Disclaimers: I don't own 'Castle' and never will.

Title: Freefalling into an Abyss

Summary: AU. Sequel to 'Mind Games' and 'A Year in the Life.' Reading those two stories will be a big help in understanding this one. Kate, Alexis, and baby Ariel are in danger when a delusional Josh Davidson escapes from prison. Rated M for safety.

A/N #1: I want to thank Shutterbug5269 for the idea for this story.

A/N #2: Kate will start remembering some of the things that happened during those six days with Josh. Some of it isn't going to be pretty.

Chapter 1: A Time for Joy

August 10th—The Hamptons

Kate Beckett loved to listen to the sounds her almost 15-month-old daughter made as she played with her on the warm grass of the house in the Hamptons. The sound of her laughs and giggles was music to her ears. "You can't run from me, you little chunky monkey," Kate warned Ari, who began to run off on legs that were still unsteady on occasion.

Kate ran after her and quickly caught her, tossing her into the air before catching her and smothering her face with kisses. Ari placed her small hands on either side of her mother's face and rubbed her nose against hers, something she'd obviously learned from her father. "Water!" Ari pointed at the large expanse of beach beyond the house.

"We'll go swimming when daddy gets here," Kate promised.

"Bye."

"Daddy had to go bye-bye. He'll be home in a little while. Come on, let's go inside and play," Kate put Ari on her hip and headed to the house.

Castle had a meeting with his publisher, which was already running later than he'd planned. Kate didn't expect him for at least another hour. She took Ari into the coolness of the house and put her on the floor, laughing as she immediately ran over to the toy box in the corner. She was about to go over and start playing with her when her cell phone rang. "Hi, Alexis," Kate answered on the first ring.

"I tried calling dad, but his phone went to voice mail."

"Yeah, he's in a meeting with Paula and Gina. He should be home soon. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, no, well, I'm not sure."

"Alexis, what's going on?"

"Brian has a mock trial in Arlington, Virginia next week and . . . he wants me to go with him."

Brian Abernathy was Alexis' boyfriend of four months. "Wow, that's a big step."

"I know, and I know that I was supposed to come up there next weekend, but Kate, I really want to be with Brian, too."

"Alexis, your dad will understand."

"Kate, it's just that I know if I go away with him—"

"Alexis, we should really have this conversation in person. I can drive into the city tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks, Kate."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"I'm sorry to be interrupting your mini-vacation."

"Alexis, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

After she ended the call, Kate walked over and sat beside her daughter who was happily playing with a huge pile of toys. "I hope that you feel as comfortable coming to me when you're older as your big sister does."

"Lex?" Ari looked at her with Castle's huge blue eyes.

"Yes, Lex. Give me a kiss."

"No," Ari shook her head.

"No? You're so silly."

"No," Ari grinned at her.

"Is daddy silly?"

"No," but she nodded her head.

"That's a 'yes,'" Kate lay on her back and pulled Ari down on top of her. "I love you, chunky monkey," she signed 'I love you,' smiling widely when Ari imitated her actions. "You're so smart."

"No," Ari cupped her mothers' face.

"Somehow I think we're going to regret the day that you learned that word."

"Dada!" She cried out when she heard the door open.

"Lucy, I'm home!" Castle called out, doing his best Ricky Ricardo.

"We're in here!" Kate called out.

Castle stepped into the living room, smiling at the sight of his wife and baby daughter lying on the floor by a huge mess of toys. It was that feeling of domestic tranquility that he never tired of. It was something that he'd never had with either Meredith or Gina. But, from the moment that Kate had moved into the loft with him, she had been his home. Getting married and having a child had only intensified that feeling of home that he'd so missed growing up.

His smile widened as he dropped onto the floor next to them and Ariel came over to him, climbing on top of him like the monkey that she was starting to become. "Hi, sweet pea," he rubbed his nose against hers as she giggled. "Hey," he turned to Kate and kissed her. "So, what have you two ladies done in my absence?"

