Prison of Darkness

Notes: Here we are, the final chapter. This is my favorite chapter out of the whole story. I really hope you guys love it, and I hope the ride was worth it. Thanks for all the nice reviews and for the alerts. Observer101, I can't believe you read the entire story in one day. Wow! halaci, I hope this gives you that little bit of fun and happiness to help you survive the rest of your week. This chapter is for everyone who knows in their heart that Kate Beckett can kick ass.

Disclaimer: I still don't Kate, Rick, Martha, Alexis, Javier, Josh, Gina, Kevin, Roy, or Lanie...

XXX

Chapter 15

Kate, Castle, Nahla, and Jacek went around a corner and came face to face with a tall, balding man with a regal, stone-like face. He had such an air of power around him that Kate could physically feel it, and he knew he had to be Rithisak. Behind him were two huge men that made Castle look like somebody's discarded doll.

His eyes widened as he took in Nahla and Jacek and then Kate and Castle. After just a few seconds, a smile came to his face. It was the creepiest thing Kate had ever seen.

"Going somewhere, Richard Castle?" he asked.

Although he spoke to Castle, his eyes were on Kate. She knew with deadly certainty that he had figured out, with just that one glance, that she was the one Castle had brought with him.

"Just for a walk," Castle said brightly. "After a month in that cell, I needed some exercise."

"Funny, Mr. Castle. Very funny." His voice reminded Kate of hate mail. Threatening letters from psychotics that were unremarkable and almost normal in their madness.

"No, really," Castle protested innocently.

"You are walking the wrong way," Rithisak said calmly. "The ritual chamber is this way."

Kate had a fleeting thought of outrunning the sorcerer and his two thugs. As if he heard her thoughts, Rithisak glanced at her.

"There is no escape, friend of Richard Castle. If you try to run, I will stop you."

She looked at Jacek, who still had his blade drawn. The swordsman was frowning so deeply, it looked as if he might crack his face. Murderous anger lurked in his eyes. Suddenly, he snarled and lunged at Rithisak.

The sorcerer held up his hand and said a word. Jacek froze in mid motion. He was as still as stone.

"Jacek!" Nahla cried out and touched her cousin's arm.

Kate put her body in between the sorcerer and Castle. There was no way she was going to lose him again.

"Take them," Rithisak ordered.

His Neanderthals moved forward, quick for their size.

"You have a decision to make now, friend of Richard Castle," Rithisak said as one of the men reached for Nahla. The small Mystic danced out of the way and held out her hand. He backhanded her as she was about to speak, and her spell went unsaid. She tumbled to the stone with the force of the blow.

"Leave her alone," Kate said, torn between her desire to save Castle and her concern for Nahla.

Rithisak continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You must decide whether to wake yourself up and leave Richard Castle to his fate or to stay here and try to save him. If you try the former, he dies and I win. If you try the latter, you will fail, both of you will die, and I win. Either way, I gain the power to Shadow Walk."

"Maybe you'd better leave, Beckett," Castle said seriously.

She glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm not leaving you here."

"How touching," Rithisak sneered.

The other one of his goons reached for her, and she batted his hands away.

"No need to be so gentle, Yerik. They only have to be alive. Broken is okay."

This time, the man grabbed her roughly. Kate struggled but was unable to break free. Her blows had no effect on him, and she felt as if she were hitting rocks. She was helpless as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

Rithisak took Castle's arm almost gently. "Your rescuers are all subdued, Castle. Will you come quietly?"

Kate struggled more. If she could just free herself, maybe she could save him. Even if she threw him out of a window and he woke up. She'd do anything to save him...

XXX

The blow was completely unexpected. Her face stung and she was seeing stars. Kate blinked, confused, as another blow split her lip. The gorilla had overpowered her, why was he beating her? And why was she looking up and not down?

Light burned into her eyes, and she tried to blink tears away. What was going on? Had she passed out?

A face swam in front of her. She tried to focus on it, but her head was ringing.

"How dare you cheat on me?" A voice roared. "You'll have to pay. You're mine. Mine!"

The voice stabbed into her brain. That face. She knew that face. Where did she know it from? It wasn't Rithisak or any of his toys. Who then?

"Are you listening to me? Sit up when I speak to you."

There was a glitter of metal and things fell into place. Woon. Michael Woon. But he wasn't in the Prison of Darkness. He was in New Jersey or New York City.

She was awake.

Rough hands picked her up and shook her, shaking the last of her sleep away. The knife in his hand was cold against her skin but miraculously didn't cut her.

She didn't have time for this. She had to go back and save Castle. It might already be too late.

