Fate's Case (a Castle Fan Fiction)

Bright Lights Reversing Time

I woke from my sleep a few hours after I'd first fallen asleep to find Alexis at the foot of my bed along with one of the Nikki Heat novels and a ominous presence. Harmlessly she read in silence without even brining her head back up from the pages, yet the heaviness and lack of relaxation tipped me off that she had an issue. Whatever it was, she held it in as she asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Poorly. What are you doing in here? I thought for sure you'd be with your dad," something about this wasn't right. It was like she had some offal secret and this plot was about to reach the tell-all climax.

"He woke up and I thought I'd give Kate some time with him. They are engaged and having a baby, so I figured this should be something she got to do. Why did you sleep poorly?" Her body language, the fact that she wasn't looking at me and the smallest bit of possible anger held tight on her furrowing brow as she attempted to mask the secret intent behind this meeting.

Her eyes looked more questioning than I was accustomed to seeing with her, so I decided the vaguest answer possible would best suite the situation, "Bad dreams and the pain. Did they take me off the morphine drip?"

"No, but they did say you'd be in pain. What were the dreams about?" Once again, she managed to be in control of the situation by exchanging the information she gave me with information I'd give her.

"The future," I lied, "And the lack of justice in the world today. Why do you ask?"

This had somehow become a pissing match, "Curiosity. What bugs you about the future and the justice in the world?"

"The fact that a young boy can get shot and a young girl can get kidnapper and no one seems to take a second look after that. Well, that's the justice part of it all. I'm also thinking of the possible futures I can see for myself. None of them are too terribly bright, except the one with Kate and your dad," I smiled, knowing the truth behind my lie.

She seemed to be set on edge by this, "My dad and his fiancé aren't just people you can use. They have been through a lot as it is and they don't need anything more added onto that plate." In her tone, her words, her movements as she slammed the novel shut and threw it on her lap. I tried to get something out, but before I could, she tossed back, "You know, I don't understand how you can just come in here and they can completely bend to your every whim. I don't understand how you can look at these people as you do and completely act like your actions are ineffective on their lives. You stab yourself in the chest to protect information that you don't have. You get yourself kidnapped, you get yourself nearly killed, you are reckless and impossibly irresponsible. And I get it, alright, I get the memory crap and the things you couldn't do jack about, but I don't get why you don't do things you could do to help.

"These people are my family and you are completely unable to see what you are doing to them. There are some things that I don't understand yet about what goes on in their lives, but this is one thing I do get and you are completely and utterly cowering behind these two when you have the know how and the ability to fight back. So please, dead God, get it the fuck together and show some of that maturity they taught you at the CIA. And if you can't, if you know you're going to hurt them more, please, leave. Go back to the CIA. Leave us alone," once she finished the rant I could tell she'd been holding in, she left the door, carrying with her a great deal of relief and pain.

It was empty. I was empty.

Guilt began to boil in my heart as it slowly melted me away, washing out all senses and traces of my former self. I became hallow a moment. The shell of an unwanted, unwelcome, heartless, soulless girl who ought to be throw in jail for her crimes against people who wished only to care for me. With the echoes of her irate words and the feelings of being the beast among monsters, I felt myself fall back further into my pillow and sink deep into my self-hatred. Before I 9 beyond the layers of wrath, just ask I began to feel the disdain set in, I remembered that Alexis was just a scorned daughter looking for someone to take her victimless rage out on and luckily for her I was an easy, understandable target.