Disclaimer: I own a lot of cool board games. ABC and Andrew Marlowe own Castle et al. (Doesn't seem fair.)

"Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more."
― Erica Jong, Fear of Flying

Chapter 1: Risk

Chief John Brady acknowledged the message from his dispatcher and hung up. A twelve year veteran of the South Hampton Police Department, he knew when he was totally out of his depth – like right now. Assembled with him in the spacious private study of the Castle beachfront home were three accomplished and decorated homicide detectives, all of whom had seen more serious crime in a typical month then he'd seen his entire career. He could keep his mouth closed and have them think him a fool, or open it and remove all doubt. Oh well, in for a penny . . .

"Detective Beckett? Excuse me. The FBI said, per our request, they dispatched a special agent from New York by helicopter, who should be arriving here in the next few minutes. For my benefit, how do you guys know this was a kidnapping, and not a traffic accident or anything less . . . sinister?"

Beckett, now in 'honeymoon getaway' clothes consisting of jeans and a blouse, her hair still wet from the crash site, looked at him and sighed. "That's okay, Chief. Well, first of all, there was nobody in or around Castle's car."

"How do you know that? The car's still a raging inferno."

Esposito, the tough looking Hispanic detective, jumped in. "You'd be able to smell it. It's a very distinctive smell, burning human." All the detectives' faces showed revulsion. "It's not an odor you're ever able to forget."

The third detective, Kevin Ryan, dressed identically to Esposito in a dark tuxedo, spoke up. "Secondly, the car fire was staged. Expensive German luxury cars do not spontaneously burst into flame. They never catch fire. Ever. Certainly, not when the car is upright, not a fire that hot, and never in the interior of the car. You could probably put out a forest fire if you throw enough Mercedes on it. No, somebody was trying to get rid of evidence, and fire bombed the car somehow."

Esposito, after getting a nod from Beckett, continued. "The third reason is the clincher. A quarter mile up the street from Castle's car we found tire tracks and skid marks that show a definite collision, like someone forcing another vehicle to a stop. The other vehicle was fairly large, like a Humvee or an SUV or a pickup truck. That's why we asked your guys to rope it all off. There were pieces of headlight and window glass in the street. We should get a car type pretty quick from the feds. They'll be able to verify it was Castle's Benz, and what other make and model vehicle was involved. It was really frustrating to walk away from there and hurry back here, but we didn't want to compromise the crime scene."

They all returned to their respective silences, everybody but Brady waiting patiently, almost serenely. Since returning from the crime scene, the three New Yorkers had been sitting around calmly, as if they were waiting for a bus, not life-or-death news on their partner. Brady felt anything but relaxed, but tried his best not to display his agitation. The door to the study opened, admitting the noisy sounds of an ongoing party with the faint pulse of a helicopter in the background. A young, striking red-headed woman strolled in and shut the door behind her.

Beckett addressed her. "Hey, Lex. How's it going out there?"

"Everybody out there is having a great time. Lots of guesses as to why you two decided to have the reception before the wedding, but I'm sure nobody suspects anything. Not yet, anyway. The most common theory is that Dad wanted to switch it up from his two previous tries. Everyone thinks we're getting our pictures taken now, but I don't know how long that will hold up."

Ryan looked up at her. "Alexis, was that a helicopter I heard when you came in?"

"Yeah, it's landing down on the beach. Grams went down to greet whoever it is. Is that the FBI? She was hoping it was George Clooney, who she sent one of the extra wedding invitations to." Alexis looked over at Brady, then approached him with a gracious smile and her hand outstretched. "Chief Brady? Hi. I'm Alexis Castle. Thanks for coming."

Brady stood and shook her hand. "Ms Castle, it's nice to meet you, I just wish it could be under better circumstances." Brady looked around at the three detectives, then back at the young woman. He hesitated, then ventured, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How can you all be so calm? You especially? Your Dad, their friend, and her fiancée goes missing right before his wedding under very suspicious circumstances, and you all sit around like it's no big deal. I'd be going crazy, and my daughters would be totally out of their minds. I don't get it."

Alexis shrugged. "I probably would have been totally crazed a few years ago, before I knew these three" she replied, waving in the detectives' general direction. "I have since learned there is nothing these guys can't do, once they've set their minds to it. I am totally confident that they'll be able to extract my Dad from whatever predicament he's got himself into."

Brady's eyebrows climbed halfway to his receding hairline. "You think your Dad had something to do with this?"

Alexis smirked. "Well, if he didn't cause it, there's a good chance he'll make it worse. That's just what he does." Esposito and Ryan both chuckled, and even Beckett flashed a grin.

The door opened again, and Martha Rogers made an entrance. "Darlings!" she called, "I come bearing gifts. Admittedly, neither are George Clooney, but so very few people are. These are Special Agents Crawford and James from the FBI."

Beckett stood up and approached the agents. Crawford was a thin, willowy blond about 30, and James a very young well built African American with a shaved head and goatee. Beckett shook hands with James and introduced herself. "Hi, Agent James. I'm Kate Beckett." She then turned to the female agent and shook hands. "Agent Crawford, it appears your hands have warmed up since we last met."

The blond grinned. "Detective Beckett. You remember! Hopefully, this will be resolved quicker than the Candela case."

Beckett turned and introduced everyone else. "This is the local Chief of Police, John Brady, my future step- daughter Alexis Castle, and these two characters are part of my homicide team, Detectives Esposito and Ryan." As they all shook hands, Beckett turned to her flamboyant soon-to-be Mother-in-law. "Thank you, Martha."

"Any news?" Martha asked, her eyes frightened. Of all the people in Castle's and Beckett's immediate orbit, Martha was probably the least patient, the most fragile. Beckett grabbed both her hands in hers.

