A/N: I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to the new year. Thanks for sticking around. This one's good (IMO anyway) :) Beta by Diana.

Disclaimer: not mine.

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully and when Alexis joined the rest for breakfast, she was almost back to herself. It didn't go unnoticed that she chose to spend her time in the living room, always seeking company as opposed to the privacy of the bedroom.

If the others could still tell that she had been rattled by the events of the previous night, they didn't let it show. Instead, they worked on coexisting in the small, common space that was the living room.

Castle and Beckett hadn't gotten to finish their conversation from the previous night, so things were still rather tense between the two almost-affianced, ex-lovers.

Beckett would have loved to have a private conversation with him in one of the bedrooms, but she knew his mind was solely on Alexis after last night's scare. Besides, she should put her job and Alexis' safety ahead of her personal life. She could deal with Castle later.

After lunch, Lee went out to carry out their rounds. They tried to do rounds at different hours each day so it wouldn't become routine or predictable. "It looks clear out here in front," he said to Esposito through the walkie-talkie.

"Roger that," Esposito replied. He released the talk-button and static filled the air for a moment.

"I'm heading to the back now, circling from the right side of the house," Lee continued.

Esposito tracked his progress through the various camera feeds across the computer screen. As he passed through one part that had its view partially covered by foliage, the computer screen flickered for a nanosecond. It had occurred so quickly that Esposito wasn't even sure if it had happened.

But then Lee appeared on the next screen like normal, so Esposito pushed his concerns down.

Wait a second.

"Hey Ryan, get over here. What color was Lee wearing today?" he asked, gesturing for Ryan to join him.

"I don't know, green? Why?"

Beckett made her way over to join the boys, her sixth sense prickling.

Looking at the screen, she answered Ryan on Esposito's behalf. "Because he's wearing red in the screen and talking through the walkie-talkie." They all looked at the partner walkie-talkie in Esposito's hand, which was transmitting nothing but static white noise.

"Tyson's here. He must have hacked into our feed somehow and looped the video," Beckett said, her voice tinged with urgency. "No- don't," she stopped Esposito who had just been about to speak through his walkie-talkie.

"We don't want Tyson to know we're aware he's here," she explained quickly.

"But Lee-"

"Our priority here is Alexis. Lee knows what signing up for this job entails – our top priority is Alexis. We'll get to him later. Ryan, use the cell and call for back up, now."

Ryan made the call as Esposito and Beckett pulled out their weapons. "Lee was circling from the right side of the house, right? He'll either come in through your bedroom, or circle back from the front," Beckett said, talking more to herself than anyone else.

Castle and Alexis were on their feet, ready for her orders. In fact, everyone was looking at Beckett, just waiting on her directives. "Bathroom's further, but the window in my bedroom is larger," she continued, voicing her thought process out loud.

She looked over to Esposito, decision made. "Espo, take Castle and Alexis to my bedroom and lock the door. Watch the window in case Tyson tries to enter that way, but chances for that happening aren't high. The moment you hear commotion from our side, get out through the window and make a break for it. Here, take my cell," she told him, giving him her burner cell.

He nodded, tugging Alexis to the bedroom as Ryan ended his call and pulled out his gun.

"I'll stay," Castle said suddenly.

"What?"

"Dad!"

Both Beckett and Alexis yelled at the same time.

"No, look, Tyson wants me. I know it. He's only trying to get to Alexis because of me. If I go with them, Tyson will chase after us if he can. But if I stay here with you, Espo has a better chance of bringing Alexis safely away," he explained.

"I've made up my mind," Castle added, "I'm not budging on this. Ryan, you go with Esposito. Keep my daughter safe, you hear me?"

The Irish detective looked at Beckett who gave him an imperceptive nod. "Be careful," he told them, ushering Alexis into the bedroom after Esposito.

"Don't worry, I'll see you when it's all over, pumpkin," Castle told his daughter right before the door shut behind Ryan.

He certainly hoped that wasn't the last time he was going to see his daughter. Taking a shallow breath, he turned to Beckett who had just finished putting her hair up into a ponytail.

"I've got your back," she told him, giving him her extra piece.

