A/N: I am really sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. To make up for it here is the longest one yet.

Disclaimer: This story is something out of my own imagination and the characters from Castle that appear remain the property of ABC. I'm just playing with them for a little while.

Conference Room – Otisville Sheriff's Station

Esposito sits with the rest of the taskforce members as they wait for Beckett to return from the brief meeting she is having with the senior deputy in charge in lieu of Sheriff Hogan and Lieutenant Collins of the NYSP, in the aftermath of the shoot-out near the Aitken house. With Kent and Gibson returned from their searches for evidence at the Roggenkamp and Southwick homes and the scene near the Aitken's cleared away all the team members are present in the room save one. The only absence is Kaminski as he waits at the local hospital for the thug that shot at Beckett and Castle to wake so that he can interview him.

For the second time in as many days Esposito has arrived at a scene involving his friends and co-workers after they had been involved in a violent exchange with a suspect. After Ryan had gotten the surprising call from Castle, he, Ryan, Douglas and Kaminski had piled into their car and sped to the scene with a couple of Sheriff's cruisers in tow.

There they'd found a crashed SUV whose driver was being tended to by the same paramedics that he remembers tended to Castle, Ryan and the guys they arrested the day before. Not far away was Beckett's shot up cruiser and a pissed off Beckett and a placating Castle fortunately both unharmed after their unexpected gun battle.

Things were moving fast now and it was all a result of the attack on Castle and Becket and what was discovered afterwards. The whole team had set to work the moment they returned from the scene and now were just waiting for Beckett to join them to put together what they have all learned.

Esposito pauses in his musing as his eyes alight on an amusing sight at the other end of the conference table, Castle doing paperwork. While everyone else on the team had set to work he and Ryan, as Castle's TOs, had taken some small pleasure in reminding the writer/Auxiliary Detective that a full, written, after action report was required from him after the discharge of weapons near the Aitken's. In the past, during the numerous times Castle had been involved in some violent incident and due to him being an unpaid consultant, he would skate by on doing any of the paperwork that poor, hardworking detectives like, himself, Ryan and Beckett were required to do in such instances. So it is with some satisfaction as he looks on now as Castle is finally forced to complete his share of the written work that all detectives must do. Serves him right, he thinks, for becoming an Auxiliary Detective.

At that moment Beckett strides into the room and over to the murder board, her hand brushing Castle's shoulder, hunched over his paperwork, as she passes. The few conversations that had been giving a slight buzz in the room quieten at the appearance of their Captain.

"OK, everyone, where are we at?" Beckett asks the room.

Esposito quickly glances at his teammates to see if anyone else is going to go first and seeing that no one is, speaks up, "We've got Mr and Mrs Aitken in interrogation waiting for you to speak to them, Beckett."

Even before Esposito and the rest had arrived, while the paramedics had tended to the unconscious thug that had attacked the couple, Beckett had searched the man while Castle had gone over the interior of the man's wreaked SUV. Beckett had found the guy's cell phone and upon seeing one of the most recent calls made on it, to the Aitken home, had sent himself and Ryan to go and bring in the Aitken's for questioning. He remembers the indignant protests the couple had made at being hauled away from their home only for them to become curiously quiet and with fearful looks on their faces as he and Ryan had driven them past the scene near their house.

Beckett nods at Esposito's information and then asks Douglas, "Have you been able to ID the shooter?"

Likewise Douglas nods and stands up to join Beckett at the murder board where she slaps up a photo of the man currently in Otisville hospital, "I was able to get his prints fast tracked through the FBI system. I got a hit from the DOD database. His name is Shane Parkinson. A former Army Ranger who was dishonourably discharged in 2012. Since then he's been working as an independent military contractor, mainly overseas."

"For independent military contractor read mercenary," adds Castle from his seat.

Giving a brief dip of her head in acknowledgment of Castle's description of the man, Douglas continues, slapping three other pictures up on the board next to Parkinson's, "Parkinson is known to work with three other IMC's, two men and a woman, all former military. A Marco Salvio, Erica Beven and Tom Meehan. According to TSA and Border Control all four of them entered the country together from Hong Kong a week ago. Given that the cell phone Parkinson was carrying was one of the batch that was bought with the one that was calling both Jimmy Southwick and Aitken and that the only other numbers, besides the Aitken's, that phone has called are the other phones in that batch we can reasonably assume that Salvio, Beven and Meehan have the other phones."

At this point Kent pipes up from where he is seated at the conference table, "I've been on the phone to Tory Ellis in New York about those phones. Again the GPS on all the phones have been disabled so there is no way to track them that way but she can tell me that all the remaining phones have been making calls over the last few days that have been picked up by cell towers in the Otisville region. Fortunately all of them, with the exception of the one that had been calling Jimmy, seem to still be active at the moment so she is pinging them through the towers to see if she can get their positions triangulated. She's having to work fast because any minute they'll realise we have Parkinson and either shut them off or ditch them."

