Hey everyone! Sorry its taken a lil longer than I wanted to, to get this up but I was on vacation and I couldn't find wireless internet ANYWHERE! I give HUGE hugs to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the best, I appreciate the comments TONZ!

Don't stop!

Sorry the chapter is a little short and uneventful but I'll try and make up for it I promise!

Oh yeah I almost forgot! I DON'T OWN CASTLE! And for that matter I also do not own The Notebook.

Chapter Three

Kate stared blankly into the carton of stiff Chinese food. She ate only because she knew she had to, not because she was hungry. Her stomach felt as if it was full of lead as the image of Castle still washed around in her mind. The nausea swept up again and she set the take-out carton down and pushed it away sighing.

The cell phone buzzed beside her and Kate stiffened. She knew that they were keeping tabs on her phone, in case Castle's kidnapper decided to call it. Slowly she picked it up and glanced at the id. It wasn't a number she recognized. With dread she answered it in a guarded, "Hello?"

"Detective?" Alexis's tentative voice asked.

"Oh! Alexis! Hello," Kate said clearing her throat. "Um…I'm sorry I left the station so fast… I just couldn't…"

"It's fine. I get it…" her voice trailed off and Kate could tell there was something she wanted to ask.

"What is it Alexis?"

"I…I'm sorry…but uh…my home is kind of still taped off and I don't really…really want to be there right now. But I don't want to be a bother here…Gram doesn't get back till tomorrow…and…I understand if I'm overstepping boundaries but…" at this her voice broke. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Kate was a woman who usually was able to keep her emotions in check. This day however she found herself teetering on that edge of control and Alexis's unspoken question finally pushed her over the edge. Tears began to leak through her eyes, then cascade down her soft cheeks. Her soul was being torn into bits. Castle was in agony and his daughter was asking her for a place to stay. Smiling slightly, the tears still flowing, she replied, "Of course you can stay here sweety. You don't even have to ask. And you can stay for as long as you need to."

There was silence on the end. Then suddenly Alexis was crying. "Thank you detective. Thank you so much…"

Kate's smile grew. "Please don't thank me. Do you want me to come and get you?"

"No…no it's okay Ryan and Esposito said they'd give me a lift to wherever."

"Okay. See you soon Alexis?"

"Yeah…bye detective."

"Bye. And call me Kate ok?"

With another sigh Kate shut the phone and stretched. All this emotional turmoil really took it out of her. Eyelids drooping she laid across the couch. As her eyes closed she promised herself she would just rest her eyes for a moment.

As soon as sleep overtook her, nightmares began to harass Kate. Of her running and Castle's screams echoing behind locked doors. Of her finally opening a door and finding Castle's, pale, bloody, and dead. Of a sinister voice laughing as Kate wept over his body.

The doorbell jerked her awake, saving her from the horror. Wiping the tears she quickly jumped up and opened the door for Alexis.

She looked like crap. Her eyes were blood-shot, her hair a tangled mess, her clothes in somewhat a disarray, and she was pulling her jacket tighter around her giving her the look of a sad lost puppy. Kate looking her over realized she probably looked about the same.

"Hello honey," Kate whispered and pulled her inside and into her arms. Together the women sought comfort in each other's grief. When they broke apart Kate quickly pardoned for the mess.

"No, it's quite alright detective."

"It's Kate remember?"

Alexis smiled warmly. "Right. Kate."

Soon they were sitting together talking and discussing, everything except for the most important thing; Castle. Eventually getting tired of talking they pulled out the blankets and began to watch sappy chick-flicks. Sharing a bowl of popcorn and halfway through The Notebook, Alexis suddenly giggled.

Kate gave her a questioning look. "What's so funny?"

"My dad always hated this part. He'd say that everything would have been fine if the guy just had the guts to go and hunt her down himself and say that he loved her and that he would make her stay…" Alexis smile slowly sank. "He never would admit it but he liked this movie…I'd start watching it and he'd make some excuse to come watch it too…I think he secretly cries at the end…"

Once again Alexis's soft eyes brimmed with tears. "Oh Kate…I miss him."

"I do too…I do too…" they embraced and held each other until they both fell asleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Castle stared up at the pulsating, extremely bright lights; that were only making his pounding headache worse.

The trickle of blood was still running down his arm from where the man had made several deep gashes with the knife at his shoulder. He couldn't think very well and his throat was parched.

I never really got to drink my orange juice…he mused. His thoughts were still kind of jumbled. It was hard to think. All he knew for certain that he had to get out of here. He had to get back to Alexis. Back to Kate…

Faintly he heard the door opened but Castle made no effort to look.

"How's your head feeling?" the man whispered and Castle grimaced. So far this man was making him feel pretty ticked off.

The man continued to chuckle as Castle closed his eyes wearily. He didn't want to see whatever the man had brought with him to torture him.

"Just one more try at trying to get you to tell the truth Mr. Castle and then we'll make that phone call to your friends okay?" the man said pretending to sound soothing.

Where are you Kate?

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Kate awoke from the consistent vivid nightmares. She was alone on the couch. Disoriented she glanced about. Spying the small light green jacket on the floor she remembered Alexis. Where was she? Swiftly she grabbed the gun from the desk drawer and stood up. The toilet flushed and Kate spun around just as Alexis emerged from the bathroom.

Her pale cheeks colored slightly as she stammered her apology and that she just needed to use the rest room. Kate sighed and collapsed back onto the couch her grip relaxing on the gun. Cautiously Alexis walked back over and slumped next to Kate. With fearful eyes she glanced at the gun in Kate's hands.

"Sorry Alexis, it just startled me when you weren't here… I thought for a second you'd been…"

"It's okay," Alexis bit her lip, eyes not moving from the gun. "Um…Kate?"

"Yeah?" she sighed.

"Captain Montgomery said you couldn't work on my Dad's case right? Since it wasn't a homicide?"

"Yeah that's right," she said as she laid her head back.

"Well…um…don't you have a friend in the FBI?"

Kate slowly lifted her head back up and looked Alexis in the eye.

"And isn't he with kidnappings?"

Kate mulled it over. She hadn't really thought of him. So far all her thoughts were consumed on Castle being gone. An ancient dull pain pinged her heart as she thought of calling him. She hadn't really ever wanted to see him again…but she had gotten over that along time ago. And it would help her to know what was happening on Castle's case.

That made up her mind and soon she had picked up her phone and dialed the old familiar number. After a few rings he answered business-like.

"Will Sorensen, who is this?"

Okay Will Sorensen is gonna be entering the story and unfortunately I never got to see the episodes where he appeared, although I've heard a lot about him, but I'd really like it if you guys give me feedback on whether I'm getting his character right! Oh and one more thing. I never really decided when this takes place, but if you would like Demming to be apart of it please tell me. I couldn't ever decide so let me know! THANKS!