Title: Locked Rooms and Odd Couples

Rating: M – come on guys, it's me! Of course it's M! M for language, M for smut, M for flirting, double entendres and bad puns, M for, well, pretty much everything.

Summary: Alexis has been kidnapped, and Beckett and Castle must race against time to save her. Meanwhile, Alexis has problems of her own… and not the kind you'd think.

Disclaimer: I don't own these guys, which is probably a good thing because I just might die from happiness if I did and then where would we be?

Author's Note: This story was partly inspired by the latest Castle episode "Cuffed" (the fact that we have to suffer until January for a new episode is killing me), and partly inspired by the story "The Seven Deadly Sins Plus One" by the talented fanfiction writer Vesja. If you haven't read her stuff yet, look it up!

Alexis stirred slightly, bringing one hand up to rub her forehead. Everything around her was blurry and she blinked a couple times to clear her vision. When she did, she almost wished she hadn't.

Sitting bolt upright, she gazed around at her surroundings. She was lying on a thin, dirty mattress in a dark room – judging by the thin shafts of light lazily dancing through slats high above her she was in a basement of some kind. She backed up slightly and bumped her back against a thick wall made of… was that concrete?

"She's awake."

Alexis whipped around, her red hair spilling over her back and shoulders. She squinted in the near-darkness, trying to see who had spoken. Shadows danced around the large room but she couldn't tell if any of them were cast by a person.

"Who's there?" Alexis asked. She was pleased with how even her voice sounded, despite her racing heart.

"She sounds demanding." Someone chuckled.

"Shut up. You'll freak her out." The person who replied was definitely the first person who'd startled her.

Before Alexis could demand that they show themselves, someone stepped into the pool of thin light near Alexis' mattress. Her eyes widened a little when she saw who it was.

"Benny?" Alexis asked.

Alexis' classmate, often teased for her boyish name, grinned at her. "Hey, Alexis." She said, giving her a wide, infectious grin. Benny always gave the impression that she just couldn't help smiling.

"What are you doing here? Where are we?" Alexis asked, standing up. She immediately stumbled as a wave of nausea hit her.

"Whoa, I wouldn't try to do that just yet. It took me a good hour or so to stop feeling woozy every time I moved." Benny warned. She hurried forward and helped Alexis sit back down.

"Thanks." Alexis said, rubbing her head. "Why do I feel that way?"

"First, tell me what you remember; then I'll fill in the rest." Benny said.

"Mind if I cut in?"

A tall boy, a good couple inches taller than either girl, walked over to them. He had dark blonde hair that flopped all over the place, and piercing green eyes that gave the impression he was seeing through whatever he was looking at. Despite the fact that Benny's eyes were gray and her hair lighter, no one could have mistaken them for anything other than brother and sister.

He quickly appraised Alexis and she noted that although he had a wiry frame, he was not hurting in the muscle department. She fought a blush.

"Oh, yeah, right, sorry." Benny apologized with a roll of the eyes. "Alexis, this is my bother – I mean, brother, Emmett. Emmett, this is Alexis; you know – the genius who stopped me from failing Biology."

"I know." Emmett said. His voice was smooth and on the edge of a drawl, with a deep tremble to it that hinted at the timbre it would take on as a man. "I've seen pictures."

"Pictures?" Alexis was surprised at how embarrassed she felt.

"On facebook – just group pictures." Emmett explained.

"Gee, that wouldn't be from when you hack my account, would it?" Benny asked sarcastically.

"It's your fault for leaving your computer unguarded." Emmett shrugged.

Benny rolled her eyes again before turning back to Alexis. "So, would you mind telling us the last thing you remember?"

Alexis glanced at Emmett. While Benny had seated herself next to Alexis, he had made no move to sit. Instead, he stood casually, with his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. He looked like he was relaxing in a bar instead of standing in a weird basement place.

Concentrating, Alexis did her best to remember the last thing she did before waking up here. The morning was easy to remember – she'd had breakfast with her father, and Beckett had called with a case around eight. Dad had dashed off and Alexis had gone to…

School? No. No, she hadn't gone to school. She went to…

"The museum! I went to the museum." She said. "I went to meet some classmates there for… a project, of some kind. Something to do with royalty… oh, yeah, we had an assignment about comparing the lifestyles and status symbols of royalty throughout history."

Emmett snorted. Alexis glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and caught Benny glaring at him.

"I was at the museum that day, too. I saw you down the hall." Benny said. "My group was studying women's role in society throughout history."

Alexis nodded. "Yes, we were put into groups and were going to present on different days. I remember we went into the Greek wing, and I think we went into the Egyptian…"

She frowned, remembering. She didn't remember being around anything Egyptian, but she knew they'd talked about it… wait–

"No, we didn't go into the Egyptian wing." She said. "We were going to go in there next, but I said I had to use the restroom."

