A/N: I was watching 'Kill Shot' last night and this story popped into my head. It's going to be AU from the scene where Kate runs from Emily at the scene of the third shooting.

Breathe Again

Castle stood transfixed to the floor, watching his partner disappear behind a closed door. Where was Kate going? Why? One moment she had been fine, and the next she had been on the edge of hysteria. He pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text to Esposito. 'Can we talk when I come back to the precinct? It's regarding Beckett.'

'Is she okay?'

'No, she's far from okay.'

'We'll talk when you come back.'

'Thanks.'

After standing and watching the direction that Beckett had gone for what seemed an eternity, Castle made the decision to check and see if she was all right. She needed to be removed from this case. But he knew that if he went to Gates, Beckett would be beyond pissed off.

He made his way across the lobby and stood outside of the closed stairwell door for another five minutes before he tentatively knocked on it. "Beckett, are you all right? Kate? Please answer me. If you don't answer, I'm coming in."

"Castle, I'm okay. Please go away."

Her words said she was okay. But her voice sounded like she was far from okay. Her voice was the deciding factor in his decision. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he slowly turned it and pushed. He soon spotted Kate's jacket, gloves, and gun in a pile on the floor. Looking to his left, he saw Kate, her hands braced against the opposite wall, her breathing ragged. That was when he saw the white gauze wrapped around her left arm. "Castle, I told you to go away! Damn it!" Kate was fighting tears. "I'm okay!"

"No, you're not," he stepped next to her. "You haven't been okay since this case started."

"Castle, I'm fine. It's . . . she was so scared, and I can't help her. I can't help anybody! I can't even help myself! I need air!" She tried to move past Castle, but he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "Castle, let me go!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere. Let's sit."

"Castle, we need to get back."

"It'll wait. Come on," he gently pressed on her shoulders until he felt her sliding along the wall. He then sat across from her so that she wasn't feeling boxed in. "Take some breaths. Listen to my breathing, Kate. Breathe in and out. Slowly. Emily's going to be okay. We're going to find this guy, Kate."

"What makes you so sure, Rick? We haven't even caught the motherfucker who shot me."

"One day we're going to catch him, too."

"What makes you so sure?" She repeated her question.

"Because he can't hide forever. Eventually he'll get careless and make a mistake. When he does, we'll take him down."

"I've never felt so helpless," her breathing became ragged once again.

"Kate, breathe," he urged her once again. "Once you get your bearings, we'll head back to the Twelfth."

"I haven't had my bearings in months, Castle."

"You'll get them back."

She met his eyes, wondering how he could always be so optimistic. Her mind went back to that May morning and the last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness. I love you, Kate. Did he say it because he thought she was dying or was it for real? She knew how she felt about him. She had known since that night in Los Angeles. Hell, she had probably known even before that. But that night in L.A. had hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Are you feeling better?" He broke through her reverie.

"Yeah. At least I think so. We'd better get back."

He got up first and held a hand out to her. She gripped his hand with her right hand and let him help her to her feet. She picked her gun up and stuck it back in its holster before grabbing her gloves and jacket. Castle noticed how she winced when she slid her bandaged arm through the sleeve. "How did it happen?"

"It was an accident. I broke a glass last night. Come on, we'd better head back."

***CCC***

That night, Castle was sitting in his office working on the latest chapter of Frozen Heat before Gina sent her nasty barrage of emails. His Publisher/Ex-Wife would be thrilled to receive chapters before they were due. His mother and Alexis were out for the evening, leaving him alone to get some work done.

Instead of writing, his mind went back to earlier that afternoon. The sniper case had come to an end after Esposito had been forced to shoot Lee Travis from a rooftop. Everybody was glad that Travis had been taken out before he'd had a chance to kill anyone else.

Beckett had seemed to be in a better place. He knew that Espo had spoken to her, but not what he had said. She had thanked him before he left for letting her work through everything on her own.

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of the doorbell. He saved his document and walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, he was surprised to find Kate standing on the other side. He quickly turned the lock and opened the door. "Kate, hi," he said, at a loss for other words.

Her hair was tied back from her face in a wild tumble of curls. He noticed that she had changed from the black turtleneck she'd been wearing earlier. She was now wearing another long-sleeved shirt, only this one was purple. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to invite me in?" She teased.

"Of course. I'm sorry," he stepped back from the door. "Please come in."

"Are you alone?" She looked around the front room, as if expecting either Martha or Alexis to materialize from out of nowhere.

"Mother had a late class at her school, and Alexis is out with some friends."

"Good. I mean, it would be okay if they were here, it's just—"

"It's just?" He looked at her.

"I wanted to talk to you alone."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. At least I hope not."

"Can I get you something to drink? Some wine maybe?"

"Wine would be great, Castle. Thank you."

He went into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of white wine from his wine cooler before walking over and removing two glasses. After pouring the wine, he walked back to the sofa where Kate was now sitting and offered her one of the glasses. He then sat down at the end of the sofa. "I just came from my therapist."

"Your therapist? I didn't know that you were seeing someone."

"Yeah. I didn't want anyone to know. He's been helping me with some issues that I've been having."

"With the sniper case?"

"That, and other things. I've lied to you, Castle."

"About what?"

"About that day," she looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "The day of Montgomery's funeral. I remember everything."

Castle placed his glass on the coffee table before he said anything. "You heard me?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me that when I came to see you that morning? Kate, all that you had to say is that you heard me. If you needed time to process it, I would've given you as much time and space as you needed."

"I didn't say anything for two reasons. One was that I was still with Josh. And the other one is I wasn't sure why you said it."

"What do you mean you don't know why I said it?"

"Did you say it because you meant that you loved me? Or did you say it because you thought that I was dying, and you knew you'd never get another chance to say it?"

"Both," he got up and walked toward the kitchen. "I saw the sunlight bounce off that rifle scope and I reacted by instinct. At first, I thought I had got to you in time, but then I saw the blood on your glove. You looked so scared, and I knew that I had to say anything to get you to stay with me. To hold on until you got to the hospital. But I meant every word. I love you, Kate. I have loved you for a long time now. And I understand that you're not ready."

"Do you remember that day at the swings? When I told you that I can't have the kind of relationship that I want until this thing with my mom is put to rest?"

"Yes."

"I was begging you not to give up on me; on us."

"Is that what happened between you and Josh?"

"Josh and I were on our way to being over long before I got shot. I did really like him. I wasn't lying about that. But he wasn't you. And he knew that he wasn't you. I think that he knew that I was in love with you even before I did."

"That you're in love with me? You're in love with me?"

"Yeah, I'm in love with you," Kate got up and walked over to where Castle was standing. "I don't know when it happened, but it happened a while ago. Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything so long as you repeat those three words to me."

"The night that you dismantled the dirty bomb—"

"And by dismantling, you mean yanking all the wires?"

"Castle, you don't have to talk all the time," she pressed her fingers to his lips. "Were you going to ask me out before Josh showed up?"

"I was going to ask you to have dinner with me. Dr. Motorcycle Boy had lousy timing."

"I told my therapist that I want to be better than what I am."

"I don't understand what that means."

"I want that wall to come down. I have to let people in. And by people, I mean you, Castle. You keep me grounded. I love you," she moved closer and brushed her lips to his.

"I love you, too."

"How are you going to explain us to your mother and Alexis?" She grinned against his lips.

"I don't think much explanation is going to be necessary, Beckett."

A/N #2: I do have two multi-chapter stories in the works, but I don't know when they'll be complete.

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