A/N: EEEEK, I fell a week behind. Life is getting majorly in the way of all fun things right now, so this was a struggle. But your reviews keep me motivated, so THANK YOU! I'm trying really hard for you guys! :) Now, back to work on my thesis. Sigh.

Recoil

Richard Castle wasn't a vengeful person. He just wasn't.

There was that time in grade school that Matty Weinberg had stolen his lunch money. Rick had shrugged it off, shared his best friend's sandwich at lunch and even picked Matty for his kickball team in gym class later that day. (It didn't hurt that Matty had been the best at kickball. But it was the principle of the thing.)

Then there was the time his girlfriend had broken up with him the night before prom. That one had stung, but he decided to go stag and spend the night with his friends. It had ended up being a fantastic night (involving some very blurry memories and several phone numbers scribbled on the palm of his hand), and he'd even managed to hug his ex-girlfriend goodbye after graduation.

Then, of course, there was the matter of his first agent. A new college student, Rick was young and inexperienced and naïve in the world of publishing, and the man had very nearly swindled him out of his first payday for his work. Rick sure as hell wouldn't be inviting him to any holiday parties any time soon, but he'd found Paula and happily left bad memories of any previous agents in the past.

He couldn't even muster any lingering ill will towards the women that had done him wrong, either. Meredith had left him with their young child, but he would always let her stay with them in the loft when she was in town. Kyra had broken his heart, but he would never ever begrudge her her happiness. He and Gina had divorced, but amicably, and even during their worst fighting wouldn't think of finding a new publisher. Sofia… well, okay, that one was kind of rough. But she was dead now, so that was a moot point. But even Ellie Munroe – she'd flat out used him to get a part in a movie, and he'd told her to feel free to use him any time. (That would obviously have to be amended now that he was with Kate, but again. The principle of the thing.)

Even through all the killers and snipers and crooks Kate had dealt with – he'd attacked some of them, sure, but only under extreme circumstances. To protect her life he would've done just about anything.

But Bracken…

He'd heard the click of the lighter just as Kate had. Probably put it together at about the same time, maybe a split second sooner or later. He didn't really know. Didn't care. But what he did know was that he saw Bracken nearing his would-be assassin, and he didn't do a damn thing about it.

Kate had, of course. She was always the more justice-minded of the two of them. But if she hadn't, he would've watched Bracken burn and been plenty happy about it.

Richard Castle wasn't a vengeful person. But he sure as hell wasn't a saint.

Reality Star Struck

"So, your first Valentine's day with Writer Boy, huh?"

Kate groaned; as much as she loved Lanie, she hated the way her friend was able to get her to talk about all manner of private things.

Lanie raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk playing across her lips. "Oh come on. You didn't think I was going to just let this one skate by, did you?"

"No," Kate said, resigning herself to the conversation. "I guess not."

"So, what are your plans?" Lanie prompted excitedly. "After your boring, 'let's not give each other gifts!' Christmas, I'm expecting something big," she said, leaning back into the couch and taking a sip of her wine.

"Oh you are, are you?" Kate asked wryly.

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Come on, girl! Throw me a bone! What'd you get him?"

Kate chuckled. "I didn't get him anything." She allowed Lanie's eyes to go comically wide for a moment before putting her out of her misery. "But I am giving him something."

Lanie placed a hand over her heart. "Whew, girl, you almost gave me a heart attack. But this is good. It's hard to buy for the man that already has everything."

"Don't I know it," Kate muttered.

"So what are you giving him? You, wrapped in a bow?" Lanie asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Kate waved her off. "Please. Been there, done that."

Lanie grinned. "'Atta girl. So what is it this time?"

Kate took a deep breath, suddenly sort of apprehensive. "A drawer."

"A drawer?" Lane gaped at her.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. A drawer. In my apartment. His own drawer."

Lanie was silent, staring at her with the same slack-jawed expression on her face. "You?"

"Me what?"

"You don't have a drawer at his place, do you? So you're making the first move?"

"Yeah," Kate said on a deep exhale. "Go figure, right?"

"I – just – but –" Lanie spluttered. "How?"

"Eloquent," Kate commented on a chuckle. "I don't know, I just – it feels like the right thing to do. I want to."

"Wow. You want to?"

"Yeah," Kate said, nodding, feeling more confident again. She really did want to. "He's already over all the time. And I want him to know he's welcome, ya know? I'm in this as much as he is."

Lanie blinked. "You two are a little bit disgusting."

Kate chuckled. "And, I mean, it's been nine months. No time like the present, right?"

Lanie raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so now you're taking that advice I was giving you for four years?"