In her mind's eye, she could see the white marble floors and the door of the women's restroom. It was just to the left of the water fountain, and the men's restroom was on the other side of the fountain. She'd pushed open the door, gotten a glimpse of the stalls, and…

"Do you remember anything after that?" Benny prompted.

Alexis shook her head. "No. The last thing I remember was entering the restroom. I remember pushing the door open, stepping in… the door was still open… I got the impression that it was empty…" She shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts, but nothing came to her. Her shoulders slumped a little. "No. That's all."

Benny shot Emmett a triumphant look. "That's the last thing I remember, too." She said eagerly. "I was with my group, and we were in the Renaissance area – I told one of the girls I had to use the restroom, I went to the same one that you did, and the next thing I know I'm waking up here with only Bransky here for company." She jerked her thumb at Emmett.

"You do realize I take that as a compliment, not an insult." Emmett said. "An insult would be Mr. Brainwash."

"Thanks for the tip." Benny shot at him.

Alexis frowned. "How long have we been out? Do you know?" She asked.

Benny thought for a moment. "Well, judging by the position of the light coming through those slats up there, I'd say I woke up sometime around noon. I was next to you, actually, on the mattress. Emmett was over on the floor a few feet away. I managed to wake him up, but we got into an argument over whether to wake you up or not."

Alexis quirked an eyebrow. "Am I really so terrible to be around that you didn't want me waking up?" She teased.

Benny grinned. "I have to say, you're taking this pretty well. Emmett here was worried you'd freak out." She leaned forward and stage whispered. "He clearly doesn't know you."

Emmett made a sound that might have been a snort.

"What about you?" Alexis asked, looking at him. "Do you remember anything?"

"Last thing I remember, I went to use the little boy's room – next thing after that was my sister slapping me awake." He flashed a lopsided grin that had an edgy quality to it. It sent a strange shiver down Alexis' spine.

Alexis thought a moment. "Do any of you have phones or watches on you?" She asked, feeling in her pockets for hers. She was still wearing the clothes she'd worn while at the museum; a pair of tight blue jeans and a deep green long-sleeved sweater with a rolled top that, when rolled all the way, offered a bare neck and a peek at her shoulders. She was glad she'd chosen to wear her sneakers – walking around the museum was not the best situation for wearing heels or boots.

Benny and Emmett shook their heads. A quick search of her pockets revealed that her phone was gone, and her watch (a birthday present from her dad) had been taken, as well. There was no use looking for her wallet; it had been in her purse, which had most likely also been taken.

"Any idea what time it is now?" She asked.

Emmett examined the light coming through the slats near the (impossibly high) ceiling. "I'd say around four in the afternoon, maybe five." He said.

Alexis nodded, digesting this information. "That's good." She said. "We've been gone for a few hours – our classmates will have definitely noticed we're missing by now, even if our parents haven't."

Emmett made that half-snorting sound again. "Well that's good, because the 'rents would never notice."

Benny shot Emmett another look, but Alexis sensed that there was hurt as well as annoyance in that one. She decided to tactfully ignore it.

"My dad is a consultant for the police." She explained. "He was actually working a case when I left that morning. He knew where I was going, but if I remember correctly we were only supposed to be at the museum until three. He'd be expecting me to text or call and let him know where I was after that. Once he sees I didn't do that, he'll be able to get someone on our case right away."

"Wait – isn't your dad that mystery writer? The one who wrote those books based on an actual NYPD Detective?" Benny asked.

"That's the one." Alexis said proudly. While she might occasionally take issue with her father putting his life on the line, she was proud of his writing and the work he did at the 12th.

"I haven't had a chance to read the books yet, but I know there's a movie coming out and I can't wait to see it. I actually planned on going to the library today to pick them up." Benny said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Alexis couldn't help the grin that overtook her features. She loved it when people liked her father's books. The crazy fans made her uncomfortable and if people when on and on it became embarrassing, but generally she enjoyed it.

"I hate to interrupt the bonding going on here, but I'd like to find a way out and a way to eat." Emmett said.

"I'll try and stand up." Alexis said. She rose slowly, fixing her eyes on one point, and stood up without any problems. "It appears to have worn off." She said. Then her forehead puckered as a thought struck her.

"You mentioned you were woozy for about an hour, after you first woke up." Alexis said slowly. "And we don't remember anything…"

She quickly felt along the back of her neck and along her arms for any puncture marks. "Somebody check by back." She said.

"You think we were drugged?" Benny asked.

