Don't own.

"Hey Ryan? Have you seen my dad?"

The detective got his partner's attention at Alexis Castle's sharp tone.

"What's wrong, Alexis?" Ryan asked as Esposito came over to listen the phone conversation.

"My dad, he isn't picking up his phone. We haven't heard from him since we-"

Ryan interrupted the girl. "Alexis, he's probably with Beckett somewhere-"

"He ALWAYS calls me back! Dad's never this-"

Ryan pulled the phone away from his ear at she ripped into him. Esposito was already dialing what he hoped to be Beckett and working on getting the captain's attention.

"You need to calm down sweetheart, I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation to where your dad and Beckett are-" Esposito was shaking his head and closing his phone.

Beckett wasn't picking up.

Damn it. He hated lying.

"Let me talk to your grandmother Alexis, please. We'll figure this out-"

"What's going on?" The captain asked, coming over. Esposito was already on his phone again.

"Castle and Beckett are missing. His daughter is on the phone-"

"Detective Ryan? Alexis and I are coming down to the station." Martha said, worry lacing her tone, driving the detective's attention back to his phone. "He's never gone this long-"

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, Mrs. R. We'll start looking into it directly." Ryan said as the captain started to shout orders.

"Thank you, see you soon." Martha Rogers cut off the connection before Ryan could get another word in otherwise.

"Mrs. R and Alexis are heading down. They're extremely worried." Ryan said as he moved to his desk. "I'm sure that Beckett is probably with him. And I think that they might of kept working the case-"

The captain nodded. "I've sent units to Beckett's place and checking their hangouts. Call Fallon and see if he'll get back in here-"

Ryan nodded and conversations were cut off to rush of paperwork and phone calls.

Two days later they found them.

Apparently they kept working the case. They tracked the bomb to a warehouse where they found Beckett's car parked outside.

Ryan took a deep breath as they searched the car. Beckett's purse was still sitting on the console. Castle's little notebook of story ideas was sitting beside it. Everything looked like it hadn't been touched in days.

He and Esposito traded looks.

Ryan hated being a lair. Hated it with every fiber of his being.

Martha knew it wasn't looking good. Alexis still held out hope.

They were going to break their hearts.

Fallon and the Captain were still at the station, working on another angle of the case that Castle's and Beckett's disappearance had exposed.

He and Esposito were working their friends' disappearance.

"Ready man?"

Ryan pulled his sidearm and nodded. He raised it as Esposito opened the door. They moved in to clear the warehouse as per their training.

"The bomb was here." Esposito responded to their radiation detectors going off. "Bullet holes." He pointed to the wall.

"Yup."

The partners continued to move through the 'house. They stopped short of a set of steel doors that were jerry rigged closed.

Ryan sighed.

Esposito kicked the ground and cursed.

Together, they holstered their weapons and pulled open the doors.

Tears sprung to Ryan's eyes. Esposito moaned next to him. He moved away suddenly, reaching for his phone. Ryan couldn't move away from the sight of his friends.

Halfway down the coffin like freezer, Castle and Beckett sat.

Beckett was curled in his arms, face pressed against his coat. His rested against the top of her's.

Their linked hands were pressed against Beckett's chest.

Ryan hoped that they found their peace.