Disclaimer – I do not own Castle but am over the moon that Kate and Rick are finally together.
A/N – Thank you for your reviews. Sorry this took so long, I was planning to write with my weekend off but ended up spending most of sat and sun watching season 1 of 24 for the first time.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lexington Ave, Alley – 12:25
Javier looked down on the screen of his phone. He had stopped in front of the entryway of an Alley two blocks over from Remy's. According to the signal coming from Kate's phone, she should be in eye sight, but he couldn't see any sign of her. It was cool out and the snow was falling down, lightly.
"I don't like this, man." Kevin pipped up beside his partner.
Javier put his phone away as his eyes searched for any sign of his boss.
The two detectives started walking down the alleyway with their hand on their weapons, ready to draw at any sign of trouble. They stopped in front of the dumpster and turned towards one another, sharing a look of concerned before they both took a step forward and peered in.
Relief washing over both detectives when no body was found in the dumpster, they pulled on their gloves so they could go through the trash to find any evidence that Kate was here.
A few minutes of them digging through the trash passed before the Irish detective spotted something that looked familiar.
"Javi," he spoke up. "Look," pointing to what he had discovered buried a few layers down.
12th Precinct – 12:33 – Bullpen
Alexis rushed out of the elevator and ran towards the bullpen. She rushed passed the detectives and officers on the floor and headed straight towards Kate's desk. It was vacant, along with her father's chair that sat beside it. She looked in the direction of the two male detective's desks, they were also empty. She knew this wasn't good.
Alexis stopped in front of Kate's desk and ran her hand over the top of her chair before turning it and plopping down in it, her eyes turned towards the photos on her desk. She let her eyes absorb in the pictures in front of her as tears brim close to spilling over. She reached for the photo frame and her fingers brushed over the faces in it. It was a recent one of her dad, Holly, Kate and herself all smiling at the camera.
Alexis knew something was seriously wrong. Her father still hadn't called her back and she noticed that everyone on this floor seemed a little tense. She looked at the smiling detective in the photo and let a few tears slip. "Kate, where are you?" she whispered to the photo.
"Red," a male voice called, a moment later.
Alexis's eyes shot up in the direction of the voice and noticed the Rookie cop that she had met at the crime scene, walking towards her. He looked worried and wasn't in uniform, just dressed casually in denim jeans and a white tee and black leather jacket. Alexis looked at him curious. "Hi N... Noah, right?" she spoke up. "What are you doing here?"
Noah stopped beside the desk, his hand resting on a chair that seems to always be beside the brunette detective's desk. "I heard about Detective Beckett and I just wanted to make sure that you're okay," he told her, honestly.
Alexis had only met this guy once and was curious to why he would be concerned about her. They didn't know each other so why does he care about her? Kate was missing so why would she be okay?
"The closest thing I have ever had to a real mom ... is missing. So no, I'm not okay. I'm scared," she confessed, holding back the sobs that were dying to escape.
Noah looked into the redheads crystal blue eyes and could see pain, the same pain that he had once felt. He plopped down in the chair beside the desk, locking his blue orbs on hers. He never talked about his past to anyone, even his father had withdrawn from anyone. But Noah knew that she needed to hear it.
"I know what you're going through," he admitted. "I know ..."
Alexis turned her eyes from him and locked them on the photo in front of her. "How would you know?" she bit back, bitterly. "How could you possible know what I am going through?"
Noah knew that she was hurting. He knew that's why she said it. He knew that usually she was a nice person, detectives and officers on this floor had said so, many times. He had worked a few crime scenes with Detective Beckett's team and had absorbed that they're family.
"Because I've been in your position," he admitted.
Alexis turned her eyes on the young cop. She had heard the emotion in his voice and could see the pain in his eyes. Had he lost someone close to him? Or had they gone missing, because Kate was only missing? Why was she missing? She was meant to be safe now!
"My mom was a cop and on the fast track to becoming a detective when she was called out to a shooting and was killed in the line duty. I was fifteen at the time," he divulged. "I joined the academy to follow in her footsteps and I will become a detective to honour her memory."
Alexis didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone after they tell you something like that? Because telling them 'how sorry you are' won't bring back their loved one, nothing can. But maybe, just maybe hearing the words and letting them know that you care ... helps them.
"I'm sorry that you lost your mother, that's sucks," she told him. "No child deserves to bury their parent. Kate had to bury her mother young. I can't do the same," she shared, holding her emotions back.
Noah reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, causing the teen to turn her eyes on him. "You won't have to, they will find her and she'll be back with your family in no time. Have faith."
Alexis wanted to believe him, really she did but she just had a really bad feeling.
"Why are you here? Won't you get in trouble for not doing whatever you do?" she questioned, wiping the tears from her eyes with her free hand.
"Because everybody needs somebody," he answered, sincerely."Plus I finished my shift at noon. I'm all yours."
Alexis was a little surprised with his answer.
