A/N: This was a prompt sent in by killianthehero on tumblr.
The original prompt's instructions were to give a pairing, an AU setting
and I'd give a three sentence fic. It kinda turned into a scene. This is for you
Maii. 3
"Any news on our missing mother and son?" Castle bounced into the precinct, hands grasping two steaming cups of coffee in each hand.
Kate was leaning against her desk. Her arms folded across her chest tightly as she pondered over the large board in front of her. The crease that gave away her frustration over their lack of details deepened as she leaned to grab one of the cups from her partner's outstretched hand. "An anonymous caller phoned in last night. They said they heard some sort of loud commotion on the rooftop the night before Emma Swan and her son disappeared."
She stood upright, one hand on her hip, the other under her chin. She walked towards the board, her eyes scanning the timeline. Her finger rested on a spot towards the end.
"Right here," she used another finger to point out a second event, "is where a resident remembers a 'strangely dressed man' enter the apartment complex." She moved her finger slightly to the right. "Here is where her neighbor recalls Miss Swan allowing the man inside her apartment." She took a pen to jot down some writing a few pegs down. "This new information fits just a few hours after those events."
Castle squinted his eyes. "That's the night before other residents remember Emma, her son, Henry, and the strangely dressed man, leaving the apartment complex. They also left most of their personal belongings behind, indicating they'd be back at some point."
Kate sighed and leaned back against her desk. "I don't know, Castle. They've been gone for a month now and nobody has seen them. The trace on her yellow volkswagon tells us they were headed up the coast towards Maine. That's when our leads run out. It's like they disappeared in thin air."
Castle shifted his weight to another foot, his brow creasing in concentration. "What if they did disappear in thin air?"
Kate lowered her head to the side. A look of disbelief shadowed her expression. "Really?"
"Think about it, what if they entered into some sort of alternate universe? It might explain the way the man was dressed. How did the neighbor's describe it? 'Lots of leather, almost like a new-agey pirate.'" Castle pivoted so he was facing Kate and his two new onlookers: Ryan and Esposito. "What if this woman came from this alternate universe? We know from her history that she was found on the side of a street as a baby with no indication as to who her parents are, and she's lived at several address her entire life. But for a year and a half she completely disappeared off the map, save for one time she was tracked taking a plane to Manhattan. What happened to her after that?"
"She disappeared off the grid again," Ryan answered, clearly interested.
Esposito and Kate shot Ryan a disappointed look.
"Exactly!" Castle responded. "What if she was living in an alternate universe for that year? But something scared her away, whether it be an invasion of hostile aliens or hybrid creatures. That's why she came back to New York with her son, who also mysteriously disappeared to some 'Storybrooke, Maine' according to his adoption records, which doesn't exist, by the way. Up until a few weeks ago, she lived a happy life with her son; a normal one, mimicking the lives of other New York residents. Until this man in leather returned, summoning her back to the alternate universe from which she came."
Castle finished, smiling at his theory. Ryan was nodding his head slowly, while Esposito and Kate stared ahead with blank expressions.
"Exciting little fairytale story you are working on there, Castle," Kate said. "But I'm looking for something a little bit more realistic."