A/N: Um . . . Hello everyone! Long time no see! How's life been treating you? Did you enjoy the holidays? Are you read for-

Oh, you want to kill me and bury my body where it will never be found? That's cool . . . *nervous chuckle*

I'm SUPER sorry for waiting SOOOOOO long to update! I entered a bit of a writing slump and couldn't figure out how to get over a plot hole. BUT, thanks to lovely shower thoughts, I figured it out and produced this lovely chapter with the help of my Beta! Yay holiday miracles!

I've got a few things lined up for future updates, but please forgive me if I don't consistently update. Both my Beta and I have a busy semester coming up, but I PROMISE you won't wait half a year for a new chapter.

Okay, enough about me. On with the show! Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoy my present! PLEASE see the end of the chapter for Beta Notes.

Chapter 26

The hardest part is not knowing. Not knowing where they were, not knowing if they're okay, feeling powerless . . .

Time is the biggest killer; the longer you wait, the more powerful your feelings.

. . . Especially if you're a detective with no jurisdiction to help the people you care about.

It's only been a day since the last time anyone has heard from their friends . . . but on a case like this, a day feels like a year. Hell, even a few hours is concerning, especially since they were in another city, in another state.

Plus, Castle had a mother and a daughter waiting for him in New York. He wouldn't do anything without letting them know. He may love working with the 12th precinct on cases, but he will always put his family first, especially at Beckett's insistence.

But this time, something was horribly wrong. The whole town felt sketchy, as if they were hiding some huge secret, and as for right now, Ryan and Esposito couldn't trust anyone.

A search of the room where Castle and Beckett were staying came up mostly empty. There were no signs of a struggle, so no leads there.

When they examined the files left behind, Castle's notebook listed a few nonsensical theories on 'magic', even going so far as to sort the town residents into fairytale characters.

"No way anyone would think this is true," Esposito commented. At his partner's silence, he added, "Oh c'mon. Don't tell me you believe him."

"Well, what other explanations are there? This town feels off, so what if that's because of magic?"

His partner scoffed and continued searching the room, tripping over Beckett's gym bag. Damn it.

"Espo, if this was just a crazy theory, then Castle would have listed it under 'Story Idea', but he actually took the time to find evidence for this. Just look at all these books!" Ryan gestured around the room while he held up a volume on the history of Storybrooke.

"He was really serious."

"This is Castle we're talking about. Serious is not a word used to describe him," Esposito replied, snatching the book and flipping through its pages.

Huh. Founded in 1979 . . . Wait. The town is only 31 years old? But it looks ancient!

Ryan shrugged. "It's our best lead thus far. There has to be some truth in his theory in order to convince Beckett to follow up."

What's got Javi so . . . Huh? Ryan sets the book down in favor of the town census. There's no way these people are real. Roland Nolan? C'mon; there's no way his parents hated him that much. But . . . maybe we should check its legitimacy. Castle got this book for a reason, after all so . . .

"It's worth a shot."

After scribbling a few theories down in his notebook, Esposito agreed.

"Where should we start? The guy with the metal hook or the fairies?" Ryan gave him a look and handed his partner the census, pointing out the passage.

Baguette French? Did someone seriously name their kid after bread?

"Okay, something is definitely wrong with this town. These names have to be fake."

Ryan nodded and took the book, writing down a few of the bogus names. "See? Even Castle has to make sense at least once. I'll put in a call to Montgomery, but our best bet is to go back to the sheriff's station."

"That's going to be tricky when the whole town is watching our every move . . . Let's split up. I'll go to the station while you keep an eye on Sheriff Swan."

Espo started packing up a few important files and looked through Beckett's bag. C'mon . . . C'mon . . . Yes! He found her makeup bag and pulled out a few bobby pins. Sorry Becks, but your life's in danger.

"Alright . . . but if you see something sketchy, get the hell out of there. I'd hate to have to save you from jail," Ryan joked apprehensively.

He took the two books with him as they left the room. They left the room empty save for the fictional books Castle must've gotten as a cover. They didn't need nosy residents snooping through their friends' stuff.

(~)

So here he was, tailing the sheriff, and it wasn't too difficult to find her since she went around in a yellow car.

After dropping his partner at the station, Ryan drove around town slowly and carefully avoided the residents as much as he could. He finally caught up to the sheriff and followed her into the forest.

He parked his car a distance away from the yellow bug behind a thick cluster of trees. The detective made sure to take his phone with him in case Esposito needed him, and he instinctively kept his hand over his gun.

Mom and Dad were in danger, and he wasn't afraid of anyone who stood in the way.

(~)

"He must've used a portal. It's the only explanation for the locater spell to stop working," Regina explained, picking up the scarf Henry had 'borrowed' from Mr. Castle.

"The only question is where he sent them," David added just as everyone slowly lowered their weapons. It was standard procedure to carry around their favorite weaponry, from this world or the fairytale one. After all, you never know when you'll run into some mystical beasts wreaking havoc on civilians.

