Chapter 2

They are shoved into the back of a van, or at least Beckett suspects it's a van; she can't be sure. She lands awkwardly, her arms twisted behind her, hands protesting as the full weight of her body crushes them into the hard metal floor. She hears Castle thrown in beside her, and she twists reflexively in his direction, rolling onto her left hip and shoulder, easing some of the pressure on her upper limbs. Thankfully, neither of their attackers is riding in the rear of the vehicle with them, a fact confirmed by the tandem slam of both the passenger and driver-side doors. The angry roar of the engine kicks in suddenly, its harsh vibrations thundering through the metal framework of the vehicle, jarring her to the bone. She shakes off the discomfort, and listens carefully, ears straining. Judging from the muted voices up front, Kate thinks it's safe for her and Castle to talk, just as long as they can keep it quiet.

"Castle," she whispers into the dark, her voice cracking slightly over his name, her throat dry and clogged with fear. "Are you okay?"

There's a grunt, the sound of something moving - or rather shuffling - nearer to her.

"Yeah, I'm good."

His reply comes from far closer than she originally anticipated, and it makes her jump. Suddenly, something warm and solid presses up against her side and she can feel the jumble of his thick fingers fumbling across her thigh. They come to rest over her knee in a gesture of comfort.

"Are you?" he asks with his voice spread thin, giving away his concern and more than a little fear.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replies despite the heavy throb in her head and the killing ache that is branching out in flaming waves of heat and pain from her chest.

"What the hell was that?" he asks in an urgent whisper as the van speeds through midday traffic. "Who are these guys and what do they want with us?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good. The room I found Warner in was full of guns. I think we walked into something big, Castle." She can't help but let out a surprised little yelp and then a moan as the van brakes abruptly, causing her to crash into Castle's solid form, his broad chest cushioning her impact but still causing her aching sternum to flare with pain.

"Sorry," she murmurs, but doesn't pull back. Despite the scratchy fabric draped over her head, she can still feel the solid plane of his chest, and her head comes to rest almost automatically in the crook of his neck, even though the position proves to be more than a little awkward. Castle doesn't seem to mind, however; his grip on her knee merely tightens.

The van lurches into movement again, the bare metal shaking beneath them, and she suppresses another groan. Her head is pulsating with pain, her chest and back are aflame, and the man behind the wheel's obviously a complete traffic maniac. She really wishes some of her patrol cop buddies would notice his driving – which is clearly a criminal offense in and of itself – and pull him over. But of course, they don't have that kind of luck.

They hit another bump in the road and the back of the van rises roughly into the air, tossing them in too many directions to count. Its jerky, uncoordinated movements are making Kate seriously sick. She grits her teeth and presses her face against Castle's shoulder again, hard, willing the nausea to subside.

"Hey." She hears his muffled murmur, so incredibly close to her ear despite the double barrier of thick fabric separating them. "You sure you're okay?" he asks, another layer of concern washing over her. It's heartbreaking sweet, and under different circumstances she'd either kiss him for it or tease him mercilessly for being so obviously worried.

But this isn't the time or place for either of those options, so she sucks in a quick breath and hastens to reassure him. "Yeah, I'm fine." She's not. She feels like absolute shit. "Guy drives like a maniac, that's all."

He nods a bit too emphatically in agreement, and suddenly Kate has the distinct feeling that somewhere out there, underneath that dark hood of his, he's grinning. Clearly he's come up with something clever to share – he's just waiting for an opening. "What?" she asks, some of the strength returning to her voice.

"Nothing," he hums. "It's just that now at least, you'll be able to appreciate my wonderful driving skills."

She snorts at that but feels a smile tug at the corner of her lips in spite of herself. "Don't flatter yourself, Castle. I'm still not letting you drive my cruiser."

"Damn," he grumbles, and she can just imagine the slight pout of his lips right now, barely masking the twinkle in his eyes. She huddles a bit closer, and a comforting silence stretches between them as they continue to shift with the van's erratic movements.

"Do you think the guys will be looking for us soon?" he asks after a while, his voice grave once again. She pushes even further into him, drawing as much reassurance as she can get, striving to give it in return.

"I don't know. They knew where we were heading and if we don't call in after a certain time, they'll get suspicious, yeah. But…we're on the move now." She hesitates. "There's no way of telling whether they'll actually know where to look."

