Chapter 46 – Accidentally in Love

The door slipped shut and for a moment, Kate rested against it, tired and drained. She sighed and pushed off the wooden surface, turning around. She pulled off her red pea-coat and slung it over a nearby chair while dropping her purse and keys into a bowl on the small, metallic table near the door. The loft was immersed in darkness, only a lamp or two and the fire in the fireplace providing light.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Holy shit!" She jerked around at the sound of his voice, clutching a hand to her chest. "Castle, you scared the crap out of me," she breathed, her shoulders slumping in relief.
He pushed off the door-frame of his office door, a smile pulling at his mouth.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
He was dressed in black dress pants and an indigo button-down shirt, shaved and hair groomed to perfection.
Debonair and delicious.
Her eyes slowly, eagerly raked over him as he approached her.
"It's a pity."
Her brow furrowed, the hazy lust clearing from her thoughts.
"What is?"
"That we couldn't do date night tonight."
He slid his arms around her loosely and pulled her to him.
She sighed and melted into him.
"Oh. Yeah. I'm sorry, honey." Kate wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her hands clasped behind his neck. "Things got a little crazy today and I had a load of paperwork to wrap up."
He leaned down and kissed her softly. "It's okay. I understand. Besides, I'm used to it by now."
She pulled back, narrowing her eyes. "Used to what?"
He sighed. "Getting stood up by beautiful women."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Shut up." She pulled his head down towards her, stealing his breath with a toe-curling kiss.
When they broke apart, Rick regarded her with a lopsided grin. "So? Was I right? Did the husband do the deed?"
Kate sighed and shook her head. "No, the husband alibied out actually."
His cocky grin fell away. "No way! I was sure it was him."
Kate smiled faintly. "Yeah, so were we." She brushed her hands over his shoulders.
"So, who was it?" He asked, a spark of interest igniting the blue hue of his eyes.
"The mistress."
He snorted in derision. "Let me guess - he promised her the stars and the moon and she didn't want to share him anymore."
Kate nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."
"So she went all 'Fatal Attraction'."
She nodded again and smiled. "Yeah, pretty much."
"So cliche."
"Not all murder cases are murder mystery novels, Castle. Sometimes it's simply a case of Jack-shot-Jill-over-Bill."
"Still. Sooo boring."
Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head, deciding to change the subject. "So? What did you have planned for date night, Mr. Castle?"
"Something awesome, Mrs. Castle." He gave her that sexy, devilish little upturn of his lips; all twinkly eyes and roguish charm.
Damn.
The man was hot as hell.
And, as a result, she was always in trouble controlling herself around him. Serious trouble.
Kate lifted an eyebrow, her mouth curving. "Awesome, huh?"
He grinned and pulled her closer, lowering his head towards her. "You have no idea," he murmured against her cheek, pressing a kiss to her skin. "I would have knocked your socks off."
"Only my socks?"
Rick barked out a laugh. "Among other things."
She hummed in agreement before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Kate pulled back, a smile sliding open over her mouth. "Just like that first date, huh?"
He huffed in indignation, his mouth quirking. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
She shook her head, lip caught between her teeth. "Nope. Not anytime soon, Casanova."
"Yeah, yeah. Okay," he grumbled. "We almost didn't get out of your apartment, remember?"
She laughed lightly and nodded. "Oh, yeah. I remember." She rolled her eyes. "God, we were like two horny teenagers."
"We still are." He sighed. "That was the best part of the evening. The rest... was a disaster. To put it mildly."
She shrugged. "Eh, it wasn't so bad."
He snorted in disbelief. "Oh come on, Kate! It was bad. Really, really bad. You can't deny that."
She grinned, wide and beautiful, sparkling and adoring. She rose up to meet his mouth in a soft, delicate kiss.
"It was the best worst-first-date I've ever been on."

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He was strangely nervous standing at front her door, dressed in his best Armani suit and a bouquet of her favourite flowers in hand. Tonight was their official first date - and he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to wine and dine and spoil her.
Rick took a breath, lifted his hand, knocked three times and waited. His heart hammered in his chest and his palms felt sweaty. He tried to shake it off. They were together already. They have been since she followed him to Rome two weeks ago. But they were back in New York, back in the real world, back to being Castle and Beckett.
So, yeah, he was a nervous wreck because-
because... she was it for him.
Kate Beckett was his last chapter, the epilogue to his life. And he didn't want to mess-
The door opened and his heart stuttered to a halt.
Kate was wearing an elegant, strapless, black cocktail dress that was cut off just below her knees along with sexy, black four-inch, peep-toe heels. The dress fit like a glove - sensuously hugging her curves, mapping the contours of her lithe body. Her hair was pinned up, a few strands hanging loose and curling against around her face, revealing the long column of her neck.
He was staring.
She bit her lip, eyes traveling all over him - he was swoon-worthy in a tailored, black designer suit (the man had serious taste) and a rich, maroon button-down shirt.
She wanted to the one wearing that shirt by the next morning. But they had a deal - five dates.
Five. Dates.
Ug. So not a good idea.
"Hey," Kate said quietly, her mouth curving into a soft, shy smile.
He cleared his throat and returned a lopsided, slightly goofy smile. "Hi."
Silence fell for a few seconds.
Kate pressed her lips together in an attempt not to smile. "Are those for me, Castle?" She pointed to the flowers.
"Uh," he glanced at the flowers and back to her. "Yeah. Here you go," he said, holding the flowers out to her rather dumbly. She grinned, watching him from beneath her eyelashes.
Adorable, sweet man.
"Thanks," she said, her face showered in tenderness and affection. She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers. "Come in while I put these in water."
He followed her towards the kitchen, eyes glued to the sashay of her hips in that very, very sexy dress.
He wanted to be the one to drag that zipper down and pull that dress off her body. But, alas, they made a deal - five dates before sleeping together again. It was stupid idea now in hindsight. Very stupid. How was he supposed to keep his libido in check with her in that dress?
He moved in behind her, his hands finding her waist. "You're beautiful," he murmured, his mouth at her ear while his hands rubbed slowly, seductively over the soft skin of her shoulders. Kate's hands faltered for a moment and she instinctively leaned back into him; his rich, dark voice drawing her in.
Like a moth to the flame.
"You're not so bad yourself, Rick," she breathed, her voice throaty and dark.
He pressed against the counter and placed a few kisses against her shoulder before tracking open-mouthed kisses towards her neck, darting his tongue out to taste her skin. Kate closed her eyes and bit back a moan, her hands flexing against the surface of the counter. If they didn't stop this soon, they were not getting out of her apartment tonight. Especially not when his hands were traveling over her sides - up and down and down and down and oh!-
She quickly turned in his arms and put a hand to his chest, trying to get some distance between them. He was staring at her, eyes dark and hungry. She swallowed, licking her lips. She saw the way his eyes darted towards her mouth, predatory in his perusal. He stepped into her personal space, his hips pressing her back against the counter again while his hands gripped her waist tightly.
"God, you're sexy," he growled hotly before crashing his mouth onto hers. He roughly thrust his tongue into her mouth - demanding and possessive and so very, very good.
He broke the kiss to suck on her pulse point again, his hands all over her body.
"Rick. Wait." Her voice was a little shaky and breathless. She had to resist the urge to wrap a leg around his hip and just take him. On the kitchen counter. Fondling and moaning and-
No, no. Slow. They had an agreement.
Slooowww.
She shook her head to clear her mind of the hot, dirty things she was thinking about doing to him on that very surface.
"Rick," she said stronger this time, pushing on his shoulder. He took a step back, chest heaving and eyes clouded with lust. "We... Our agreement," she finished weakly on a sigh.
He groaned and tilted his head backwards, taking a step way from her. In that dress. All sexed up. At the kitchen counter.
Ah, shit.
"That was the stupidest idea we've ever had," he muttered before returning his gaze to hers.
She grinned and took his hand, palms kissing and fingers interwoven.
"Come on, Castle. You promised me, and I quote, 'a night to remember'."