Reaching for it with surprisingly steady hands, he replied, "Me too, partner."

Castle and Beckett swiped everything off the table, laying it on its side so that it offered some cover from both the front door and the boys' bedroom.

"I'll take the door," Castle offered, getting into a shooting stance from behind the table.

"Okay. I'll cover the room," she said, moving into position beside him. The door of the boys' bedroom was directly in front of her. It was about two meters away from their makeshift cover. To her right was the girls' bedroom, while to her back was the couch.

Castle was standing perpendicular to her, facing the front door. She glanced to his left, seeing the kitchen island. It could provide some cover if the situation called for it, and behind him was the other end of the couch.

The computer and other things that had been on the table now lay haphazardly on the ground in front of the table.

The door to the boys' bedroom swung open and immediately Kate ducked, pulling Castle down beside her. "Gun!" she yelled as a hail of bullets shot through the space above their heads.

Beckett hoped Espo took that as his cue to bring Alexis out through the window.

Tyson brought a machine gun with him?!

He'd never had any inclination towards machinery! This made things so much more complicated.

Rolling to her side, Beckett got into a crouch position as she prepared to shoot in his direction. They had to herd him towards the front door and away from the girls' bedroom.

She popped her head out, shooting a few times in Tyson's direction. As predicted, he began moving away from her shots, returning a few of his own.

"The table's not going to last much longer," Castle told her, hunching further down as another shower of bullets sped through the air.

"We need to get the gun away from him," she told him, returning some shots from the side of the table. Pulling back in, she said between pants, "Switch places."

Castle didn't know what she had in mind, but he did as she asked. "Now what?"

"Tyson's been moving away from my shots, so he'll be closer to this side of the table. I'm going to tackle him on three. You distract him and cover me, okay?" she said, her tone leaving no space for arguments or doubts.

They shared a look.

"One," Beckett counted, locking eyes with Castle.

Even though they'd spent three years apart and had yet to clear the air between them, Beckett trusted her ex-partner with her life. Castle felt the enormity of the moment settle on his shoulders.

"Two," she continued, turning away while she holstered her gun, crouching in position with her hands bare, ready to tackle Tyson.

Castle shifted beside her. He could do this.

"Three!" he said, standing up to shoot at Tyson as Beckett shot out from behind the table, rushing headfirst for Tyson.

The next few moments passed in a blur for Castle. He stopped shooting the moment Becket got into range, heading over to help her instead. He saw Beckett reach for the gun, pushing it aside and upward so any misfired bullets wouldn't hit anybody. Tyson backhanded her and she retaliated with a swipe at his feet.

He stumbled but didn't lose his balance, grabbing the gun with one hand as he punched at her side, but Beckett avoided it, sidestepping neatly and elbowing him in the solar plexus.

She continued whirling and was successful in wrenching the gun away from Tyson, breaking free from their struggle at the same time.

Castle circled the table and ran over to tackle Tyson in an attempt to keep him on the ground, but he had forgotten about the equipment lying on the floor. Castle tripped, colliding with Tyson.

Damn, Beckett thought, tossing the gun toward the doorway and away from Tyson. She pulled out her gun as quickly as she could, but somehow Tyson had disarmed Castle and was holding him in a chokehold, another handgun held tightly in his other hand.

His gun was pointed at Castle. Beckett couldn't help but notice how his hand shook. The last thing they wanted was for Tyson to accidentally release the trigger.

"Tyson, let him go," Beckett ordered, moving forward slowly but carefully. She couldn't afford tripping over anything.

Tyson pulled Castle closer to him, moving backwards hesitantly. "Not going to happen, Agent Beckett," he retorted.

"You don't want to do this," she continued in a steady tone. "Guns aren't your thing, Tyson. They're messy, and you don't want that, do you?"

"It's not your style," Castle squeezed out, stumbling backwards as Tyson tugged him along. He was slowly trying to make his way around the room to get behind the table.

"Shut up!" Tyson yelled at him, tightening his hold on Castle, choking him.

Beckett kept advancing slowly, trying to get a clear shot but Tyson was using Castle as a human shield. There was no way she'd get a clear shot.

