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Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.
Now you know my ABC's
It's been a while since the whole torture incident happened, and I was feeling good enough to go back to school. I was still riddled with bruises and scratches, but they were slowly fading away. When I got to school this morning, I was greeted with a lot of stares and class mates who wanted to know every detail of my torture room experience.
My fingers were still wrapped up in my cast, but thankfully it was my left hand, so I was still able to write and do my work. Mike ran up to me and said, "Emmy! You're back."
I gave him a quick hug and said, "Yep, I am. Did I miss anything?"
"No, not a thing. You're usually the one to make everything interesting anyway."
"I do tend to do that."
He chuckled and said, "You sure do. Would you like me to help you with your stuff?"
"No, that's okay. I can handle it, but thanks."
"That's what boyfriends are for, at least that's what my brother tells me."
"How is Leon anyway?"
"Fine, he's still dating his girlfriend and skipping school. And he wanted me to let you know that he was worried about you."
"That's cool. I should hang out with you guys again sometime soon."
"Yeah, I don't know how long Leon will be around because he's barely home anymore, but I'll let him know."
"Cool."
The bell rung and Mike said, "I guess it's time for class."
"Yep… Something I didn't miss."
He laughed and we made our way into our classroom. We all took a seat at our designated desks, and the teacher stood at the head of class.
"Good morning everyone. Glad to see you back Miss Beckett," she said to me.
I nodded with an awkward smile and she said, "We have a lot of work today, but first I want to tell you about an assignment I created this weekend."
Everyone groaned at the mention of an assignment. It would be my luck to come back to school when we get a new assignment to do. She chuckled and said, "Now, now… It's nothing hard. I know you have other classes to do work in, but I made it simple and fun. We all know our ABC's, right?'
A boy in the back spoke up and said, "I don't think we'd be here if we didn't."
Everyone laughed and our teacher said, "All right, all right… Settle down. You're right Toby, everyone in here should know their basic alphabet. But the twist is, can you guys make up your own alphabet?"
"What do you mean?" a girl asked.
"For example, A is for apple… How might that resonate with you? Or A is for Art… I like art so I'd say, A is for Art, which is my favorite past time when I don't have any work to do."
"Then you'd go on to B?" Mike asked.
"Precisely Mike. B is for Ballerina, which is what I wanted to be when I grew up before I hurt my Achilles tendon. And then you'd go on to C, and so on and so forth…"
"So, we have to make up our own alphabet and kind of explain our personal lives?" I asked.
"Exactly. Each of you will go from A to Z, explaining a word that pertains to your life somehow. Does that sound good?"
Everyone mumbled with nods of their heads, and she said, "Okay, I'm giving you all until Friday to have it done, and you'll present them to the class."
The room filled with groans once again and the teacher finished off by saying, "I know, you guys hate presenting, but it'll be fun, I promise. Now let's get started with what we need to get done today before the class change."
School was eventually over and I went home to work on this ABC assignment we had to do. When I walked into the loft, I found Castle drinking some coffee and reading the newspaper on the couch. I decided to join him, and plopped down next to him with a sigh.
"How was your first day back Mini Beckett?" Castle asked as he looked over at me.
I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Fine… It was just the same old, same old. We did get an assignment from our English teacher though."
"What kind of assignment?"
"We have to make our own version of the ABC's and mesh it into words that coincide with our own lives."
"Wow, that sounds interesting. Do you have any ideas?"
"Not really… There are so many words I can use with each letter. It's just picking the right one."
"Yeah, I understand."
"What would you do for letters A, B, and C?"
Castle rubbed his chin and said, "Hmm… Not really sure. Maybe A for Articulate, B for Brilliant, and C for Casual."
"I'm pretty sure you're none of those things."
"Hey… I am definitely all three of those things."
"Sure, Uncle Rick, let's go with that."
"What would you choose for me then?"
"A for Adventurous, B for Bizarre, and C for Childish."
"I am none of those things… Well maybe adventurous, but that's about it."
"I'm pretty sure you're all three off those things Castle."
"All three of what things?" My aunt asked as she came into the loft.
"Emily has an assignment to do and she has to make her own version of the ABC's and mesh it into words that coincide with her life. So, she asked what I would use for A, B, and C, in my own life," Castle replied.
"And…"
"I said, A is for Articulate, B is for Brilliant, and C is for Casual, but she didn't agree."
"Yeah, I'll have to agree with Emily on that one. You are none of those things."
"Really, I'm all of those things. And they're better than the words she gave me."
Aunt Kate took a seat next to me and asked, "What words did you give him?"
"A for Adventurous, B for Bizarre, and C for Childish," I said to her.
"Those do sound more up your alley."
"Oh, come on… You know what fine. How about you Kate?" Castle asked.
"Me?"
He nodded and I said, "Yeah, what would yours be?"
She thought for a second before saying, "Well, I think I'd use A for Admirable, B for Brave, and C for Clever."
"I think that's right."
"Wait, you agree with hers?" Castle asked flabbergasted.
"Yeah, she's a detective and is very brave and clever. And she definitely is admirable, to me anyway."