When he let go of her to hit her again, she lunged at him.

"Mine," he said again as she tackled him to the floor. "You are mine!"

She went for the knife, trying to pry it from his grip. Despite his chunky build, the man was strong and refused to let go. They grappled for it, a mass of arms, legs, elbows, and knees.

He broke free and rolled away. Kate grabbed for him and missed. She was rewarded with an elbow to the cheek. It really hurt. She winced and felt blood drip down from the nicks she had received earlier as they reopened.

Woon scrambled to his feet, and Kate was right behind him. He grinned at her.

"You know you're mine, now."

"I'm not yours, Michael. I never was, and I never will be," she said calmly.

His face twisted, and he lashed at her with the knife. "If I can't have you, no one can."

"You don't even know me."

"Of course I know you. I love you."

He came closer, and his face softened. Kate thought she might be able to get the knife from him, so she reached for it. Woon surprised her by grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. He raised the knife so that the tip was touching her chin.

"Give me the knife, Michael. No one needs to get hurt."

"I saw you with him," he said quietly. "I saw him hug you and kiss you. No one is allowed to hug you and kiss you but me. You have to be punished. You must see it."

He put a little pressure on the knife, and it split the skin slightly, adding another trickle of blood to the ones already running down her face. Kate could taste the blood from her lip. It filled her mouth with a coppery tang.

Woon took the knife and lovingly caressed her neck with it. Kate didn't even dare to swallow.

"You have to know this is for your own good."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill you," he said sadly. "It's the only way."

The knife came up to gently touch her cheek as it had her neck. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to snarl.

"Sit down," he told her, taking the knife away. "I want you to tell me why you thought you could get away with..."

Suddenly, the door burst open. It banged loudly and two men came through looking fierce and terrible.

"Put the knife down," Esposito roared.

Both he and Ryan were wearing their vests, and there guns were pointed at Michael Woon.

A ripple of shock went over Woon's face. In his moment of inattention, Kate knocked the knife out of his limp hand and threw him to the floor on his face. He struggled, but she had no time for his nonsense.

"Cuffs," she grunted, holding out her hand.

Ryan put his gun away and handed her his. Esposito's arm never wavered. His face was full of fury and determination. He didn't move until Kate had Woon securely handcuffed.

"Nice timing, boys," Kate said as she got to her feet. She swayed slightly and the room spun. She chalked it up to the repeated blows to the face.

"Are you okay?" Esposito demanded.

"Just a little banged up." She imagined what she must look like to them with her face bleeding and swelling and full of bruises—or at least it would be soon.

"Someone reported seeing him here. We had his picture in every hotel and bus station in the city. If we had only figured out his obsession with you sooner..."

"Hey, you caught him."

"Do you need a doctor?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, wiping at her lip with her arm. "I've got to go back."

He frowned at her. "Back where?"

"To sleep. I have to get back to sleep." Now that the scene with Michael was over, her fear for Castle returned to hit her right between the eyes. Her body began to tremble as she thought of how much time might already have passed. Urgency clenched her stomach, and she found herself balling her hands into fists.

Esposito shared a look with Ryan and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"You don't understand," she said in exasperation, not daring to explain. "Everything will be fine if I just go back to sleep."

"You're going to a hospital. I want a doctor to look at you."

Kate shook her head.

"I want you to get checked for a concussion. I'm not leaving without you."

Kate's eyes widened at his tone. She was used to having him obey her without question. His eyes were full of concern but firm. Kate glanced at Ryan. The usually easy going detective was nodding in agreement.

"If you take me to the hospital, who is going to bring him in?" She indicated Woon, who was glaring at them from the floor.

"I'll bring him in," Esposito conceded, "but you've got to agree to go to the hospital with Ryan."

"Fine. Fine. Just hurry."

The two men picked Woon off of the floor. While they were distracted, Kate tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans and covered it with her shirt.

As she grabbed her coat, Kate glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. There shouldn't be many people in the halls. Even Grace Lowe, another permanent resident of the hotel who walked her cat, Ace, at unusual hours, would be long in bed.

Esposito went with Woon in his car, so Kevin had to drive Kate's. He opened her door and buckled her belt as if she were an invalid. When he slipped into the driver's side, he reached into his pocket and fished out a hanky. It was a fancy linen one, embroidered with the initials "K.R."

"Here, you might need this."

She took the handkerchief from him and dabbed at all the places that stung. She couldn't help but wince when she touched her swollen lip.

As Ryan pulled into traffic, exhaustion hit. Kate leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Maybe she could go to sleep. Maybe she would be on time...

