"How did I get here?" Richard Castle thought as he paused after climbing out of the unmarked patrol car that had been sent to pick him, his daughter and mother up. It's just so unfair. You're on top of the world one day and the next, everything comes crashing down. As his daughter Alexis and mother Martha Rodgers came around from the other side of the car, he exhaled heavily, took Alexis' hand, offered Martha his arm, and the three climbed the steps to the large church.

The sea of police, firefighters, emergency personnel, and city officials got thicker as they walked through the large double doors. An officer in his Class A uniform handed each of them a program. Castle could hardly stand to look at the face on the cover, but realized he didn't have much of a choice. Today would be about her, only her, to honor and celebrate the life of Detective Katherine Beckett.

"I wonder where we should sit," Alexis asked. "It'd probably be wrong for us to sit with the police, but on the other hand you and Beckett-"

"I know," Castle interrupted her. "C'mon. I think I see some seats mid-way up."

"You won't need them." A voice from behind the three of them said. It was Captain Roy Montgomery, Beckett's boss, followed by her former partners Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito. All three were dressed in their best dark suits with their badges attached to their breast pockets. A black band was stretched across each badge, as is customary when the department loses one of its own.

"Jim says Beckett was very fond of all you and thought of you as her extended family. So you're sitting up front with us. Ryan and Esposito here will show you ladies to your seats. Castle, follow me."

Ryan took Alexis' arm and Esposito Martha's as Captain Montgomery lead Castle towards the back of the church where Castle could see an honor guard was gathering, ready to process in at the appointed time. He also caught a glimpse of the one person he was very apprehensive about seeing.

"Jim wants you to be a part of the processional." Captain Montgomery said.

Castle was astonished. "Sir, I-" Castle began to protest, but Montgomery stopped him.

"Look, Castle, I know you blame yourself for getting her into all this in the first place. But let me tell you it wasn't your fault. There's no way you could know that this would happen when you decided to base Nikki Heat on Beckett. None of us blame you, just like she didn't blame you when Coonan was killed." Castle still looked doubtful, so Montgomery continued.

"You see everyone in this room in a uniform or wearing a badge? They all joined the police or fire department or Hazmat squad or whatever because they accept the risk associated with the job. Each one of them knows that every time they go out on a call, something could happen. Now they do their damndest to make sure everything goes like it's supposed to, but … sometimes it just doesn't happen that way. Sometimes things just aren't what they seem to be. A crime scene that looks to be under control can go nuts in an instant you know that. And so does he."

Captain Montgomery gestured towards the man Castle was afraid to approach, Kate Beckett's dad, Jim, who now had no immediate family left. Castle looked back at the Captain, nodded and composed himself.

"Someone from the honor guard will be over in a minute to give you a run through. Until then, just hang tight." Montgomery said.

"OK," Castle answered. Montgomery began walking away, but Castle stopped him. "Captain? I just wanted to thank you for everything. For the whole opportunity, for introducing me not just to her, but to yourself, to Ryan, Esposito, to Lanie, even Perlmutter. It's been an education like no other. And whatever happens with Nikki Heat, I want you to know that I'll always be grateful."

Montgomery grinned. "And I want you to know that as far as I'm concerned you and your family will always be family at the 12th." They both shook hands and Montgomery stepped away to greet some other arrivals.

Castle gathered himself, took a breath and began walking over to Jim Beckett, when a member of the honor guard stopped him and ran through the procession with him. Before he could talk to Kate Beckett's last living family member, he was ushered into his position in line along with Ryan, Esposito, Montgomery, the Police Commissioner, the Mayor of New York City, and Jim Beckett. Behind them were honor guards from all over the city, and the State of the New York, each holding their flags along with a state flag and the U.S. flag. Even some representatives from police departments in neighboring states had come and were lined up behind them.

The congregation fell silent as two bagpipers marched up the center aisle and took up their positions on either side of three easels that displayed blown up images that it pained Castle so much to look at: one of Beckett with her academy class, another of her presumably after she made detective, holding her badge and dressed in those dark suits she wore when they first met, and the third of her as a teenager with her Dad and late mother, Johanna. As they began playing "Amazing Grace", Jim Beckett, flanked by the Mayor and the Commissioner began walking slowly up the center aisle, with Montgomery, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito following. Since Beckett's body was never identified, there would be no casket for pall bearers to carry.

As Castle walked up the aisle, he was surprised to catch glimpses of many familiar faces with whom he and Beckett had worked cases. There was Jeremy Preswick with his now-wife Emma, who looked to be very pregnant; Joanne Delgado, the young woman who Beckett had helped after her mother had been murdered and stuffed into the family's wall safe; Alfred Candela and his daughter; members of the music group Blue Pill; Teodor Hajek, his son and Melissa Talbott; Norman Jessup, the "wordsmith"; Kyra and her husband Greg; Maggie Vega and Lara; and Mickey Carlson. He even thought he saw Brad Dekker, the firefighter whom Beckett almost went on a date with, and her ex-boyfriend, FBI agent Will Sorenson.

As they reached the head of the center aisle, they stopped and waited for the bagpipers to finish the song. When they were done, Jim Beckett stepped into the pew reserved for him at the front. The pew immediately behind was where Alexis, Martha, Lanie Parrish, Beckett's best friend and a Medical Examiner, and Beckett's other female detective friend, Roselyn Karpowski, were seated. As Castle settled himself, he noticed that the Commissioner, Captain Montgomery, Ryan and Esposito were lined up in front of the pictures of Beckett and were standing at attention. In unison, they brought their right arms up in a final silent salute to their fallen sister. They next turned on their heels, and joined Jim Beckett and the Mayor in the front pew.