Beckett nods again as she takes in the information and then asks both Kent and Gibson, "Ok, putting our mysterious mercs aside for the moment what about the searches of the Roggenkamp and Southwick homes? Find anything relevant?"

Both Kent and Gibson shake their heads negatively as Gibson speaks up, "No, ma'am. CSU found nothing at the Roggenkamp's that could implicate the Sheriff or Mrs Roggenkamp. Likewise there was nothing at the Southwick's that can link Jimmy to the murder."

Ryan half holds up his hand at that to add to the conversation, "On Jimmy. I heard from Laine. She was able to pull in a couple of favours and get the results on that blood found in Jimmy's SUV. It came back as a positive DNA match for Arthur Roggenkamp so Jimmy is definitely involved in this or at least his truck is."

Esposito watches as Kate turns and contemplates the murder board again, one arm folded across her, supporting the other as she cups her chin thoughtfully. Castle gets up and joins her and asks, "So who do we confront first? Jimmy or the Aitkens?"

There is a pause as their Captain considers her husband's question before she turns to him and says, "The Aitkens first. I'm still not sure of their role in this and they seem to be more nervous and afraid than angry when we spoke to them and when they were brought in."

"And definitely worried about something. After what happened outside their house they might be ready to talk. Explain…," at that Castle stops and gets a thoughtful look on his face that Esposito has seen more than a few times during their cases together.

Seeing the look on his face that is no doubt familiar to her Beckett asks him, "Explain what, Castle?"

A look of inspiration is all over his face as he answers eagerly, "Kate, when we interviewed Aitken did you notice that he kept looking at that family photograph? The one of his wife and two kids?"

Beckett nods affirmatively in response as Castle ploughs on is his usual, almost excited, way when he has a realisation about a case as he turns to Esposito himself and asks, "Espo, when you brought the Aitken's in did they say anything about making arrangements for their kids? School gets out about now so they should have asked to call a friend, family member or even their school to make arrangements for them seeing as they were being detained by the police."

Castle's question catches Esposito by surprise for a moment because the man is right they should have but they didn't mention anything about kids and he tells Castle so, "No, Bro. They didn't mention anything about any kids and they didn't make any calls. Ryan and I were with them the whole time as they were brought here."

"And they haven't asked to make any calls while they are here have they? Not to their kid's school or even to their lawyer?" pushes Castle.

"No, they haven't," answers a puzzled sounding Ryan seated next to Esposito and he surmises from his tone that his partner, a doting father himself, is now thinking on the unusual parental behaviour of the Aitkens.

"Don't you think that is unusual behaviour from, what that picture purported to show, such a loving family? In fact it makes you ask one very important question," continues Castle generally to the room but mainly to Beckett.

She takes a step towards him and she has those wide shiny eyes that indicate she has joined Castle in this thought process with that disturbing eye sex thing that always makes him and Ryan uncomfortable when they witness it. He glances away and he observes that he isn't the only one that has noticed this phenomena. Gibson is look on with rapt attention. Kent has an amused smirk on his face. While Douglas, standing next to the couple, is looking on with surprise and discomfort.

Beckett then asks the question that Castle is referring to, "Where are the Aitken children?"

Interrogation Room – Otisville Sheriff's Station

"We don't know, Captain," responds a desperate James Aitken to the very same question posed by Kate a few minutes later.

"What do you mean you don't know where your children are?" Castle asks the man not unsympathetically after seeing and hearing the distress in the man as he answers the question sitting across the interrogation room table next to his equally distressed looking wife.

"I mean that two days ago both Max and Selene were kidnapped," Mr Aitken tells them with a look of panic plain on his face.

"I'm guessing that the reason you haven't informed the police is that the kidnappers told you they would hurt the children if you did so. Am I correct?" asks Kate now just as sympathetically.

Mrs Aitken nods her head vigorously as she responds, "Yes! James wanted to call the Sheriff, the FBI, everyone, but I wouldn't let him. I can't bear the thought of my darlings being hurt."

"So that's what the phone calls from the unregistered cell and the large withdrawal were about. Contact from the kidnappers and the ransom to pay them," summarizes Castle.

"Yes, they said they were watching us all the time so we had to play along. That proved to be true given the man you encountered outside our house. After that and now that they know you know there is a real danger they will hurt Max and Selene," says Mr Aitken with just a hint of hysteria in his voice.

"We will do everything we can to prevent that from happening, Mr Aitken," reassures Kate. "So why don't you tell us everything that happened, from the beginning?"

James Aitken runs a hand through his hair as he answers, "Two days ago Anna went to pick the kids up from school but they weren't there. The teacher on collection duty told Anna that a pair of WayTech security guards, a man and a woman and in a WayTech SUV picked up Max and Selene on my instruction. They apparently even had a signed note from me giving permission for them to collect them. The note was a forgery but Anna didn't know that at the time and, unfortunately, I was in a meeting so she couldn't contact to me to confirm."