Her answer is met with silence. Then, after a long moment, she feels his tied hands brush once again along her leg, his fingers coming to rest over her thigh as his thumb starts drawing slow, soothing circles upon her jean-clad skin.

"A least we're together," he murmurs against the crown of her head. She feels the press of his lips there briefly before he dips his face lower, nuzzling her cheek through the coarse, black fabric of their hoods. He's completely unaware of the fact that his simple words have completely choked her up.

Because despite their predicament – despite the dangerous, life-threatening situation they now find themselves in – a small, selfish part of her is immensely thankful for that very same thing.

xxx

The ride doesn't take too long; Kate estimates no more than half an hour, although there's no way of knowing for sure. They spend the time talking in hushed whispers, spinning various theories about their kidnappers and what they're up to, if not for the sake of escape, then at least to keep their minds occupied. It's definitely better than thinking about what lies ahead, or dwelling overlong on their increasing discomfort, which is rapidly becoming unbearable.

Both Kate's head and her back thrum with fresh hot pain, and her shoulders are killing her, stiff and aching from their unnaturally forced angle. The blood flow to her hands is limited as well, and she can barely feel her fingers, despite the dull, throbbing pain which runs down her arms at regular intervals. What she wouldn't give to roll her shoulders freely for just a moment. And her legs aren't in much better shape, both having fallen asleep due to lack of movement. She'd tried to keep them limber during the ride, on the off-chance that an opportunity for escape might present itself at some point, but no such luck. And now she can't even really feel them, her circulation pretty much non-existent. So much for that escape attempt.

Castle, although trying to play it cool, probably isn't in much better shape. His frame is huge, after all, and the van's surprisingly narrow. With both their heads covered and their hands tied, they've had a hard time navigating the tight space, wanting to remain close yet trying to avoid tumbling over their own or each other's limbs. His shoulders are probably okay, since his hands are tied in front of him, but the rope his captor used must be bound extra tight, because she can feel the growing coldness of his fingers, even through the denim of her jeans. The movements of his digits over her leg have grown considerably less coordinated, too, the loss of blood flow to his hands obviously leaving them stiff and numb. Still, he hasn't complained, not once, and that more than anything leaves Kate feeling unsettled. Because if he isn't griping, then he's definitely hurting.

Suddenly the van comes to a stop with a sharp jerk, the engine cutting off abruptly. The slam of the front doors causes a shiver up Kate's spine. They've arrived at their destination, wherever that is, and now they're going to be moved again, yet one step further from their colleagues, one step further from being rescued.

She can feel Castle's presence at her side, his warmth seeping first into her skin, then deeper, into her muscles and bones. She lets his closeness anchor her as she takes a couple of deep, steadying breaths, trying to gather herself together, find her balance again. This is not good, she knows that, but so far, nothing has been done to them, not really. And maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance for them to get out of this unscathed.

Her mind flies to Ryan and Esposito and she wonders whether the guys already suspect something is off. Maybe Gates' strict policy of calling in their locations before going out into the field, a policy they've all bitched about loudly and often, isn't so bad after all. It shouldn't take the precinct too long to start looking for them, and at least they'll know where to start: at Kevin Warner's house.

But until then, she and Castle are on their own.

A rush of adrenaline surges through her at the approaching footsteps, her covered eyes making it that much more difficult to stay concentrated and focus. She feels Castle lean into her suddenly, hover over her, feels what must be his cheek pressing against the top of her head.

"Whatever happens, Kate, I'm here. We're in this together," he whispers in a rush, his voice tight with fear and barely suppressed emotions. But before she has time to react in any way, to offer some comfort back to him, the door of the van opens and his body's gone from her side in a flash, his heat deserting her, leaving only cold and ache and panic in its place.

Kate takes a deep breath then winces as a pair of rough hands grabs her next, yanking hard on her over-strained shoulders. She clenches her jaw against her own ragged cry of pain as she's half hauled, half dragged out of the van, her agonized muscles screaming in protest as she clumsily attempts to regain some semblance of control over her aching body. After a moment, though, none of that matters. A cooling flood of relief washes over her, sweeping the pain into the background, because she can already feel Castle's presence back at her side. Her heart leaps with strength, with surprising hope.

At least they're together.