Castle found he could hardly focus on the service being said. Captain Montgomery's words rang in his ears. The possibility that Kate, this truly extraordinary woman who fascinated him to the point of inspiring a new character for his next successful series of books would be killed when her apartment was bombed by a crazed fan had never ever crossed his mind when he began shadowing her. So, he knew it didn't make sense to blame himself, but he couldn't help it. The pangs hit him every time he looked at Jim Beckett. She'd be alive today if it weren't for me.

When they began working together, he just wanted some good stories to incorporate into a future book or two. Then he figured out that Kate herself was a story, a tragic one that pained her very deeply and drove her to be the tough-skinned, but tremendously empathetic cop that she was. He also learned that the stories weren't just a series of events that eventually led you to an arrest, but that human emotion drove and was a by-product of those events. It wasn't just about telling the story or solving the case, it was about helping someone, getting the family answers, calming their fears, drying their tears, and letting the souls of the dead be at peace.

God, was I arrogant, Castle thought as he came to realize how much he had changed, how much they had both changed, and how much she had changed him. She was so serious when they first met that he wondered if Detective Kate Beckett ever smiled. As the weeks went by, he began to see another side of her – the playful side, the real side, the vulnerable side. She delighted in torturing him with her subtle flirtations as much as he enjoyed flirting back at her. They challenged each other – she challenged him because she didn't fall for his smug charm like so many of the shallow socialites who wanted him to sign their breasts with a sharpie, and he challenged her because he wasn't a cop, but an intelligent writer who thought differently and who was on the surface a smarmy ladies man, but in reality is a loving father who came to care about the victims of the murders they solved. The two had hit their stride of working together, had even begun finishing each other's sentences, as Esposito and Ryan once pointed out, when it happened.

Castle had been at home writing and intermittently thinking of just how much he was enjoying this new path his life had taken with Beckett when his cell phone rang. It was Captain Montgomery calling to tell him that the bomb squad was at Beckett's apartment building trying to diffuse a bomb that was set to go off and destroy her apartment. Ryan and Esposito picked him up in their squad car and they raced over to do what they could.

Castle remembered being surprised by his own feelings during the short car ride. All he could think about was protecting Kate from harm, holding her in his arms, sheltering her from the cruelties of the world that she already knew too well. He would have gladly given all the millions he had earned as a writer to have her sitting next to him, safe and sound. He'd even let her tweak his ear or his nose or shove a bear claw in his mouth if it meant he'd still have her in his life. The thought of never seeing her smile or laugh or roll her eyes at him, never seeing her deconstruct a witness's story in the interrogation room, or sitting at her computer in the precinct was too much. He was sure they would pull up to the scene and find her hard at work helping the bomb squad with the layout of the building or trying to calm her neighbors. She'd be fine, he thought. She's Beckett. She has to be fine.

But as they pulled to within only a couple blocks, they heard the explosion, a booming sound that shook the windows of their car and broke windows in the buildings all around them. The three of them cursed like sailors and Esposito floored the gas. They got as close to the building as they could and stood in shock as flames poured from the corner of the building where they knew Beckett's apartment was located. For the first time since he'd known them, Ryan and Esposito looked completely helpless, like lost children in the middle of a shopping mall on Black Friday. For his part, Castle felt like his shoes had turned to cement blocks. He couldn't move and stood transfixed staring at the burning corner apartment out of which he imagine Beckett was trying to escape. The image of her trapped under rubble barely able to breathe through the smoke got his adrenaline pumping and he suddenly broke into a run, heading straight for the building's front door. But Esposito and Ryan each caught him by an arm. It took another two uniforms to restrain him, ultimately. When he finally quit fighting, he felt the sweat rolling down his cheeks, or what he thought it was sweat. He realized now it was tears.

They stayed on the scene all night that night, doing whatever was needed. With every gurney that was rolled into an ambulance, Castle's heart leapt at the thought that it carried Beckett's injured but still living body. Around every corner he hoped to see her, to run to her, wrap his arms around her, press his lips to hers. He suddenly realized he was in love with her, in love with her like he hadn't been with either of his wives, but like he was with Kyra. He also realized that now he'd never have the chance to tell her. She was gone.

When the service inside the church and the brief ceremony outside were over, Castle, Martha, Alexis, Lanie, Montgomery, Ryan and Esposito headed out of the church to the limousine that was waiting for all of them. Castle held the door for Alexis and Martha, but stopped Lanie before she got in and gave her a hug. Until this point, Lanie had let silent tears fall down her cheeks throughout the service, but now, as Castle held her, she couldn't hold back any longer. She wept quietly on his shoulder for almost a full minute. When she had composed herself, she broke the embrace.

"Thanks Castle," she said, still choked up, then added something unexpectedly. "I have to tell you something. I've known Kate since she joined the force and I gotta tell you I'd never seen her so happy as she was when you guys worked together. God knows she needed someone to give her permission to let loose occasionally, and you did that. Besides helping her find her mom's murderer, that was probably the greatest thing you did for her. And I know it's gonna be hard for you to hear this, but you two had something really special. I know she denied it, but even the bodies on my table could see it."

Castle chuckled at the comment and tried to find his voice to thank her. Again, he was surprised to find that he was so moved he could hardly talk. He felt tears welling up in his eyes too.

"Thanks Lanie. It took me until the night that bomb went off to realize it, but I fell for her, completely. I just can't believe I'll never see her again, or be with her. I'd give all my money to pick up a phone and hear her voice on the other end…" His voice trailed off.

"I know. Me too," Lanie responded. She hugged him again, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and disappeared into the limo. Castle stood outside for a moment and wiped his eyes. As he did, he caught Jim Beckett's eyes as he stood outside the limo that would ferry him, Captain Montgomery, the Mayor and Police Commissioner to the cemetery where Kate's headstone was waiting. Jim looked him straight in the eye, gave him what Castle realized was a characteristic Beckett family grin, and nodded respectfully. He then mouthed the words "call me" and "we'll talk" before getting into his limo.