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He chuckled, leaning against the headboard, dressed in a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. "Oh man, I thought I was gonna knock you off your feet."
He heard her soft, amused laugh. She poked her head around the open bathroom door, toothbrush in hand and grinning widely.
"I can still remember your face when that concierge told you about the mix-up. You almost looked like you were going to have a panic attack." She disappeared out of sight again.
He sat up. "I almost did!"
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom with a bottle of lotion, smiling widely. "But why?"
His brow furrowed, the bed dipping with her sleight weight. "What do you mean 'why'?"
She glanced at him while rubbing lotion on her legs. "Why were you so nervous?"
His eyes were on her hands. Rubbing lotion. On her long, long legs. In those boy shorts.
"It was our first date," he said quietly, shifting closer to his wife while reaching out a hand and smoothing it over her bare thigh.
She stopped and watched him, the tone of his voice halting the movement of her hands.
"You wanted to impress me," Kate stated. She lifted a hand and brushed it through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. He let out a contented sigh and slid down to lie beside her; his head next to her hip and an arm slung over her waist.
He shrugged, eyes fluttering. "Yeah, I guess so."
She laughed softly, still running a hand through his hair. "Why?"
He shifted to look at her. "I wanted to give you everything you needed. All of the things that you deserved."
Her heart pounded, her chest suddenly feeling tight at the naked sincerity radiating from his eyes. Her mouth slowly, beautifully soared into a beaming smile. She brushed her fingers along his temple, down over his cheek and along his jaw, the sweep of her thumb meeting his lips.
"Rick, by that time, you already gave me everything that I've ever wanted." She scooted down to meet him and painted a gentle kiss to the canvass of his mouth. "And so much more."

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Come on, Come on

Move a little closer

Come on, Come on

I want to hear you whisper

Come on, Come on

Settle down inside my love

Title and lyrics - Counting Crow's, 'Accidentally in love'.

Soooo...I'm Still Alive

*Crawls out form hiding* Hey...remember me. Yeah I'm that crazy girl that started a blog and left her fans hanging. I am truly and deeply sorry about that guys. I've had a lot on my plate lately and I've finally gotten to my favorite part the Caskett Chocolate Cake ( C what I did there *smirks at her own cleverness* ) Any-who... before you get the torches and pitchforks to form a mob if you look a tad bit below this post you will see some updates on the Mr. and Mrs series. You can thank the anonymous commentor whom without these updates would not exist. With much love (aka internet hugs, kisses, and pastries) I hope you KEEP CALM AND CASKETT ON.

P.S I herd this song and thought of you guys. Click Right Here To Listen and Feel Special

Chapter 45 - Fear

He stared at the page with unseeing eyes while the cursor blinked mockingly. It was 2am and he couldn't sleep anymore. So, rather than waking Kate and Lizzy with his tossing and turning, Rick got up, burning with the need to get everything he felt and feared out onto the page. Only problem was that he didn't have any words to express himself with.

No paint for the canvas so to speak.

His mind was unable to weave the sentences together because he kept hearing Ryan's quiet and solemn voice. He closed his eyes and fisted his hands, jaw stiffening at the memory. Rick rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. He just needed to get over it. Soon. It's not like he can follow Kate around anymore or ask her just to do paper or do the unthinkable thing like quitting. No. No, he doesn't want that. He never wants to ask her to do that.

But.

But what if-

"Rick?"

His head jerked up at her soft, weary voice. She was leaning against the door frame, arms folded, watching her husband closely.

He started to get up. "Hey, do you need something?" He asked, brow furrowed in concern.

She shook her head and waved him off, walking over to him.

"I'm fine. Just woke up and realized my husband had gone AWOL," she said, a smile ghosting over her lips.

He sat back down and huffed out a soft laugh, scrubbing a hand tiredly over his face. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep anymore." He frowned. "Lizzy?"

"I put her back in her bed," Kate replied, sliding into his lap, her arms winding around his neck. "Wanna tell me what's going on in that head of yours, Castle?" She asked quietly, brushing a hand through his hair.

He exhaled and dropped his head to her collarbone, placing a kiss to the exposed skin there.

"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep anymore."

"You're lying," she murmured, still brushing a hand through his hair. He sighed again and lifted his head to look at her.

He pursed his lips. "I keep hearing Ryan's voice. . . Keep hearing him telling me that you were hurt."

Her hand stilled, eyes locked onto his. They were bleeding with vulnerability, leaking out all of his worst fears. She sucked in a breath, not fully realizing how much it truly affected him.

