After awhile, Rick glances at his new Ball watch that Kate had given him for his birthday. He has written about three pages in his notebook before he realizes that it's about the time He and Xander head back home. Sometimes make a stop for ice cream in the shop around the corner. As he stands up, a cool breeze sweeps in, rustling his hair and making him a shiver a little. He looks up into the sky, finally noticing that clouds have closed in on the beautiful day. Considering this is New York, it most certainly will rain. So he pulls on his coat and walks back to the playground. His notebook is folded and stuffed into his inside pocket. Rick pats his pants, making sure he has Xander's inhaler, and then steps into the wood chips that are spread along the ground.

"Xander!" He yells to his son, placing his hands into his pocket and pulling out a gram cracker.

No answer.

Rick walks closer. Perhaps Xander is just caught up playing with the kids, or hanging from the monkey bars. "Xander!" He yells through a mouthful of cracker and a smile climbs onto his face. He is expecting his son to jump out at him at any minute. He ducks under the twisty slide. Two kids run around his legs and off in another direction. By now, the park is less crowded, the day heading toward dinner time.

On the other side of the large play area, Rick can see that the slide and the monkey bars are absent of his blue eyed son. He kicks a few wood chips aside, laying a hand on the bars, and looks around. He spots the mothers still at the picnic table. Only three of them are left, and even they are gathering up their children. Hoping to beat the rain, his eyes go to the tree. That woman is gone as well. And all the dads have dispersed, except for one by the swings. Rick can see a pair of tiny feet appear and disappear in the air over the slide as the child is pushed on the swings. But he doesn't see any other feet.

Rick feels that familiar ice creeping into his veins. His left hand tightens around the cold bars, while the other goes up to his hair. He is pushing it away from his forehead as he turns several times. His eyes are constantly scanning the area. But every search comes up empty.

"Alexander!" He yells out, running around the jungle gym to the other side. He's starting to sweat. Breaths coming out in puffs of anxiety as he frantically searches the park for his son. He must have looked everywhere at least twice. The tunnels inside the slides, under the picnic tables, in the trees, around the whole area. He is at it for at least fifteen minutes before he rushes to one of the mothers that is left.

"Have you see my son?" He asks. He's completely hysterical. His hand is unconsciously crushing the bag of graham crackers inside his pocket.

The woman shakes her head, holding a toddler on her hip, her free hand wrapped around her own sons little hand. She shakes her head. "No. I'm sorry, I haven't." She says sympathetically. Her eyes are wide and filled with concern for him. He looks up to the sky as a raindrop smacks him in the eye. He blinks, and then again as more rain drops start to fall.

"Thanks..." He says weakly before turning away from her. His hand is back in his hair, clutching at his scalp.

He's near tears as he digs out his phone. He has to call Kate. This is not like the last time Xander went missing. It was one of the first times they brought him to the park three years earlier. He had fallen asleep in one of the tunnels. It took them nearly an hour to find him. But this time Rick knows it's not the same. Xander always stays close, and he always comes when he is called.

His fingers fumble with the phone. Crumbs from the crackers are getting in the way of his trembling fingers as he tries the simple task of pressing her speed dial number. Rain sprinkles down onto his touch screen and he swipes it away angrily. Then he thrusts the phone to his pulsing ear. Meanwhile, his eyes continue their mad sweep around him. All kinds of horrible scenarios are attacking his brain and he just can't focus anymore. His boy, his son is really not here.

"Rick, I can't talk right now we are just about to bring down a suspect." He vaguely hears her say as he does another few turns still searching. His heart is in his throat, rain pelting down on him.

"Kate." He says. His hand practically ripping his hair out of his skull. "Xander is missing." He barely gets out. His whole body is shaking his voice wavering.

Kate is silent for a moment. He can hear the elevator ding. "Did you check everywhere?" She asks. She must know it's a stupid question, but he knows that she is just trying to keep a level head.

"Kate.. I looked everywhere." He can actually feel his heart beating against the fabric of his shirt. It's dark where the rain beats him."The tunnels. The monkey bars, the swings, the trees, the picnic tables... even the field beyond the fence. It's pouring out here, Kate.." He says her name again, strict and terrified.

"The slides?" She asks, although her voice as dipped and he can hear the struggle. She's failing in the attempt to stay calm.