"We played chase in the yard. We watched 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse' and 'Little Einsteins.' We missed daddy," she grinned at him.

"I missed you, too."

"Alexis called. I'm going to meet her in the city tomorrow."

"Is she okay?" His eyes reflected his concern.

"Girl stuff, Castle. I'll let you know if it's anything bad. Let's change clothes and take Ari to the beach. Then we'll come home and I'll fix dinner."

They changed into their bathing suits and took Ariel down to the water's edge where they sat and played in the water. "You don't think she's breaking up with Brian, do you? Because I was just starting to think he's a keeper. I don't want to start hating him."

"Castle, she's not breaking up with Brian."

"The tides starting to come in. We should get back," he said, standing up and scooping Ariel up as she started to protest.

He was doing it again, she sighed as she followed him back to the house. He loved that Kate accepted Alexis as her own, but he also got jealous when she came to Kate for advice rather than him. "Castle, there are some things that a girl isn't comfortable coming to her father about. I was the same way. It was always easier for me to go to my mom. I lost a lot of that when she died. We've talked about this before."

"Just tell me one thing. Does it have anything to do with . . . sex?"

"Probably. Castle, Alexis is smart and she's responsible. Take it easy."

"Well, if that's what she wants to talk to you about, I'd really rather not know any details," he said as Kate laughed.

"Okay. Fair enough."

Kate was soaking in the tub that night after putting the baby to bed. She was lying back in the water with her eyes closed, listening to the soothing sounds of Coltrane that were coming from her iPod Docking station sitting on the vanity. Sensing that she was no longer alone, she cracked one eye opened, smiling at Castle standing nude by the tub. "Is there room for two in there?"

"Always," she reached for his hand, tugging on it before she moved up so that he could slide in behind her. Once he was comfortable, she leaned back against his chest. "So, what was your meeting about today?"

"Oh, the usual. Editors' comments, revisions, ideas for cover art. They want art to imitate life."

"How so?" She could feel Castle stiffen up behind her. "Rick?"

"They want someone from Nikki's past to . . . create some conflict."

Kate's heart began to pound in her chest. "Create conflict how?"

"I told them no, Kate. I told Gina that I draw the line on certain things that have happened."

"Why would it have to be Nikki? Why couldn't it be Rook?"

"Because women like to be rescued. At least that's what my publisher and my agent pointed out to me."

"I wanted to be rescued. I don't have fantasies about you rescuing me every day. Please tell me that you won the battle, Castle."

"I won the battle, but I sure as hell didn't win the war," he kissed the top of her head.

He sighed as he felt her clutching at his arm, resting her head against his shoulder. He could physically feel her disappearing behind that damn wall again. It had been over two years since that May morning when he'd found her, stoned, cut and bleeding. She still wouldn't talk about those six days. He knew that some of it she simply didn't remember, but some of it was just so awful that she still couldn't face it.

Getting pregnant and giving birth to Ariel almost a year after the ordeal had ended had restored a lot of joy back into his and Kate's lives. Focusing on Ariel had forced her to shove her own issues aside. Now he'd opened his mouth and made her think about it once again. Josh was in prison. He was going to be in prison for at least the next eight years, longer if he and Kate had anything to say about it.

Finally, he felt her reaching for his hand, tangling her long fingers into his even longer fingers. Every time she entwined their fingers like she was now reminded him of that first night. When she'd given him that hopeful smile as she led him into his bedroom. "Tell me a story, Castle," she played with his fingers.

"Hmm. Let me think. Okay, once upon a time there was this beautiful woman named Kate who was one part bad-ass detective, one-part biker chick, one-part wife, and one part mommy to one of the most beautiful little girls in creation. Which part would the beautiful Kate like to hear about tonight?"

"Tell me about the one-part wife part," she continued softly stroking his fingers.

