Late again. I'm excited that so many of you are still with me. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and continues to follow my first ever ficathon story!

To repeat - I own nothing but a love of the show and its characters.

A Writer's Trail Chapter 6

Hide and Seek

Moving quietly through the house, Rick watches as his father stuffs a large back pack with a number of items, "Good Morning."

Hunt turns at the sound of his son's voice, "Ah, you're up. Good. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Ricks stands awkwardly in the middle of the room, silently contemplating what has transpired in the last 24 hours, "Care to enlighten me on what the day will hold?"

Hunt never stops the task of packing, "We need to head back to the city, set up our case, and begin tracking Fowler's movements."

Rick gestures to the backpacks on the table, "Why the backpacks?"

A short laugh escapes from Hunt, "Your fiancée is a very resourceful woman, Rick. I'd never underestimate her ability to track us down quickly. By now she has figured out you survived the crash and who you left the scene with. No doubt she's unleashed all available resources in trying to locate us."

Rick shrugs at his father's words, "What makes you so sure she knows I'm with you?"

Brown eyes sparkling with mischief, Hunt responds, "Oh she does, Rick. Make no mistake about that. I still believe that in order to keep her safe we need to keep her away, however, your words rang true yesterday. Kate has already lost her mother and losing you too would destroy her. So, while I did my best to cover our tracks, I made sure we traveled a couple major roads on our route here. By keeping you in the front seat the entire trip I, too, was sending my own little clue to Kate and her team ."

Rick can't help the smirk that lifts his face, "You do realize that's not enough for her, right?"

Hunt continues loading the backpacks with water bottles, Zone bars, clothes and first aid supplies, "That's precisely why we need to get on the road soon. I figure she can't be more than three to four hours behind us. The Escalade will stay here, we'll hike down the mountain about 15 miles to where I have a nondescript sedan parked and waiting for us."

Frustration seeping across his features, Rick shakes his head, "So, when she gets to this cabin, we'll be gone, and the one lead she has will be parked outside."

Laying his hand on his son's shoulder, Hunt uses the most soothing tone he can find, "It's for the best son. We need her behind us for now. If she's chasing dead end leads at least she'll be safe and in the company of her partners."

Blue eyes lock with brown eyes, one set flashing, "She'll never give up, Dad. You know that, right? You have to understand she'll refuse to give up and eventually, ready or not, she will find us."

He admires the definitive stance his son is taking and understands it's with good reason, "I can only hope that when or if that happens, our plan will already be in place. In the meantime, I put a change of clothes on the couch for you so you're not hiking around in your wedding tux. Get changed and I'll finish getting our supplies ready. I'd like to be in Queens no later than this afternoon."

Rick's ears perk up at his father's words, "Why Queens?"

Hunt frowns, watches his son closely before continuing, "We're borrowing an associate's apartment for a couple of days. Vacant, private and secure, it'll make a good base point for us. He moved out months ago but keeps this place as a back-up. We can come and go without being noticed; run surveillance on Fowler, whatever we need without being downtown, by the loft or the 12th Precinct."

Rick's running out of time and it makes him nervous as he paces back and forth in the small living room. The anxiety too much to reign in, he grabs a deck of cards off the nearby table and, shuffles them aimlessly, "You'd better be right about this, Dad. This plan of yours had better be the only way to stop Fowler and you'd better be ready to answer to Kate when she finds us…finds you."

Hunt can't help chuckling at his son's words, "I'm well aware that I will eventually have to answer to the wrath of your fiancée , Richard. Believe me when I say, I am not looking forward to that day."

Rick lets his own chuckle escape, "Yeah, I bet."

Hunt settles a gentle look on his son, "Go get changed. We'll leave as soon as I wipe down the car, remove the plates and whatever else I can to delay that beautiful, tenacious fiancée of yours."

"Have you removed the VIN yet? It's the first thing she'll check."

Hunt says nothing, just arches an eyebrow with a grin.

Rick watches as his father exits the cabin, making his way towards the Escalade. The deck still in his hands, he shuffles the cards one last time before placing them back on the table. He retrieves the clothes his father set out for him and turns in the direction of the bathroom.

