This is my take on what would have happened if Johanna Beckett wasn't murdered when Kate was a teenager. What should have happened if her parents were as in love as we're led to believe. What is going to happen (hint hint Castle producers!) when Kate and Rick get their shot at a future together without constraints and burdens from their past.

P.S. Alexis lovers; don't worry, she's still around, but her deep-fried Twinkie of a mother is not and never was (:

Also, I don't own Castle, this is completely AU and my other story The Little Things is being written simultaneously (let's see how that works…..)

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"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, the evidence presented here blatantly shows that my client is not responsible for the events of that evening," Kate Beckett addressed the court room, "though he was in fact present, he was neither the instigator nor conspirator in the murder of Linda Metcalfe, merely a citizen of New York City performing his occupational requirements."

Her client, Marcus Freidman, was a New York cabbie, who had the unfortunate mishap of transporting a dead body in the trunk of his cab unknowingly. While helping an elderly lady to her elevator with her groceries, two men who were currently incarcerated had dumped the mutilated body of their murder victim in his taxi. Continuing on with his run, he was none the wiser until he returned his vehicle at the close of his shift. He immediately contacted law enforcement, claiming black and blue the body was not put there by him. However, the identity of the victim, Linda Metcalfe, previously Freidman, was his ex-wife, who had set out to ruin his life at her earliest convenience. He had lost his home, money and children to the woman, and made no bones about the fact he wanted her dead. It was this information that led the police to believe that it was 'all too convenient' for it not to have been Freidman. When he had approached her months ago, Kate Beckett knew the case was going to be tough, but his animosity against his wife was limited to verbal aggression and use of the legal system to maintain partial custody of his three young children. It was cases like this that Kate championed; ones which seemed almost impossible to overturn, despite the fact the defendant was innocent. She was good at reading people, and Marcus Freidman did not give her a psychopath vibe; he had broken down in tears when he thought of his children living without a mother, then even more when he considered the possibility of his imprisonment, leaving them stranded.

"With the detention of Gareth Porter and Harrison Samuels in police custody, who have forensic evidence linking them to Ms. Metcalfe's death, it is clear that Mr. Freidman was indeed not involved in the murder of his ex-wife," she finished, thanking the jury and the judge before taking her seat.

"You really think we got a chance here?" Marcus whispered to her as the judge dismissed the jury for a verdict.

Kate's shoulders were high, her head up and there was the hint of a grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, Marcus," she said, nodding and turning to face him, "I think we do."

"How do you figure?" he asked, concern ladened his tone, "I mean, I don't really give a damn about bein' locked up, it's just…what about my kids? I, I mean, without me or Linda, they don't got no one."

Kate could see the pain in his eyes at the thought of losing his children. True, they were beautiful girls, all three of them, the eldest eight years old and the youngest just three. She couldn't imagine the stress or agony associated with losing your children; it was an experience she hoped she would never have to endure.

"Marcus, we are going to get you your kids back," Kate stated, "we have good, strong evidence. Evidence that is leaving the prosecutors shitting their pants because they think we've got the nuts."

Groaning in despair, Marcus leaned away from Kate, back against the seat, closing and rubbing his tired eyes. He looked like he was about to cry again, but Kate hoped he wouldn't. At least, not until they'd pronounced him innocent and moved onto the issue of his daughters. However, that was for the Family Court to discuss, Kate was merely here to prove he didn't kill his ex-wife.

"The jury has returned with a verdict."

The announcement from the judge caused the room to fall into immediate silence. Kate sat up a little higher, and Marcus snapped upright again. His expression was eager, a mixture of fearful yet hopeful anticipation. Kate just prayed it was the latter that would come through in the end.

The head juror stood, holding the card which Kate knew held their collective decision. The jury had been quick in coming back to the court room, a thought which could sway the lawyer one of two ways. Either they were all positive of their carefully thought through decision, which Kate vowed very likely; the members of the jury seemed to be fairly intelligent, and appeared to be genuinely alert during the respective arguments. Or, the option Kate almost refused to think; they were simply lazy and ruled him guilty without thought. Clasping a hand on Marcus' knee, she pleaded silently within herself that they were as smart as they looked.

