Author's Note:Yup, yet another story from me :D The working title for this was literally Fireman Rick, and was until about three hours ago. This story wouldn't have been possible without the help of the wonderful theputz913 who has been editing this for me and making sure it all made sense. Thank you my lovely :)

I hope you enjoy this story. Let me know what you think. NYLF. xx

"Hey, Ricky! Are you gonna be joining us any time soon?" Rick waved a dismissive hand in his partner's direction not even bothering to turn away from his phone.

"Pumpkin I gotta go alright? But I'll speak to you later okay? We'll go over that math homework when you're finished with it."

Rick's eleven year old sighed. "Okay dad. Stay safe okay?"

"I always am Alexis." He promised softly before hanging up the phone and pocketing it. He jogged back to his partner's side. "Sorry Buzz, it was Lexi. I had to answer."

"I know." Buzz replied knowingly. "I just thought you'd wanna get this finished before…" he was interrupted by the buzzer, followed by the radio telling them the address of the house fire they had to tackle. "Too late. Okay ladies, duty calls."

"To infinity and beyond." Ricky yelled, right hand fisted and extended before he ducked, laughing along with the rest of their team, narrowly avoiding the pen his partner threw at him.

While Buzz talked to first on scene, Rick suited up, making sure the tri-colour cotton friendship bracelet his daughter had made for him stayed safely inside before putting on his gloves just as Buzz came back over.

"Okay Ricky, it'll be a tough one. There's a woman trapped on the second floor, third door on the left. She's on the phone to us still, so she's fine but she won't be for long. We gotta get her out of there fast Ricky or this'll become a recovery not a rescue."

Rick nodded quickly. "Gotcha."

Both men slipped on their protective face shields and O2 masks before giving each other the okay sign. With one final nod to their chief, they went into the flames.

Only once Rick had carried the young woman- a wee slip of a girl really, her girlish features and 'Little Miss Sunshine' pyjamas telling of a girl perhaps not yet even out of her teens- to safety, did he look behind him for his partner, his stomach dropping when he noticed he wasn't behind him.

"Hey, medic?" Rick called once he'd lifted his mask, motioning to the paramedics on scene. "Take her." He ordered trying to hand the girl over to the other man but she wouldn't let go of him.

Rick gently cupped the side of her face with his hand, dwarfing the girl. "Sweetie, I know you're scared, alright? I know. But my partner is still inside and he needs me. You're safe now and I'll come back to you okay? But you gotta let me help my partner."

The girl hesitated for precious seconds before nodding and relaxing her hand. Rick leaned in and kissed her forehead before securing his mask once more and running back towards the building, ignoring the shouts of his chief saying it was too dangerous and that Buzz was probably already gone.

"Buzz!" Rick screamed as he fought his way through the inferno, trying to keep his breathing steady-in order to not put too much pressure on his tank- but fear for his partner was making that near on impossible. "Buzz! Answer me you idiot!"

Rick stopped for just long enough to take a deep breath, calming his heartbeat enough to remain professional, he was no good to Buzz if he was on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Buzz?!" Rick called steadily. "If you can hear me buddy, I need you to make a sound, or throw something, or do something to let me know where you are."

He stood deathly still for a few heartbeats, waiting to see if he could hear anything over his own heartbeat and the crackling of the flames as they consumed the building.

Rick was on the verge of losing hope when he spotted Buzz's foot.

"Buzz!" He screamed, flinging himself across the room. He caught hold of his partner's foot and held on with one hand, while the other cleared the debris from his chest. He barely took the moment to assess that he wasn't breathing before pulling him up and flinging him over his shoulder.

"It's okay Buzz, gonna get you outta here!" Rick fought the flames once more as he made a hasty escaped through the front door, yelling for a medic the moment they were clear.

His team fought the blaze while paramedics fought for Buzz's life.

Only one succeeded with their task.

The fire went out.

Detective, for just shy of six months, Kate Beckett and her team pulled up at the scene and got out of their cars before the full force of the devastation hit them. The once white picketed fence family home was barely standing. The roof had completely collapsed, the front wall had half fallen into the front yard and the entire building was burned a thick deadly black.

It was like something out of a horror film.

The ambulance was gone, had taken the girl to hospital, but surrounding the area it had stood were the left over packaging from at least twenty bandages and gauze. Kate had asked to be kept in the loop as far as the girls condition went, knew that her legs were pretty badly burned but not nearly as bad as they could have been if it wasn't for Richard Castle, the fire-fighter that saved her.

"Hey Beckett?" Ryan asked quietly.

Kate turned to him before following his eye line to find the fire-fighter sat on the edge of the table from the action centre, now only wearing his shirt, trousers and suspenders, his jacket and gear slung beside him as if he couldn't get rid of it fast enough. His head was hanging, his eyes drawn to the body laying just a few feet from him, their victim, the reason they were here.

The medic had found a cut in the O2 line, thus concluding that his death was foul play, had called the police in.

Kate nodded to her partner before making her way over to the man who looked like his whole world had just come down.

"Sir?" Kate asked as she stepped up. She knew better than to make someone in an emotionally volatile state jump.

The man looked up at her slowly, his eyes tracing her figure from her four inch heels to her face, never lingering too long. She had a feeling it was less sexual and more that he hadn't the energy or drive left to look up energetically.

"Can I help you, Miss?" He asked politely despite the absolute desolation colouring his tone. Beckett opened her mouth to reply but he shook his head and stood, holding his hand out in front of him, both of them ignoring the prominent tremor. "Please excuse me, Richard Castle FDNY."

Kate smiled softly, taking his hand in hers and shaking it. "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD." She smiled slightly as he automatically straightened his spine before he dropped her hand.

"You're here for Buzz, right?"

Kate's brow furrowed in confusion. "Tobias Story, yes?"

Rick smiled, shaking his head. "You almost forget he had a real name." He murmured to himself. "Yeah, Tobias Story." He shook his head, clearing his throat before looking back up to her, pain written in every crease of his face. "You'll uh, he's uh," he shook his head, his voice breaking.

Kate looked away, giving him a moment.

"You'll look after him right? I mean, I know he's just another body to you but, he's my partner y'know, my brother." Rick forced out.

Kate laid her hand on his bicep gently. "Mr Castle, no one is just 'another body' to me, I can assure you. I will take the utmost care, I promise."

Rick watched her for a second, apparently assessing her sincerity. He seemed to find what he was looking for when he nodded. "I've gotta call my kid." He excused himself, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"Of course." Kate nodded sympathetically. "We'll need to be in touch, you were the one who pulled him out, went in with him?"

Rick nodded. "Chief'll give you my number. I'm not meaning to be rude Detective but…"

Kate shook her head, absolving him. "Call your child, Mr Castle. I'll keep you informed." She smiled gently, prompting a nod from the fire-fighter before he left her to it, stooping to collect his gear before making his way back from the scene to call his daughter while Kate got to work.