A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the 26th Chapter of Absolution titled 'Where's Castle? This chapter sees the story continue on directly from the last chapter with no time jumps. And just a reminder Ryan and Esposito have badly broken noses so that's why they sound 'nasal' I hope the way I've written their dialogue is understandable.

Enjoy the read!

"Reckon we'll be able to convince Writer Boy to unwind at de Old Haunt?" Ryan said to Esposito as the two detectives packed away the paperwork they had been working on. "We haven't been there in ages and 'e needs to relax. I reckon getting a few scotches in 'is system and a game of dards or eighd ball will ged 'im to loosen up."

"Dowd id," Esposito responded wincing a little as he tried to scrach an itch under his nose brace. "He doesn't like to go dhere withoud Kate and I thingk if we wend there withwd 'er, 'e would only ged more depressed. I'd love to go, bud it's weird to go there with anyone bud Kade and Cas'le."

"Yeah it is, isn't it? I hope Mom and Dahd make up soon, id's depressing when they're not talking to each ohder." Ryan confessed as he slid a folder into an evidence box. "The whole vibe of d'bullpen has gone to shit since he told her whad was goin' on."

"He had to tell 'er though," Esposito conceded. "Poor bastard, I can't imagine goin' through whad 'e 'ad to."

"Well fingers crossed all this ends soon and Cas'le and Begged sord it owd," Ryan said as Frank emerged from the men's bathroom. "Hey Frank, want to try an' convince Cas'le to come wid us to de Old Haunt for a few pints? We both thingk 'e needs to loosen up a bid."

"Sure," the older man answered cheerfully. "Where is he?"

"Should be on 'is way bagk from Angelo's, 'e was doin' a coffee run," Esposito supplied as he placed the lid on an evidence box. "I was goin' to go wid 'im bud he refused an' said he was 'perfegly capable' of going across the road on 'is own. I saw him go into Angelo's from the window," the Latino detective added pointing to the window at the end of the department floor.

"Well, when he comes back I'll try and convince him to go. Lately all he's wanted to do at the end of shift is go back to the hotel and watch ESPN," Frank revealed as he headed to the desk he had been using since the beginning of the investigation. "I've been sitting with him and become rather well acquainted with the rules of competitive cheerleading."

Esposito and Ryan sniggered heartily.

Within half an hour everyone in the bullpen who was signing off for the day had packed up their work and slowly began filtering out to head home. Eventually only Frank, Ryan and Esposito remained in the silent bullpen.

"You sure you saw him go into the coffee shop?" Frank asked Esposito worriedly as he looked at the watch on his left wrist.

"Yeah, he held open a door for a Mom pushing a pram," Esposito replied. "Then my cell rang and I answer'd it and 'ad to go bag to my desk, so I didn't see if he lehft."

"Shit," the federal agent swore as a deep feeling of foreboding washed over him. "Shit, shit, SHIT! I told him not to go anywhere without company, especially after the last call!"

"I wanted to go with 'im but he started getting snappy with me when I insist'id," Esposito revealed. "I didn't want to push, considering the stade he's in at the mom-you don't think anything's happened to 'im...do you?"

"I don't know but I wouldn't totally rule it out," Frank replied, diving for the nearest desk phone. "It's not unusual for violent criminals to resort to kidnapping and or abducting those closest to their intended target, especially in cases like this...yeah this is Grasman. Castle's not come back from the coffee shop across the road and I have a bad feeling about it. Can you go to the Waldorf and see if he's gone back there? Room eighteen, fifteen report back to me A.S.A.P!"

Frank disconnected the call and started to make another one and both Ryan and Esposito swung into action. Ryan reached for his desk phone and immediately rang his friend's cell phone...

"Hi, you've reached Richard Castle. I can't answer your call right-"

"Damn, it's gone to voicemail!" he called over to Frank

"It rang though so it's not turned off," Esposito added as he pocketed his own phone.

"Go to the parking garage and see if his car is still here," Frank ordered the two detective's. "I'm getting the main team back in. I have a bad baaaaaad feeling about this."

