CHAPTER 1 – TIME TO TAKE ACTION

"Wow! That was something else"

Rick Castle could not believe what had just happened. He didn't know whether it was a dream or if he was just hallucinating, but he would never forget the events of last night. He had finally gotten together with the woman he has been in love with for the last 4 years.

Yes, he was now in a relationship with Kate Beckett.

He was so happy, he could feel his heart bursting in joy. When he left her apartment yesterday, he was in such a bad mood, he wanted to do a lot of damage. He wanted to destroy anything in sight. But, he controlled his destructive urges and went home, drank 2 glasses of Scotch, sat on his sofa, and went through the memories of his time with Kate at the precinct. He was able to clearly see how much her mom's case had a hold on her life. But he always thought when the time came, he would be able to persuade her to step away. But, as she said, it was her life. Not his personal jungle gym. It had hurt a year ago, and it had hurt yesterday. But, in the end, it was the truth. So, he left. To protect his heart from anymore heartbreak than he had already faced, and was necessary. He had the power to completely destroy the person behind her mom's death, but there was a reason he refused to use any of it. Too many painful memories belonging to a certain time of his life. A time when he was literally indestructible. He was so powerful, people either respected or feared him. But that time has long since passed. His only purpose in life now is his daughter, Alexis Castle. She is his whole life. She was the sole reason he was able to come out of his self-destructive funk post his awful breakup with Kyra. His first wife and Alexis' mother, Meredith, had no interest in raising her daughter, and had left to pursue her non-existent acting career. Her first stepping stone was his heart. One night he came home to find her with a director in his bed. Thankfully, he had Alexis with him, so she didn't suffer from any neglect on Meredith's side. But his trust in her had been demolished. He literally kicked out the director and put the fear of God in him. The man left with his tail between his legs leaving a guilty looking Meredith behind. But she simply put on her clothes, went to their shared bedroom, packed her clothes and left. She didn't even bother looking at Alexis. The girl was too young to understand why her mother was leaving and simply said nothing. A week later he was served with divorce papers, which he happily signed. He thanked the Gods he let Meredith sign a pre-nuptial agreement, stating that she would get 1 million dollars and a condo in LA. He, much to his unending joy got full custody of Alexis.

After the failure of his first marriage, he decided that from now his only focus would be on his writing and Alexis. He moved to the loft he was currently living in, and started writing a lot more books to forget the heartbreak of his divorce. He slowly started feeling better, as time passed. He simply reminded himself that nothing that happened was his fault. He had been the best husband he could be. She simply didn't want what he offered. He couldn't do anything about that.

So, he stopped dating completely. He had not dated anyone at all till date. The page six image that had been developed was just that. An image. Any time the paper said he was with a woman, he was actually at home with Alexis, or he was in his Hamptons house, continuing his training. Just because he had no use for his training, doesn't mean he has to let himself loose. Now more than ever he is going to need his training. He is not going to let anything happen to Kate, or anyone. The time to hold back is over. It's time to let the training take over and finish this once and for all.

Kate had gone to her apartment to pack an overnight bag so that she can stay with him tonight. So, he had a few hours before she came back. He went to his smart board and turned it on. The display came into view, everything he had on her shooting and her mom's case was there. He decided it was time he had a meeting with Mr. Smith, but this time on his terms. He was going to find him. Or rather meet him, as he knew exactly where he was.

-Line Break-

Michael Smith was at his home having lunch. He knew Cole Maddox was looking for him, but was confident he couldn't find him. This house was not in any record, and he had left no paper trail to this location at his registered home or office. He felt bad for whatever was happening to Kate Beckett, but it was not his problem. The only reason he was doing this was due to his promise to Roy Montgomery, his friend. He owed him a huge debt, and when he got the file, and a letter, asking him to keep his family and Kate safe, he made a deal with the Dragon and hid the file. But now it looks like they are not satisfied with keeping the status quo. They have decided to tie up all loose ends, and keep the slate clean. The only player left to remove was the detective, because they have recognized her as a huge threat to their operations. Even alone, she was formidable, but with her writer partner, Richard Castle with her, the duo were unstoppable. Sooner or later, they would find the person behind everything, and bring them out in the open. So, now they are cleaning up shop, so to speak.

He was cut off from his thoughts by a knock on his door. He was surprised and wary, because no one was supposed to know this place. He slowly, got up, and walked to the door, with his gun behind his back, and looked through the peep hole, and was absolutely shocked to find Richard Castle behind it. He opened the door, pulled the man inside, locked the door, and turned to him.

"Mr. Castle, how the hell did you find me here?!" he shouted at him with fury.

"That's none of your business. Now, I will only ask once, where is the file? I am in no mood to be entertaining any of your secretive and mysterious behavior. This has gone on long enough. It's now my turn to step in and put an end to this once and for all. So, do yourself a favor and come clean, because I have lost all patience. If you don't tell me everything, then I cannot promise you your safety."

Smith gaped at him for a moment, before shaking his head, "You have no idea who you're up against. I cannot let you put Roy's family in danger because you think you can take them down by yourself. You are a writer. You have no way to end this. I'm sorry, but there's not-"

Before he could finish, Rick grabbed his shirt and pulled him in got in his, giving him a glare so fierce, that Smith starting sweating. Who is this man? This is not the writer he had seen the last few times they met. He could swear his eyes were red for a second, before they turned back to their blue. He started shaking in fear. His death started flashing before his eyes. He started having visions of his death being so brutal, he couldn't think straight. He was about to pass out, before they stopped and he was dropped to the floor. He almost pissed himself in fear, looking at the man looming above him with a menacing glare on his face.

"Now, you are going to tell me everything, and I mean everything"

AN: Hey guys, this is my first foray into fanfiction, and I couldn't decide which one to choose, so I decided to combine both. Please review to these. Any positive or negative reviews are welcome, but please be supportive. As I said, it's my first. ;-)