WORTH WORKING FOR
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

She's no stranger to late night calls and running on little more than power naps and coffee. But that doesn't mean she isn't grateful when Rick emerges from his building with a travel cup in each hand, and announces with a flourish that one is for her.

"Just in case," he adds at her pointed look at the clock. "Since I doubt you'll just visit the scene and then go home to go to bed at a reasonable time."

She smirks as she checks for traffic and pulls out into the almost-empty street. "You're not wrong," she admits. "One of the joys of a 24-hour on-call shift. You didn't have to come, though. I'm used to this, you're not."

He waves his hand in dismissal. "I'm a night owl anyway. Besides, someone's gotta keep you caffeinated."

She throws him a grin and reaches for her coffee. "And at that, you're a pro," she teases before taking a sip.

Almost immediately, the case is weird. Their suspect, who had literally been caught on tape kidnapping a woman and against whom they have close to an open-and-shut case, disappears from holding. And then the dead body disappears right out from under Lanie's nose, and they officially have nothing.

And then they're kidnapped from a crime scene.

She and Rick only have the opportunity to assure each other that they're okay before they're told to be quiet, and the stern, authoritative voice that commands their silence has rage simmering through her.

She starts to mentally plan how she'll escape and rescue Rick before being re-caught, but she doesn't get very far before the vehicle they're in comes to a stop and they're ushered out.

The hood is finally removed from her head, and she looks around, realizes they're in an elevator. She glances at Rick, noting his worried look and disheveled appearance.

"You okay?" she asks.

He nods and glances at her stomach. "Are you?"

"Yeah. What the hell is going-"

Her voice trails off when the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open, and she looks around the bustling room, her jaw dropping at the sheer number of people and computers. She notices a large screen against the far wall, and she recognizes the pictures of her crime scenes.

"Rick Castle."

Both she and Rick turn at the sound of his name, and she almost hears him tense when they spot the tall, slender brunette.

"Sophia," he breathes. "What are you-"

The woman - Sophia, apparently - gives Rick a quick perusal before glancing between the two of them. "Welcome to the CIA. Take them to the conference room," she says to the agent who brought them down in the elevator.

"Who is that?" Kate asks as they're ushered into a nearby room. "And how do you know someone from the CIA?"

Rick stands at the large window, his excitement obvious as he looks out into the room. "Sophia Turner," he says.

She rolls her eyes when he doesn't elaborate. "Yes, well, who is Sophia Turner?"

"This place is awesome. It's straight out of Bond."

"You're avoiding the question." She ignores the anger that flares in her chest when the door opens again, and Sophia ignores her and goes straight to Rick. Who's the cop here, anyway?

"What's it been, Rick, twelve years?" Sophia asks, one hand reaching out to thumb the lapel of his coat.

Rick's gaze softens, and the crooked grin he gives Sophia sends jealousy rushing through her. "Eleven-and-a-half."

There's no reason to be envious, Kate tells herself. She and Rick haven't been together for very long - hell, she's known him for barely five months. They both have past dating lives, and a lot they don't know about each other.

Still, her stomach does a weird flip when Sophia tells Rick that he looks good. Her voice is way too tender for their history to be strictly platonic.

"Rick and I met while he was doing research for his first Derrick Storm book," Sophia explains, turning to her. "He wanted an up close and personal look at the life of a female CIA agent, so…" She pauses and glances at Rick. "I gave it to him."

Kate turns her glare to Rick, noting the flush that appears in his cheeks. Well, at least he has the decency to look embarrassed at Sophia's barely-concealed suggestion that she isn't just talking about book research.

"As fascinating as your history is," Kate says sarcastically, glaring at Rick to try and get him to wipe that awestruck look off his face, "we have a murder to solve, so why don't you tell us why the hell we're here, and then let us get back to it?"

Kate can't ignore the prickle at the back of her neck when Sophia gives her a tight smile that doesn't quite reach her cold eyes.

Beckett's down!

Lights.

Sirens.

Don't you die on me, Kate!

Loud beeping.

Strange voices.

Kate.

A sharp pinch on her arm.

"She's coming around."

Her eyes fly open, and she starts to sit up, is pushed back down by a woman she doesn't recognize.

"Wha-"

"Kate."

The voice that says her name is familiar, and she turns her head in its direction, finds Rick watching her, concern written all over his face.

