Finding My Way Back To You (A Castle FanFic) (ON HOLD)

The Morning After

Brooklyn woke up the next day with sunlight streaming into her eyes, she remembered what happened last night, she slept over at Alexis's.

She looked over to Alexis's bed, the young redhead was still fast asleep, she checked her phone, it's seven am. It's early for a weekend, but she was up, Brooklyn is an early bird.

She tiptoed to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and got changed.

It was only seven thirty, she checked on her phone, watched some YouTube videos and chilled. Alexis woke up at eight thirty.

"Morning Brooklyn, you're up early," said Alexis.

"Mom always said that I'm an early bird."

"Speaking of our parents, how did they know each other?"

"I know right?" Brooklyn pretended to know nothing, but she guessed that Alexis's father is also her father.

Alexis got ready and the two girls went downstairs for breakfast, where Castle was there making pancakes.

"Good morning Dad."

"Morning Mr Castle."

"Good morning girls, here are your pancakes," Castle said as he placed the pancakes in front of the girls.

"Wow..." Brooklyn said softly.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"I don't know how long it was since I had my last homecooked meal."

"What do you usually eat?"

"Mom and I sometimes would go to a cafe for breakfast or I skip it, then I eat cafeteria lunch and takeout for dinner."

"Well I hope you enjoy the pancakes," said Castle.

Brooklyn took a bite of the pancakes, it was heavenly. She had pancakes when she was young but now neither her mom nor her bother to make them.

"Hello everyone!" Martha said as she made her grand entrance down the stairs.

"Morning Gram."

"Good morning Mother."

"Good morning Ms Rodgers."

"Brooklyn I told you a million times to call me Martha!"

"Okay," Brooklyn chuckled.

"I would be in the theatre, adios dears," Martha said and exited the loft.

"When did Mom leave last night?"

"Not long after you fell asleep," Castle wanted to avoid that subject, he did not particularly enjoy that talk last night with Beckett.

"How did you know my mom?"

"She's my ex."

"High school sweethearts?"

"Yeah, we broke up though."

"Because you needed to go to the UK and then you never came back for her college graduation like she promised?"

"How... How did you know this?"

"Mom stayed at Stanford for two hours after the ceremony because she was waiting for you."

Castle looked shocked, he didn't know he left Beckett hanging so badly and he didn't know Beckett told Brooklyn all these stuff.

"She went back the next day hoping you are there, when she took me to the park she only sits on 'your bench' because she was hoping you'd show up. I know she cried at night for months after she graduated, even when she's with me. She promised me too Dad, she promised me I would meet my father when she graduates," Brooklyn was already shedding tears by now, "I had to stay at Grandpa Jim's for six months almost everyday, because she was at the Academy. I never had my dad to watch out for me, never... never had my dad to catch me when I was riding my bike for the first time, I never had anyone telling me I was his little princess and would be his little girl forever. Why didn't you come back Dad?"

"I couldn't come back," was all Castle could say.

Then the doorbell rang, Alexis took to chance to slip away and opened the door. She was shocked when she saw a Hispanic man and an Irish man standing at the door.

"I'm Detective Ryan, any chance that Brooklyn Beckett is here? We are her uncles and her mother has asked us to pick her up," Ryan said as he waved his badge.

"Uncle Javi! Uncle Ryan!" Brooklyn quickly wiped away her tears, snatched her bag on the way out of the door and hugged her uncles, "By the way, thank you Mr Castle for your hospitality, thank you Alexis."

"Beckett asked us to thank you for letting Brooklyn stay, we'll be on our way," Esposito said and them three caught the elevator.

"Dad? You have some serious explaining to do," Alexis said as she closed the door and crossed her arms, glaring at her father.

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Brooklyn was shedding tears in the backseat of her uncles' car, Esposito and Ryan thought it was best to leave her alone, knowing Beckett and Brooklyn, it might be best to leave her alone.

Brooklyn was quiet when she entered the precinct, Beckett thought something was up.

"Brooklyn, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Brooke, this is not nothing. You don't cry like this."

"Mom, I'm not crying, it's just... something got into my eye."

"Your eyes don't get red and puffy when something gets into your eye," Beckett took her daughter into the break room and sat down on the couch.

"Mom I'm fine!"

"Brooklyn, tell me, what's going on? What happened at Alexis's?"

"Richard Castle... Is he really my dad?"

Beckett sort of guessed, Brooklyn can go really emotional when it came to her father. When she was three, Beckett told her Castle was never coming back, Brooklyn cried for many nights.

"Yeah... Castle... he's your father."

"Why didn't he come back?"

"He had a book coming out and he couldn't leave the UK, so he ended up staying there all these years."

"He had something to do better than us."

"I know baby girl, but we never cared right? We are fine on our own without a man looking out for us right?"

"You still love Dad don't you?"

"Don't be silly Brooklyn, he left us when he promised he'd come back," Beckett denied her feelings for Castle, though she knows both her and her daughter know that Beckett still has feelings for him.

"Mom if you already gave up then why didn't you marry?"

"I don't know, really, no guy ever caught my eye."

"I really wanted Dad to be there for me Mom. I wanted him to be there when I was born, to catch me when I walked all the way over from you to him, to drop me off on my very first day of school, to catch me when I fall on my very first bike ride... Why did he have to..." Brooklyn collapsed crying into her mother's hands.

"Let it all out baby girl," said Beckett, rubbing her daughter's back.

"Hey Beckett..." Ryan came into the break room but to find Brooklyn crying in Beckett's arms.

"What?"

"We have a body uptown."

"I'll sit this one out Ryan, you and Espo head over there."

"Okay," Ryan nodded and headed over to Esposito.

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Castle finished telling Alexis everything, she didn't take it too well. She thought Castle hid the fact that he had another kid before her and she wasn't too pleased with this.

Alexis has gone up to her room and Castle thought of Brooklyn as his daughter. What if he came back when Beckett graduated? What if he never left America? He would be there for Brooklyn all the way, she wouldn't have to confront him like that.

Castle wanted to call Beckett, but he realized he didn't have her number, how can he reach her?

He just figured he would try to hit every precinct in the city until he finds a certain Detective Kate Beckett, and he would start tomorrow. It's a Sunday, hopefully Beckett would still be at work tomorrow.