A/N: Hi again! Thanks to everyone that read, reviewed and favorited my first fic. It was uplifting and encouraging to see your responses. I've tried to incorporate as much of your advice as possible when fixing up this story.

This is another fic from the underbelly of files on my computer that I've edited. Again, let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Castle. These wonderful characters are property of Andrew W Marlowe and ABC.

Beta: My amazing husband.

Summary: What if Kate foresaw the risk to her life at Montgomery's funeral? Knockout 3x24 AU

Faked

The officers of the 12th Precinct were gathered together for what was a solemn occasion. Their Captain, Roy Montgomery, was being commemorated for his service to the NYPD, even unto death. The stark colours of the day, the green grounds and bright sky, were so very different to what was on the hearts of those present at the cemetery.

Beckett stood at the front of the mourning crowd, with Castle at her right side, relaying the words that her Captain had said to her not even days before.

"For us there is no victory. There are only battles. And in the end the best you could hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you're very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you. Our captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is..."

There was a glint amongst the gravestones. Castle didn't register the light as anything of consequence until the gunshot sounded through the grieving crowd. He lunged towards Beckett and knocked her to the ground. It was too late; the bullet had already pierced through her police uniform.

Beckett was cradled in his arms as he comforted her, brushing her hair behind her ears and stroking the side of her face as her eyes filled with pain. Starting at the Precinct and following Beckett around, Castle never thought he'd fall this deeply for the amazing woman lying in his arms. This may be the last chance her would get to let her know how he felt.

Blood was flowing freely from her chest and nothing could be done. He couldn't imagine a life without Kate. It would be a life without sunshine and double rainbows. Her absence would kill him.

"Kate! No Kate...ssh. Kate please. Stay with me Kate. Don't leave me, please. Stay with me okay? Kate...I love you. I love you, Kate."

He had done it. He had finally admitted his love for her, and he'd swear he saw the hint of a smile at the edge of her lips as he said those three words. Just like that, she succumbed to the pain, her eyes fluttering closed and the smile still on her lips.

Castle gazed over her, and wondered how someone so beautiful and extraordinary could be so determined and driven to find the person responsible for her mother's death. This could be the first and last time he could hold her.

As he lightly traced his fingers on the freshly made wound he heard someone whispering his name. Castle raised his head to look at Kate's face only to find her brilliant hazel eyes staring right back at him. Confusion took over him, one minute he thought she was dying and he was never going to see her again, and the next she was gazing back at him with eyes so full of life. Her mouth was twisted in pain, but Castle could still see a hint of a smile.

"Just couldn't keep your hands off me, could you Castle." she whispered with hints of discomfort evident in her words, as she looked at the stunned expression on his face. She resumed the position she was in, eyes closed, body limp and a slight smile.

"What? Kate?" Bewilderment took over him.

"I'll explain later." she rasped back, while she maintained a believable unconscious state.

What was happening? He must have been dreaming. Kate was supposed to be fighting for her life because of that bullet. She shouldn't be teasing him just because he touched her.

He dared to look at the entry wound again, being careful not to give Kate the wrong idea. Instead of seeing a mixture of blood and intestines protruding from her skin, he noticed that she was wearing a fitted Kevlar vest and saw the blood packet that had been burst by the bullet.

Knowing everyone else thought Kate was fighting for her life, he played along. Castle placed his palm over her 'wound' and pressed down hard to stem the flow of blood from the packet. He didn't want to press down too hard as to negate the protection of the vest and force her body into further trauma. Even with Kevlar, a bullet at that range would cause a lot of bruising and pain, and Castle didn't want Beckett to endure any more of that. Emotional or physical.

Esposito and Ryan were in pursuit of the sniper, guns drawn and ready for battle. Castle suspected that Kate likely didn't let them in on her plan. Their chase after the shooter was motivated by their dedication and brotherly affection towards Kate, mixed in with revenge and rage.

Another gunshot rebounded through the headstones. Castle turned his head to find Esposito and Ryan handcuffing the sniper as they held him to the ground. Detective Karpowski and Officer Hastings approached the pair to take over the arrest and urged them to be by Beckett's side.

Lanie approached Kate with the emergency kit she kept in the back of her car. The medical examiner started to tend to Kate's wound but was shocked when she saw the blood pack and Kevlar instead of intestines and skin.

"What in the hell!" She looked at Castle, her face frozen in shock. "Did you know anything about this?" He shook his head as Ryan and Esposito approached them with exhausted faces.

