The desperation wells up inside of her, weighing heavy against her rib cage. She swallows thickly, forcing the panic back down her throat as her heart threatens to crack inside of her chest. She's barely hanging on, her mind racing in a thousand directions, playing forward each possible ending to this story in horrifying detail. This can't be happening, not now. Not when she's made it this far and has so much to lose.

She stretches against her restraints, feels the burn at her wrists, the ache in her shoulders. She can't die here, can't do that to him, and yet she knows that this time is different. Her odds of surviving a serial killer for the second time are slim to none and she can feel it deep down to her core, feel it seep into her cells. She will die here today. She thinks about what it will do to him, losing her like this. Thinks about what it will be like to bleed out on this table, choking on a sob with his name on her lips. Would this woman keeping her captive be that cruel? Or would she simply press a needle into her skin and let her float into effortless sleep knowing she'll never wake up?

Kate finds herself lying on the table, her lips trembling from a mixture of fear and cold, and wonders what happens next. How would Castle rewrite her ending? She rolls her head to the side and watches with horrified curiosity as Dr. Nieman works on her new digital masterpiece. What could possibly have happened in this woman's life? What dark mixture of nature vs. nurture led the woman to this terrible moment here with her? Did little Kelly Nieman always dream of butchering women, but settle for being a plastic surgeon as the closest she could come to such an act of depravity? Kate feels the questions tumble through her head as she scrapes her fingernail against the one thing holding her to this nightmare.

"Faces fascinate me," Kelly explains as she continues to work with her program. "The mask we show to the world? I find that clients invariably hope a procedure won't just change their looks but change who they are in some deeper way."

Kate tries hard to quell the urge to vomit as she watches the digital scalpel work its way across the computer screen.

"It never does," Kelly continues, sadly. "No more than painting a house can change the things that happened inside of it."

Kate swallows hard. Clearly something happened to this woman to make her capable of falling in love with with a man like Tyson, capable of having her abducted and tying her to a surgical table. Kate closes her eyes and tries to breathe evenly, tries to calm her racing heart and twisting stomach. She can't let this happen. Can't let this woman take away everything. She opens her eyes and lets her head loll back to the side, a way to inconspicuously monitor her progress as her fingers scratch along at a more hurried pace.

When the phone rings, Kate startles, her head whipping around to focus on Kelly while her fingers fall still and her breath falls silent.

Kelly snatches up the phone and presses it to her ear, eager. "Yes," she answers. "Do you have him?"

Kate feels her blood go cold as her heart screams in a pitch that reverberates through her chest cavity. Tears sting her eyes and her head begins to throb. Bile rises in her throat and she closes her right hand into a fist, desperately attempting to ward off the tidal wave of panic that threatens to drown her on this table.

"Enough. I can do the rest after." Kelly speaks calmly into the phone, turning to give Kate only a quick glance.

Kate squeezes her eyes shut and bites against her gag as her torso stiffens. No, no, no...this can't be happening. Her brain sings the words, let's them roll through her body in a slow, funerary procession.

Kelly comes to her then, offering words she thinks should be of comfort to the detective. "It will all be over soon, but I've so enjoyed our time together." She gives what she hopes is an apologetic look and a half smile because she really has enjoyed spending time with the younger woman. Has enjoyed having someone as beautiful, and intelligent as she is to converse with, even if only for a brief time. This detective has been a challenge, a worthy adversary, and a woman who reminds her a lot of herself. Strong, determined, and fearless. Even bound and gagged on her surgical table, Kelly knows this woman is still a force to be reckoned with. She feels almost sad for Kate, seeing the strength mixed with fear in her eyes, but she knows that Kate and her writer will never stop hunting them. Knows that the only way to have her happy ending is to do what must be done, and so while she respects the woman she is holding captive, she respects her enough to know she's a threat.

