Chapter One

Disclamer: I own nothing, everything belongs to its rightful owners and I'm making no profit.

AN- normally I'm not one for cross over stories but I recently began to read some Firefly/Castle ones and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. A few things you need to know.

First: this is set in the Castle vers about where we are now with the change that both Castle's and Kate's secrets have come out and they have been dating about a month.

Second: in the Firefly vers it is about 9 months after Serenity (Movie) there is one big difference which is that Wash and Shepard Book didn't die. Wash was seriously hurt so River did take over as pilot why he heals.

What Castle/Mal will be called will depend on who is talking to him and whether he is acting more like Castle or Mal

Hope you enjoy please review and let me know what you think I'll upload the second chapter when it is done. I have the beginning and they end of this story planed out, it's what happens I'm between that isn't completely figured out.

Castle's office in the loft, it is early morning and Castle is looking a picture of his old crew taken just after Simon, River and Shepard Book joined them, one of the few possessions he was able to bring back to the past with him. He is so engrossed in the picture that he doesn't notice Martha walking in.

"You need to tell them." Martha says once she realises what he is looking at.

"Tell who what?" Castle asks surprised as he didn't hear his mother come in and confused as to who and what she is talking about.

"Kate, Alexis, Ryan, Esposito, Lanie even Jenny, they deserve to know who you are where you come from, you owe them that." Martha tells him as she closes the door to his office just in case Alexis wakes up and comes downstairs.

"How can I tell them that I'm from 500 years in the future, how can I tell Alexis that I have lied to her. How can I tell Kate? I love her so much I can't lose her." Castle begins to tell his mother but is cut off.

"More than you loved…" Martha begins but is cut off by her son. "Inara." Castle says as he realises that is the name his mother is about to say, Martha nods.

"Yes, Inara will always be important to me and a part of me will always love her in some way Alexis name is proof of that.." Castle begins to explain but is cut off by his mother.

"Alexis Inara Castle." Martha says with a smile.

"But Kate, Kate is the woman I love the person who is my other half the person I belong with, I don't believe in much anymore but I do believe in that." Castle explains.

"Then you have your answer kid, you have to tell her. Alexis two I understand why you didn't tell her when she was younger but she is going to 18 in a couple of months she deserves the truth from you. The boys and Lanie they have deserve to know too they treat you like a brother you own them the truth." Martha tells her son knowing that it is going to be incredible hard for him but it will be worse if he isn't honest with the people who are most important to him.

"What am I to say to them Mother?" Castle as angrily as he stands up and starts to pace his office. "My name isn't Richard Castle its Malcolm Reynolds my mother and I came here 20 years ago from 500 years in the future because a government force called the alliance tried to kill her because of information I released to the public and the only way to keep her and everyone else I care about safe is to use a 1 trip time machine to come back to the past and doing so I became 17 again and had to grow up again " Castle says showing his mother how ridiculous it sounds.

"You have to kiddo the longer you wait the more it's going to hurt in the long run"

Castle stares out his window and looks up at the sky remembering his other life the life he doesn't think much about anymore. After a few minutes silence he finally says "You right, I'll invite the boys Lanie, Jenny and Kate over tomorrow night and I'll tell them."

"Invite Jim to, you know Kate won't want to keep this from her father, plus she may need him." Martha tells her son and before he can respond his IPhone goes off with Kate's face coming up on the caller id.

"Richard Castle here either your missing me or there's a dead body." Castle says trying to sound as normal as possible and after a few minutes he says "I'll meet your there." He says then hangs up and faces his mother.

"I'm going to invite them sometime today, can you ask Alexis when she wakes to make sure she has nothing on tomorrow night starting about 7:30." Richard asks his mother.

Martha nods as Rick grabs his phone puts the photo is his hidden safe along with everything else about the future, a safe that not even Alexis knows exists. Once he does that he leaves his office and heads to the closet by the door to grab his jacket glad that he is already dressed.

"You're making the right choice." Martha tells her son just as he opens the front door.

"I sure hope so." Rick says sighing as he walks out the door worried about how everyone is going to react.

The crime scene turns to be Central park, as he is walking through the part Rick is surprised about how nervous he is about giving out a simple invitation especially after everything he has done.

"Kate." Castle says noticing who the figure in front of him is.

Kate turns around and smiles once she realises who it is "Hey" she says happily as she stands still so he can catch up to her.

"Here's your coffee." He says handing her the coffee in his left hand then says "And here's your morning kiss." He says leaning in and giving her a kiss.

"Great morning" Kate says with a smile as they break away from their kiss.

"So who's the vic?" Castle asks as they begin to walk to the scene together.

"Not a lot of details all I know is there was a body of a woman found about an hour ago." Kate tells him checking her notebook for the details.

The pair continues to walk to the crime scene together and Kate notices that Castle is strangely quiet.
"Hey Rick, you ok?" Kate asks worried about him.

"Huh, I'm fine." Castle says and Kate gives him a look saying 'I don't believe you' realising that he has to come up with a lie he simply says " I was up late last night writing I'll be fine once the caffeine kicks in. " Kate nods excepting the excuse as she know he has meant to do some writing for a while.

"What have we got Lanie?" Kate asks a few seconds later once they arrive at the scene.

"Caucasian woman aged 25-30, single stab wound to the stomach TOD between 11 last night and 4 this morning, I'll know more when I get her back to the lab." Lanie tells the pair looking up from the body of a young thin woman with long curly dark brown almost black hair, who looks quite beautiful.

"So it was long and painful." Kate notes then turn to Ryan and Esposito "Any identity of the vic? Any witnesses?"

"Drivers license says name is Prudence Aaron she's 27 works at the museum as an appraiser, she is married and her husband Harrison Aaron who works for a law firm down town and he is on his way to the station." Ryan tells Kate looking at the notes.

"There seems to be no witnesses, she was found 5:00am this morning by an early morning jogger." Esposito explains.

"Lack of blood pool means she was moved, so someone stabbed her in the stomach waited for her to bleed out before moving her, that's takes a special kind of viciousness to watch that she would be crying out in pain." Castle notes as he has experienced a stab to the stomach on a couple of occasions and does remember how much it hurts.

"Castle's right Ryan, Esposito I want you to canvas the park police see if they noticed any cars early this morning, and get the security tapes from this morning they may help. Castle and I will head back to the precinct to talk to her husband." The boys turn to leave but Castle cuts them off as he feels it's now or never "Wait Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, Kate your all invited over for dinner tomorrow night at the loft starting about 7:30 and Ryan bring Jenny and Kate bring you dad." Castle tells them.

"Sure I'll be there." Ryan, Esposito and Lanie say though Lanie looks confusingly at Kate to see if she knows what is going on.

"What's going on Rick?" Kate asks confused.

"We haven't had the chance to hang out lately we have been busy with trying to stay on Gates good side as so much to do that I thought that this might be a good idea for us all to spend some time together." Castle explains saying the explanation he worked out on his cab ride to the crime scene.

"But my dad really?" Kate asks still suspicious.

"When I told Mother I was thinking about inviting you all over she said I should invite your dad to. You know how those two like to talk." Castle quickly improvises as it's not a complete lie as his mother was the one who suggested Jim come to.

"Ok, let's go Rick." Kate says sounding like she believes him but Castle can tell that he is going to get interrogated on the way to the precinct.

Kate turn to head back to her car and Castle follows letting out a discrete sigh of relief but thinking to himself that the easy part is over, the hard part is still to come.