AN: Yes, I'm still alive and so sorry for the way too long wait for this. It was quite a struggle for me to get this out. But here it is.


"Hello Nikki."

"Who is this?" Kate asked, her voice suddenly alert and Castle knew immediately that something was wrong as he turned toward her and caught the look in her eyes.

"Oh Nikki," the man tisked. "Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you. You know exactly who this is."

"No," she gasped. "No, you're dead. I saw … ."

"Ah my dear Detective. The poor Ben is dead, you've got that right. And just like I wanted you to, you all fell for my little illusion, giving me all the time in the world to go and get your precious daughters."

"What did you do to them, you bastard?" Kate hissed, shooting up from the couch, causing Castle to do the same and grab for his own phone.

"Nothing, nothing," the man replied, calm and relaxed as if they were talking about the weather, before his tone changed. "At least not yet."

"I swear, if you hurt them, if you even just touch one hair on their head. I will hunt you down and put a bullet straight between your eyes," Kate threatened, knowing it was useless in her position.

"I'm looking forward to that," he chuckled and before Kate could reply the line went dead.

"Kate?" Castle asked, fear in his eyes, while his wife was already dialing her father's number just to listen to the endless beeping.

"He has Jamie and Ellie, Rick," she swallowed against her tears and the rising panic, knowing she needed to stay focused now or she would never get them back. "And the bastard is not picking up."

"But Ben Conrad? He's dead … I don't understand." Rick looked helpless. It was suppose to be over.

"Ben Conrad is not our killer, he's just another victim," Kate explained, while frantically trying to figure out what was the best way to proceed without having a panic attack.

"I'm going to call Shaw," Castle suddenly sprang into action, placing a hand on her shoulder. They needed to get their head in the game if they wanted to get the son of a bitch that had their daughters.

"Okay and I'll call Montgomery and the boys," Kate replied, ending her fruitless attempt to get the man back on the line.

"We're gonna get them back, Kate. We'll do whatever we have to and we're going to get them back." Castle said and saw her nod as Shaw picked up, "Agent Shaw, you need to get here."


Fifteen minutes later the loft was swamped with FBI agents and Jordan Shaw had led Castle and Beckett into the office, away from the main buzz to go over their statement again, knowing that every little detail might count in getting the couple's daughters back and that it mattered to get them while their memory was still fresh.

"So let us go over it again," Agent Shaw said in such a calm voice that it drove Beckett up the wall. She knew Jordan was just doing her job, knew that this was the most efficient way to get what they needed, but those were her daughters out there, in the hands off a serial killer and she couldn't just sit here going over her statement - again. She needed to get out there. Do something. Anything to find their girls and get them back home safely. Glancing over at her husband who was pacing behind his desk, she knew he wasn't doing much better and it didn't help, that she could hear Alexis crying in the living room, where Martha tried to console their oldest daughter.

"Did he say anything about your father? Or the agent who accompanied them up to the cabin?" Shaw asked, after Kate had recalled the phone call for her once more.

"No, he didn't. He just talked about Ellie and Jamie. Have you sent someone up there to check?" Beckett turned to look at Shaw.

"Of course, the second Castle called me I sent a team Upstate and informed local forces. We'll know the second they get there."

"No," she shook her head. "I can't just sit here and wait. I need to do something. We need to find them, Rick."

"I know. I know."

"I promise we're doing all we can to get your girls back," Agent Shaw stepped up to the two of them, "but I understand that you can't just sit here and wait. So why don't you two go to the precinct and work with your team. The more people are looking the better."

"You want to do that?" Castle asked and watched his wife nod. "You'll keep us updated on your end?" He looked over at Agent Shaw.

"Of course. The second I know something, you'll know it too."

"Okay, let's go. Mother, Alexis, you're coming with us. We're all staying together."


"Did you find them?" Kate called out to Esposito the second she and her family rushed through the elevator doors into the bullpen.

"Beckett," Espo hurried to meet them half way. "They found your dad and the agent who was with him. They are both okay."

"Thank God," Kate sighed. "And the girls?" Kate lifted her eyes to meet her partner's, but what she saw in them made her recoil. "No, Espo, please."

"I'm sorry, Beckett. There was no trace of Jamie and Ellie."

"What -," Castle swallowed. "What do you mean there was no trace of them? The agents up there must have found something. Jim must have seen something."

"They're still processing the scene and we'll keep looking, of course. But right now there's nothing else I can tell you. I'm sorry. I've been going trough street cam footage for the past hour, but your dad's cabin is quite remote." Espo watched his friends deflate at his words and it broke his heart. He loved those girls as well, but his pain was nothing compared to what Beckett and Castle were going through at the moment. "We're gonna find them, Kate."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Beckett spat and Rick squeezed her hand, reeling her back in. Espo was not their enemy and they needed all the help they could get. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Espo."

"'S alright," Espo shrugged off her apology. "Already forgotten."

"I was wondering," Castle started, wanting to get into the game, to find a way to get his daughters back, "Has anyone been back to Conrad's apartment?"

"I don't think so," Espo shook his head. "Why?"

"Because if Ben Conrad is not our killer and he didn't kill himself either, it means -," his wife cut him off.

"It means our real killer was in the apartment the whole time."

"Then how the hell did we miss him?" Shaw asked as she stepped up to the trio, having just arrived with her team.

"Let's go and find out and get our girls back," Castle stated, already pulling Kate back toward the elevator when his mother called out to him and he hated himself for forgetting that he and Kate were not the only ones affected by this. He turned around, feeling Kate at his back as he looked from his mother to his oldest daughter.

"Mother, you're staying here with Alexis. This is the safest place for you to be right now," he explained, pulling Alexis close as Kate did the same, both hugging their daughter while tears started to stream down her face.

"We love you, Pumpkin," Kate whispered, while she reached out to Martha, squeezing her hand.

"I'll take care of Alexis," Martha promised. "You two go and find Jamie and Ellie."

"And I'll take care of both of them," Montgomery's voice suddenly fell over them, having just arrived himself. "I promise."

"Thank you, Roy." Castle nodded at his wife's Captain, before catching Shaw's impatient look and pulling Kate away from the rest of their family. "We need to go."

TBC