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Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or it's characters.

On my Way to Broadway

It's been a couple of weeks since I left my old school and started my online schooling. I was enjoying this new way of schooling, and of course I got to stay home all day, so that was a blast. I'd say I don't get as distracted as easily here, but that'd be a lie. There are way to many fun things to do in this place, it would be hard for anyone to not get a little off track, especially during some of the boring assignments. At least the school I'm going to, New York Online Academy, is one of the online schools that lets you finish your courses in your own time. So, I could pace myself, and finish by the end of June, or I can finish one of my easy courses within eight weeks. The only stipulations that they have, is that you can't finish any course faster than eight weeks, and you must finish them within one year of singing up to earn the credit.

I don't think I'll have any problem with those, because I'm sure I can't finish these courses that fast, and since they send progress reports to my parents every other week, I'm sure they'd be getting on my case if I'm not doing what I am supposed to be doing. Other than that, the whole thing seems pretty simple. I'm taking five courses, of course four of them are the core courses, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, but I decided to take career explorations as my elective. So far, the classes have been easy, but that's because they were mostly going over things I was already learning at my old school. I'm sure once I pass everything that I've learned already, I'll be getting into more of the difficult stuff, and then I'll really need to crack open my textbooks and study.

I was just finishing up one of my assignments for my math class, when Castle walked into the room. He walked over to where I was sitting at the kitchen island and asked, "How's your online schooling going?"

"Pretty good actually. I finished three assignments already for two different classes, and it's not even noon yet," I said with a smile.

"Wow, I'm proud of you Emily."

"Thanks… Dad."

He smiled and said, "No problem, Emily. And you don't have to force yourself to call me dad, just let it come naturally."

"I know, I'm just getting used to it, that's all… Testing the waters."

"All right," He said with a chuckle, before kissing my head, and asked, "Would you like to come and hang out with me at my office?"

"I'd love too, but I think I'm gonna do my own thing today."

"Really? What do you have planned?"

"Nothing in particular. I just thought it'd be good to get out of the house, explore the city, you know?"

"Well, yeah… I guess now that you are taking classes at home, you won't be getting out as much, so maybe that'll be good for you to go around town."

"Yeah, that's what my therapist said. She also said that your office and the precinct didn't count as getting out."

"Ah Gotcha… So, this is what your therapist recommended for you to do?"

"Yup… I'd much rather stay here, or hang out with you or aunt Kate, but Dr. Lasseter told me to report back with what I did in our next session."

"I see… Well, have fun mini Beckett. Anywhere special you plan on going?"

"No, pretty much wherever the wind takes me."

"Okay, mini Beckett. Just make sure you're back by dinner."

"Will do."

He patted my shoulder before he collected his things and headed to his office. I decided to finish up my one more assignment, then head out into town, and find something fun for me to do.

Once I was done, I got ready to head out, and decided to take a walk through the park. I enjoyed my time at the park, and decided to drink some hot chocolate that I got from a local street vendor as I sat on a bench. I watched the people go by, one by one, and noticed all the different types of people who walked by. You had your business men and women, joggers, mothers with young children, families, and tourists, so pretty much everyone and anyone. As I sat there, a piece of paper landed by my foot from a small gust of wind that occurred only seconds ago.

I bent over, picking up the blue piece of paper and gave it a once over. The paper was advertising our local performing arts center, and apparently, they were having auditions for a play. It was for ages 10 to 14, and today was the last day to sign up and audition. I sat at the bench and contemplated on going to the signups. It could be fun, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough to be in a play. I never acted a day in my life, well except for that time I was on tv, but that was different. Like they say, it's never too late to try something new.

I decided to head over to our local theater, and hoped they still had room for more actors. When I got there, I was greeted by a whole line of eager tweens and teenagers, waiting for their turn to audition. There had to be at least fifty of them there, and I was starting to regret my decision to come out here.

"You here to audition, kid?" a mother who was in front of me asked.

"Uh, yeah…" I answered her.

"You have one of these?"

I looked at the participation form that she took out of her coat and said, "No…"

"Then you can't audition. If you don't have your parent or guardian's permission, then you're out of luck."

"Do you know if they have any left?"

"Hah, I doubt it. Today's the last day to audition, and you'd never get it signed in time anyway."

"Well, my aunt works around here, I'm sure I'll make it back in time," I lied, because I knew I wouldn't make it to the precinct and back before they shut the auditions down.

"Hmm… You can try, but once they see my little Lola here, the lead will be taken."