"Yes.. I checked the slides." His attention shifts to the plastic slide attached to the monkey bars. The bright yellow is assaulting his eyes and actually making them hurt a little. He swears he just saw his son sliding down it a little while go. He even took a video while he watched as his happy little boy slid down and out of sight. Out of sight. Rick's mouth opens in horror. That was the last time he saw him. "He's not here...he's gone." And then the tears come. He nearly drops to his knees in the soaked wood chips.

"I'm coming." Is all she says before the line goes dead.

Kate slams her car door and doesn't even wait for Esposito before she's transitioned into a full sprint. Esposito is right on her heels, on the phone with Ryan, and uniforms following him. When she reaches the gate, she shoves it open. It crashes against the other side before swinging back violently, almost catching Esposito in the hip. She's running through the paths in the park, feet splashing in the various puddles already forming. All thoughts of searching the park herself are gone when she sees her husband. He's sitting at the end of the yellow slide. The bright yellow of it is practically glowing in the overcast skies. His body is crumpled, head in his hands. When he hears the wood chips crashing under his feet, he looks up, standing. His stricken eyes find hers. She's soaked through by the time she reaches Rick. And then she's in his arms.

She collides with his body with full force. Nearly knocking him over. She doesn't miss the utter distress in his face, tears mixed with rain as she buries her face into his chest. She can feel his body shaking, and when it racks with sobs against hers, she knows this is serious. This is real. Something horrible has happened to their son. She doesn't need a full explanation or pure evidence to know. She's a cop. She's seen it all before, and she knows her son. He would have shown up if he was okay.

"I am so sorry." Rick is rasping into her neck. She just holds him tighter. Shushing him gently. And then the rain stops. She turns her head to see Esposito standing with an umbrella over their heads.

"Ryan is on his way. And CSU is already sweeping the area." He says. Kate pulls back from Rick's chest, but still holds onto his waist. She's gripping his hand so tightly it hurts both of them. Esposito is trying to be the level headed one. But a look of worry for the little guy is evident on his face.

"What happened?" Kate asks a stoned-faced Castle.

Esposito gets out his notebook.

"I honestly don't know." He says, his voice ashen. His face is wrinkled so that all his worry lines are prominent and his blue eyes are dull.

"Anything is helpful, man." Esposito says gently.

"Okay.." Rick wipes a hand over his face. "I was sitting on the bench over there." He points off. And the two detectives follow his gaze.

Esposito's eyes move quickly to uniforms canvasing and trying to get a hold of anyone who might still be in the park. But it's raining. And it seems like everyone has vacated the area for the remainder of the day. Kate's eyes follow, landing on the bench, to the place she knows Xander likes the play the most, the jungle gym and the slide they are standing next to. Her eyes blur at the image of this yellow slide. She knows Xander's too old to have fallen asleep in one of the tunnels like he did when he was two. He hardly takes naps anymore anyway.

"I was writing in my notebook and looking up and watching him. Like I always do..." He stops, looking between the two as if trying to convince them, as if he thinks himself a bad father. Kate rests a hand on his arm, staring into his eyes. She knows. He's anything but a bad father. "I know he's always going to be there.. he always stays close...always..." He trails off. Closing his eyes. Kate cups his cheek, urging him to continue. He sighs. "He ran up to me once out of the time we have been here for his inhaler..."

Rick's eyes grow wide, and a fresh set of tears stream down Kate's face. Rick retrieves the inhaler from his pocket. Letting the small contraption lay out in front of the three of them in the palm of his hand. Terror takes over his entire body, along with Kate whose knees go weak.

"This can't be happening." She says. Shaking her head and covering her mouth as a sob escapes her. She literally cannot stand anymore. Rick hands Esposito the inhaler and steadies Kate.

A uniform runs up then, his hat brimming and overflowing with the rain that has picked up since Kate got here. "We might have found a possible witness." The rookie is saying, pointing off in the direction of a parked mini van. The car is running the windshield wipers quickly trying to disperse the oncoming water.

"Ask her to stay, will you?" Esposito tells the rookie, seeing a middle aged female in the drivers seat. The rookie nods and jogs off.

"Maybe you should take her home, Castle." Esposito urges. "I'll go take her statement. Ryan should be here any minute and we will call you as soon as we hear anything. I promise." He adds that last part. Touching Kate's shoulder as she shakes her head in protest.

"She's pregnant." Rick feels the need to tell his friend, as Kate shakes and sags further into him.

"I will call you." Esposito promises again.