"All right, yeah… I can see that… But I'll show you two that I'm anything but the words you gave me."
Castle went to his study and I looked at Aunt Kate and said, "He's going to be going on about this the whole week, isn't he?"
She groaned and said, "Yeah, I think so. I think I'm going to work some overtime this week."
"Don't leave me here with him. He's going to drive me nuts about what his ABC's are."
"You're the one who asked for help on the assignment. So, have fun with Mr. Adventurous, Bizarre, and Childish."
"I can still hear you two you know," he said as he popped his head into the living room.
We chuckled at him and I went upstairs to do my homework for my other classes, and to try and think about my English assignment.
The week went by fast, too fast if you ask me. Of course, Uncle Rick kept trying to come up with new words for his ABC's and to desperately prove to us that he is every single one of them. It was hilarious and eventful, but we all agreed to give into Castle's theories to why he's every word he picked out, so we didn't have to hear about it for another week or month.
But it was my paper that was going to be graded on, and I was having a hard time figuring out how every word I chose pertained to my life. I have no clue if my paper even makes sense, and has the correct words to explain my life, but today was the day to present, and in a sense I was ready, but my nerves were on fire.
Mike sat next to me in class and said, "Emmy, are you ready for our presentations today?"
"My papers done, but am I ready to present it, no not really," I said as I placed my head in my hand that was leaning on my desk.
"Yeah, me either. I was having a hard time with X, Y, and Z, but I think I put some fitting words there."
"X, Y, and Z are always the hardest. There's not enough words to fit them, especially when you're looking for one in particular that coincides with your life."
"Uh-huh… I went with zesty for Z because I can be very zesty."
"That you can."
He chuckled, and the bell rung for class to get started. Our teacher stood by the white board and said, "Good morning class, is everyone ready to present?"
"No…" everyone grumbled loudly.
"Oh, come on now. It'll be fun. Who'd like to go first?"
Everyone looked around, waiting for someone to volunteer themselves to be the first victim of the dreadful presentation. No one raised their hand to go up, so the teacher said, "Okay, I guess I'll pick then. Winston, why don't you go first?"
"Aww, do I have too," Winston cried from the back of the room.
"Yes, if you want full credit."
"Fine."
He stood up with his paper firmly in his hand and started telling us about his ABC's. Once he was through, we all gave him a big round of applause, before the next person was due up.
About five people went up so far, and that's when I was called to take my turn. I got up with a sigh, brining my paper with me, so I could present it to the class. I gripped my paper tight with my right hand and my teacher said, "Go ahead Emily."
"Okay," I said with a nod.
I cleared my throat softly before I began reading off of my paper:
"A is for Apples which is my uncle, Richard Castle's, safe word. I don't know what a safe word is and I don't think I want to know.
B is for Bananas which is apparently what Castle and I drive my aunt Kate every day.
C is for Carefree which is what Castle and I are. We always seem to be doing something completely carefree and getting into tons of trouble. But it's usually worth it.
D is for Danger which is what we all seem to face every day. Being on the force and being linked to it seems to put us all in the line of danger every day. It can be interesting, but that doesn't mean I'm not the least bit scared every time I walk out of the apartment.
E is for Energy which is what aunt Kate would say I have too much of. But I say I have just the right amount to boost everyone's mood each day, even my own.
F is for Fun which I always have with Castle. Not that I don't have it with everyone else in my life, including aunt Kate, but Castle and I seem to have a close bond. It could be because he acts half his age, but I'm not complaining.
G is for Grave, which is what I found myself in a couple of years ago. Believe me, being six feet under isn't very fun.
H is for Horrific, which is everything that ever happened to me over the past 4 years. There were definitely plenty of horrific times, including my mom dying, my numerous amounts of close calls with death, and a whole bunch more. At least I have Castle and my aunt Kate, or things would have been a lot harder to get through.
I is for Interrogation, which is what my aunt does at her job almost every day. I had the pleasure of being interrogated by my aunt Kate, and let's just say she's definitely more intimidating when you're on the opposite side of the table.
J is for Justice, which is what my aunt and the 12th precinct try hard to get every time they have a case. They don't always get the justice they are seeking, but they don't let it get them down, and they make sure they try harder for the next case.
K is for Killers, which I have met several. Some of them seem perfectly normal and some...not so much. I may have had to stare into some of their cold dark eyes when I was kidnapped, but it helped me remember what they truly are, cold blooded killers.
L is for Lucky, which is what I truly am. If I didn't have any luck on my side who knows what would have become of me over the past four years. Hopefully it doesn't run out anytime soon.
M is for Marriage, which is what my Aunt Kate and Castle did back in November. I was happy that they finally tied the knot, and I hope it will last forever.
N is for Novelist, which is what my Uncle is for a living, among other things nowadays. He's written dozens of bestselling novels, from Derick Storm to Nikki Heat, and the best part is, my Aunt Kate was his inspiration for Nikki Heat. I have awesome connections.
O is for Ordinary, which my life is far from. Since I was born my life hasn't been ordinary, it's been one crazy roller coaster ride, but I wouldn't change it for the world because in a way, I love it.