"They must play a huge part in the storybook for Rumpelstiltskin to be worried," Emma concluded, pacing around the clearing.

". . . But Henry may be on to something with his book theory. Let's head back, and try to figure out exactly who they are. Until we know for sure, we can't help them."

She knew in her gut that there wasn't much they could do, but they had to do something.

"Mom, Dad, see if you can find out what Rumple is up to. You two are the best at tracking, and we can't make any progress without knowing what he's up to."

"Why do I have a feeling it has something to do with our new 'friends' in town?" Snow commented.

After a brief pause, her eyes widened. She glanced at David and whispered, "You don't think . . ."

". . . Is there something wrong?" Emma asked.

David was quick to react. "No, nothing at all. We'll call you when we find something."

The couple rushed off out of the forest. If there was even a slight chance that he could be . . . No. That cannot happen. They had to stop them before she tells . . .

"Okay . . . Robin, see what you can dig up here. I doubt you'll find evidence, but it's worth a shot. And keep an eye on their detective friends. I don't want any more civilians coming into contact with Rumple."

"Already on it. I'll round up the Merry Men to help with the search," Robin replied. He smiled softly at Regina before disappearing into the forest. There was so much more he wanted . . .

Now's not the time for that. Even if he wanted to, she would brush him off in favor of work . . . It's best to tread carefully in that department

". . . Right. Hook, keep helping with the fairies––"

Emma stopped him before he could protest.

"We'll need them if we want to get them back. I know you still feel guilty, but nothing will be solved by moping around."

Hook sighed in defeat. "Alright, love, but you have to promise that you'll call if something happens."

"Thank you. Regina and I will head to the station and––"

She was interrupted by a rustle in the bushes. She glanced at Regina who nodded, already prepared to back her up.

She slowly approached only to halt abruptly when a figure crashed through. The poor man was knocked out with half of the forest clinging on to him.

Emma carefully approached him. His seemed unharmed save for a few bruises and a small gash on his leg, probably from tumbling through the forest.

Hmm . . . scrubs . . . Maybe he's from the hospital? No, he doesn't look familiar . . .

His ID revealed that he was Joshua Davidson, a cardiac surgeon from New York City.

Did the Dark One drag him here too?

He must have some connection to the couple or else Rumple wouldn't have given him the time of day. Maybe he used the young doctor as bait?

"Emma?"

The sheriff sighed and stood. "Another one from New York. Let's take him to the hospital, and see what he has to say when he wakes up."

(~)

Portal?

Locator spell?

Storybook?

Motorcycle Boy?

Something very strange was going on, and Ryan started to believe Castle's theory more and more. He hid carefully as the sheriff and 'Regina' carried the doctor away, making note to visit him once he recovered.

"Javi? Something weird is going on. Meet me at the B&B as soon as you can."

Ryan tripped over something as he was turning to head back, falling face first. He was so glad his partner wasn't here. He'd never let him live this down.

His face paled as he looked back at what he tripped over. "Oh God . . . is that . . .?"

Ryan's hand trembled as he reached to pick it up with his handkerchief. The heart glowed, and all the detective could do was stare.

What kind of sick person would . . . Who would have the balls to . . . Are they . . ?!

After a moment, Ryan came to his senses and grabbed an evidence bag from his pocket. The younger detective was surprised he didn't drop the heart as he sealed it carefully.

He sat there for a moment with shaky breaths, fighting to keep from vomiting. In all his years of being a detective, he had never felt this disgusted by a crime scene, and he's seen some pretty freaky stuff.

Alright Ryan, enough with the freaking out. The least you could do is catch the bastard who did this . . .

Ryan stood and trudged on. He hoped his partner had better luck than he had. Montgomery should be calling soon with the files, but he had a feeling that Castle's theory was––

Alexis and Martha . . . they can't know about this. What if Castle and Beckett are really dead? What if they can't find them or––

"Cut it out. You're not going to help them by thinking so negative," he scolded himself quietly.

With his newfound determination, Ryan made his way back to the B&B. They had a job to do, and getting emotional was only going to slow them down. If the roles were reversed, Beckett wouldn't be acting this way. She would already have a plan to bring them home and make their captors regret the day they were born.

But she's not here, and the boys don't know if they're coming back.

Every story has a hero to save the day, but what happens when the Savior falls?

Will the town just fall to despair?

No.

Not if the B Team has anything to say about it.

After all, nobody messes with their family and gets away with it.

Beta Note:

*coughs* Hello, everyone . . . I'm FSD (FlyingSilverDreams), here on ff .net, and I'd just like to take a moment to apologize for being the number one reason for this very belated update . . . I'm so sorry, OUAC readers! Also, I'm still learning about the 'Art of Beta-ing' so if there's any comments/questions/complaints/proposed edits about the grammatical mechanics of this chapter/story in general, feel free to send me a pm! Thank you so much to 3detectives1writer for this 'beta-ing opportunity' and to all of you wonderful OUAC readers out there. Remember to stay safe during the holidays, and please have a wonderful New Year! *bows*