13:01
Rick had driven straight from the zoo to the loft, dropping of Holly with his mother before heading to the 12th. He didn't want to worry his youngest because at the moment he didn't know what to tell her. He had retrieved his weapon from the safe before leaving the loft. Rick only carried it when he was out in the field with Kate which hasn't been often since Holly came into their lives. He had received a call from Javier thirty minutes ago and had to stop driving to answer it. So many theories were running wild in his mind at the moment and he just wanted them to stop, he wanted Kate back.
He stepped off the elevator and began walking towards the bullpen, spotting a flash of red sitting at her desk. She had her back to everything, her eyes glued to the murder board. There was a young man sitting in his chair, next to her. He noticed that they were holding hands. Who was this boy?
"Lex?" he called as he approached her.
Alexis turned her tear filled eyes from the murder board and towards her father. "Dad," she acknowledged, hoping up from the detective's seat and letting go of Noah's hand. She ran into her father's waiting arms.
Rick bear hugged his daughter back. He was wondering the same thing. He knew what his daughter's internship was, now and at first he was a little worried to have her working with the dead, but he trust Lanie to guide her. Alexis wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a young woman and was old enough to make life choices and if working with the dead was one of them, he would support her in it.
The father and daughter hugged for a long minute before Alexis spoke up. "I just saw her a few hours ago. How can she be missing?" she asked, looking up at her father.
Rick pulled back and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I don't know pumpkin," he whispered. "I don't know," he replied, looking into her worried eyes. He turned his eyes on the young man that was now standing. He was a little shorter than himself but taller than his daughter. He was a built kid, looked around twenty.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Alexis turned from her father and looked at her new friend, biting down on her bottom lip.
"Hi Mr Castle, I'm Office Noah Chase," the Rookie introduced himself. "I heard about Detective Beckett. She's a great detective, Sir. They will find her."
Rick just nodded in response. He still couldn't believe that all of this was real.
"Yo Castle," a Hispanic voice called from behind him.
Rick turned around and watched the two male detective walk through the bullpen and towards them. He noticed that Detective Esposito had an evidence bag in his hand. A moment passed before both male detectives were standing opposite him with concern etched across their faces.
"Any news?" he piped up.
"We have CSU down there now going over every square inch of that Alley," Javier supplied. "Her phone from the dumpster and we found her necklace just under it," he shared, handing the evidence bag to the writer.
Rick looked down at the clear bag in his hands and felt his heart ache. She never took the necklace off, only for bed or a bath. She'd put it back on right after. He could feel emotions overwhelming him and knew that he had to pull himself together for his daughter and for the team. Who had Kate?
"We'll get her back, bro," Kevin assured his friend, tapping him on the shoulder.
Rick ran his fingers through his hair and turned his attention on the two male detectives, still clutching the evidence bag in his right hand. "Okay, Espo I want you access Kate's phone and find out who the last call was made too," he ordered. "Ryan, find out if there were any cameras in the area that could pick up Kate's location at the time. Someone had to have seen something," he replied before turning his attention on his daughter who was now standing beside the young cop. "Alexis, go home. Mother is there with Holly. I need to focus on bringing Kate home and I can't do that if you're here. I need to know that you are at home and you're safe."
Alexis stubbornly shook her head. "No Dad, I am not leavin..."
"Alexis," he cut in. "Please go home and stay with your sister until we find Kate."
Alexis didn't like this one bit. She didn't want to leave her father alone at a time like this. He's fragile, even though he likes to act 'big and strong' she knew better.
"Officer Chase," Rick addressed the young man. "How long have you been with the 12th?" he questioned.
Noah turned his eyes from the daughter and onto the father. "A little over eight months," he replied. "I have finished my shift and have tomorrow off. If you like I can take Alexis home and watch over your daughters if you want?"
Rick looked the boy up and down. He looked like a good kid and was a cop. He nodded his head.
"I'll call you later, okay pumpkin," he assured his daughter.
Alexis folded her arms, angrily. "Whatever," she replied, turning away and storming off. Noah followed close behind her.
The blue eyed writer watched as his daughter and the young cop hopped on the elevator and disappeared before he turned and walked towards the murder board and removed his wallet from his jacket. He pulled out the photo that he kept of her and placed it on the whiteboard under the two pictures of the victims, holding it in place with a magnet he picked up a whiteboard marker and under it he writes in Kate's name and the word 'Missing' in brackets. He turns his eyes on the two other victims and looked at the similarities of two women in their late twenties.
"The two victims look like Kate," Rick mumbled to himself. "They could be sisters."
The killer is targeting women that like Kate.
Unknown Location – 14:11
Kate felt weird. Her eyelids were heavy and it felt like a weight was weighing her down. She had no energy and felt weak. Something was wrong. She knew that her wrist were cuffed to something.
"Wake up, sweetie," an unfamiliar voice sweetly spoke up.
