Follow the Dream

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. No infringement intended.

Author's Note: Chinese translations are at the bottom of the page.

Summary: After being shot, Kate wakes up far from the city of New York.

Kate saw the glint of reflected sunlight so far away, behind the headstones on the other side of the cemetery. It wasn't terribly out of the ordinary, and besides, she was surrounded by fellow officers, so she continued with her speech.

"Kate. Kate!" Castle's voice pierced through the silence at the same time as the loud clap of a gunshot.

Her breath was stripped from her, replaced by a white-hot pain that spread across her chest. She tried to breathe, but there wasn't any air. Suddenly, Castle was above her, calling her name, encouraging her to hold on, begging her not to leave.

Kate tried again to breathe. She wanted so hard to tell him she loved him before it was too late, but the blackness was coming quickly, and the pain was draining her strength. Before it took her completely, Kate opened her mouth to tell him, just as he spoke again.

"Kate... I love you. I love you, Kate."

Over all the burning pain coursing through her body, she felt the tears slip from her eyes as the darkness pulled her under.

Kate floated somewhere in-between the conscious world and that of dreams. There was pain, somewhere, still tangible and with her, but it still so far away.

"Who is she?" a voice asked, "why would someone leave a girl shot up like this?"

"Can't be anything good come of this," another voice answered. "We should leave her here to die, Mal. We don't know what kind of trouble she caused. She probably earned that shot in the chest."

More footsteps, and then, she felt as though she was being lifted into the air. This voice seemed so familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"I don't care much for the idea of taking in another stray, but no one should die like this. Let's get her aboard Serenity."

Kate took in a breath, tried to find her way through this haze surrounding her. "Castle?" she asked.

There was some kind of metallic click, and the familiar voice spoke again, "Wash, tell the doc he's got a patient with a gunshot wound coming in."

There was a crackle of static followed by an answering voice. "Not one of ours, is it?"

There was the click again. "No. A stray. Just get him prepped, dong ma?"

"Got it, Cap."

"Come on, Jayne. Get this gorram machine moving! She's bleeding something fierce."

It had to be him. "Castle," she whispered between shallow breaths, "Where-?"

"Who is she talking to, Captain?"

"No idea, Kaylee. Might be the one who shot her."

She tried one last time to get through, but she was losing consciousness again, quickly. "Hurts..."

"Shuh-muh, mei-mei," he answered, "You're going to be just fine, just go back to sleep."

She wasn't sure if she was supposed to understand the words or not, but either way, it was strangely comforting, and she let the darkness take her once more.

Off in the distance there were voices. Somehow, she knew they were talking about her, but she couldn't find them, to tell them she was there. There was still a long way to go before she could find the strength to move past the blackness that was slowly fading to white.

"Get the Captain. She's coming to," she heard a voice say.

The voice was followed by the shuffling sound of boots across a floor and out of the room. She could tell by the echo of the footsteps that the room she was in was small.

Kate slowly took in a deep breath, feeling muscles pull painfully, but not the same pain as before. She relaxed a little, letting some of the air out, then tried to speak.

"Where...?" she asked, and tried to take in a deep breath.

She felt a hand on her upper arm, and his voice was unfamiliar, yet gentle. "Don't try to speak yet, save your strength. You're still weak. The captain will have plenty of questions when he gets here."

There was the metallic clatter of medical instruments being moved about. "You're going to feel a stick in your arm. It'll help with the pain."

The wash of the pain reliever moved up her arm and over her body and she opened her eyes. Kate tried to sit up, but the young doctor held her down. "Please lay back. You've been shot and I just removed the bullet. If you move around too much, the stitches could come loose."

She nodded weakly and laid back. "Where am I?" she asked as she looked around the room. It was very different from any hospital room or ER she'd been in. It reminded her of a makeshift OR found at the end of some dark alley.

A couple of heavy footsteps entered the room and a man leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "You're aboard the Serenity."

"Castle?" she gasped and reached for him, needing him to steady her nerves. "What happened? Where are we?"