XXX

Rick stood in the middle of a spooky circle trying to wiggle his way out of invisible bonds. The room was round and stuffy. There were no windows, and the only light came from several sconces scattered around the room. Their flames flickered along the walls and floor, making the already creepy room even creepier.

It was filled with all manner of strange things. In fact, to Rick, it looked like every evil sorcerer lair he had ever imagined or seen in the movies. If the situation wouldn't have been so dire, he probably would have laughed at the cliche. There were dead things in jars, evil looking instruments and containers, and books everywhere.

Beckett's friends were nearby. The man was slumped over on the floor and the girl, not much older than Alexis, was being held by one of the goons.

They had been brought here soon after Beckett disappeared. Rick had fought and struggled, but his captor seemed to have hands of iron and arms of steel.

The sorcerer had easily put him in the circle and, once in, Rick hadn't been able to get out. He still had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he was no longer in New York and that something had happened to Beckett. She never would have left voluntarily. He hoped she was safe.

As if being put in the circle wasn't bad enough, the sorcerer had also wrapped him in chains he couldn't see so he couldn't move. All he could do was watch the man sharpen his evil looking knife. The hilt was jeweled and the blade was curved. Rick had a feeling that he was going to become intimately familiar with it.

The scraping of blade on stone seemed to go on forever. The sound reached into Rick's mind and set his teeth on edge.

His thoughts turned to Alexis as the chanting started. If he died, he would never see her grow up. He wouldn't be there when she needed him. He ached for the hurt she would feel.

Rick's hope was almost gone when the door to the chamber flew open. His jaw dropped at the vision that entered. Kate's face and been nicked and worn the last time he saw her, but now it was battered and bruised. She looked as if someone had used her for a punching bag.

Still, she was glorious. Her long hair was unbound, and there was fire blazing in her green eyes. Her jeans and shirt were torn, but the jacket over top showed none of the same wear.

She strode into that evil den as if she owned the place. The look she gave the evil sorcerer was one Rick had only had aimed at him once before. Once was enough.

"If you want a fight, Rithisak," she said calmly, "you've got one."

The sorcerer stopped chanting, and Rick found he could move again. He waved his arms around a few times just to make sure. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jacek begin to stir. He tried to leave the circle, but an invisible barrier held him back.

Rithisak, as she had called him, turned to look at her. Rick could hear the sneer in his voice as he said, "The only power you have is borrowed from Richard Castle. I have nothing to fear from you."

Beckett just gave him one of her amused, condescending smiles. She was good at those.

Angrily, his attention still distracted from Rick and Jacek, the sorcerer raised his hand towards Beckett. An arc of flame shot from his fingers.

Beckett was fast. She dropped and rolled behind a nearby table piled high with books. Rithisak's flame scorched the door and nothing more.

Protected, mostly, by the table, Rick saw Beckett's head pop up. There was a loud noise and a flash. The bullet went wide and dug into the stone of the wall. Another arc of fire shot from Rithisak's hand. It ignited Beckett's table, and Castle held his breath. Fear for her made his palms start to sweat, and he had to sit down.

Another shot rang out. This time, it didn't come from behind the table but a little to the left. Rick could barely see Beckett behind a big stuffed chair.

The sorcerer let out a cry as the bullet tore into the flesh of his shoulder. He staggered but didn't fall, his face as white as milk. Pain and fury twisted his face into a horrific mask. He began to chant, spitting out the words and rubbing his uninjured hand through his own blood. He rubbed it through his fingers and he seemed to crackle with power.

Rick forced himself to his feet, determined to stop him before he killed Becket...Somehow. If he could get out of the circle, he would tackle the other man to the ground.

The sorcerer stopped chanting in mid word, and his body went stiff. His breath went all bubbly. From his vantage point of seeing Rithisak from the side, Rick saw two things happen. One, blood started to pour from Rithisak's mouth and flow down his chin. The second was that the hilt of a knife suddenly sprouted from the sorcerer's back like the handle of a toy. Rithisak struggled for a fraction of a second, fighting the inevitable, before pitching forward.

Jacek, who was swordless but apparently not daggerless, was calmly getting to his feet. A satisfied expression lightened his stern face. Nahla, her guard asleep at her feet, ran to her cousin and threw her arms around him. There were tears on her face.

The sound of someone coughing brought Rick's attention away from them, and he was rushing from the circle.

"Kate!" he cried.

The room was filling with smoke. The table was still crackling and burning merrily, and Rick had a sudden flashback of fighting his way through flames for her before.

"I'm okay," she said, appearing from behind the chair. A smudge of ash had joined the blood on her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Other than losing a couple of years of my life from fright? Yeah, I'm okay."

