behind her, but he remains in the same spot. "Castle, what are you doing?"

He seems unsure now and she's not sure where it's coming from. "I um, I just thought you might want to be alone."

She sets her glass back on the side of the tub and turns her body towards him. "Being alone is the last thing I want right now. You suggested this amazing bath and I want to enjoy it with you, besides I've been thinking of all the ways I'm going to thank you and I'd like to start right now."

He still seems a little unsure and she makes a note to figure out why, but he slides his boxers off and steps in to the tub, sinking down behind her. She waits until he's settled and then she leans back against him, resting her head on his chest as his arms come to rest on her stomach.

She lets the silence linger for a few minutes, hoping that he'll open up to her, but when he doesn't she decides to push until he does.

"Rick, is everything okay?"

He's quiet a little longer that she expects him to be and she starts to wonder if he's fallen asleep until he clears his throat.

"Nothing, everything's fine."

She knows he's lying before he ever even finishes his sentence and she isn't going to let him get away with it.

"It doesn't sound like everything is fine. Talk to me, please, don't shut me out. "

She gives him a few minutes to gather his thoughts and then she turns around so that she's on her knees facing him. "Rick?"

He stares down at the water, not lifting his gaze even as he speaks. "I just can't stop thinking, worrying that they are going to send someone else after you. You said it yourself before, this is bigger than Maddox and he isn't the only assassin out there. I want to get to the bottom of this so that we can finally know you're safe."

When he's finished talking he still hasn't looked up at her so she crawls forward until she's in his lap, her knees bracketing his hips and then she lifts his head and cradles it against her chest.

"You're right they can just send someone else after me, but I don't want to dwell on that. If we live our lives based on that well always be miserable. We're still here, after everything they've thrown at us we endured, and for now that's enough for me. Of course I want to find out who The Dragon is, but until then I want to live my life for me, for us."

He lifts his arms from the water, settling his hands on her hips and looks up at her. "You've come such a long way from when I first met you. I never would have imagined the day that you would chose anything over your mother's case."

The truth in his words hits her hard and she knows that she could spend the rest of her life apologizing to him and it still wouldn't make up for the selfishness of her actions.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize that you were more important. Solving my mother's murder won't bring her back. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

She could think of so many more things to say to him, so many more ways to thank him, but the words are lost as he pulls her more firmly against him, sealing his lips to hers and swallowing her apologies.

..M..

His hands roam her body as he continues his assault on her lips and she melts into him. His hands return to her hips seconds before he pulls her firmly onto his lap eliciting a moan from both of them. She grinds her hips against his desperate for as much contact as possible and he holds her against him.

He leaves her mouth as he blazes a trail of kisses down her neck until he reaches the valley between her breasts. He licks and nips his way across until he gets to her nipple, taking the hardened peak into his mouth.

She's already hopelessly turned on and the moment his mouth attaches to her breast she's a needy, writhing mess. Just as he turns his attention to her other breast she rises up just enough that the tip of his erection presses against her entrance. He sucks her nipple suggestively into his mouth as she sinks down on to him and she cries out at the feeling of so many sensations.

She plants her hands on his chest, using it as leverage to move her body up and down. She knows she won't last long in this position as he reaches that spot deep inside her that no one else ever has. She tries to keep her rhythm steady, rising up and down, but it starts to falter as she nears climax.

He grasps her hips as he surges up into her, his mouth never leaving her breast and she grips his shoulders tightly, the harsh sounds of their breathing feeling the room.

Not one word is spoken as he brings her to climax and she takes him with her, collapsing against him as the intensity of her release overwhelms her already tired body. Of all the times she's made love with him, none have been as reverent as this one, the deep, insistent need for one another over powering all words.

..M..

It's several minutes before she regains enough energy to lift her head from his chest and press her lips to his. It's all of the words they haven't spoken and everything they are both feeling poured into this one kiss. She rubs her hands softly over his chest, pulling away to place a gentle kiss against his scar, another thank you for everything they've survived.

"I love you," she whispers the words into his skin and he whispers them back to her.

She carefully lifts off of him and stands up, helping him to stand as well and then steps out of the tub. She hands him a towel before reaching for her own and drying off. She's about to suggest that they lay back down for a few hours when the sound of someone knocking on the door rings through the loft.