"On id."

Ryan and Esposito leapt up from their chairs in unison and raced over to the elevator. Esposito hammered upon the down button til it arrived and was in the metal cube before the doors had fully opened.

"What d'you thingk?" Ryan ventured.

"I don't know whad to thingk," Esposito answered tersely as the doors shut excruciatingly slowly and began the descent to the basement parking garage. "This whole siduation is screwed ub. I know those calls are starding to rattle Castle, buhd I dunno if he took Frank's fear of abduction, seriously."

"I don't really want to thingk abowd it but why hasn't the Dragon gone ahfder Kade?" Ryan questioned. "I mean uhp to this point all his attendion has been on her, not Castle."

"He can't gehd to her with al the protegdive detail," Esposito answered. "Besides I thingk the Dragon knows now it's us and Castle pushing the case, not Kade. He wads to eliminate the biggesd theat to 'im which ahd the moment is Castle."

Ryan swore. "It'll take a big brave dude to drop Wrider Boy," he declared. "'Es been hiding those lightning quig reflaxes the whole time we've known 'him, but since he rejoined the feds he's turned into a male version of Kade...badass ninja skills personified."

"Word."

Eventually the elevator reached the basement and the two male detectives ran out.

"D'you know where 'e parked the Jag?" Ryan asked as they skidded to a stop to allow a squad car to pass.

"No 'e god 'ere after us today," Esposito replied "alright, you go left I'll go righdt."

"God it!"

Ryan ran off to the left and Esposito ran off to the right, beginning the frantic search for Rick.

Esposito ran by a variety of privately owned vehicles owned by the hundreds of personnel in the twelfth precinct building including his own SUV and the canary yellow, quirkily decorated fully restored Kombi Van owned by the Chief of Detectives as well as Ryan's sedan the fleet of black SUV's used by Frank's team and the fleet of Crown Vic's used in the Homicide, Robbery and Narcotics departments. The Latino detective wasn't one for panicking in these situations, his training told him to do the opposite but the longer he went without finding Rick's hired Jaguar, the more worried and panicky he got. He raced past the dozens of squad cars and Crown Vic's down to the lower basement where the majority of the privately owned cars were parked and that's when he saw it.

Rick's rental was parked next to a Ducati motorcycle that the Latino detective knew belonged to that brash new punk in Narcotics. On the trunk rested a cardboard coffee carrier on its side with two cups still stuck in their cradles the lids off and their contents all over the dark colour of the car's duco. On the ground directly parallel to the number plate was the third cup resting in a huge puddle off coffee, blood and scattered coffee beans. Though not trained in blood spatter analysis, Esposito knew from his years on the force the pattern of blood on the oil stained cement floor indicated the bleeder was the victim of a blunt force trauma. His stomach falling through the floor as he turned around and bellowed for his partner.

"RYAAAAAN?" he screamed his voice cracking with the effort and excruciating sharp pains shooting up through his nose and into his forehead. "RYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN?"

Esposito grabbed his iPhone and rang up to the homicide department where Frank was rallying the troops.

"Grasman!"

"Hey, it's Esposido," Esposito began as Ryan raced up to him and immediately blanched at the pool of blood and coffee. "I've found Castle's car, its nod good. There's a huge pool of blood-"

Frank let fly with a string of vulgar swear words that surprised the hardened veteran homicide detective.

"Stay there," the older Federal Agent ordered. "Do not let anyone near that car alright? I don't care if the Pope himself needs to get his car, everything stays in one spot...got it?"

"God it."

Esposito hung up and pocketed his phone, walking over towards Ryan who was inspecting something in the pool of blood.

"Is that a bit of scalb?" the Irish detective asked his friend, pointing to something on the ground that look suspiciously like a chunk of hair with scalp attached. "Jesus, it'll be amaz'ng if he's alive after all this."

"DON'T!" Esposito demanded in a pained voice. "Enough people have died in this invesdigation, Kevin. We're screwed if we thingk Castle's bidden the dust too."