Kate didn't recognize the voice and it sounded blurry, but it sounded female. She slowly began opening her eyes, flickering at first to adjust to the light. She could see a blurry outline of a woman with dark hair sitting beside her.
"Mom?" she spoke up. Kate knew that it couldn't possibly be her mother because she had been dead for a long time, but Kate wasn't sure if she was alive either. She felt a hand touch her face and she flinched. "Who are you?" she demanded as her vision started getting a little more clearer.
"I'm the one you're meant to be with," the female voice answered.
Kate could now see clearly and her eyes drunk in her abductor. The woman looked to be around her age and was pretty. She had long black hair and bluey green eyes. She was dressed in black and that's when Kate spotted the pendant on a chain around her neck. It was a Leo pendant, the victims if she wasn't mistaken.
"Who are you?" Kate demanded, knowing but needing confirmation.
The abductor looked at her, hurt. "You don't remember me?"
Kate looked at the stranger, carefully. She did look a little familiar but she wasn't sure where she had seen her. There was something about her eyes that made her familiar but she still couldn't place her. Her head was still spinning and all this thinking wasn't helping.
"You've drugged me," Kate stated. "GHB, best guess. Just like the others," she pushed on, turning her eyes on her wrist. The abductor had used her handcuffs and another pair she didn't recognize to cuff her hands to the bars of the bed that she was on.
The dark haired woman looked at the brunette with a smile. "Of course I did, silly. I don't want you escaping. I know what you're capable of, detective."
"Where's my gun and badge?" she questioned, her body felt strange. She didn't have her normal strength.
"You don't need them now and you can call me Shannon," the dark haired woman told Kate.
"Shannon?" the brunette questioned. The name, she had heard it before but where?
Shannon looked at her excited for a moment, as if she was going to guess who she was but disappointment fell over her features when Kate didn't answer. "Still don't remember?" she pouted. "That's disappointing."
Kate looked the woman up and down, spotting the other victim's ring on her hand. She then noticed her bracelet on her wrist. "Why did you kill Eva and Chloe? And why have you taken me?" she demanded, her voice wavering, not because she was scared but because she felt sick. Kate knew it was a side effect from GHB.
Shannon climbed off the bed and looked at the detective with a pensive look. A long minute passed before she answered. "In time, you'll see."
Kate was pissed off by that answer. In time, you'll see? She shook her head. "No, in time you will see how big of a mistake you made, taking me!"
Shannon just smiled. "I think you need to sit here and think about what I said for a while," she told her, before heading towards the door.
"I want my bracelet back!" Kate shouted after the woman.
Shannon shook her head as she walked out of the room.
Kate yanked the best she could on the cuffs but it wasn't good enough. She felt sluggish and upset. She was usually better at keeping her emotions guardian, but right now all she wanted to do – was cry. She wanted to be home with her girl and Rick. She wanted to be with her family.
Kate let her eyes drift around the room. The walls were white but covered in photos. She noticed that the photos were of her victims. One wall was filled with Eva and the other wall was filled with Chloe. The wall around the door was filled with photos of her. There were photos of her at crime scenes, in the park and with her girls while she was shopping.
The Loft – 14:00
Alexis opened the loft door and walked in. Noah followed closely behind and closed it.
"Sissy," the little girl announced as she ran towards her older sister, excitedly. "I went to the zoo with Daddy and we saw the tigers."
Alexis realized that her little sister didn't know about what happened to the female detective and she planned to keep it that way for as long as she could. The female teenager plastered a smile on her face and knelt down in front of the little blue eyed brunette. "Did you," she answered.
Holly bopped her head up and down before titling it to the side and looking at the older boy standing behind her big sister. "Who's he?" she asked. "Is he your boyfriend," the little girl teased.
Alexis felt her cheeks beginning to heat and knew that they would match her hair colour soon if she didn't say something. "No, Holly. He is a friend. A cop," she informed the girl.
Holly looked him up and down before turning her eyes on her sister. "Like Momma?"
A sad smile stole her lips. "Yeah, baby bird. Like Momma."
Holly turned her eyes on the older boy and smiled. "Hi, I'm Holly Castle," she declared.
Martha had been watching from the kitchen and decided to make an appearance. She was still in shock from what her son had told her about her 'unofficial daughter in law.' He hoped that they could find Kate before it was too late. She had already called her husband who was out of town on business at the moment. He said he would pop in at the 12th when he got a chance.
"Holly," Martha called. "How about you go get Roar and we'll watch a movie?" she suggested.
The little brunette lit up and took off in the direction of the stairs.
Martha waited until the girl was out of ear distance before she turned her eyes on her eldest granddaughter and young man beside her. "Hey darling, how you holding up?" she asked.
Alexis was holding back emotion because Noah was present. "Barely," she admitted before walking towards her grandmother and giving her a crushing hug.
A/N – I hope this answers the questions about Kate's disappearance
Reviews are appreciated.