"There are other spots…"

"Yes, but the lead is the best part."

"Don't they say that there are never any small parts."

She snorted and said, "Listen kid, that's what they say so no one's feeling's get hurt. If you want to make it anywhere in this world, you have to be number one every time, no matter how you have to get it."

"Ma… Come on, you're embarrassing me," her daughter, who looked about ten, groaned out.

"I'm just telling this kid the truth… Now move up, don't need anyone cutting us in line."

Her daughter huffed before she moved up a few inches in line, her mother following closely behind her. I got tapped on the shoulder and found a much kinder woman smiling down at me. She handed me a blank participation form and said, "This is an extra form I took just in case I lost mine."

I took the piece of paper from her hand and said, "Thanks."

"I'm Phoebe, and this is my daughter Elizabeth. It's her first time trying out as well."

"Hi, I'm Emily," I said to them.

"Hi," Elizabeth said with a bright smile.

"I hope you are able to audition, I think you two would hit it off if you got to spend some time together."

"Thanks, I appreciate the form. Hope to see you around."

They waved goodbye to me as I made my way down the street, so I could go somewhere to get my paper signed. About two blocks down, I decided to go down an alleyway, so I could fill out the participation form. I dug through all of my pockets, and came to the conclusion that I had no pen on me. I guess being prepared is not one of my specialties. I let out a sigh, and went back out onto the street to see if someone would be willing to lend me a pen.

A business man walked by and I asked, "Sir, can I…"

He raised a hand at me, and shook his head, as he kept on walking. I glared daggers at his back, and once he was out of sight, I continued my pursuit of a pen. A woman walked by this time and I asked, "Hey lady, do you have a pen?"

"No," she sighed before she continued walking.

I groaned, as I lost hope at ever finding a pen. By the time I got to my tenth person, I pretty much given up on auditioning for this play. Just when I was about to head home, a hot dog vendor called out to me, "Hey, Kid."

"Me?" I asked as I pointed at myself.

"No, the other kid that's been beggin' for a pen for over twenty minutes… Yeah, you… Get over here."

I walked over to the man and he handed me a blue pen which I took gratefully.

"Thanks a lot," I said with a smile.

"It's nothin'… Just make sure you return it, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Hurry up, all right."

"All right, all right…"

I quickly went over to the side of one of the buildings and filled out the piece of paper, trying to make it look as neat as possible. I forged my aunt's signature at the end of the form and walked back over to the vendor who gave it to me. I handed over his pen and said, "Thanks again."

"No problem, kid. Now scram, I got customers to take care of," he said as he shooed me away.

I made my way back to the theater, and when I got there, there were only ten more people in line, so I made it back just in time. Eventually, it was my turn to go and audition, and I handed my form over to the woman who was manning the reception desk. She looked over the form a few times, and said, "Thanks for coming out to day, Emily. There are two more people ahead of you, so we'll call you in when it's your turn. Take this script and go over the part you are going to read and sing for."

I took the booklet from her and saw that the script was for the musical Into The Woods. Thankfully I've seen it a few times, once on a school trip, and twice on TV.

"Do you know what part you are trying out for?" the woman asked.

"Well, not really…" I said sheepishly.

She gave me a small smile and asked, "Have you seen the musical?"

"I have, the musical during a school trip and the movie version a couple of times on TV."

"That's good. How would you like to try out for Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Hmm… I suppose I could try out for her. I did like her part in the musical."

"Great, hand me the book and I'll mark down what I want you to read and sing for us."

I handed the book back over to her, and she quickly flipped to one of the pages, highlighting the parts she wanted me to preform for my audition. Once she was finished, she handed the script back over to me and said, "I got it all marked down for you, and hopefully you can memorize most of it before it's your turn."

"Will I be able to read from it if I can't memorize it in time?" I asked her.

"Of course, I just want you to be comfortable with the part, so you don't make too many errors."

"Okay, thanks."

"No problem. Have a seat over there and we'll call you in a bit."

I nodded my head and sat at one of the empty seats in the waiting area, trying to read over my lines for my audition.

After about fifteen minutes, and gruelingly trying to memorize most of my part, my name was called to go into the audition room. I walked in nervously and was greeted by three smiling faces who were sitting at a desk with papers in front of them. There were two men and one woman at the panel, and two of them looked to be teenagers, around sixteen and seventeen. The oldest male in the room said, "Hello, Emily. I am Mr. Benson, and these are two of our student volunteers who have done several shows with us here."