"One day Kate fell in love with this tall, ruggedly handsome writer. Actually, it took her four years to fall in love with this tall, ruggedly handsome writer, but I digress. One day this tall, ruggedly handsome writer took the beautiful bad-ass detective slash biker chick to their favorite swings, where he asked her to marry him. Only she said no."

"She must've been high at the time."

"Must've been. The bad-ass detective slash biker chick told the tall, ruggedly handsome writer that she needed some time. You see, the tall, ruggedly handsome writer is somewhat impulsive while the bad-ass detective slash biker chick is much more methodical and likes to think things through. So, a couple of weeks later, the detective slash biker chick—"

"Hey, what happened to the adjective? I thought she was a bad ass—"

"You've asked me to stop cursing so much."

"Castle, you've already called me bad ass four times already. Please continue."

"Okay, so the bad-ass detective slash biker chick asked the tall, ruggedly handsome writer if he still had her ring because she was ready to answer a very important question. So the tall, ruggedly handsome writer retrieved the ring and came into the kitchen, where he got down on one knee and asked the beautiful, bad-ass detective slash biker chick if she'd marry him."

"And what did she tell him?"

"She told him yes, of course. After all, she would've been a fool not to."

"Yes, she would have," she turned her head to kiss him. "If you want Nikki and Rook to have a kid, that's terrific, Castle. But, I'm not ready to relive the whole Josh nightmare. Okay?"

"Okay. I was already so not going in that direction, anyway."

After making love, Kate had her chin propped up on Castle's chest while he traced lazy circles down her bare back. Her hazel eyes met his dark blue ones. "Do you think that you'll ever remember all of it?" He suddenly asked.

Kate didn't say anything. She just lay her head down on his chest, listening to the calming sound of his heart beating under her ear. The last thing that she wanted to talk about right now, especially after being made love to, was her ordeal at the hands of a man that she thought she'd known so well. "I don't know. All I do know is I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially not my alter ego. She's been through enough."

"So have you," he rested his hand on her back.

"So, has Alexis said anything about working with Perlmutter?"

"Just the same thing that all of us have been saying for years. There's a reason why the dude works with the dead."

Kate laughed against her husband's chest. No longer an intern, Alexis now assisted at the M.E.'s office during her breaks from school. While her M.E. of choice was Dr. Lanie Parish, lately she'd been stuck with Dr. Perlmutter, who definitely didn't have Lanie's cheerful disposition, to put it politely. "Yeah, Perlmutter is definitely an acquired taste. Did I ever tell you that he used to scare the shit out of me?"

"Really? I didn't think anybody scared you," he teased her.

"My first homicide case, Roy sent me down there to wait for a tox screen. I went down there and Perlmutter yelled at me. He told me that was his morgue and when something was ready, he'd call me. I was almost crying when I went back up to the bull pen. Roy told me that I'd better grow a pair and get down there to wait for my screen. He told me that I had to show Perlmutter that I wasn't afraid of him."

"I've always wondered if the guy is married."

"Nobody's had the nerve to ask."

"Could you imagine having him walk through the front door at the end of the day? Scary," Castle shuddered as Kate began laughing.

"Castle, I can't believe that we're actually lying here in our bed talking about Perlmutter."

"You're right," he reached for her and pulled her up to him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she kissed him before curling up in his arms and going to sleep.

***CCC***

August 10th—Ossining, New York

Josh Davidson, otherwise known as prisoner number N137890, was busting his ass in the hot summer sun. But, while his hands were busy, so was his brain. His brain had been busy pretty much every second since he'd arrived at this hell on earth. His days had been busy, first in the prison infirmary, but for the last two weeks out here on the prison farm.

The warden had been shocked when he'd requested the outdoor work detail.

"But, you were a doctor on the outside, Davidson. We could really use your skills in the infirmary."

"Look, I've been cooped up indoors for almost two years. Except for the exercise yard, I mean. Have I not been a model prisoner?"

"Yes, but—"

I just want to do something different."

