Just wanted to start off by saying I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! I really don't know what happened but I have started again and have a few chapters planned/written so uploads will be much more frequent unless homework is piled on, which seeing as I am doing yr 12 it will be…. ANYWAY! Thank you all SO MUCH for all the reviews and also any ideas would be great too :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, you know this :(
They all just stared at him, dumbfounded. Jaws slack and mouths slightly ajar.
'You really do think you're from the future.' Ryan stumbled out after a few minutes of silence.
'You guys know me. Do you honestly think I would make something like this up?' Castle's tone was soft and pleading. He turned to Beckett, 'Kate, would I lie about something like this?'
'To be honest Castle I am just trying to let this all sink in. I mean you fought in a war? You who screams at a dead body.' her last comment extracted a slight chuckle from the group.
'Hey I didn't scream!' Castle whined but then turned completely serious as he looked them in the eyes, 'but seriously, do you believe me or do you need more proof?'
Esposito spoke up for the first time since they had entered the small diner, 'Castle you know you're my partner and all but this is a lot to get down. I think I need some proof.'
Castle nodded silently. 'All of you be at my place at 8 tomorrow morning'
'Hold on a second. Tomorrow morning? Why not now, why not tonight?' Beckett interrupted.
'I'm gonna cut out early, I have a lot to process and just need some time.' Castle replied smoothly. With that said he got up put some money on the table for his lunch and left.
'Do you think he's telling the truth?' Ryan asked Beckett
'I don't know Ryan. I just don't know.' she answered, her eyes watching Castle as he walked in the direction of his apartment in TriBeCa.
Castle didn't get a cab as he needed the walk to his apartment to clear his head. So many things were running his head. 'how did they find him?' 'how did they get here?' 'how was everyone?' 'how was Inara?' 'was Kaylee and Simon still together?'
But the biggest thought running through his head was what was he going to do? He loved his life on Serenity with his crew, but he also loves Alexis and everyone at the twelfth. With the exception of Gates, of course.
When Castle got to his apartment block he didn't even hear Ernie the door man greet him as he moved to the elevator on auto pilot.
"Richard darling! You have a very special visitor eating all the strawberries" Martha called to Castle as he walked through the front door
A smile crept on to Castle's face for the first time since that morning.
"KAYLEE!" Castle shouted as he moved towards the kitchen.
At that moment a brunette in her mid twenties came running around the corner and straight into Castle's open arms.
"MAL!" Kaylee shouted as she hugged him tightly. "You got old Cap'n" she giggled into his embrace.
"Well maybe you should have come earlier" Castle teased as he hugged the small girl back.
The next morning Castle laid in bed thinking over the previous night
"Dad! You'll never guess what happened at scho-" Alexis ran through the door but stopped in her tracks when she saw her Dad sitting on the couch with some girl she had never seen before.
"Dad!" Kaylee asked,
"Hi Pumpkin" Castle smiled "this is an old friend of mine, Kaylee. Kaylee, this is my daughter, Alexis."
"Pleased to meet ya, Alexis" Kaylee beamed at the young girl
"Nice to meet you too" Alexis said as she shook the hand being offered to her.
By that time Martha had reappeared from the stairs upon hearing Alexis come home to help clear everything up.
As Castle was broken out of his memory by Alexis and her new friend Kaylee bursting through the door.
"Dad! Kaylee has never had pancakes before! We have to make them for her" Alexis and Kaylee stop by his door smiling like two Cheshire Cats.
"Just give me a moment" Castle sighed as the two girls ran off giggling.
Castle was happy that Kaylee and Alexis had bonded and even that Alexis had begged for Kaylee to stay the night but Castle was still unsure as to what to do. How would Beckett react to all this? How would she react if he left?
Castle was still in love with Kate. That much he was sure of but was his mother, man he'd gotten used to calling her that but in so many ways she was his mother, right in saying that he should move on? She had said that when he first left his old life and he was happy now but he just didn't think it could be like that with Kate. Like he could just forget her.
There was no doubting the fact that Kaylee was Mal's favourite. She always had been. So he knew that these had to be special pancakes and that called for chocolate chips, maple syrup, whipped cream, strawberries and more whipped cream... Lots more whipped cream! As he set the plate down in front of his old mechanic he couldn't help but smile at the look of absolute shock and sheer joy on Kaylee's face as she set her eyes on the breakfast that lay before her. Not long after Mal had made the girls their second serving of pancakes there was a knock at the door and Martha opened it to three detectives.
"He's in the kitchen" she smiled as she opened the door and led them to the living room with Kate taking her time to enter, still skeptical about everything.
"Morning everyone" Castle half smiled as he walked in and introduced the gang to Kaylee and vice versa.
After everyone was settled, and promised not to butt in untill he was finished, Castle started.
"Okay, so, I am from the future where I owned and captained a ship called Serenity. She was a Firefly class transport ship and she was our home," Mal paused, smiling at the fond memories he held, "Kaylee here is the best damn mechanic you can find in the whole 'verse!" Mal exclaimed, his accent slowly coming back. "Anyway, a big war started between the Alliance, like the Government and the Independents, or Browncoats. We lost a lot of good men in the war and I made friends with Zoe, whom you met yesterday."
"I know you said not to but in, but you fought in the war?" Ryan asked confused
"Yes" Mal replied, "as I was saying, after the war ended we remained on the other side of the fight and would annoy the Alliance at any opportunity. Then, after a cross 'verse chase we ended up leaking huge government secrets that made the Alliance look really bad and made them furious with us. Especially me. Then a few months later the caught me on a border planet and instead of jail time they sent me here, to the past, to Earth That Was. Well that's the short and less complicated version." Mal finished and was met with three blank stares from the three detectives opposite him.
"So Martha isn't your mom?" Esposito was the first to speak up
"No, I asked to be sent here as I always had a passion for theatre and so they got me to keep an eye on young Malcolm over here and it was easier to go along with the story that I was his mother as we thought it best to stick together." Martha replied.
"Look I know this is a lot to take in," Mal started as he locked eyes with Kate, "but nothing is set in stone, I don't know if I will stay or go"
"But Cap'n you have to come back! You can't just stay here and leave us. Think of Zoe, first she lost Wash and I can't even begin to tell you what she was like when you went. She needs you. We all need you" Kaylee butted in
"I haven't made up my mind yet mèimei. Besides, I have Alexis to think of and a whole life here." Castle interjected.
"Are you actually serious Rick? Some person from the future shows up and you are just going to drop everything and go back with her. Are you just going to leave everything we have?" Beckett spoke for the first
time since getting there
"Kate. I haven't decided anything yet. I loved my life there and miss everyone but I love my life here and I love the people here too." Castle said, looking directly into her eyes. "I need time to think things over and I of course need to talk to Alexis. I just wanted the three of you to hear the whole story as you are my closest friends here." Castle said as he looked at all three of them.
"Well, whatever your decision bro, I'll support you" the Latino detective said as he stood to leave and think things through
"Me too Castle" the Irish detective said as he offered a small smile
"Thanks guys" Castle smiled back.
As the three detectives left the loft Kaylee and Alexis also left to give Castle some time to think things over.