"Hi, I'm Jacob," the young teenager said with a small wave.

"I'm Alissa," the girl said with a smile.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you all," I said.

"So, what part will you be auditioning for?" Mr. Benson asked while grabbing his pencil.

"I'll be auditioning for Little Red Riding Hood."

"All right, we'll start with the singing first. Whenever you are ready…"

"I'm ready."

He nodded to Alissa, and she turned on the boombox next to their desk, and the music started to play. I let out a small breath, trying to push my nerves away, so I could perform to the best of my abilities. I started singing the song they gave me to preform, which was, I Know Things Now, and I tried my best to stay in tune. I was getting to the end, and I tried to not let my nerves take over, and finished the last part of the song, "Isn't it nice to know a lot! And a little bit not…"

Mr. Benson scratched at his beard with a small hum, as he finished writing something down on his piece of paper. He tapped his pen a few times on the desk before he looked back up at me with a straight face, so I couldn't tell if he liked me or not. The two teenagers seemed to like it, but I guess they wouldn't have much say in the final callbacks anyway since they are just student volunteers.

"Thank you, Emily. I would like you to read with Jacob here, just so we can get a feel for your acting abilities," Mr. Benson said.

"Yes, sure," I said with a small smile.

"Okay, let's turn to page 21 in our books. I want Jacob to be the Baker and start with the line, "Hello there, little one." Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can do that. When do you want us to stop?" Jacob asked as he got up with his book, making his way over to me.

"When little Red stomps on your foot and walks away. And Emily…"

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"When the scream comes in, I want you to give it everything you got, okay?"

"Okay."

"All right, begin please."

Jacob walked over to me with a small smile and said, "Hello there, little one."

I smiled and said, "Hello."

"Have you saved some of those sweets for Granny?"

"I ate all of the sweets, and half the loaf of bread."

"Where did you get that beautiful cape? I so admire it."

"My Granny made it for me," I said proudly.

"Is that right? I would love a red cloak like that."

"You'd look pretty foolish."

Jacob pretended like he took Little Red's cape and said, "May I take a look at it?"

"I don't like to be without my cape. Please give it back!"

"I want it badly," he said with frustration.

"Give it back please."

Jacob pretended to run off with the cape, and I stood for a second before I let out the most piercing scream I could muster. I noticed Mr. Benson and Jesses eyes go wide for a second, but Jacob ran right back, pretending to give me back the cape and said, "I just wanted to make certain that you really loved this cape. Now you go to your Granny's-and you be careful that no wolf comes your way."

I pretended to stomp on his foot, and said angrily, "I'd rather a wolf than you, any day."

I then pretended to stomp off before I turned back to the two people at the table. Jacob went to sit back down, and Mr. Benson said, "That was pretty good Emily. We have seen several auditions throughout the week, and we can only pick so many for all the parts in this play. We'll give you a call in a few days and let you know if you got a part."

"All right, thank you," I said before I left with a wave goodbye.

I decided to head home, and when I walked inside, I found my Aunt and Castle chatting with each other at the kitchen isle. I walked up to them and said, "Hi guys."

"Hey, there mini Beckett. Did you have fun getting out of the house today?" Castle asked.

"I had a blast today."

My aunt raised a brow at me and asked, "You had a blast, huh? What did you do?"

"I auditioned for a part in, Into the Woods, at one of our local theaters."

They both looked at me with shock and aunt Kate asked, "You auditioned for a musical?"

"Yep, isn't it great?"

"Did you get the part?" Castle asked.

"I don't know. They said they'd call in a few days and let me know."

"Well, if Emily gets the part, then I'll have two Broadway stars in my life."

"I hope I get the part, it looks like fun."

"I'm proud of you Em, and I think you'll get the part," My aunt Kate said.

"Thanks, that'll be awesome."

"Don't you have to have parent, or guardian permission for those plays though?" Castle questioned.

"Uh… Well, no… Maybe…"

"Emily…" My aunt sighed.

"Okay, so I needed someone to fill out a permission slip, but I wasn't going to make it to one of you guys before they shut auditions down," I sighed.

"So, how did you get it passed them?"

"I may have forged your signature…"

"You forged my signature!?"

"Uh, yeah… but it was for something good this time."

"This time?"

My eyes went wide, because I have been caught red handed, and said, "I may have forged your signature a few times when I got some notice slips to bring home from school."

"Really Emily?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It's not like it was on a check."

Castle held back his laughter, as a little snort came out, and aunt Kate glared at him. He shrugged and said, "Well, she has a point."