The warden had reluctantly agreed, so now he was out here with a hoe in his hands, glancing around. The prison farm was on the outside of the prison. While the inmates were guarded, it was far easier to plan an escape from the farm than it was on the inside where there was razor wire and armed guards.

Josh had plans. Plans that he'd been concocting for over two years. Plans that had started that day in May when he'd been arrested for allegedly kidnapping his former girlfriend. His insides seethed as he thought about those pictures he'd seen in that magazine two weeks before. Happy pictures of Kate, that writer, and their family. A family which would've been his if everything had gone according to plan.

"Davidson, you'd better get working," the guy at his side hissed at him. "Holloway's looking this way."

Josh once again began chopping at the rocky soil. But his mind drifted to thoughts of Kate. But also to Richard Castle. He looked up, scanning the tree line beyond the farm. He estimated that it was 100, maybe 200 yards from where they were standing now to the tree line. There were benches with containers of water sitting on them, much like you'd find at football practices. In the two weeks that he'd been working the farm, Josh had noticed that the guards didn't pay any mind when the inmates went over to get water or relieve themselves among the trees. Like everything else, the system was seriously flawed.

"You thinking about your girlfriend and kid again?"

Josh had started talking to the man at his side when he'd come to work the farm. He'd intimated that the baby in the magazine was his kid. The dumbass was too stupid to work the math out in his head and realize that he was being conned. "Yeah."

"Man, if she was my old lady, I'd probably have to take care of the problem, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I've thought about it."

Josh glanced longingly once more at the tree line before returning to the backbreaking work at hand. It wasn't time to make his move, but soon. Very soon.

***CCC***

August 11th—New York City

"Kate!" Alexis waved as Kate entered the restaurant.

"Hi, sweetie," Kate greeted her with a kiss and a hug before sitting down across from her.

"How's Ariel?"

"Terrific. She's spending time with daddy today."

Alexis smiled as the waiter came over and handed Kate a menu. "So, did dad ask why you were meeting me?"

"I told him that it was girl stuff that he wouldn't be interested in."

"He didn't believe you, did he?"

"Not for a second," Kate smiled. "He did ask if you needed anything."

"No, there's plenty of food at the loft. I'll be glad when you guys come back to town next week. It's a little quiet."

"We'll be back on Tuesday evening. So, tell me about this trip with Brian."

"He has a mock trial in Arlington next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. He's coming back Sunday afternoon. He wants me to go with him."

"Okay. Do you want to go?"

Alexis looked at Kate with huge blue eyes. "I think so. Do you think that I'm ready?"

"Alexis, I can't answer that question for you. It's a big step. One that I'm frankly surprised you haven't already taken with him. After all, you've been together for four months."

"I haven't been ready and he's been really sweet about waiting. I mean, it isn't like we haven't done anything. I'm not that big of a prude."

"Alexis, I'm not suggesting that you are. It's just that in this day and age—"

"I know. I guess when I was younger, I always remembered my dad talking about how young he was when he became a father. And then they were pretty strict at school about that sort of thing. If a girl got pregnant, she was pretty much out the door. Also, my dad and my grandmother made sure that I was comfortable enough that I could come to them, so I didn't need to seek out immature teenage boys for what I was missing at home."

"Alexis, I'm glad that you've waited. If I had it to do over, I would've waited."

"How old were you?"

"Sixteen and it was not exactly what I thought it was going to be. Is there anything that you need to know?"

"No, I got the birds and bees talk a long time ago," Alexis made a face as Kate laughed. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"And that's okay. The nice thing about being with a man rather than a teenage boy is hopefully he'll listen to what you want. And Alexis, make sure that you let him know what you want. If you can't tell him, then take his hands and show him. Believe me, that's always fun," she smiled as Alexis rolled her eyes. "Sorry, TMI?"

"Just a little. So, what're you going to tell my dad?"

"Oh, just that you're going away for a long weekend to get your freak on with your boyfriend," Kate teased and laughed when Alexis picked up her napkin and threw it at her. "The truth. I won't lie to him, Alexis. Besides, it's not like you're 15."