Castle heaved a sigh of relief. Captain Montgomery was right. Jim Beckett didn't blame him.

Castle turned and climbed into the limo, sitting himself next to Alexis and across from Ryan, his girlfriend Jenny, who had come for extra support, and Esposito. Lanie sat towards the limo's rear. Both detectives looked more emotionally drained than he had ever seen them. Alexis took her dad's hand as Martha, on the other side of Alexis, asked how he was doing.

Before he could answer, Castle felt his cell phone in the inside pocket of his top coat buzz. Who on earth could that be, he thought. He had little to no desire to actually answer the call, but his curiosity about who was on the other end got the better of him. He pulled the phone out to check the LED screen that usually flashed the name and number of the caller. When he saw the display, his heart practically stopped and he felt his face drain of all color.

"What's up, Castle?" Esposito asked, noticing his reaction.

"Yeah, you OK?" Ryan added.

"I don't know." Castle answered.

"Who is it?" Martha was the first to ask.

"It's Beckett." Castle said as he stared at the image on the screen of the cover of his first Nikki Heat novel that featured the silhouette of a woman holding a gun upright in front of her chest and the words above it that read "Beckett cell."

"Her cell phone that is," Castle finished.

A collective inhale sounded through the car. Alexis and Jenny both clapped hands to their mouths in shock. Lanie looked like she would pass out.

"She didn't leave her phone at the precinct or anywhere else did she?" Castle asked Ryan and Esposito.

"No." They answered together.

"We looked around her dad's place for clues to who may have…you know…but we didn't find anything and Captain Montgomery cleaned out her desk and gave all her stuff to her Dad. He didn't say anything about finding her phone," Esposito explained.

Ryan added "And the bomb squad said it was never recovered from her apartment. Just like-"

"Just like her body," Castle finished.

He looked at everyone in the limo with a combination of trepidation and hope. The looks on their faces told him what he had to do. He slowly raised his right hand to his ear and pressed the send button.

"Hello?"

Castle's jaw dropped as the voice on the other end registered in his brain. It was her. Detective Kate Beckett was alive. No question about it. Unless…

"Kate?! What the…? Hold on, how do I know you're actually Detective Beckett … My God it is you! Are…are you Ok? Wait, no, put her back on the phone! KATE!" The line went dead.

"Oh my God," Martha muttered.

Without thinking another thought, Castle climbed out of the limo and screamed "Captain Montgomery!"

"Geez, Castle what is it?" Montgomery asked as he came over.

"Castle are you positive that was her?" Ryan said, having jumped out of the limo himself. "Remember the case you two worked where the murderer used a recording of the victim's voice to get his fiancée to withdraw her entire family's fortune?"

"Wait a minute, what the hell is going on?" Montgomery pushed. Castle showed him the list of received calls on his cell phone, with the call from Beckett's cell listed at the top. The Captain's face changed dramatically as he figured out what Castle was thinking.

"You're not serious? You think she called you?" he asked.

"I don't think, I know it was her," Castle insisted. "She was whispering, but I know it was her."

"How do you know? I mean Ryan's right. The call could have been faked." He asked.

"It's not a fake, sir." Esposito broke in. He was also standing outside the limo holding his own cell phone. His expression had changed dramatically. "She called me too."

"She did what?!" Montgomery responded.

"Listen," Esposito said and he activated the speaker phone on his cell to play a voice mail left for him about hour earlier. The men all stood with mouths agape as Beckett's voice issued from the cell.

"Esposito, it's Control Freak. Really. I have a message for you and Castle. Find me at the place out west where the dead rest. Good luck."

"Control freak? Place out west where the dead rest?" Montgomery asked.

"When she and Castle here first started working together I told her that watching her, the control freak, work with someone she couldn't control would be more fun than Shark Week," Esposito answered, grinning sentimentally to himself. "The rest must be some kind of riddle."

"Castle, what did she say to you?" Montgomery pressed.

"Whoever's got her cut her message off, but when I asked how do I know it's actually her, she said 'Because I smell like cherries and you pull my pigtails.'" Castle said, his eyes getting emotional.

Montgomery, Ryan and Esposito all looked back at him like he'd just sprung an extra head, so Castle explained that he had once complimented Beckett on how she smelled like cherries, causing her to turn her head and the both of them to get dangerously close to a kiss, and how after her mother's murderer was killed, she used the pigtails metaphor to express how she liked having him around.

"On each occasion we were both totally alone. No one else could have known what we said to each other – no one. It has to be her!" Castle made his point.

"What's going on guys?" Jim Beckett now joined the group, apparently aware that something out of the ordinary was up.

They all looked at each other, at a loss for how to explain what had just unfolded in the last few minutes. Captain Montgomery finally broke the silence.

"She's alive, Mr. Beckett. She left a message for Esposito during the funeral and Castle actually spoke to her."

"Really? You s-spoke to her?" Jim said, his voice catching briefly in his throat.

It struck Castle that Jim wasn't quite as happy or surprised as he would have expected, given that Kate was the only family he had left. "Yes I did. And I'm convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was her."

"So was I when I got her message." Jim said.

"You got a voicemail from her too!?" Montgomery said, trying to keep up with all the people his supposedly-dead protégé had called during her own funeral. "What did she say?"

"That I should speak to Castle and Esposito before I did anything else and go wherever Castle goes."

"Ok, that's enough chatter guys," Montgomery concluded. "Let's get moving back to the precinct to try to figure out what the hell's going on. Castle, Esposito, and Ryan you work on that riddle while I drive. Jim, you're coming too."

"Dad, what's going on?" Alexis had poked her head outside the limo door. She, Martha, Lanie and Jenny had been trying to process the possibilities associated with what Castle had told them.

