AN: I don't own Castle.

Okay so this is my brand new story. I've fallen in love with the concept of Kate with young Alexis after reading some Fanfics and I thought I'd write my own. I hope everyone enjoys this story which I have been enjoying writing.

Oh and best of luck for Stana in her married life, hope she's has a long and happy marriage with her new hubby :)

Enjoy!

Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow

Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats

Everybody here wanted something more

Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before

CHAPTER ONE

"Hey Lex just wait here," Richard Castle, author and ruggedly handsome dad began as he pointed toward a small green kiddie chair beside a bookshelf of children's books. The doting dad had just launched his latest book and today was the day of the first official book signing. He had originally planned on having his signing at a big chain bookstore but when his old friend, Tim, from boarding school had come to him claiming that his bookstore was on its last legs he decided that the best way to stop his friend's store from going under was to have his signing there. It was a little bookstore located in central Manhattan situated right next to the local library. Pretty poor location if you asked him.

"Yes daddy I have a enough books to keep me busy for ever and ever." The young redhead announced as she waved her arms back and forth motioning toward a blue book bag that was filled with books that the father and daughter had just borrowed from the library. Alexis promised to keep herself busy while her father signed books and Tim had given her permission to sit in the children's reading corner so she'd be away from all the fuss.

Rick smiled and hugged his little girl to his chest before covering the top of her head in kisses. "Thanks for agreeing to do this sweetheart."

"Anything daddy and I'd rather be here then with a baby sitter." Alexis screwed up her face just briefly before letting her smile fill the room once again.

Her father chuckled softly before hugging her one last time. "Well that's good to hear, I better go though sweetie, people are already queuing up for me to sign their books."

Castle let his daughter go and quickly hurried off toward the other side of the shop. After waving a quick goodbye the young girl picked up her first picture book and began reading aloud. She moved through the pages swiftly only taking longer when she would attempt to sound out a new word. As she approached the end of the book she realised that she had forgotten to get something. Leaning over she began to dig through the book bag in search for her favourite toy – a monkey – named Monkey Bunkey. She had gotten him from her daddy when she was first born, he claimed that he was out when her mommy fell into labour and that he hurried into a newsagency to grab Monkey Bunkey before meeting her at the hospital. After removing a stack of picture books she came to the bottom of the bag without success. Unless her monkey had magic powers and had disappeared he was most definitely missing. Instead of worrying she remained calm thinking back to where she last had Monkey Bunkey. Remembering clearly that it was in the library she placed her books back in the bag and began hurrying toward the front door of the bookshop on a mission. As peered back toward her father she saw that he was busy signing a book so instead of disturbing him she just slipped out unnoticed. The library was right next-door; she would be back within a matter of minutes.

The small redhead hurried along the path toward the library. She paused at the traffic lights just as her dad had taught her and after looking left then right she crossed the road. Her small feet took her straight through the automatic doors at the front of the library and she began moving quickly as the ground changed from pavement to carpet. Silently she began on her way to the tables that were situated between adult books and children's books. Her eyes, like beacons guiding a ship to shore, searched the tables for her furry friend. Her blue eyes finally met with the small monkey and relief flooded throughout her. As she walked closer to her friend's location she spotted that he wasn't alone at the table. Sitting on a chair, previously obscured by a bookshelf, was a young woman. She was tall with her long light brown hair tied into a ponytail and her sharp green eyes were burning into the pages of a book. She was dressed in a deep blue, almost navy uniform, and a hat was perched atop her head. Puzzled for what to do Alexis hung back for a moment. Her daddy had told her never ever to talk to strangers. This lady was a stranger wasn't she? Looking over her again she noticed a badge clipped onto her belt just above her hips. She had seen this badge before; it was a police badge. Her father had told her that police were here to help so after a moment of consideration she hurried toward the girl. As she approached her side she began talking quickly.

"Hi my name is Alexis Castle and my daddy said I could talk to police and that's my monkey over there and I want him back." She knew that her reception teacher would scold her for the use of 'and' so many times in a sentence but that didn't seem to matter.

The tall policewoman looked up from her book at Alexis. A small smile crept across her lips as she reached for the monkey. As she passed him to the young red head she began to speak, "He's a pretty cute little guy you have," she laughed as she patted the soft toy on the head, "What's his name?"

Alexis, eager to receive the attention, nodded quickly "His name is Monkey Bunkey because Bunkey rhymes with monkey," she paused for a moment, "what's yours?"

The young woman tilted her head to the side, "I'm Kate and I used to a have a teddy a bit like Monkey Bunkey when I was your age."

Engrossed in Kate's story Alexis sat herself down on one of the library chairs, "What was his name? Oh and Kate is a very pretty name."

Smiling a bit wider now, which was something she hadn't done in years; Kate continued to speak. "His name was Ruffles."

"Where's Ruffles now?"

Shuddering at the thought of her old furry friends location she answered the young girl's question. "He's at my dad's house." She paused and before giving Alexis enough time to answer she changed the subject. "So where's your mom? Is she looking for you?"

Alexis shook her head quickly, "I don't know, she's gone and my daddy won't really tell me where. I heard daddy say something about another man before she moved away."

Immediately the young traffic cop sympathized with the small girl, neither of them had mothers, "So is your daddy here?"