"Oh, baby." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him closely. "I'm sorry," she breathed into his ear.

"Not your fault, Kate," he murmured hoarsely, brushing a hand down her back.

She pulled back. "I don't want you to worry like this."

He returned a sad, lopsided grin and shook his head. "I'm always going to worry about you."

He pulled her closer and pressed his mouth to hers, no intention of deepening the kiss. His wife, however, had other ideas. Kate pulled him closer, prying his mouth open and slipping her tongue in between his lips, stroking the roof of his mouth. Before he knew it, she was straddling him and turning him into a mess of hormones and lust.

When she started pulling at his shirt, he broke away slightly, panting and heady with arousal.

"Kate, your head," he said, his tone gruff.

She sat back, eyes dark and eyebrows lifted. "Castle, your wife is sitting in your lap, horny as hell and willing to screw you senseless in this chair or any other surface for that matter. So, tell me again why we are not doing that right now?"

He swallowed, his body rebelling against his sensible mind. "I- I... just your head, Kate. I don't want to hurt you."

She softened, eyes tenderly regarding him as she leaned in to brush her mouth against his.

"I'm not going to break, Rick," she whispered before sitting back and slowly starting to remove her shirt. He gripped her hips tightly, blood sizzling in his veins while his eyes remained transfixed on the nimble fingers teasingly undoing each button to reveal more skin and that oh-so-sexy, navy blue, lacy bra. After a few moments, the blue button-down fell to the floor.

His eyes stayed glued to her chest.

"Like what you see, Mr. Castle?" She asked, laughter in her voice. When he returned his gaze to her face, her saw the playful glint in her eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her possessively and roughly pulled her against him, chest to chest.

"You have no idea."

She smirked, lower lip caught in between her lips as she quickly rotated her hips on top of his lap. Rick moaned and dropped his head to her shoulder, arms squeezing her tightly.

She sucked on his earlobe, her voice velvety, smokey and oozing sex.

"Oh, I think I get the gist of it."

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She was furious. Absolutely livid because the man was a complete and utter idiot. Kate stalked up and down the small examination room, unable to look at what the doctor was doing.

Finally, she came to a stop. "Castle, what the hell were you thinking?"

The man in question let out a sigh as the young doctor - probably an intern, his mind supplied - stitched up the nasty cut close to his hairline. His cheek was bruised and his lip busted. Luckily, no black eye.

"I wasn't really thinking."

She snorted. "No shit, Sherlock."

He cut his eyes to hers, suddenly blazing with anger. "Well, I'm sorry for not wanting you to get pummeled by a three hundred pound criminal, Kate."

"So, you got pummeled instead," she pointed out flatly. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Castle, I'm the cop here. I was trained for this. You-"

"-Yeah, I know," he interrupted hotly. "I'm not a cop. I just have to standby and watch, right?"

Kate's jaw stiffened at that and she took a breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Calm, calm, calm. Before she could say anything, the young doctor smiled and peeled off her gloves.

"Well, there you go. All done," she said brightly as if being deaf to the rather personal conversation she had been privy to. "Now remember, don't get these wet. They will come out in a week or two's time."

Rick smiled tightly. "Thank you, doctor."

"No problem," she said with a wink. Kate wanted to roll her eyes. "Good luck." With that she was out the door.

The two remaining occupants stared at each other.

"Rick-"

"Don't worry, Kate, next time I'll just sit on the sidelines." He got up from the bed, pulled on his jacket and started walking towards the door. "After all, I'm just a useless writer," he said bitterly, brushing past her.

She grabbed his arm and yanked him back before he could get any further. He could feel in her grip that she was a little angry.

Or more like pissed.

"That's bullshit and you know it! This isn't a damn pity party for your ego, Castle." She pushed him away from the door and invaded his personal space. "This is your life we're talking about here. And you were pretty damn reckless out there today." She pursed her lips, eyes hard on his. "You weren't being my partner, you were trying to be a hero."

Rick stared at her, mouth opening and closing. He had no counter-argument, no rebuttal because, well, she was spot-on. He did try to be the hero.

He let out a breath and dropped his head into his hand. "I'm sorry."

Kate immediately wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his neck. "Just. . . just don't scare me like that again. Okay?"

He wrapped his arms around her and let out a soft laugh. "I'll try not to." He pulled back slightly to frame her face within his large hands. "Only if you do the same."

Her mouth slid open into a smile, tongue caught in between her teeth. "I'll do my best, Rick."

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"Do you have to go in tomorrow?"

She sighed. "No. Montgomery gave me a few days," Kate mumbled sleepily, her head pillowed on his chest. They were sprawled out on the office couch with only a thin fleece blanket and body heat keeping them warm.

"Good," he murmured, continuing to trace hypnotizing patterns with his fingers on the bare skin of her shoulder.

"What time is it?" She asked, her eyes already closed.

He brushed a hand through her hair and smiled. "Don't know. I guess around three."

"Mmm."

There was silence for a few moments, the only sounds their breathing. Rick was wide-awake, his body still buzzing and mind alert. Kate, on the other hand, was fading fast.

"Kate?" No answer.

He jostled her lightly.

"Nah-uh," she whined sleepily, sounding like a petulant child. He had to bite his lip not to laugh.

"Kate, honey, come on." He sat up with her still in his arms. "Let's go to bed." She blinked a few times and yawned widely, a hand covering her mouth, her eyes a little dull and hair tousled.

Rick cocked his head, wearing a soft smile while sliding a hand through the long tresses draped over her shoulders.

"You're adorable."

"I was going for sexy actually." She go up and started to gather her clothing off the floor with her husband openly ogling her.

"Well, that too of course," he replied with a grin, getting to his feet.

She grinned, pulling his t-shirt over her head. "Smooth talker," she murmured, pushing past him, clad in only her panties and his shirt.

He gently grabbed hold of her wrist, pulling her to him and kissing her softly.

"Thank you."

She lifted an eyebrow, lips pursed in an effort to hold the amusement from spilling out. "For what? The sex?"

He barked out a laugh and rolled his eyes. Jeez, her mind was constantly in the gutter these days.

"No. Even though I am truly thankful for it." Rick wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. "Just thank you. . . for coming after me."

