thoughtformed | Chapter seventeen [Video/action]

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Chapter seventeen [Video/action]

[Private to New Moore PD, no time for security]

Something about the home invasion robberies and murders last month just clicked. Might be smart to send a unit to the pawn shop in case it gets ugly. I'm nearly there myself, and I think Beckett may be there already.

[Action]

[And with that, Castle enters the shop, the phone playing a live feed, as he appears to have walked in on the worst-case scenario possible- because, of course, the owner did it, and of course, he has a gun.

The already cluttered small space of the Pawn Shop seems to be in heightened disarray, knickknacks and antique items strewn every which way. The video feed settles onto the center of the conflict – the pawn shop owner is holding a gun, pointing it at Beckett who is standing directly in front of him.

Beckett seems frozen in place, her hands spread to her side, no effort being made to speak or reach for her own sidearm.]

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[Kate isn't moving - her legs feel like lead, and the only thing she can seem to fixate on is the gun pointed at her, no matter how hard she tries to move, she can't.

Somewhere in her periphery she hears the door open and the sound of someone coming in. She knows it's Castle, even without looking, and she just wishes more than anything that she could speak - to tell him to get out, to tell him anything. But her mouth is, somehow, just as frozen as the rest of her.]

[Castle quickly assessed the scene and knew one thing- he wasn't going to leave Kate. The pawn shop owner- the killer, Castle knew that now- remained impassive, gun leveled at the target he knew would likely be easy prey.

Castle, his hands held up, cautiously approached them both, feeling nothing but a deep calm.]

Now... let's all settle down here... this doesn't have to turn ugly, okay?

[He wasn't quite sure what had spooked Kate so badly, but that wasn't important- protecting her was.]

[It is Castle. She can't even look at him, and she's trying to keep herself from hyperventilating but she can't. She feels completely out of control of her whole body - her breath is catching in her throat, and she's trying to control it but she can't, and Castle is talking but it's just the gun, all she can see is that gun pointed right at her and...]

I'm not going to jail! [The owner is talking now and some part of Kate knows she needs to jump on that moment of distraction. But she just wants to run, and she would, if she could make her feet work.]

Whoever you are, you're better off if you just turn out and walk out right now.

[Castle slowly moves to stand protectively in front of Kate, murmuring to her:]

I'm here. Shhh. I'm not going to leave your sight.

[He then turns to the shop owner, his voice full of the same calm.]

It's over. This doesn't need to turn any uglier than it already is, alright?

[Castle moving in front does something, and her hand starts to move slowly to her holster, but now her hand is shaking so much she's not sure if she could even grab it fast enough to make a difference.]

Castle...

[The Pawn Shop owner shakes the gun, scowling at both of them.]

Damn right this is over. Because there isn't anything stopping me from putting a bullet through you or your little girlfriend here.

[Castle sees the action and steps back and turns a little, gently putting one hand on Kate's. She's obviously badly shaken, and her trying to hold a gun doesn't seem like a good idea.

He then turns his attention back on the killer.]

But do you really want to add on to your body count? You think that's going to help you at all?

[Kate stills under his touch, getting the idea real quick and somehow, somehow, she manages to speak.]

He... [She clears her throat.] He's right. We've got backup coming. [It's half bluff, half her hoping Castle had the foresight to call for some.] Even if you... If you kill us this place is gonna be swarming with cops in a couple minutes and believe me, this will be over for you real fast.

[There's a moment of silence and the pawn shop owner hesitates, turning his head to look out the window.]

[Beifong had her team hugging the sides of the building - two near the front and two as her backup as she pressed her palm to the back door, feeling for the metal locking mechanisms. A quick twist and a creak of metal and it was open. Despite her metal armor, the older woman moved both quickly and quietly through the back of the shop till she could get eyes on the shop owner. She motioned for her pair of nitwits to hold position. Pause. Center. Reach out...

The gun twisted in the shop owner's hand, pointing to the ceiling.]

What the--?!

[One hand raised and cocked, holding the gun in place, the other loose and ready to pin him with her cabling, the slender, grim woman stepped out from the back of the store.]

Release the gun and put your hands on your head. Now.

[As soon as Castle saw the gun twist in its owners hand, he didn't even stop to think about how and instead moved fully in front of Kate again, shielding her with his body. His expression was grim, but he recognized the voice of Officer Beifong and knew that they were safe. His hand groped blindly behind him until he found Kate's, gripping it tightly, as the now-scared shop owner moved to comply. He spoke to her in a low voice.]

We're safe now. ... we're gonna be okay.

[Subconsciously, Kate gripped Castle when his hand found hers. Once the Pawn Shop owner let go of the gun, his hands lifting in clear surrender, Kate found her feet again.

She tried to step back, nearly falling into a wood bookshelf behind her as she stumbled. Kate felt lightheaded, and breathless, and confused, and she shook her head, trying to bring herself back to reality.]

I... [She glanced at Beifong, still struggling to find words. She wasn't going to feel safe until the guy was in handcuffs, so she pulled her hand away from Castle and took another step back, bumping into the shelf behind her.]

[Beifong warily stepped forward, pulling the released gun toward her. She didn't have the finesse to be able to put it into a drawer or anything, but she could (and did) put it on the back counter. The shop owner stared beligerantly around, at a loss for words to express his fury.]

Your hands. On your head. Now.

[Beifong's voice was even and unyielding, as she stepped forward. She shot Beckett a glance with a reassuring half-swoop of her eyelids. With a lunge, the owner attempted to make her pay for that brief lapse in attention, swinging a heavy fist at her head, but Beifong was a martial artist, and those instincts kicked in quickly. She sidestepped, tangled his leg with her own, and slammed her elbow between his shoulderblades. The floor shuddered as he slammed into it. In a moment, Beifong stepped over to straddle him and wrench his arms around behind him, cuffing him.

Now that the danger was passed, of course, the backup came pounding in to take control of the suspect and left Beifong to go check on Castle and Beckett. She kept her voice low and her tone gentle, looking over both of them searchingly.]

Are either of you hurt? He didn't fire?

[Castle didn't have any time to react when the man began to charge on Officer Beifong- thankfully, the woman was obviously a seasoned fighter and had everything under control in a trice, and before long, the scene was secure.

He turned to face Kate, giving her a silent smile of reassurance, reaching over to brush a strand of hair behind her ear before turning to face the officer, shaking his head.]

No. You arrived at the right second to prevent that. Thank you.

[Kate wasn't sure what to say. She still wasn't even sure it was over, and a flight instinct kicked in. Suddenly the Pawn Shop was way too small, and she still couldn't catch her breath so she pushed past Castle.

Attempting to muster some kind of look of thanks to Beifong, she pawed at a nearby vanity as she pushed herself towards the door, trying to block out the commotion of the arrest and doing her best to not get in the way of any of the other officers.

Forcing herself to turn and look at Castle and Beifong again, she paused for a minute before finding the words she wanted to say.]

Yeah, uh... Thank you. I, uh, I just... need some air. You gonna be okay in here?

[Beifong's face softens a little, and she nods, waving a dismissive hand.]

We'll be fine. Good work finding him. Castle, you go with her. But don't go far - we'll want statements from you both later. You know the drill.

[Castle is already following Beckett, not even considering that she might not want him to, but stops and nods firmly.]

Yes, ma'am. We'll be close by whenever you need us.

[And with that, he was at Kate's side again, unwilling to leave it until she made him go.]

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Chapter seventeen [Video/action]

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