Kidnapped Ch.33

'Kate, have you seen my favorite purple tie?' Castle called out frantically, poking his head out of his study. He was due for a meeting in an hour with Black Pawn regarding a contract of three other books within the 'Nikki Heat' series, but he seemed to be unable to locate anything this morning.

'Kate, have you seen my physics textbook?' A panicking Alexis asked as she dashed around the loft in search of her missing textbook. She had half an hour before her physics lecture was due to start, and she needed to leave in one minute in order to make it on time.

'Mmm…Mm….' Ollie grunted in contentment on his high chair, using his mashed potatoes as a facial mask. His carrots were left untouched in the plastic bowl. Kate wiped his face with a wet towel, and sighed. Who knew that her family could be so adorably befuddled?

'Your tie is at the edge of our bed, your textbook is next to Ollie's crib where you were studying while watching him last night, and you, young man, looks like you've been enjoying yourself way too much, huh?' Kate answered each of them in sequence, as she gently lifted Ollie over her shoulder and rocked him back and forth.

'Bye, Kate!' Alexis came in and gave Kate a quick hug as she clutched onto her now located physics textbook. 'Can we have a girl day, soon?'

'And leave these two males alone in the loft? Absolutely,' Kate answered, rolling her eyes in amusement at the indignant shout (really more of a squeal) from Castle.

'I'll see you tonight, Kate. Love you,' Alexis called before rushing out the door. Ever since Bracken was dead, they had grown even closer as they realized the vital role that they played in each other's life.

'And I will join you in the precinct as soon as the meeting is over,' Castle told her, giving her a quick peck on her lips. 'Let's just hope I'll still be alive.'

'Dying of boredom or dying because of Gina?' Kate smirked knowingly at him. She paced the room, croning a soft lullaby to a sleepy Ollie, who was slowly heading towards dreamland.

'Both,' Castle answered, a silly grin on his face. 'I love you.'

'Love you, too,' Kate answered as the door closed behind Castle. The smile that was on her face just seconds ago slipped off her face, replaced by the usual frown that started dominating her face whenever she was alone.

The doorbell rang soon, and she opened it, smiling yet again when the plump old lady gave her a tight hug. Nathalie had been Ollie's nanny for over three months now, and was becoming a much-loved part of the family. Her dry sense of humor had all of them cracking up at regular intervals of the day, and it was obvious that she adored Ollie. Not only was she a second mother to him, but she also turned into a clucking mother hen around Kate. Often, Nathalie would tut in disapproval whenever she got Kate to admit that she had either missed dinner or simply had a cereal bar from the vending machine, and would waltz in and out of the kitchen, dreaming up delicious meals for Kate to eat.

'How's my lovely Katie?' Nathalie asked as she gave her a hug.

'I'm fine,' Kate answered, automatically.

'No,' Nathalie told her, shaking her head. 'I do not want the answer from your head. I want the answer from your heart.'

'I will be fine,' Kate answered, amending her usual answer slightly.

'Darling, have you talked to Rick yet?' Nathalie asked, her hands on her hips.

'He's busy at the moment,' Kate answered truthfully. With the new deal for the 'Nikki Heat' series coming up, he had been writing much more than usual. Yet, he was still frequently at the precinct, keeping her company, and making sure that she was alright. He had very little time for himself, and Kate did not want him to spend his free time worrying about her.

'Darling, that man loves you more than anything. He would want to be worried about this,' Nathalie told her, her eyes sincere.

'I will. I promise. They will finalize the deal soon, and I will tell him then,' Kate told her, as Nathalie stared at her sternly.

'Promise?' Nathalie asked.

'I promise.'

Stepping out of the elevator, Kate went over her desk and sat down, shedding her coat. Her eyes were glued to a picture on her desk of her family. They had taken it in Central Park one afternoon after Bracken was killed, and after Michael Keys had been found and arrested. The people that had been after Kate for so long was finally gone, and there was no longer the consistent shadow lurking in the corner with their happiness.

Everyone in the picture had bright smiles on their face, with no hint of worry or fear in it, and Kate loved it so much. She loved it when she had carefree moments where nothing could threaten her, but those moments have always been few and far between, and recently, it had been rare, even non-existent.

Her mind flitted back to her last carefree moment, and to her surprise, it had been almost 3 months ago, when Michael Keys' sentence had been announced.

'Michael Keys, you are found guilty of an account of assistance in kidnapping and two degrees of attempted murder. You are hereby sentenced to 150 years in prison, and will become eligible for parole in 75 years. Court adjourned,' The judge announced as he smashed the hammer against the gravel pad, effectively ending the court session.

Kate glanced over to the area where Michael was now being escorted away by correctional officers. She stared at him coldly as he looked into her eyes, and he felt a chill run up his spine with the sheer hatred that Kate Beckett was sending him. He turned away quickly as if ashamed and humiliated, and followed the correctional officer back to where he now belongs – prison.

Kate felt power radiate around her. For a moment, she felt like she was in control, that she no longer had to fear anyone or anything in her life. She didn't have a single worry left. She felt Castle's hands over her arms and she leaned in, knowing that she could finally put the whole incident behind her. It was now just a piece of history in her life, a story that she may want to tell someone one day, but, for now, it was behind her.

'Kate? We have a murder,' Esposito called, jolting Kate out of her thoughts and making her jump. Ever since Kate had returned after the shooting of Bracken, she had not been the same, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ryan and Esposito. She was unnaturally jumpy, and sometimes, the simplest things could unnerve her. This was unsettling for both Esposito and Ryan, as Kate was the strongest amongst them, and they simply could not accept the fact that even the greatest could fall.

'Are you okay?' Ryan asked, as Kate's finger clenched tightly around her chair, and her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, attempting to assume her normal tough exterior once again.

'I'm fine,' Kate answered automatically yet again. She stepped on to the elevator with Ryan and Esposito hot on her heels, and a familiar feeling came back to her, a feeling that she had been experiencing ever since she came back after Bracken's shooting.

She had no idea whether she was willing to take the same elevator back up, and to step foot in the precinct once again.

A/N: And here we are, at the end of this story. A seriously massive thank you to all of you who reviewed, alerted, favorite or simply read this story. Without you all, this story would not have been here at all.

You guys have no idea how important you are all to me. This is my first fanfic in the world of Castle, and the reviews gave me such motivation like you would not believe it. All of you reviewers are the reason why this story is updated on a regular basis because I just couldn't let myself be lazy and disappoint you all.

Here, I have to give a massive shout out of thanks to my beta Bianca tabbycat. Without her, this story would not be half as a good as it is. I come up with a raw plot, and she makes fine adjustments to it, making the idea a million times better than it ever was, so THANK YOU SO MUCH! Also, you guys should be grateful to her. In the previous chapter, I was going to leave it on the meanest cliffhanger of all and not allow you to know who was shot, but she threatened me… -gulp- so you guys got to see who was shot :D

Another person that I have to thank is Project66. She is every bit as mad as I am, and she lets me run through the crazy ideas with her, and somehow, after her reasoning, the crazy idea will somehow work. Till now, I still have no idea how, but still, THANK YOU.

Last but not least, to all of you readers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for sticking with me during the process of writing this fanfic. I have enjoyed the process tremendously, and I hope that you have enjoyed it every bit as much as I did.

I have opted for a not too fluffy ending, with some elements in it that could be expanded, should I decide to write a sequel to it. If you want a sequel, TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEWS.

Even though this is the last chapter, PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please.

Zoe tabbycat