"Not yet, but with the cavalry here, we should be getting answers shortly. Could you keep an eye on the rowdies outside for us? We'll let you know as soon as we hear something."

Martha donned a brave smile. "Katherine! Richard would be shocked and disappointed to hear you asking me to chaperone a party of almost 300 people, a band, and an open bar. I, on the other hand, see it as a marvelous opportunity." As she swept out of the room, she called "Good Luck, everybody." She looked pointedly at her granddaughter. "Please keep me up to date, Alexis."

Crawford took a seat on the sofa opposite Beckett's chair, and pointed to the phone. "Mind if we set up the trace and trap?"

Beckett sat back down in the big leather chair, every bit the queen on a throne. "No. Please do. Do you have forensic people out at the crash scene?"

Crawford nodded. She pointed to the phone on the desk, and James started setting up their equipment. "We were scrambled out of our New York office in record time. You must have pulled quite a few strings to get a full team out here in just over an hour. Who do you know?" Crawford looked disapprovingly at Beckett.

"Let's just say, over the years the three of us and Castle have bailed you feds out of several bad situations. If there was a time to call in our markers, this was it."

Crawford signaled her acceptance. "Well, we're here now. Tell me, why are you so sure this was an abduction, instead of a traffic accident, or a practical joke, or a groom getting cold feet?"

Alexis jumped up and cried, "My Dad would never ..."

"ALEXIS!" Undoubtedly the first time Beckett had ever raised her voice at Little Castle, it stopped the red head mid-sentence. In a calmer voice she said "I've got this, okay?" As Alexis nodded silently, Beckett looked at Brady. "Chief?"

Brady couldn't understand why one of the best homicide detectives in the country would want a local-yokel to answer the FBI, but he shrugged and tentatively repeated their answers from earlier, ticking the points off his fingers. "No body, a staged car accident and fire, and signs of a car-jacking at the scene."

Crawford's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow. Okay. Very good, Chief. Our forensic team is at the crash site, so we should get answers from them shortly." She looked around the room, including everyone in the conversation. "Typically, there are only four reasons to abduct an adult male. The first is purely financial, to get a ransom, but there have to be easier and more lucrative targets out here in the Hamptons than Richard Castle. However, we are set up both here and at your city apartment in case demands come through.

"The second reason to abduct someone is to prevent something from happening, like an individual testifying in court. With the timing of this, it might be someone didn't want this wedding to take place. Can any of you think of someone who would have objected to this marriage?" As everybody shook their heads, Crawford prodded "Ex-spouses? Old boyfriends? Girlfriends? Any inheritance issues?"

Beckett answered for the group. "No. There's nothing like that."

"The third and fourth reasons are related." Crawford continued. "They're the least common. They're also the ugliest. Is there any reason someone might want to harm Mr Castle? Or, if not Castle, hurt or try to influence someone close to him?" Crawford was staring right at Beckett. "Anybody so angry with him, or you, they may want to humiliate him, or, um . . . " she remembered the audience she was addressing, but forged on, "damage him in some way?"

The three detectives and the redheaded girl all exchanged meaningful glances, pregnant with hidden meanings. Crawford sighed and asked, "What?"

Beckett started speaking, with Ryan, Esposito, and Alexis adding details and clarifying points. A full ten minutes later, the pretty FBI agent was staring at them all in horror. "Okay, let me see if I can summarize. For the past six plus years Richard Castle has been instrumental in catching and convicting murderers in New York City. Although most will still be locked up, many of those people have friends and family who are less than thrilled with him. Additionally, one of the most notorious serial killers of our day, who may or may not still be alive, has sworn vengeance on Castle. Even if 3XK's dead or not involved, this killer has what amounts to a cult following with unknown resources behind them, itching to follow in his footsteps. To top it off, one of the most powerful people in America, the senior senator from New York, is sitting in jail awaiting trial, due solely to evidence compiled during an investigation conducted by Castle and Beckett. I think it's safe to assume that Bracken has made some very powerful friends, and has a long list of people that owe him favors."

"If that's not enough, we have insane fans who show their adoration for Richard Castle the novelist by shooting him in the chest. We have a daughter who has ALREADY BEEN KIDNAPPED, by an unknown international terrorist group, who you all refuse to tell me about. Lastly, we have an author who has access to some very shady characters, who undoubtedly knows secrets he has no business knowing, and is not known for his ability to keep his mouth closed. Have I forgotten anything? No? Well, I have one final question: ARE YOU PEOPLE FREAKING KIDDING ME?"

Esposito took offense. "Hey! There's no need to get bitchy, Crawford. Castle can handle himself."

Crawford looked at him with scorn. "Oh, really? Tell me, Detective Esposito, if you're walking down Lexington Avenue, and a group of thugs kidnap you or rough you up, what happens?"

Esposito replied with confidence, "Then those idiots responsible would get the full attention of the NYPD, 35,000 members strong. There isn't anywhere they could hide."

"Right. Well, from where I'm sitting, it appears that Mr Castle has been bearing the same risks as you, without the same insurance coverage. At the very least, he should be walking around with an armed bodyguard 24 – 7." She turned to her junior colleague. "Ron, could you please check with our team at the crash site?"

As James got up to leave the room, Beckett turned and looked at her junior team member. "Ryan?" Ryan nodded and followed James out of the study.

Crawford looked around. "The rest of you, I want you to check all means of communication. E-mails. Cell phones. Insta-gram. Any websites you own. Anything Castle's kidnappers could have used to contact us."

Beckett got on her computer, Alexis on her Dad's. After a couple of fruitless minutes, they both looked at each other and shook their heads despondently. Beckett took out her cell phone, checked text messages, then started checking voicemail. Suddenly she looked up and shouted, "I have a message from Castle!"