"The jury finds Marcus Freidman not guilty of the murder of Linda Metcalfe," exclaimed the young female juror, leaving Marcus in a relieved heap over the desk. Kate let out a shrill cry of laughter, putting a hand on his shoulder as she smiled.

"We did it!" she said into his ear, his body lifting back into a seated position as he huffed, a look of pure relief and joy sweeping over his face. The court behind them had also erupted, Marcus' brother giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder from behind the barriers.

"You did it, man!"

Kate stood, leaving the brothers to converse, to shake hands with the prosecutor, Jonathan McManus who, despite losing, was grinning at her.

"Good job, Beckett," he said, giving her a strong shake and returning her smile. She knew better than to fraternize with opposing lawyers, but McManus had proven to be one of the good guys in her experience.

"Thanks McManus, sorry you had to draw the short straw," Kate added, releasing his hand and placing her own on her hips. He gave shrug, a small laugh and shook his head gently.

"Come on," he began, "anyone who comes up against you in a courtroom is going to lose. It's just a well-known fact in New York."

The two laughed together for a moment, before McManus excused himself and hurried out of the courtroom. She took the opportunity to return to retrieve her briefcase and check her cell. Not that she was expecting any calls, but that was an even greater reason for there to be some.

"Kate?"

Turning abruptly, she offered a smile to Marcus, who was standing right by her, smiling. Relief was still visible on his face, as he reached out to shake her hand.

"Thank you," he said, "thank you so much. I couldn't have done this without you."

Her cheeks went one or two shades pinker, but her smile remained just as bright as moments ago, as he let her hand go and sighed.

"Really. Thank you."

"Marcus, it was my pleasure," Kate said quietly, "besides, there's never a problem with defending someone who was wrongly accused when the welfare of his children are at stake."

"Let's hope your brother is just as good as you," he said with a smile. Kate tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, "My brother?"

"Andrew Beckett, over at the Family Court," Marcus explained, "Ain't he your brother?"

"Oh, of course, yes," Kate smiled with a nod, "Yup, that's my brother alright."

Marcus smiled, the thought of his current lawyer's brother dealing with the custody of his girls made the ordeal much less stressful. He'd heard that he was just as relentless and professional in the court room, demanding the wellbeing of those involved be the focus of the case rather than the 'easy' option. As someone who had dealings with custodial issues previously, Marcus knew well of Andrew Beckett's reputation.

"Well, I'm hopin' the success is a family thing," he laughed, before he bade farewell and exited with his own brother. The courtroom had begun to clear significantly, and Kate took the opportunity to grab her coat, briefcase and then leave before she was sucked into more conversations. Not that she didn't enjoy talking to Marcus, but the case had been long and comprised a lot of elements that had to be dealt with correctly, or they could very well have lost.

But, the case was done, and she could set her mind on the week she had off, starting tomorrow. It was going to be a well-earned break; she hadn't had any weekdays off in a long time, not since her youngest daughter was born. Granted, her firm had allowed her to work from home on the weekends and occasions when her husband was out of town, but other than that, she was pretty much an overtime girl. Pulling out her cell, Kate dialed her home number, expecting to have her husband answer the phone. Instead, it rolled over onto the answering machine.

Hmm, that's odd, she thought to herself; surely they should be home by now, it was almost 3:30pm. She shook it off, figuring her husband had probably taken their kids for ice cream. He was always spoiling them with little treats like that, especially when Kate was working a lot.

Walking out the front doors of the courthouse, she was about to hail a cab, when a familiar voice and a flash of orange came running toward her.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" came the little voice, loud and excited, as a pair of tiny arms clamped around her hips, causing a smile to spread across her face.

"Hey, Lexi, how are you?" Kate asked, being released by the young girl so she could squat down to her level. Placing her briefcase on the ground and her coat on top, she pulled her oldest child into a tight hug, placing a kiss just above her ear.

"Did you have a good day at school?" Kate asked, standing to collect her coat and briefcase. Before her daughter could reply, however, the two were interrupted.