Mrs Aitken picks up the story at this point, "I went home expecting Max and Selene to be there but when they weren't I tried calling James again but before the call went through James arrived home."

"My assistant had received a call saying that my wife needed me home urgently due to a family emergency," supplies Mr Aitken. "I rushed home, of course, and upon learning the Anna hadn't yet made that call and of how Max and Selene were missing I was just about to call the Sheriff when we got a call from someone saying they had taken our children. They told us to do everything they said and not to tell anyone, especially the police or they would hurt our son and daughter."

Castle sits back in his chair and shares a look with Kate. He can sympathise with the Aitken's particularly with his family's history with kidnapping. He can understand them not contacting the police or telling Kate and himself the truth when they met if it meant keeping their children safe. He can understand but ultimately it is the wrong decision. Especially given the murder of Arthur Roggenkamp, the taskforce's arrival in the town and the resulting attention that brought to everything going on in the town. With that kind of scrutiny there was a good chance the kidnapping would come to light. As ultimately has happened.

"So the phone call you were on just as we arrived at your home was from the kidnapper outside reminding you to keep quiet and that they were watching you?" asks Castle for confirmation.

James Aitken nods his head, "That's right. We'd paid the ransom and were waiting for the instructions from them on how we were to get our children back when you came to the house. Now that you've arrested one of the kidnappers I'm afraid that they won't release them."

"We'll do everything we can to help you get your children back," Kate reassures him again. "How did you deliver the ransom?"

"I got a phone call this morning and they had me drive alone to a remote wood about a mile from the factory. I left the money and the codes they requested in a bag inside an old tree stump and then came straight home to wait for them to contact us to let us know they've released Max and Selene," supplies Mr Aitken.

"Wait…," exclaims Castle. "What codes?"

"Besides the hundred thousand dollars the kidnappers asked for my administrator codes for the WayTech System and my personal security code for the factory," Mr Aitken informs him.

That has Castle sitting back in his seat as the possible scenarios for why the kidnappers would want such information fly around his head. As various options flash through his mind Kate gives a significant look through the two way mirror that is along one wall of the interrogation room. A few moments later Ryan enters the room with a map of the Otisville area that he places on the table in front of the Aitkens.

"Could you show us on the map where you left the ransom and the codes?" Kate asks him.

Mr Aitken leans forward in his chair as he studies the map for a few seconds before he jabs a finger at a spot on the map, "There!"

Kate pulls the map towards her and marks an X on the spot that Mr Aitken had indicated. She then passes the map back to Ryan and says to him, "Ask Deputy Bailey if he knows the area and if there are any structures nearby where the kidnappers and kids could be holed up."

Their friend nods seriously at the instruction and exits the room. Castle turns his attention back to the Aitkens who are now both holding hands tightly seeking physical support from each other.

"So I take it that the protests you made to your contacts in the DOD for us to back off were also at the instruction of the kidnappers to try and keep us from learning the truth?," Castle asks Mr Aitken.

"That's correct. Even before your other Detectives spoke to me I got a call from them threatening me not to say anything and for me to do everything to divert your investigation including contacting our stakeholders in the federal government. They told me to pass off my protests as a desire to prevent any interference in my business," Mr Aitken pauses for a moment before looking pleadingly between Kate and Castle. "Please find our children."

Castle shares another look with Kate and thinks that their murder case has become a lot more complicated and that its resolution is now desperately urgent.

Interrogation Room – a few minutes later

Castle watches from his seat as Jimmy Southwick is led into the room by a Deputy with his appointed lawyer close behind. He keeps watching the young man as he and the grey suited male lawyer take their seats opposite Kate and himself that the Aitkens just vacated. The distraught couple are currently on their way back to their home with Douglas and Kent accompanying them in case the kidnappers try contacting them again.

Douglas, given the FBI's jurisdiction in kidnapping cases, had told Kate that she was going to have to tell her superiors of the Aitken's situation and they might well take over the case as a result. Kate had, reluctantly, agreed but had told the agent that until her federal colleagues arrived the taskforce would do everything it could to find the Aitken children. To her credit Douglas had agreed and said that it would be at least a day before any agents from the New York Field Office could arrive to take over so they had that long to resolve everything. If Castle knows his wife and her history with child abduction cases she will do everything in her power and then some to resolve this as soon as possible.

With Jimmy now seated in front of them there is a long pause as Kate uses one of her favourite tools during an interrogation, silence. With an urgent case like this, with two children's lives at stake, the first instinct is to attack and leap down the throat of any suspect involved but, for about the millionth time, he marvels at the intelligence and cunning of Kate as she does almost the exact opposite. Instead she is just silently studying Jimmy and Castle can see that the longer the penetrating but silent appraisal of the man by Kate continues the man in question just wilts under her gaze. Even the man's young lawyer seems intimidated by the silence and the look Kate is giving his client as the man refrains from speaking or raising any objection at all.