"Did you get the guy?" Castle asks them.

It took them a while to catch their breath. Esposito spoke up first, "Yeah, that bastard is going to rot in his own special type of hell selected for the devil himself."

"And that is my cue to start breathing again." Kate said as she started to sit up. She winced in pain as a result of the vest's protection.

Jim Beckett approached the group at the sight of his daughter's resurrection. His face, once distraught and filled with pain, was lit up with joy when he saw his Katie come back to life.

It was also then that the chaos started. Everyone talked at once. "I thought you got shot!" came from Ryan. Esposito looked back and forth between Kate's bright and cheerful face to the blood pack that she had ripped off her stomach onto the grass next to her. Lanie was clearly exasperated, "Girl, what are you doing? What in the world were you thinking pulling off a stunt like that!"

Castle was oblivious to their comments. His only focus was the fact that Kate was alive.

"Rick," Kate's was the only voice he could hear. He pulled her up to stand and immediately her arms were around him, pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you." He pulled her tighter, not wanting to let her go, forgetting about her likely injuries for the moment.

She pulled back slightly and looked straight into his eyes. She had his full attention, everything else was a blur, the moment was their own and nobody could ever interrupt it. He was engrossed in her beauty. Her eyes told him everything he wanted to know. They were so full of life, compassion and love. He resisted the urge to kiss her in front of her family and friends. They were in their own little alternate reality, they only noticed each other.

"You guys finished your moment yet?" questioned Esposito, which brought Castle and Beckett back to reality. Everyone else was silent after witnessing what had just happened, and in the corner of his eye Castle could see Ryan and Esposito slip Lanie a 50 each. Apparently, there was a bet going he wasn't part of.

Jim Beckett was the first to approach Kate. He pulled her gently away from Castle and into his arms. While Jim ensured his daughter's safety, Martha and Alexis rushed up to the group.

"Richard, would you mind explaining what just happened to the rest of us who assumed that Kate was shot and bleeding out!" yelled Martha.

"Yeah girl, you didn't even think to mention to anybody that you were going to fake your own death at somebody else's funeral! I mean, it's great that I got my 100 from Ryan and Javier, but did you have to go to such extremes?" questioned Lanie.

"Look," said Kate, "I had this feeling that a shooter would turn up at the Captain's funeral. That it wasn't over yet. So I bought a slim line Kevlar vest and wore it underneath my uniform, and a pack of fake blood to make it look like I'd been shot. I couldn't use a NYPD vest, they're too bulky, and I didn't want it to be traced back to the station either."

Throughout her explanation Kate avoided the eyes of her interrogators, as though talking to the ground would take away some of the impact of her words. She didn't want them to be angry at her for this, even if it had saved her life. Yes, she was focused on catching her mother's killer, but Castle's angry words and the last actions of her Captain had been percolating in her mind over the few days since the night at the hangar. She wasn't going to let Montgomery's death be in vain. She didn't want to keep going through this crusade blindly as to disregard her life. She didn't want to die for this. She couldn't put her Dad through that — nor Castle.

"The only way I could guarantee that everyone's reaction was authentic was by not telling anyone. I was confident that Ryan and Esposito would go after the shooter when he shot me. It was the only way I could think of to finally get a lead on my mother's case."

Kate gave her father another embrace, and whispered in his ear, "She's going to be at peace soon, Dad."

A wince crossed Beckett's face while in her father's arms, which kicked Lanie into both Doctor and Best Friend mode. "Sweetie, you've still been hurt by that bullet. You need to get checked out. Even with the vest, you could still have some broken ribs or other internal injuries."

"But Lanie-"

"Don't fight me on this, Kate. Don't think I haven't seen you hiding that pain."

"Does it have to be the hospital?"

"At least let the good doctor here check you out Katie, give us all some peace of mind." Jim said softly into the ear of his daughter.

Kate reluctantly agreed, and was led off by Lanie and her Dad towards Lanie's van to be checked out. As they walked away from the group, she directed a small smile towards Castle, which she hoped conveyed her gratitude but also the ache inside her regarding his confession.

With the Becketts' departure with Lanie, Ryan and Esposito headed straight to the 12th Precinct with their captured assassin, ready for the oncoming fight for justice. They were taking no chances with this case. They finally had an advantage, and were not going to waste it.

The rest of the funeral mourners were left in the aftermath of what could have been.