Her face softened, mouth lifting into a smile while she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Anytime partner."

Always.

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When we were children we'd play

In the streets just dipped in fate

When we were children we'd say

That we don't knowing the meaning of fear

Fear, fear, fear

Fear, fear, fear

We don't know the meaning of

Title and lyrics at the end are from the OneRepublic song, "Fear".

Chapter 44 - Wherever you will go

"Esposito, cover me," Kate whispered harshly, jaw set and eyes glittering with intensity. Their three suspects were spread all over the darkened room. They went to arrest one suspect – a known drug dealer – at his apartment and found his two cronies with him. A chase had ensued and now they were stuck in a warehouse with three most probably high scumbags ready to shoot a cop or cops.

Her heart was pounding fiercely against her chest, reverberating throughout her body and pumping adrenaline through her veins. She could see suspect number one and two from her position, hiding behind a set of metal containers. One was looking straight ahead and did not notice her advance. The other one was bent around one side of the container, his attention focused on the other side of the room.

She crept up slowly, her lips pursed in concentration, the sweat trickling slowly trickling down her neck, her vest feeling too tight with every breath she took. Kate made a quick and quiet advance on the targets, Esposito providing cover while Ryan closed in on from the opposite side. They were cornered. Her only concern was that she couldn't see suspect number three. He must be lurking with the-

Esposito shouting "Beckett!" and gunfire was the last thing she heard, suddenly lying on the ground, her head feeling thick and a dull ache quickly turning into a painful throbbing. Her eyes slipped shut and everything turned black, pulling her under into darkness.

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Warm. She felt warm. She tried to move away from the heat clinging to her back, burning over her legs. But she couldn't move away, something was holding her. Kate's eyes fluttered open, the early-morning sunlight painting the room – a strange room, her muddled mind supplied – in pale light. Her eyes slipped shut again, her mind slow to react. Her eyes snapped open when she felt his breath whoosh over her cheek in a sleepy sigh. Then she remembered – a large smile cracking open over her face, joy lighting up her face. She turned her head slightly to look at the man that she surprised late last night. The man she flew around the world for, the man to whom she professed her love a few hours ago, the man who carried her heart in his.

He was adorable with his face relaxed in sleep, his mouth slightly open and hair sticking up in every direction. Her smile widened at the sight of him. Her lover. Lover.

Wow.

Well, he was very definitely her lover now. Twice already.

Kate carefully turned in his arms to look at him. She tracked her eyes over his face, darting from the scar on his forehead down to his closed eyes, his nose and his delicious, wonderful mouth. She lifted a hand and gently brushed back the bangs falling over his forehead, dancing her fingers over his temple, over his cheek and down to his jaw, lightly scratching the stubble there. Before she could help herself, she leaned in and peppered his jaw and chin with soft, butterfly kisses; her heart flowing out into the gesture.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

Kate jerked back and let out a surprised laugh. Rick's eyes were still closed, his mouth quirking. She smiled and leaned in again, her mouth hovering over his, a hand against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat.

"Open your eyes," she whispered, her tone soft, eyes affectionate. He immediately opened his eyes, blinking a few times against the invading light before locking onto hers. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Hi," he said gruffly, his voice a combination of sleep and disbelieving joy.

Kate's mouth opened up into a large smile. "Hi," she murmured.

"You're here," he said. "You're really here." Apparently he didn't have a filter after just waking up.

She let out a soft chuckle. "I am." She bit her lip, shifting closer, her nose brushing against his cheek. "And I love you, Rick," she murmured before pressing her lips to his. They kissed slowly, languidly for a few moments.

"Definitely dreaming," he said, dropping his forehead against hers. One of his hands brushed piece of hair behind her ear, his thumb caressing the soft skin of her cheek.

Her mouth twisted into a teasing smirk, her hand on his chest slowly, purposefully moving downward and disappearing beneath the stark white sheets.

"Oh, yeah?"

He groaned and dropped his head onto her collarbone, half of his body already draped over her. Rick pressed his lips to her jaw, lightly sucking at the skin before moving to her mouth.

He pushed himself up and positioned his body over her smaller one, flames of arousal setting his body on fire.

"I love you," he said roughly before descending on her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss. She parted her lips and moaned into his mouth, her body arching into his and legs falling open. He pulled back for a moment just to watch her face, to see the naked emotion on her face. The love that was mapped out all over her body.

Her love for him.

What he saw left him breathless, his chest feeling tight. He dipped his head again, his mouth at her ear, hands moving down to her thigh, lifting her leg over his waist.

"God, I love you so much."

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When she regained consciousness, she could hear his voice. His frantic, angry voice. Kate sighed, her eyes still closed. Her head was pounding. Kate opened her eyes and started to sit up, suddenly feeling dizzy. Finally, she got into a seating position and realized she was in an ambulance and that her husband was outside somewhere having a very animated conversation with someone. She lifted a hand to her head and felt the bandage and touched the back of her head where the injury was, wincing.

It was time to get up.

"Why didn't you call back-up?" Rick was seething, his face hard, hands on his hips. He was seriously getting sick of receiving a phone call from one of the boys telling him that his wife got injured somehow. It never got easier.

He was busy writing – Lizzy sleeping in her little bed next to his desk – when he got the call. He nearly dropped his laptop when he sprang up in panic. Luckily, this time he listened to everything Ryan was saying before bolting out the door to ask Mrs. Thomson from downstairs to look after Lizzy while he went to get Kate.

Ryan sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "We did, Castle. But what we're we suppose to do? Just let them get away."

Rick sighed, his anger deflating a little. "No. No, of course not. I- I'm sorry, Kevin. I just…" He pursed his lips, his eyes stinging. "I don't really enjoy getting these calls, you know?" He said with a lopsided smile.

The detective returned a tired smile. "Yeah and believe me, we don't like making them either."

The ambulance door suddenly swung open with Kate stumbling out unsteadily.

"Kate," Rick said rushing over to her.

She looked up, her eyes glassy and a little unfocused. "Oh, hey handsome," she tried to joke feebly. She could see the worry etched onto his features.

"You should be lying down, super cop," he said softly, steadying her.

"I'm-"

"-If you're going to say fine, I'm seriously going to lose it, Kate," he snapped, his voice turning hard.