"It'll take too long to explain, honey, and we need to go right now. But cross your fingers and toes that luck is on our side." Castle quickly said and he kissed Alexis on her forehead, ran to Captain Montgomery's waiting patrol car and hopped in.

In the driver's seat, Captain Montgomery already had the engine running. Once Castle was safely in the back seat alongside Esposito and Ryan, and Jim Beckett was buckled in the front passenger seat next to Montgomery, he gunned the car out of the church parking lot and in the direction of the precinct.

"Alright, Castle what did she mean by 'where the dead rest'?" Ryan began the riddle-solving.

"Could be a cemetery … or the M.E.'s office?" Esposito thought.

"You don't suppose he's got her on Lanie's table?" Castle asked horrified. "Lanie would die."

"Sorry. Bad pun." Castle apologized after realizing why the guys were giving him the dirtiest of dirty looks.

"You could say that." Ryan responded.

"Excuse me, but could we please focus on finding where my daughter is?" Jim implored.

"Right. So we have a cemetery, the M.E. … what about a funeral home?" Esposito thought.

"They all make sense, but how does that relate to the other half of the message – 'the place out west'?" Ryan said.

"Something characteristic of the west…" Castle muttered to himself. "Could be anything – horses, cowboys, a stagecoach, West Virginia."

"Or the sun" Jim put in.

"The sun?" Castle, Ryan, and Esposito said together.

"Yeah. I just noticed from the dashboard display that we turned west, straight into the sun – or the sunset, to be exact." Jim explained.

"Of course!" Esposito said. "The sun sets in the west."

"Castle, you got internet access on that gizmo you call a phone?" Montgomery asked.

"Are you kidding? I can practically adjust the rotation of the earth's axis with this thing."

"Well search for cemeteries or nursing homes named something like sunset in the New York area."

"Got it." Castle replied and his fingers flew over the tiny keys on his phone. The other guys waited with baited breath for the results.

"Yes! We got a match!" He exclaimed, practically jumping out of his seat. "Sunset Funeral Services. 164 West 136th Street."

"Hang on everyone," Montgomery commanded as he blared the siren, and made a sharp u-turn to head north from Manhattan. "Ryan, Esposito - call in the big dogs on this. If this guy is sick enough to blow up Beckett's apartment, and kidnap her and possibly an FBI agent, I want all the firepower in our corner. I swear if he harms a single hair on either woman's head, he's going down." Castle had never seen such fire in Captain Montgomery's eyes, nor heard such conviction in his voice.

After a flurry of phone calls from the two detectives, all was quiet in the car for the duration of the ride to the funeral home where, they all hoped, Beckett and the missing FBI agent were waiting. Ryan and Esposito had checked and re-checked their police-issued handguns and Montgomery had passed his to Castle for his and Jim Beckett's protection.

Castle still wasn't convinced the plan was a sound one, but on such short notice it was simple and the best they could do. Castle and Jim Beckett would go in to the funeral home wearing wires and search for Beckett. The rest of the police, plus a SWAT team and an FBI special operations team would watch and listen from vans outside. If either thought they were in over their heads, they'd just give a signal, and all personnel would go in.

When both men were wired up and everyone and everything was else in place, Montgomery pulled them aside. "Listen guys, I don't have to tell you that this is gonna be tough if she's in there. Just don't do anything stupid. Get in, find them, get them out, and don't get hurt. And don't forget we're right outside," Montgomery cocked his gun, "locked and loaded."

Both men nodded in agreement, Montgomery wished them luck and they exchanged fist bumps with Ryan and Esposito.

"Let's do this, Jim." Castle faced Beckett's father.

"There's no one else I'd rather have going in with me. Just wanted you to know." Jim responded. They turned and entered the funeral parlor.

Even though it was almost completely dark inside, save for a lamp glowing at the foot of the only flight of stairs to a second story, Castle and Jim could see that the furnishings resembled your average Ikea family room featuring functional and comfortable, but sturdy furniture lacking a lot of ornamentation. Wall art with a setting sun hung on almost every wall, a subtle reminder to all visitors of the name of the business they were patronizing.

The front hallway was shaped like a short rectangle, longer lengthwise, with a hallway branching off either side leading to what Castle assumed were rooms where deceased loved one would be laid out. Castle imagined that if one was hovering directly over the building looking down at the layout of the hallways, they'd be reminded of a shape roughly resembling the Chevrolet cross emblem. The staircase sat at the far end of the rectangle.

"You think that lamp was left on for a reason?" Jim asked.

"More than likely. Either this person knew we were coming or they're here and want to meet us," Castle responded.

"Or both," Jim added.

They looked at each other nervously, but knew the only way to end the whole thing was to play along with whoever was the mastermind of these crimes. They headed towards the stairs and began ascending, both with a slow, determined tread. Castle could only imagine what was going through Jim Beckett's mind. He didn't have the chance to try to save his wife, Beckett's mother, and now here he was trying to save his daughter. If she was still alive, at least he'd have the chance to look her in the eye, maybe even say some last words.

Don't think like that, Castle thought and he shoved those dark thoughts off to the back corners of his mind. She's gonna be fine. We're gonna find her, get her out of here, kick the crap out of the perp, and then she and I can be together. No more fooling around, no more games. Once she was safe, he would tell her his true feelings.

At the top of the stairs, there was a large, dark room off the hallway to their left and several rooms in the other direction to their right off a small sitting area. Another lone lamp was lit near the entrance to the closest room on their right.

Castle and Jim exchanged more tense, but meaningful looks, telegraphing to each other what the other already knew – that she had to be in there.

"You're both thinking correctly," a smooth voice answered. Now an average looking man with black hair wearing a long black top coat and dark pants stood next to the lamp with his hands in his pockets. "Both ladies are in here. Would you care to say hello?"

Castle and Jim looked at each other, confused. Both ladies?