"Alexis, what did I tell you about running off like that?" came the worried voice of Kate's husband, Rick, "Who knows who could have grabbed you!"

"But I saw Mommy!" the young red-head argued, "And I missed her!"

Kate turned to face Rick, laughing at the sight. He was pushing a pram with one hand, holding a young child on his hip with other while glancing frequently to another small boy who was holding the side of his jacket while devouring an ice cream.

"Lexi, honey, you know better than to run off," Kate added sternly, "especially when it's just Daddy on his own."

With a lot of kids, Kate and Rick had tried to re-iterate the importance of staying together. Most of the time, they listened, but they were still only very young.

"Sorry, Mommy," Alexis said, looking at her feet, before glancing up through her eyebrows with a grin, "But are you glad to see me?"

Kate laughed, pulling the girl in for another quick hug, "Of course I'm glad to see you, sweetie."

"Momma, look," came the voice of the young boy at his father's side, "Dadda got me ice cream!"

"I see that," Kate said, smiling, leaning down to plant on kiss on his head, before placing her coat over the top of the stroller. Beaming, her older son, David, turned his attention back to his treat, which was now also all over his face.

"Hey, honey," she said quietly, moving forward to peck Rick on the lips, as well as leaving a kiss on her younger son, Lucas' cheek.

"Long day?" he asked her, as she took the stroller from his hand and placed her briefcase in the carrier below her sleeping, seven-month old daughter. Puffing her mouth out as she sighed, Kate nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose momentarily before turning to Alexis.

"Alexis, honey, hold on to the stroller, please," Kate said, the young girl obliging quietly. Rick had now taken David's hand, and was leading him in the direction of their car, their conversation incoherent from Kate's position.

"Did you have a good day at school, sweetie?" she asked her daughter, who was skipping alongside her, humming.

"Ah-huh," Alexis began, "we started our new words and we got to pick out our new books for our Home Reader and then we had to paint a picture to put up in the classroom."

"And what did you paint a picture of?" Kate queried, reaching a finger forward to stroke her baby daughter's cheek. She smiled at how angelic she looked, her mouth in a little 'o' and her eyelids fluttering as she slept.

"I painted you," Alexis began, "and Daddy and David and Lucas and baby Elise!"

Kate smiled, "I bet that would have been a very pretty picture."

Alexis nodded excitedly, returning to her humming from moments before. The young red-head had been the most excited when Elise, Kate's youngest, was born. Having grown up with two younger brothers, she had been adamant about having a little sister to play with. If she were being honest, Kate herself had hoped for a baby girl too; after Alexis grew into her independent stage and decided she could now do everything herself (not quite), she missed the joy of having a little girl she could spoil with attention.

Reaching the family SUV, Rick already had it opened and was helping Lucas into his car seat, while David sat behind him, prodding his face with a napkin. Kate smiled at her boys; they both looked so alike, but their personalities could not be more different. She reveled in the fact that all of her children were different from one another; they each had their own little quirks and personality traits. Still, from the outside, you knew they were a family, for even though they were each an individual, they were all the same in some way.

Like a patchwork quilt! Rick had exclaimed excitedly one night, not too long ago. They were still waiting for Elise's character to emerge, but in the meantime, they were happy with their brood.

"Lex, honey, hop in," Kate said, as the girl clambered into the very back seat, seating herself in the booster beside David. Parking the stroller, Kate threw her coat and briefcase on the passenger side, before turning back to Elise. Smiling, she reached in to gently pick up her daughter, who was now awake and wide-eyed. Kate gazed at her lovingly, gave her quick kiss on the nose and then lifted her into the baby seat next to Lucas. As she fastened her in, Kate every now and then gave a gentle tickle to Elise's belly, causing her to giggle adorably each time.

"Who's a gorgeous girl?" she cooed, tickling her once more, leaving her a kiss on the cheek before gently closing the back door.

Rick had already folded and packed the stroller in the back of the car, and was closing the other side door as he gave a huge grin to Kate. Smiling, she climbed elegantly into the passenger side, her briefcase on the floor and coat on her lap, sighing.