"I know I know I know I know!" Ryan replied, rapidly. "I'm sorry, it's just, shit. This is id, isn't id? We're on the homestretch. The finish be it good or bad, aren't we?"

Esposito rubbed his face "Yeah, we are," he responded with a sigh. "You might want to ring Jenny. I don't think we're going to be home any time soon. This is going to be an all nighter, I know it is."

Frank and his team moved swiftly and within half an hour a cordon tape had been set up around Rick's hired Jaguar and the FBI's CSU team went to work collecting any possible forensic evidence to the Writer/Special Agent's whereabouts. Frank called Gates back in and while the rest of the growing FBI team were working to find their missing colleague, he gathered the department Captain, Ryan and Esposito in her office to go over all the evidence of the case, in the hope something might give a clue as to where Rick had been taken.

"We need Kade," Ryan declared after an hour of fruitless revision. "We need fresh eyes, a fresh perspegdive. And she's jusd the person to do it."

"The quesdion is how do we ged her to come bag indo the fold?" Esposito asked, throwing down his pen with a sigh. "She hates all of uz, I dunno abowd you but I don't want to risk her belding me ub again."

"She's not going to do that again, Javier. I think she reacted instantaneously, on the spur of the moment if you will," Gates told her colleague. "Chances are, she feels stupid for reacting like she did."

"Hmm."

"We have to be the ones to go and ged her, don' we?" Ryan piped up after a moment of contemplative silence. "We have to bring her in."

"I think so," Frank said in a low voice. "The sooner we get her in, the sooner we can bust this case wide open. She's the key to it, she has been all along."

"Who's going to tell Marda and Alegzis?" Esposito asked. "Someone has to tell them, we can't keep them in the dark."

"I'll go," Gates said at once.

"I'll go with you," Frank added. "We all meet back here in an hour?"

"You god it." Esposito spoke up, pushing his chair back.

"Oh and boys?" Frank said as the two detectives got to his feet. "Take all precautions. Whatever you need to do to protect yourself and Kate, alright?"

The two men nodded in unison. Ryan and Esposito left Gate's office and made their way into the bullpen.

"Vesds?" Ryan suggested.

"Yeah, mighdt be a good idea."

Ryan grabbed the keys to Kate and Castle's Crown Vic off his friend's desk then made his way to the elevator where Esposito was waiting for him. The two friends and colleagues got into the contraption then made their way down to the parking garage where the FBI's CSU team was still hard at work. Ryan made his way over to Kate and Castle's vehicle and unlocked the trunk, retrieving the female detective's Kevlar vest. His throat catching a little when he saw Rick's FBI and 'Writer' vests next to it."

"C'mon bro, the clock tigging!" Esposito called, tapping his watch.

Ryan slammed the trunk lid shut. Swiftly locking it then went over to Esposito who was holding his own vest out. "I hope she comes with us," the Irish detective muttered as he put on his own vest and fastened the straps firmly. "I can't help but think she won't."

"We'll deal wit that when we get there," Esposito told him, grabbing Kate's vest and throwing it into the Crown Vic. "Lethd's just get moving, alright?'

"Yup,' he answered, jumping into the passenger side and reached for the seatbelt. Esposito jumped into the drivers seat and started the engine with a menacing roar his jaw set as he grinded his teeth.

As soon as they exited the precinct parking garage, Esposito switched on the sirens and stepped on the accelerator. As if by divine intervention the traffic ahead parted like the red sea and allowed the vehicle's easy passage from the twelfth to Jim Beckett's apartment building on West Seventy-Ninth Street.

The two detectives's arrived at the modest apartment building ten minutes after leaving the precinct and wordlessly left the vehicle, making their way into the lobby waving their badges at the doorman as they went.

"C'moooooooooon, hurry uuuuuuup!" Esposito groaned as he hammered the 'up' button

Eventually the lift arrived and Ryan and Esposito got in. Due to the late hour, no one else got into the elevator and they arrived on the fifth floor where Jim lived only a minute later.

"So, who's going to open d'conversation?" Ryan asked his friend as they arrived at apartment fifty where Jim lived.