Eventually Kate breaks the silence as she coolly states, "You've got one chance to help yourself Jimmy. With what we have on you, you are looking at most of your adult life in prison so I'll just ask you this once and if you don't tell me the whole truth I'll let a jury of good, respectable, local people decide the fate of a murderer and child kidnapper…Where are the Aitken children?"

Castle keeps his face as stoic as possible, drawing on his best poker face, even though he really just wants to sit back and marvel at the confidence in which Kate is handling Jimmy. For at Kate's words Jimmy's eyes have gone wide and blood has drained from his face. Eventually the young man collects enough of his wits together to fashion a response.

"I…I…," Jimmy stammers. "I don't know anything about any missing children!"

Again Castle almost wants to clap as Kate arches a disbelieving eyebrow at Jimmy's statement before responding, "Oh really. That's how you want to play it is it? Ok then. Given the DNA that links your work vehicle to the murder. The witness that saw that the same SUV was used in the abduction of Max and Selene Aitken. The phone calls from an unregistered cell and the money in your account from a mysterious off shore account. We have more than enough to get a conviction so that you don't see the outside world again until you are in your sixties so if you don't want to help yourself that's your decision."

With that she gathers up the file folder that she'd placed on the table between them, makes to stand and Castle moves to follow her when they are stopped by a desperate burst of words from Jimmy Southwick that his dumbstruck lawyer can do nothing to stop.

"Wait!...Don't!...I….I…Look, I had no idea they were taking any kids let alone that they were going to kill anyone. It was just supposed to be some easy cash for the use of my truck, some spare uniforms from work, some suggestions for remote places in the area where they could work from and information on the security set up at WayTech. I didn't sign up for murder and kidnapping. They said they were just doing to steal some stuff from the factory, some of the computer chips they make. They make thousands of the things. I didn't think it would be a big deal if someone took some," Jimmy tells them trying to justify himself in the end.

"Seriously, Jimmy, ten grand? Didn't you think that was a bit more than you'd reasonably expect to get for what you describe?" Castle chips in at this point, the incredulity plain in his voice.

Jimmy shrugs his shoulders, "I just thought I'd got lucky and maybe they were buying me to keep my trap shut as well."

"Or perhaps you're their fall guy," Castle suggests. "They gave you enough money that you'd have to explain it. The blood is in your SUV for a murder for which you have a readymade motive thanks to the long standing feud between your families. Then there are the phone calls from one of the same series of phones that the kidnappers have been contacting the Aitken's with. It was your SUV that was plainly seen picking up the Aitken children and the people inside deliberately wore WayTech security uniforms which, by your own admission, can be linked to you. I bet you that one of those places you suggested for them to use was the Roggenkamp's barn which, again, can be linked to you. Even if they hadn't killed Arty Roggenkamp I'm sure they would have left some physical evidence there linking you to the kidnapping. Face it, Jimmy, you were always meant to be caught. We are supposed to waste our time with you while the real perpetrators get away. The perfect patsy."

"But you still have a chance to help yourself, Jimmy," jumps in Kate. "Things haven't gone to plan. The people that have left you hanging out to dry are supposed to be well their way by the time we turn our attention to you but for the moment they are still here and they still have two young, innocent kids with them."

"Are you offering my client a deal, Captain?" asks Jimmy's lawyer. Finally saying something for his client.

Kate fixes the young lawyer with her no nonsense glare, "Counsellor, your client is looking at significant jail time regardless of whether he helps us or not. However, it can only be in his best interest for him to help us track down these criminals and find those children because for sure no jury or sentencing judge will look kindly upon anyone that stays quiet when the safety of two kids is concerned."

Jimmy looks at his lawyer desperately for advice and the man gives him a reluctant nod. Jimmy sighs deeply, turns his attention to Kate and asks in a voice full of resignation, "What do you want to know?"

"Was your only contact with the kidnappers by cell phone? Did you meet them at all?" Kate asks quickly.

"They always called me on my cell and it was always the same guy on the same number calling me. I never met anyone in person. I was given instructions to leave the uniforms and other information in the SUV which was unlocked and with the keys in it. They took it during the night from my parents place a couple of days ago and returned it the morning after Arty Roggenkamp was killed. I never saw who took it or who brought it back," replies Jimmy.

"How did they contact you in the first place, Jimmy? What did you do? Answer an ad in Craigslist?" enquires Castle.

"Uh, oh, yeah! I received an email about a month ago asking if I wanted to earn some easy cash. They only asked me for the use of the SUV, the uniforms, and the other info. My family is doing it tough and ten grand was going to be a real help so I agreed," admits Jimmy.

Kate pulls out a map from the folder in front of her and lays it in front of Jimmy. It is the same map upon which James Aitken just marked the ransom drop.

Kate points to the map, "Show us the other places you suggested to the kidnappers."

As Jimmy takes a proffered pen and starts marking various locations on the map Castle watches each notation he makes on the map and adds, "Because they know we have you, Jimmy, there's a good chance that they won't be at any of these locations. Can you think of any other places they might hide out? A place you suggested at first but then discounted for some reason? Or perhaps a place that might have significance for you or your family? So that they can implicate you further."