"I can see your curiosity is piqued. Step right this way," the man said as he stepped back and opened the double doors to the room with a flourish.

When Castle and Jim entered, they met almost total darkness. Castle could barely make out what looked like two long dressers along the far wall. After a few moments, the man flipped on the lights and after letting his eyes adjust to the brightness, Castle could only stare in horror at what really sat along the far wall of the room. There sat two caskets along the far wall equidistant from each other. One held a woman in a dark suit, with somewhat tanned skin and sandy blonde hair who looked to be asleep. In the other, Castle saw the familiar body, also seemingly asleep, of the beloved NYPD detective who had been his inspiration in so many ways, the woman who had tamed his womanizing tendencies, the woman who had stolen his heart from practically the day they had met – Detective Kate Beckett.

"Oh, my God, Katie!" Jim Beckett exclaimed and didn't waste a minute running over to the casket where she laid, stroking her face, her hair and imploring her to wake up and speak to him.

Castle followed him to look over Beckett, barely able to maintain his composure, especially when he thought he saw tears forming in Jim's eyes. He could make out some singed clothing and minor burns on her face, but for the most part she looked to be unhurt. After a minute or two, he headed over to check on the other woman. He shook one of her shoulders twice and failing to rouse her, he felt her neck for a pulse. It was faint, but there. He also noticed an FBI badge on her waistband. Could this be the FBI agent who had gone missing that Beckett had idly told him about a week ago? Beckett…

He returned to Kate's side and immediately felt her neck for a pulse. It was stronger, but she showed no signs of consciousness. Before turning, Castle steeled himself for the impending confrontation. He could never remember feeling so angry, and yet so focused on what needed to be done.

"What in hell did you do to them?" he fairly growled at the man, who had removed his top coat and now wore a black suite and bow tie. Castle could tell he had been smirking to himself as he and Jim had had their backs turned.

"Have no fear Mr. Castle, Mr. Beckett. They are just asleep. I drugged them so they won't wake up for hours. That way they'll barely feel anything when I kill one of them. " The man spoke slowly and confidently, almost like a snake as he stalks his prey. Castle felt the tension in the room ratcheted up.

"What do you mean kill one of them?" Jim asked. His voice trembled with either fear or anger. Castle couldn't tell which.

"Well you have to choose. Either her," he gestured in a gentlemanly fashion towards the FBI agent, "or your beloved daughter, Ms. Beckett," he crooned.

"Who is she?" Castle asked motioning to the FBI agent.

"Her? I'm surprised you don't recognize her, Mr. Beckett. "

"Why … how would I know her? We've never met."

"Oh, but you're wrong. Apparently," the man continued smugly, "she was a favorite former student of your late wife, Johanna."

Jim's face contorted with what Castle could tell was a tremendously confused mixture of anger, sadness, and fear. His chest heaved back and forth as he struggled to control himself.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Oh, a little birdie told me," the man said as he began to pace slowly in front of the caskets. "See, this young lady you see before you sleeping so soundly, changed her mind about becoming an attorney with Johanna's help. From what I understand, she didn't want to spend her life in a stuffy law office, but wanted to be out in the field doing the real investigating. So Johanna encouraged her, advised her and pulled some strings to get her into the FBI academy. She's built a solid reputation for herself – she's tough, uncompromising, empathizes greatly with crime victims…like someone else we know, hmm?" The man eyed Beckett playfully.

"Oddly enough, they've something else in common. You see, Johanna Beckett's death affected her profoundly just as it did Detective Beckett. She looked over the case file, took some notes, and from what the aforementioned little birdie told me, was on the verge of contacting Katie to offer her assistance, as a thank you for her mother's mentoring."

"This 'little birdie' wouldn't happen to be the person who ordered Johanna Beckett's murder would it?" Castle asked intensely.

"Clever devil, aren't you?" the man said silkily.

"Now I remember her," Jim remarked. "She came by the house for dinner one time. Katie was off at college, so they never met."

"Let me get this straight," Castle said. " ' Little birdie' finds out that she's investigating Johanna Beckett's murder, begins to worry that between her and Kate's investigating skills, they'll uncover his or her identity, motivation, et cetera, and has you kidnap her?"

"Correct, Mr. Castle," the man answered, seemingly pleased himself.

"So why drag Katie into all this? Why don't you just try to get out of her whatever she knows and leave Katie alone?" Jim asked.

"Mr. Castle is the answer to that," the man responded.

"Me? Why me? Why are you doing this? Just tell us why you're doing this?" Castle was getting desperate and impatient. Furthermore, his eyes were beginning to play tricks on him. He thought he had seen Beckett's eyelids flutter and a finger move a minute ago.

"I'm an artist, Mr. Castle, just like you. I create an environment here where people can forget about their daily lives, comfort each other and enjoy each other's company as much as possible."

"In a funeral parlor?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Yes, in a funeral parlor, Mr. Castle. I'd have thought you, the Master of the Macabre, would understand. But of course not. You make light of death, write about it as casually as a college student would write a term paper," the man hissed. "He's made a career out of describing other people's pain and misfortune with minimal regard for what those who have actually been there are going through. Every day people come through here, some are genuinely distraught by the death of their loved one or friend, but others merely feign their sorrow. They put on a sad face, maybe even shed a tear in a pathetic display of sincerity, but they really couldn't care less. They really just want to get back to work, to their Blackberries, to their lattes from Starbucks, to their boyfriend or girlfriend. If you stand back and watch long enough, it's disgusting." The man had lost his playful demeanor now and had a fierceness and bitterness in his eyes.

"And so, you both are here because Mr. Castle needs to be taught what that kind of suffering is like. Regardless of who you choose to be marked for death, the other two individuals left alive will suffer and for the rest of your life, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you contributed to their suffering, created it in fact, like one of your characters. So, if you choose our lovely FBI agent, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you destroyed yet another link that could have led to the discovery of the identity of Johanna's murderer. If you choose, Katie," the man said taunting Castle and Jim by emphasizing Jim's nickname for his daughter, "then you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you destroyed Jim's last living link to his late wife and what is left of his family."