Moving her hand in a carefree swipe she pointed toward the bookshop, "He's just in the bookshop, I hurried back here to find Monkey Bunkey." Alexis stops talking and kisses her monkey on the head before looking back at Kate.

The detective nodded, "Well shouldn't you go and tell him that you're okay, we wouldn't want him to be worried."

Nodding slowly Alexis was agreeing with Kate. She looked toward the door and just as her eyes met the bookshop she saw her dad. He was hurrying toward the library. "He's coming why don't you stay and meet him?"

Kate was about to agree when a loud buzzing was emitted from a small walkie-talkie like object strapped to her shoulder. Alexis listened in and caught a grainy sounding voice reading out some numbers and saying something about a car and an infringement. Confused at what a uniform infringement, like the ones her teacher gave at school, could have to do with her police woman friend she began to ask a question but Kate was already standing up.

The cop talked quickly into the walkie-talkie before scooping up her novel and tucking it under her arm. "I've gotta go, maybe I'll see you around and I think I can see your dad." She said pointing toward the still blurry outline of her father crossing the street.

Alexis looked up at Kate with a smile. "Yeah I'll see you sometime around too maybe Kate." Alexis let her small arms envelope the young woman's uniform clad body. Surprised at the hug Kate let a single arm wrap around the redhead's shoulders before the small body pulled away.

Alexis watched as Kate began walking toward another entrance, different to the one that her daddy was coming through, and waved one last time. The policewoman didn't see her though and Alexis felt a pang of sadness deep in the pit of her small stomach.

X-X-X-X

Richard Castle began running at record speed toward his young daughter. Relief and annoyance flooded throughout him as he saw her standing beside a table waving toward another entrance. Confused at who she was waving at he approached her and looked at her sternly.

Alexis knew this look meant she was in trouble; she had last gotten this look when she had painted her daddy's toenails while he had been sleeping. She watched as her daddy as he shook his head slowly and began to talk.

"Lex what did you think you were doing? One minute you were there reading and the next you were gone. I looked all through the bookshop for you before hearing one of the people that were coming for a book-signing claim that a red head had crossed the street to the library. You could have been hurt, kidnapped, run over by a car, mugged. Sweetie this is New York and it's not safe for you to go wandering. Why did you go to the library anyway? Have you already run out of books?"

Alexis shook her head quickly at her father before filling him in on the details. "Daddy I was reading one of my books when I realised that I hadn't got Monkey Bunkey out of the book bag so I was thinking about the last place I had him and that was the library. I left the bookshop and crossed the street at a red light checking left and right before running in. I saw that at the table with my monkey was a lady so I approached her…"

"You know I told you not to talk to strangers Lex?" Rick cut in off in an almost scolding tone.

Alexis nodded, "Yeah daddy but she wasn't a stranger she was a police woman and you said it was okay to talk to police. So anyway I went up and asked for my monkey and she said he was really cute and that her name was Kate. We started to talk and I sort of forgot at the you might have been worried but I'm all okay and I don't think Kate would kidnap me."

Castle smiled at his daughter, she was always so logical. "Well sweetie next time you should come and get me before going anywhere by yourself."

"But daddy you were busy and it was an emergency. Monkey Bunkey was in trouble."

Rick Castle just shook his head. "Maybe you should tell him to be more careful. Monkey Bunkey don't run away again!" Castle held his pointer finger out sternly as though he was a schoolteacher scolding a child not a writer scolding a toy.

Alexis giggled at her father as she held the monkey close to her chest. "Daddy you're silly."

Castle tilted his head to the side as he let his arms envelope the small girl. "Don't ever do anything like that again Lex."

The small head nodded as she nuzzled her face into his shirt. "Okay daddy, I promise."

Rick scooped up the small girl and propped her atop his shoulders. They were about to get back to the bookshop to help clean up after the signing, which had been cut short. He planned on rescheduling just because the owner was his friend but he was to think about that later. He glanced across the sea of tables in the library just to check that Alexis hadn't left anything behind. His blue eyes suddenly settled on a mobile phone that was lying atop the table, which his daughter and that cop woman had been sitting at just before.

"Lex was that phone there when you were talking to that police woman before?" He settled his daughter on the ground and pointed.

She nodded letting her little red piggy tails bounce about with her head, "Yeah that was Kate's phone, I saw her looking at it before."

Richard paced over toward the table and scooped up the phone. Pressing lightly on the home button a picture filled the screen. It was a photo of a pair of women standing before an elephant. It looked like it had been taken on Thailand on a holiday or something. He showed the picture to his daughter. "Does either of these women look like that Kate girl?"

Alexis nodded and pointed with her little finger at the girl standing on the left. She couldn't have been much older then fifteen when the picture was taken and she was dressed in a leather jacket with leather pants. Thick black eye makeup surrounded her vibrant green eyes. The longer he continued to stare at the photo the more he wanted to give the phone back. He turned the little device off and turned to face his daughter. "Lex we are officially on a mission," he was greeted by a puzzled look from his daughter, "we have to track down this Kate girl and give her her phone back."

AN: Okay so chapter one down, many to go.

UP NEXT: Castle and his little fiery redhead search for the owner of the mobile.

Reviews are inspiring and I hope to get a few before my next update. I love all of your feedback and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.