Castle: Beckett's Security Blanket

Chapter 17: The Day That Wouldn't End

A/N: hurray! an update that didn't take forever! Perhaps I'm getting better at this? Nah :P Well as promised we will finally be putting this case to rest, but the case of Castle & Beckett still has work to put in ;) Enjoy the update.

Several agonizing hours later Kate Beckett stepped out of the interrogation room and into the bullpen of her homicide division with a signed confession in hand and behind her a visibly distraught Sam Dawson was being escorted to the elevators in handcuffs with two armed officers, one on each of his arms, as they lead him to central booking.

With a heavy sigh Beckett let herself fall into her desk chair and took a minute just to breathe, resting her elbows on the surface and her head held in her hands enjoying the silence.

A few moments had passed before she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and give her a small squeeze. Her eyes involuntarily closed as she allowed the hand to linger there while she let out a breath of relief.

It's finally over.

"You okay?" the voice from behind her startled her as she quickly realized it didn't belong to who she thought it did, though she quickly masked her surprise.

"I'm fine Espo" she said as she turned to him with a small but warm smile and briefly placed her hand over his on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze of reassurance.

"You did great in there boss" he told her sincerely as he let his hand slip away from her shoulder. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you"

"Where is everyone?" she asked looking around the near empty bullpen; not wanting to dwell any longer on the obvious emotional toll this case had taken out of her. If Espo had picked up on it, which she's certain he did, he was being kind enough not to draw any more attention to it.

"Ryan is with the Cap in her office" he nodded towards Captain Gates' office.

"Oh…" was all Beckett responded with, though Esposito quickly noted the subtle disappointment in her tone.

Where was Castle?

"As for your boy, I have no idea" Espo answered her unasked question. "He was gone before Ryan and I had come back so…"

"It's okay Javi" she gave him her best fake smile. She had asked for this, asked for space, asked him to stay out, but she couldn't help how heavy her heart felt in that moment as she wondered if he would ever occupy that chair next to her desk again. Was this the end? Was that really what she wanted?

Yes. She tried to convince herself. At least for now. Space was exactly what they needed from each other. She needed to get her life back in order and it was going to be anything but easy to accomplish and having Castle around always just seemed to... complicate things.

"Well Gates wants to debrief, if you're up for it now" Esposito broke her from her reverie and she looked up at his warm, friendly gaze.

"Yeah, let's go" she nodded and he gestured for her to lead the way, which she did so willingly.

"Captain" Beckett greeted Victoria Gates with a polite nod as her and Esposito entered the large office; Espo closing the door quietly behind them. Ryan was already seated across from Gates' desk and he quickly stood, offering the chair to Beckett instead.

"Please Detective Beckett" the Captain gestured towards the now unoccupied chair. "Take a seat"

"Thank you Sir" Beckett obliged, taking a seat pulling the chair slightly closer as Ryan and Esposito stood behind her; one on either side of her.

"I'm sure you've heard by now that despite Sam Dawson's best efforts, Darren Fitz is still alive" Gates began a moment later. "If it wasn't for your quick reaction they may not have gotten to him in time and he would've bled out alone in his apartment. I'm told he's out of surgery now and in recovery at Mount Sinai Hospital, he's expected to make a full recovery"

"Well, I'm glad he's not dead but I don't think I'll be sending him flowers anytime soon" Beckett grumbled, causing a chuckle to escape from Esposito behind her.

"I'd have to agree with you there" Gates commented with a light shrug and hint of amusement in her tone.

"So tell me Detective Beckett, who is Sam Dawson? Why these murders and why were you the object of his latest obsession?" she asked; their no-nonsense Captain seemingly back in an instantly seamless transition.

"Well both Glen Novak and Jonathan Drake were just murders of convenience" Beckett began into the Intel she was able to gather on Sam Dawson during her interrogation. "The victims were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sam Dawson was looking for someone to kill on both of those nights and they just happened to be the unfortunate victims. That's probably why Novak's case was never solved, not only was Dawson careful, but having no personal connection to the victim made it difficult for anyone to build a case around it. The real story begins with his wife," Beckett continued before letting out a soft sigh. "The night she was killed they had a fight. A huge fight" she amended after a moment. "It ended with him telling her to go to hell before stormed out on her and went to the closest bar where he drank himself into oblivion. He came home that night to her crime scene" Beckett explained; her voice getting softer as she recalled how Sam Dawson had told the story; his eyes full of tears and his words sounding broken as they left his lips.

"So he didn't actually kill his wife?" Gate asked, sounding rather surprised.

"He didn't pull the trigger, no," Beckett clarified. "But to hear him tell it he feels as though he may as well have. He felt responsible because he wasn't there, didn't protect her. The fact that the real killer was never caught sent him into a total rage which is how he ended up in a mental institution. After he had escaped he started committing murders I guess just to prove that he could. That people could do this without being caught. He committed four murders in total, one before Novak and one after Novak but before Drake; all which he confessed to. The guilt was eating away at him though where it got to the point that he wanted to be caught. He felt he deserved punishment, felt that it was the only way to accept what happened to his wife, which is where I came in I guess. He needed someone good enough to solve the case and he must've read about me in the papers or whatever with all the Nikki Heat buzz that's been going around"

"Wow" Gates sighed as she took in all the information Beckett had offered. "So how'd you get him to crack?" she wondered after a brief moment.