"You okay?" Rick asked, more out of interest than actual concern. He knew when she had had a bad day; she would be curt, tense and riled up. Fortunately, today was not one of those days. Kate turned to her husband, offering him a smile and taking his open hand that lay over the middle of the car.

"I'm great," she said, leaning back into her seat, closing her eyes and smiling. She felt the car jerk to life, before it pulled out from the curb. She could hear her children chattering in the back, Rick humming along to the radio and little Elise blowing raspberries behind her.

She'd been looking forward to the end of this week more so than any other in a while. The infrequent occurrence of her having time off meant that this chance was going to be taken to go on a little family vacation. Kate was still unconvinced the Hamptons could be considered an actual vacation, but it was a break she was willing to enjoy, regardless of her opinions.

"Momma, are you excited?" came the voice of Alexis from the back seat. Kate opened her eyes and peeked in the review mirror; over the middle seats, she could see her blue eyes peering over, as well as the creases in the corner which told Kate she was smiling.

"Of course I am, sweetie," Kate said, "what about you?"

Alexis nodded excitedly, before she was distracted by David hitting her in the arm.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" the young girl cried, holding her arm and sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

"You weren't listening!" David argued, crossing his arms in an exaggerated huff.

"David, that doesn't mean you hit people," Rick added sternly, "you have to be patient, wait your turn."

Sighing, Kate heard her son turn and apologize to his sister, who was quick to accept it. Moments later, you would never have guessed anything had happened, as they gazed out the window, laughing at a 'silly looking lady'.

Feeling Rick's hand squeeze hers, she looked up at him to find him smiling at her, turning away only to pull into their building garage and park. As soon as the car was off, the sound of unclicking seatbelts, incoherent chattering and car doors opening erupted into the previously silent parking garage.

"Oh, by the way," Rick began, as he unclipped Lucas and then began to pull out the stroller, "your parents called; said they're good for dinner tonight."

Kate nodded and smiled, pulling Elise from her seat and taking Alexis' hand.

"Sweetie, could you grab Mommy's coat?" she asked, the eager young girl bounding to the front seat, as Kate turned back to Rick.

"Great!" she exclaimed, "You told them 6 o'clock, right?"

Sometimes, Rick wasn't the greatest at remembering times, no matter how much you reminded him. His goldfish memory when it came to numbers was something that both amused and irritated Kate.

"Is that what time I was supposed to tell them?" he asked hopefully, to which Kate nodded.

"Phew!"

Laughing softly at her husband received a grin, which turned into a quick embrace when she reached the back of the car. Kate felt a kiss on the side of her head, before the warmth of Rick was gone, headed toward the elevator with her sons.

"Come on, Lex," Kate called, "Miss Elise is getting hungry."

"Coming, Momma," Alexis said, suddenly appearing at her side clutching Kate's coat and briefcase. Thankfully, it wasn't all that heavy today, otherwise her red-headed five-year-old might have struggled.

"Oh, thank you pumpkin," Kate gushed, giving Alexis' shoulder a gentle squeeze before she pushed softly toward the elevator.

"It's okay, Mommy," Alexis said, skipping and chasseing over to her father. An objective squeal came from a grumbling Elise, who was getting uneasy in Kate's arms. Her mouth was turning into a pout, and Kate could see the tears starting, as her tiny fists flailed in the air.

"It's okay, beautiful, we're almost home," she soothed, kissing her daughter's forehead and bouncing her lightly on her hip.

"Aww, is little Elise hungry?" Rick cooed, reaching over to wipe a tear from the baby's cheek with his thumb. Kate nodded, smiling – she was doing that a lot lately.

The family piled into the elevator, Alexis chattering away with David and Lucas clinging to his father's hand and side, while Kate stood right beside her husband, leaning on him while still slowly rocking Elise. When the doors closed, and the carriage began to move up toward the penthouse, Rick turned to his children and wife.

"So, who's ready for a Castle Vacation?" he cried, emitting cheers from the three older children, and a huge smile from Kate.