"It's the only explanation as to why we don't remember anything and why we felt sick. I'd say we were knocked unconscious but I don't feel any lumps or have a headache." Alexis explained. She turned around. "Now, if someone could check me…"

She heard the firm step of someone – it had to be Emmett, Benny was too light to make that noise – stepping towards her, and then felt his warmth breath tickle the back of her neck. A surprisingly large but gentle hand pushed her shirt up, and she felt goose bumps form where the cold air hit her skin. Another large, warm hand touched her back. The fingers were slightly rough, especially the pad of the pointer finger, but they were gentle and dexterous. They ghosted along her skin, and an entirely new form of goose bump formed wherever they touched.

"I see it." Emmett said. His voice was loud enough that Benny could hear it, but there was a strange, slightly high pitched note in it that hadn't been there before. "It's a puncture wound of some kind – from a needle or something."

"What does it look like?" Alexis asked.

His palm rested against her lower back, just above her jeans, then slide along the skin to cup her side with a firm but oh so gentle touch. His thumb rubbed gently at the sore spot, making tiny circles, and Alexis suddenly had to fight the urge to arch her back and push further into the touch.

"Well there's the puncture wound, of course – it's a dark red color – and the skin around it is slightly red, too. There's some kind of light bruising just below the mark, like someone had to hold you down or was a little too rough." Was it her imagination or did his voice lower slightly on the last few words?

"Is it swelling?" Alexis asked, swallowing.

"No, it looks fine, other than the bruise. Do you feel anything – any stinging or tenderness?" Emmett asked. He ran his hand gently along her back, around the mark.

This time Alexis did arch her back slightly; the feel of his hand sliding along her skin in that slow, sensuous way was waking up tiny dots of electricity in her skin. "No, I feel fine; just a slight itch where the mark must be." Her voice sounded overly light and airy.

"We must have the same marks too, because my lower back has been itching ever since I woke up." Benny said, stretching on the bed and scratching in said spot.

Emmett's hand pressed firmly against her back and he slid over to her side, grasping it firmly for one second before he let go and pulled her shirt back down. Alexis immediately missed the feel of him touching her, the warmth and gentleness and the strange electric sparks they awakened.

"Do me?" He asked.

Alexis spun around, her cheeks flushing, and saw that he was indicating his shirt. "Oh, yes, right, got it." She stumbled.

Emmett's eyes danced wolfishly and his mouth twitched, showing he knew exactly what had her flustered. Alexis gave him her best stone-face glare. She'd perfected it on her dad.

Emmett turned around and Alexis raised his shirt up. He was also wearing jeans, and she was glad to see that they hung properly on his hips, complete with a belt instead of hanging absurdly low like some boys wore them. He wore a long sleeved white shirt and a dark blue t-shirt on top of that. Both fit him well and showed off his muscled arms nicely.

He was a little more tan than she was, but his skin was surprisingly soft and supple where she touched it. He had a puncture mark on his lower back, just to the right of his spine and above his butt, in the same place that hers was. She touched it tentatively, her fingers dancing light trails along his skin.

She felt Emmett suck in a breath. After a beat she stepped closer, so that her chest was only a few inches away from his back. She touched the spot more firmly, sliding her small fingers over him. The wound looked the way Emmett had described hers – a red puncture mark with a slight red color to the skin around it due to irritation. Unlike her, however, there was no bruising.

"Does it hurt?" She asked.

"No; just a light itch." Emmett's voice was strained.

Alexis knew that she should step away now, but her hand had apparently developed its own brain independent from hers, and slid further along his skin. It was warm and smooth, and she found herself wanting to touch more of it, feel it under her fingers…

Her hand ghosted up higher, and she realized that she was dangerously close to taking his shirt off completely. What had come over her? She wasn't ever like this.

Clearing her throat, she stepped back from Emmett, letting his shirt fall back down. "You seem fine to me." She said, hoping she didn't sound as awkward as she felt.

Emmett turned around, and there was something dark and hungry in his eyes that sent another shiver shooting through her system. Then his gaze cleared and that lazily cocky look returned. "Thanks, 5.0." He said, giving her that lopsided grin.

"What?" Alexis was confused.

"5.0 – you know, like the GPA score." Emmett explained.

"I know what 5.0 is. I want to know why you called me that." Alexis said.

"Because you have a 5.0; you're the queen of overachievers." Emmett said, that absurd grin still firmly in place.

Alexis decided to take the high road and ignore him. Her GPA was 4.8, as a matter of fact, something that irked her. She'd been taking on so many extra credit courses in an attempt to raise her GPA that she was getting hardly any sleep at night, but she was certain it would help her attain that elusive 5.0 she needed to help her get into Stanford.

She still wanted to go, Ashley or no Ashley.

Pushing her ex-boyfriend firmly out of her head, Alexis sat back down next to Benny. The girl was playing with her short blonde hair, which she'd cut into a chic almost-bob.

"We have to find a way out of here." Alexis said. "I'm not sitting around until help arrives."

"What makes you so certain that help will arrive? We don't even know why we're here." Emmett pointed out.