The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile as her eyes searched his face.

"Now, can you tell me what's going on?" he pleaded.

"Soon, Castle. We've got to get out of here." She looked over at Nahla and Jacek. "Are you okay?"

Nahla, still tightly holding onto her cousin, said, "I think so." Her voice was shaky, and she sounded very young.

"Other than angry that the bastard broke my best sword?" Jacek echoed Rick, "Yeah, I'm okay too."

"Great. Why don't we get out of here?"

"Good idea." The warrior stopped to check Rithisak and retrieve his dagger. "He's dead."

Rick saw Kate avoid looking at the sorcerer. "Thanks for having my back, Jacek."

"No problem."

XXX

As they made their way through the keep, Kate found herself glancing at Castle often. It was hard for her to believe that he was finally there with her.

The four of them went quietly, afraid they would get caught before they could escape. If they were lucky, they'd reach the tunnel before anyone knew Rithisak was dead.

Though Jacek acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Nahla looked a little worse for wear. Her face was too pale, and her eyes were too wide. Kate hoped she would be able to put this experience behind her.

The ritual chamber wasn't far from the bathing chamber Kate had found Rick in. She saw recognition go over his face as they traveled quickly down the long, door lined hallway.

They didn't see anyone as they moved further into the prison towards the kitchens. Mouth watering smells made Kate's stomach growl. She was also feeling light headed and a little dizzy, but that could have been living through two fights in as many hours. Her head still hurt from repeated blows from Michael Woon's large hands.

"Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck in for a piece of whatever smells so good?" Castle asked as if in response to her thoughts.

"We can eat when we're safe," she told him.

Besides the clinking of pans as they passed the kitchens, the Prison of Darkness was as quiet as a tomb. It was almost as if it knew its master was dead.

Kate tried not to think about the fact that she had left a dead man behind her. Even though she hadn't killed him, she had never intended to, it still felt as if his death were somehow her fault. She tried to focus on the fact that Rithisak was evil and move on, but it was hard.

With Jacek's remarkable sense of direction, they had no problem finding the deserted section of the keep. Footprints in the dust marked their previous passage, and they led them right to the storage room door.

Nahla was the first one there, and she opened it for the others. The room was still completely dark, so the young Mystic made one of her hovering balls of light. It wasn't quite as bright as it had been the last time.

When Nahla reached for the painting, Kate put a hand on her arm. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Sometime very soon, when we are away from the prison, the spell it has over Castle will fade and we'll disappear. I might not get another chance to say this."

Nahla looked at her expectantly so Kate drew the younger woman to her in a quick hug.

"Thank you, Nahla, for all your help. I could never have found him without you."

Nahla returned her hug. "I'm glad I met you, Kate."

The two of them smiled at each other, and then Nahla continued, "Maybe, if your Richard Castle brings you with him in the future, I'll see you again."

"I'll wear the ring." She turned to Jacek. "I wanted to thank you too, Jacek. I was sure I'd have to protect Castle from you, and...well, I was wrong."

Jacek held out his hand and Kate shook it.

"We'd better go," he said.

As Nahla moved the painting, Castle turned to Kate with a raised eyebrow. "Your Richard Castle?"

"Don't ask."

The stone steps felt even steeper and narrower and grungier than before. Nahla started down first, then Castle, then Kate. Jacek brought up the rear.

They were about halfway down when Rick stopped and turned to say something. His mouth opened...and then he was gone. A sudden fear gripped Kate. Had Rithisak faked his own death? Had he found a way to take Castle away from her again?

XXX

Kate jerked awake to find herself in her car beside the hospital entrance.

"We're here, Beckett," Ryan said.

She turned and saw him looking at her as if she were some sort of alien thing. His eyes were full of concern and something else. Uncertainty?

Kate didn't have time to analyze it. She unbuckled and threw aside her seatbelt and opened the door. She didn't even bother to close it as she raced towards the entrance. This was the same hospital where Castle was a patient.

"Beckett? Where are you going?" She heard Ryan's voice behind her but didn't even slow down.

She received many strange looks as she ran down the halls, but no one tried to stop her. She didn't want to take the time to wait for an elevator, so she took the stairs.

On Castle's floor, Martha and Alexis were talking quietly in the lounge. Kate didn't stop to talk to them, but she waved as she went past. Both of them had identical looks of surprise on their faces, but Kate guessed that could have had as much to do with her appearance as anything else. She knew her face had suffered a little from the very long night. It had only been a couple of hours here, but it must have been about eight for her since she and her friends had entered the tunnel leading to the Prison of Darkness.

