No one in this story belongs to me. I can only wish they did.
They are the exclusive property of ABC/Disney, Marlow and the rest of the creative team

I am an amateur writer who should be doing other things.

This story hit me last week, hard. I can't seem to get it out of my head, so I wrote this down
It is so completely different from my normal romance and humor I am not sure what I what to do with it
This story is even more AU than I normally write. It will dive into and out of the canon
If you don't care for it, let me know and I will pull it down and I promise I will not be hurt

Detective Katherine Beckett and her long time tag along and partner, Richard Castle have found themselves in one more life threatening situation. In their case, more situations than any pair of partners should every be facing. Today is no different. It is heading toward a tragedy very quickly.

For the last week they have been chasing a domestic terrorist in the guise of a rogue CIA agent who has killed everyone he came near in his attempt to escape justice. Now they are on their way to intercept him and stop his plan to kill a child. A small child in an attempt to create world wide chaos.

Castle was able to locate the tiny clue that would lead to the child's home and with that scrap of information and with the assets of the CIA, and his former lover and Muse, determine the little girl's name and where she was and how she would be taken out by a assassin

As Beckett and Castle are taken from a parking garage into a long corridor then into a large empty room Rick begins to feel like they are not in a good place and are not moving towards anything better.

As much as both of them want to stop the horrible event being planned, they are beginning to think that there may be way more happening here than a rogue agent planning domestic terrorism.

The thought quickly crosses Kate's mind that none of her co workers have any idea about where her and Castle are or knew what kind of trouble they were probably in. They were given strict orders that this case is Top Secret and they can tell no one at the precinct what agency is involved or where they are heading.

After they begin crossing the large expanse of empty office space it occurs to Castle that they are not moving in the direction of the building where the murder is to take place. He realizes very quickly that he and Kate are probably being taken to their own personal execution. As he tries to stop moving he looks in Kate's direction. He can tell that she is on the same page and has also realized that this jaunt is going to end badly for her and Rick

Beckett draws her service weapon and turns to face the CIA agent only to come face to face with the agent's weapon pointed directly at Kate's head

The woman tells Beckett to drop her weapon and Kate realizes very quickly that another person has also drawn down on them

Beckett places her 23 on the floor and her and Rick both turn away from the senior agent who is currently pointing her Beretta to the back of their heads

"You will never get away with this", Kate tells the other woman

Sofia kicks Kate in the back of the legs causing her to drop to her knees. She then does the same to Castle

"Of course I will" is the response "I will tell everyone that you two attempted to stop him and he killed both of you in his attempt to escape. Then I locate and kill him but only after he has killed the child. I will be so sorry I didn't get there in time to save the two of you"

"Sofia, why are you doing this? It will destroy this country. The Sofia Turner I knew would never let this happen to her country" Castle states

Then the woman responds with a comment in perfect Russian that Castle does not understand, but Becket, who had spent a small amount of time in Russia, understood the words

"What do you mean, 'this is not your country'? You are CIA. You swore an oath to protect this country" Beckett comments

"I was never aligned with the capitalists. My allegiance belongs to 'The Party'"

Castle looks toward Beckett "I'm so sorry Kate. "

"Sorry about what Rick?"

"The two of us dying like this with so many things unresolved between us. Things I have never said to you. Things I never told you. Missing moments between us. The secret I have been keeping"

Sofia Turner speaks up "Rick! Are you saying that you never told Kate about your past?"

"What past?" Kate turns her head back to look at Turner

"He never told you what happened to him?"

"What do you mean? What happened to him?" Beckett asks in a raised voice

"He never told you why he became a mystery writer? Why he is so obsessed with murders? And why he was digging so deep into your past?"

"No" Kate answers

Sofia raises her gun in the direction of Rick's head

"Too bad that he never will"

NO!" Beckett screams as she tries to stand and protect Castle from his certain death but before Kate can move the sound of a gunshot echoes through the entire empty office space

#*#*#*#*#*

It is said that in the moment just before your death, your entire life flashes before your eyes. In Katherine Beckett's mind every moment of the last four years becomes crystal clear

The exact moment when she met Richard Castle is etched at the very front of those memories and ready to recall. The book release party. The blank look on his face when she first approached him

His flirtations. His irritating presence. His lack of respect to procedures and policy. Him refusing to leave when she was just doing paperwork

BUT what about his past is this woman saying? Secrets he has kept from Kate

What Secrets?

Kate recalls what he said to her in the cemetery. What he whispered to her as she lay on the ground with a Bullitt in her heart. The words he spoke when he probably thought she would die in his arms

"Stay with me Kate. Kate, I love you I can't lose you too"