961. Chapter 961

After Flowers for Your Grave

Episode 1.01

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: This will not be the first time I tell you that I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Richard Castle crept down the alley as silently as he could. He stopped at a truck parked almost at the end of the alley and very carefully peered around the vehicle. What he had feared most was right in front of him. Murderer Jonathan Tisdale had Detective Kate Beckett backed up against a chain link fence and was holding his gun to her head. Luckily, he was facing away from Castle.

He hadn't taken the fight out of her, though. "Give it up, Tisdale. My people will be here in minutes. You can't get away. Give up."

Tisdale slammed his fist into her stomach, causing her to jerk forward. He punched her in the face and her head snapped back. Castle could see blood trickling from her nose and from her split lip. One eye was swollen closed. Tisdale punched her again. "Shut up, bitch. Your people may be coming, but as long as I have you as a hostage, I'm in control. One thing for sure, I'm not going to rot in prison for the rest of my life. If I'm going to die, I'll take you with me, bitch. Now, shut up and let me think."

Beckett started to say something, but caught sight of Castle over Tisdale's shoulder. She shook her head just a bit.

He knew she wanted him to leave, but that was out of the question now. He wasn't going to leave her all alone with a killer. However, aside from that, he had no idea what he was going to do. Then inspiration struck. Beckett's pistol was on the ground behind them. Castle figured out that he'd managed to disarm Beckett and then had kicked the gun away. He calculated that it was two steps to pistol and two more to Tisdale.

As he tried to think of a fool proof way to save Beckett, he got lucky. A car drove past them on the other side of the fence. Tisdale's gun whipped around and now pointed towards the street outside.

Castle took two steps, grabbed Beckett's pistol, then took two more steps and jammed the gun into the back of the killer's head. "I'm Richard Castle, the author. Remember me? You move than gun a fraction of an inch, you breathe wrong, you even think about hurting Detective Beckett and I'll splatter your brains all over this alley. I'm not a cop, so all I have to do is claim that Beckett or I were in danger and I get to kill you."

"Go to hell." Tisdale snarled.

Castle hadn't expected that. He had to think quickly. "Hell? That's where you're headed to. It's different now, isn't it, actually facing your own death? You can brag about dying before you'll go to prison, but I pull this trigger back another quarter of an inch and you're dead. You'll be dead forever, Tisdale. Is that what you want? If it is, just twitch. Go ahead, just breathe wrong. Please do something so I can kill you."

Feeling Tisdale wasn't going to cooperate, Castle changed tactics. "Or you could just surrender. You've got a lot of money. Oh, we know you're in financial trouble, but you've got enough to hire good lawyers. Who knows, maybe they'll find an error in the search warrant." Castle played to Tisdale's arrogance. "You're a smart man. You can see that it's not all over if you surrender. You could get away with it. Walk out of the court a free man, laughing at your father and us."

"I hate him."

"Don't you want to see his face when he finds out what you've done?"

All of a sudden, Tisdale dropped his pistol. "I surrender."

Castle pushed him down. "On your knees. Now!" He demanded. He looked at Beckett. "Are you okay?"

"I'll heal. I think he broke my nose." She grimaced in pain. "And he damaged my ribs. Damn! I hope they aren't broken."

"I hope they are, bitch."

Castle turned and kicked Tisdale in the face as hard as he could.

"'Castle!" Beckett cried." Don't. We don't do that kind of thing."

"I saw his hand move under his jacket. I thought he was going for another gun." Castle quickly lied.

"I don't have another gun. That was police brutality."

Castle laughed. "I'm not a cop. That was writer brutality and good luck getting anyone to care."

"Castle, I don't think I can bend over with my ribs hurting. Give me my Glock back and use my cuffs on him, okay?"

He had just finished cuffing Tisdale when Esposito, Ryan and half a dozen other cops arrived.

Ryan looked at her. "Jesus. We'd better get you an ambulance, Beckett. What happened?"

"It was my fault. Tisdale jumped me and knocked my gun away."

"Looks like you got it back." Espo said. "Good work."

Kate shook head slowly. "That was Castle. He grabbed my gun and threatened to blow Tisdale's head off. I think he would have done it, too."

Ryan bent over to haul Tisdale to his feet. "Looks like you got in some good licks, though."

"That was Castle again. Um, he thought Tisdale was reaching for another gun and kicked him in the head."

As everyone left the alley, Esposito moved close to Castle and said softly, "He did that to Beckett and you just kicked him once? He should have no face left."

"Sorry, I'm new at this. I'll do better next time. No, no. I don't ever want there to be a next time."

"I'll give you a few pointers. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll try to escape."

The FDNY paramedics arrived within minutes to take Beckett to the ER. After she was loaded into the ambulance, Castle tried to get in, too.

"No need for you to come, Detective." One paramedic said, assuming Castle was a cop.

"Let him in." Espo said. "He's her partner."

The paramedic stood back, making room for Castle.

"Castle, you shouldn't…." Beckett began, but was cut off when an oxygen mask was put over her face and the paramedic began taking her vitals.

She woke up in a hospital bed the next morning, aching all over. She smelled something heavenly, then Castle came into her room, carrying a cup of coffee. "Grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla?"

"How did you know?"

"I called the precinct. Esposito told me that you love coffee and what to get you. I hope it's okay?"

She managed to sit up a bit and took a sip. "It's great." She stopped for a moment. "Oh, god. I must look awful. With my two black eyes I look like a raccoon. "

He smiled at her. "You've never looked more beautiful, Beckett. You're alive."

She smiled back and found that it hurt. "How did you get here so early this morning?"

She was answered by a thin African-American nurse who came in with a clipboard. "He never left, Honey. He spent the whole night here asking us if we didn't need to bring in some world famous broken nose setter at great cost from some distant part of the world. We told him that Doctor Pedersen has been setting noses since before he was born and she's the best there is." The nurse examined her chart. "Okay, Ms. Beckett, we'll be releasing you as soon as the doctor checks you one last time. You've had a mild concussion, so you can't drive for a few days."

"I talked to her precinct captain." Castle interrupted. "She's to take two days off and not, repeat not, even think about coming to work. I'll drive her home."

Beckett was unhappy at having to be wheeled out of the hospital in a wheel chair. There was nothing wrong with her legs. But, it was hospital policy. When she got to the front door, Castle was there.

"Castle, you got a limo to take me home? Really?"

"Should I have gotten an ambulance?" He asked nervously.

"Take the limo, Detective. You'll feel every bump and pothole in the road anyway, but it'll be better than a cab." The nurse informed her.

One inside the limo, Castle had more coffee for her.

"Castle, thank you for saving my life. What you did was very, very brave."

For some reason, Castle looked horrified. "Beckett, I'm sorry."

Author's note: To A Castle Reader (Guest). I have several ideas who's at the door at the end of Follow the Orange Brick Road, but I haven't made any decisions yet.