hostages/ castle missing

Alexis pulled another box towards her and took out another file, sighing. "This is getting very tiring."

"Watch out, honey," Kate warned her before blowing dust off a box so she could open it.

"What if there really isn't anything Kate?" Lanie asked.

"We're no worse off than we are now."

"You really want to find something don't you? He's gotten past this Kate."

"What happens if it's not over, Lanie? I will never let anyone hurt him, not again."

"I agree with Kate. I don't want dad hurt or missing.

"What if it was Espo, Lanie? Wouldn't you do anything to keep it from happening again?"

"Of course."

"I just feel like this isn't over. Not yet."

"Okay." Lanie pulled out a file and looked through it. "Guys, I think I got something." She handed the file to Kate.

Kate shook her head. "It's something, but it doesn't add to what little he was able to tell me."

"Maybe we need to look through files for this name?"

Kate nodded. "Worth a shot."

Alexis started to search again, and stopped. "Kate, here's the name again, but it doesn't have anything to do with dad."

"What's it got to do with?" She asked, moving to where she could read it too.

"I don't know. Another case that was unsolved."

"I remember this one."

"What happened?" asked Lanie.

"Sort of like Castle. Husband, father, 'walks away', only when we found him, he was...he was dead."

"Did you have a suspect?"

She shook her head. "A lot of theories, but nothing we could figure out." She looked at Alexis. "It happened when you were overseas."

"I think Dad might have told me about that."

"Did he use the words Jimmy Hoffa?"

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I think so. Why?"

"Your father usually has three go-to explanations. Aliens, mob, and spy."

"That's true."

She heard the door clang shut. "Espo? Ryan?"

Nobody answered, and Lanie moved closer to Alexis, ready to protect the young woman if needed.

"Honey, go behind that shelf. Lanie, go with her. Go now." Kate put her hand on her gun, but didn't draw, not yet.

Alexis did as Kate said, scared and wanting to get out of there. Lanie, on the other hand, grabbed a hook that was used to get things from the top shelf and stood with Kate, the hook held in front of her.

"Alexis, text..." She started to say Castle. "One of the boys."

She muttered under her breath when she saw the reception was down.

Alexis took out her phone and groaned. "No reception."

Kate heard someone coming and made sure Alexis was hidden before drawing her weapon. A man appeared in front of them, an ugly grin on his face.

"Stop right there. Who are you?"

"You know who I am Detective Beckett. How's your fiance?"

"My husband."

"So you stayed together? How good of you."

"Tell me why you're here. What you want."

"All in good time. No-one knows you're down here, so we have plenty of time."

"You're wrong. My partners know I was coming down here. If I don't go back up, they'll worry."

"Yeah right. If you want to believe that I don't mind. Now, both of you need to put your weapons down and kick them to me."

"And I would do that because?"

"You are a good girl and like to listen, or that pretty young daughter of Castle's is dead." He pointed his gun at Alexis.

Kate lowered her gun. "Put it down, Lanie."

"He's got a gun Kate."

"Don't you think I know that!" Her thought was not on the gun at her, but the gun at her stepdaughter. To the man, she said, "You don't want to do this. If you want to get back at Castle, take me instead. Because if you don't, I swear to God I'll follow you to the ends of the earth and I'll kill you before he has a chance."

"I don't want you. Sweet little Alexis is better for me, she makes me feel good." He grinned at Alexis, who was shaking behind the shelf.

"She's just a little girl. You want a woman. You know you do."

"You're right. I know what I want. And it certainly isn't you."

"You're not taking her out of this room. You can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you are not taking her."

She moved between the man and Alexis. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Okay." He leveled the gun with her chest and went to squeeze the trigger. He stopped though and thought about what he was doing. "Actually, no, not yet. Move, I want to get to Alexis."

"No."'

"Yes."

Kate stood between him and Alexis. "No." She could feel the scar as acutely as she could the moment she'd been shot, but she didn't back down, not because of what Castle would think, would do, but because Alexis was her daughter and she would die defending her, much as Montgomery had done for her.

The man sighed. "You leave me no choice. You are going to die then."

Lanie moved forward and punched the man in the face. "You pig!" she yelled. "How dare you! Leave her alone!"

Kate picked up her gun without moving from between Alexis and the man. Lanie punched him again, anger radiating from her in waves. She went to punch him again when they heard the door crash open and the guard from outside shouting their names.

"Lanie, it's okay. You can stop now." She said before saying, "In here!" She heard Esposito and Ryan there as well.

"No Kate. He was going to shoot you and I won't let him hurt that sweet girl!"

Ryan came running towards them. He quickly checked the girls and then crouched next to a still shaking Alexis. "Honey, are you alright?"

Alexis looked straight past him to where Kate and Lanie were. "Kate?"

"Lanie?!?" Esposito ran and held Lanie, not caring what anyone thought.

"Ryan, can...can you drive us home?" Kate asked, her voice shaking as she held Alexis.

"Yeah, of course." He looked at his partner and smirked. "They'll be fine without us." He put an arm around Alexis as they headed out of the records room.

Kate sent a quick text to Castle, telling him to meet them at home. Instead of sitting in the front, she sat in back with Alexis.

"Are you two hurt? Should I take you to a hospital first?" Ryan asked, worry evident in his eyes.

"He didn't hurt us." She said to Alexis as much as to Ryan.

"I want my dad," Alexis whispered to Kate as they pulled up to the apartment building. She climbed out and ran off when she saw Castle walking up the path.

"Sweetheart? Sweetheart, what happened," Castle asked, his arms wrapping around Alexis.

"He was going to shoot Kate... and maybe Lanie.... and he wanted to take me with him," she whimpered.

"What? Who?" He looked at Kate and Ryan. "What happened?!?"

"Maybe we should go inside," Kate said, suddenly tired.