Jim now had a tear slowly coursing down his cheek. Castle could only shake his head in disbelief at what was happening. He was almost completely spent from the roller coaster ride of emotion that he had ridden in the last several hours.

"The time has come, gentlemen, for Mr. Castle to make his choice. What, or shall I say who will it be?"

Castle swallowed hard. For the first time in all his life, he felt as if the eyes of the entire world were boring into him, waiting for his decision as if the fate of the planet hung in the balance. For all his fame, he had never felt like this – had never held the lives of real people in his hands.

He looked at Jim Beckett, right into his eyes that plead with him to spare his daughter's life. He looked at Kate Beckett, dear Kate Beckett, laying comfortably in her casket. He looked back at the FBI agent, who was just trying to show her gratitude to Johanna Beckett by trying to track down her killer. He thought hard, and after almost a full minute or two, realized what he must do. The only thing he could do. He approached the man who was holding all of them hostage, stood as straight as he could and looked the man dead in the eyes.

"Me. Take me. Leave them alone."

"Castle, what're you-?" Jim pleaded in shock.

Castle turned back to him. "Jim, you and your family have suffered enough, more than enough even. And there's nothing I wouldn't do, no amount of money I wouldn't spend to give you and Kate the happiness and peace you've both earned. She's a strong lady. She'll get on without me. Hopefully find someone that doesn't get on her case as much as I do."

As another tear feel from Jim's face, Castle couldn't avoid wiping tears from his own eyes.

"Is this outcome satisfactory to you?" Castle practically hissed over his shoulder to the man in the suit.

"Most definitely. I get to see your daughter suffer instead of you," he answered pointedly.

Had he been holding a weapon in his hands, Castle would have taken the man's head off without a second thought in that very moment. He thought of everyone breaking the news to Alexis and Martha – how he'd sacrificed himself to save Beckett and the FBI agent. He imagined what his funeral might look like, what Alexis would grow up to be, what would happen to his mother, to Lanie, Montgomery, Esposito, Ryan and Jenny, to Beckett and Jim. God, how he'd miss all of them. But something told him they would all understand and that Alexis would pull through. She was a decent, strong, intelligent young woman who already admired Beckett tremendously and was sure that she'd come to look up to Jim just as much. And she and Martha would never have to worry about money, since they'd both inherit his fortune.

"Fine," Castle growled. "Can I do one thing though, before we … you know…go through with it?"

"And what would be?" the man asked as he pulled a hand gun from inside his suit coat and began loading it.

"I just want to tell her goodbye." Castle replied, indicating Beckett.

"Very well. Why not?"

Castle approached the casket where Beckett lay and paused over her limp body. He so wished that things could have worked out differently, that they could have had a life together with Jim, Alexis, and Martha, but he also knew that he wouldn't let any more Becketts die if he could do something to prevent it.

He leaned over her, slowly inhaling the faint scent of what remained from the perfume she had been wearing when her apartment exploded. He smiled to himself, then whispered clearly in her ear "After all this time you still smell like cherries." He then kissed her a short, but strong kiss on the lips.

Before he turned back to face his death, his mind registered something. Was his brain playing tricks on him again or did he feel something on the other end of that kiss? That's impossible, she's out cold, he thought. Or was she?

Castle knew that if Beckett was faking her unconsciousness, first, she was exceedingly good at it, and second, he couldn't blow her cover.

"Alright, Mr. Castle enough sentimentality. I think I'll kill you right here, so your lifeless body will be the first thing Detective Beckett and our FBI friend see when they wake up." The man directed Castle with the gun to a spot in the middle of the room and circled around in front of him, such that his back was to Beckett's casket.

"Any last words, Author Man?" The man said quickly dropping his gentlemanly ways and transitioning into a demoniacal glee at the thought of his plan coming to fruition.

"Yes," Castle said. "The jig is up."

Then the man saw a shadow shift outside the room and he knew instinctively that he had to act fast. Somehow, Castle had summoned authorities that were quickly tightening a noose around his neck. The man's eyes flew open in shock such that Castle thought they'd pop out of head.

Several things happened at once. Jim realized that the man was going to try to carry out his plan despite the police that surrounded him, and ran at Castle, knocking him to the floor. Unfortunately, the man had succeeded in getting a shot off, but it only hit Castle in the right shoulder. Then Jim and Castle heard another gunshot go off from the area where Beckett had lain in the casket, and the man in the black suit crumpled to the floor on his stomach, shot point blank in the upper back in between both shoulder blades.

"You bet it is," Kate Beckett said with her usual casual intensity. She was awake, alert and sitting up in the casket with her police-issued hand gun pointing straight ahead of her and smoking slightly. She had fired the shot that felled her lunatic captor.

Finally, Esposito, Ryan, Montgomery, and a swarm of police, FBI agents, and SWAT team members flooded into the room. Esposito cuffed the man in the suit and called for an ambulance, while Ryan checked on Castle, who was having trouble filtering through the melee to see if it really was who he thought it was who fired the gunshot from the casket. When he saw Jim help his daughter to the floor then both of them melt into each other's arms, he knew it was her. As usual, she had saved him, all of them. She was alive.

Secure with the feeling that the ordeal was over, he passed out.

Castle spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from the wound. The recovery went smoothly since the doctors and surgeon were able to remove the bullet with little trouble and since he was in generally good health. Lanie's consistent tending and keeping tabs on the hospital staff didn't hurt either.