Aunt Kate glared at him more, and if looks could kill, I think Castle would be dead right now. Castle looked between us and said, "Uh, but what Emily did was very wrong, and she shouldn't do it again, even if it isn't to cash fraudulent checks."

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Emily, you can't forge my signature, got it? Next time you do, you are grounded, understood?"

"I understand," I mumbled softly.

"Good, but I'm kind of proud of you."

I raised a brow and asked, "Really?"

"Yes, I'm happy you were able to go audition for this play. You need to get out and have some fun."

I hugged my aunt Kate and said, "Thanks mom."

She hugged me back and said, "No problem. Just no more forging my signature, I don't need you getting into any legal trouble in the future."

"Got it… But you didn't say anything about Castle's signature."

"Wait… You can forge my signature?" Castle asked with bewilderment across his face.

"Yeah… It's not that hard and I had to switch it up sometimes, or they'd get suspiscious."

"I… Well, I didn't see that coming. Don't forge my signature either…"

"All right, I won't."

"You don't happen to know how to sign other people's names do you?" My aunt asked with suspicion.

I gave her a crooked smile and said, "I haven't perfected Lanie's, Ryan's, or Mrs. Rodgers yet, but I'm getting there. I have no use for them though, for now anyway."

"Don't."

"I won't… I won't…"

"How about some dinner, and forget about this whole forging thing," Castle said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"I have to get back to the precinct," my aunt said.

"Seriously? Can't you just stay for a bit longer?" I asked her, trying my best to look heartbroken.

She looked between Castle and I, before she let out a defeated sigh, and said, "Okay, but only for a couple of hours. I need to see if Esposito and Ryan have any further leads."

"That's great, we'll even order from Twenty Minute Jessie's, because if they aren't here in twenty minutes or less…" Castle started to say before I finished it, "It's on da house…"

My aunt chuckled at the two of us and said, "Fine, Fine… Let's order up some dinner."

I've been anxiously awaiting a phone call from the performing arts center for days now, but it still hasn't come. I've been getting a little worried that I didn't get a part, and would be getting notified of that disappointing news. I was currently doing some homework at the kitchen isle, but I kept looking over at the phone every few seconds, just to see if it was going to ring. I don't know how many times I did this, but the phone finally started to ring, and I quickly ran to grab it. I picked it up and said, "Hello."

"Hello, mini Beckett," Castle said on the other end.

"Oh, it's just you…" I said with disappointment.

"Sorry Em, did they not call yet?"

"No… I have a feeling I didn't get the part."

"Don't give up hope mini Beckett, and even if you don't get it, there is always next time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Want to come down here, and then we can all sulk with you?"

"Thanks, Castle… I think I'll just wait for the phone call."

"Well, if you change your mind, don't hesitate to come down to my office."

"All right, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, keep your head up mini Beckett, you'll knock 'em dead at the next audition."

"Thanks," I chuckled before I hung up the phone.

I was about to put the phone back, but it started to ring again. I wasn't sure who it was going to be, so I answered tentatively with a soft, "Hello?"

"Hi there, is this Emily Beckett?" the lady on the other end asked.

"Yes, it is."

"This is, Claire, the woman at the reception desk, during the auditions."

"Yes, did I not get the part?"

"Well Emily, I am pleased to tell you that you indeed got the part of Little Red. We start rehearsals next Monday, does that sound good?"

"Yes, that sounds great… Thank you so much," I said with a bright smile on my face.

"No problem, we'll see you on Monday."

"See you then."

I hung up the phone and jumped for joy. I couldn't believe I actually got the part, and now I have to tell everybody. I quickly put the phone back, grabbed my jacket, and ran out the door. I wasn't quite sure who I should go to first, but decided to stop by the precinct, then finish at Castle's office. I ran as fast as I could through the streets of New York, and eventually made it to the precinct. I waited impatiently on the elevator, but as soon as the doors opened, I walked as fast as I could to aunt Kate's office.

"Aunt Kate! Aunt Kate!" I yelled as I pretty much rammed into her desk at full speed.

She looked taken aback, and questioned me, "What Emily? Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay. I got the part as Little Red Riding Hood in Into The Woods at the local theater."

"Wow, congrats Em. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks Aunt Kate. I just couldn't wait to tell you that I got the part."

"Well, I'm extremely happy for you."

"You are going to come and see me perform, right?"

"Of course, Emily, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

She came over to me, and gave me a large hug which I returned graciously. When she pulled away, I said nervously, "What if I forget my lines?"

