772. Chapter 772

After Ghosts

Episode 1.08

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: it's spooky, but I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

He never was able to remember any of the time in between. He clearly remembered walking up the stairs with Beckett, arguing about something inconsequential. Then he remembered lying in the rubble of the building. He never remembered the explosion itself.

"Beckett?" He called. There was no reply. "Beckett?" He called again, his voice tinged with panic.

"I'm over here. Are you okay?"

"I guess. I feel okay."

"Check yourself over to make sure. That's what I'm doing."

"How about I check you over instead?"

"Castle!" She sounded angry.

"Sorry. But, I think we know who the Wellington bomber is now."

"Brilliant deduction. He must have seen us coming and had the whole building rigged to blow up. I hope he was right in the middle of it."

"Yeah, but if he was, we'll never find out why he'd spend years bombing shoe stores? Who gets that mad about shoes?"

Beckett made no reply. Then, "I can see daylight off to my right. We can get out of here. Can you see it?"

He stared and then saw a flash of red. "I can't see daylight, but I can see your coat. I'll be with you in a…."

"Castle? You okay?"

"No, my foot is stuck. I can't move."

"Hold on. I'll come and get you."

He could hear her moving and then something gave way and he heard a crash. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Actually, I can see more daylight now. It looks like we're on what's left of a concrete floor. A bunch of rubble slipped and fell off. It'll be easier to get out of here once you're free."

He saw Beckett crawling towards him. She stopped a foot away from him, her hair messy, her face covered with ashes from the explosion and her coat torn. She had never looked more beautiful to him. "Okay, what's the problem?"

"My leg. Something is on top of it."

"Is your leg okay? It isn't broken or something is it?"

He wiggled his leg as best he could. "No, no pain and the leg moves. Something is on top of it."

Beckett crawled past him. "Damn! There's a huge wooden beam across your leg. It looks like maybe a twelve by twelve. Let me see if I can move it."

He could hear her grunt as she strained to lift the wooden beam. "I can't move it."

"Who puts a wooden beam in a building like this anyway?" He asked.

"It's carved, so it's probably decorative from when the building was occupied. Do you want to write a nasty letter to the architect?" She pushed her way back out so that she faced him. "Castle, do you hear anything?"

He stopped and listened. "No. Not a thing. Why?"

"An explosion this big should have the fire department here in minutes." She reached inside her pocket for her phone. "Damn it. It's smashed. Do you have your phone?"

"Yeah, let me….I can't reach it. There's a pile of rubble in the way."

"Where is it?"

"My front left jeans pocket."

"Your front pocket? Who carries their phone in their front pocket?"

"I do. I used to carry it in my back pocket, but I was on a date once and I butt dialed this model I was also dating and…."

"I don't want to hear it." Beckett reached under him and tried to find his pocket and phone.

"Be gentle with me, Beckett."

"Castle…"

"You have remarkably gentle fingers, you know."

Beckett ignored him and pulled out his phone. She dialed Esposito. "Espo!"

"Beckett, where are you?"

"The corner of Nineteenth and Lex. We found the Wellington bomber, but he blew the building up with us inside. I'm okay, but Castle's leg is caught. Where the hell is the fire department?"

"Beckett, there's an oil tanker on fire at the docks right next to a ship carrying some kind of chemicals. Deadly chemicals. And there are two huge fires in Midtown high rises and worse…."

"Okay. I get it. But all we need is a ladder truck and a chain saw. Castle's leg is caught under some kind of decorative wooden beam, but I can't move it. Get someone from the fire department, okay?"

"Okay."

"I heard." Castle said. "We may be here awhile." He smiled. "Read any good books lately?"

Far below in what had been the basement, someone had used the abandoned building to store and fix motorcycles he had stolen. Live electrical wires swung over a pile of oily rags that sat by a can of gasoline. Eventually, a spark ignited the rags.

"Beckett, do you smell smoke?'

She inhaled deeply. "Yes."

"I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"I'll get you out, Castle."

"How? I got a look at the damned thing on top of my leg. It's huge. You can't lift it. You need to get out of here. The fire could cause the building to shift and collapse more."

"I'm not leaving you behind. The fire can't be that big."

Just as she spoke, the fire reached the gas can which erupted with a bang.

"Something just happened. I can feel heat on my legs. The file is spreading. Get out."

Beckett looked around her for something to use as a lever. There was nothing. "I'm not going to leave you unless I have to."

"You have to." Castle stopped. "Beckett, I hope you don't mind, but I changed my will. I've left my money in a trust fund for Alexis and for Martha. I named you as the executrix. Look, Meredith will try to get her hands on Alexis and her money, so you'll have to stop her. "

"Castle, you can stop her yourself. I'll get you out."

"One more thing."

"What?"

"I'd like to kiss you just once before…You know."

"Rick, when we both get outside, I promise you I'll give you the best kiss you've ever had. But outside."

"I think that…"

"Oh, shit!" Beckett interrupted him. "I can see flames. Right behind you."

"Beckett, you have to go and go now. Please. We can't both die here."

Beckett put her hands around his head and mashed her lips against his, pushing her tongue past his lips and teeth until she found his tongue. She could feel tears starting to flow.

"Am I interrupting something?'

Beckett sprang back. "Espo! What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you. Unless you'd like me to come back later? FDNY can't some, but there's a big hardware store just up the street. I got one of their biggest ladders and two gas powered chain saws. Care to help?"

Castle could feel his feet getting hotter and hotter, as Beckett and Espo cut the beam away. Finally he was free.

Espo insisted on taking them to the emergency room to be checked out. Castle's leg was bruised, but they were both otherwise okay.

"Ryan brought my unit over. I'll give you a ride home." She did, but instead of heading for Castle's loft, she took them to her apartment and led him upstairs. Once inside, she rested her head on his chest, then kissed him, long and hard and deep. "I always keep my promises." She pulled him towards her bedroom. "I guess I will be one of your conquests, after all."

He stopped, stopping her. "No. You'll never be just a conquest to me, Beckett. I want more. I want more than just sex with you. We could be great together, and not just in bed. That's what I want, for us to be together. To be great together, always."

Beckett could actually feel her walls pressing in on her. "Castle, can't we just go to bed?'

"No. I want more. I want everything and I want you to have everything, too."

Kate Beckett stood here. She knew what she had to do. She knew what she should do. She knew what she wanted to do. She knew what she would do.