Her eyes cut to his in surprise and she could see it in his eyes. He was scared and angry.

Oh, Rick.

She sighed and lifted a hand to his chest, fiddling with his collar. "I'm sorry."

He drew her closer and pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead.

"Let's just get you home."

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"I dreamed about us," she said, sinking further into their bed while her husband removed her shoes.

He glanced at her, a smile curling at his mouth. "Oh, yeah?"

"Mm-hmm." She felt sluggish, unable to keep up with her thoughts.

"What did you dream about, Kate?"

She sighed and smiled widely. "Our first morning together."

"Good memories," he murmured, urging her to sit up.

"Very good memories," she agreed. He removed her shirt. "Are you trying to feel me up, Mr. Castle?" She teased once he finally removed the item of clothing.

Usually he would retort with some witty or dirty innuendo, but not this time. He stayed silent, his jaw clenched and his eyes looking down. Kate frowned as she regarded her husband.

"Rick." She touched his face.

He lifted his eyes to hers, watching her for a moment. Battered and bruised. He brushed a hand over her cheek gently.

"This is getting old fast, Kate," he said softly on an exhale. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by two of his fingers against her lips. "I thought when I heard Ryan tonight… I thought that he was calling to tell me that this was it. This was how our story ended." He swallowed past the lump; her eyes starting to well up. "Me alone and broken. And…" He hesitated, his eyes locked onto her face. "-my daughters motherless."

She sucked in a breath, the words cutting to straight to her heart.

"Rick," she breathed, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, God. Don't. Please don't say that," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

He pulled her tightly against him, pressing a kiss in her hair. He could've lost her tonight. The thought left him desperate and aching.

"Don't ever leave me, Kate. Please don't leave me," he choked out, crushing her against his chest.

After a moment, Kate pulled away and cradled his face in between her hands, stroking his jaw.

"I'm right here. Right here, love." Tears were trailing over her cheeks, his despair breaking her heart. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

He nodded and covered her hands with his larger ones. "I know, I know."

He kissed her, hard and demanding.

They broke apart, panting. Rick pressed his forehead against hers. "You better not go anywhere, Mrs. Castle."

She touched his cheek with her lips. "You're not getting rid of me anytime soon, Mr. Castle."

"Good." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I want my daughter," Kate said softly after a while.

He pulled back and smiled, brushed a fingers over her cheek. He gave her another quick kiss.

"I'll go get her."

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"You're pregnant," he said quietly for about the fiftieth time that afternoon.

Kate laughed. "Yes, I think we established that, Castle."

He glanced up at her from his position currently at her stomach, one of his hands tenderly rubbing over her still-flat abdomen. They were lying in bed after thoroughly celebrating the good news. Luckily, no one was home – Alexis wisely choosing to spend the rest of the afternoon with her friends.

"It's just so awesome. A little person – our little person – is growing in here." He pressed a kiss against her stomach. Her heart fluttered at the gesture.

Sweet, adorable man. She adored him. Just completely loved this goofball of a man.

"You make me sound like some incubator," she grumbled without any real bite.

He lifted his eyes to hers and grinned. "Well, technically you are," he retorted with a shrug.

Kate rolled eyes.

"But a really, really sexy one," he continued, moving up towards her again.

"Oh, trying to charm me again, aren't you, Mr. Castle?"

His grin widened as he hovered over her. "Is it working, Mrs. Castle?"

She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his calf, rubbing her foot against his leg.

"What do you think?"

[][][]

Lizzy was fast asleep against her father's chest, a little hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt; her mouth slightly open. Kate sat up when Rick dropped a knee onto their bed to carefully place their daughter next to her mother.

"Hey baby girl," Kate murmured once Lizzy was beside her. She brushed a hand over the little girl's soft, dark curls and lied down next to her daughter. Kate kissed her softly on the cheek and forehead, Lizzy letting out a sleepy sigh and curling closer to her mother.

Kate also moved closer, her body enclosing protectively around the little girl.

Rick got in behind her, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. She immediately searched for his hand, pulling it up to her mouth for a delicate brush of her lips.

She let out a shaky sigh, her fingers squeezing her husband's and her eyes on her daughter.

"I love you."

[][][]

If I could, then I would

I'll go wherever you will go

Way up high or down low

I'll go wherever you will go

Title and lyrics are from the beautiful The Calling song "Wherever you will go".

Chapter 43 - Nothing But Love

"Hey Dad!" Jim Beckett was greeted by his daughter amid a racket of voices, music and laughing. Kate was grinning widely at him while an excited Lizzy bounced in her arms.

"Hey Katie," Jim hugged his daughter with a large smile. His smile grew when he turned his attention to his granddaughter.

"And hello to the birthday girl! Hey sweetie," he cooed. The little girl giggled and held out her arms for her grandfather who happily scooped her up.

She had her grandpa wrapped around her finger and the two of them were as thick as thieves.

"How are you, Dad?" Kate asked over her shoulder, trying to dodge Ryan's two rascals running around her while being chased by Uncle Espo.

Jim briefly took his eyes off Lizzy to look at his daughter. "Uh, I'm well, thank you, sweetie. How have you been now that you're back at work?"

Kate sighed as they came to a stop at the kitchen counter, taking a moment to pour her father a class of soda and handing it to him.

"It's been an adjustment for all of us. I have to get used to working long hours again." She glanced at her smiling daughter, rubbing a hand over her small foot. "And we all have to get used to the fact that I'm not here all the time anymore."

Jim studied his daughter closely. "It's been difficult."

It wasn't a question.

Kate shifted her eyes back to her father. He knew her so well. Her mouth twitched at the knowledge.

"Yeah," she admitted softly after a moment. "Yeah, it has."

"And you feel guilty?"

She nodded and fixed her eyes on Lizzy who had a little hand plastered against her Grandpa's cheek.

"Yeah."

Jim let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, adjusting Lizzy in his arms. "You're just like your mother, you know that?" Her eyes snapped back to his, widening in surprise. "Too damn hard on yourself." His smile softened.

Kate felt a pair of arms encircle her waist. "See? I'm not the only one who believes that," Rick said, pressing a kiss against her cheek. He turned his attention to his father-in-law, stretching out a hand. "Hey, Jim. How are you?"