She groans as she searches for something to put on, company is the last thing she wants right now. She wants to climb back in bed with her strong, amazing, handsome boyfriend and spend the rest of the day wrapped in his arms. He gives her a knowing smile as he pulls on the last of his clothes, running his hand softly down her back as he passes by her.

She follows him out of the bedroom seconds later and they open the door to find Ryan on the other side.

"Hey Castle, hey Beckett." He walks into the loft carrying a zip lock bag that looks to be full of shreds of paper.

She's the first to speak up and she stares at the bag in Ryan's hands. "Ryan, what are you doing here?"

He looks at her and then Castle as he holds up the bag so they can both see it. "I came to bring you this; it's all the pieces of the file that I could find. I know it's a needle in a haystack, but I figured it's our best chance at a lead on who's behind all of this."

She glances at Castle who looks every bit as tired as she's feeling and then she looks back at Ryan. "Look Ryan, I really appreciate this, but going through that is going to take hours and Castle and I had a really long night."

Ryan's about to answer her when another knock sounds on the door and Castle steps forward to answer it. This time it's Espo on the other side and Castle moves aside to let him in.

"I called Javi too, I know it's early and I can only imagine what you both are going through, but we need to figure out who The Dragon is before he makes his next move. With four of us looking maybe we can find something."

They work together to clear off the dining room table and then pour the contents of the bag out onto it. Most of the pieces are no bigger than a kernel of corn and there are thousands of them. It takes several hours just get the pieces spread out on to the table and then they start looking for matches.

It's several hours later and she's about to give up and tell them to just forget about it when Castle speaks up. "Hey I've got some kind of numbers here, maybe to an account of some type?"

She glances back down at her pile and sees a piece with numbers as well. When she slides it over to Castle's piece it matches and they all scoot closer to see it. "It looks like some kind of routing number."

Ryan scoots his pieces over and they discover that it's an ending balance of some type.

Castle puts it all together as he glances at the pieces. "This was some type of money order made out to cash. Maybe it was a ransom of some type? We have the account number maybe we can trace it somehow?"

"I think I may know how," says Ryan. "We used to Federal Banking Data Base when we were checking banking accounts for that dirty bomb case."

He glances at Espo who has a smirk on his face. "I still remember the password."

She gives them the okay and they run the numbers. When the computer beeps indicating that the search is finished, Espo reads the information. "The account was closed almost nineteen years ago; it belonged to William H. Bracken."

She recognizes the name immediately and she shuffles through some papers on a table nearby to find a campaign flyer she'd received in her recent mail. She finds what she's looking for and holds the flyer up so the rest of them can see it. "You mean Senator William Bracken?"

They discuss details from what they know of her mother's murder and what Captain Montgomery was involved in and the more they link together the closer they get to the answers.

Castle watches her closely for signs that this is too much for her. He catches a moment when the boys are talking to pull her to the side. "Kate?" She gives him a small smile and squeezes his hand. "I'm fine, Castle."

They piece together everything they've found and add it to Castle's murder board. She had taken hers down when she moved in with him and they updated his so that it matched hers. Ryan steps out to take a phone call as Espo speaks up. "He's cleaning house and you're next Beckett, we need to take him down before he makes his next move."

She sighs as she paces back and forth. "We have no hard evidence, there's no way we can take him down with just this." She suddenly remembers the man that Maddox had mentioned. "Maddox mentioned a man that Montgomery sent the file to, it was supposed to keep me safe, but Maddox got to him. He told me that it was no use to look for him because he most likely wouldn't survive the night. I have no idea what his name was, but can one of you call the local hospitals and see if anyone was brought in last night with life threatening injuries?"

Espo makes the call as she studies the murder board, focusing on the face of the man who's behind everything. A few minutes later Espo ends the call and comes back in the room. "Bad news, it seems there was a Mr. Smith brought in to the hospital last night, he was alive when they got him there, but he didn't make it through the night."

She runs her fingers through her hair as she listens to what Espo is saying, "Damn it, so we've got nothing to go on."

"Were not giving up, Beckett. We will find a way to take him down." Espo rests his hand on her shoulder as Ryan comes back in the room. "We just got a body drop down town we've got to go. We'll figure something out, Beckett." They say their goodbyes to the boys and she thanks Ryan for his help in the progress that they've made.