"Don't worry Emily you'll do fine. You'll have plenty of time to memorize everything, and I know you'll be able to do it."

"So, these preperformance jitters will go away?"

"Not really, but once you're up on stage, I bet you'll get through it."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will. I should go tell Castle and everyone else."

"Okay, but be careful Em."

"I will. See you later aunt Kate."

"See you later."

I practically skipped all the way to Castle's PI office, while thinking of the awesome news of getting to perform in the musical. When I arrived, I went into Castle's main office, and found him looking intently at his computer. I walked up to his desk and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Playing this weird online game that I stumbled across," he said.

"What is it?"

"You know, I really haven't figured it out, to be honest. I've been playing for about an hour and a half, and I barely made it close to the online scoreboard."

"Let me see."

Castle got up from his seat, and let me take a whack at the game. It was pretty simple really, just hit a few buttons here and there, and boom, I'm flying through the game. Eventually the character I was handling went off the map, and it was game over, but I did manage to score in the top thirty of the other online players.

"How'd you do that?" Castle asked as he stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Simple, I'm a kid and we pick up on these things fairly quickly," I answered with a shrug.

"Hmm… Guess I need some practice, but well done mini Beckett."

"Thank you."

"So, what brings you here? Did you feel like sulking after all?"

"Quite the opposite, actually. I came here to tell you the great news."

"You got the part!?"

"I got the part!"

Castle pulled me into a large hug, and said, "I'm so happy for you Emily."

"Thanks, uncle Rick."

"No problem, mini Beckett. When do you start rehearsals?"

"Next Monday."

"Well, I think you are going to do a phenomenal job. I can't wait to see you perform."

"I hope so… but I'm super nervous uncle Rick."

"I know, but you'll do fine. And if you're still feeling nervous, I know someone who can help you out."

I smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess your mom could help me out."

"Oh, yeah her too. I was thinking myself, but she probably has more experience and pointers than I do."

"You're funny…"

"At least someone thinks so," he said with a small chuckle.

"So, do you want me to teach you the game?"

"Yes, please," Castle said with excitement.

He quickly sat down at his seat, and I gave him some pointers to help him ace this game that he stumbled across.

Monday finally rolled around, and I was currently standing on stage with several other guys and gals who got picked for parts in this play. We were getting briefed by Mr. Benson, and he was pacing in front of us while giving us this rundown, "So, congratulations to every one of you who have been picked, even our understudies. You should be proud of yourselves for beating out hundreds of other potential actors and actresses. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, today I want to keep things simple, because most of you are new to performing. So, for today, I want you all to get to know each other, and then we'll go through a bit of the script, and maybe we'll try the opening number if we have time. Go mingle for a bit everyone."

The girl, Elizabeth, who I met in line at the auditions, came up to me with a bright smile and said, "Hi, Emily. I see that you made it."

"Yes, and you did too," I said with my own friendly smile.

"Yup, I'm so happy I was able to get the part of Cinderella. Who did you get the part of?"

"Nice, I got the part of Little Red Riding Hood."

"Ooh… That's a cool part to get."

"Yeah… So, are you nervous?"

"Yeah, I've never done anything like this before. Are you nervous?"

"Extremely, and I've been on tv once and performed in my school's talent show. So, it'll never get any easier."

"I guess we can stick together and then maybe we can help calm each other's nerves."

"Sounds good."

A boy with light brown hair and green eyes, came bounding over to us and said, "Hi, I'm Brighton. I got the role of Jack. What are your roles?"

"I'm playing Cinderella," Elizabeth said to him.

"And I'm playing Little Red," I said.

"Oh cool, we'll all have some scenes together," he said with a smile.

"Yep, looks like it."

"See you guys around."

Brighton headed off to the next cast mate, and Elizabeth said, "He was kind of cute."

"Yeah, he was," I replied.

"I wish I was allowed to date."

"You're not allowed to date anyone?"

"Nope, not until I'm at least sixteen, but my mom prefers that I'm eighteen when I start dating."

"Oh, my aunt probably prefers the same thing."

"Have you dated anyone?"

"I kind of did… We went to school together and knew each other since we were six, but it didn't work out."

"Why didn't it work out?"

"He started dating another girl who was popular. He pushed me away, and I wound up leaving the school, and they got kicked out for bullying."

"Man, now wonder my mom doesn't want me to date."

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, too much drama. But we're young, so we have time, I suppose."

"I agree."