"Hey, Rick," Jim returned the greeting, taking the younger man's hand. "I'm well thanks. Especially when I get to see this little one." He tickled his granddaughter who erupted in a fit of shrieking giggles.

"I can't believe she's already a year old," Rick commented rather morosely, slinging an arm around Kate's shoulders.

"Yeah, they grow up too fast," Jim said, his eyes still on Lizzy. "Believe me, I know."

[][][]

"Hey, Dad," Kate greeted, hugging her father closely. He noticed her large, beaming smile, the way that joy seemed to radiate out of every pore of her skin. She was happy. And his heart wanted to burst open with gratitude for that. For so very long his daughter wandered around like a ghost, stumbled in the shadow of their tragedy. Now, she was living a full, complete life.

And Jim Beckett was convinced that it had everything to do with the man standing in front of him, wearing a twin large, beaming smile. He wondered briefly what-

Ah.

He must have asked her.

The older man's mouth curved upwards.

"Rick, hi." He clasped the younger man's hand tightly and patted him on the back, ushering him inside. "How are you?"

"Good. More than good actually," Kate said, the words bubbling out of her mouth. She was bouncing on her feet and twining her hands, seemingly very excited about something. It reminded him of when she was a little girl.

Adorable.

Jim's smile grew as he watched his daughter and the lovestruck man looking her with such tender affection.

"Oh and why's that, Katie?" He asked, the smile seeping into his tone. He gestured for them to sit. He watched on in amusement as the two lovebirds glanced at each other, a silent conversation going on. Finally, Kate turned her gaze back to her father, her hand finding Rick's.

"Dad," she started, her lips parting in a grin. "We're getting married."

Jim smiled and nodded. "I know."

Immediately his daughter's smile fell as Rick burst out laughing. "You know?" She inquired, sounding put out and suddenly very disappointed. "But how-" Her expression sobered and she cut her eyes towards Rick. "You asked for his permission?" Her voice was soft, a little awed.

The younger man shrugged and offered a lopsided smile. "Of course I did." He briefly glanced at Jim. "That's what I'm supposed to do, right?"

Kate bit her lip, her eyes struggling to contain their glimmer. "I love you," she said softly, leaning in to brush her mouth against his, a hand at his jaw. The kiss lasted for several seconds and after a while Jim cleared his throat causing the two lovers to break apart slowly.

"Katie, I only agreed to let him marry you because I want grandbabies."

Kate barked out a surprised laughed. "Dad! That's not happening anytime soon!"

"I don't mind soon," Rick commented casually, sharing a wink with his future father-in-law.

Her head snapped in his direction. "Uh, we've only been engaged for like two days, Castle. And by the way, I don't feel comfortable having this conversation in front of my father." Jim laughed and got up from his seat, making his way to the kitchen. Once her father was out of the room, Kate flashed her lover a dirty, dangerous grin.

"Besides, I want to have you all to myself for the first few years." She leaned in, her cheek against his, her mouth at his ear. "On. Every. Surface."

[][][]

"Okay, time for the birthday cake!" Kate announced with a wide, beaming grin while carrying the large Micky Mouse-inspired birthday-cake. Lizzy was bouncing excitedly in her grandmother's arms, clapping her tiny hands and giggling like crazy. She was now wearing her cute lady-bug smock dress – red with large black polka dots – complete with the wings and feelers on top of her head.

Utterly adorable.

Daddy, of course, was taking all the credit for buying the outfit. Mommy rolled her eyes and reminded Daddy that she was the one to dress their daughter that morning.

"Come on, Kiddo, let's go make you wish," Martha said before kissing her granddaughter's cheek with a red-lipstick smack, making the little girl giggle even more.

"Dad, do you have the camera ready?" Alexis inquired.

"Yeah, it's rolling."

The chorus of happy birthday rang out and Kate blew out the single candle on Lizzy's cake, the little girl squirming excitedly in her booster seat and reaching her hands out towards the Micky Mouse-inspired cake.

Kate looked up at her husband; mouth sliding open into a radiating smile, delight singing in her eyes.

Gorgeous.

His breath hitched. She was just beautiful; glowing, unguarded and carefree in this moment. So very different from the hard-boiled, no-nonsense, power-suit wearing detective he met those many years ago. She was stunning and hot and all kinds of sexy back then and he was immediately in lust and intrigued of course. But now, dressed in a white floral summer dress (very feminine and un-Beckett-like) and laughing at him like that with her tongue caught in between her teeth - happy and in love - she was gorgeous. He wanted to kiss her, taste the joy in the curve of her mouth, bathe in her beauty.

Share their love.

"Did you get that?" Kate asked, walking towards him; her dark eyes sparkling.

He returned a grin. "Sure did, babe."

"Good. I want to watch it tonight," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist, pressing herself against his body. He pulled her closer and placed a kiss against her temple, nuzzling her hair.

"Our baby is a year old," Kate said after a few moments as they watched their daughter getting icing smeared all over her face and little hands thanks to Grandpa and Grandma's efforts.

He sighed. "Yeah. It went by quickly."

"Too quickly," Kate muttered.

Rick glanced down at her, his brow furrowing and amusement ghosting over his mouth. "It's not like she's moving out tomorrow, love."

She sighed again. "I know." Kate lifted her head from his shoulder, glancing up at her husband. "It's just," she started, pursing her lips. "She's growing up so fast and changing everyday. I don't want to miss anything "

He smiled, softness lining the curve of his lips. "You're not going to miss anything."

Before they could continue the conversation, Alexis called out to them.

"Come one, guys! Time for presents." Both Rick and Kate laughed at the young woman's enthusiasm - she was seemingly more excited about the presents than her baby sister.

[][][]

"So. How many do you want?"

Kate glanced up at her fiancée. "How many of what, Castle?" She asked, lifting the glass of wine to her mouth. They were back at the loft after visiting her father and sharing the news of their engagement.

"Kids," he answered simply.

She nearly choked to death.

After coughing a lung out, Kate finally responded; caught off guard and completely incredulous. "W-what?"

"We're going to have to talk about it eventually. And I was just wondering since your dad mentioned it this afternoon." He grinned at her. "I don't have a number by the way. I would have a whole football team with you if that's what you want."