Kate blinks away tears as Kelly leaves her side and her fingers continue their frantic mission. She can't let this happen. Her thoughts drift to her husband and the pang of guilt she feels for going it alone on this. She knows she never would have let him go alone if their situation had been reversed; she knows that she's used her job, her training as a cop, to convince him that she'll always come home safe. It's what she has to tell herself each day she puts on the badge, because it's the only thing that keeps the fear of not coming back to him at bay. Now as she lies on this cold table, she wishes she had listened to him. Wishes she had let him follow his instincts to come with her to talk to Amy Barrett. Tears spill down her cheeks as she lets her mind drift to his smile, his infectious charm and love for life. He is the most amazing man she's ever known and loving him and being loved by him have saved her a thousand times over. He's made her a stronger and better person and she wants to give him everything, believes he deserves everything.

She had been so close.

Kelly paces the room, her hand trembling just slightly against the cell phone she has pressed intently to her ear. Something is wrong, she can feel it. Jerry should have called by now. She goes through the scenarios in her mind, and none of them are good. She hurriedly grabs her purse, folding it over to perch atop her files that she cradles to her chest. She needs to get to him. She chances a glance to Kate and their eyes lock, stopping Kelly in her tracks. She considers the younger woman and tries to quell the panic fluttering in her stomach. Kate wouldn't run. Kate would complete the mission. Kelly gently sets her belongings back on the desk and makes her way to the surgical table, curling her fingers around a scalpel. "I'm afraid it's time, Detective."

Kate's bloodied fingers tremble as she works slowly, imperceptibly, at the threads of her wrist strap. Time. What she needs is time. She weighs her options, the nausea creeping up into her throat and making her feel lightheaded. She has so much to gain and little at this point to lose by throwing the dice this one last time, choosing to do what will make the most impact and increase her chances of walking out of here alive. She just needs to buy some time. Kate takes a shuddery breath, and decides to trust herself as a detective, trust her ability to profile. She presses her hips up gently, slightly from the table, and draws Kelly's attention. She's going to use her baby to beg for her life.

"Please," She begs through her gag, her eyes swimming with fear and longing as tears trace their way down her flushed cheeks. "Kelly please, I'm pregnant."

The surgeon stills, her scalpel poised above Kate's face as she lets the words sink in, her mouth falling open. She sees a new emotion swimming in the detective's eyes and it takes her completely by surprise. Oh this... this is new. This look is shockingly, beautifully new. It breathes of life and love and passion and it's dripping with a longing so deep and raw that Kelly feels it tug at her own heart. This woman is a lioness with a primal need to protect her cub and Kelly can see it now, lets herself feel what Kate is feeling. She slowly lowers the scalpel to the tray and lays a hand on Kate's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Oh detective," She begins, closing her eyes before regarding the younger woman with a look of pained understanding. "You poor, beautiful creature."

Kate stares up into the surgeon's face, and doesn't flinch at her touch, not this time. She lets herself melt into it, let's her head tilt toward the woman and allows her face to go back to a time when she was young and small; a time filled with apology for knocking over her mother's cookie jar or for coloring on her bedroom wall. She stares up into Kelly's eyes and focuses on pools of clear blue, fighting the urge to think of Castle's, as she pours everything she has into her gaze.

Kelly stares down at her in wonder and runs a thumb along Kate's lips, tears forming in her eyes. She takes a slow breath and then slips the gag from the younger woman's mouth. "A baby," She breathes, smiling.

A sob escapes Kate's lips and Kelly shushes her gently. "It's okay detective. It's going to be okay."

Kate lets her eyes fall closed as she offers up a silent, devastating prayer that wherever her husband is, he makes it through alive. She has to come back to him and he has to come back to her, because he's got no idea that she cradles this tiny life inside of her womb. She feels it bubble up inside of her then, the inexplicable love, and it ignites a fire deep inside of her.

She's walking out of here.

Huge thanks to KyinHi for convincing me to go forward with this story. You rock my unicorn world. Reviews make me happy!