Rick starts to move. Pulling her along with him. "NO please!" She begs, struggling in his tight grasp.

"Kate. It's raining." He tries to point out, tightening his hold on her. She's pushing him away. "Javi's got this." He implores.

But Kate's not having it. "No! I'm staying. I am going to find him!" She cries out. She can hardly see as she breaks away stumbling out into the rain and making her way to the mini van. But Rick catches her from behind. Holding her arms down at her sides so she can't push him.

"Kate. You can't. It's cold. You're soaked!" He yells over her sobs, turning her around in his arms. She's trembling so bad, his own body quakes with her vibrations. The look in her eyes is breaking his heart and he can hardly control himself. "Think of the baby." He says, letting go of one of her arms and resting it on her stomach.

Kate looks down, placing a hand over his. But then holds it, pulling it away from her. He takes hold of her wrists, pulling her back. "Rick, please." She sobs, hitting him repeatedly in the chest until she melts into him.

Rick rests his head over hers, his arms wrap protectively around her shaking frame. Tears slip down his face, melding with the rain as he tires to shield her from it and the harsh realities of the world. The reality that their son is missing.

Kate can hear Rick's hushed tones from the other room. Sees his shadow through the open door into the hallway. He's pacing back and forth, certainly wearing down the carpet. She closes her eyes. Closing off from him and the harsh light filtering in through the hallway. It's dark outside, and pitch black in the room as she's curled up on his bed. The bed of her beautiful baby boy. She clutches Xander's favorite stuffed animal to her chest, one arm wrapped around the dog named Sherlock, the other on her stomach. She soothes herself, caressing her flat stomach, trying to reach out to the new life barely starting to grow inside her. But she can feel it there...unlike in this room. Full of Xander's things, his toys his clothes. His smell. But she's utterly aware of his absence.

She buries her nose in the dog's soft fur. A new wave of sobs start racking her already aching body. She will never be done crying. Not until her blue eyed boy is back in her arms. With her eyes closed she can see those eyes. Bright and smiling. Just like Rick's... She wants to be mad at him for making her come home. But she can't bring herself to that point. She needs him, and she knows that he's doing this for her.

A shadow casts in the doorway, blocking out most of the light from the hall. "Kate." Rick's husky voice, sore from his own sobs breaks through to her.

Kate opens her eyes. Raw, and burning with the constant tears. She let's her eyes adjust. Her heart clenching and shattering all over again at the look on her husbands face. "Nothing?" She asks, her voice ripping at her throat.

Rick shakes his head, his chin dropping to his chest before he swiftly moves into the room and kneels in front of her. " The only witness we have said she saw a white woman, 5'6" in her early 40's walking out of the park with a kid." He says, looking into Kate's red rimmed eyes. "Esposito said the woman only noticed because she had seen the woman in the park before and she never had a child with her. She just thought that because she had never spoken to the woman, and never seen her with a kid of her own, it seemed suspicious especially with what happened today... but she wasn't sure."

Kate wipes at her eyes, taking in the information as best she can with a detective frame of mind. But she can't stop the image of some stranger walking up to her son and just taking him. He must be so scared. She wipes at her eyes again and sniffles. "What about the canvas?" She asks.

Rick looks down. Fingering the missing eye on the stuffed dog. "CSU hasn't found anything except for a few traffic cameras in the area surrounding the park." He says barely above a whisper. His eyes come up to meet hers, and he reaches out to her. "But they did catch the woman leaving the park in a blue Ford Escort." She looks hopeful for a brief moment before he delivers the final blow. " They followed it as far as they could, but they lost it somewhere on 55th." He says defeated. His hand cups her cheek, and his head falls to the space between her chin and the bed.

"What about the plate number?" She asks tiredly, although there is still a hint of hope in her voice, that is void from her eyes.

"When I hung up with Javi, Ryan was scanning through the surveillance tapes. But Kate.." He pauses, looking up and brushing a strand of hair from her face. "The angles of the camera are making it hard for Ryan to make out the plate... and there is also the rain, and distance to consider."

A small tear slips from Kate's green eyes, forging a well worn path down her cheek and over her nose, where it drips onto the stuffed animal. She pulls on Rick, pushing the stuffed animal aside. Rick climbs onto the bed in front of her. Pulling her head into his chest, wrapping an arm over her waist. Complete silence fills the small boys room. His haven. If only the confines of this room could have kept him safer from the world.

You know the rules