"What-" The word comes out in little more than a croak, and she clears her throat before trying again. "Where am I? What happened?" She lists her hand to her forehead, winces when she touches what feels like a scrape or cut.

"What do you remember?" Rick asks, leaning forward and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Um…" She notices that his clothes are wet, and when she realizes hers are, too, it starts to come back.

"The warehouse," she blurts. "Blakely. Oh God, we were pushed into the river. Are you okay?"

Rick nods. "Yeah. I managed to get your gun and shoot your seatbelt off, but by the time I pulled you out, you were unconscious."

"Your vitals look good," the paramedic on her other side pipes up. "We're taking you to the hospital for a more thorough evaluation, and make sure the baby's okay."

Kate nods, and she closes her eyes briefly when she feels Rick's lips on her forehead.

Kate glances up when she hears the door open, offers a small smile when Rick comes in. "That was Javi," she says, lifting her phone. "My car should be out of the Hudson soon. He wasn't too happy about being relegated to that duty, especially since we can't tell him about Sophia...what's wrong?" she asks, noticing the concerned pinch of his brow. She straightens up on the exam table. "Did something happen?"

Rick sits in the chair next to her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Back to the case, huh?"

"I-" She blinks, confused. "Yeah. We have a murder to solve, not to mention a potential national security crisis. As soon as I get out of here I'm heading to the morgue." Her gaze roams over his face, trying to read him, but she can't tell if he's worried or mad. She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "You don't have to, though, if it's too much, or if you're worried about getting hurt."

"If it's-" He scoffs and shakes his head. "I'm not worried about getting hurt, Kate."

She can't explain the annoyance that rushes through her at his blunt, almost harsh tone. She's heard It before, when he stated his concern for her well-being in the field, and she thought they'd come to an understanding that she knew when to back off.

But do you listen to yourself?

Dr. Burke's voice is loud in her head, and she mentally tells him to shut up so she can focus on Rick. "Okay, so, what?"

"You almost drowned."

"Our baby's fine, Rick."

He shakes his head. "That's not-"

There's a sharp rap on the door, and Kate's OB-GYN steps in. "Hey, guys, I hear you went for a swim," she teases.

Kate turns her attention from Rick and offers Dr. Stevens a polite smile. "Yeah, unfortunately. The paramedics said everything's fine, but they brought me in anyway."

"Better safe than sorry." Dr. Stevens pulls a stool closer. "Well, let's take a look."

Rick is silent through the brief exam, his only reaction tightly squeezing her hand when their baby comes up on the ultrasound.

"See?" Kate says after Dr. Stevens leaves. She squeezes his hand. "Clean bill of health."

"How the hell can you be so casual about this?" he asks.

She hops off the exam table and adjusts her shirt, runs her fingers through her hair. Thanks to the hospital detour, it's mostly air-dried, and she just knows how unruly it'll be. She has more important things to think about, though, like solving her case and finding whoever tried to kill them.

"This isn't my first rodeo with near-death experiences," she points out, tucking her hands in her back pockets. When she notices the incredulous look on Rick's face, she shrugs. "And I felt him moving. I was worried initially, but I had a feeling he was okay. And I was right."

"I'm not just talking about our kid, Beckett," Rick snaps, freezing her in her tracks. Most people at work call her by her last name, but he never has.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before closing the distance between them. "I thought-" His eyes shine with unshed tears. "It was bad enough when the car was sinking," he says in a voice rough with emotion. "And when your belt was stuck, God, all I could think about was how to get you out. When I finally got us onto the pier, and you were still unconscious..." He lets out a shaky breath and cups her jaw. "Fuck, Kate, I thought I was gonna lose you."

Oh.

She lifts her hand to his chest, feels his rapid heartbeat start to calm under her palm. "I'm okay, Rick," she whispers, stepping closer, holding his worried gaze, trying to pour reassurance through her touch. "We're all okay."

He nods and lowers his head, brushes his lips against hers before resting his forehead on hers.

Her own heart swells with...well, with feelings she can't think about right now. But Rick isn't the only one who's shaken by this close call; now that she has the opportunity to pause, to think, she realizes just how precarious their situation was.

He thought he was going to lose her...

But she thought she was going to lose him, too.

Her own eyes well with tears, and she loops her arms around his waist, presses herself into him. She feels his arms envelop her, and she sighs in relief, feels herself start to relax.