"You do realize that he's never going to let Ariel leave the house."

"It's okay, because I've already threatened to have her fitted with a chastity belt."

They talked about other stuff over lunch; Brian's law school classes, Ari's latest words, Alexis' work at the M.E.'s office. "I'll be glad when Lanie gets back from vacation."

"Perlmutter's not exactly a riot to work with, huh?"

"Oh, he's a barrel of laughs, believe me," Alexis said sarcastically.

After they finished lunch, Kate gave Alexis a ride back to the loft. "Be careful, okay? And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call, no matter what time it is. We'll be back on Tuesday evening."

"Okay," Alexis hugged her once more.

***CCC***

Castle was in the pool with Ariel when Kate got home, so she changed into her suit and went to join them. "How was lunch with Alexis?" He asked after kissing her.

"Good. I told her that we'll be home Tuesday. How long has she been in the pool, Castle?" Kate asked after examining Ari's tiny fingers.

"A while," he admitted.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Has she had lunch?"

"Of course. What kind of a father do you think I am? So, what did you and Alexis talk about?"

"Oh, not much. She's going to Arlington with Brian next weekend for four days," Kate announced as she removed Ari from the pool.

"She's what?" He got out of the pool and followed them into the house.

"She's not a child, Castle!" Kate reminded him. "Brian has a mock trial next weekend and he's asked Alexis to go with him."

"Was she even going to tell me about this?"

"Of course. She just wanted to run it by me first. Castle, she'll be fine. Smart and responsible, remember?"

"First she's going off on weekends with him and then she'll be telling us that she's marrying him."

"Rick, one step at a time, okay? She's just going away with her boyfriend. Besides, if I know Brian, he'll be coming to you, not Alexis."

"So, you see that in her future?"

"Yes," she turned from where she was changing Ari's clothes. "If not with Brian, then with somebody else. Personally, I hope that it's Brian."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she finished dressing Ari before putting her on the floor. "And, you do, too. He reminds me of you."

"How so?" He was curious as he followed Kate into the kitchen and watched while she made Ari a snack.

"He's funny, sweet, and if it came down to it, he'd do anything to protect Alexis. Just like you'd do anything to protect us. Also, she felt comfortable enough to tell him about Paris and he didn't get all weird like she said her other friends have when she's tried to talk about what happened with them."

"So, you're saying that she loves him?"

"Yeah, Castle. When you can confide everything to another person that usually means that you love them."

"Just yesterday I was teaching her to ride a bike, and tie her shoes. I'm too young to be a grandfather," he rubbed his hand over his face.

"Castle, it's a weekend! They aren't getting married and Alexis certainly isn't about to make us grandparents."

"You'd consider yourself the grandmother of Alexis' children?" He asked, his eyes wide with wonder and love.

"Of course. Castle, Alexis is as much my daughter as Ariel is. You've always made sure of that. She comes to me for advice about everything. When's the last time she went to Meredith about anything?"

"In that case, you're definitely too young to be a grandmother. Alexis had better not plan of having kids until she's at least 30."

Kate just rolled her eyes as she smiled at her husband.

***CCC***

August 13th—New York City

"So, what should I pack, anyway?" Alexis was on her cell phone talking to Brian.

"Just some casual stuff. Maybe a nice dress for Saturday night. They're hosting a dinner for the members of the mock trial. I think it's just business casual, though. I was thinking that maybe we could go to the Washington Mall Sunday morning before we head back."

"Yeah, that sounds great," she stepped off of the elevator and began walking down the hall toward the loft.

"So, are you home?" He asked, as he heard her digging through her purse for her keys. "Alexis, how many times have I told you to have your keys in your hand before you get to your front door?"

"Brian, I live in a secured building. Nobody gets past the doorman if they aren't recognized—" her words were cut off in a sharp scream as a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Alexis! Alexis!" Brian could hear something drop to the floor and the sound of scuffling, followed by a silence that was as deafening as the loudest noise on earth. "Alexis! Answer me! Alexis!"

