Disclaimer: I do not own anything here!
Leia was sitting on a very fancy chair in a vary fancy table with her parents's very fancy friends, meaning that she was bored to dead and everyone around her was talking about boring stuff like economics and their tennis and golf practice.
The first three times she tried to make a run for it her "father" had place a glare on her that told her if she didn't stay put he would make her life miserable.
Good thing she was a rebel.
In the exact moment her father looked away to listen to some boring opinion about some opera, she successfully made a run for it.
She ran for the bathrooms that weren't too far from the table and provided a great excuse if she was caught. She was almost safe when she ran into someone's legs.
Oh, crap!
She bounced off and would've fell on the floor if the guy hadn't grabbed her shoulders with both hands and secured her.
"Oh, careful there. Are you okay?"
She looked up to see the blue, kind eyes and true smile on the man's face.
"Ahhh, yes. Thanks."
"Ei! Aren't you the daughter of that Jackland guy?"
"Yeah. I'm Leia. Who are you?"
"Richard Castle." he said stepping back and giving his hand for her to shake.
"Let me guess. You're a lawyer too."
Rick only cracked a smile like he was amused with her.
"Actually, I'm a writer. Your dad say you've read some of my stuff."
Her eyes grew wide "You're that Richard Castle?"
He nodded.
"Oh, wow. My sister loved your books and me too."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about your sister. Your dad mentioned you were adopted."
"Yep. Mr. Jackass took me away from my sister and doesn't let me see her. I miss her."
And she did miss her big sister. The one that used to look after her all the time, put up with her tantrums and play with her. The same sister that kicked the bullies in their sorry ass.
And her Jackass of a dad didn't let her see Lyra. They had changed addresses three times and somehow Lyra was always able to find her. But the last time she was able to do so had been a year or so ago. And that was a long time without seeing your sister.
"I think that sucks and it's not very fair."
"I'm not worried, though. She always finds me."
"I bet she's a great sister."
"She really is."
"Okay. You have to go to the bathroom and I have to get back to the boring people."
The man made a little wave with his hand and gave her a smile and then he sidestepped her to leave.
For some reason that she couldn't get, Leia felt impelled to stop him. Maybe because she was bored. Maybe because this was probably the first person she didn't felt the need to make pretty and answer politely. Maybe it was that this guy felt real and not fake like everyone else in the dinning room table.
"Wait. Can't you just hang out with me for a while? I don't really need to go to the bathroom. I was just bored."
Rick turned around smiling and nodded his head, moving to the little couch just outside the bathroom - why the hell was there a couch outside a freaking bathroom? - and patted the sit beside his.
"I was bored too. This fancy people are just boring."
She cracked a smile and sat beside him, pulling her legs up on the couch. And even just that little gesture felt good, because with her father everything she did had to be practiced and posed and good girls do not put their legs up on couches.
"So, Leia. Your parents were fans of Star Wars or something?"
"Oh, big time. They just loved Star Wars. They met at the movies. They were both seeing Star Wars, so they thought it was a great name for a child. If I was a boy they would've called me Luke."
"That's awesome. My wife didn't let me name my son after any character."
"You have a son?"
"Oh, yeah. His name is Nathan. And I also have an older daughter named Alexis, but she's all grown up. My little one is four."
"He must be a lucky boy."
"Yeah, he's with the kid Whisperer."
Leia raised an eyebrow. Who?
"His babysitter. She is amazing with kids. You should see her. Actually I have a picture of both of them in my phone."
He pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and tapped a few buttons.
"Here." he said, showing her a picture of an adorable little boy, all brown hair a blue eyes with a irresistible smile posing to the camera like he was a superhero. And behind him, trying to hide a smile was her sister.
Leia's heart stopped and then began again faster.
Oh, God! It was her sister in the picture. She had found her!
Well, technically she didn't actually found her, but whatever! She had her sister in a picture. She knew where she was.
"That's my sister." and she could feel the tears of joy stinging her eyes.
"What?"
"That's my sister. You found her. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Can you bring me to her? Please, Mr. Castle. I need to see her."
"I- I can't- Leia, I can't just grab you and take you. I have to get your father's permission, otherwise they'll accuse me of kidnapping."
Her heart sunk a bit in her chest. So close, yet so far away.
"Oh." she said, nodding her head slowly, the tears of joy being replaced by tears of desperation and sadness. "I understand. You can't help me."
"No, no. I didn't say that. I said I couldn't take you to her now. But I'll come up with something to bring you two back together."
Maybe there was still hope.
"Really?"
"Really. I cross my heart and hope to die." he said raising one of his hands and making a cross on top of the left side of his chest, where his heart would have been. And his face was so serious that he had to believe him.
In an impulsive move, she leapt forward and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. Rick was stunned at once, but after the initial shock had passed he hugged her back and she could honestly say that in that precise moment she felt safe and she felt hope. Everything that this last year that she had spent sister-less had taken from her, she felt coming back again.
She felt more like a person and less like an object that man like Jackland jackass used to parade around.
"Thank you, Mr. Castle." she whispered "You're a really great huger."
He let her go and smiled.
"Why, thank you. That's very nice of you. Now we should be heading back, before someone gets suspicious and comes looking for us."
Her shinning smile fell a bit. She did not want to get back there.
"Don't worry. I'll make you sit by my side, so neither of us gets bored." he winked at her and both of them got up and moved back to where the boring people where finishing their dinner.
Rick somehow managed to move their sits so he was sitting next to her and could tell her his diabolical plan to get her sister and her back together.
She was really excited by it. It was simple and effective and no one would get hurt. It was a great plan.
So by the end of the dinner, when everyone was shaking hands and pretending that they were just so sad that they couldn't indulge in each other's company, Rick went to her father and praised him for raising such a great girl and praising his intelligence and what not.
It was just like her father had once told her - not her real father of course - 'Flattery will get you everywhere.'
And the best part of this plan was that the only thing she had to do was smile and bat her eyelashes.
"Like I was saying Mr. Jackland, you have such an amazing daughter and she told me she likes to read and I have this annual event where I read for kids at the New York public library. So, I was thinking that she could do the reading instead of me."
"In a charity event? With publicity?"
"If you prefer, we could cut the press and she would do it for the kids."
"No, no. The press is just fine. Okay, then. I don't see why not."
"Great." Castle said clasping his hands together, like if it was the universal gesture to close a deal. "But I think it would be better if she started practicing."
"Practicing?"
"Oh, yeah. We wouldn't want for her to get there and choke in front of the press or misspell a word, would we? I think she should come by the loft once a week or so. What do you think?"
"Hmmm, yeah. I think it wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Great. See you tomorrow, for our little practice." Rick said turning slightly to her, so her father wouldn't see him winking his eye at her.
Her father and Rick shook hands and then Rick turned around and left, leaving her smiling.
She would see her sister tomorrow. After an entire year she would really see her sister. And this time around, she would be the one finding her.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing, daddy."
"Good girls don't smile at nothing." he reprimanded, making her roll her eyes.
Again with the good girl crap.
"I'm sorry daddy." she said anyway, because it wouldn't be pretty if she contradicted him and tomorrow she would finally see her sister again and not even jackass rich guys that used her like they used tailored suits and diamond cuffs and fancy silk ties could ruin that for her.
A/N: So, what d'ya think of Leia?