"Led's jusdt wing it," Esposito replied as he knocked loudly on the door. "Led's just see how it goes."

"Alright Grams, I'm heading to bed. I'm beat,' Alexis claimed as she turned off her laptop. "I need to get some sleep, I'm starting early at the morgue tomorrow."

"Alright kiddo, see y-"

Suddenly the intercom from down on the sidewalk buzzed and Victoria Gate's voice filtered through the spacious apartment.

"Hello, is anyone there? Martha? Alexis?"

"Why would they be calling at this hour?" Alexis wondered as Martha got up from her chair and strode over to the speaker by the front door. "It's nearly eleven."

"I'm here, Victoria. What's wrong?" Martha said as she pressed the 'talk' button. "It's nearly eleven o'clock."

"Can I come up?" Gates asked. "I'm here with Frank. We have some info-we just need to speak with you...and Alexis."

"O-okay, c-come up."

Martha buzzed the Captain and Frank in and a few minutes later a knock came at the door. Ray, the agent stationed to protect Alexis strode over and opened the door letting the two visitors in.

"Something's wrong," Alexis declared as the Captain and Federal Agent made their way into the living room. She just knew it. Why else would the Captain visit this late?

"We won't lie to you, yes there is, Gates said. "Martha may I sit?"

"Of course, of course, over here!"

Martha guided the two visitors over to the sofa then joined Alexis opposite the two law enforcement officers. "What's wrong?" she asked, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

"It's Rick," Frank began. "Has he been in touch with either of you today?"

"He called me during my lunchbreak at the morgue," Alexis replied at once. "He needed someone to listen to him seeing as he and Kate had that row. He was feeing really down. I haven't heard from him since. I expect he's been busy."

"Martha?" Gates asked gently. "Have you heard from him?"

"No, not since last night when Alexis and I had dinner with him at the Waldorf, he was depressed then too."

"What's happened?" Alexis demanded.

"We think he's been abducted," Frank revealed. "At the end of shift he went to Angelo's across the road from the precinct building to get himself, Kevin and Javier a coffee and didn't come back. Kevin and Javier went looking for him and Javier found a pool of blood spilled coffee and coffee beans by his rented Jaguar. The blood spatter patterns indicate he suffered a blunt force trauma."

"WHAT?" Alexis screeched. "And you're only telling us now? End of shift was four-five hours ago? What the hell took you so long to come here? He could be dead by now!"

"He's not dead-" Frank began.

Alexis turned on the federal agent in fury and the teen's expression actually made the hardened federal agent quail.

"You don't know that!" she snarled. "You don't even know where he is! If you did you wouldn't be here!"

"Alexis, sit down!" Martha commanded authoritively. "You are not helping matters by getting worked up."

"And they're not helping matters by letting my father get kidnapped!" Alexis shot back. "I thought he was supposed to be safe at the precinct?" She snapped at Gates. "He's only a consultant, consultants shouldn't get kidnapped or abducted or whatever hell term you want to use."

"As a consultant he is..." Gates began.

"But as an FBI Special Agent, he isn't." Frank finished.

"What d'you mean as an FBI Special Agent?" Alexis snapped. "He hasn't served with the FBI since I was born."

"That's right he hadn't..."

"He went and re-enlisted, didn't he?" Martha asked intuitively. "That's why he went to Washington a few weeks ago. It wasn't just to retest for his firearms license, was it?"

"No-no, it wasn't," Frank conceded. "He rejoined as well."

"But what for?" Alexis inquired, her tone bordering on that of a petulant child not getting their own way. "He hasn't been a special agent since I was an infant, why would he join now? And why would he lie and not tell me or Grams he had rejoined?"

"I expect like with Kate, he did so to keep you safe," Gates informed the angry redhead mildly. "Your safety is the upmost concern for him, Alexis. I would have thought the protective detail he has on you and the people he loves is evidence of that."

"So there is actually a reason for having someone old enough to be my grandfather on my ass all day?" Alexis exclaimed rudely.