A blonde girl came over to us and said, "Hi, I'm Daisy. I'll be playing Rapunzel."

"Nice, I'm Elizabeth and I'll be playing Cinderella."

"I'm Emily, and I'll be playing Little Red," I said.

"Nice to meet you both. This is going to be a blast."

"Have you ever done this before?"

"Yes, this'll be my fifth play here. I started a few years ago, and now I'm hooked."

"What are some of the other plays you've done?" Elizabeth asked.

"I did Annie, Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, and Beauty and the Beast."

"Wow, those sound like fun."

"They were, I only had a main part in Beauty in the Beast, where I played Belle."

"Were you nervous?" I asked.

"Yeah, especially since it was my first lead role, but I performed well and didn't miss a single line."

"Well, we're sticking with you then," Elizabeth chuckled.

"I can teach you some tricks if you'd like. It helps me memorize everything."

"Sure, we'd like that."

"Yeah, that would be great," I said.

"Okay, well once we get into full production mode, I'll give you guys some pointers. See you around," she said before walking off to a boy who was talking to Mr. Benson.

"She seemed nice," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, I liked her. Hopefully, her tricks work," I said.

"Me too, it could be a life saver."

"It definitely would be."

We spent the rest of the day introducing ourselves to one another, and we went over a few spots in the script. It was starting to get late, so Mr. Benson told us to wrap it up and we'll get back to it on Tuesday. I decided to head to Castle's PI office, where I found him chatting with his mother and Alexis. Castle perked up when he saw me and asked, "How did the first day of rehearsals go, mini Beckett?"

"Great, we mostly got to know each other, and we went over the script a bit," I said.

"That's so cool that you decided to do this musical Emily. I can't wait to see you perform," Alexis said.

"Me either… We just might have another Broadway star in our hands," Mrs. Rodgers said with a small chuckle.

"Eh… I wouldn't say that. It's only one musical," I said with a small shrug.

"You never know Emily. You might enjoy it, and become successful like my mother," Castle said.

"I guess so."

"Well, if you ever need any advice or pointers, just let me know. I'd be happy to help," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Thanks, I'll make sure to take you up on that."

"Why don't we all head home? Have some dinner together and hang out," Castle asked.

"Sure, it's been awhile since we hung out with each other," Alexis said.

"How about you, mother?"

"Sure, and maybe Emily will give us a little preview of what's to come?" Mrs. Rodgers asked me.

"Maybe, I'll do a little scene for you guys," I said.

"All right, let's head out," Castle said.

Two weeks of rehearsals flew by, and we had one more week left until our big production the following Wednesday. But, we just got some terrible news during today's rehearsal, and it looked like we were going to have to cancel the show. Mr. Benson decided to go snowboarding over the weekend, and let's just say it didn't end too well. I mean, he's alive, but he broke some bones in his legs and arms, so now he's bed ridden for at least a month. They can't find anybody else to take over for the class, so they have to cancel it until further notice, or possibly, for good. I was looking forward to this play, just like a lot of others, including Elizabeth, but it looks like we're not going to be able to do this one. I guess we'll have to try out for the next one, and hopefully we'll make the cut, because that would suck not being able to have a chance to perform after we already made it this far.

Since we all had to leave the theater because of the heart wrenching news, I decided to sulk all the way to Castle's office, because he might be able to give me that little pick-me-up that I need right now. When I reached his office, I found him twirling a pencil around in his hand absentmindedly, as he looked off into space. He looked over at me with a smile, but it quickly changed when he saw how crestfallen mine was.

"What's wrong mini Beckett?" he asked with concern.

"The play… It's been cancelled until further notice… It'll probably be canceled all together if they can't find someone to take over in the next few days," I said as I plopped in the seat that was in front of his desk.

"How come?"

"Our teacher/director, Mr. Benson, hurt himself pretty badly this weekend while he was snowboarding. Now we have no one to take over, because everyone the theater knows, is busy at this moment."

"Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that, mini Beckett. I know you were really looking forward to this play."

"Yeah, I was. We all were, it was going to be a first for a lot of us, but now we can't do it."

"Well, maybe they will find someone to fill in for the play. You said there were still three days, so it could work out."

"I guess so… It looks bleak though."

"Don't give up mini Beckett. Even if this doesn't pan out, there will always be another one."

"That's true, but I really liked this one. Who knows if I'll even get a part in their next play."

"I'm sure you'll get a part. You're good Emily, and I don't say that to just anyone."