Closing the door, he takes a minute to wash his face before bringing his head up to the mirror above. He startles at his reflection. There are deep circles under his eyes and his usually meticulous appearance is disheveled, hair hanging cock eyed across his forehead, making his weariness more defined. His fingers wrap around an unopened toothbrush and he's grateful for this semblance of normality. Finishing up, he quickly dresses in the jeans and flannel shirt his father provided. He draws the line at the hunter's cap but exits the bathroom with it held firmly in his grip.

Having returned from outside his father greets him, "I see the clothes fit okay."

"Ah yes, and if you wanted me to impersonate a hunter then you have definitely succeeded."

Hunt nods, "That was my intention, yes. We need to blend in with the other hikers we might see. Your tuxedo and $400.00 wing tips didn't scream outdoors to me. And Richard, the hat goes on your head."

Furrowing his brows, Rick looks at his father, "You do know that I'm a best-selling author, don't you? I write. I don't hike and I don't do hats."

Laughing at his son's response he counters, "I do know that you're a best-selling author, I also know that you do indeed wear hats. You wear them when you're hunting big-foot and you wear them when you're running from the law too. I seem to recall you donning a rugged blue cap while you were hiding out in the library after you orchestrated your escape on the way to holding."

Memories flood his thoughts at his father's words. Memories of Kate and the first time he had to send her secret messages, "You really have been watching us all along, haven't you?"

Hunt grabs one of the sacks and hands it to Rick, "Never stopped son. Never stopped. Now, take this and go wait for me outside. I'm going to do a once over through the house, wipe down any prints, make sure you haven't done anything stupid."

He schools his features before replying, "You didn't leave me anything to be stupid with, remember? I have no cell phone, no laptop, and no writing pads. Hell, I only had a toothbrush and a change of clothes because of you. So no dad, I didn't do anything stupid. Can we please just get going? The sooner this entire nightmare is over, the better."

Sincere or not, he's not willing to trust his son on this, "Go. I'll be out in a few minutes."

He waits anxiously for his father to join him again. With a thoughtful glance above, he sends a silent prayer up to the skies hoping he hid his clues well enough that Jackson Hunt won't find them before they leave. Taking in his surroundings he's tempted to write in the dirt, scratch something in to the paint of the car or just take off on his own.

Before he can decide to go with any of the options he presented himself with, Hunt exits the cabin, locking the door behind him.

Hunt is shaking his head as he walks up to join Rick, fixing him with a reproachful glare, "Really Richard, you went with the old hidden message appears on the steamed up mirror trick? I guess I didn't underestimate you after all. Amateur move my son, amateur move."

With a loud breath of relief and a weak smile, Rick can only respond, "I was out of options, had to try something."

Hunt's eyes crinkle with mirth, "Wouldn't have expected anything less, son. Now, let's head out."

They walk mostly in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. Castle tries to shuffle his feet, claiming the shoes his father provided are too tight but tires of the game when Hunt blatantly scuffs the dirt, removing any hint of their tracks.

After 90 minutes of brisk walking, they stop to rest, hydrate themselves and down some food. Castle takes a long pull of water and reaches for a low hanging branch not far from him. Trying to be as discreet as possible, he snaps the thin branch off. His father's reprimand comes swiftly and Castle resigns himself to the fact he won't be able to drop anymore clues on this leg of their journey. Finishing his water, he gestures to his dad to start moving again. Impatient to get to where they are going, Rick walks ahead, not waiting for his dad.

His thoughts drift to Kate, his mother and Alexis. He wonders if they are together and if Kate is keeping her long-ago promise to look after Alexis. He worries that his mother's dramatics might scare them both. And, he wonders if they really are searching for him and if so, how far away are they.

It's another 90 minutes before they come upon another rustic cabin, similar to the one they recently left. Parked in the back sits a small, gold sedan with New Hampshire plates. His father pulls out keys, unlocks the trunk, throwing his backpack inside.

"This is us."

Rick follows suit, tossing his pack in as well before moving to the passenger side and climbing silently into the car. Hunt closes the trunk firmly then confidently slides in the driver's seat; he starts the, puts it in gear, and slowly pulls out.