Ah, that was sweet. In a weird Castle-like way.

She laughed nervously and carefully placed the glass of wine on the coffee table. "Uh, I- I haven't thought about it yet, Rick." She rubbed her forehead and glanced at him, a small smile playing on the edge of her lips. "Of course one day I would like to you know... have a baby, become a mother," she said quietly. "How many? I don't know. All I know is that I want that with you. I want a family with you."

Rick smiled, his eyes warm and affectionate. "I want that with you too," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

He kissed her, his large hands cradling her face, fingers dancing over her cheeks. Her lips unlocked under his, allowing him entrance into her mouth. She nipped at his lower lip and slid her tongue past his teeth to explore the wet, delicious cave of his mouth. Her sanctuary. He groaned, the sound echoing off her matching moans. He gripped her thigh and waist and lifted her up into his lap into a straddling position, mouth and tongue hot against her jaw.

"I want you to be happy. So very much, Kate. You deserve to be happy," he breathed against her skin, his voice gruff.

"You make me happy." She panted, her mouth against his ear while her hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. "I want you. You're all I want right now." She undulated on top of him, her hips pressing intimately against his.

He gasped and gripped her tighter, his mouth at her collarbone, the words leaping out of his heart.

"God, I love you so much."

[][][]

"She's completely in love with it."

"Yeah, I knew she would be."

"She's not gonna get off it, is she?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Well, no. I tried to pick her up earlier and she kinda freaked out," he said. "Look. She's half-way asleep on it already."

Lizzy was sprawled out on top of her white and pink rocking pony - still in her Lady Bug outfit - and fading fast. It was past her bedtime and after an eventful and exciting day, the little girl was exhausted.

But she was holding on to the toy like the little trooper she was.

Kate smiled and stepped towards her daughter who was regarding her with sluggish, sleepy eyes.

"Come on, baby girl. Time to get you to bed." Kate scooped up the little girl and despite the whiny and tired protests she received (so much like Daddy), Lizzy dropped her head onto Kate's shoulder and twined her small baby fingers around a strand of her mother's hair.

"Say goodnight to Daddy."

"Night Sweet Pea," Rick murmured, brushing a large hand gently over her small skull and planted a kiss against her forehead. "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." He trailed a finger over Lizzy's chubby cheek before blowing a raspberry in her neck, surprising her and making the little girl giggle.

Kate carried their baby girl upstairs, softly singing to her as she did so many times to get her to sleep while her thoughts drifted back to the first day after her daughter's birth.

[][][]

Tiny. She was tiny. And just so, so beautiful. Perfect with all ten fingers and all ten toes.

Kate brushed a finger over the soft, dark hair on top of her baby's head, leaning down to place yet another kiss against her forehead. Her little person. Their little person was finally here. They could finally see her, touch her, hold her.

"I love you," Kate whispered for the umpteenth time. It was just her and Lizzy; Daddy went home to change. Daddy. And now she was Mommy. Suddenly it hit her, squeezing the breath out of her lungs.

She was a mother.

The mother of this little squirming creature in her arms. She had to swallow past the lump in her throat again, had to blink through the tears again.

It felt surreal.

Kate barely noticed the nurses coming in and out of the room. Barely noticed the world around her. She was watching her daughter as she slept in her arms, small and vulnerable and completely dependent. It was scary and overwhelming and wonderful and beautiful.

Mostly overwhelming.

"It never stops you know."

Kate's head snapped up at her mother-in-law's soft intrusion. "Martha, hi," she greeted with a wide smile. "What never stops?"

The older woman came to stand beside the bed, gently touching her granddaughter's cheek.

"This feeling," Martha answered, her eyes fixed on Lizzy. She lifted her eyes to Kate, her gaze tender. "This feeling that you've never done anything better than this right here. The love you feel. It never stops. It just grows and grows and grows."

Kate nodded, her smile widening as she looked at the little girl again. She was completely in love already. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

"Yeah, it's a little overwhelming. I've never felt like this before."

Martha laughed softly. "I was mostly scared out of my mind. I would look down at that little face and wonder what the hell I was doing. Whether I was doing a good job or not."

"Oh, I don't think you did such a bad job, Mother," Rick said, waltzing in with a huge bouquet of flowers and what seemed like a hundred balloons. "I turned out pretty well."

"Yes, well, you turned out better than expected," the older woman conceded dryly, a smile playing on her lips.

He feigned indignation and shook his head. "Good to know you had faith in me, Mother. And in your parenting skills."

"Well, I tried."

"And did a fine job, Martha," Kate said. She turned towards her husband. "Hi, Daddy."

His smile softened, every expression growing gentle. "Hey." He pressed a kiss against his wife's cheek and lips. "How are my two girls?" He turned his attention to his baby girl, brushing a finger over her tiny fist.

"We're doing very well."

"That's good," he murmured, eyes on the little person in Kate's arms. Lizzy's eyes opened, sleepy and searching for the familiar voices, her little mouth opening and closing. "Hey Sweet Pea, hey baby girl." He touched his lips to the top of her head, to her cheek. "I love you." He cut his eyes to Kate.

"Mommy and Daddy love you."

[][][]

She found him standing in front of his office window, seemingly absorbed by the glow of the city lights. Kate walked up to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, planting a kiss against his shoulder blade. They stood in silence for a few moments.

"I thought you were writing."

He sighed and turned around, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him.

"I got distracted," he answered on a laugh.

"By the lights?"

He shook his head. "No. Just couldn't stop thinking."

Kate turned to look at him. He was handsome; the strong line of his jaw, the slight stubble dusted over his cheeks and chin, the bright, blue of his eyes. So very, very handsome. Even after all these years, he could still make her heart beat faster, he could still get her off kilter.

She cleared her throat. "About what?"

A smile tugged at his lips, his eyes shifting to her. Kate. His wife. Beautiful in her floral summer dress, standing barefoot beside him, watching the city lights after putting their daughter to bed.

"You. Us. Our family."

She nodded and pursed her lips, the smile twinkling in her eyes and growing on her mouth.

"What about our family?" Her voice was a low rumble, moving like velvet, seeping fire into his veins and igniting the pounding of his heart.

So sexy.

"Just how much I love our family," he simply answered.