August 13th—The Hamptons

Kate was asleep when she heard Castle's cell phone ring. She shot up in bed and looked at Castle, who was staring at the caller id, not recognizing the number. "Hello?"

"Mr. Castle, it's Brian. I was on the phone talking to Alexis and something happened."

"What do you mean, 'something happened?' Where are you?"

"I'm standing outside of your loft. I found her purse and her cell phone by the front door."

"Brian, tell me exactly what happened!" Castle shouted as he turned on the speakerphone so that Kate could listen in.

"We were talking and I could hear her searching for her keys. I was telling her about rooting for her keys when I think . . . I thought that I heard her scream."

"Brian, this is Det. Beckett! Hang up and call the police right now! Don't try to find Alexis yourself! Call the police! Don't touch anything! We'll be there as soon as we can!"

They both leaped out of bed and dressed as quickly as they could, neither wanting to voice the terror that they were feeling. "How did someone get into the building? It's a secure building!" Castle reminded her.

"I don't know, Castle. I'll get Ari and meet you downstairs."

***CCC***

August 13th—New York City

When Alexis opened her eyes, her hands were tied behind her back. She stared up but it was too dark to see anything. She could hear footsteps in the darkness and wondered what nightmare she'd found herself in this time. One minute she'd been talking to Brian and the next she had a hand over her mouth. "Hello!"

"Shh, don't talk," she heard a man's voice in the dark. "We'll be moving soon."

That was when she realized that she was in the floorboard of a vehicle with a blanket thrown over her. She wasn't blindfolded, which meant one of two things; either he wasn't worried about her identifying him or he wasn't going to leave any witnesses. She took some deep breaths to calm herself like her therapist had taught her after Paris. She hoped that Brian had heard her and had called her dad and Kate. Or at least the police.

She felt the vehicle moving and tried to listen to the sounds outside, but the blanket was muffling everything. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sending a message."

"A message to whom?"

"Don't worry, Little Castle. You'll know soon enough."

'Little Castle.' The only people who called her that were the people from the 12th. So she knew whoever it was that had her. Or he knew her. "How did you get into the building?"

"I got in because people are stupid and lax. It's not hard to notice things when you watch and wait. No more talking."

Several minutes later, the vehicle stopped. She heard the engine shut off followed by a door opening and closing, followed by a rush of warm air as another door was opened. The blanket was yanked off of her, and then a strong hand grabbed her, yanking her from the vehicle. She was in an alley, but she didn't know where. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Payback time," the man shoved Alexis ahead of him, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

He roughly rolled her onto her back and hovered above her. Alexis' eyes widened in fear and recognition at the menacing face that was inches over her own. It couldn't be. He was in prison. She'd only seen him in person once on an awful morning four year before. She remembered him attacking her father while they were awaiting word on whether Kate was going to live or die. He'd tormented Kate for almost six days two years before. How had he gotten out? Why hadn't her father or Kate said anything?

"I want you to pass a message along to your daddy and Kate. I want what's mine. That means that I want Kate and I want my kid. Nothing's going to get in my way this time. Also, tell Kate that she'll know the place where you were attacked. It has meaning to her."

Alexis stared up into eyes that were cold and deadly. Then she gave a cry when she saw the glint of the blade in his hand. That was when her survival instincts kicked in.

After she'd returned from Paris, Kate had enrolled her in self-defense courses. And while she wasn't nearly as good as the detective, she'd proven that she could hold her own. While her hands were immobilized, her feet weren't. She lashed out, kicking and screaming, not even feeling the pain as her attacker fought back.

"Hey, get off of her!" She heard a man's voice calling out.

She heard Josh's footsteps as he ran off into the darkness. The pain in her ribs and face was excruciating. She could taste the bitter taste of blood as it filled her mouth. She rolled over to spit out the taste, heaving for breath. "Miss, are you all right?" She heard a second voice at her side.