Moving away from the second cabin, Hunt directs the car down the rest of the mountain road, "We've got a four hour drive ahead of us, Richard. Get some sleep if you want. I'll wake you when we're almost there."

He wants to stay awake, memorize the route they take, memorize everything he sees. But the lull of the cars' engine soothes his restless mind, and he quickly succumbs to the bone deep weariness of his body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The three detectives agree to meet at the loft in 30 minutes. Kate doesn't want to waste the time, wants to get on the road to Vermont immediately, but Espo insists.

"Beckett, take little Castle home, grab some clothes. We don't know what we're getting into or how long it'll take."

Kate can't help but chuckle to herself, 'When did Esposito become the voice of reason?'

Amid protests from Alexis, Kate knows what Espo suggested is the right choice. Bennington is a four hour drive and depending on what they find, it could be well into tomorrow before they're heading back. With Martha and Jim back in the city, Alexis will have company with her while they wait.

Opening the door to the loft Kate is relieved to see both Martha and Jim sitting at the kitchen island drinking coffee. She gently guides Alexis in before her, and closes the door behind them.

Martha gets to them first, enveloping both women in an embrace, "Oh Darlings, there you are. Do you have any news about Richard?"

She doesn't want to stop long enough to explain but knows she must, "Martha, come sit down, and I'll fill you in what we know so far."

Kate tells her about the sort of witness, the Escalade, Tori's route tracking and finally spotting Castle in Vermont with his father.

The actress jumps up, "Oh Katherine, why? Why on earth would Jackson want to kidnap Richard? I mean, we are long past the age of custody disputes. He told us he watched over our little family, made sure we were safe. If Jackson is behind this, I have to think he must have a damned good reason and it must have to do with either Richard or Alexis's safety. I just can't imagine he'd doing anything like this for any other reason."

Kate steps into the kitchen, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge and takes a long drink, "Martha, I don't know why he would do this either. I know he cares about Rick, about all of you. I'd like to think if Castle's safety was in question he'd come to me, to both of us and not just abduct Rick on his way to our wedding."

Jim Beckett scoots his chair back from the island and faces his daughter, "Katie, I think it's important to focus on the fact that you've seen Rick alive. Even if you don't know the answers to why his father took him, at least you know he is out there."

Finishing the water, Kate drops the bottle in the recycling bin, "I know Dad but, it's not enough. I need the answers and I need to figure out what exactly is going on."

Jim places a hand on Kate's shoulder, "I know you do Katie, and no one doubts that. I agree with Martha. Jackson Hunt clearly knows something we don't and it appears that he's protecting his child, his family. It's what fathers do, what any father would do. So, go to Vermont Katie, find Castle and we'll be here waiting when you return."

She pulls her dad in close, whispers, "Thank you, Dad. Will you…would you mind staying with Martha and Alexis until we get back? We know so little about what's happening, I'd feel better knowing you were here with them."

Hugging his daughter tightly, Jim nods, "Of course. They're my family too and I won't leave until you're back or we know it's safe."

Releasing from her dad's embrace, Kate steps quickly into her and Castle's bedroom. She pulls down an overnight bag from the closet and throws in a change of clothes. Before moving to the bathroom she takes a minute to breathe in the musky fragrance of Castle. His scent permeates the room and her senses, makes her long for his touch. Closing her eyes and drawing strength from his distinct smell she silently voices a promise.

'Castle, I'm doing my best. I'm going to find you, babe. I am going to find you.'

Taking one more deep breath she strides quickly to the bathroom, locates her toothbrush and tosses it into the overnight bad. She's just zipping the bag up when she hears the arrival of Ryan and Esposito and it makes her anxious to get going.

Bag in hand she comes out of the bedroom, smiling fondly at the two male detectives,"Hey guys. Ready?"

Ryan, ever the gentleman, attempts to take her bag, but she brushes him off. "I'll meet you in the garage, guys. I need a minute to say a quick goodbye."

Both men nod their agreement and head out the door towards the elevator.