Jimmy looks up at Castle at that gives him a thoughtful look and then resumes his marking of the map. Castle observes the new marks he puts on the map and notices that a couple are on the Southwick's land.

Eventually Jimmy finishes, puts down the pen and leans back in his chair and says, "That's it! That's all the places I can think of."

Castle and Kate both lean forward to look more closely at the marks on the map and their heads brush together as they do so. They then both sit back as Kate gathers up the map.

As they both sit back Kate asks Jimmy, "What about the heist? When was that supposed to take place?"

"The night Arty Rooggenkamp was killed. I gave them the Roggenkamp's barn so that if the break-in was discovered and their hide-out was located it would make it look like the Roggenkamp's were involved," Jimmy tells her frankly. It is plain that Jimmy has lost all the bravado that Castle saw when he first met the young man in that bar. Now he is on full self-preservation mode. Willing to tell them anything for a chance of reducing his sentence.

Castle shares a look with Kate and she gives a small nod to his silent question. They have enough for now and the clock is ticking to find the Aitken children so it's time to leave and chase down the few leads that Jimmy has given them.

"Ok, Jimmy, you can go and cool your heels in a cell for a while and you better hope we find the Aitken kids alive and well because the charges we'll add to you if they aren't will ensure you leave prison an old man," Kate tells Jimmy as both she and Castle rise and leave the room.

Outside the room Kate nods to the waiting Deputy and he enters the room they just vacated with the intention of taking Jimmy back to holding. As Jimmy is led from the room Castle then follows Kate in the opposite direction, down the short corridor and they are soon joined by Kent and Gibson who had been observing the interrogation through the two way mirror.

Before the other two team members can say anything Ryan and Esposito hustle up and Ryan holds up a map similar to the one Kate is holding, "Beckett! One of the other cell phones just called Parkinson's cell. They must be worried because he hasn't checked in. I answered it but didn't say anything, just put it on speaker and kept the line open. We heard a male voice ask for Parkinson and why he hasn't called. While that was happening Espo got on the phone to Tory and had her run a trace of which cell towers the call was being picked up by."

"Yeah, and they stayed on the line long enough for her to triangulate the signal off multiple towers," adds Esposito.

Ryan opens the map he is holding and points to a mark he made on it, "She traced the signal to here."

Kate opens the map she is holding and compares it with Ryan's and Castle does the same over her shoulder. Castle instantly sees the point of similarity on both maps and points it out, "Look, the cell signal is in the same general area as this location that Jimmy marked that is right on the edge of the Southwick's land. Looks like this crew is still leaving a trail to lead us to Jimmy."

Kate nods and hums a, "Uhh huh, Castle." She then turns back to the Irish Detective, "Ryan, did you ask Deputy Bailey about this location? What could he tell you about it?"

"He did say the only structure in the area that could be used as a hide-out was an old hunting lodge on the Southwick's land. It sits in the middle of a heavily wooded area and an old fire track leads straight to it," Ryan tells her.

Kate nods at the information and then starts striding down the corridor towards the conference room and everyone follows her on her three inch heels as she says, "Come on! We've got our own hunting to do."

Woodland – Outskirts of the Southwick land

Kate lies on her stomach behind a large bush and through its branches uses the binoculars she is holding to look at the small, run-down hunting lodge that is about two hundred yards away. As she studies the wooden structure with the large black SUV parked nearby she can feel the reassuring presence of Castle lying, like her, on his stomach next to her wearing his vest that he has amended so that under WRITER it says NYPDA with a very small & between them.

Through the binoculars she can see a man with dark hair and a beard, in dark jeans and a plaid, long sleeved shirt, their suspect Salvio, holding an automatic rifle, as he slowly walks around back and forth outside the front of the wooden building, obviously on guard. Silently she nudges Castle with her elbow, passes him the binoculars and indicates with her head towards the lodge and the man guarding it.

As Castle makes his own study through the binoculars of what she was just looking at, Kate shifts to get more comfortable in her own protective vest as one of the plates in her chest is digging uncomfortably into her as it is pressed into the ground. In her head she goes over what their options are. There are really only two. They wait, observe and contain the situation until reinforcements can arrive. Or they go in and try a rescue themselves. At the moment the first option looks to be the safest both for the young children that she has no doubt are being held in the lodge her husband is studying and for her team.

After deciding to head out to this location she'd gathered together all of the taskforce, recalling Kaminski from the hospital where he'd still been waiting for Parkinson to wake and Kent and Douglas from the Aitken's and leaving NYSP Troopers in their places. Together they had all travelled out here in the boys Charger and a couple of Sheriff's cruisers with a handful of Deputies and NYSP Troopers. Her team, let alone the under resourced Otisville Sheriff's Department and the few NYSP Troopers she's been able to call in, are poorly equipped to handle a siege of the hunting lodge let alone a full assault. Everyone has their vests and their hand guns. From the trunk of her shot up car in the Sheriff Station's lot she'd retrieved a pump action shotgun and luckily the boys each had their assault rifles in the trunk of theirs. Likewise the Otisville Deputies and State Troopers have a few of older assault rifles but mostly they have shotguns to augment the firepower of their personal side arms.