Back at the Loft, Castle reflected on what was an emotion fuelled day. The image of Kate lying below him was permanently seared into his visual cortex.

Oh, God! He'd confessed to Beckett how he felt. He thought she was dying, but she was conscious and could hear every word. Remembering their fight a few days ago, combined with his confession to her today, he wouldn't be surprised if Beckett shut him out for a while or even permanently.

But, if he recalled correctly, she seemed almost sweet on him in the aftermath of the 'shooting'. Her smiles, thanks, and embrace all told him that she at least appreciated him.

The pessimistic side of his thought fought back. She'd just escaped another attempt on her life. She would have been relieved at the success of her plan. Her thoughts on the matter of his admission may well have been masked by the immediate capture of the sniper and her injuries. She was focused on her mother's murder rather than living.

She must have thought that someone would still be after her, even after Montgomery's sacrifice. Making an attempt on her life during Montgomery's funeral would not only be opportunistic, but also bring the epic narrative of Johanna Beckett's murder full circle. Montgomery's involvement sparked the conspiracy, and his death would be the catalyst for Kate's supposed end. Poetic, from a writer's perspective.

They did also share that moment before Beckett Senior arrived, so maybe hope wasn't all lost.

To distract himself from the rebounding thoughts regarding his confession and Beckett's response, Castle decided to watch a movie. One that was free of snipers, conspiracies, and dying declarations of love.

Castle was half way through the movie when a knock resounded from the front door. He got up and as soon as he opened the door a warm body thrust itself into his arms. It didn't take long to figure out that it was Kate snuggled in his arms. She had that distinct cherry smell that nobody had but her. He was mindful of her injuries as he placed his arms around her, drawing her closer into his embrace.

She broke off the hug, "We need to talk about what happened at the funeral today."

They moved into the loft and to opposite ends of the lounge, still facing each other. "You already explained why you did what you did and I totally understand—"

Kate interrupted him. "No, not about that, though we should probably talk about that at some point. I'm talking about your admission, Castle. Did you mean it? Because I get it, you thought I was going to die and to see me bleeding out—", she rambled whilst avoiding his gaze.

"Wait, no. No, Kate." She looks up at him with open shocked eyes. "It wasn't … I meant it, Kate. I love you. I have for a while. It wasn't a heat of the moment confession for me."

She's breathless as he divulges his heart and silence seeped over them.

"Castle…I…" Her words burst into the quiet as Castle braces for her reaction. "…You were right, I've been hiding and holding out on living my life because of all this. After our fight, and with you carrying me out of the hanger, it just… it reminded me of how you've stood by my side in this battle. The whole time. And that I've been denying myself — my heart — the thing it wants. The person it wants."

Castle hesitates "…Not Josh?"

Kate chuckled in response, "No, not Josh, Castle. My heart was never fully in it with him, and to be honest, I don't think his was either."

She looks directly into his piercing blue eyes, "I may not be ready to say it back to you yet, but I want to see what we can be, Rick."

Her confession stunned him "I want that too, Kate."

He slid to her side of the lounge and wrapped his arms around her, and he never wanted to let her go. He tentatively pressed his lips to her cheek. She initially tensed, but an expression of contentment was visible on her face when he pulled back. With determination, she leaned forward and their lips met. What started as soft and sweet became passionate as he traced his tongue over her lips to deepen the kiss. Rick traced his hand over her ribs, which caused Kate to let out a yelp of pain, breaking them apart.

"Sorry, Kate, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Castle, just a few bruises I need to be careful of." Kate reassured him.

Still cradling her side, she asked, "Would you mind if I stayed here the night? After what happened today I thought I might need some company, but I wouldn't want to impose..."

"Of course you can stay! Mother is at somebody's house, I don't know whose, and Alexis is upstairs. She loves you too, you know." As Castle said that, her lips morphed into the biggest smile he'd ever seen from her. He had finally broken through her tough female detective onion layer and was now greeted with the real Kate.

She snuggled up to him on the lounge and they finished the movie together. Castle wasn't paying attention, he was too intoxicated by the woman pressed against his chest. He finally had Kate Beckett for himself and nobody could tear them apart.

About 20 minutes later Kate was asleep in his arms. He turned off the TV with the remote and fell into a deep sleep.

They laid there, finding solace in each other after the emotional roller-coaster of a day, and dreamed of their future together.

A/N:

Please stay safe everyone