He had a steady stream of visitors, as well, to keep his spirits up. Martha stayed during the day and Alexis came by every day after school. They reported that Captain Montgomery had posted a patrol car in front of the building when they were home and had a plain clothes officer driving them everywhere in an unmarked car, just as a precaution, though he acknowledged that the threat was most likely behind them. Esposito, Ryan, Karpowski, the Mayor, and even James Patterson and Steven Cannell came by too, causing Castle to quip that he'd be willing to substitute as the target in the precinct's shooting gallery if it meant he'd get the same star treatment.

"You know, I'd be more than happy to oblige you there," a voice from his hospital room door said. It was Beckett, standing with her arms crossed and a wry grin on her face. She looked as radiant as ever, despite being dressed casually in blue jeans, a red boatneck top and one of her black leather jackets. Her badge hung from her jeans waistband as always.

She visited as much as she could, given that she, Ryan and Esposito still had their regular caseload to work. Even though the rest of world seemed to be focused on visiting Castle in the hospital, in reality, the murders, crime and violence still went on. And since she was staying with her Dad, it took her a little longer than usual to get around.

She explained that she had been in her apartment building, but down the hall from her apartment when the bomb went off, so she wasn't too close to the impact zone. The explosion blew her off her feet and in those few moments of disorientation, the man, who apparently had been lurking in the building, injected her in the neck with the same drug that had put her and the FBI agent to sleep in the funeral parlor. This made it easier for him to just act like he was helping an injured tenant escape the building. According to witnesses, he bore her out of the building, put her into his car, told anyone who asked that he was taking her to the hospital, and sped away.

She never could be sure where exactly she and the FBI agent had been held in the days between the explosion and the funeral because he drugged both of them whenever he moved them. The day of her funeral, though she didn't realize it was, she sensed something was up. It was intuition. Miraculously, she still had her cell phone on her but was unable to get a signal until that day when they were moved to a new location – the funeral home. They were held in the same room where the caskets were. The riddle that she left on Esposito's voice mail was a creation of the man and he had forced her to leave the correct message by putting a gun to her temple. She had reasoned that he knew she would try to call Castle, so he deliberately interrupted the phone call to further spur Castle and everyone from the 12th into action. The FBI agent had figured out that he wanted Castle and Jim to find them, which explained to Beckett why he didn't search her when he kidnapped her.

She had awakened from the drug-induced unconscious state while the man in the black suit had stepped out of the room in the funeral parlor briefly to greet Castle and Jim.

"He may be a brilliant kidnapper and bomber, but he's lousy at human chemistry. The last dose he gave me didn't last nearly as long as he had thought it would," she told Castle. "Lanie says my body must have begun getting used to it, which he didn't account for, leading him to seriously miscalculate when it would wear off."

She had quickly finagled her backup handgun out of an ankle holster and into her waistband at the small of the back, then laid back down in the same position and made every effort to stay as still as possible. But with all the talk about the FBI agent and the connection to Johanna's murder, it was a tough challenge. When she heard the gunshot from the man's gun, she put two-and-two together and figured that he knew that the police were close. She had to take quick action, so she threw caution to the wind, sat up, drew her gun, aimed and fired at the man, hitting him in the upper back.

"But how did you signal the guys to go in?" Beckett asked Castle.

"The cherries comment I whispered in your ear. Jim and I were wearing wires and I told Montgomery, Ryan, and Esposito to listen for any mention of cherries, or more specifically, the fact that you smell like cherries. Remember where that came from?" he answered and smiled devilishly.

Initially, Beckett rolled her eyes, but quickly smiled to herself and blushed.

Castle was surprised when he realized she had heard everything that was said, but whatever her thoughts were regarding his actions and his new feelings for her demonstrated by his kiss, remained hidden from him. Save a few telling looks that, at the least, said she was glad he was OK, and a peck or two on his cheek, he had no idea if she felt the same way or if he had scared her away from him. But, it was obvious to both of them and to almost everyone else that something significant had changed between them.

On his first day back at the precinct, he was greeted with a surprise party in the lounge around the espresso machine he had bought for everyone. Martha and Alexis had come with him to share the moment. Lanie had come up from the morgue too, but to his dismay Beckett wasn't there. Ryan said she had been called away on a case and there was no telling when she'd return. As Castle chatted with all the well-wishers who dropped in to see him, felt like a seasoned veteran of the force: comfortable, right at home, like this was where he was supposed to be. He was happier than he had been in a long time, but still something, someone was missing from the moment.

Once the party was largely over, the cake cleaned up, the cops back at work doing what they do best, Castle sat in the lounge alone reflecting on all that happened. He couldn't help but smile to himself: without realizing it, he had found a second family. He decided then, that if his Nikki Heat series was ended tomorrow, he'd still continue to consult with the department. He had to continue doing whatever he could to find justice for the families of New York City's murder victims.

He heard footsteps outside approaching the lounge and stood, assuming it was Martha coming to say that she and Alexis were leaving. But it wasn't – it was Beckett. Castle didn't think it was possible, but she looked even more beautiful than she had at the hospital. She was wearing a form-fitting pastel blue top with black cap sleeves and a deep V neckline, blue jeans, and her requisite heels.

"Guess I missed the party, huh?" she said.

"No worries," he answered. "What matters is that you're here now."

"Castle, we need to talk," she said with trepidation in her voice. They sat down on the lounge's couch. Castle knew that in a moment he would find out how she felt.

"I don't think we can work together anymore," she began. "It's become too dangerous for you and your family and I couldn't deal with it if something happened to Alexis or Martha – or you." She swallowed hard on those last two words and had trouble looking him in the eye.

"Kate, I spoke to Alexis and Mom when I first started shadowing you. I told them that it would be odd hours, and that it might be dangerous. They couldn't believe all the paperwork I had to fill out, remember? But they get it. And it's not like I just became a world-famous mystery writer yesterday. They've heard the stories about crazed fans and stalkers. Remember when that article came out in the paper listing me as New York's 9th most eligible bachelor?"

