For the wonderful ray of sunshine that runs castlefanficquotes, who prompted this on Twitter the other night. I hope it's satisfactory! Similarities to any other fics is completely unintentional. Some dialogue from the episode. Thank you for giving me an excuse to watch this scene several…dozen…times…for research.

Prompt: Beckett's the one to say "that was amazing" or something similar in knockdown :)

PERIPETEIA
Noun: a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal.

"That was amazing."

She freezes when the words slip past her lips without permission, and she hopes more than anything that he didn't hear her, that she muttered low enough to go unnoticed.

But of course he hears. The man doesn't miss a thing when it comes to her.

"What?"

She turns slowly to see him staring at her, his jaw slack, an incredulous look on his face. Her lips are tingling, begging to feel his again, to taste the trace of coffee and gum and something else that's just so him.

"Kate…"

"Not now," she interrupts. She pushes her desire down, ignores the heat curling low in her gut, the instinct to pull him back into her arms. They're here to save Ryan and Esposito, and besides that, she has a boyfriend. She can't cheat on Josh. She won't. No matter how much she wants Castle – and now that she knows what he tastes and feels like, oh how she wants him – he wouldn't want that either.

So she wipes her hands on her pants to keep them for reaching for him and glances at the guard to make sure he's still unconscious. "Let's go. Yeah."

The legs she walks on aren't entirely steady.

He loses himself in the moment. As soon as he sees Lockwood freeze, he knows the man has Kate in his sights. He can't let her get shot. He won't. So he jumps, leaps onto the hitman, the rifle clattering away. But Castle only sees the man underneath him, and he knocks Lockwood out with three quick but fierce punches.

He stares for a moment, knuckles bleeding and chest heaving, waiting for Lockwood to stir so he can hit him again.

"You okay?"

Her voice cuts through the fog in his brain and he looks up at her, beautiful and concerned and alive, and he's pretty sure she's glowing. "Huh?"

She just stares, and he looks down at the unconscious man beneath him, back up to the woman he's only recently realized he loves. "Never been better."

She takes a step closer, holstering her gun before reaching for him. "Come on, backup should be here."

They untie Ryan and Esposito and stay with them for the few minutes it takes for SWAT to sweep the building. Once the paramedics take them, both men protesting the help, she takes Castle's uninjured hand and leads him outside.

Castle's heart skips a beat at the touch of her skin. "Where are we going?"

She pulls him around the corner, out of sight from the chaos in front. "You're going to get that checked out," she says, nodding towards his right hand. "But first, I'm going to do this."

Her lips are on his before he can react, and this time he's the one who moans when she nips at his lip. He feels her hands cup his jaw, holding him in place, but it's not necessary; he's not going anywhere. He reaches up to tangle his fingers in her hair, but as soon as her hair brushes against his split knuckles he pulls away with a hiss.

She immediately apologizes, for getting distracted or carried away or something, but he isn't even paying attention. His eyes are glued to her lips, and he wants them again. Wants her, forever. Just two tastes and he's addicted.

"Hey," she says firmly, and he realizes she stopped talking. "Let's get you to a paramedic."

"I'm fi—"

"Shut up, Castle."

They give their statements to different officers, him while his hand is being treated and wrapped, and when the paramedic is done she climbs into the back of the ambulance to sit across from him. "Hey there, Chuck Norris," she teases, taking the gauze he's unwrapped – why do they always wrap it so tight? – and curling it back around his hand.

He can only stare at her as she bites her bottom lip in concentration. "How are Ryan and Esposito?"

She shrugs. "Mild hypothermia, wounded pride." She cocks her eyebrow at him. "Guess which one will heal first."

He smiles, and they fall silent. He has so much he wants to say. I love you. I want you. Come home with me. But he says nothing, waits for her to finish re-wrapping his hand.

Finally she's done, smoothing the gauze so it's flat, and takes his left hand in hers yet again. "I don't want you to think I don't want this," she starts, and his heart sinks for a moment.

God, here it comes.

She seems to see the crestfallen look that comes over his features, because she's quick to continue. "I do, Rick. I really do. But I can't do anything until I end things with Josh." She sighs. "He should be back in a couple days. Just let me talk to him first, okay? Then I'm all yours."

He smiles in relief. She wants to do it right; after the way his first marriage ended, he can respect that. In fact, he wouldn't want it any other way. "I'm going to hold you to that," he says quietly, cradling her cheek with his injured hand, wincing slightly at the movement of his knuckles.

She smiles and covers his hand with hers. "Thank you for having my back in there."

His grin widens, and he leans forward, brushes his lips against her forehead, eyes locked on hers when he pulls back. "Always."

-FIN-