"And if the darkness is to keep us apart. And if the daylight feels like its' a long way off. And if your glass heart should crack. For a second you turn back. Oh no, be strong.

Walk on .. What you've got, they can't steal it. No they can't even feel it. Walk on. Stay Safe Tonight."

All That you can't Leave Behind (Walk On)- U2

Despite having been instructed to go home by Captain Gates, Kate was back up and at the precinct by 4am. It was at Castle's urging that she wait until 6 to call the boys in. She passed the time by looking back through the box that had been given to her, the box containing the girls' possessions.

"I've got to talk to Emmanuella," Kate spoke out loud, as much to herself as to Castle.

They'd shared a moment the night before and although they certainly weren't back together, they were on better ground now. Are we back together? Kate wondered to herself. She'd fallen asleep in his arms the night before, but they hadn't declared their intentions. They certainly hadn't had sex. Regardless, she was glad they were feeling more at ease with one another again. Baby steps Kate, baby steps, the detective thought to herself.

"You think Emmanuella will have some insight into where Mia might have gone?" Castle questioned her, placing random objects back into the box carefully.

"I think that nobody knows Mia as well as Emmanuella does. If anyone can shed some light, it would be her." Kate paused for a moment before admitting. "And it's all I've got to go on." The last statement was weak and desperate, reflecting all the guilt and vulnerability Beckett felt over what was happening.

He squeezed her arm again. "I think it's a great place to start."


"Hi, Emanuella. Thank you for coming to speak with us again." Kate spoke kindly to the young girl, who now sat with her sister and a social worker.

"It's ok, but I already told you that I don't know where Mia is." Emmanuella insisted her ignorance as she played absentmindedly with a strand of her hair.

"Hi, my name is Rick Castle, and I often help out Detective Beckett on cases such as these -"

"Wait, You're Richard Castle? The novelist?" Emmanuella cut him off with newfound excitement.

"That's right." Castle confirmed.

"You know that Mia loves your books." Emmanuella paused for a moment of hesitation before adding. "She's been looking for you for a long time." The young girl leveled him with a serious stare.

"She's been looking for me?" Castle asked, somewhat confused by the girls admission. "Why me?"

"Because you are the only tie she has to her real mom," Emmanuella explained. "She has a book of yours, and you signed it to her mom. It's the only thing that matters to her. She said she's tried to meet you a couple of times, but she could never get through."

Castle suddenly felt a sense of guilt as well. What if she'd been able to see me? Could I have helped her find her mother before any of this had to happen? Could I have prevented her from seeing the things she's seen or experiencing all that she has?

As if reading his mind, Kate gave a soothing rub to Castle's back, discretely enough to not draw attention to the public display of affection. She took control of the conversation once again.

"Emmanuella, we know who Mia's mother is. We really need to find Mia so that she isn't in any danger. I promise you that she isn't in trouble and that I'll take good care of her."

"We'll take good care of her." Castle added.

At first Kate was slightly put off by his imposition, but she soon realized that she liked the thought of them doing this together. It wasn't long after that reality struck her that she realized that she simply didn't want to do it without him.

Emmanuella seemed to calm once she'd been reassured that Richard Castle - the man Mia had been so desperate to meet - was going to be personally involved.

"When Mia doesn't have anywhere to go, she goes to the New York Public Library." Emmanuella looked from the detective to the writer. "She doesn't like cops. She doesn't trust them. When you've been on the streets as long as we have, you learn who you can and can't trust." Beckett nodded slowly, attempting to process the information, but Emmanuella grew impatient.

"If she sees you and she knows you're a cop, she'll run." The young girl clarified.

"What if I approach her? She's been looking for a chance to meet me, right?" Castle suggested.

Emmanuella nodded. "If you promise you're not going to put her back in a home or anything…" She waited to share her final piece of information until the detective agreed.

"I promise you that I will do everything in my power to see that Mia stays with her mother. That she never has to leave her again," Kate offered sincerely, an edge of emotion in her voice.

The young girl accepted Kate's words. "Mia likes to hang out in the classic English Literature section. It's on the 4th floor, left of the elevators and all the way to the end of the bookshelves." She supplied.

Castle nodded. "I know exactly where that is," he spoke confidently.


"You're packing a suitcase for a place that none of us has been.

A place that has to be believed to be seen.

You could have flown away, a singing bird in an open cage who will only fly, only fly for freedom."

It was her favorite spot of the library. Few people bothered her here. Plus, on really cold and wet days like today - she could sit on top of the vent to heat and dry herself. She was shaking, chilled to the bone. Usually, Mia would avoid being so exposed to the elements, but losing Emmanuella had been too much. It was hours before she could pull herself together enough to get out of the cold.

She got on the train with enough time to warm up slightly before the library opened that morning. Mia found that the literature section did little to ease the ache she felt inside. She wasn't certain how much of that pain was from Emmanuella and how much was from physical hunger. She looked to the clock on the wall. It was nearly 10am, which marked close to 24 hours since she'd eaten.