When she got to Castle's door, she slowed. She was almost afraid to open it. Reaching out, she swallowed and prepared herself.

The first thing she saw when she opened the door was a face filled with amazement. Nicole Keller, a young nurse she had gotten to know quite well since Castle's shooting, was standing there with wide eyes.

"Detective Beckett, you're just in time. He's awake...and his wound...his wound is...Excuse me. I've got to go see if his family is still here." A smile lit the nurse's face. "Oh...and tell the doctor..." Nurse Keller's voice trailed off, and she seemed to really see Kate for the first time. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kate assured her. "Go, do what you have to do."

Uncertainty went through the woman's eyes, but she nodded and rushed out of the room. Kate's gaze snapped from her retreating form to Castle.

He was sitting up in his hospital bed looking rather stunned. His eyes had turned to Kate at the nurse's words.

Shock gave way to concern. "Are you all right?"

She laughed. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Hungry. Confused. But fine."

She sighed and walked on shaky legs to the chair beside his bed. She collapsed into it, afraid if she didn't she'd fall over.

"Did that really happen? Was that real?" he asked her.

"It felt pretty real."

"Can you tell me what happened now?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wondering how to explain.

"Well," she finally started. "I guess it all started with the concept of Shadow Walking..."

That was as far as she got before the door burst open to reveal an exuberant redhead.

"Dad!" The girl ran in and leaped at her father. Castle was ready for her and buried her in a warm and loving hug.

Martha entered the room with more dignity, but Kate could see the relief in her eyes.

"Are you finally awake, Richard?" she said calmly. "I thought you were going to sleep forever."

Kate was going to get up to give the older woman her chair, but she found she couldn't. Dizzy exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. The room began to spin, and it wouldn't stop. Gripping the chair's armrests didn't help, and Kate found herself sliding out of her chair.

Martha's cry of "Kate" was the last thing she heard before blackness swallowed her whole.

XXX

Kate woke to the sound of rain tapping on a window pane. She lay there with her eyes closed for a minute, enjoying the feeling of waking up from a deep and dreamless sleep.

Her body was sore and definitely feeling the after effects of her struggle with Michael Woon. She wondered how a man that unstable had not set off any warning flags before he killed someone.

Her face was sore too. Even without touching it, she could feel a slight throb. She imagined it must be full of bruises by now. Her tongue tentatively touched her bottom lip. She winced at a twinge of pain but was satisfied to discover the swelling had gone down.

She blinked open her eyes to find herself in a small, very white hospital room. She was still in her clothes and lying on top of the sheets, so she hadn't been admitted, at least.

"Beckett?"

She turned her head to see Castle standing by the door. He was watching her with a worried frown.

"Yeah, I'm awake."

"I thought you were never going to wake up."

This comment made her chuckle as she sat up and slung her feet out onto the floor.

"You've been asleep for hours," he continued, coming towards her.

"I was tired. Being beat up and then surviving a gun fight sometimes does that to you."

He frowned, not looking amused at all. "The doctor said you don't have a concussion. You can go home at any time."

Home to her hotel room where she was attacked while she was asleep. She decided not to think about that for right now.

"Are you being released?"

"I've been released. Eight hours ago. There was nothing wrong with me, except for a little malnutrition, so there was no reason to keep me."

"Eight hours ago? How long was I asleep?"

"Sixteen hours."

"I guess I was tired." She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Your gunshot wound?"

"Nothing but a scar." He grinned. "Something to show off and help me get..."

Kate raised her hand. "Castle. Too. Much. Information."

"Sorry. Need help?"

"I've been standing on my own since I was one." To prove this, she pushed herself to her feet.

"You know," he said, watching her as if he thought she'd keel over at any moment, "you still haven't told me what happened. Where was I? How did I get there? How did you get there? How was it possible for me to be asleep in one place and awake in another?"

Kate twisted the gold band on her finger, wondering what to say. Coming from her, with her former beliefs, it would sound like hypocrisy. Still, he deserved to know. More than that, he needed to know in case something like it came up again.

"I'll tell you what, Castle. You bring me to Remy's and we'll discuss it over a big fat cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake."

He brightened. "It's been a long time since I had one of their burgers. In fact, it's been a long time since I've eaten anything that didn't taste like mushed up newspapers. Let's go."

He held out his arm to her, and she took it. She felt a little bad for getting some of the grime off of her clothes onto his, but he didn't seem to mind.

Just before they headed out the door, he paused.

"Kate?"

"What is it?"

His eyes were very serious as he looked down at her and said, "Thanks for coming to get me."

She smiled and replied, "Any time, Castle. Any time."

The End.