She's positioned most of the Deputies to throw up a perimeter around the lodge, covering every possible escape route and relying on their local knowledge to do so effectively. Kaminski and Esposito, the members of her team with the most combat experience, are currently off on a scout around the lodge to see if any more of the kidnapping crew are out on guard or lookout duty. The pair of them had been the first to sight the lodge having been sent ahead by her to again scout the ground and to both determine if their suspects truly were here and if there were any lookouts to detect their approach.

Both men had willingly gone forward and had soon returned confirming the presence of at least one armed man on guard, a third, black SUV parked near the lodge but no other suspects had been found that could warn of their approach. So she had deployed most of the Deputies on the perimeter and herself, Castle, the rest of the taskforce members, Deputy Bailey with another of the Otisville Deputies and a pair of NYSP Troopers had made their way forward.

Now, Gibson and Kent are off to her left close to where the SUV is parked, behind a clump of trees. Deputy Bailey, a middle aged, bull headed local who Kate could see as Kaminski's older brother and his young, female partner are to about fifty yards to hers and Castle's right behind a large fallen tree. Beyond them by about a hundred yards is the pair of NYSP Troopers. Douglas and Ryan have followed Esposito and Kaminski with the intention of finding cover on the opposite side of the lodge to cover that side once the former Special Forces soldier and former Marine have confirmed the coast is clear. Once Espo and Kaminski have confirmed that none of the other suspects are abroad they are to return to her here to be deployed as she sees fit.

The Otisville's Sheriff's Department did have one long rife that could be used by a sniper and she wants Esposito set up with that weapon as soon as possible, in whatever position he finds most advantageous. Kaminski she'll keep with herself and Castle because if they do have to go in she'll rely on his experience in storming a stronghold full of armed hostiles.

Again, not that she intends to storm the lodge she just wants to keep her options open. Unsurprisingly the Otisville Sheriff's Department does not have an ESU or SWAT unit so she's had to call for the cavalry. On her instruction Douglas has contacted the FBI and their Hostage Rescue Team is on its way but it will take them at least three hours before they are here. Likewise Kate herself had contacted both the NYSP and the NYPD and tactical teams from either departments are at least two hours away.

So, for the moment, the taskforce's role is simple. Watch the lodge, make sure the kidnappers don't leave or realise that they have been found and make sure that the Aitken children do not come to any harm. Then when the teams with more expertise at taking down armed suspects holding hostages arrive she will rethink.

A very slight rustling of leaves behind her has her turning her head and she sees Esposito and Kaminski, their protective vests over their clothes, crouch walking up to her each holding assault rifles.

"What'd you see?" she whispers to the two crouching men.

"All clear, Skipper," answers Kaminski.

For a brief second Kate is unsure how to take being called "Skipper" but immediately shrugs it off. There are more important things to worry about. Like the fate of two innocent children.

"Yeah," agrees Esposito. "No sign of anyone else on guard except our boy over there. From cover Kaminski and I were even able to see inside through a window at the back through our scopes. We saw the two kids. They look ok. They're sitting on the floor of a bedroom at the back and one of the suspects, Meehan, is with them. While we were there the female suspect, Beven, came in and spoke to Meehan. Having confirmed everyone was there we bugged out leaving Ryan and Douglas covering the back of the building."

Kate nods in appreciation at the intelligence because until one of the tactical teams get here they don't have any equipment that might help them scope out the interior of the lodge or the location of the hostages and the suspects. No thermal imaging, no cameras or microphones, no tech at all that can assist them.

"So they're all there. Good! We just have to keep them bottled up until ESU or HRT get here. Which should be in a couple of hours," affirms Kate.

"Uhh, Kate! We might not have that kind of time," comes the whispered voice of Castle next to her and she turns her attention back to the lodge.

Even without the binoculars she can see activity between the lodge and the nearby SUV. Castle passes the binoculars back to her and she immediately puts them to her eyes to get a closer look at what is happening.

"It looks like they might be getting ready to leave," Castle suggests quietly.

From what she can see he is right. The suspect, Beven, is currently taking a pair of duffel bags from the lodge to the SUV. As she watches a man appears from the lodge likewise carrying a black equipment case. The man in question is unknown to her and she is surprised because the information Douglas found out indicated that there should be only three suspects. She focuses on the new face. He looks to be in his early thirties, with dark skin indicating ancestry from the Indian sub-continent or Pakistan with black hair and a close cropped beard.

"I think you're right, Castle," she whispers back to Castle as she watches the pair go back and forth between the lodge and the SUV a couple of times as they load up the vehicle. "I also have an additional, unknown male suspect helping with the loading."