He's okay.

They're okay.

"Come on," she murmurs after a minute, stepping back. "We have murders to solve."

Unfortunately, Kate finds out when they exit the hospital, her case will have to wait.

"Get in the car."

Standing next to a familiar black SUV, her arms crossed and jaw clenched, Sophia glares at them when they hesitate. "Now."

Kate glances at Rick before moving towards the car. Sophia follows them, and Kate winces when the door slams behind her. "We were just-"

"Save it," Sophia snaps.

She doesn't say anything else, not while Kate and Rick have hoods put back over their heads for the drive, or down the elevator. She's silent until the elevator doors open, and then she turns on her heel to face them, fire in her eyes.

"Did I, or did I not, tell you to keep me apprised of all updates? Or were you just going to keep the fact that Dr. Blakely was alive a secret?"

"We were going to tell you-" Rick starts.

"When?" Sophia interrupts. "Before or after he was shot in the head? Now we'll never know what he knows."

"Hey," Kate cuts in, stepping forward. CIA or not, no way in hell is she going to let Sophia put the blame on Rick. "We were working off a hunch. Rick wanted to call you in, but I told him to hold off until we had something solid. We didn't want to call in the cavalry if it had been a dead end," she explains, crossing her arms over her chest and staring Sophia down.

Sophia matches her glare, moves closer until she's mere inches from her. "Well, now we really do have a dead end. We're on the verge of the next 9/11, or worse, and you two-" She jerks her head towards Rick before facing him. "You managed to get our only lead killed."

Rick's nostrils flare. "Like Kate said-"

"Save it," she almost spits. "It was a mistake bringing you in. This isn't one of your books, Rick. You can't re-write the ending like you did with us." She looks between them again before shaking her head. "You're off the case. Now get out of my sight."

Rick's quiet.

She doesn't feel super talkative either, thanks to the verbal dressing down they received, but she can tell that his silence is more than just not having anything to say. He's almost sullen.

He tucks his hands in his jeans pockets and leans back against the elevator wall when they get back to the precinct, and she watches him out of the corner of her eye. When she notices him sigh, she decides to break the silence.

"So," she says, mirroring his posture, "you and Sophia."

He nods, his gaze firmly on the ceiling. "Me and Sophia. It was a long time ago," he adds, glancing at her, "but yeah."

"Hmm." She pauses. "Have there been others?"

"Women?"

"Muses."

He glances at her. "No. Why?"

She nudges his arm and steps out of the elevator onto the fourth floor. "Just wanted to see how big the club is," she teases with a smirk. She hears him chuckle, and she relaxes when she glances back and notices the smile on his face. She turns her attention to Espo and Ryan at their desks. "Hey guys, what do we got?"

"Whoa." Rick steps in front of her. "I thought we were off the case."

"We're off Sophia's case. I still have two murders to solve," she reminds him. "I don't care what Sophia said. I'm going to do my job."

She's getting really tired of the CIA.

Between bodies disappearing – or not arriving at the morgue in the first place – and Sophia freaking Turner visiting Rick's apartment late at night, Kate feels like she'll never solve these two murders.

The only consolation to Sophia's visit is that she gave them a lead, one that eventually led to them being taken to the CIA's underground lair.

Again.

"At least she's not kicking us out," Kate murmurs to Rick, smiling her thanks when he hands her a coffee.

"Yet," he jokes, sitting next to her and leaning back in his chair.

They share a grin, but despite the levity in the moment, uncertainty nags at her gut. After several moments of silence, she can't hold her question back anymore. She sets her coffee on the table and shifts to face him.

"Can I ask you something?"

Rick nods and turns to her, cradling his coffee in his palms. "Anything."

She hesitates, glancing out the window to make sure nobody's coming in, then takes a deep breath. No time like the present. "She said you can't rewrite the ending 'like us,'" she says, using air quotes. "What did she mean?"

Rick nods in understanding, as if he was expecting the question. "Nothing too scandalous," he assures her. "I shadowed her for a couple months, and from the start, we had this sexual tension that just…"

He trails off, his gaze turning unfocused, a wistful smile appearing on his face. After a moment he blinks and shakes his head, and turns back to her. "We shouldn't have acted on it," he admits. "But we did, and it changed everything. Our banter, our chemistry, it just evaporated. It's hard to explain, but once we slept together, we just started to drive each other crazy, and not in a good way." He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "Anyway, I shadowed her for a few more weeks, then our agreement was done, and we parted ways."