Kate hugs the three remaining occupants of the loft one by one, promises to call with any updates, then quickly closes the door behind her and calls the elevator for herself.

She finds the boys by her cruiser playing Roshambo. If his scowl is any indication, Esposito has lost the round.

"Two out of three, "Espo challenges.

Ryan shakes his head, "Bro, you lost. I won fair and square, so you're sitting in the back."

Esposito slaps his fist to his hand attempting another game, "Dude, two out of three. We never play just the one hand."

Smirking at his partner, Ryan shakes his head again, "Javi, Beckett's here and she looks anxious to get going. And, you lost."

Kate rolls her eyes as their little game unfolds before her, "Espo, Man up and get in the back."

Slumping his shoulders in resignation, Esposito starts for the passenger door, delivering a devilish smirk before opening it, "Fine, Honey Milk, but you get the back on the way home."

Kate can't help jumping in again, "Actually guys, if this goes well, Castle will be up front on the way home and you'll both be in the back, sleeping and drooling on each other."

Both boys chuckle at her remark, little laughs that jump out but soon die off. Hopefully Castle will be joining them on the drive home but they just don't know. The three detectives settle into a comfortable silence as Kate steers the cruiser towards Vermont.

XXX

They're three hours into the drive when the ringing of Ryan's cell phone echoes through the quiet car, "Hey Man. Yeah? Really. And it's still there?" Ryan shoves his hand in his breast pocket, pulling out his small notepad, "Okay, I'm ready. Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay. Right. Got it. I see why you're Jenny's favorite cousin, Ladd. Really man, you're a lifesaver. Thanks again and I owe you one."

Ending the call Ryan turns sideways in his seat so he can look at both Beckett and Esposito when he delivers the gist of the phone call he just completed, "That was Jenny's cousin, Ladd. He owns a scenic tour company and he takes tourists up in his helicopter and shows them the sights of the city. He's always been close to Jenny so I used our family connection and had him fly up to and over Bennington. Looks like the luck of the Irish is shining down on us, Beckett. Ladd spotted the Black Escalade parked next to a cabin about 90 miles outside of town and as of 20 minutes ago, it was still there."

"Thank God." Kate breathes.

Esposito fist bumps Ryan, slaps him on the shoulder, "Nice move man. Damn nice move."

"I'm assuming you were writing down the coordinates?"

Plugging the information into the cruiser's GPS, Ryan nods, "Yep and according to the navigation app, we should arrive in about an hour."

They drive the rest of the way in silence, each playing out the different scenarios of what they might find. When they're within a quarter mile of the cabin, Kate slows the vehicle, pulling off the road to stop.

"Since we don't know what we're walking into, I want the element of surprise on our side."

Both men agree and quickly exit the cruiser and wait for Beckett's lead. They walk quietly along the road, the only noise coming from hawks above and the occasional plane overhead. As they come upon the tucked away cabin, they stop, spread out and surround the structure on three sides. No movements catch their attention and no sounds can be heard from inside.

Kate turns to Ryan on her left, holds up 3 fingers and points to herself, before repeating the signal to Esposito on her right. Taking a deep breath Kate begins to count, "one, and two", As the one syllable "three" leaves her lips, they rush the door with guns drawn. Kate tries the handle, only to find it locked. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, she brutally kicks the barrier in, unhinging the ancient piece of wood, forcing it open.

"Castle? Castle? Castle!"

"Esposito takes over, "Yo Castle, you here man?"

Only silence and the smell of disinfectant greet their calls.

Ryan and Esposito spread out quickly through the small space, searching for any signs of life.

"Clear," Shouts Ryan.

"Clear," Espo repeats.

Holstering their weapons, they take in the cabin. Nothing appears out of place. The space is small, tidy and devastatingly empty. The rooms bear no evidence of struggle, but also no evidence that anyone is inside.

Ryan decides to search the Escalade first while Kate and Esposito start on the inside. Javi suggests calling in the CSU team but the idea is quickly dismissed. She doesn't want to wait another four hours for the team to arrive, in case this turns out to be a dead end. She wants to comb through the rooms herself first. If need be, they'll call in the CSU team later.