"And you, stay back!" Tyson yelled at Beckett.

"Not going to happen, Tyson," she told him in a steely tone, keeping her gaze focused on Tyson's face. He shot darting looks around, taking in his surrounding and trying to find an out.

"I'll shoot him, mess be damned!" Tyson warned, his hand shaking more prominently as he became more emotional.

"Hey Beckett, remember our first case together?" Castle suddenly asked.

Her eyes flashed to the safety. They barely widened for a fraction of a second.

Tyson looked from Beckett to Castle, but he was unable to decipher what the partners had just exchanged. His face morphed from confused to cynical. "Reminiscing 'bout the good old days, Castle?" he asked, derision coloring his voice.

"You know what, at least I have good days to reminisce over," Castle taunted, distracting Tyson and at the same time providing Beckett cover to move into her shooting stance.

Castle maintained eye contact with Beckett, body tensing slightly; ready to break free at her signal.

Castle's ploy at antagonizing his captor worked. Tyson was completely focused on Castle as he yelled in fury. "Why you little-"

Beckett nodded and Castle head butted Tyson, pulling free as Tyson's slack released. He was already pulling on the trigger but Beckett was faster, firing three quick-fire shots into his chest.

Tyson fell to the ground in a heap, disbelief, confusion and surprise on his face as he bled out. Beckett stalked over, kicking the gun away.

"That was-" Castle started, rubbing the back of his head as he walked over to join Beckett.

"Yeah," she said, looking back at him with wide eyes. They were both breathing rapid, short breaths, both unable to believe that had actually happened.

"You understood when I brought up the first case? You weren't gambling on my life, were you?" Castle asked, adrenalin giving him the courage to speak whatever came to mind.

"Yeah, no," she breathed, hurrying to clarify what she had meant when Castle's eyes widened. "I," she panted, still riding the adrenalin high, "I remembered our first case, and no, I wasn't, I wasn't gambling on your life."

"Good, yeah, that's good," he said, still looking at her with a mildly shocked expression. Beckett ventured she had the same expression on her face as well. She couldn't believe their little plan had worked either.

"Thanks for having my back there," she told him, compelled to keep the conversation going.

Castle nodded.

"Thanks… Thanks for having my back too," he told her.

"Always."

They both froze. The word had come out unbidden, but she had said it nonetheless, because it felt right in that moment. It had been like a knee jerk reaction, and now it hung in the air between them.

"Always, Castle," she reiterated. Even though it had been a reflex when she had said it, Beckett meant what she said, and she wanted him to know that. No matter what happened, she would always have his back.

And she knew that when it came down to it, she could always trust him with hers too.

"Castle," she blurted, forcing herself to seize the moment, "Please, can we finish yesterday's conversation?"

Tyson gurgled and wheezed on the ground as blood leaked out and the pneumothorax made it a battle to even breathe. He glared vehemently at them but was unable to speak or even move. He was no longer an active threat to them.

Beckett went over, trying to apply pressure to his wounds until help came, but there was too much blood everywhere.

A few spasms later his body shuddered and relaxed a little as the life left his body, his eyes staring vacantly ahead. She must have hit major arteries and caused him to hemorrhage quickly.

She pressed her fingers against his carotid, checking for a pulse. Tyson was no longer a menace to anybody. Never again.

Castle averted his eyes, looking back at her. Kate was still waiting for his answer. He looked hesitant, glancing from Tyson's body to the doorway and the mess of the living room. He probably had a lot on his mind right now, even more than hers, which was currently in a whirl, so she could imagine him wanting to hold out. But that was their problem. They always put their conversations on hold, always waited for later.

She wiped the fresh blood off of her hands, standing and walking back to Castle's side. There would be repercussions from today, and Kate did not need that adding on to their ever-growing pile of issues to be discussed. She had to insist on explaining herself before things got even more complicated.

"Please, Castle?" she asked once more.

She could see him wavering, caught in their little moment when the rest of the world just faded away, and they were tuned in to each other. Only each other. She could see the moment he made his decision; his choice tipping over in her favor.