"Police," she gasped out.

"My buddy's already called 9-1-1."

"Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan. They know me. They . . . work . . . with my . . . dad," she managed to gasp out before darkness claimed her.

***CCC***

August 14th—Midnight; Road to New York City

Castle's eyes were fixated on the road as he drove like an Indy car driver toward the city. Kate kept glancing in the rearview mirror on her baby daughter, who was sleeping in her car seat. They'd been on the road for over an hour and still had at least an hour to go before they reached the George Washington Bridge leading into the city.

Castle hadn't said two words since they'd left the house. Kate had tried to talk, to soothe him with words, but he was stone-faced. She understood why, of course. His daughter was missing. Kate had talked to the cops on the scene, who'd told her that they'd found Alexis' purse and cell phone abandoned in front of the door leading into the loft.

"We're dusting for prints and we'll let you know if we find anything, detective."

"Thanks."

Kate jumped when her cell phone rang. She winced when she saw the caller id. 'Please, no,' she whispered to herself. "Rick, it's Javi. Pull the car over. Please, Rick?"

He did as she asked before she answered the phone. "Put it on speaker," Castle said, his voice unrecognizable.

"Beckett!" Kate said into the phone.

"Beckett, we found Alexis. She's on her way to St. Vincent's."

"Is she okay?" Castle asked.

"She has some broken ribs and some cuts, but she looks to be okay otherwise."

"Javi, where did you find her?"

"Uh . . . "

"Esposito, what is it?"

"Beckett, the U.S. Marshals will fill you in on everything when you and Castle get here."

"U.S. Marshals? What the fuck, Javi?"

"Just get here fast. Little Castle is asking for you guys. Also, she was asking for her boyfriend. Can you call him and let him know where she is?"

"Yeah, Javi. I'll call him. Thanks."

Kate hung up and looked at Castle, who had that look on his face. The look that she'd only seen a few times before and never wanted to see again. He didn't say anything. He just simply put the car back into gear and pulled back out on the highway, heading toward the city and his daughter.

***CCC***

90 Minutes later

When Kate and Castle arrived at the hospital, they were shocked to find several U.S. Marshals, as well as members of the 12th, including Gates, Espo, and Ryan outside of the trauma room where Alexis was being treated. Brian was pacing the halls, stopping when he saw Castle and Kate. "Have you seen her?" Kate asked.

"No, she wanted to see her dad. She kept asking for him. I got to her as fast as I could," the young man grabbed huge handfuls of his hair.

"Brian, Brian. It's okay," Kate placed a hand on his arm. "You did everything right."

"I should've walked her upstairs when I took her home—"

"Yes, you should have," Castle's voice came out as a feral growl. "I thought that you were supposed to be such a gentleman!"

"Castle, stop," Kate urged him, shifting the still sleeping baby in her arms. "Go and see Alexis. She's been asking for you. Go."

Castle walked into the room on shaking legs. His heart dropped into his stomach at the sight of his daughter – his baby girl –lying on that gurney, so pale and fragile looking. Her face was badly bruised and her right cheek was covered with a huge square of white gauze. As if sensing that he was there, she opened her eyes and held her arms out to him, bursting into tears. "Daddy!"

"Oh baby, I'm here," he rushed over and pulled her to him tight, pulling away when he heard her hiss of pain. "Are you okay? What happened?"

It was then that he heard the screams of rage and terror coming from the other side of the trauma room door. He looked at Alexis and then toward the door. That was when he heard the words. "What do you mean he's escaped? Why in the fuck didn't anybody call and tell me?"

"Daddy, it was . . . it was Josh," Alexis choked out as Castle stared at her in disbelief and blood boiling rage.

A/N #3: Bam! Said the lady. There you have it. Please read and review. While it's dark, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. I plan on resolving the Josh situation once and for all.

I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 10 more days, peeps!