I've read several different endings of the final episode of Castle, Crossfire. I thought I would try one of my own with a very special twist. I haven't seen a version like this one, so I hope everyone enjoys.
Their bodies were exhausted but there spirits were high as Castle and Beckett entered the loft. The crime-fighting duo had captured LokSat earlier the night and everyone involved was being processed into booking by the NYPD and federal agencies. LokSat, also known as Jason Wood, was locked up under the police department's best. Castle didn't envy future as Becket and the others will probably be buried under the number of hearings in the next few weeks.
Well, the NYPD did invade a CIA managed building. That was going to be difficult to explain.
But right now, it was a time for celebrating. Esposito, Ryan, Vikram, and Lanie were all going to get a drink. Even though it was 7 in the morning. Hayley was taking Alexis and Martha to breakfast.
"Uuuugh. I just want to sleep for a week," said Beckett as she walked through the front door. She let go of Castle's hand.
"How about some breakfast first?" asked Castle. "Best way to start of a hibernation?"
"Uh, you know what? Why don't we just order in? You don't have to cook."
Castle smiled at as he walked to the kitchen. "I love cooking for you."
Becket smiled right back. "And I love it when you cook for me? I'm going to go change." She disappeared into their bedroom.
"All right."
As Castle grabbed a skillet from the sink, he couldn't help but think about all the crap that had happened in the past 24 hours. Getting shot at, kidnapped by a crazy, taxi driver who ended up being the right-hand man of LokSat himself. And then being injected with a truth serum.
That was one of the scariest moments so far. Being forced to tell the truth to a man he previously respected when he had absolutely no control over his actions. Being forced to admit that his family knew about LokSat so the man could kill them to hide the CIA's secrets.
He didn't feel any remorse about killing Mr. Flynn, the man who drugged him. But he did feel the slightest amount of pity for a man who had never been raised by a family or fell in love with the special someone.
As Castle turned on the gas stove to get started, he stared at the flames in shock. He wondered how many people had been cremated in the special incinerator the CIA used to hide their secrets. It was by sheer luck he wasn't one of them.
But as he stared at the flames, an unusual thought entered his mind.
"Hey Beckett?" he called out.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"If Mason had an incinerator in the basement, why wouldn't he just dispose of Caleb's body there?"
There was a sharp whistle and an even sharper pain in his chest. He collapsed as his legs gave out beneath him. Confused and in a tremendous amount of fire in his chest, Castle could barely register his surprise as a dead man walked towards him.
"I told Mason that you would figure it out…"
"Castle?" Beckett called out.
"…but the old man wouldn't listen to me."
Castle struggled to hold a hand to the wound in his chest. His arm wasn't responding. "Caleb, don't," he gasped.
"Sorry, Rick." Caleb did look sorry. But it didn't stop him from aiming his gun at Castle's head. "But how am gonna enjoy my retirement with you and Mrs. hunting me?"
"Castle!"
Castle saw Caleb turn his attention to the bedroom, raising his gun as he did. Beckett's gun boomed twice while Caleb's once cracked softly. Caleb froze, then fired another shot as Beckett fired again.
Caleb hit against the kitchen stove, then fell. He was staring at the wounds in his chest with disbelief.
Then, the light slowly faded from his eyes.
Castle tried his hardest to get up. The sharp hot pain was beginning to match the cold seeping into his legs. He heard a soft thumb. He turned his head to see Beckett slowly crawling towards him on the kitchen floor. He would have yelled with horror as he saw the white t-shirt she wore under her jacket turning red. His wife had been shot as well.
Gathering what strength he could muster, he set his feet and pushed himself on his back toward Beckett. She was continued to crawl towards him, her gun still in her hand.
When they were close enough, they reached out a hand and grasped the other. Their wounds bleeding profusely as they gasped and panted to catch their breath. They held each other close, both praying that someone in the building heard the gunshots.
"Always," Castle panted softly.
"Always," Beckett answered back.
…
…
…
A page was flipped. Then another.
"That's it?"
"Yep."
"There has to be more."
"Nope."
"This is how you're ending the book."
"Mm-hmm."
A man scoffed and got up from the couch. He tossed the manuscript across the room, where it collided with a wall.
"Hey! What's the problem?"
The man took a deep breath. He was tall, with a lean but strong build. A testament to the years of running. Both high school and college. He had dark brown hair, with layers only a movie star could dream off. His green eyes seemed to glow with the intensity of emeralds. His smile was something women could drop their guard around.
James Deckard was one of the most handsome detectives in New York. He was also the 12th division homicide future captain.
And right now, he was glaring daggers at a woman who was smirking at him as he pouted like a child.
"I told you the series was going to end with a bang," she answered.
"But not like this. What happens to Castle and Beckett? What about the CIA conspiracies? And LokSat? Doesn't he get his justice?"
The woman shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."
James groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "You are unbelievable."
"Then why did you marry me?"
James had asked himself that very question many times since they said their nuptials. 'It was a bad idea' many people had told him. A detective marrying a reporter.
But Anabelle Queen was much more than a reporter.
Annabelle, or Belle to her friends, was once a reporter for the New York Ledger. In an effort to boost his campaign, the mayor of New York asked the magazine to an informative piece on the NYPD. He thought it would help both him and the police force. Belle, with several magazine awards for best journalism, was asked to do the piece and headed to the 12th Precinct.
The first moment James laid eyes on her, he knew it was going to be trouble. She wore high-inch pumps to make her taller, a long skirt that hugged her knees, and blouse and vest combo that emphasized her chest.
But it was cascading red hair and sapphire blue eyes that really grabbed his attention. They were eyes capable of piercing into someone's soul. James figured they were the reason Belle was able to get any interview.
