Do you guys/girls/fans/mates know how awesome you are. And to think I was too scared to read reviews. Man I need to grow a set of balls as big as those in the mall. (Inside joke, if your an Adelaidean you will understand.) This story has gotten such a huge response. Which surprised the heck out of me considering it was under 2000 words. I am glad you all thought it was funny. It will get less funny and more angsty as the story goes on, just a warning.

Thanks for the Awesome response.


Castle was yanked out of his chair. He had been sitting there for quite some time. His captors had actually been quite nice to him so far. Instead of being thrown in the trunk of a car like he expected, he was guided to the back seat. Buckled in, too. The drive was quite pleasant, although he thought perhaps they were trying to confuse him. He was pretty sure they drove laps over the same roads. There was also the right turns that suddenly went left. Any hope he had of figuring out where they were taking him was gone after the first few turns. Music was also played loudly and changed stations after each song.

After maybe three hours, the car was stopped and he was guided out. At least, he thought it was three hours. He had tried to count to sixty for each minute that passed ,then keep a count of how many minutes he had counted. However, the beat of the music sometimes had him counting faster or slower depending on the song. Then he also forgot which minute he was counting, and sometime forgot to stop counting when he got to 60. So even though he thought it was three hours, it could be one or four.

He took a flight of stairs which had been more difficult than he thought it would be. A door had been opened, and he had been taken into what he assumed was a room and given a seat. He had tried to take in everything that he could. So far, all he could tell was the room smelt familiar, and the floor was most likely polished wood. That, and his butt was sore. He was glad to be standing.

"What's going on?" he asked his captors. He was pretty sure the one called Zorro had left, leaving Nessie to watch him. Every time he moved, Nessie would warn him not to. Now they were forcing him to get up.

"The Boss is here, and she wants to hear what you have to say."

Castle was sure the man speaking to him now was Zorro. It was hard to tell, considering his head was still covered and the digitised voices. Castle was pushed forward and he stumbled slightly, trying to remain upright. He was suddenly then pushed down into a chair. Great: his butt was starting to get pins and needles.

"Now you only speak when spoken to." he was told.

As he hadn't been asked a question, Castle remained silent.

A crack of a whip had Castle jolting.

"Okay," he answered quickly.

"If you don't answer our questions directly, we will hurt the ones you love and care about," Zorro told him.

"I'll answer whatever you want. Bank account details, missile launch codes, my Facebook password. Whatever you want, I'll tell you, but please don't hurt my mother and daughter."

"Is that all?"

Castle was by the question confused. "Is what all?"

"Are those the only people you don't want us to hurt? What about the woman at the Hamptons?"He was sure Zorro asked him.

"Yeah, what about the Ice Bitch?" a third digitised voice asked.

"It's Ice Queen, Colorado" Zorro told her.

"Colorado," the third voice asked.

"That's your code name," Nessie told her.

Castle was confused by this third person who the other two called Colorado. Were they the Boss?

"Whatever." Colorado told the other two. "So, Castle, you don't want us to hurt your mother or daughter, but what about the Ice Queen?"

"Gina?" Castle asked, confused. Why were they using codenames, although Ice Bitch was a good one.

"I thought she was left behind," he questioned them.

"We did leave her behind," Zorro told him. "But aren't you worried we will hurt her?"

"Well, yes, of course," he told his captors, wondering why this third person, Colorado, was brought in. If she was the Boss, why was she asking about Gina?

The three captors stayed silent, and he was confused as to why.

"I don't think he is being very forthcoming with us. I think we should go and visit one Detective Kate Beckett," Zorro informed him

Beckett!

"No," Castle yelled. "Keep Kate out of this. I'll answer all your questions. Just please don't hurt her."

"Well, well, well," Colorado smugly addressed him. "For someone who went away for the summer with this Ice Bitch, you seem more concerned about the detective."

"How did you know we were going away for the summer?" Were these people following him, and if so, for how long? Maybe he did need to get a private bodyguard. Although if he had a choice, it wouldn't be Kevin Costner.

There was a crack of the whip and Castle jumped.