"Beckett! You guys alright?" Lee asked, barging in through the front door.

Just like that their moment was over.

Castle and Beckett each took an unconscious step away from each other as their safe space was invaded.

"Yeah, over here," Beckett called out as Lee stepped into view, coming to a halt when he saw the mess in the living room, and more importantly, Tyson's body in the background.

"Where are the others?" Lee asked, glancing around but not seeing Alexis, Ryan or Esposito.

Beckett gestured to the bedroom she shared with Alexis. "When we figured out Tyson was here, I sent Ryan and Esposito with Alexis to the room, told them to make it out through the window. We should contact them," Beckett said, reaching for her burner phone.

Lee's demeanor relaxed slightly when he realized there was no more threat. "Tyson got the jump on me," he explained, "Must have taken my hand gun as well. Did he use it?"

"Yeah, he pulled out a hand gun when I disarmed his machine gun," she said wryly, patting her pockets, still searching for the phone. "Hey, you got your burner phone on you? I just remembered that I gave mine to Espo, and Ryan held on to his after he called for backup, so both phones are with them," she explained to Lee.

Lee nodded, pulling out the phone to call Esposito, telling them it was safe to return just as they heard the beginnings of sirens in the background. Backup would be arriving on scene all too soon.

Beckett sighed. Processing this would be a whole new level of mess.

"They're heading back," Lee told her, hanging up the phone. He continued, "So what happened?"

"You know what? That can wait," she told Lee, a glimmer returning to her eyes as she made a choice. "This," she continued, turning to look at Castle, "this can't." Not again. Not anymore. She was through with putting her work before her personal life – it was time to put her foot down.

She had finally gotten to reconnect with Castle – it was brief and lasted for only a split moment, but she was convinced that she had managed to get through to him right before Lee barged in – and she wasn't going to lose that opportunity again.

Turning back to Lee, she said, "Give your statement when backup arrives. Be thorough, and when you're done, ask them to get Alexis' and the boys' statements as well." That should buy her and Castle some time.

"Got it, boss."

"Castle, you coming?" she asked, heading out. The safe house would be crawling with agents all too soon, taking photographs and collecting evidence. They needed to find someplace else to talk. Somewhere they wouldn't get interrupted yet again.

Once outside, Kate looked around. There was a clearing a little ways down the road. They should be able to talk in peace over there. Castle seemed to have read her mind, because he started walking in that direction. She made to follow after him.

"Dad!"

They turned to see Alexis running towards them, Ryan and Esposito jogging behind her.

She crashed into her father, enveloping him in a crushing hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay! What happened? We- we heard gunshots. You're not hit are you?" she asked worriedly, pulling back as she gave him a quick once over.

"I'm fine, pumpkin. Don't worry, I wasn't hit," he reassured her, pulling her back in for a full body hug.

Beside him, Kate was exchanging a few words with Ryan and Esposito. She seemed deflated though. The determination was still there, that spark would always be there. It was ingrained in her character and would never go out. But Castle noticed it dimming as they were once more interrupted.

Kate was right though, they did need to talk and clear the air before things got even more complicated.

"Alexis," he said, holding her at arm's length as though it was the hardest thing to do. "You're safe, right? You're not injured or anything?" he asked, giving her a once over in return.

She nodded, and Castle quickly continued.

"Good, that's good. Beckett and I have some things to talk about, and things are about to get crazy around here, so-"

"Go, dad," Alexis cut in. "I'm fine, we can do this later. Go, you and Kate have a long overdue talk."

Beckett whipped her head around to him, her face a mixture of surprise and questioning. Castle could make out the blossoming of hope just under the surface.

He could put his daughter aside for the moment. She was safe, and he no longer perceived any threat to her well-being. Kate was right. This, them – it couldn't wait any longer.

"C'mon Beckett."

He gestured for her to follow him with a tilt of his head and walked toward the clearing. Breaking into a smile, she jogged after him.

A/N: So. Thoughts? :)

Ps. Dear Guest reviewers, if you want me to approve your reviews, the least you could do is to keep it related to my story - I don't have to and won't approve the purely flame/hate ones.