Esposito and Kaminski have both crawled on their elbows to move next to her and they are looking at the scene through their own single lens scopes.

"I don't recognise the new guy either but the lodge isn't that big so I can't see there being any more than the four of them," suggests Esposito next to her.

"If they leave we might lose them so what are we going to do?" asks Castle.

Kate ponders her husband's question for a few moments as her pulse quickens in anticipation of what is soon to come and she studies the ground between them and the lodge. Unfortunately they can no longer just observe and contain while waiting for the TAC teams. They're going to have to do this themselves otherwise they may never see the Aitken kids again, not to mention the suspects.

"No, we can't let them leave so we're going have to take them down ourselves," Kate whispers to them. "Espo, get the rifle and set up so that you have a clear shot of the font of the building and the SUV. Your priority target is Salvio as he's armed. The other two have their hands full so if we time it right we catch them in the open without weapons. Call me on your radio when you're all set."

One set of equipment that the Sheriff's Department was able to supply them with was walkie-talkies with earpieces and so she is able to communicate with all of her team. With a determined nod Esposito crawls back and away so go get the weapon and find his spot.

Kate turns her attention to Kaminski and asks, "Kaminski, was there a back door to the lodge?"

Kaminski shakes his head negatively but he must have an idea of what Kate intends from her question as he tells her, "But the window that we saw the hostages through is open slightly to let in some air. One good push up and we can get in that way."

Kate nods, "And that's what I want you to do. Get back around to the rear of the building and join up with Ryan and Douglas. We're going to confront these three. When that happens it should cause a distraction and draw Meehan's attention from the hostages. If you are set at the window there should just be enough time for you, Ryan and Douglas breech through that back window, secure the kids and take down Meehan. Wait ten seconds after my initial go order before breaching. Again, radio when you three are in position."

With a determined nod the same as Espo's, Kaminski likewise crawls away to get into position and tell Ryan and Douglas their roles.

Kate then tugs at the radio velcroed to the shoulder of her vest, clicks the call button and at the same time thinks that she is glad that when she assigned the radios she assigned each pair arrayed around the lodge with call signs as well as a general one when she wanted to talk the group as a whole.

She just hopes the crew in the lodge don't have a scanner capable of picking up her transmission. In case they do what she is about to say isn't strictly within a Tactical Team's proper radio protocols but, again, she'd already run through the key code phrases with everyone when distributing the radios, "Attention Black Pawns, this is Heat. Our guests are leaving the party. On my word myself, Rook, Team Rymer and Team Parry will go greet the guests in the lobby. Team Montrose stay at the front desk along with Ochoa. Team Raley, Hammer should be joining you soon and has your assignment. All teams signal confirmation when you are ready and we go on my signal."

Kate releases the call button and looks at Castle who has a pleased smirk on his lips as he whispers to her, "It's so cool that you used Nikki Heat characters for call signs though I don't think our Otisville friends or the State Troopers quite got their significance."

Kate gives him a small smile in return, "I thought you'd get a kick out of it, Castle. Plus did you hear Gibson chanting, "Not Irons, Not Irons," when she figured out what I was doing."

"Oh, yeah. Boy was she pleased when you named her and Kent Team Parry," Castle then pauses and a serious look comes across his face. "Are you sure about this, Kate? Don't get me wrong, I'll follow you into the gates of hell. I just want you to be sure that this is the best option. We could just stay in cover, announce ourselves and lay siege until HRT and ESU get here."

"I thought of that but they may still try to make a break for it and who knows what could happen, especially to the hostages, in that situation. No, if I time this right we can do this with as few people getting hurt, hostages, us or suspects, as possible," Kate reassures him with a determined tone making it clear that she has considered everything and is set on the course of action.

Castle looks deep into her eyes for a moment before giving her a nod and then in his own determined but also reassuring tone says, "Ok, Captain Beckett-Castle. I'll follow your lead."

She gives him a look of gratitude as her earpiece starts squawking in her ear with the teams reporting in and she ticks the teams off in her head as they do so.

"Team Parry, ready!" That's Kent and Parry ready, she thinks.

"Team Rhymer, ready!" That's Deputy Bailey and his partner.

"Team Montrose, ready!" That's the State Troopers.

"Ochoa in position and ready to take out the trash," and that's Espo telling her he has Salvio in his sights.

There is a pause for about half a minute before the final confirmation comes across the radio which Kate puts down to Ryan, Douglas and Kaminski being careful as they get into position. Eventually she hears, "Team Raley in position!"

At that Kate takes a deep breath, again looks into Castle's eyes and at his slight nod of reassurance she turns her attention back to the front of the lodge.

When she sees both Beven and the unknown male suspect emerge from the lodge each carrying black equipment cases and Salvio is conveniently turned facing in the opposite direction from their position she reaches for her radio, clicks the send button and announces, "Black Pawns…Go! Go! Go!"

