Kate Beckett sat at her desk, doggedly putting pen to paper in an effort to diminish the pile of paperwork on her desk. While the red tape associated with police work annoyed the detective, she actually sort of like the quiet day at the end of every case. It was a good thing to have half a day to reflect on the case, put it to rest, and exorcise its demons. The day was usually Castle-free as well, which was also a good thing...yes, a good thing. She had a day free of his teasing and levity – no, immaturity. A day that reminded her of how the precinct used to be before the writer came to shadow her.
Setting her pen down, Beckett slumped back in her chair and avoided identifying the restlessness in her. If she looked to close, she would recognize that the bullpen was too silent and maybe she would have to admit that she was a little bored too. Shaking herself to clear her thoughts, Kate looked up and noticed a uniform exiting the elevator with a woman in tow. The officer said something to the woman, which made her stop following him, then made his way straight to Kate's desk.
"Detective Beckett? This woman came in asking to speak with you?"
"Is everything all right?"
"She doesn't look hurt or anything – she wouldn't say what she needed."
Kate leaned past the officer and took another look at the woman. She did look okay, neatly dressed and put together, not like some of the people who came seeking the detective's help. But ever since Kate became media fodder over Heat Wave – and especially since the press started for the movie – the detective felt a little leery over letting just anybody meet her at the station.
Finally, she sighed. "I'll talk to her," she told the officer. The uniform motioned for the woman to come over and he introduced Beckett.
"Ma'am, this is Detective Kate Beckett."
"Thank you," the woman said warmly. Once the officer left, she stuck her hand out, and Kate shook it firmly. "Thank you for meeting with me detective, I realize this is a bit unconventional."
"It's no problem."
"My name is Aris Miron-Whitworth and – "
Kate's mouth fell open. "Wait," she interrupted. "Miron? Like Miron Productions? The company that did the special effects and stunts for Heat Wave?"
The woman grimaced. "Yeah, Gio Miron is my father."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you." Kate recovered her wits fairly quickly and resolved not to embarrass the woman further. She motioned for Aris to sit in Castle's chair and she took her own seat. "How can I help you?"
Aris took a deep breath. "Okay, here's the thing...actually, I'm not sure how to say this...hmmm," she tapered off, obviously conflicted with something. "You see, I'm Richard Castle's half-sister."
Despite her earlier resolve, Kate's mouth fell open again. "Whaa...? Are you serious?" Aris nodded. "So, Gio Miron is Castle's father?"
"Actually, was. I'm still not used to saying that. Gio Miron was Richard's father. He passed away almost two months ago."
That news calmed Kate's spinning brain and turned off the detective voice in her head telling her to look for an angle this woman might play. "Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that."
Aris shrugged. "Thank you," she said off-handedly.
A light turned on in Kate's mind. "Is that why you need my help? Do you suspect foul-play in your father's death?"
"Heaven's no!" Aris cried. "No, no, my father died the old-fashioned way: too much booze, too many cigars, and some questionable std's that finally wore down his heart." She said it in a tone devoid of judgment or emotions, making Kate wonder what kind of relationship she had with her father. The detective was no stranger to strained father-daughter relationships and she recognized the distance in the woman's voice.
"Actually detective, I am here on behalf of my father's dying request. The last few days of his life, he started talking to me. He told me things he'd never said before, and among them he expressed his greatest regret, his biggest secret. He told me that day that he had another child – a son that he'd never had anything to do with. He wasn't even sure the man – Richard Castle - knew he was his father. He knew when Martha Castle was first pregnant that he was the father. But he didn't do anything about it. He said he was just starting his business and things were really taking off. He lived a certain "Bond-like" lifestyle that wouldn't have gone over very well if everyone knew he had a wife and kids. So he walked away. As the years went on, and he matured, I suppose he was embarrassed by his inaction; but he kept the guilt away by ignoring it. And then, before he knew it, he was dying and it was too late to right his life-long wrong. So, the task falls to me."
Skepticism emerged though the torrent of other thoughts and emotions. "You honestly didn't know your father had another child?"
