Standard Disclaimer.

Hey there. I thought you'd all be interested to see how Beckett's plans are working out back home at the 12th.

Thanks for the reviews...good to know I didn't offend anybody. Enjoy.

…

"Detective Ryan, Esposito, a word?"

The arch in Victoria Gates' eyebrow didn't really give them much of a choice, but even if it had she turned back into the confines of her office before they could get a word either way. They exchanged a loaded look, both sure where this was going. Beckett was over half an hour late now.

If Gates was going to ask if they knew where she was, she was out of luck. On any other day, they would have had something to hide. It had become an unacknowledged game: they were pretty sure Gates knew about Beckett and Castle. But she never said anything, and neither did they or the couple in question. It was almost like they were trying to see who could get the other to crack the fastest…or slowest. The game was reaching a year now.

Today would not be the day the game ended though because neither of them had any idea where their team leader was. Castle wasn't even in the city, so it's not like she was just going to show up a little rushed, tousled and late.

Esposito strode for the office without taking his eyes off the woman partially concealed through the blinds but Ryan followed, his eyes guiltily darting everywhere around the room but the desk with elephants and an empty seat.

They filed in silently and stood before her desk, still unable to shake the feeling that they had become before the headmistress. It had gotten a lot easier to enter. Two years ago they could barely look at the office or the new inhabitant, but with a deceiving stealth, Iron Gates had begun to grow on them. It was based on a relationship of grudging mutual respect. Gates for the work her best team did and for them, her ability to carry out the job they had never imagined anyone else being able to do.

Still it wasn't hearts and roses.

Especially when she looked over the edge of her spectacles at them like that.

"What are you both working on?" Huh. She was really going for the roundabout method today.

"Waiting on a BD, Sir, and getting the Peterson case ready for trial."

"Beckett is going to testify?"

"Yes, Sir," Ryan agreed.

"Where is she up to with the prep?" Read: Where is she?

"I'm not sure." Read: I don't know, and wouldn't tell you anyway. Nice try.

She sighed, pulling her glasses off and letting them hang by the string around her neck. "I just took a call for her from the ADA. They want to run over the evidence this morning, but seeing as how the Detective is not here, I've rescheduled it for four this afternoon."

"Thank you, Sir," Ryan mumbled.

"Don't thank me, Detective. You and your partner are going to have to take over for Beckett."

"Sir?" Esposito frowned. If the meeting was at four, why would they need to cover? Beckett would make it in by then.

"She asked for some personal time and doesn't know when she'll be able to return to work. Until that time you two will report to me."

"Did she say why?" Esposito still looked confused. Beckett taking time off when prepping a case for trial?

Gates' eyebrows rose at his blatant curiosity and leant back in her chair. "I thought she would have called you both. But perhaps she didn't have time; she sounded like she was in quite a rush." She didn't blink under their intense scrutiny or at their barely concealed irritation at her cryptic revelation but made a poor job out of holding the smug light out of her eyes. "She only told me that it was a family emergency."

They blinked but recovered and nodded in acknowledgement, a little off balance at the subtly playful side of their boss, usually directed and shared with Beckett, being focused on them.

"Unless you can get hold of Beckett, you're going to have to start from scratch. Take the files and use Meeting 2," she switched back to professional and turned back to the report in front of her. "I want an update at lunch," she added dismissively replacing her reading glasses on the edge of her nose, not looking up.

Did that mean they were having lunch together?

…

"I'm not sure how much longer I can do this."

Ryan was looking a little frazzled and nodded furiously in agreement. "She didn't even take her glasses off when she took that slice."

"Not that," Esposito shook his head. "This case."

"What about it?" Ryan was still eyeing the lone slice of pepperoni pizza in the middle of the table.

"There are boxes of stuff we have to prep. Boxes."

"Beckett does it fine, so how hard can it be? There's two of us and only one of her."

"It's just…we worked this case. We know he's guilty. I highlighted these financials. You've got the call logs and records and you remember."

"Yeah." He still sounded lost.

"What if it isn't enough? He could walk because we screw this up."

"It's not like we're going to testify. Beckett knows what she's doing, I mean, she was pre-law remember. Law's in her blood. We just need to hold the fort."

"Yeah," Esposito expelled a breath. "Yeah. We can do that. Just until she gets back – whenever that is."

"Still haven't heard back?"

"Nah. You?"

"Nothing." Ryan shook his head. "It still won't connect. It must be off."

"But she can't have had it off all day. Why hasn't she called us back? We've left her, like, ten messages."

"Who knows? Maybe she lost her phone."

"Please," Esposito scoffed.

"Gates did say it was a family emergency. Maybe she's at a hospital somewhere and has to have it off." Ryan suggested, shrugging uneasily.

"Yeah. Maybe." That would make sense. His eyebrows drew together.

"Do you think we should call her Dad? Make sure Big Beckett is okay?"

…

Esposito looked at his partner flatly and replaced the receiver with care. The pulse of his jaw clenching suggested he would have preferred to slam it down instead resorting to lacing his fingers and stretching his knuckles. "Great," he grumbled. "Now there's one more person worried."

"Hey," Ryan tried not to sound overly defensive, but the prolonged failure to contact either of their team mates was dragging at his nerves. "You said it was a good idea, too."

"Where the hell is she?" he practically exploded. How many times were they going to have to track those two down?

He had a point.

"We can't tell without tracking her phone but it's almost like she's keeping it off on purpose."

"Why would she do that?" The Latino snatched a stress ball from his top drawer and set about rearranging the surface viciously. "It's a work day. Castle's not here."

The words sunk into his gut and pulled him forward in his seat, grabbing his partner's forearm. "Castle's not here."

"That's what I just said." Esposito looked from Ryan's hand to his stunned face.

"No. He's not here, and now she isn't either."

"Okay, I see where you're going with this," Esposito shook off the grip and slumped back. "But this is Beckett we're talking about. She's not about to blow off work to fly to L.A just for a sex marathon."

"You saw how weird she was without him this week."

"Coffee deprived is not weird," Esposito contradicted him. "We fed her. She was fine."

"She missed him." Ryan insisted.

"Not enough to fly across the country." He dismissed it completely, turning his chair and looking back to his screen.

"You want a bet?" Ryan challenged, inexplicably irked he wouldn't even give his idea any credence. Esposito slowly swivelled back to face him, a strange mix of disbelief, irritation and amusement fighting for dominance on his face. Ryan brought his chin up, not ready for it to be cast off so lightly. He thought he knew everything about relationships, but Ryan doubted he understood what it was to truly miss someone until the point where you did something stupid. Like fly to L.A. Hell, those two had done it before.

Esposito's eyebrows rose at his partner's determination and he leant forward, putting the stress ball aside, his interest captured. Looks like they were really doing this. "You're on," he agreed. "And when you lose, you have to wear a dress to the precinct for a week for being such a sap."

"I'm a sap?" he sounded offended. "Don't think I didn't see you crying at the wedding."

"Everyone cries at weddings, Honeymilk."

Ryan glared "When I win, you have to buy Gates a bunch of red roses every week for a month."

Esposito glowered, fighting the revulsion the idea played on his stomach- the humiliation. But damn it, he had worked with Beckett long enough, had her back when she was hurting and Ryan was completely unaware. He knew her and he was not going to lose.

He held out his hand and took Ryan's in a firm shake, sealing it. "You ping her last call. Pull the record, see where it was, when. I'll check in with TSA."

…