"I like it." Benny got up as well. "It's better than playing 'I Spy' or something to pass the time. I hate that game," She confided, "And everyone in grade school always wanted to play it. It drove me nuts."

Alexis grinned. She'd never gotten to know Benny too well, but liked her well enough. It looked like the girl would be a good comic relief for their current situation. No matter how funny Benny was or distracting – and rude – Emmett was, the fact remained that they were in dire circumstances. She had to find a way out.

She only hoped that her father had noticed her disappearance by now.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Beckett turned from the murder board and wrinkled her forehead at Castle. He had been silent the entire time she'd briefed Ryan and Esposito, not offering up his usual theories. She'd missed him interrupting her and finishing her sentences.

Castle was staring at his phone, frowning, his lips and forehead puckered in that adorable way of his. His stare was too intense for him to simply be researching, and his fingers weren't on the touch screen, so he couldn't be playing Angry Birds or some other ridiculous game.

"Something on your mind, Castle?" Beckett asked.

"It's nothing, just…" Castle trailed off for a moment before speaking. "It's Alexis. She went to the museum today to meet up with the rest of her classmates. They've all been divided into groups to give presentations, and the school is letting them run around the museum for the day. She left when I did, which was around eight, and she text me to let me know she'd arrived around eight thirty. She said that they would be finished by three, and that she'd let me know if she was going back home or to a friend's house.

"So?" Beckett asked. "Everything okay?"

"She hasn't called or text me." Castle said. "I just checked with Mother, and she hasn't contacted her either. It's four o'clock. Alexis is always good about checking in, she never forgets to update me."

"Maybe she just got caught up in something." Beckett suggested.

Castle shook her head. "If it was Mother, sure, but not Alexis; she's always been the responsible one, even more than me. She's the one who instituted the 'check in' rule in the first place." Castle explained.

"Try calling her." Beckett said, settling down at her desk to go through some of the case files. Castle got up and headed down the hall to make the call.

After a moment he returned, worry etched into every line on his (ruggedly handsome) face. Beckett mentally slapped that errant thought.

"She didn't answer – I called four times. As a matter of fact, it went straight to voicemail." Castle's tone was calm but there was an underlying panic that was unmistakable. Beckett idly wondered whether that was the tone he'd used when asking about her in the hospital after she'd been shot, but she slapped that thought away, too.

Beckett frowned, and both Ryan and Esposito looked up from their desks. The two junior detectives looked at each other. That was almost the same thing, word for word, that they had told Captain Gates when they'd tried to call Castle and Beckett the day they'd been kidnapped and handcuffed together.

Beckett was thinking the same thing, though from the perspective of the person who'd had their phone stripped.

"I'll call it in." Beckett said, standing up and grabbing her jacket. For anyone else she'd say they were just being paranoid, but with Alexis… the girl was a sweetheart, the most caring and responsible person that Beckett knew. She wouldn't do anything that caused her father to worry, and she wasn't the type to forget to charge her phone and let it die on her.

Castle hurried after Beckett as they made their way to the door. "You two keep working on identifying our John Doe." Beckett instructed Ryan and Esposito. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"And just where do you two think you're going?" Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates stood in the doorway of her office, her arms folded.

Beckett and Castle both froze, with Beckett's mouth hanging slightly open. "We, uh, were just… going to get something to eat." She said quickly.

"Hmmm." Gates said, as if to say she didn't buy a word of their crap. "Do we have an I.D. on our victim?"

"Working on it, Captain." Esposito said from his desk.

"We already hit the morgue so we're just running through missing persons and all until we get a hit." Beckett explained. "We'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"See that you do." Gates said. Beckett and Castle turned to go, but the captain stopped them again. "And if you get a crazy idea in your heads and take off, you call it in. One near brush with a tiger is enough for me; is that clear?"

There was no arguing with Gates – there was a reason for that damn nickname. "Yes, sir." Beckett said awkwardly, nodding tightly. She still hadn't found her rhythm with her new boss.

As they headed towards the elevator, Beckett leaned forward and whispered in Castle's ear. "This had better be legitimate Castle, or I'm hauling you all the way back to the precinct by your ear."

"Then allow me to say in advance…" Castle said as they stepped into the elevator, "Apples!"

The doors shut with a light thump.

So, how do you guys like it so far? Please read and review, I need my daily review fix… er… that came out bad. What I meant was I crave reviews… oh… that came out wrong as well… Okay, fine, writers are addicted to reviews, okay? So press the blue link and leave one on your way out.

Dedication: I know I left a quick author note at the top, but I wanted to dedicate this chapter to my fellow fanfiction writer Vesja. You're a great writer, Sanne, and I love your work! Keep it up! And thanks for inspiring me to do a fanfic focusing on Beckett and Alexis' relationship (I believe the sin was "Ira", or "wrath").