Someone to Watch Over Me

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of ABC. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Castle. No copyright infringement is intended.

Won't you tell her/him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh how I need
Someone to watch over me

Ryan and Esposito were still breathing hard, leaning back against the side of the building. Ryan was sure that the special forces veteran was going to put his fist through Ryan's face after telling Esposito that Montgomery had to be the third cop.

As Esposito looked up, he could see it on Ryan's face. "Beckett." Esposito flipped his phone open the same time and saw the message from Castle.

"Montgomery messaged Castle. They're meeting at the hanger." Ryan looked at his watch and counted the twenty minutes or so. Both started running for the car.

As Esposito started the car, Ryan slammed the light on the hood. The light would at least get them across town quicker. The window seemed to narrow for every minute that they drove. Checking bullets in the guns, they both slowed the vehicle to a crawl, waiting outside the perimeter of the building.

"There's Castle's car up there. What's the plan?" Ryan asked surveying the area. He couldn't see Castle and saw no other vehicles.

Esposito moved the car quietly around a building and parked. "Look, there's a plane in behind Castle's car. We work our way up there and wait for a signal." Ryan nodded and followed his partner around the corner of the back building and stopped suddenly when another dark car appeared.

Signaling for both to move to the building's exterior and come around the corner, the two saw Castle enter the back door of the hanger and waited. Neither could hear a sound as they moved closer to the building. Ducking down behind a small aircraft between the building and the car, Esposito stopped and twisted the handle on the plane. He pointed out Castle's car and motioned.

Ryan gingerly footed over behind Castle's car and crouched behind the wheel and out of sight. He watched as Esposito disappeared into the cockpit of the plane as if no one was there and then quietly cracked the opposite door toward the back of the hanger.

Ryan knew that he and his partner only had instinct to go on. On the ride over the conversation with Castle had been flustered. They knew something in his voice didn't sit well, and that concerned them. Knowing Castle's plan that Montgomery had asked him to follow without question, they felt they were best out of sight until needed.

The dark colored car continued to pull around the building and the two could tell they had shut all the car lights off. The darkness felt ominous. Just half an hour earlier, the two argued about Montgomery's guiltiness in the case, and now that was solidified. But Montgomery wasn't apparently going down without a fight.

Screaming came from the hanger and seemed to get louder as it ensued just as the two saw Castle struggling with Beckett, carrying her out like a little girl. The door slammed behind them as Beckett stilled to a whimper with Castle's hand firmly over her mouth as he laid her against the car, whispering.

Ryan sat completely still on the other side of the car as he heard Beckett quietly weep with Castle continuing to keep her out of harm's way.

Montgomery stood in the middle of the hanger as watched as five men exited the vehicle. He had planned for this. He had seen where the investigation had started and knew it had to end with him.

As soon as Lockwood exited, he nodded his head and two men started around the side of the helicopter that he had stolen a few days ago. He stopped with his other three partners and stared at Montgomery.

"Where is she Roy?"

"You can't have her," Montgomery simply said.

"I told you it was either her or your family." He waited for another response. "Don't be stupid; you can't hide her from us…me."

Without taking his eyes off Montgomery, Lockwood sensed the set up he wanted in place. One of his men had reached the back of the copter and waited.

"You got that assbackwards boy. You can't hide from me," Montgomery stated before raising his gun to the men in the room before being nicked in the shoulder and hitting the ground. Losing perspective, he saw the door shut and hoped to God that Castle had moved her away as instructed.

Turning around after getting back up, Lockwood shot twice and watched as Montgomery fell to the ground. Walking over toward him, Lockwood had no expression on his face. "This is your last stand? This is sad…"

Lockwood's attention was lost as another gun went off outside the hanger and he heard more shouting coming closer. Starting toward the door, he unaffectedly ignored the last stray bullet that came from Montgomery's hand. He reached the door, gun in hand, and carefully opened it.

Meeting her eye to eye again, he shook his head and thought it was too easy. He saw his lone lookout on the ground with only Beckett walking toward the door. "He stood up for you. Can you forgive him?"

