Thank you all so much for the positive reviews! We thought getting a first person insight into the mind of Derek would be an interesting avenue. That was the only time this story will be first person! Enjoy this next chapter. More to come! We'll update as quickly as we write them! XOXO, CrimeShowTwinz13

Kate slowly gripped the door handle. Her gut flipped and she surveyed the hall uneasily. Something was off. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As a cop, you need a sixth sense of a sort. A gut feeling that tells you to duck right before shots are fired, or whether your suspect is lying or telling the truth. It's a honed skill that can literally be the difference between solved and unsolved, life and death. This was the feeling worming its way in to the pit of Kate Beckett's stomach. She learned early on in her beat days to never ignore that gut feeling.

Kate did one more sweep of the hallway. No one was in sight. She switched the grocery bags to her left hand, leaving her right free. Then, she unclicked the latch on her gun holster. The cool weight of the weapon on her hip was reassuring.

Taking a deep breath, and letting it out very slowly, she turned the handle to Castle's loft.

Meanwhile…

Castle blinked his eyes sluggishly. With consciousness, came the unfortunate realization of where he was. And with it the searing pain shooting from what seemed like every part of his body. The pain engulfed him and cascaded over him in waves; it pierced his every muscle and bone and left him breathless. Never before had he known this much pain was even possible to be felt.

He could feel Derek behind him, and how suddenly the room had gone cold. Something had changed. Confused, Castle kept his head down. He couldn't remember what had happened. It all was a blur after…

A knowing pain shot through his abdomen as the memory of the knife came back to him. He cringed at the jolts of pain shooting in his stomach and squeezed his eyes shut.

Meanwhile…

After hearing the footsteps in the hall, Derek had taken a defensive position behind Castle, gun drawn, ready for anything. He was tense, unsure how to react to this turn of events. This wasn't part of the plan. All he knew for sure, was that his prisoner would die tonight and he would make Thomas proud. He would avenge his brother's death.

As the door swung open, the room was deathly silent. The loud click of the safety being pulled off a gun broke the reverie. Kate stood framed in the doorway, a mix of confusion and horror on her face. The groceries were clutched tightly in her left hand, while her right was still wrapped around the door handle. Derek stood in the gloom of the room, watching the expressions play across Kate's face. He himself was a bit surprised at this turn of events; he had planned for her to show up, just not yet. No matter, this only speeds up my plan. All the better.

"Detective Beckett, how nice of you to join us."

Beckett's face paled, unsure who this person was and how he knew her name. Her mind was in hyper-drive as she took in every detail of the scene before her. Her heart sped up as she saw Castle with his head on his chest, and covered in so much…blood. She swallowed thickly and continued with her sweep. She could see a man standing behind Castle, face in shadow, with the obvious glint of a weapon trained at her partner's head.

Beckett? Oh no. She was here! How am I supposed to keep her safe when she was standing in the same room as this psychopath? She has to leave, I have to do something…Castle thought, his head still resting against his chest. What can I do? Think, Castle, think…

Kate loosened her grip and let go of the door handle. She put the bags down and stepped further in to the apartment. She closed the door behind her, and took a breath. Turning back around, she made eye contact with the man behind Castle. She slowly she inched her hand closer to her hip, closer to her holster, closer to her gun.

"Uh, uh Detective Beckett. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Derek stared coldly at her, hatred rolling off of him and punctuating his words.

"Okay I won't reach for my weapon. Sir, why don't you put yours down, and we can talk-"

"TALK?! TALK Detective Beckett?! I tried talking. But YOU wouldn't listen! YOU insisted my brother was guilty and YOU sent him away!" He began to pace, wildly waving the gun around. But his eyes never left Beckett, never left her calculating stare. "YOU locked him up for something he didn't do. And now he's dead. All because of YOU!" Derek roared at her, fire burning in his eyes.

Kate absorbed the words he was throwing at her, the way he stood, his demeanor. She knew this would escalate quickly, and she didn't want her or Castle caught in the crosshairs. She quickly flicked her eyes over to the slumped form of Castle. He still hadn't moved.

