CHAPTER 1

Her eyes twitched slightly as her mind slowly returned from its dreamless oblivion. Her head was pounding and her thoughts were incoherent.

In a groggy stupor, she released a soft groan as her body curled up on its left side. Her fingers crawled up along her chest, trailing along her throat, massaging the edge of her face.

She suddenly stilled her movement when her thumb contacted something sticky lining the edge of her mouth.

Beckett winced slightly as she began to register the sensation of the cold, solid surface which was pressed against her left cheek. Her eyelids twitched, the stinging of her right temple catching her off guard. The coppery flavour sheathing the tip of her tongue caused her to gag, bringing her from the edge of obscurity to a fully alert state as her eyes shot open.

But even with her eyes wide and aware, she could see nothing.

She was surrounded by complete darkness - no sound, no light teased her senses. Pressing her palm against the cool surface beneath her, she surmised that she was laying directly on a concrete slab - which explained the intense chill that was coursing through her.

Her muscles rebelled as she forced herself onto her back, every nerve exploding, every bone stiffening. It hurt so much to move, but she knew she couldn't just remain stationary. Stagnant.

That's not who Kate Beckett was.

Very slowly, she stretched her arm above her now horizontal body, the cold of the concrete below biting her spine. Feeling nothing but empty space above her, Beckett ascertained it was safe to sit up and slowly coaxed herself into a semi-seated position.

Her head continued to throb relentlessly and her thoughts were fuzzy… but...

Castle…

"Castle?" she groaned quietly, the syllables choking her as they exited her throat.

She was answered by deafening silence.

"Castle?" she forced again, voice hoarse and laboured.

Her open palm painted the floor, tracing the area around her, hoping her outstretched fingers would discover his solid form laying close to hers.

Nothing.

Wiping her face with her frigid palms, Kate tried desperately to recall her last memory before waking up in this black hole.

She'd been with Castle, that much was clear, but she couldn't recollect where they'd been… what they'd been doing.

Her eyes shut of their own volition as she pressed a hand to her abdomen, feeling the soft cashmere of her turtle-neck sweater enrobing her torso. Her palm continued to smooth across the jeans covering her thighs. She was still dressed in the same clothes she could last recall wearing.

Pressing the pad of her thumb to the edge of her lower lip, she wiped the drying blood from the corner of her mouth.

What the hell was going on? How long had she been here?

Where the hell was here?

Pausing to reflect for a brief moment, she prudently extended her arms, stretching them out at her sides. Inch by painstaking inch, Beckett continued to straighten her elbows, reaching into the black abyss - not quite hesitant, yet anxious about what they might contact.

A blade…

A spike…

Something that might sever a hand without warning…

She almost gasped when both arms suddenly stopped moving, rigid, as her right hand came in contact with something cold… and jagged... and sharp. She remained frozen for a few seconds, immobile. Waiting for something to happen.

For pain to strike.

For electricity to shock.

But nothing did.

Nothing.

Her right hand began to snake along the surface it had contacted, tracing the not quite smooth surface. She hit a razor-like edge, slicing one of her fingers on the coarse and sharp ridges.

She instinctively brought her finger to her mouth, gritting her teeth as she hissed, alleviating the pulsating pain of the shallow cut with her warm mouth - her saliva a soothing balm.

Stone. And mortar. She was in a room. A room no wider than five feet, walls made of rough stone… and she was alone.

Alone.

In darkness.

But all rooms had to have doors.

Head still spinning, side of her face still quite tender, she didn't quite have the strength to stand. Beckett eased herself onto her side, forcing herself onto her knees, holding up the painful weight of her body using her outstretched arms.

Finding the wall with her fingers, she gingerly trailed her left hand down the uneven, craggy surface until she met the floor. She cautiously traced the edge of the floor with her fingers, crawling slowly across the cement surface, maybe a few feet, until she found the corner.

She continued to methodically map the space with her sense of touch, not tracing much more of the stony barrier when the solid edge of wall meeting floor disappeared.

Cold air kissed the tips of her fingers, the empty space about half an inch high, and they contacted nothing else for about two feet. The door? Possibly… though there was no light pouring in from under it, so it was hard to tell, but the surface was flat and metallic, so it was probable.

Attempting to stand, Beckett pressed her torso against the wall, leaning on the ridged stones to brace herself, but her knees buckled under her arduous weight. Her body was drained of energy; every muscle throbbed, and every bone ached.

Collapsing under her dense lethargy, Beckett curled into the corner - legs semi-coiled underneath her. Left shoulder propped against the metal surface, she wrapped her right hand into a tight fist and proceeded to pound on the door.

The deafening sound of the vibrating metal reverberated through the air, the booming noises echoing off the stone walls, thundering through the confined space.

She pummeled the metal relentlessly for several minutes until the side of her hand began to pulsate due to the pain. She cradled her aching right hand within her left palm, massaging the tender skin. She was certain she'd have a terrible bruise, but that didn't really seem to matter in the scheme of things.

She was in confined utter darkness.

She had no conceivable means of escape.

And she had no idea where Castle was… if he was okay… if he was safe.

Closing her eyes, Beckett's head leaned into the wall at her back, her left cheek pressing partially against stone, partially against the metal door.

Her brain was racing, but she slowly began to calm her thoughts. Focus her mind. The blurred image of cobalt blue began to clear, the defined shape of his piercing eyes staring back at her, warm and comforting.

She felt her heart rate steady itself as she pictured his lips, a slight smile teasing at their edges. Eyes shut, she couldn't stop herself from smiling back - allowing the ghost of his presence to calm her, give her strength, help her concentrate.

The image of his face unified - features so real that she would have sworn that he was right there with her, in her shadowed confinement.

But he wasn't.

Seeing him, his face, right there in front of her… she wanted to reach out. Caress his soft skin. Hold his beautiful face with her warm palm. Press her forehead to his, breathe the same heated air.

"Castle…" she muttered, voice eking from her lips in a raspy, pained whisper.

But her eyes shot open at a sudden sound she didn't expect. It was small and muffled, but she'd know it anywhere.

"Beckett?"

xxxxx

honeyandvodka challenged me to write an "epic, multi-chapter fic"

So here we go...

And I'm going to attempt to pull on heart-strings a little.

I hope it lives up to her expectations.

xxxxx

So there you go... Judge away.