"Okay. Okay. Yes I am concerned about a woman I didn't go away with but..."

"But what?" Colorado asked.

Castle sighed. "It's complicated."

Castle heard murmuring and briefly wondered what was going on?

"So uncomplicate it for us." Zorro asked.

"Why are you asking these questions?" Castle was confused. They hadn't asked for the usual things kidnappers asked. What were questions kidnappers asked? He already told them they could have money, yet they didn't seem to want that. What else could he possibly have to offer?

"We are doing it for our boss. Now answer the question. Why did you go to the Hamptons with one woman when it's obvious you care for another?"

Castle frowned, although his captors couldn't see his eyebrows as his head was still covered. He had thought the third person was the Boss. Yet he was pretty sure that was the person who had just asked the question. Despite the digitised voice, he was pretty sure Colorado was a woman. Colorado was straight forward like Zorro was, but the way they had referred to Gina as the Ice Bitch with such venom had him wondering. She or he also seemed to be almost defending Beckett like a girlfriend would.

"Will you answer the question?" Colorado prodded.

"I asked Beckett to come to the Hamptons with me, and she said no."

"So you just go with another woman,"Colorado sneered.

Castle sighed. Oh yeah, Colorado was definitely a woman. "I told you it's complicated."

"Do you want us to hurt Beckett?" Zorro asked.

"No. Please don't hurt her," Castle quickly told them.

"So answer the questions," Nessie demanded.

At least Castle thought it was Nessie. He was getting confused. There were three people in the room and he couldnt see any of them. This was worse than trying to watch Wimbledon.

"I was feeling sorry for myself, okay." Castle hung his head down and shook his head. "Is that what you're after? To hear Richard Castle humiliate himself? Are you recording this for radio or Youtube?" When he got no response, he continued. In for a penny in for a pound. "I felt like I had just been dumped by the prettiest girl in school. If that isn't a shot to the manhood, I don't know what is. Beckett was going away with Schlemming. He's a cop. He is strong and powerful, and arrests people for a living. I am just a wimp who sits in front of his computer and occasionally gets arrested. I don't even know why I thought I could compete with that."

"Oh, you poor little playboy."

Castle frowned. This Colorado person really didn't like him. He wondered if Colorado was really the Ice Bitch?

"That's just it. I am not a playboy." Castle told them

"Oh, and what would you call a different woman on your arm whenever you are out?"

Castle sighed. "That may have been what I was before, but I have changed."

"Really, cause you going from Kate to the Ice Queen doesn't seem like you have changed."

Kate? Colorado had just referred to Beckett as Kate. Yes, they had referred to her as Detective Kate Beckett before, and as Beckett. Yet, they had never referred to her by a code name. Everyone else had a code name, even he did. Cunningham. It was ridiculous. The only Cunningham he could think of was Richie from Happy Days. He looked nothing like him, but then again, he did spawn a daughter with the same colouring. Couldn't they have come up with a better name? Moby Dick. Richie Rich. The great and powerful Oz. Mm, maybe that was going to far.

"Castle," all three people yelled at him, and he winced when he heard the crack of a whip again. He turned his head when he heard a muffled sound of a voice. At least he thought it was a voice. What was going on?

"Quiet."

Castle shrunk down in his chair. "I didn't say anything,"

"Not you," he was told. "We want you to answer the question."

Castle pursed his lips. "Umm, what was the question again?"

"You jumped the Ice Queen after Kate told you no."

Castle shook his head. "No. No. No. There was no jumping, ok? No jumping, no tangoing. Gina is just that, Gina. She isn't Kate. Kate is something special. She isn't like any other woman I have ever met. If I pull a silly stunt, most women would just smile and put up with it. It's a small price to pay to get my money and fame. Gina would get angry at me, and try and make me be someone she could respect. She would use her power as my publisher to get what she wanted. Kate is different. Sure, she gets annoyed at my antics and rolls her eyes, but sometimes she will go along with it. Sometimes, she actually smiles. There is a brain between those ears, and she doesn't use it to manipulate me like other women I've been with. She's the reason why I stopped having a different woman on my arm every other night. There were so many women because I was looking for the one."