P is for private investigator, which is Castle's new line of work. It's mostly to gain inspiration for his books, now that he can't tag along with my Aunt Kate and the 12th precinct, but I have a feeling he's getting invested in it. It's great though, because now he doesn't mope around as much when Aunt Kate's busy with her cases.
Q is for quest, which seems like I'm on every day. There's always something new to do and it always leads to one big quest that we have to figure out. It definitely makes life more entertaining, not that my life isn't already.
R is for Rock, which is my favorite kind of music. I can even play an electric guitar and lay out some sick shreds. If my main profession doesn't work out for me, then I'll definitely start an awesome rock band and tour around the world.
S is for Smart, which my aunt tells me I am indeed. Sure, I don't seem to use to much of my smarts when put in certain predicaments, but I can usually figure things out pretty quickly. Now only if I was smart enough to finish this assignment quicker.
T is for Trauma, because I've had so much trauma in my life it's hard to keep up with. At least I have my aunt Kate to help me through it, and she even has her own trauma to deal with, but as long as we have each other, we'll get through it.
U is for Understanding, because without it, life would be a complete wreck. This shouldn't just be in my ABC's, but everyone's because everyone needs a little understanding in their life. Whether it's someone understanding you or you understanding them, it helps make the world go 'round.
V is for Valiant, which I would say that I am. I've done a lot of courageous things in my life, I took a needle to the eye and tracked down crazy killers who've tried to kill me. I'd think this word fits me pretty well.
W is for Wicked, which is what every criminal that I came across is. They seem to have some wicked tendency's and I just happened to get caught up in some of the wicked plans running through their minds.
X is for Xenomorph, which is an awesome Alien creature from the Alien film series that my uncle let me watch once. I was going to put xylophone, but I thought that'd be to generic, so I went with something cooler.
Y is for Yearning, which is a strong feeling I used to have when I was younger. I really wanted to have a family and be happy with my life, and now I finally have it. Now I'm mostly yearning for a dog, but I don't think my aunt and uncle will concede to that.
Z is for Zombies, which was a great case that my aunt and Castle worked on a while back. Sadly, the Zombies weren't real, and they were just a bunch of role-players, but it was still awesome."
I looked up from my paper when I was done, and everyone's mouths were wide open in astonishment. I furrowed my brows and asked, "Was it that bad?"
"No, it was…great Emily. Isn't that right class?" my teacher asked as she patted my shoulder softly.
Everyone clapped slowly as I took my seat next to Mike. I looked over at him as someone else went up to present and asked quietly, "Was it bad?"
"No, I think everyone's just confused at you're…unique life," Mike said with a shrug.
"I guess so…"
We continued watching the rest of the presenters and by the time they all finished up, it was time for our next class.
I got home from school and found Aunt Kate and Castle in the kitchen making some lunch and chatting with each other. I sat at the kitchen isle and my aunt asked me, "How'd the presentation go, Em?"
"Oh yeah, that was today. How did it go mini Becket?" Castle asked.
"Well, I got an A. The only thing is, everyone looked at me like I was crazy," I said.
"I bet it wasn't that bad."
"Oh, it was bad."
"They just don't know what you've been through," my aunt said.
"I guess you're right."
"You know, let us hear it. We'll be the judge of it," Castle said with a small smile of encouragement.
"All right," I said as I took out my paper from my backpack, which was laying in the chair next to me.
I read the whole paper to my aunt and uncle, and when I was finished their faces looked just like my classmates and teacher.
"So… I'm assuming it's bad," I said.
"Uh, no… It's good, but maybe some of your words should have been different," Castle said.
"Like what?"
"Maybe, the first one for example," my aunt suggested.
I read over what I had down for A and said, "I couldn't think of anything else, and Castle used to always mention his safe word… What is a safe word anyway?"
Castle blushed a bright red and stuttered, "Um… Well, you'll uh…"
"You'll learn about it when your 40," Aunt Kate interjected.
"Aww, 40…" I whined.
"Yes, Em."
"Fine… But other than that, was it that bad?"
They looked at each other before looking back at me and Aunt Kate said, "No, I just think it's hard for everyone to hear what you've been through."
"I tried to make it light hearted," I said with a huff.
They chuckled and Castle said, "That you did. Maybe they were all just jealous because you have an interesting life and amazing writing skills."
"An interesting life, yes. Amazing writing skills, not so much."
They laughed once again and he said, "All right, maybe that's a stretch, but you still got an A on it."
"Yeah, that's pretty good."
"Yes, it is. Why don't we all go out for lunch and celebrate a job well done?" my aunt suggested.
"Sounds good to me. How about you mini Beckett?" Castle asked me.
"Sounds like fun," I said with a smile.
"All right, let's go celebrate, and maybe get some apples… Speaking of them made me crave one."
"Castle," we groaned as we headed for the door.
"What, I was just saying… So, that's definitely a no on the apples?"
We shook our heads with a chuckle as we walked passed Castle and out the door, heading into town to have a special celebratory lunch.