::::::::::::::::::::Abandoned warehouse::::::::::

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O'Quinn stood there smiling, contemplating the prize before him. She had certainly made this interesting by escaping, but his main focus was as it had always been: his power. "Nice to meet you Detective, uh, Beckett right?..." he repeated his own introduction of that night, long ago, when he had shook her hand. He wanted her to see her squirm. "Well, you got me to do the exercise my doctor ordered, but now it's time to stop and get to know eachother." He stepped closer "Tell me. Where are the files?"

Kate snapped out of her transe. Files? She realized he wanted something. Kate had some unforeseen leverage and she had to make the most out of it. She needed to buy time. Castle, where the hell are you? Her stance changed, she ignored the pointed gun and focused on the suspect's eyes. She had to bring her A-game to the interrogation of her lifetime. "They all said I couldn't touch you." Her voice was deep and smokey "They aaaall said I couldn't find you." She bit her lip and met his step forward. She nodded "Yet here we are..."

O'Quinn looked at her with amazement. "I have to admit, Katie..." He lowered his gun slightly and slid his hand across her right cheek "It will be a shame to kill you..."

Castle finally approached them. Kate's back was turned to him, and he saw O'Quinn touch her. He raised the gun. Between the position of the bodies and the darks shadows behind the crates, he couldn't get a clear shot. Holding the gun in a locked aimed he called out "Sorry to crash this special reunion party, but you've got my date at gunpoint and I really want her back."

O'Quinn was agile and grabbed Kate's neck in a arm hold and twisted her around. She became a human shield between himself and the writer-guy's gun. He stood and pointed his gun at her chest. More annoyed than surprised he said "You are the writer-guy, right? You just can't seem to walk away from this one, hun?" When Kate struggled, his hold tightened, blocking her airways and sending a piercing pain to Kate's larynx that forced her to a coughing halt.

In a painful gasp, Kate answered him "It's Writer-MAN!" Old habits die hard, and three years of playing off each other in tense situations had proven to be successful.

Castle grinned. Her courage never ceased to amaze him. Time and time again, it never faltered. He continued strong "Yeaaah, I kind of have a thing for something I like to call misbehaving..." More seriously, he added, "You can't win here. A task force is on it's way as we speak." Where the hell are you guys? "Now drop. The gun." As the words passed his lips, he felt the difference. Natalie was right!

"Task force? Oh, that's cute." his voice efficiently covered the shadow of doubt that was beginning to emerge. I am in control of this. This guy won't risk me shooting her. "We seem to be having a man of faith versus man of science dilemma, seeing that you have that belief that calvary is coming, and I know of that laws of cause and effect apply to bullet meets head." He paused and joked "You two seem to get yourselves into these kind on situations often, don't you?" he laughed "Let me guess, this how you two met?"

Castle didn't yield "For someone who knows so much about how Coonan died, you seem to be forgetting how that turned out for him..."

O'Quinn retaliated "For a boy-toy writer, you seem to lack the math skills to see that the death count is still in my favor..."

Kate let out an annoyed moan and rolled her eyes, "Are you boy's done, or do I have to get a ruler?" She unlocked her knees to mess with O'Quinn's balance "And it's writer-man. Writer-man!"

Castle pressed his lips and swallowed hard. He tried to read Kate's expression. She looked calm and there was even a hint of a demoniac smile on her face that sent chills down his back. "Put the gun. Down." he repeated, stepping in closer, gripping the gun with both his hands. He could not back down.

O'Quinn had to remain on the upper hand "Is this the first time you are holding a gun, Mr. Castle? Do you know how long it takes to fire one round in her and one in you? I figure by the time you recover from the shock of seeing the lights go out on Detective Barbie here, you'll have three bullets in your chest..." He paused "Tell me where the files are and I'll spare your life." O'Quinn tried to maintain his balance, but Kate's soft but sudden movements were unnerving. "You have a daughter don't you? Sweet young thing too... you wouldn't want her to grow up fatherless... like you did, right?"

Castle had seen this game play through already. He knew what O'Quinn wanted. Two can play that game "I heard you're up for re-election." His voice changed as he mocked the campaign slogan "Terry O'Quinn, for the win, right?" his tone dropped for seriousness "Hard to win when you are in prison...or dead."

"Mr. Castle, my patience is running out. What will it be? The files and a chance of me sparing her life, or do you want to bet both your lives on a showdown?" O'Quinn's hand started to swerve.

"Shoot him Castle!" Kate screamed.

"The files are with the FBI! It's over." Castle admitted. He had kept his best poker face on for too long, he was hoping that O'Quinn might make a mistake. Anything that would allow him a clear shot. That sense of confidence left him when he saw O'Quinn's next move.

The blood drained from O'Quinn's face. Was the writer lying? It suddenly made sense. How else would he have found the LaCerva connection so fast? But how did this escape his moles in the Burreau? They must have used private phone lines!

Kate kept her body loose but alert. It didn't last long. The second she felt it she tightened. He has nothing left to lose. As the barrel's end found rest on her temple, it made a dry sound. This is it. "Rick?" She didn't want there to be any fear in her voice, but there was. Her eyes were flooded.

"Kate don't..." Castle gasped as his grip on the gun became weak.

So many thoughts crossed her mind and fought their way to her mouth. If you knew that these would be your last words, what would you say? In a cracked voice, she continued "Promise me..."

"Say goodbye darling..." O'Quinn interrupted.

"Promise me!"

Castle set aim in hopeless despair. "What?" All he wanted to do was to close his eyes. O'Quinn was right. How could he ever live after seeing... flashlights?

"Put down the gun!"

"NYPD!"

"Drop it a$$hole!"

"Drop it now!"

"FBI!"

The warehouse was suddenly stormed with the armed agents, pointing their illuminated rifles at them and surrounding them. Esposito and Ryan, front and center, threateningly held their rifles up to O'Quinn's head. Esposito's face was the definition of rage.

The distraction allowed Kate to free herself from O'Quinn's hold. She stumbled towards Castle's risen hand, grabbed the gun and ruthlessly pointed it at the Dragon.

O'Quinn studied his options as the faces around him twisted violently as they yelled at him. To him, all was silent, all was set in slow motion. He could see everything, he could feel everything. It felt like centuries of being in sole command of his destiny. Years of building an empire, only for the sense of powerlessness to crumble it like stone walls, crashing all in it's path in a matter of seconds. The tiny lights from the rifles gnawed at him. At him!, who had withstood the bright lights of politics. "So what d'you know...?" he mumbled.

Kate struggled with the idea of putting a bullet in the man's face with all the fibers in her body. Her hand shook, the tears streamed down her face. She could do it. No one would blame me.

Castle's scared hand rested on her shoulder, he whispered "Kate, don't... don't give up on us...".

"Terry! You have options... put the gun down." Agent Jordan intervened. A man like him will not go down quietly, she profiled.

O'Quinn raised his head. He recognized that voice. "Jordan..." he smiled "you know I can't do that dear...

"Yes you can, Terry" she tried to come across as reassuring as possible, using his first name to create a connection between them. "It doesn't have to end like this."

He shrugged his shoulders. "What difference does it make how it ends, when you know it only ends once?" He stared directly into Kate's eyes and raised the gun to his head. He coldly told her "I did it for me." and pulled the trigger.