Kate turned to face him, a smile slowly parting her lips, affection dancing in her eyes. He cupped her cheek, his thumb dragging along the skin of her chin and jaw; his head lowering towards her.

"How much I love having a family with you."

[][][]

A perfect day is everyday I'm spending my life with you

I can't explain how I fall in love with everything that you do

God sure must like me more than I ever knew

Cause I could never ask for more from love and life than you

[][][]

Title and lyrics at the end is from the sweet (mushy) Trading Yesterday song, "Nothing but love".

♥♥♥Hey I'm Back! And I've Brought You A Blast From The Past ;)♥♥♥

 So I know a lot of CASTLE fans were former fans of Dr. Horrible and Firefly. So to apologize for my sudden disappearance from the face of the earth I've posted three new short fics that are cross-overs with Dr. Horrible and Firefly. I hope you all had a good V-Day! And hopefully Rick asked Kate to be his Valentine and if they went out (fingers crossed >_< ) that he was very chivalrous. Sorry it's taking so long to update the Mr. and Mrs. series but I've been designing some new additions for this site. One of the new additions is going to be a photo of the day/week page that features Caskett and other canon/non-canon couples. How did you guys like Pandora I thought it was epic as I always ask leave thoughts and I 'll see ya soon!

P.S. Comments mean faster updates 

Sucker Punch: (I Just Wanted You to Face Me So She Could Get Behind You) By: sudipal

They stood in the police station's break room. Detective Kate Beckett held a mug of coffee as former Captain Mal Reynolds poured one for himself.

"I let her down," said Kate, staring ahead.

"No you didn't," said Mal. He wanted to comfort her. To tell her of his own mother, his real mother, long dead (though not yet born). He recalled Shadow, his homeworld, a desolate wasteland after the war. He wasn't there when his mother died, but he knew she had fought til her last breath, proud her son was continuing her battle. A battle he would never give up on, though others would admit defeat.

"Rathbourne's in the wind," she said. "Dick Coonan's about to walk." She paused, lightly shaking her head as she thought. "I missed something."

"Could have been me," said Mal, now also leaning against the counter right next to her. "Rathbourne could have checked the routing number, realized the money was coming from my account, not Dick's. I was arrogant." He made a careless mistake. His pride had gotten in the way, and now he had someone new to add to his list of people he had let down.

"I didn't think you were arrogant, Castle. I thought what you did was sweet. And I will pay you back just-"

"Negative," he interrupted. He didn't expect a reward for doing a lousy job. "Ghost writer. It's a small price to pay for a shot at your mother's killer."

"Her killer," said Kate, a thought finally clicking in her head.

"What?" asked Mal, confused.

"Coonan said it was a hundred grand to catch her killer."

"And you never told him it was your mother that was murdered," said Mal, quickly catching on. Tah mah duh hwoon dahn.*1

Kate and Mal quickly marched over to where Dick Coonan was signing his release papers. "There was no Rathbourne," said Kate. "That was just a cover. It was you!"

Coonan looked up, paused, tapped his pen against the form, and said, "Clever girl." He then quickly punched out the officer standing next to him and grabbed the gun from the man's holster. He grabbed Mal's arm and twisted it behind his back, pushing the gun against him. Tzao gao.*2 "Alright," said Coonan. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Here's what's going to happen. We're just going to stroll on over to the elevator. Together. Nice and easy."

"That'll never happen," said Kate, calmly shaking her head.

"You make a sound," said Coonan. "You attempt to signal. You so much as clear your throat, and I'll put a round in this man's liver." Mal felt the cool metal of the gun through his jacket and shirt. Underneath that shirt, nearby the same spot as the gun, was an old scar from a sword wound. He had fought for the honor of a person he cared about. It hadn't been a proclamtion of love, like in an old romantic novel. No, it had been a proclamation of respect, a sign that sometimes words were only words. "And he will die slowly," Coonan continued. "And in considerable pain." Coonan jammed the gun into Mal's side. Okay, that hurt a little, thought Mal. "Let's go."

The three slowly and calmly walked out into the bullpen. "What?" said Coonan. "No pithy remarks from the peanut gallery? Not so funny facing your own death, is it?" Mal had faced death before, and, strangely enough, never found it amusing. He never pretended he was immortal, but death was never his first option.

"I don't know, Dick," said Mal. "You tell me. Last time I checked, this was a police station."

Mal noticed out of the corner of his eye when Captain Roy Montgomery realized what was happening. He kept silent as he watched Roy slowly move away from where he was standing and discreetly reach for his gun.

"You knew before I arrested you, didn't you?" Kate asked Coonan. "You knew my mom was your victim."

"It wasn't personal, okay," said Coonan. "She was just another job." A man can get a job, might not look too closely at what that job is. Those words rang in his ears, a reminder of the differences of men: some would do what they had to do to survive, some would hold on to their sense of morals when they had nothing else left, and others would just do it because they could. Mal never could abide that third type.

"She was my mother," said Kate. "Who hired you to kill her?"

"Forget it," said Coonan. "You'll never touch him. He'll bury you."

"Tell me who," said Kate. At that moment, Roy decided to make his move. He stood in front of the three and pointed his gun at Coonan.

"No!" said Kate, running to stop Roy. "No! Sir! I need him alive."

"That's right," said Coonan, stepping behind Mal to use as a shield. "You do need me. Now, back him off or Castle dies."

"Sir," said Kate. "Back off please."

"You know I can't do that," said Roy."

"Hey," said Coonan, a hint of panic in his voice. "You wanna learn who ordered the hit on your mommy, you better make sure I make it out of here." Mal shook his head slightly, knowing what it was like to fight a losing battle.

"Roy, please!" she said again.

Roy slowly lowered his gun, though not shifting his gaze. "That's right, Roy," said Coonan. "Nice and easy. Nice and easy."

At that moment, Mal took a long shot and head butted Coonan. As Mal rubbed his sore head and tried to regain his balance by supporting himself against the wall, Coonan reached for his gun. But he was too slow. Kate grabbed her own gun and fired at Coonan. He fell to the floor. Mal stared at Kate, her gun still pointed in the direction of the shot.

Lao-tyen, boo.*3
__________________________

1"Mother humping son of a bitch."

2"Damn."

3"Oh god no!"