"Kate!" Tears began to roll down his cheeks. His body was paralyzed on the floor. The very thought of losing her crept into his mind again and sent his nervous system off a cliff.

"Woah, Mr. Rodgers, calm down!" Jerry Tyson placed his hand on his shoulder, "wake up."

Rick's eye flew open in panic as he stumbled his way up right. He threw his head forward until it collided with the man's in front of him.

The two of them flew backward in opposite directions. "Ow! Damn it!" screamed Rick as he hit the floor again and try to comfort his aching head with his hand. He scanned the room for Kate. There was no sign of her. "Kate!" he yelled out.

"Calm down! It was just a dream!" Tyson spat as bent over and held his left eye.

The agonizing pain of a memory crept up as Rick laid, half sitting and half lying down, on the padded floor. A flash caught his eye as the sight of her apartment turned to ash.

"Kate!"

He rushed to her aid, not knowing if she had survived the blast. The only thing that kept him moving was the thought of seeing her again.

He stormed through her front door, knocking it down as he threw his body at it. "Kate!" he called out to her. "Are you in there? Kate!" he was losing hope.

The sound of two weak coughs drew his attention to the washroom. Her spidery fingers clutched on to the tub's frame and he hurried to help her out.

"Kate! You're alive. Oh, and you're naked," he said with the intention of innocence, but failed to deliver.

"Castle, turn around!"

"You know, your apartment is on fire, now might not be the best time for modesty."

"Castle, hand me a towel." She ordered.

He turned around in search for a towel, "uhh, the towels are on fire."

She turned her heard in protest, "wh-"she looked at his back, "what about the bathrobe?"

"Th- Do you have anything to wear that's not flammable?" He half turned to face her.

"Castle!"

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Give me your jacket!" She raised her hand and waited for his jacket.

He slid his jacket off his shoulders and placed it in her hand with a sly smile. She was alive; and he was grateful for that.

"Who's Kate?" A man with short, graying hair stepped out of the shadow.

His footing was light but every step sent shivers down Rick's back. He looked at Rick with crooked eyes as he brought the needle up in sight.

He wasn't the tallest man, but he wasn't small either. Rick had seen him before. Beside someone as tall as Kate or himself, he looked short. But now, at his side was Jerry Tyson, which made him look tall.

"Jim?"

"Hello, Rick," the man stepped closer to him.

"No, this is a dream again," he said calmly. "I'm not falling for it."

"Why would this be a dream, Mr. Rodgers?" he questioned.

"Stop calling me that!" Anger took over his expression. "What the hell is going on? What are you doing with Tyson? He tried to kill Kate!"

"Is Kate okay?" he asked, stepping closer to Rick with slow, cautioned steps.

Rick looked at him in confusion, his hairline pulled back as he looked at the needle, "please, Jim." His breathing quickened, "wait, wait! Just tell me where my daughter is!"

The needle neared his neck as Tyson held him still, "No, wait! Alexis!"

The needle tore a hole. A sting that became familiar to Rick within the past three weeks.

"Dad?" A silent whisper came from a hole in the wall, "dad?"

Rick's eyelids cracked apart. The white of the room hit him like a hangover. He lifted his cheek off the floor and squinted in the direction of her voice.

"Alexis?" He focused harder.

"Shh! They're in the other room. Dad, what's going on?" Her voice cracked and he could hear the fear rise up in her.

"I don't know, don't worry. I'll get us out of here." He said with determination as he looked over his shoulder in the direction of the door.

"That's what I was afraid you'd say. Dad, don't do anything stupid. You'll get us killed, or worse." Her bright blue eyes shined in the light. Her pale face was dark in shadows.

Rick placed one elbow in front of the other as he pulled his body toward his daughter. His arms were bound in a strait jacket, which didn't help him get there any faster.

Once at the wall, Rick placed his head upon it. The weight of the entire situation was on him and it was up to him to get them out of it. He knew that. He also knew it wasn't going to come without a sacrifice.

He finally took the time to clear his mind. The sight of his daughter seemed different. Almost eerie.

"Alexis, what happened to your face?" He asked, as if he hadn't any clue. His voice was low and worried but too weak to show it.

The shadow that was blueing beneath her eye was joined by a fresh cut. The cut was small but deep.

She looked at him. Her baby-blue eyes glistened as tears built up. "I'm fine. Dad, he's going to kill you." The tear fell to the floor as the door swung open.

Screams immediately followed the struggles from the room adjacent to his. His little girl fought off her attacker but found herself blindsided by his partner. Her pale, delicate arms were pulled back with force. No bondage was necessary. The teenager was weak and all out of fight. Jim pushed from behind her until they entered the room where her father was. Jim pushed her in and closed the door behind her.

Alexis limped her way toward her father. Her left knee dripped blood.

"Dad!" she cried as she fell to her knees beside him. Her fingers found the knot behind his back and pulled it apart. His right side, leaned up against the wall, was covered in blood. He looked weak. Restless.

"Dad, look at me." She pulled the material off him, freeing his arms. "Dad, talk to me!" She shook him.

"Alexis." His eyes lit up. A light that had been gone for so long. His eyes fixed on her ocean blues, "Alexis, are you okay?" His arms were frail. His hand came up to her cheek to wipe a spot of dry blood.

She threw her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "I'm so scared!"

His arms wrapped around her waist as tight as they would allow. "Shh, don't worry. We're going to be fine, Alexis. Kate is looking for us. She'll find us. I know she will." A creaking noise drew his attention to the door. "Listen to me. No matter what happens I want you to do what I say, okay?"

"What?" Her face was blank. She didn't need to pull apart and look at his face to know what he was thinking.

"We're getting out of here, Alexis," he whispered in her ear. Two sets of feet shuffled closer to the door, "This is our chance. No matter what happens I want you to run when you have the chance. Do you understand me?"

She pulled her face away from him but did not unlink her fingers behind his neck. "Dad, what are you planning on doing? They have a gun." Worry built in her for the last time that day.

The door swung open as they walked in. The two men took a few steps inside.

"That's enough. Let's go." Tyson placed his gun neatly on his hip and ordered his partner to handle the girl. "Take her back to her room."

"No! No wait," Rick stood up too quickly and fell against the wall beside him. He placed his hand on Alexis's shoulder as she stood up alongside him and pulled her backward. He stepped in front of her and began his attempt to stall them.

Tyson's left arm rose but stopped at his hip for a split second. It came up 90 degrees with the floor. A shot rang out and smoke appeared just a foot from him.

The man standing in front of her arced his back outward in pain.

"Dad!" Alexis cried as she threw her arms up to break his fall.

The walls began to close in. They grew closer to him as he fell paralyzed by the stun of the gun. The sight of his daughter as she fought them off and kneeled beside him became unsteady, like a camera lens on a moving ship. Her cries became mute as the rest of the world dropped silent. The room spun circles around him like a merry-go-round.

Jim, clearly shocked with the way things turned out, stepped toward them. Leaning solemnly on one foot, he reached for Alexis's arms to pull her back.

She shook, breaking free from the grasp of their captor.

Rick laid still. His face losing color, his stare distant. Alexis yelled and shook her father until her gaze fell upon his cold, dead eyes.

"Run." The word lingered on his lips for what felt like an eternity. His eyes fixed on one spot, as if he were caught in a daze.

The tears began to storm down her cheek. They crashed upon her lips like a poison.

She knew what she had to do. It was not what she wanted. She could not bare thinking about it, but it was a promise she intended to keep.

Within an instant, Alexis kicked her legs up and freed herself from reaching arms as she dashed to the doorway. She took one last look at the limp body on the floor before she vanished out the door and into the dark corridor.