"Alexis Castle!" Martha exclaimed. "Apologise to Ray this instant."

Alexis shot her grandmother a death glare but turned to Ray and apologised.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She said in clipped tones.

"Quite alright," The agent replied.

"We came now once we were sure your father was missing to let you know what was happening," Gates went on addressing Martha and Alexis equally. "You deserved to know. Obviously we can't let you know the intricate details because it's an active case, but..."

"It has something to do with Kate's Mom's case, doesn't it?" Martha asked interrupted the veteran cop. "I know he's been investigating it pretty much ever since he started shadowing Kate, and I suspect it's behind the reason he re-enlisted with the F.B.I again."

"Y-yes, it does have something to do with Johanna's case," Gates replied looking at Frank as she spoke. "That's why he did rejoin, but we can't. I can't tell you anymore. It's a classified case. But know this...we're doing everything we can to track Rick down. We suspect someone, but we can't prove it right now."

"Does Kate know?" Alexis asked stiffly, her ice blue eyes so much like he father's filled with tears.

"She would by now, Kevin and Javier are on their way to her father's apartment now," Frank answered. "I'm hoping given the connection she has with Rick, she'll be the one to find him."

Tears fell down Alexis's cheeks.

"Yes, those two are joined at the hip," Martha said fondly, putting an arm Around Alexis and giving her a squeeze. "No offence to your or your team, but if anyone is going to find Richard, it'll be Kate."

"None taken," Frank replied with a small smile. "Well we better head off. Keep to your usual routine and don't tell anyone Rick's missing. I don't want word getting out to the wider public and to let the abductor know we're onto them."

"We'll do whatever we have to," Alexis told the agent in a small voice. "Just find my Dad, will you? He's all Grams and I have."

"We'll do our best Alexis. I promise," Frank answered solemnly as his cell phone began ringing. "Excuse me...Grasman."

"Thank you for coming over and telling us, Victoria," Martha said to the Captain as Alexis said. "just find him and bring him home safe and well...he's all we have."

"We're onto it," Victoria informed the actress. "I promise we'll keep you up to date. Keep your cell phone on and we'll ring when we can."

"Thank you."

"Who'd be calling at this hour?" Kate asked her father as he paused the DVD player in the middle of Chariots of Fire

"Let me answer it," Paul the FBI agent assigned to protect Kate requested, getting up as the knocking continued and became more insistent.

The young FBI agent got up, a hand on his service weapon and made his way over to the door. He cautiously peered through the peep hole and immediately relaxed upon seeing the two male detectives. He unlocked the door and stood aside to let he two men in.

"Is she here?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah, she's-"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Kate spat as the two detectives strode into the spacious living room.

"Kade, just listen please w-" Ryan began, his voice catching in his throat.

"Why the hell should I listen to you two?" the brunette snapped back. "You two are the last people I want to see or even talk to right now!"

"Katherine..." Jim said in a low warning tone.

Kate shot her father a deep look of disgust but bit her lip and withheld a sarcastic reply.

"We know you don' wand to talg to uz," Epsoito began. "And you know won't push you bud it's Castle."

"Oh, he's sent you two to do he's ass kissing, has he?" Kate spat out, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms across her chest. "Well you can tell him-"

"Katherine, shut up and let Javier speak," Jim told his daughter, authoritively. "They are guests here and you will not speak to them like that, whatever gripe you have with them...understand?"

"Yessss Dad," the brunette replied stiffly with barely contained sarcasm. "Well?" she added to Esposito who was struggling to contain himself.

"Um, we've got some bad news." Esposito began. "Castle...he's-he's been-"

And for the first time since the two male detective's arrival, Kate's hardened exterior faltered.

"He's been what, Javi?" she asked, an ever so slight wobble creeping into her voice.

"Um he's-he's-"

But the Latino detective couldn't continue and turned away.