"Sure, you don't…"

"I don't," I stared hard at him and he said, "Okay, maybe sometimes, if I don't want to hurt their feelings, but for you, I'm telling you the whole truth."

"And nothing but the truth?"

"So, help me God."

We laughed at that, and just then, Mrs. Rodgers and Alexis happened to walk in.

"What's going on?" Alexis asked.

"I was just trying to cheer Emily up. Turns out, the play had to be cancelled because their director injured himself while snowboarding," Castle answered.

"That's awful."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I sighed out.

"There's no one else to take his place?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"No, they tried to contact everyone they knew, but they were all busy."

"That's a shame. I was really looking forward to it."

"Me too," then it hit me like a ton of bricks, "I got it!"

"What, mini Beckett?" Castle asked.

"I know exactly who should fill in for Mr. Benson."

"Who?" Alexis asked.

I smirked and looked over at Castle's mother, "Mrs. Rodgers."

"Me?" she questioned.

"Yeah, you. It'd be perfect, I mean you do have knowledge on the subject."

"I don't know…"

"Please!? Think of all the young boys and girls who are going to miss out on performing, which could ultimately make them give up on their dreams of becoming a Broadway star."

"Okay, okay… No need for a guilt trip Emily."

"So, you'll do it?"

"Yes, I'll do it. Just for you Emily."

I threw my arms around her and said, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Rodgers. This is going to be awesome."

We were all groaning as we tried to catch our breaths, several of us sprawled out on the floor of the stage. I thought having Mrs. Rodgers to help us out with the play would be a good thing, but it turned out to be a nightmare. It's been three days of grueling rehearsals, doing several scenes and musical numbers a numerous amount of times, so we could get it right. We were all feeling the burn as Mrs. Rodgers pushed us to our limits, and let's just say, they aren't very happy with me.

Elizabeth was breathing heavy as she walked over to me and said, "Emily, I know you wanted to have your Uncle's mother to be the new director, so we didn't have to cancel the play, but she's killing us."

"It's not that bad… We're kids, we're in shape, we'll bounce right back," I said whilst panting.

"Can't you just say something to her?"

"Ugh, I'll try, but when she's in her Broadway mode, it's kind of a hit or miss."

"Please, try? We'll all forgive you if you can just dial her down a bit."

"Okay…" I walked over to Mrs. Rodgers and said, "Hey, um, Mrs. Rodgers?"

"Yes, Emily," she said with a smile.

"Can we have a break, or at least, something a little calmer?"

"Don't you guys want to do well next Wednesday?"

"Yes, but we're kind of dying here."

"Nonsense, you guys are fine," she said as she gestured towards the kids who still looked exhausted.

"I… I guess we're just not used to this kind of, practice, you can say."

"I know you guys aren't professionals, or adults, like I usually mentor and teach, but I think you guys can benefit from this. It could possibly help any future Broadway actors in this class get ready for the big leagues."

"I guess so, but they aren't taking it too well."

"It is the last rehearsal before the big night, so maybe we'll run through a couple of more numbers, and then you guys can go home early."

"Really!?" I asked in excitement.

"Yes, now, get on your mark," she clasped her hands together and went to inform the rest of the class, "Okay everyone, I know I've been running you all a little hard, but I was just trying to get you all ready. We'll do a few more numbers, and then you all can go home early. Just make sure you practice tomorrow, so you're ready for Wednesday."

Everyone jumped and screamed with joy upon hearing the news that we'll be able to leave soon. Mrs. Rodgers tried to hush us and said, "All right, settle down. Let's take it from the top, act 1 scene 2."

"All of it?" one of the boys asked.

"Yes, now let's take it from the top..."

Rehearsals finally ended, and Mrs. Rodgers dropped me off at Castle's loft, and as soon as I walked in, I plopped on the couch with a tired sigh. Castle came into the living room from his office, and asked, "Rough day?"

"You don't even know the half of it…" I groaned.

"Ah… Did mother go into full acting mode with you guys?"

"Yes… We were exhausted before we even got started."

He chuckled and said, "At least rehearsals are over now, right?"

"Right, I just hope we can pull it off."

"Well, if I know my mother, this'll go off without a hitch. I'm sure you all will do a fantastic job."

"I sure hope so, or they'll have my head."

"That seems a little excessive."

"You'd think so, but you should have seen the glares thrown my way after your mother took over."

"I thought they'd be happy to have the play up and running again."

"The volunteers and other adults were, but the actors and actresses, not so much."

"Well, I'm sure they'll come around after you guys give an outstanding performance."

