Ok, so the past few weeks have been crazy and I've been feeling like a headless chicken running around trying to get everything done, and because the last episodes of Castle have all been driving us past crazy, this wouldn't stop bugging me. Yeah, yeah, it's another past "47 Seconds" and "The Limey" fic, but from a different angle. Touches "Headhunters" a bit, but this should be read more like a finale fic. Shouldn't be more than 2-3 chapters either, so there it is.

Castle stilled at the sound. After four years, he could have recognized them anywhere; whether it was one step or a full speed run. Those heels.

Unconsciously standing straighter, Castle took a step away from Slaughter, his new partner, and listened.

The steps were hurried, laced with a heaviness that echoed through the precinct underground parking. It didn't sound like she wasn't late somewhere, or eager to get back home. If Castle didn't know any better, he would have said that the clicking of her heels sounded…angry.

Moving to his left when he realized it was the way she was coming from, Castle waited and, soon enough the familiar face of Detective Kate Beckett came into view, several car lengths in front of him.

Another set of footsteps told the writer that someone else was coming her way, the steps lighter and obviously running this time.

Castle was surprised when Ryan stopped rather clumsily next to Beckett a second later, a hand on his side and breathing hard.

"Ricky, you coming?"

Castle shushed Slaughter, his eyes focused on the scene forty feet before him. He couldn't quite hear what was being said but he knew Ryan was currently swimming in dangerous territory, judging by the way he physically recoiled from Beckett after he'd spoke.

She was still as beautiful. Even more so, if the writer was honest with himself. His whole body was aching to talk to her, to touch her. He wanted nothing more than graze his hands over her shoulders until they would relax; Kate's body at the moment was so tense, so taut that Castle could feel his back tense and cramp as well just by looking at her.

"No!"

Castle snapped out of his distracted mind and glanced back at Kate, who was positively seething. He didn't react as Slaughter came to stop next to him, lured by the ongoing fight as well. "That the detective chick you were busy 'musing' before? She's feisty. And hot."

Castle grunted but didn't answer, his heart jumping when Kate disappeared from his sight for a second. Their voices were getting louder, finally, and he froze as he heard them clearly for the first time.

"I don't care, Ryan! She kicked me out! She doesn't want me there for the next week, so you and Espo are on your own. I'm done."

"Beckett-"

"Don't Beckett me! I am done, okay? I'm sick of everyone benching me, and pushing me away. You all got your wish, because I'm going."

"What?" Castle's voice had been soft so no one but Slaughter had heard, but at this point the man didn't care. She was leaving? No, that wasn't right, how could she be leaving, how could she be giving up when she had won. He'd left so there was no reason for her to leave as well…

What Ryan said next fell flat in Castle's ears because all he could do was watch as Kate hastily put her hair up in a bun before pulling a helmet over her head. Her motorcycle helmet.

She was going to leave, angry and upset, on her damned motorcycle? Hell no.

Castle stepped forward just as his new partner grabbed him by the jacket and pulled. Freeing himself with a frustrated tug of his arm, Castle jumped when the loud roar of his former partner suddenly filled the parking. "Come on, Ricky, the fight is over. We have work to do."

"No, I-" His protests were too little, too late. When he turned around again Beckett was gone and Ryan was trotting back towards the elevator, his phone pressed tightly against his ear.

Shit.

"You okay, dad? Why are you sitting in the living room in the dark?"

Castle looked up into his daughter's concerned eyes and mustered a smile, hoping it wouldn't seem too fake. "I'm good, pumpkin, just tired."

A pair of blue eyes, all too similar to his own, stared him down briefly before softening. "Rough day?"

Now it was Castle's turn to stare suspiciously. "Weren't you working with Lanie today?" He deflected the question.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, nothing."

Alexis watched her father closely, wondering if he would be up to talking or not. Something had came up during the day, something she really needed to share with him. "Hey, dad?"

He sighed just as the front door opened and Martha waltzed in, a bright smile on her face. "Hello, my darlings, how-" She quieted down as she took in the long faces of her son and granddaughter, her good mood evaporated. What happened?"

"Nothing."

Martha rolled her eyes and squished herself next to Alexis, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I see. That's why you both look like death on legs."

"Don't talk about death, mother." Castle shuddered, unable to hide it from his family.

Alexis frowned and glanced at her grandmother, worried. "Dad, what's going on? Did something happen at the precinct today? Is-"

"Don't. Don't say her name. It's all fine, I'm just tired."

Martha looked about to say something but a sharp glare from her son made her rethink her choice of chatting partner. "So, kiddo, how was your day? Anything interesting happening with you?"

Alexis sighed and made herself more comfortable on the couch. "Hardly. Dr. Parish doesn't talk much these days, she mostly mumbles to herself and she's been spending a lot of time on the phone."

"Well, she has a busy job, she's bound to have to make calls at some point, you know to get the investigations going." Martha ignored that Castle's interest had slightly picked up at hearing the ME's name, inwardly sighing for the situation he and his muse had put themselves in. Again. "Has she been teaching you anyway? Because if she hasn't been-"

"No, no she does, that's not the point. She's been talking and texting a lot with…a friend who's not doing too well lately."

