So sorry for the delay! Real life decided to get in the way, and then I had to figure out exactly where I was going with this. I really think the person who grabbed Castle and set his car on fire is 3XK. It seems like something he would do. However, I'm not Andrew Marlowe, so 1) I have to wait until September to see if I'm right. 2) I do not have the ability to write that storyline, so there are basically no details involved in finding out where Castle is. Anyway, read on!

After another week, the three of you decide that even if you can't continue your lives without Castle, at the very least you need to get off the couch and leave the loft. Martha goes back to her studio every so often, Alexis works (on a reduced schedule) at her summer internship, and you head back to the precinct. And you all agree that it doesn't lessen your worry or grief at all, but you get a few hours without having to wonder where and how he is.

Except that you can't not think about him. You throw yourself into the case you're working on with Ryan and Esposito, who are watching you carefully, but you keep waiting for him to bring you coffee, to offer a theory, to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Sometimes you're even surprised for a minute that he's not there. And then you have to remember all over again. You have to remember that you don't know where he is or who took him. You have to remember that all around you are people who want the same answers. You have to remember that you're going to go home to Alexis and Martha, your family, who are going through the very same thing. You have to remember that the wedding never happened, that you're still not Richard Castle's wife (but you've started wearing your engagement ring everywhere, just to feel a tiny bit of his presence). You have to remember that you're not sure if you'll ever see your husband-to-be again.

There are, of course, people who are looking for Castle. The NYPD is working hard, because he's a New York resident and because he's very much one of their own. There are even FBI agents involved, because this is clearly a serious kidnapping. But there have been no leads.

And then one afternoon, you're staring at the murder board, trying to figure out if the murderer is the victim's brother-in-law or employee, when you hear someone yelling, "We figured it out! We know where he is!" And you and the boys throw on your vests and hurry to Ryan's car. As Ryan speeds through the city, following the cops' directions, you pick up your phone, ready to call Alexis and Martha, ready to share the good news. But you change your mind and put it away. This may not really be the place. He might not be alive when you get there. Why get their hopes up for nothing?

You know that Ryan and Espo, sitting up front, are discussing the details of Castle's kidnapping, going through everything the investigators figured out. It's a blur to you. You'll find out the details later, after you've held him and kissed him and ascertained that he's really come back to you.

The only detail which sticks out is that this seems to be linked to 3XK. Not a surprise at all. He grabbed Castle on the happiest day of your lives, to punish both of you…wait. Last time his goal was to kill Castle and make you regret for the rest of your life that you couldn't save him.

"Go faster!" you yell, suddenly terrified that his plan has actually worked.

And Ryan, "Castle Jr.," increases his speed without asking any questions. You reach the old, decaying building you've heard your love is being held captive in, and jump out, the boys right behind you, just as a SWAT team comes out and informs you that the building seems empty.

It can't be empty. He has to be there. It's been a month since you've had any contact with Castle and you don't think you can survive another day. The three of you pull out your guns and go in, accompanied by police officers.

Everything above the ground floor is blocked off for reconstruction, so, your heart thumping in your chest, you begin checking every room, every nook and cranny, on this floor. It's empty and silent.

"Castle," you shout, unable to handle this anymore.

And there's a muffled reply.

You find a locked room, kick the door open, and there he is. Castle is right in front of you. He's on the floor, and he's clearly been through a lot, but he's there. And he's alive.

"Rick," you whisper, running across the room and throwing your arms around him. You can feel the tears running down your cheeks as you hold him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay," you tell him. "I was so scared I would never see you again. I love you so, so much."

At first, you're too busy hugging him to notice anything. But slowly, you sense Ryan and Espo behind you, surprisingly tense. You can tell that Castle's lost weight. And you realize that he hasn't wrapped his arms around you. In fact, he hasn't responded at all.

You pull back, still keeping your hands on him, because you need to make sure that he's really there. He's staring at you, and you meet his gaze. There's no love in his eyes. He doesn't seem ecstatic to see you. You wonder what's wrong, wonder if Jerry Tyson did something really terrible to him, and you whisper his name again.

And, to your horror, the person who knows you better than anyone else in the world asks, "Who are you?"

"Rick. Rick, it's me, it's Kate. Remember? We're madly in love and we were about to get married when this happened? You write books based on me, we fight for justice together, and we sometimes just lie in bed gazing into each other's eyes. Don't you remember?" you want to cry out. Instead, you ask, in the calmest tone you can muster, "Do you know who you are?"

"I'm Rick Castle. I woke up in this room a few days ago and I've been trapped here ever since."

"It's okay buddy, we've got you," Ryan says reassuringly, as he and Espo kneel beside the two of you. "You're safe now. We're going to get you to a hospital and you're going to be fine."

He looks at the three of you, obviously confused. "Has someone contacted my family? Do they know I'm okay?"

It feels like someone just punched you in the stomach. He knows his name, he knows he has a family, but he doesn't know who you are.

Seeing that you can't speak, Espo takes over. "We'll contact them right away. Can you tell us about your family? Do you remember their names?"

And for just a second, you forget your joy that you've found him, that he's alive, when he answers, "Yes. I have a daughter, Alexis. And a wife, Meredith."

Please, please don't hate me! Andrew says there's going to be something that comes up when Castle is found that results in Caskett having to deal with some stuff instead of heading straight to the wedding, and amnesia made the most sense to me. I was originally going to make him lose his entire memory, but according to my very basic research, that's much rarer than only losing a few years (and I wanted this to be at least slightly realistic), and I really, really want to see what happens when Beckett has to deal with a Castle who's still in love with Meredith and is crazy and immature.

Let me know what you think!