Now? Should I do it now? No, he is too angry, I could end up hurting Kate. I have to time it just right…Castle considered.

She cautiously took another miniscule step further in to the apartment. She definitely didn't need this man having another outburst like that. The next one may not be so…tame. Kate's mind raced as she went through all of her training for talking down a suspect…. Nothing! How come I can't think of a single thing!

Kate wanted to smack herself in the head. It was harder to think straight when it wasn't only her life on the line. It was Castle's, too. And by the look of things, if she didn't get them out of this soon, he may not have much longer.

"Alright sir. No need to shout. Just calm down."

She could hear her heartbeat as silence hung between them. Beckett let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, as the man seemed to visibly relax. He casually strolled back to stand behind his captive, running a hand over the back of the chair.

"As you wish, Detective. But you see, I am calm, as calm as I have ever been, as calm as I will ever be," Derek responded with a smirk. For some reason, Beckett almost wanted the shouting, delusional man back, compared to this newly composed psycho. He seemed so…apathetic, detached, cold, vindictive. Fear wormed its way into her stomach.

"Now that we have all calmed down, maybe you could tell me why you're here?"

Okay he is calmed down a little bit. Wait, now isn't the time. I have to wait…for just the right moment or I could kill both of us, Castle thought.

"Oh, it would be my pleasure. See, I have waited for this day for a long, long time. You see, Detective. I once had a brother, kind, smart, heroic. But then one day, he was snatched from this Earth. Why, you may ask? Maybe even how? Well, he was placed within prison, behind stone walls, behind bars. There, among the thieves and murderers, he was alone, an innocent man among the guiltiest. He had no one to look out for him, no one to care for him. So he was taken from me, in the cruelest of ways. With him gone, I am now alone, as he was, I am now just as empty. The day he died I vowed to seek vengeance on those who had put him there, I would not let him have died in vain. So you see, Detective, this is why I am here. This is why, tonight, you will feel what I felt, experience the same emptiness. Tonight, I will take from you what was taken from me. Tonight, the one person you love the most will die."

Derek moved the gun towards Castle's head…

"Wait!" screamed Beckett, "Castle wasn't the one who put him there, he wasn't the one who killed him. Actually, it was…me. I issued the transfer order to move him to that specific prison. It was me…not Castle. So kill me instead."

"I don't believe you," Derek said as confusion swept across his features. He was so distracted by the Detective's sudden outburst that he didn't see his captive visibly stiffen in front of him at Beckett's words.

Castle's mind raced. No…she can't say that. He will kill her and it will be all my fault. No she has to leave, she has to escape, she has to live.

"It's true! I did it! It was all me," Beckett insisted, as her mind jumped to a single solution. If the gun points at me, its not pointed at Castle. Castle will survive if I can get him to point the gun at ME.

"So why would I kill you? Mr. Castle is as much at fault here as you, Detective. Why must I reconsider?" Derek replied, moving around the chair, taking a step towards Beckett.

"Because…because I don't love him. He is annoying, egotistical, rude, sarcastic and childish. So shooting him won't hurt me like you want to it to. Killing him won't solve your problem," Kate answered, hoping the lie would convince him. She was looking at the man, hoping to catch a glimpse of his belief. But what she saw surprised her. Castle was no longer slumped over. Now, his head was up, and his eyes upon hers. She could see the tear rolling on his cheek, and the heartbreak that shone through his eyes. I'm doing this for you, Castle. I don't mean it one bit. I'm doing this so you'll live. She lowered her eyes to the floor, unable to meet Castle's stare any longer.

"No love for him, you say? None at all? Almost believable…"

She raised her eyes to meet the psychopath's. "No. No woman could ever love someone like that," Kate answered, almost convincing herself.

"Hmm, well this changes things. But unfortunately, not in your favor, Detective."

With that, Derek raised the gun and pointed it at his new victim, at Detective Beckett.