"I sure hope so…"

It was finally time to put on the musical that we've been rehearsing for this past month. I was so anxious as we scurried around in the back, trying to make sure our outfits, makeup, and props were in order before the big opening number. I decided to peek out into the audience with Elizabeth, and it was almost a full house. I spotted my aunt Kate, Castle, and Alexis, sitting in the second row, along with, Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie. I waved to everyone and they waved back, Castle and my aunt giving me some thumbs up before I went back behind the stage.

"Wow, there's a lot of people out there," Elizabeth said as she toyed with her Cinderella outfit.

"I know, but we'll do fine. We just have to pretend that they aren't there, or imagine them naked…" I said.

"I don't think I want to imagine my mom and grandmother naked."

"Yeah, I don't think I want to imagine my family naked either."

"So, pretend they aren't there?"

"Yep."

"I'll try."

"You can do it, Elizabeth. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Emily."

"No problem."

"Hi girls, how are you two holding up?" Mrs. Rodgers asked.

"Okay, just a little nervous."

"Preperformance jitters are normal, especially for first timers. Don't worry, just perform like we rehearsed, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

"What if we mess up?" Elizabeth asked.

"If you mess up, just continue with whatever you are doing. Don't acknowledge it, or it can make things worse. Believe me, I've been there and done that."

"You've messed up?

"Yes, plenty of times. I just continue with my scene and make sure I tackle it better the next time."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Rodgers."

"No problem, Elizabeth. Now you two girls make sure you're ready, we'll be starting in five minutes."

"Okay," we said together.

The play eventually started, and the first act went off without a hitch. We all nailed our lines, and our musical numbers, so we were all very proud of ourselves. By the time the second act rolled around, we were all elated, and running around in the back, talking ecstatically about our outstanding performances so far. We went back out onto the stage after a short intermission, and wound up getting a standing ovation, during our curtain call. We all took our final bows and proceeded to exit the stage one after the other.

When we reached the back, everyone went up to Mrs. Rodgers, hugging her and thanking her for helping them ace this musical we did. Mrs. Rodgers looked so delighted as everyone gave her their thanks, and she complemented each one of them on a job well done, before they went off to go find their families. I was the last one to go up to Mrs. Rodgers and said, "The play turned out great, Mrs. Rodgers. Thanks for doing this."

"It was my pleasure Emily. Seeing all of those smiling faces, and getting these thanks of gratitude was all worth it," she said to me.

"Yeah, I guess those four days of grueling rehearsals were worth it."

"Indeed, they were, and I knew you'd all do a phenomenal job after I pushed you a little bit."

"Well, we really appreciated it. We would have had no show if you didn't join us, so again thank you."

She pulled me into a warm hug and said, "Any time Emily. I'd do anything for family."

"Emily," I heard Castle say from behind me.

I turned around, finding him, my aunt Kate, Alexis, Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito, standing backstage with flowers and small stuffed bears. They all gave me hugs and handed over the small bouquets, and teddy bears they'd gotten to congratulate me.

"Congrats on a job well done, mini Beckett," Castle said.

"Thanks," I said.

"You did do an amazing job up there, Em. I'm so proud of you," my aunt said.

"Yes, and that whole scene where you sang after the baker killed the wolf, was awesome," Ryan said.

"Yeah, and I'm not usually into these kinds of things, but you all kept me intrigued," Esposito said.

"You have a natural talent Emily," Lanie said.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it."

"Well, I'll catch you all later. I should get home to Jenny and Sarah," Ryan said.

"I should get home too. I have a feeling I'll have a lot of work tomorrow," Lanie said.

"I'll head out with you guys," Esposito said.

We all said our goodbyes, and then it was just the five of us backstage. Castle broke the silence between us and asked, "So, Emily, when's the next play of yours?"

"Actually, I don't think I'm going to be doing another one," I said with complete honesty.

"Why not Emily?" Alexis asked.

I shrugged and said, "It was fun, I made a friend out of it, and I got to spend some time with Mrs. Rodgers, but acting isn't my cup of tea."

My aunt chuckled and asked, "Are you sure?'

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, don't hesitate to come to me. I'll be sure to give you some advice and tips," Mrs. Rodgers said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Anytime Emily."

"How about we go out and commemorate Emily's first and last play with some ice cream?" Castle asked.

We all agreed to getting some celebratory ice cream, and that's what we did. I may have had a good time with Mrs. Rodger's and acting in this play, but I think I want to stick to my guitar, and maybe try some other new hobbies in the future.