The words have barely left her mouth before she and Castle spring to their feet, draw their Glocks and start half jogging towards the hunting lodge and the three suspects in view. As she and Castle move forward together, weapons half raised towards the suspects, in her peripheral vision she detects Gibson and Kent joining them on her left and Deputy Bailey and his partner similarly joining them on the right.

They get about half way to the front of the lodge when Meehan looks in their direction and sees them coming plus, at that moment, Salvio turns back around to likewise see the advancing law enforcement officers. Looks of surprise immediately spring to both Meehan and Salvio's faces at the sight of the three pairs of people advancing on them quickly with guns drawn. Before they can do or say anything Kate, still striding forward, raises her gun to aim at them and calls out in her best commanding voice, "POLICE! DON'T MOVE! YOU ARE SURROUNDED!"

Each of the three suspects have different reactions to her words.

The unknown male suspect stands stock still with a look of shock on his face as he seems to take Kate's command to heart and freezes in place.

Beven drops the case she is carrying, pulls a handgun from behind her back and turns with the intention to duck back inside the building.

Salvio raises his automatic rifle with the clear purpose of firing on the advancing police but even as Kate shifts her aim to the man a single shot rings out and Salvio drops to the ground with a red bloom in the centre of his chest. Esposito has done his job.

The quick dispatching of her colleague just a few paces from her and shouts of "DON'T MOVE!", "STAND STILL!" and "DROP IT!" from the approaching police has Beven stopping in her tracks before she can make it into the building. With her back still to Kate she slowly raises both her arms up and out to her side, with her gun now being held by the grip by just two fingers in surrender.

Kate stops when she is a few paces from Beven and keeping her covered indicates for Deputy Bailey to move forward to secure her. Seeing that Castle also has the female suspect covered she looks over at the other suspect to see Kent turning the man around to place him in handcuffs while Gibson stands a couple of paces away covering them with her weapon.

She turns her attention back to Deputy Bailey and Beven and sees Bailey's partner move to the prone body of Salvio. With her gun trained on the man on the ground she kicks away the automatic rifle near his hand and then bends down to feel or the man's pulse. After a moment the Deputy looks up at Kate and shakes her head negatively.

At that moment there is a shot from inside the lodge and Kate yells, "Come on, Castle!"

Together they rush to the front door of the lodge and take positon on either side of the open door. After a beat she quickly ducks her head around the door frame and takes a fast look inside. Upon seeing the room inside clear she rushes inside with her gun up and Castle is right behind her. Side by side they move to the only other, closed door they can see on the opposite wall that she suspects leads to the bedroom where the hostages are.

Again they each take a position on either side of the door. Adrenalin is pounding through her veins at this point bringing everything into sharp focus and seemingly slowing down time so that every thought she has, as she takes a second with her back to the wooden door frame, rushes through her brain at the speed of light. Kate glances over at Castle and the mere sight of him calms her beating heart. With a look of utter seriousness he looks at her and grips the handle of the door with one hand while holding his gun in the other and pointing it at an angle down but towards the door so that he can bring it up to fire in a moment.

Kate pushes back from the wall, raises her gun to aim at the door, looks at him and nods her head. At her nod Castle turns the handle, pushes open the door and with the door released raises his gun to aim inside the room.

"POLICE! DON"T MOVE!" Kate yells as she takes a step forward, her eyes fixed at what she can see over the sight of her gun.

What she sees in the room over her sight has her lowering her gun and releasing a breath that she only now realises she was holding.

As her and Castle, guns now both at their sides step into the room they see the aggregable sight of the suspect, Meehan, on his stomach with a bloody bullet wound in his shoulder. Kaminski is kneeling on his back as he secures his writs with handcuffs while Douglas stands nearby covering them with her gun.

The other, very aggregable sight, is of Ryan on his knees with two crying, relieved looking and happily unharmed, children hugging him desperately around his neck.

A/N: So a lot happened in this chapter and we have a resolution of the case, mostly. I hope people enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait.

Again I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out. Work over the last couple of weeks has kicked my butt and then the Doctor Who Festival happened in Sydney last weekend and my plans to do any writing then went out the window.

Just to let my loyal readers know that there are only going to be two more chapters in this story. One chapter and an epilogue. Don't despair, however, because it won't be the last you'll see from this universe as I have other stories I want to tell with NYPDA Detective Castle, Captain Kate and the Special Investigations Taskforce. I just need to take a little break from them for a little while to keep it fresh. My own little winter (summer here in Oz) hiatus. They will return. For the hiatus I have in mind a little AU that I've had in development for a while which is a bit out there so I won't be surprised if it doesn't get the same response as this story.

To all my American readers I hope you had an enjoyable and plentiful Thanksgiving and didn't get trampled on Black Friday. To everyone thank you again for sticking with this little story of mine. All the feedback I've had has been great. With our favourite couple seemingly back together on the show let's hope that the episodes we get in the New Year are a bit more enjoyable than those from the start of the season.