AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello everyone! Surprise surprise, I'm back with a new story for the 2020 Halloween Bash.

Writing this story has been a difficult emotional journey for me. Let's just say, the original version was going to end in a very dark, heavy place, which isn't usually my style, but this story needed to come out, so I've been struggling with it for a while. Happily, I finally figured out how to get to a better ending. I hope you'll like it.

A few other notes:

* There are 7 or 8 chapters depending on how I decide to break it up; either way, the final chapter will be posted on Halloween.

* I've played fast and loose with the series timeline here, particularly as relates to Alexis's age. Just go with it, k?

* Huge thanks to Travis (LordOfKavaka) for the lovely cover art!

* And finally, for those of you who need this to be stated up front (you know who you are) - yes there is a dog in this fic, and no, the dog does NOT die.

Thanks for reading!

Prologue

It's the phone call she has been dreading.

"Katie?"

"Aunt Teresa?" The voice on the other end of the line is tearful and verging on panic. "I - I think I've made a big mistake."

A careful deep breath; she forces her voice to stay calm. "You did it, didn't you? The spell we discussed."

"I know you told me not to," her niece cries. "But I just - I just had to know. And now..." An anguished sob, ripping across the wires to tear at Teresa's heart. "I don't know what I've done."

"Katie, listen to me." Her voice remains calm as a mountain lake, despite the ice of apprehension gripping her throat. "Is it your mother? Is she... back?"

Another sob. "I was going to. But I remembered what you said... about coming back wrong... that it wouldn't really be her."

"That's right." A slight easing of the tension in her chest, cautious relief. "There are some things our family's gifts are not meant for, much though we might desire it."

"I know, but..." In the background a whuffling noise, a quiet whine from a furry throat. "Shh," Katie whispers, muffled, "it's gonna be okay." Then into the phone, "Aunt Teresa, you have to help me. I don't know what happened, what I did, but it's... something isn't right. I don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out, honey. Is your father there? Put him on the phone."

"I, he's..." A painful pause. "He's... sleeping."

Passed out, more like. Teresa's heart twists again with sorrow for her bereaved brother and his grieving child. "Okay, Katie, okay. Don't worry. Take a deep breath, and tell me everything."

Chapter 1

(Ten Years Later)

"Alexis! Where are you?"

Rick Castle moved as quickly as he could through the crowd of adults and kids. He wasn't panicking, he told himself. No. It had only been a moment since he'd lost track of his daughter. He could handle it. She was definitely here... somewhere.

It was an unseasonably warm day for October, and the Halloween party at the playground was in full swing. Parents and costumed kids swarmed, talking and laughing in the glow of the pumpkin-shaped lights that had been strung up all around the little park. Chocolate was everywhere.

Halloween was Rick's favorite holiday, and he had been enjoying himself enormously, up until about a minute ago when he'd noticed that Alexis was no longer visible.

Rick wasn't normally the kind of parent to lose his cool when he couldn't see his kid for a minute; but then, they weren't usually at the playground after dark, and it wasn't usually this crowded.

"Alexis!" he called again, his eyes darting, trying to look everywhere at once.

If Rick hadn't been looking downward, he might not have seen the dog right away; but his attention was directed at child-height, and he stopped short in surprise when his gaze fell onto the animal instead. It was staring directly at him.

It was huge - a big black dog with thickly muscled shoulders and wide paws, its fur shining softly in the early-evening light. Its eyes were dark and focused, looking straight at Rick.

As soon as the dog saw that it had Rick's attention, it came forward, letting out a demanding bark that pierced through the cheerful crowd noise. Rick flinched when the dog opened its jaws and moved toward him, but it didn't hesitate. Those big white teeth took hold of his hand - surprisingly gently - and tugged.

"What? I - what are you doing?" Rick stammered stupidly. What the hell? He was talking to a dog as if it could understand him, as if it could respond. Ridiculous... But... There was a strange glimmer in those deep dark eyes...

Another tug on his hand, more insistent now. Instinct had Rick resisting, trying to pull back, but the dog held on, a whine coming from its throat as it pulled him to one side.

Left with little choice, he took a step toward the dog, and then another as the creature backed away, and then another again. Satisfied, the dog released his hand and turned to continue in the same direction, shooting a glance over its wide shoulder to make sure Rick was still following. To his surprise, he was; he found himself moving after the dog, jostling and zigzagging around other people to keep the animal in sight.

"Wait," he said, again chiding himself for talking to a dog. "Look, I really have to-" But he stopped short as he saw where the dog was leading him.

"Alexis!"

"Daddy!"

Relief flooded through him at the sight of his daughter, whole and unharmed. She was standing with her back pressed against a small tree, and gave the dog a wary look before surging forward and into Rick's arms.

"There you are, pumpkin," he said, exhaling carefully, hugging her firmly, but not too tightly - not enough that she would notice how his hands trembled. "You're fine. Everything's okay."

"I couldn't find you," she said. "But the doggie told me to stay here."