The duo got off to a rocky start. James had told her it wasn't going to be as easy as movies or television. Belle reassured him that she was a professional and would act accordingly. Later that day, when they got their first homicide, Belle threw up when she saw her first murder victim.
And so began their partnership. For nearly 5 months, James worked in solving homicides while Belle shadowed him and his team. They find regular murders, unusual ones, and some that were just plain weird. They been in shootouts with suspects, foot chases, interrogations, and even been hostages. There had even been times when Belle was able to help with cases. Her career had made her several contacts among the city's elite, sports stars, and even criminals. Her help solved a few cases.
But at the end, Belle got her piece and left on good terms with James. The story helped the mayor and his campaign win re-election. With his new term in office, the mayor was able to send many funds to the Emergency Services.
James thought he would never see Annabelle again. But the universe proved him wrong.
A month after the election, Black Pawn Publishing released their newest book.
Writer's Block: A Richard Castle Mystery by Annabelle Queen. Black Pawn Publishing's newest novel.
The story told of a dishearten author who lost his drive to write after killing off his main character. But his latest launch party is interrupted by a homicide detective who informed someone was killing innocents according to his earlier novels. Intrigued, he offers his help to solve the case.
The story tells of a male playboy and female detective as they navigate the case while sniping insults at each other while also flirting underneath their words.
The novel was soon a best-seller and was on the New York Times best seller list for a month.
But James was furious. Annabelle may have changed names, dates, genders, and other private matters, but he could read between the lines. The story involved several of their cases. There were even quotes in the book that James and his team had said to her about investigating.
More importantly, Belle used the murder of his father as a minor plot line in the story.
His father was once a detective as well. He was on his way to being promoted before he was murdered by a street gang during a turf war. They never caught who did it. The death took a hard toll on mother and himself. His mother eventually committed suicide just before James turned 16. However, the similarities between his father's murder and Kate Beckett's mother were enough to know what inspired it.
Before James could take any kind of legal action, he got a call from the mayor's office. The mayor, who was a fan of the novel, inquired if James was willing to let Annabelle to shadow him and the 12th Precinct longer for her next book. Furious, James told the mayor to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty, sit on the top of the torch, and rotate.
Of course, later that day, he had to meet his captain and Annabelle. The mayor's request was now and order. And Annabelle was able to stay as long as she wanted. If James had a problem, he could turn in his badge.
So began the partnership. Every case they solved provided more inspiration for Annabelle's novels. She had to change a few things because of secrecy, but a few knew what the really happened on those cases. Mob hits, jealous spouses, crooked politicians, and the usual suspects. But then they would have a few that were just plain odd. Alien abductions, treasure hunts, and even a few supernatural related cases.
But the biggest ones involved the CIA conspiracies. Ones James and Annabelle had to be warned about. Two different cases that would have put the city in extreme danger if not for the efforts of the NYPD, and yes, James and Annabelle.
And then the big one. The one the changed everything: the murder of Andrew Deckard.
Thanks to Annabelle's research, James found a clue about father's murder. He originally thought was a dead end. But it ended up being a clue that opened the case once again.
In secret, for nearly two years, James and Annabelle chased down lead after lead that ended up leading to the man who ordered Andrew's death: Former Mayor William Becker.
Apparently, Andrew was on the lead of a major drug trafficking scheme that led to the city council members. Becker found out about Andrew's investigations and used his old contacts in his former military unit to silence the detective. He then manipulated evidence to seem like he was killed in a gang war.
James and Annabelle found the evidence of his father's investigations that pinned the former mayor, who was about to run for governor, as the leader of the drug trafficking. James arrested Becker on the steps of City Hall, just after the man announced his bid to run.
The news broke headlines across the country and Annabelle's newest novel, Writer's Right, was number one on the best-selling list for 6 months. Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett solve her mother's murder.
James groaned and sat back down beside his wife.
"I just can't believe you would end the series like that."
Belle smiled and scooted closer to her husband. "It was time. Besides, those novels gave us more money than we could ever dream of. And I'm not a novelist. I'm a reporter."
"Could have fooled me," James said.
"And besides." Belled grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. "I want to focus more time on our baby. You know, be a mother 24/7 and write puff pieces from home."
James smiled and rubbed his hand across Belle's slightly swollen stomach. He had been over the moon when she told him she was pregnant. Everyone at the Precinct was excited for him as well. It was the pregnancy that led him to becoming a captain. He could take the desk job and not worry his wife and future child about being on the streets.
His phone rang. The duo sighed and annoyance. A reminder that James wasn't a captain yet.
"Deckard," he answered.
"We got another one boss," said fellow homicide detective Anthony Clayton. Born in Harlem, New York, he was the toughest detective in the 12th division. Former special forces, he had to be.
"This one is a real doozy," said another member of his team. Former narcotics investigator Angela Higgins, a former lawyer turned cop. "We found evidence of foul play."
"No, we didn't," rebuffed Clayton.
"Then how do you explain the parrot?"
"What, you think the parrot committed the murder?"
"No. I just said evidence of fowl play."
"Guys, stop," ordered James.
Clayton and Higgins were James' best detectives. But they also like to crack jokes, egg each other on, and even come up with the weirdest explanations for clues they found. It's where Annabelle got Castle's unusual and crazy theories from to drive Beckett insane.
James sighed. "On my way."
"New murder?" asked Annabelle.
"Apparently committed by a parrot," answered James as he got up and kissed his wife. "Feel like dropping in?"
"Can't. Maternity leave," said Annabelle as she patted her stomach.
"Like that would stop you," James smiled as he got his badge and gun from his safe in her study.
"Hey," Belle called out. "Be careful, Deckard."
"Always, Queen."
As the door shut, Annabelle cradled her arms around her middle. "Don't worry, Alexis. Daddy will be home soon."