The look he gave her was not one she'd ever seen from the author. It was stern and unforgiving. "Castle?" he asked, laughing a little sardonically, looking at her with this air about him she'd never seen, and an intensity that wasn't right. "You're still callin' for this guy. Can't say I've been known by the name, as shiney and refined as it sounds. However, I would like to know yours and maybe how you got shot."

Kate watched him for a second, seeing how different this man's face was set; how the lines set in his jaw were more from hardship and not laughter. The stiff, unrelenting way in which he carried himself, and most importantly, how different the tone of his voice was.

"You gonna answer me?" He stepped inside and stopped beside her bed, leaning heavily on the side. "You look like someone who's got a little sense, so you best start talkin', dong ma?"

The doctor was by his side, "Mal, I really think..."

"I don't pay you to think, Doctor," he interrupted, never taking his cold and indifferent eyes off of Kate. "She understands. Leave us be."

It was quiet for a moment, then the doctor left the room. 'Mal' still had his eyes locked on hers.

She swallowed hard and began to speak. There didn't seem to be a choice, and it was all so confusing. "My name is Kate Beckett. I..." she ran her fingers through her hair, wincing at the tendrils of pain it caused, unsure what to tell him next. "I honestly don't know what to say... I was at Captain Montgomery's funeral when I was shot. Then, I woke up here."

"Who is Montgomery?" he asked, "And while we're at it, who is Castle?"

She looked away to gather her thoughts. Answering his question about Montgomery was easy, but what could she say about Castle?

"I see you don't seem much on talkin'," He stood and took a step back, "Granted, you've been shot. I've been there, too. It ain't a walk in the woods, but I need answers." He studied her for a moment, seeming to take her in. "I'll come back later, give you time to rest."

"Before you go," Kate said, stopping him as he turned to leave. She kept her eyes level with his. "I don't know where I am..."

"You're on my boat, Serenity," he explained, "currently sailing the outer planets. We were about to leave Sweetwater when Kaylee, my engineer, found you collapsed on the path back to the ship. We took you in, patched you up. We had to leave in a rush, so you're stuck here for the time being."

"Outer planets? We're in space?" At Mal's nod, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. This was almost too much to take in at once. "And Sweetwater? I've never heard of the place. Castle, what kind of joke is this? This can't be real!"

He rested his hand on the revolver slung low on his hip, but didn't draw it. His voice was like ice. "Ta ma de Kate, this is real! And that's three times you've called me by another man's name. Who is this Castle?"

Kate felt the tears start to build up in her eyes, and she fought them back as best she could. "He's my partner..." She turned her head away from him as she continued, "and you look almost exactly like him."

"This is ridiculous," she said, wiping the tears of frustration away. She felt the pain start to quicken in her chest and took a few ragged breaths and looked back at the the captain.

"My name is Kate Beckett, Homicide Detective, NYPD. I was at the funeral of my friend, Captain Roy Montgomery when I was shot. Richard Castle, my partner, was there with me." Closing her eyes, she remembered, in vivid detail, the last few moments before it all went black. "The next thing I know, I'm here with you guys. I don't know how I got here, but all I want is to find Castle and go home. If that's even possible."

The silence seemed to go on forever before Mal spoke again. "You seem pretty stuck on that story. I can't say I know what NYPD stands for, and I don't think Sweetwater would have much use for a 'homicide detective.' As for your Castle-friend, I got nothin'."

"You'd have a hard time missing him," she said, "He looks just like you, but that's the only similarity you share." Kate laughed a little, not quite believing the situation she'd found herself in, then added, "And 'NYPD' stands for New York Police Department."

"New York?" he questioned, "The only New York I know of is from the stories of Earth-that-was. Do you know if you hit your head?"

"Earth-that-was?" Kate thought she felt the room spin around her.

"Yeah," he answered, looking as if he was beginning to doubt her story. "As in, Earth that doesn't exist anymore. What kind of story are you trying to sell here?"

"I..." She couldn't finish as it all suddenly overwhelmed her and the world faded to black.

TBC...

shuh muh - I'm sorry

mei mei - little sister

dong mah - Understand?

ta ma de - dammit