"Wait, are you saying you stopped because of Kate?"

Castle shrugged, which was hard to do considering his hands were tied behind his back.

"I thought I had found the one."

"The one, don't you mean the third?" Zorro scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Castle asked. Why were they mocking him?

"You've been married twice already. Weren't those two the one as well?" Nessie the softer of the two male captors asked. At least, Castle was 98% sure this one was male.

Castle shook his head. "I did something so cliché. I got my girlfriend pregnant so I proposed. I didn't want my child to grow up fatherless. It was clear we weren't suited to each other, but I was willing to work at it for my daughter. I was willing to put my own needs aside for my child. Unfortunately, my ex-wife didn't feel the same way. She cheated on me, so I ended it."

Castle frowned as he thought he heard the sound of an intake of breath in front of him. Was it possible his captors had a heart? When none of them made further comments, he continued.

"I didn't propose the second time: Gina did. She said we made a great team, and she was right. I wrote the books: she made me the money. She played upon my insecurities. Told me she was looking forward to being a mother to Alexis. She knew I felt as if it were my fault that Alexis didn't have a mother in the picture full time. I know to the public I come across as confident and full of myself, but really I have insecurities too. I said yes, worst mistake of my life."

"Then why are you dating her again?" Colorado asked.

"We aren't dating again, we were giving it another try. Despite her ability to manipulate, there is an element of Gina that is actually nice. That was the card she played the other night, the nice card. I feel pathetic now, but I fell for it. Although I wasn't completely out of it when I decided to give it a go again. I decided to take it slow starting by talking and really getting to know each other."

"Is that why you were in separate bedrooms?" Nessie asked him.

"They were in separate rooms?" Colorado asked, shocked.

Castle noticed a sound in the room again like someone was trying to talk but couldn't.

"Yes, we were in separate rooms," Castle laughed. "And The Ice Bitch wasn't happy about that. I just wasn't ready to jump into bed. It won't fix anything. She practically insisted on coming with me to the Hamptons when I told her I was going on my own. I still wasn't sure I was making the right decision."

"It was Gina's idea?"

"She called to ask me how the book was going and I mentioned the Hamptons. I never learn to keep my mouth shut. She obviously picked up on my misery and started saying all the right things. I was weak, so I said yes."

"You sound like you regret the decision."

"Hell, yes I regret it. I thought if Ice Queen was there, she would keep my mind off Beckett. Schlemming and Beckett having a nice romantic weekend. The two of them having," Castle started retching. "Sorry I think I am going to be sick."

"You better not hurl on my shoes." Zorro warned.

"Sorry it's just..." Castle took a few breaths trying to calm his stomach. "The thought of the two of them doing... Yuugghhh. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to come to the Hamptons with me. I wanted her to take some time to relax and rest. She works too hard, and I wanted to help her get the break she needs. I had hoped while she was doing that, she'd get to know the real me. That maybe once she realised I wasn't the jackass she believed me to be, that eventually, over time, she might consider being more than friends."

"Seems like this woman is a lot of work. Is it really worth it to get another notch on your bedpost?"

Castle struggled to his feet. "That's not what I am after!" Castle yelled at his captors. At least, he thought he was yelling at them. He wasn't sure they were in the room.

"Sit down," Zorro ordered.

Castle was pushed down it to his seat, but he struggled to his feet again.

"No, I won't," Castle told them. "You kidnap me and ask a bunch of outlandish questions. You expect me to tell you the truth and that's what I am doing. When I first met Beckett, yes I wanted to sleep with her. She was a beautiful, attractive woman who exuded confidence and a hell of a lot of sex appeal. Of course I wanted to sleep with her. So I started following her around, hoping she would eventually fall for me. I never expected it would be me to do the falling. She's smart, she's funny, she's strong. She doesn't simply 'put up' with my antics: she challenges them. Beckett doesn't try to change me, but I find myself changing because of her. She's the type of woman I can see myself growing old with. I love her."


Hope it was worth the wait : )