Chapter Twenty-One

A/N: This one is short but seeing how it's the second one I've uploaded today I think you'll live.

~Rose

"Tears stream down your face"

Lanie:

Pulling into the hospital parking lot I saw Kate sitting on the curb, head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" I asked her getting out of my old Chevy.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she responded unconvincingly.

"Girl, you are not fine. Want to tall me the whole story?"

"Not really." I gave her a look and she sighed before continuing, "I went to Castle's to tell him I'm done with pretending we don't have feelings for each other. When I got there Martha answered the door and said Castle had gone to my apartment because I sent him a text telling him to. I didn't sent him that text Lanie. I looked for my phone but realized that I had left it at home. I raced to my apartment and it was on fire. Castle was inside."

"Why aren't you in there with writer boy?" I asked, pointing to the hospital.

"Alexis," she answered quietly.

"Alexis?"

"She's tired of me putting her father in danger. She told me to get out of Castle's life."

"Oh. Sweetie." I pulled her in for a hug. Tears were falling down her cheeks and on to my shoulder. It wasn't very often that Kate Beckett the hard-ass cop cried but this was a very different Kate. This Kate's life changed the second she was shot.

"You're going to nee somewhere to stay," I told her, "come stay with me."

"I don't want to inconvenience you," she started before I interrupted her.

"Don't even start with me Kate Beckett. You are staying with me and that's final."

"You're a good friend Lanie."

ONE WEEK LATER

Castle:

I stared at my computer screen but I couldn't write. I hadn't been able to since Kate had walked out of my life. I knew there was more to it then Alexis was telling me, but I didn't push it. Alexis had just said Kate had told her to say she would miss me and then she left.

There was a knock at my door and I reluctantly got up to answer it. "Ryan?" I said, surprised, when I saw who it was.

"We need to talk Castle."

I searched for a smartass remark but I couldn't think of one. "Okay?" I motioned towards the couch and we both sat down.

"What have you gotten us into Castle? Who is Melling and why does he say you know who the dragon is?"

I sighed. I knew I couldn't lie to Ryan's face right now. "Melling is the man who shot Kate. He's another hired hand like Coonan and Lockwood. Yes I know who the dragon is, but I can't tell you who it is."

"Who not?"

"Kate's safety."

"What about your safety Castle? You almost died last week. You can't keep doing this."

"Kate needs to be safe," I told him, "do you know what it would do to me if I lost her?"

"Do you know what it would do to her if she lost you?" Ryan replied, "She's already lost her mother and Montgomery over this, she can't lose you too."

"I'm sorry Ryan but I can't tell you who the dragon is yet. You'll just have to trust me."

He sighed this time and said, "Alright Castle, but don't do anything stupid."