"Are you kidding?" she said. "Don't you remember what it said about me? You and me more specifically?"

"Right. We'll get to that in a minute." She raised a curious eyebrow, but didn't stop him from going on.

"You wouldn't believe all of Alexis' teachers and classmates who handed over their numbers for her to give to me and who gushed over how apparently 'choice' of a catch I am. She was pissed at me for days." Castle finished.

"I know the feeling." Beckett said directly.

"My point is, all of us Castles are willing to accept the risk if it means catching a murderer and bringing a family some peace and resolution. These cases aren't just stories to me anymore like they were in the beginning. It's the human side of it that I've come to appreciate and to recognize as the most important thing. That's what you've taught me," he finished.

Beckett had unconsciously inched a little closer to him and her lower jaw was hanging slightly open. Her eyes were full of happiness, sheer happiness. She blinked back tears, but didn't pull back from how close she was to him.

"What did you mean when you said we'd get back to that story about our being romantically linked?" she asked.

Castle felt like an Olympic diver standing on the edge of a diving board and preparing to plunge into the pool of water below. He took a deep breath and jumped.

"The importance of respecting the human side of these cases isn't the only thing that I've come to realize. Kate, the experience of losing you, working without you, going through your funeral – it almost broke my heart."

"Why is that?" she asked even though her heart knew the answer.

"Because I've fallen in love with you. Hook, line and sinker, truly, completely, totally. I love everything about you – your smile, your mind, your warmth, the way you connected with Alexis, who, by the way, is crazy about you too, your eyes, your humor, your intensity, and I'd be seriously remiss if I left out your body."

Kate blushed deeply, smiled and lowered her head, embarrassed to let her eyes, which were now swimming with tears, meet his. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it up so she had to look into his eyes.

"I mean it. Every word. Ever since you whispered 'You've no idea' in my ear after our first case, I have been in love with you."

Kate now couldn't hold back her tears. She covered her face with her hands and fell against Castle's shoulder. Unfortunately, it was the one that took the bullet. He yelped in pain causing her to back off and apologize through her tears and sniffles. When he had recovered, she turned back to him, looking deep into his eyes. He lightly brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Castle … Rick, when we first started working together I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever say what I'm about to say to you. But even in those days when you drove me nuts, I felt something too. Yes, you were obnoxious and annoying and didn't listen to the simplest instructions, but you were also charming, witty, intelligent, fun, warm. Qualities that I've come to look forward to seeing more and more each day. And as much as I tried to deny it for so long, you've become a very important part of my life, a part that I don't want to lose."

Castle's face broke into a wide smile and he lifted one of Kate's hands and kissed it. Tears now ran down both of their cheeks.

"Until that day at the funeral parlor, I wasn't exactly sure what it was that I felt for you. But when you offered to sacrifice yourself for my family, it was then that I knew that what I felt was love and still is," she finally said. "So, you were right when you said you thought you detected something on the other side of that kiss you gave me in the casket." She paused and took a few deep breaths.

"You OK?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "It just feels so good to say it after all this time." She looked deeper into his eyes than she ever had. "I love you Richard Castle."

"And I love you Katherine Beckett."

Their arms entwined each other as they kissed deeply and unashamed right there in the lounge of the 12th precinct, where they had shared so many talks and cups of espresso. Suddenly, they heard thunderous applause from all around them. It was Alexis, Martha, Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Captain Montgomery, Karpowski, and everyone at the precinct who had been watching their whole conversation with their faces pressed against the windows that looked into the lounge. Beckett and Castle looked around at everyone and each other sheepishly, but realized they couldn't take any of it back. They laughed, cried, held hands, and hugged each other as if they'd been together for years.

When the crowd began to disperse, Kate finally stood up to exit the lounge. Castle, who was still sitting on the couch, took her hand and pulled her back to him.

"Castle, as much as I'm REALLY enjoying this, I do need to do some work," she protested.

"One last thing. And it shouldn't take long," he reassured her, then paused for a moment. "Will you marry me?"

Kate's jaw dropped and she clapped her free hand to her mouth.

"Cas…Rick, are you serious?" she finally choked out.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" he said and again flashed that devilish smile that she so loved seeing.

"Kate, dear Kate, I want you in my life always and not just as a work partner, but as a life-partner. You are by far THE most beautiful woman I know, in every way anyone has ever measured beauty. Please Kate, do me the honor of being my wife."

"Rick…" she stammered, letting the question wash over her. Both were completely unaware that the lounge was again totally surrounded.

"Yes. Yes, a million times yes," Kate finally answered and they flew into each other's arms. The precinct erupted in cheers and applause. Alexis and Martha hugged each other with tears streaming down their faces. Lanie cried too and joined in on Alexis and Martha's hug. Esposito and Ryan whistled, while Captain Montgomery just beamed and clapped enthusiastically, standing next to Jim Beckett who had arrived late but still just in time and was also smiling from ear to ear.

When they finally broke the embrace, Kate composed herself and whispered in Castle's ear.

"I don't mean to be critical, but shouldn't you kinda slip a ring on my finger at some point?"

Castle backed off slightly, looking like he'd just spilled coffee all over his new fiancé. "Oops. I knew there was something I forgot."

"Are you kidding? Castle, how can you go through a proposal like that with no ring?" Kate demanded incredulously.

"Wait, now I remember where the ring is," Castle recovered, but made no movement as if he was going to pull a little box out of a pocket. He curled his good arm around Kate's neck and slowly lifted over her head the chain from which Johanna Beckett's wedding ring hung. He undid its clasp with surprisingly little trouble, took the ring in his hand and held it up.

"Here it is."

He took her hand and slipped Johanna Beckett's ring on her finger. Kate glowed with approval. They then sealed their commitment to each other with a passionate, deep kiss.