"Told you?" Rick echoed, frowning. He looked down at the dog again. That intensity he'd seen in its eyes was gone, and now it just looked like a perfectly normal - if huge - happy dog, sitting with its tongue lolling out and its tail thumping cheerfully against the ground.

"He pushed me to the tree and made me stay there," Alexis said with a little shrug. "I told him I didn't know where my daddy was, and he made me stay there, and then he went and got you." She tilted her head, regarding the dog with curiosity now that she was safe in Rick's arms. "Do you think he's magic?"

"Maybe," Rick agreed, smiling as the last of his brief panic faded away. "But we should probably find his owner, or-"

"There you are," said a calm voice, and Rick's eyebrows went up as he caught sight of the woman approaching.

She wore a police uniform, but with a pointy black hat perched on top of her head in place of the uniform cap. She walked toward them with the easy, rolling gait of a beat cop, and the dog jumped up instantly, moving to her side to receive a pat on the head and fall into step with her.

"Everything okay over here?" she asked, and although her eyes were in shadow, Rick could feel her looking over him and Alexis, assessing.

"We're fine," Alexis piped up before Rick could respond. "I lost my daddy, and your doggie found him for me."

"Ah." Unsurprised, the cop patted the dog's head again. "That's good. Good boy, Mickey."

"Yes, I'm very grateful, Officer," Rick said, flashing a sheepish smile. "I just took my eyes off Alexis for a minute, and then I couldn't find her in the crowd."

"I'm glad we were here, then," the cop replied, watching as Alexis wriggled out of Rick's arms and back down onto the ground. Bolder now, the little girl approached the dog and gave him a pat of her own. Rick kept an eye on them, still a bit wary, although he was remembering how the dog had taken hold of his hand: insistent, yet doing no damage. Those sharp teeth hadn't even broken the skin.

"I like your costume," the officer was saying to Alexis. "Princess Leia is one of my favorites too."

"She's the best princess," Alexis and Rick said in unison. The cop chuckled softly.

"Yeah, she is," she agreed.

The woman shifted then, so that the light fell on her face for the first time, and Rick's gaze caught hers.

A jolt went through him as their eyes met, and he blinked, feeling the breath momentarily stop in his throat.

Her eyes were deep green, and shadowed in some indefinable way that had nothing to do with the hat on her head or the dark of the night. There was something in those eyes that he couldn't name, but it was pulling at him, irresistible.

The cop held his gaze, her expression cool and composed, giving away nothing. He felt like he could drown in those eyes; like he could spend his whole life trying to solve the mystery that lurked behind them.

Alexis broke into the moment, her little forehead creased as she looked up at the woman. "Are you really a policewoman?"

The cop's expression softened as she turned her attention back to the child. "I'm a witch, see?" she replied, pointing to her witchy hat. But under the bore of Alexis's level stare, she added, "And yes, I'm also a policewoman."

Alexis gave a satisfied nod. "And your doggie helps you fight crime." Solemnly, she addressed the dog. "Thank you for finding my daddy for me."

A wide pink tongue came out and licked Alexis's cheek, making her giggle. "Mickey says you're welcome," the cop translated, her tone serious, although there was a quirk to her lips.

"Mickey is a funny name for a dog," Alexis said. "Isn't it, Daddy? Like Mickey Mouse."

"Yeah, funny," Rick said absently; he was distracted by attempting to catch the woman's eye again, to feel again that strange electric shock that had gone through him when they made eye contact for the first time. But the cop's attention was on the dog, and she wouldn't meet Rick's eyes.

"He's actually named after a baseball player," she said in answer to Alexis, smiling now. "But I do love Mickey Mouse too."

"I like his name. He's a good dog." Alexis gave the dog a final pat and then turned her little face up toward Rick. "Daddy, can we go home now? I'm tired."

"Sure, pumpkin. We need to rest up for trick-or-treating tomorrow anyway," he said, scooping his daughter up into his arms again. But he still couldn't quite tear himself away from the cop, even as she gave them both a nod and reached down to fasten a leash to the dog's collar.

"Have fun tomorrow night," she said to Alexis. And to Rick, still not quite meeting his eyes, eluding his attempt to catch her gaze, she added, "Good night, Mr. Castle."

"Good night," he said, and reluctantly turned away, Alexis already beginning to droop on his shoulder even as she babbled in his ear about candy. He barely heard her words as he moved toward the park's exit, fighting against the urge to turn back.

At the gate, his willpower finally gave out and he paused, swiveling, seeking.

The cop and her dog were walking away, toward the other exit at the far end of the park; but she turned just when Rick did, and their eyes met again across the length of the park, despite the distance and the dark and the crowd, just for a moment.

That same lightning flashed through Rick like a shockwave, making him stumble backward for half a step before he recovered himself.

Then the woman turned away again, and she and her dog melted into the shadows.

It wasn't until much later, after he had tucked Alexis into bed, that Rick realized the woman had called him by name, even though he'd never introduced himself.

And he didn't know her name, nor anything at all about her. All he knew was that he needed to see her again.