She helps Castle clean up the mess on the table and then he takes her hand and leads her back to the bedroom. She follows silently behind him, processing everything they've discovered. He stops when he reaches the bed and releases her hand. He strips downs to his boxers and climbs under the covers motioning for her to join him so she slips her pants off and slides in beside him.

"Kate, I know that this is a lot to process and I know you're upset that we couldn't get to Smith, but please don't dwell on the negatives. They are going to get one hell of a fight if they come after you again."

She smiles at his protectiveness and drapes her arm across his chest. "It just sucks you know, to be this close to solving the case and not have enough to take Bracken down."

He reaches for her hand, tangling his fingers with hers. "We will find a way, somehow I know we will. You're going to live a long and happy life and I'm going to make sure of that."

"How are you always so positive? You're going to turn me into an emotional sap, you know that?"

He chuckles and draws her closer, keeping his hand clasped with hers. "It's who I am; I'll always be your positivity when you have trouble finding your own. As for turning you into an emotional sap, well what can I say; it has been a goal of mine from the beginning."

She laughs as she settles herself against him, "I love you, Castle." She hears his whisper of love seconds before sleep pulls her under.

She wakes a few hours later to find him still sound asleep. She watches him for a few minutes before easing herself off the bed carefully so she doesn't wake him. She slips her pants back on and closes their door silently behind her before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee. While she waits, she finds herself staring at the flyer with Bracken's face on it. Her mind begins forming a plan and she grabs her cup of coffee as she contemplates her next move.

She manages to get her gun and shoes all without waking Castle up and is about to head out the door when his voice stops her in her tracks.

"Kate, where are you going?"

She keeps her back turned towards him for a few moments, trying to decide what she wants to tell him. Finally she turns to face him and she knows there's no way she can lie to him.

"I need to talk to Bracken face to face; I've got to do something to even the playing field until we can take him down. He's speaking at a press conference this morning and I'm going down there."

She sees the pain flash in his eyes a second before the anger takes over. "You were going to go talk to the man who wants you dead and you weren't even going to tell me? Do you even care about how I feel about this?"

She wants to tell him that she's sorry, but her need to get the upper hand in this thing with Bracken takes over. "Castle don't do this, of course I care, but this is something I have to do."

He takes a step towards her and she knows this is going to turn into a fight. "Don't do this? Are you kidding me? Kate this is not okay, we promised to be open and honest with each other, you leaving while I'm asleep to go talk to someone who wants you dead is neither of those things."

She doesn't flinch when he says those words; her need for justice for not only her mother, but for herself has taken over. She won't live her life wondering when the next assassin is going to be sent to take her out. She needs Castle to understand this.

"Look, this is something I have to do; it's the only way that I'm going to be able to live my life with any type of normalcy. I know that you aren't okay with it, but I need you to understand why I have to do it."

"You're right Kate, I'm not okay with this, and do I need to recount everything we've been through in the past few months? How could you even expect me to be okay with this? I don't want you to go."

His hands are clenched at his sides and she knows he's angrier than he's letting on. She doesn't blame him for being angry, but she isn't a child and she's made her decision already.

"I'm not a child, Castle; you don't get to decide for me. I'm going and there's nothing you can do or say that will change my mind. Please try to understand that this is the only way to stop them from coming after me."

She turns towards the door again and before she can open it he's in front of her. "Kate, damn it I thought we were passed this. If you walk out this door…."

He trails off before he finishes his sentence, taking deep breaths to calm himself. She can't stop the anger from taking over as she waits for him to finish what he was about to say.

"If I walk out the door what, Castle? What were you going to say?"

He steps out of her way, hanging his head in defeat. "Nothing, just forget it. It's obvious that nothing I say is going to matter to you so just go, I'm done."

She blinks back the tears as his words sink in and she swallows quickly to hide her emotion. "You're done? Are you saying that we're over?"

He doesn't say anything else, just turns his back to her. She falters in her decision for a split second, but she knows she has to do this.

"Fine."

That's all she says to him as she opens the door and walks out. He doesn't come after her and for once she wonders if her relationship with him was too good to be true.