"I brought up his wife" she shrugged. "I threw all compassion out the window and just attacked him about his wife's unsolved and it all came to a boiling point and just started gushing out of him. I couldn't get him to shut up if I tried"

"Nice job Detective" Gates commented; much to the surprise of all three of them. Words of gratitude weren't often given from their fearless leader. "You two as well" she nodded her head towards Ryan and Esposito. "Now we've all had a hell of a week, I think it's time we called it a night, but I'll see you all back here tomorrow to complete your paperwork"

"Yes sir" the three of them echoed each other before Beckett stood up and they all exited the office, leaving their Captain to her own paperwork.

"Hey Beckett, what do you say to a victory drink?" Esposito asked from his desk as Kate slid her arms into her jacket and pulled it over her shoulders.

"Thanks Espo but honestly I'm completely beat. I haven't seen my bed in a week, I just really want to go home"

"I understand" Esposito nodded before turning his attention to Ryan who was also packing up his things to call it a night.

"What about you bro?"

Ryan seemed to hesitate a moment before answering, "sorry man, I can't, I told Jenny I'd come straight home after work"

"What you two got a honey milk date or something?" Espo teased and Kate let out a small laugh before shaking her head.

"Hey, at least I have a date" Ryan quickly retaliated.

"Not cool bro" Esposito groaned, shaking his head.

"Goodnight boys" Kate called over her shoulder; deciding to leave them to their bickering.

"Night" they both called in unison after her as she stepped into the elevator, more than ready to finally be able to return home.

Stepping off the elevator at her floor Beckett frowned as she heard some odd noises echoing throughout the hallways. She continued towards the end of the hall to her doorstep where the noises only seemed to grow louder. She heard the distinct sounds of drills and hammers and an instant fear enveloped her as she stepped up to her door and realized it was unmistakably coming from inside her apartment.

Slowly reaching to her hip she wrapped her fingers tightly around the handle of her service piece before resting her free hand on the door handle to her apartment.

1, 2, 3. She counted inwardly before quickly throwing open the door and charging inside.

"Police, let me see your hands!" she yelled with authority as her gaze fell upon a man who stood at her far window, his back to her and his hands quickly raising above his head, letting his hammer clatter to the floor as he heard her commanding voice.

"Woah, woah, lady take it easy!" the man gasped as he turned to face her. He was a tall, older gentleman, probably in his late fifties and he was wearing a dark grey hard hat, dirty white t-shirt and grease stained jeans.

"I'm just doing my job here" he informed her in his thick Brooklyn accent.

"You're job?" Beckett immediately questioned; lowering her gun only slightly; still ready at a moment's notice if necessary.

"Hey Bobby, where did you put the – woah!" another man had entered the main foyer from the hallway and was also more than startled to see Beckett standing there with a gun half pointed at his colleague.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Beckett huffed as her eyes darted between the two shocked men that stood before her.

"You mind lowering that thing first?" The first man, Bobby, asked timidly as he gestured towards her gun.

Beckett let out a slight huff of frustration before cautiously returning the gun to its holster. She was fairly certain these men were of no threat to her.

"Sorry, I'm a cop, it's an occupational hazard when I walk in and find intruders in my home. Now why are you in my apartment?" she asked with an unmasked hint of annoyance in her tone. She was far too tired to be dealing with this now.

"Your apartment?" Bobby asked to clarify, sounding rather confused as he studied her for a moment then looked back to his colleague. "Where's the guy?"

Guy? What guy?

"I'm sorry ma'am" the other man piped up after a moment. "My name is Joe by the way, and this is Bobby. I'm sorry we haven't met before and we seem to have startled you, but we had arrangements with your husband. He said you guys would be out of town until tomorrow and that we had until then to finish the job. We ran into a few roadblocks so it's taking a little longer than expected but not to worry, we can be out of your hair by first thing in the morning if that's alright"

Beckett stared at the man completely dumbfounded. Husband? Job? What the hell.

"I'm sorry" Beckett began after a moment, shaking her head in confusion. "I think you're mistaken, you must have the wrong apartment or something"

"Nope" Joe shrugged before reaching to his back pocket to retrieve a piece of paper. Unfolding it he held it out a distance to be able to see it better as he read aloud "Beckett. 4F. That's you, correct?"

"Yes, that's me but… What exactly are you guys doing here?"

"Beefing up security" Bobby shrugged. "Your husband was adamant that after your recent break-in we pull out all the stops and install state of the art security in here. You got your double-pane reinforced windows" he began, tapping on the glass behind him. "Tamper-proof digital alarm" he gestured his head towards the front door where she looked back to notice a white keypad box mounted to the wall that she hadn't noticed when she first came charging in. "And a few other bells and whistles that we're still working the bugs out of right now" he finished with a small shrug.

"And my husband, asked you to do this?" Kate asked curiously.

"Yeah, that's right" Joe nodded. "Did Rick not tell you he was doing this? Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise"

Rick. of course.

"Yeah, well, surprise!" Kate deadpanned. "How much does all of this cost?" Kate wondered aloud as she glanced around at the scattered equipment across her apartment.

"Well you got our platinum package ma'am" Joe answered quickly. "But not to worry the bill has already been taken care of by your husband" he explained with a kind smile.

Of course it has.

Her eyes rolled involuntarily.

"I'm sorry Miss, but we do have another ten hours or so of work ahead of us before we're finished here…" Bobby mentioned hesitantly.

"Of course" Beckett shook her head after a moment. "I think I'll just go surprise my husband myself…" she grumbled before spinning herself around and letting herself out of the apartment and back into the hallway.

She stalked off towards the elevator; anger coursing through her with every purposeful step she took. It seemed her husband had a lot of explaining to do and she was going to get herself some answers.

A/N: dun dun dunnnn! Okay, so we got some angry!Beckett coming up folks, but as usual we love to watch our favourite writer talk his way out it don't we? Stay tuned for more to come. Reviews are love!