"We thing he's been abduct'd," Ryan continued. "He didn't come bag from a trip to Angelo's and when Javi went to his car, there was blood and spilled coffee all over the trunk of the Jag. We've tried ringing him but it rings a few times and then goes to voicemail. We need you to helb us find him, we need a fresh sed of eyes. We need you on this Kade, out of anyone in the team FBI or NYPD. I know you're the one that will find Castle. I dunno what id is but you two have this thing, the indefinable id. We can't find him withouwd you."

Kate's face totally crumbled and her green eyes filled with tears. "Are you serious? She whispered. "He's gone?"

"Yes, bud we don't know where," Esposito replied after he had gathered himself together. "Thad's why we need you. Castle needs you. I know you're mad at uz but you need to put thad aside til we find him. Then you can yell and scream and knee us in the groin again. I'll even give you a free shod."

Kate's lips twitched at her friend's joke.

"The time's come to tell you d'whole story," Ryan continued. "You need to know now, before it was too early. I'm sorry Kade, we're really sorry. You may not believe uz but we did it because we love you and don't want anything bad to happen to you. Too many people have been hurd or killed in this case and we just didn't wand it habbening to you."

Wordlessly Kate strode forward to her friends and wrapped her arms around them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for punching you and Javi. I really am."

"That's alright, Chica. We'll talk later, alright?" Esposito said thickly, returning the brunette's hug. "We've godda find our boy."

"I'm coming with you three," Paul said at once, pocketing his phone. "That was Frank. He's just leaving Martha and Alexis now. I'll take Kate, you two lead with sirens on, alright?"

"Katie?" Jim ventured cautiously, his voice wavering slightly as he watched his daughter hug her two best friends.

"Yeah Dad?" the brunette said thickly, her eyes shining with barely withheld tears.

"Just be careful alright? Don't go doing anything stupid. I've already lost your Mom, I don't want to lose you too."

Kate pulled away from Esposito and dove into her father's arms. "I'll be careful, Dad. I promise," she answered, her voice muffled by his shoulder. "The boys won't let me do anything stupid. I'll do what I have to, to get Rick back. I love him too much to do anything dumb."

"Alright sweetie, just check in with me...huh?" Jim pleaded with his daughter, pulling back and cupping her face in his hands. "No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little girl and I'll always worry about you."

"I'll check in, I promise," Kate replied as Ryan approached holding out her Kevlar vest. "But I have to go, I need to find Rick."

"Good luck sweetheart."

"Thanks Dad."

"Alright, let's go. Time is of the essence," Paul declared as Kate pulled on her vest and secured the straps slightly. "Frank wants to put a trace on your cell phone Kate, just in case whoever took Castle tries to ring you and we need to get back to the twelfth do that."

"Hang on, I've got to go and get my badge and gun," Kate announced. "Hang on."

Kate jogged off to the spare room and returned a few moments later. She checked that her service weapon was in working order then fastened her badge on a belt loop. "Just stay safe," Jim said, holding Kate's jacket up and helping into it. "You too, Boys. You're family too, the only people from the precinct who have been here as much as Rick."

"Will do, Mr Begged. We've god this," Ryan assured the older man. "We'll stay in touch."

"I've go to go Dad," Kate said embracing her father, one last time. "Keep the doors locked, alright?"

"I always do kiddo, see you real soon."

With a last smile, Kate followed Paul and the Boys out of the apartment and began the journey back to the twelfth precinct.

In a dark space in the most low brow part of Manhattan, Rick drifted into consciousness, a searing agonizing pain pulling him into the here and now. He immediately became aware he was tied to something and that whoever had put him in this situation had stuffed a cloth gag in his mouth and taped his mouth shut with duct tape. Resisting the pressure from his gag reflex the Writer turned Special Agent opened his eyes, blinking in an attempt to focus.

"Ah Mr Castle, you're with us..."

A/N: Well there you go peoples (In particular Christina ha ha) I hope you enjoyed the read, shorter than my usual effort I know. Remember reviews feed the beast! Also if you know of a really good M rated fic you think I ought to check out link me to it in a review and I'll check it out. I like to let other authors know what I think of their work because feedback is motivation and inspiration and I want to share that around a bit.