"Oh. Well, that's too bad, really. Has she talked to you about it?"

"Stop it, both of you." Castle's jaw clenched tightly. "New rule in this house. No talk about work. None. No talk about cases, or bodies, or partners, nothing. This," he waved at the loft, "is now a work free zone."

"What about your office, this is where you work, you know."

Castle stared at his daughter, far from amused. "Apart from my office."

"Fine." Alexis sulked as she grabbed the remote on the coffee table and turned the tv on, flipping through channels distractedly until her father's hand was on her and squeezing tightly. "What, what is it?"

"Go back! No, the other way, go back now!" Castle yelled louder than necessary, his eyes glued on the tv.

The writer's already tensed frame went rigid as Alexis put the news channel back on. "What? Dad, you're scaring us, what's going on?"

Castle didn't answer. His widened eyes were stuck on the image of a traffic accident that had occurred a few hours before, involving a car and a motorcycle. A black Harley.

Martha scooted closer and shared a look with Alexis as he jumped off the couch and started mumbling about bikes and fights, worrying them. "Richard, what's going on?"

Castle shook his head as he stilled, stunned. His hands were suddenly all over his jeans, searching through his pockets but not finding anything. "Shit!"

"What? Dad, what's going on?" Alexis demanded louder but he was already gone to his study, not listening. Her grandmother's hand on hers brought her back to the tv, where a clearer shot of the scene of the accident was being shown. A sense of uneasiness steadily grew in the teenager's stomach but she couldn't fathom why, until her father came back, his hands shaking and his face as pale as a ghost. "Richard?"

"She…hers…I." Castle waved helplessly between his phone and the tv, unable to voice the news.

Already freaked out as it was, Alexis moved to where her father was frozen and took his phone, searching through his voicemails. Pulling up the most recent one, she put the speaker phone on and shot her grandmother a dreadful look.

"Castle, it's Ryan. Listen, um…Beckett's been in an accident. We're not sure what happened yet, if she lost control of her bike or if the car is at fault, but…it's not looking so good. You should come. I don't care how much of an immature ass you are right now, she needs you. I think she's going to be okay but she's in surgery right now, so…yeah. Please come. She's at the Presbyterian hospital."

"Oh, dad…"

"I knew it. I knew it was going to happen, I-"

Martha stood up as well, confused. "What do you mean, dear?"

Castle took a shaky breath, blinking rapidly to chase down the tears that had crept down on him. "I saw her leave today. She and Ryan were fighting in the precinct parking, she was saying that everybody kept pushing her away and that she was done and then she left on her motorcycle."

Two horrified set of eyes were suddenly staring at him. "What? No, you don't mean that…"

"What? No! No, but I don't know, Alexis…I don't know what to think anymore." Castle sighed. He was still standing in the middle of the living room awkwardly, anxious waves pouring off of him. "I don't know if I should go. Things are…complicated enough as it is right now."

"No, you have to go!" Alexis shouted and blushed, startled by her outburst. "I just mean…it's her, and you love her, dad. Are you really going to walk away when she's going to need you the most?"

Castle frowned, stepping closer to his daughter. "What is this all about, Alexis? You and Beckett haven't been on the best of terms lately, or at least you haven't been. You've been giving her the cold shoulder for months but now you want me to go to her again? Why?"

Alexis blushed, avoiding the other occupants' inquiring stare. "I…might have heard some stuff today."

"What do you mean, some stuff?" Castle winced at how pleading his voice had sounded, but he couldn't care less. All he needed was one reason, one legitimate reason to justify running to the hospital for the woman he loved.

"I, I was coming back from the lab with the results of the toxicology tests Dr. Parish had- anyway, I heard voices so I stopped."

Martha observed her granddaughter with an odd glint in her eyes that suspiciously looked like pride. "You eavesdropped?"

"No! Well, I didn't mean to. I recognized Detective Beckett's voice so I just wanted to stay out of the way because I didn't want to see or talk to her, but…"

Castle leaned closer, desperately needing the rest of the story. "But what?"

"She was crying. I couldn't make up everything that was being said, but Detective Beckett was crying and saying that she was too late, that she had screwed up everything. She doesn't even know that you know, dad. She thinks you got tired of waiting so you decided to move on without bothering to tell her."

Castle was speechless. His brain drawing a blank at his daughter's words, he stumbled to the couch and dropped heavily on it, his mind reeling. "How can she say I got tired of waiting, she doesn't feel the same. She wouldn't have kept it from me all this time if she had felt anything about me."

Alexis sat close to her dad and took his hand, her voice gentle. "I know, that's what I thought but, as much as it kind of annoys me to admit it, it all fits, dad. For years you've been telling us how hard it was for Det- Kate to get her to open up and share anything remotely personal with others. You've told us about that speech she gave you on the swing, remember it? It all fits."

"I'm not excusing what she did, and she's going to make it up to you, to us for lying about it, but dad…she loves you. She said so to Dr. Parish."