Kate nods. "Like the anticipation was the spark, but when you lit the fire, it burned itself out."

Rick grins. "Nice metaphor. Ever thought about writing?"

She mirrors his smile. "I wouldn't want to impede your success," she teases before falling serious again. "So you wrote a happier ending for her character than you got in real life."

"Until I killed Derrick Storm, yes."

Their conversation comes to a grinding halt by a loud alarm, and they turn to the computer, find that it finished its search and found the girl in the picture, the potential linchpin to the whole thing.

Kate straightens up, every part of her snapping back into work mode. "Can you get-"

"Already on it."

Things move quickly, then, and before long, they're following Sophia and another agent whose name she doesn't remember through a basement near the UN.

"Where are we going?" Kate asks as they turn down an empty hallway.

Sophia pauses at a doorway and motions for them to go inside. "Just through here."

Kate glances at Rick, an uneasy feeling churning in her gut. Something about this doesn't feel right. CIA credentials or not, they came into this building with almost no trouble. And despite there being a pretty major conference upstairs, this basement is completely empty. No security, no staff.

Just the four of them.

A girl's life is at stake, though, and a potential international crisis. If she questions this, spends precious time analyzing and dissecting her thoughts, they'll fail.

They can't afford to fail.

She rests her hand on her gun anyway, and she follows the other agent through the door, blinking as the fluorescent lights flicker on above their heads.

"What are we doing down here?" Rick asks from behind her. "Shouldn't we be headed for the lobby?"

There's a familiar click behind her, and she pulls her gun from its holster as she spins, finds herself staring down the barrel of Sophia's weapon.

Shit.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Rick turn and freeze.

"Sophia?" he asks, the surprise obvious in his voice.

Sophia shrugs. "Sorry."

Kate feels cold metal on the back of her head, realizes that it's the other agent's gun. She hesitates, briefly considering shooting Sophia anyway. Sophia must see something flash across her face, because she turns the gun on Rick instead.

"Don't even think about it," she says in a low voice.

Kate takes a shaky breath and holds her hands up, keeps them up even after the other man takes her gun. "It was you," she says, the uneasy feelings she's been getting around the other woman now making sense. "You were the mole this whole time. You set everything up."

Sophia gives her a cold smile. "I'm afraid so."

"Why? And why didn't you keep us back at the facility? Why bother bringing us here?" Castle asks.

"Because you just wouldn't give up. You'd realize something didn't add up, and you'd just keep digging." Sophia shifts her gaze back and forth between them, as if gauging whether they'll try and fight her.

Under typical circumstances, Kate might. She might rush Sophia, or try and inch her way closer until she could grab the gun. But even at top physical shape, going up against a CIA operative-slash-spy would be a tough ask. She won't even try it when there could - and likely would - be two additional casualties.

God, this is her worst nightmare, and exactly why she worried so much about Rick shadowing her. It's been almost a month and a half, and they haven't been in any remotely dangerous situations, let alone the now-multiple near-death experiences the last few days have brought them.

She cannot let anything happen to Rick.

Unfortunately, she might not have a say.

"On your knees."

There's a kick to the back of her leg, and she falls to the floor. She looks at Rick when he follows, and her heart races when she hears the click of the hammer of Sophia's gun.

"Don't worry," Sophia says from behind them. "I'll tell everyone how you were tragically killed trying to save the girl's life. You failed, unfortunately, but I'll make it all sound very heroic."

Oh God.

She's going to die. She and Rick are going to die, and nobody's going to know what actually happened. Sophia will get away with it, the impending murder of a Chinese official's daughter will cause the end of the world as they know it, and the truth will go to the grave with them.

She risks a glance to Rick, and she meets his unreadable gaze. His eyes flick down to her belly, to their unborn child who will never see the world, and she takes a deep breath, tries to calm her pounding heart, tries to accept the end.

"I'm sorry," Rick whispers, his voice rough, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.

Kate shakes her head and presses her hand to her belly, wanting to feel her baby for the last time, hoping that it will at least be quick, that Sophia shoots Rick first so he doesn't have to see her die.

A gunshot echoes through the room, and Sophia's lifeless body falls between them.