Kate and Esposito work quietly and efficiently as they through through the cabin's sparse rooms. Cushions are overturned, cupboards opened, books toppled from shelves and pages fanned out, but there's no trace of Castle.

Javi moves into the bathroom as Kate searches the only bedroom. Pulling out the dresser drawers, she finds them empty, same thing with the closet. She's hovering over the twin bed when something catches her eye.

"Javi….Espo, in here."

The Latino detective is by her side in seconds, "What's up Beckett, you find something?"

Kate's clutching an old pillow to her chest as she turns to face her partner, holding something in her right hand, "I found this on the pillow."

Esposito looks at her skeptically, "Do you think it came from Castle?"

She hands him a lock of hair to bag, "It's Castle's alright. I can still smell his cologne on the pillow, even though the case was stripped. Rick was here."

Bagging the piece of hair Espo nods, "Okay then, it's time to tear this room apart."

There isn't much to tear apart as the only furniture is the dresser Kate has already gone through, a small table and the bed they are currently standing next to. Kate quickly pulls the gray army blanket resting on top and flings it behind her. She reaches down with both hands, flipping the twin mattress, revealing only the frame beneath it. Resignation almost creeps, but when Javi lifts the box spring, the tiny bed shifts a fraction, revealing a small wooden tile from under the front leg.

Almost knocking Javi over in her haste, she picks up the tiny square, and sees the letter C on it. Bending at the foot of the bed, Kate lifts the frame again and is rewarded with another game piece; this one painted with the letter R.

Watching her closely, Esposito mimics her actions, quickly lifting the front part of the frame and spies two more tiles tucked under each foot. Kate retrieves the pieces Javi has found and holds them in her palm. One tile has the letter N, the other a Y.

Shaking with relief, Kate turns to her partner, "It's a message, Javi. It has to be him. RCNY, Richard Castle, New York."

Esposito looks at the tiles in Kate's hand and questions, "Richard Castle, New York? Do you think he means of New York or they're in New York?

Pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, Kate shakes her head, "I don't know but let's keep looking. Maybe another clue is hidden somewhere."

Ryan's already in the living room when Kate and Esposito come out and he begins his report on the car immediately, "Car's clean. VIN gone, plates removed, no fingerprints. Keys were still in the ignition. Probably knew we were coming and wanted to make it as easy as possible to get the thing outta here."

Esposito smirks at his partner, "Writer-Boy's been here. Left a message for Kate with Scrabble tiles."

Ryan quirks his eyebrows, "Scrabble tiles, huh? Only a writer would think of that. What'd it say?"

Kate shows Ryan the four tiles, now safely held in an evidence bag. She tells him where they were found and of her and Espo's theories.

Plucking the smooth tiles from Kate's palm, Ryan rolls them over his own. Looking thoughtfully across the room, he smiles and shakes his head, "A writer weaves stories with letters and words. He expects you as the reader to follow along; to create images and find answers."

Kate and Esposito watch with confusion as Ryan walks over to a small table on the right of the couch, picking up a deck of cards, "Connect the dots."

Kate tilts her head, not quite following, "Ryan?"

Bringing the deck over to the two detectives he continues, "I rifled through these while you were still searching the bedroom. I figured Castle likes magic so maybe he was playing with them, and maybe slipped a message inside."

Recognition flashing in his eyes, Esposito raises his eyebrows, "And, did he?"

Spreading the cards on the coffee table in front of him Ryan shakes his head, "He didn't slip a note or anything into the deck, I gather he didn't need to. However, by the way the cards were placed in the deck, I think I know where they went."

Kate watches impatiently as Ryan runs his hands over the cards, feathering them out along the table's surface. Studying the row in front of them, she realizes all the cards are face down except the bottom two.

Royalty stares back at them as both she and Esposito simultaneously shout, "Queens! They're back in Queens."

TBC

A/N - Many, many thanks go out to KW for staying with me. To KG for being so willing to help. To WOML for being WOML. To AD for correcting and teaching with every step. And, Alyssa for jumping in!

Without you all, I'd still be eating chips and hitting the panic button.

A/N #2 - Your thoughts and comments are appreciated and encouraged.