Castle's partner

The Three

My eyes open slowly, my body feeling like it weighs a thousand pounds and can't move.

My eyes burn like hell, and so do my lungs.

I become vaguely aware of Alexis next to me, shaking me and calling my name.

The muted sound becomes more prominent, and I shoot upwards.

Alexis grabs onto me, her eyes completely bloodshot from the chloroform, and I'm sure I look the same.

She hugs me, fear and relief written on her face.

"How long were we out?"

"I have no idea." She replies. "You were out a little longer than both of us, probably because you're smaller." She gestures to Sarah who's sitting on a cot.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Well let's find out." She stomps on the ground, and it echoes. "We aren't in the bottom floor or a basement."

"And do you hear that? No traffic noise. So we're not in New York City anymore, unless this is really soundproof."

"We're still in our clothes, and we have blankets and beds. They probably want us alive."

At this, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I can't go through what I went through again, I'm not sure my body could take that. I'm glad they don't have to go through that either.

My brain is working slower than usual though because of the drugs flooding my system.

"Why would someone kidnap us?" Alexis asks.

"This isn't something related to me, Tyson wouldn't be this nice. You'd already be dead if it was him."

We both turn to Sarah.

"My father has a lot of enemies back in Egypt, but he's rich. We might have been taken for randsom and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm so sorry." She sighs, but then her face brightens. "My dad made me sit through a class about what to do if you get kidnapped. Do not make eye contact, try to build a relationship, make yourself vulnerable."

"How are we supposed to build a relationship if we can't make eye contact?"

Just as she finishes speaking, a tiny window on the door slides open, and a man's eyes are revealed.

Instinctively, I grab Alexis's hand.

She smiles at me reassuringly.

"Slide the food tray under the door," the man says with an Arabic accent.

Alexis inches her way closer to the door.

"My name's Alexis, and this is Sarah and Samantha-"

"Slide the food tray under the door." He says again, cutting her off.

They don't move, so I do what he asks. As soon as I do, he closes the window.

My heart is beating so loudly, I'm sure the man can hear it on the other side of the door.

My hands shake at my sides, and I clench my fists to hide it.

"Samantha, it's okay. They're not going to hurt us this time." Alexis hugs me tightly.

"This time?" Sarah asks. "You've been kidnapped before?"

I nod slightly.

---------------------------------------------------

Castle pov

The call for the murder came in last night.

A man, was hit by a car. We have found a bunch of surveillance stuff in his apartment, and we tracked him to a girl named Sarah el-Masri.

We found out she was kidnapped from a lecture last night, so we are going there now to see if anyone saw her or her kidnappers.

We arrive, and talk to the man who had a list of names of people who were here.

"Yes that girl was here last night."

"Did you see her talking to anyone?" Beckett asks.

"Yes, the two girls she came with. Both redheads."

I look at the list again.

"Oh Alexis was here, maybe that's who she was talking to. I'll call her."

I pull out my phone and dial her number.

Seconds later, I hear a phone ring on the other side of the room.

"That's the ringtone Alexis uses for me."

The man with the list digs through a drawer until he finds the ringing phone.

I take it from him, my hands now violently shaking.

"They took Alexis too."

Beckett's eyes widen and her jaw drops slightly.

The car ride to the precinct is silent, my mind racing but the world is turning so slowly.

The FBI puts me in a room with Sarah's parents, and someone explains to me what's going on, but I don't catch half his words.

----------------------------------------------------

Ryan pov

My mind is still trying to comprehend the fact that Alexis was kidnapped. She is practically my niece too, and I can't believe this is happening.

Espo, Castle, Beckett and I are all in the same room.

Then for some reason I realize I haven't seen Samantha in a few days.

I pull out my phone to call her, but after ringing five or six times, it goes to voicemail.

I decide to call Oliver because she is with him. He picks up right away.

"Hello?"

I put it on speaker, and I'm not sure why.

"Hey, Oliver, is Samantha there with you? Can I talk to her?"

"She's not with me. She went with Alexis to a lecture last night and I figured they stayed together."

At this, the whole room goes silent, my stomach plummets.

"They took Samantha too."