Kate laughed, surprised, and swatted at her shoulder. "You're awful. What about you, any plans?"

Lanie didn't respond but hid her face with a long sip of wine.

"Aha," Kate said with a grin, "Who's the lucky guy?"

Target

Alexis grew up around stuff like this.

Okay, so maybe getting abducted – kidnapped? What was the proper term for this thing, anyway? – was a bit out of the ordinary, but discussing murder techniques at the dinner table was a fairly common occurrence. She supposed a childhood like that sort of prepared her for anything. Her dad wrote books about spies and cops and killings, and there was some sort of kidnapping/abduction/whatever in every single one of them. Some had multiple. And, though her dad did try to shield her from most of his dangerous police escapades, he himself had lived through it. Maybe not like this, but there was that one time he'd come home with a bruise from an injector gun where they'd drugged him. It had scared her, but somehow she'd known that he'd always be fine in those situations. There wasn't much that could phase her dad.

Except maybe this, she thought with a sigh.

But she'd be okay. If he could handle it, she could handle it. After all, she had his genes, right? And, while she was terrified beyond anything she'd ever known before, she was still thinking clearly. Logically.

Spending so much time with the police had its advantages.

Finally, the running water in the bathroom turned off, and she let out a sigh of relief. Sara had been in there for a few minutes, obviously crying, and Alexis just hoped her friend could handle whatever was going to be thrown at them. Sara had grown up with a pretty charmed, pampered life. That's not to say she wasn't tough, but Alexis was pretty sure she hadn't had any experience dealing with things like figuring out how to escape from being duct taped to a chair.

God, she'd never roll her eyes at her dad's research methods again.

She could help Sara through this. They were a team now. They'd make it together.

They had no other choice.

The door opened and Sara stepped out, looking morose and disheveled.

"Were you crying in there?" Alexis asked quietly.

Sara sighed. "I thought the running water would cover it up."

"We'll be alright, Sara."

Sara looked away, shaking her head. "I thought this was all about the money. But these people speak Arabic." She paused, looking vaguely nauseous. "My father's a hated man back in Egypt."

Damn. This wasn't good. If these people wanted more than just Sara's father's money, than…

"We need to get out of here," Alexis said firmly, turning towards the door.

"The only way out is through that door, and it's locked," Sara pointed out.

Alexis bit back a sigh and turned back towards her friend, ready to work out an alternative plan. Until—

"Hey, are those bobby pins?"

Hunt

"How are you holding up?"

Kate took a seat on the couch next to Alexis, who had been staring vacantly at the room in front of her. The girl jerked, startled and probably more than a little bit jumpy, and looked over at her.

"Fine, I guess." She shrugged. "I don't really know."

Kate sighed. She knew that feeling all too well. The relief of being home, but feeling slightly off, like maybe you don't really belong there anymore. "I threw up the first time I saw a dead body," she said quietly.

Alexis looked surprised. "Really?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't even that bad of a murder, either. Just one gunshot. But I couldn't keep it together, and I was so embarrassed."

"How come?"

"Well," she said slowly, "I think it was because I had wanted to believe I was ready. That I was prepared for everything."

"But," Alexis said hesitantly, "you realized that there are some things there's no way to prepare for."

"Exactly."

Silence fell for several moments. Alexis picked nervously at her cuticles.

"How've you dealt with being taken?" she asked quietly. "How do you get over it?"

Kate chewed on her lip, choosing her words carefully. "I don't really know. I don't think you do."

"What do you mean?"

"It never goes away completely."

Alexis groaned. "Great."

Despite herself, Kate chuckled. "No, but it gets better. And hey, you successfully escaped a kidnapping, so schoolwork will now seem like a breeze, right?"

Alexis laughed. "I guess. I didn't have anything to do with the escape, though."

Kate nudged her arm. "Are you kidding? I've heard all the details, I know you picked the lock and got yourself out." Alexis looked rather flattered, and Kate smiled. "That's a hell of a thing. I'm really, really impressed."

The girl smiled, finally looking proud of herself. "Thanks. I guess that's what happens when you grow up with my dad."

Kate laughed. "I'm sure your grandmother's genes didn't hurt, either."

Alexis grinned. "I come from a pretty good bloodline for handling kidnappings. Did my dad tell you who he met in Paris?"

"No."

"His dad."

Kate's mouth fell open. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as a kidnapping."

Kate choked out a laugh, surprised; apparently they were at the point where they could joke about this. "But wait, how—?"

"He's a spy."

Upon seeing Kate's shock, Alexis laughed. "Hey, dad!" she called. "I think there's a story we need to tell Beckett."