Mia dug into her faded sweater to see if any of the goods from the produce garbage was still any good. She found a browning apple and some cheese that looked suspicious. Taking out her pocket knife and shaving off the bad parts, she contented herself to eat as much as she could.

She watched suspiciously as a tall man approached. He was alone, and was wearing baseball cap. She got the distinct impression that he didn't want to be recognized either. She continued to watch him as he checked out several books in the area. Mia tensed and reached into her sweater, hand gripping her knife as he came closer.

"I never really got Jane Austin," the man spoke.

She looked around to see if he was talking to anyone else, but he couldn't have been. There was nobody else around.

"I mean, I understand that she was accomplished and I know that ladies love her, but I never really got it." He spoke again.

Mia was sitting over a vent on the floor, back against a wall. There was very little she could do to escape this man. At least there was little she could do that didn't involve a blade. She was unsure what his angle was, but replied to his statement. "I suppose if my biggest problem was finding a husband, I'd have more use for her books."

The man smirked and looked at Mia directly for the first time. He seemed to look at her as if he knew her. "So, what types of books usually call to you?" He questioned.

"Adventure, fantasy, mystery…crime." Mia offered, starting to plan an escape route in case the man got any closer. She played it cool, but her brain was evaluating all potential escape routes. Afterall, what the hell was a grown man doing making conversation with a 13 year old girl? All sorts of scenarios crossed Mia's mind, and in none of them were his intentions pure.

"Look…" Mia began, squeezing the knife harder in case she needed to use it.

The man spoke again. "Mystery and Crime is my cup of tea as well, and I'm not just saying it because I'm a crime novelist."

Mia's interest was piqued. "You're a novelist?" She couldn't help but want to know more. It wasn't everyday that she got to interact with professional writers. She wondered if she'd recognize him, but she still hadn't gotten a good look at his face and he was wearing shades. Who wears shades inside? She wondered to herself.

"I am. I've written almost 30 novels, and my most recent series is being made into a movie. Derrick Storm has a graphic novel as well, if I'm not mistaken." Castle casually dropped the name into the conversation, knowing that she would know of it. Afterall, Mia owned Storm Warning.

"Derrick Storm?" Her head shot up and she looked at him, truly looked at him. Bringing her hands to her knees, she pushed herself up off the floor. "You wrote the Derrick Storm novels?" She clarified, her brain piecing together what that meant.

He nodded, waiting for her to make the next move. Castle sighed with relief, as it was apparent that she wasn't going to bolt. "So, you're Richard Castle?" Mia asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"In the flesh," he responded, removing his sunglasses and hat.

Mia's face lit up as she recognized the author for herself. "Wow." She muttered. "Wow, I know this sounds strange, but I've been looking for you. I've been trying to talk to you for so long." A tinge of desperation clung to her voice.

"I know, Mia." Castle answered her, causing the girl's eyes to widen. She took a step back, looking around once again. Is this a trap? She wondered frantically.

"How…How do you know my name?" Mia asked, preparing herself to dive past him and run. It didn't matter how badly she wanted to meet him, if he was here to trap her she would have to run.

Castle took another step back, as if to communicate to Mia that she was safe. He reached into his jacket and produced a familiar book. It was Mia's copy of Storm Warning.

"Where did you get that?" She asked, unable to keep the tremor from her voice. It was the one object that had meaning for her. Castle simply handed it to her, waiting for her to take the book.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Mia, and you're not in any kind of trouble. It's just that I work with the police, and we found your things." At the word 'police' Mia felt desperate enough to actually consider climbing the bookshelves.

Upon seeing the panic on her face, Castle put his hands up. "Mia, I'm not here to make you do anything you don't want to do. I'm here because the man who killed Sara may come after you and I want to be sure you're safe…" Castle hesitated for a moment before adding. "And Mia, I know who your mother is."

Mia's eyes went wide as saucers. She stared at him in disbelief, unable to formulate words.

Castle smiled softly at her, understanding how much the girl was taking in. "Her name is Kate and she is my partner. She found and recognized the book before I did. She saw a picture of you and just knew. She wants to meet you so badly." Castle put it all on the line, hoping that the girl would find enough trust within herself to follow him.

Castle put his hand out, extending himself for Mia. "Please, I know you don't trust anyone. I know that nobody has given you reason to do so, but I'm asking you to trust me."

It was finally here, a chance to learn about her mom. Billionaire Author Richard Castle had his hand opened for her to take. Finally, an adult promising her answers and treating her with respect. Her eyes nearly watered as she felt a longing she'd long ago suppressed, a longing to depend on someone else.

She nodded, took a deep breath, and took the man's hand.

"Home… Hard to know what it is if you've never had one.

Home… I can't say where it is, but I know I'm going Home.

It's where the heart is. I know it aches, and your heart it breaks.

You can only take so much.

Walk on…"