Hello!

This is a school project, our english teacher wanted us to write a story based on a book quote. I've decided to take it one one step further mixing Castle on that combination.

Well, it has nothing to do with the real story on Castle, but I won't tell you about it, you'll have to read and see.

Thanks to wolfergirl, my awesome beta :)

A.V

P.S: The quote line will make much more sense on upcoming chapter.

"Have you ever met someone for the first time, but in your heart you feel as if you've met them before?"
― JoAnne Kenrick, When A Mullo Loves A Woman

"How is he?" Alexis asked with a worried tone.

By now she was already familiar with the doctor's office decoration and furniture, as she had visited it twice per a week for almost 5 five years. The paintings on the walls, the plants on the window, the doctor's cologne smell. She could describe perfectly every single detail about of it.

Josh Davidson looked at the redhead with a serious face.

"Your father hasn't make made any progression at all. In fact, I believe he's getting worse and worse," he said, and his eyes drifting to his computer. He clicked an icon named R.A.C. "He still believes that he was sent to this hospital to keep him away from Detective Heat,." Dr. Davidson read Castle's file.

Alexis asked to see her father. A nurse came to take her through the hallways; rather unnecessary, since Alexis knew perfectly how to get there, she had been to that room more times than she could even count. As they walked, Alexis saw the other patients across through their open doors; some were sleeping, some were playing cards, some had visitors, but none of them looked happy at all. She guessed it was the whole hospital environment:, it was terribly depressing.

When they finally arrived to Castle's room the nurse repeated the rules to follow. Alexis already knew them by heart, but it was part of the protocol. Everything in the hospital was controlled by protocol. It was easy to understand why her father hated it that so much, but she didn't couldn't understand why didn't he try to get better and get out of that place. The nurse left the redhead's side to give her some father and daughter quality time.

Richard was looking through the window, his gaze lost somewhere over the horizon.

"Dad?" The the young woman murmured while knocking on the door.

Rick looked at her and smiled. Despite his grin, Alexis only saw the face of a restless and tortured man. Her heart broke when she compared the warm, funny man that had raised her to the one that was sitting in front of her. His eyes were swollen and red from crying and, his hair had started to turn gray, Richard Castle was definitely not happy in this hospital.

"Hey, Pumpkin," he said in a low voice tone. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Your doctor called, he said you are still not trying to get better."

"I don't need to get better, Alexis," he said looking at her seriously. "I'm perfectly fine. I was perfectly fine before they put me in here, you know that."

Alexis sighed.

"It's all a conspiracy." His daughter had heard this theory over a hundred times. "I'm not sure why yet, but I think they want to keep me away from Nikki. Or they want to get back at my dad," he finished.

"Dad, you are here because you need to get your treatment," she said covering her eyes with a tired hand. "Not because of Nikki Heat, and definitely not because of Grandpa."

"You listen to me, Alexis. Your grandfather is a spy, a good one, and that's why they have me here. To make him suffer."

"Dad, Grandpa was a soldier. He died during the war in Vietnam," she explained. He looked at her, lost and angry at the same time.

"Is that what they want you to believe?"

"That's what Grams told me."

Castle stopped talking and went back to look through the window. From where Alexis was sitting, the whole situation was pretty depressing. Her father had been a famous writer on his best days. He was loved by some and hated by many, but he was the person that Alexis could always relay on. Until that car accident.

It had happened one night after one of his books signings. Castle and his late wife, Gina, were driving back home when a drunk driver hit their car. Gina had died on the spot, but her dad survived. Doctors had said that her dad was a lucky guy; at first Alexis thought so too, but as the time went by she started to realize that having him back like this was worse than not having him at all.

"Alexis, go and talk to Detective Heat," the former writer said after a while. "She'll tell you I'm right, she'll back up my story."

"Detective Heat is a product of your imagination, Dad," Alexis said with watery eyes.

"She is real!" Castle hit the table with his fist. He was not crazy, he could remember everything so vividly. "I've been following and helping her for more than four years. She is my girlfriend." Alexis couldn't hold the tears anymore.

"No she's not, Dad," she sobbed. "You had an accident four years ago, you were diagnosed with a mild psychosis and you have been in this room since then," the redhead ranted. Castle looked at her confused. "You haven't been shadowing any detective, that's all in your mind. You can't differentiate between what is real and what is fantasy unless you drink your pills and try to get better."

He opened his mouth to talk but she cut him off.

"No, Dad.. I don't want to hear about it." Alexis stood up and walked towards the door. "Instead of worrying so much of about a person, a product of your imagination, you should worry about real people, the ones that are worried about you. Grams retired from Broadway, because she couldn't handle it anymore after you were gone; I had no friends in high school nor I have now in college because I'm 'the loony's daughter'."

It had been horrible. Alexis remembered all the names-calling during high school, coming home every day to find her grandmother crying, holding tight one of Richard's pictures tightly.

"Our lives ended the day you lost your mental health, and I wouldn't even care about it if I'd knew that you'd at least try to get better," the redhead added, holding the door knob firmly.

Without saying good-bye to her father, she left the room and closed the door behind her, resting her back against it. Tears came out of her eyes, she had no control over them. She was alone. First her mother had left them and now her father lived in an alternate reality. Was this part of growing up? When did her little perfect world become so up-side-down?