Hearing a squeak from across the line, he shot in the door of the plane Esposito was laying in. "Your friends are brave, holding their fire, thinking you deserve the hit for your captain. But you want me alive."

Kate's blood felt like curdled milk in her veins she was so cold. Everything he said was true, one of them would have to die to end it. To her surprise, he ringed his gun on his middle finger and put his hands out.

She felt Castle pull on her as Ryan's gun set up silently on the front end of the car, steadied for a shot. Pulling away, Castle saw the motion of Lockwood's fingers and jumped in front of her as Lockwood's gun went back into his hand and shot directly at her. She heard a gun go off behind her and saw Lockwood fall as Ryan jumped out behind the car. Esposito came out of the plane that was shot and kicked the gun he had fired out of the way.

She felt her body slump. "We got him?" She felt her body slump again.

"Esposito!" Beckett called before finding her adrenaline. "Castle?"

Esposito took Castle under the arm and leaned him against the car, carefully letting him slide down to sit. "Go check on the Captain." Nodding, he disappeared as Ryan called for several ambulances and then texted Lanie.

"Castle? Look at me."

"Lockwood's dead. I'm sorry you didn't get to take the shot," he tried to rub her hair, but with his left hand. "Montgomery?"

"Esposito's checking, but…"

Shaking his head, he continued to try to form words. "Burns." Castle flopped his head over to one side and touched her shoulder with his left hand. "You're bleeding," he whispered.

Kate felt of her shoulder under his fingers and felt the graze against her skin. Then put her hand under his jacket. "Castle? Rick?"

She kept slapping him slightly on the face as she held one hand under his arm. Ryan had rushed over hearing the panic in Beckett's voice as she continued to try to wake him up. "Beckett, you're bleeding."

"I know, but Castle was hit." The two rolled him slightly to look at the car and then lifted the panel on his jacket. Looking over at Ryan, she shook her head. "It looks like it exited on the front."

"And it grazed you in the process. Damn, he would have had the shot if…"

Beckett was already there. Castle faded in and out of consciousness, reminding Kate that she was bleeding. "Hold your hand here for me. I have to go check on Esposito and then get them to call Martha." She carefully switched sides with Ryan as he continued to apply pressure, folding up the bottom of the jacket to help soak the blood in.

Beckett quickened her speed as she looked at Castle one more time. She tried to slow her mind down but couldn't. Too many things had occurred. She was now back to square one in the investigation and two of her best friends were down. "What's his status?" She tried to sound like a cop and a daughter figure.

She knelt down and quietly ran her fingers across Montgomery's face and chest. "It was a quick kill; Lockwood didn't miss." Beckett ran her hands though her hair and finally broke. Weeping, she leaned over his body and cried on the shoulder of her trainer, her other father, and now the missing link.

"You're…"

"I know," Beckett muffled as she pushed Esposito's hand away from her shoulder. "It's just a graze." He ran his hand down her back as she leaned further over Montgomery as if she was trying to protect him, but it wasn't enough.

"Where's Castle?"

Beckett sat up as she saw the EMTs and Lanie walk through the open hanger and survey the several bodies that were shot. Waving her and the staff over, she asked that Montgomery be taken care of first. She gave Lanie the time of death; she couldn't forget it and headed back out with two more EMTs.

"Ryan?" she called from across the lot. She saw Castle was still slumped over.

"The bleeding is better. Takes a lot of pressure," he said as an EMT called for a cart and Kate leaned against his shoulder again. "Miss,"

"I know. You can fix me when we get him on the road." She turned back to Castle as the two EMTs started to unhook the belts and set up the equipment. Seeing that Ryan was working with another investigator on the Lockwood body, she turned back to Castle.

Turning his face towards her, she could see the gray color that set in, his eyes closed. "Rick, you listen to me. You will not leave me now dammit." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry. We're not over. You have to wake up where I can tell you …"

TBC