Aris laughed mirthlessly. "Detective, it wouldn't surprise me if my father had a dozen other children. I am fully prepared to meet "surprise" half siblings for the rest of my life. But, no, I didn't know about Richard, or Martha for that matter, until a few months ago. It's funny, I knew about Heat Wave, and that my father's company had done some work on it, but I didn't know why he had such a passion for it. At the time, I hadn't read any of Castle's books, so I was a little confused by the fact that he'd taken on a movie with so much romance. Normally Miron Productions works on epic adventure or sci-fi/fantasy movies."
"So, how do I know you're telling me the truth?" Beckett asked, letting the cynicism show, but feeling in her gut the woman was genuine.
"I've thought about that," Aris admitted. "I've had 2 long months to think about how to prove that I'm not going to extort anything, or hurt anybody."
"And?"
"And I have no clue how to go about it. So, I've brought you all the documents of my life: copies of my driver's license, birth certificate, financial statements, character and reference letters and Gio Miron's last will and testament." Aris pulled a thick folder out of her bag and plopped it on Kate's desk. "I figure, if you okay me, then Richard will too."
"This will do," Beckett said decidedly. She called over Esposito to run down confirmations on some of the information and she made a couple phone calls herself, all the while chatting lightly with Aris. Turning over a page, Kate saw Gio Miron's will. She read through the section of the will about the beneficiaries. The bulk of Miron's estate went to art and film charities, and a small portion went to Aris, with instructions that she aid in the disposing of the rest of his estate. Castle was not even mentioned.
"So, even in death he didn't acknowledge his son," Beckett observed.
Aris just shook her head. "He was ashamed, like I said, and just before he died he asked me to make it right for him, so here I am."
"That's not fair."
The woman didn't answer for a moment; she was very deep in thought. "You're right, detective, it's not fair. And I can honestly say I'm not sure it's the right thing to do – seek out Mr. Castle like this. I'm not sure it's what's best for everybody. I only know that, now that Gio's dead, I have none of my own family except a half brother" Aris stopped for a moment, tears welling into her eyes and her voice became strained with emotion. "And he may not want anything to do with me, or with our father, but I would like to at least try. Try to stay connected to my blood. I know that Richard is wealthy, but I don't need that. My father left me plenty and my husband does very well for us. I would just like to be able to look out at the moon at night and know that I have a brother who might be looking up at the same moon. Ya'know? Like in that kid's movie?"
Kate smiled at the remembrance of the mouse brother and sister singing a beautiful song about families. "I know what you mean," she whispered.
Her own desire to be connected to family was a large part of her attraction – no, why she used to be attracted – to Richard Castle. Alexis and Martha drew something out of her she hadn't felt since her mother died. And even though she wasn't anything to them but a friend, sometimes, in the dark of night, she thought about what it would be like to be a part of that whole. Yes, Kate knew exactly what Aris meant.
Clearing her throat, and the emotion in the air, Kate put herself into detective mode. "Right," she said gruffly. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you work for Miron Productions?" Kate knew the answer, she'd seen the woman's employment history form. She was currently a full-time foster mom, something that Kate respected very much, but she wanted to hear the woman's reasons behind not caving to nepotism.
"No, I don't. Truth be told, I walked away from that life some years ago. Oh, when I was a teenager I loved the fame and the fortune and the glitz. But it got old really fast. And I never quite fit in with that crowd. I'm not glamorous enough."
Kate opened her mouth to protest, but Aris cut her off. "Trust me, detective. I'm not. By the time I entered college, I realized I was headed for a future that would slowly eat my soul alive." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I'm not naturally gorgeous like you are, and though every woman longs to be beautiful, I just couldn't make myself buy into the notion that I'd need years of intensive plastic surgery and a lifetime diet of celery and ice water just to be 'acceptable' in my father's circles."
Nodding at the level-headed woman before her, Kate ignored the compliments paid her. She focused instead on all the information she received. "Were you close to your father at all then?"
"I suppose so. My mother left me with him when I was about 10. My father saw to all my needs. He paid for my schooling and vacations and clothes; and he even offered me a job at Miron when I got out of college, but I turned him down."
"Why?"
The expression on Aris' face changed dramatically. She fairly glowed as she continued her story. "In college I met my husband," she said with a smile. "He came from a big family – a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters and the whole she-bang. The first time I met them, I knew what I'd been missing. My father gave me everything but the one thing that family had: love. Walking away from Miron Productions and a lucrative and powerful career was easy once I realized what I really wanted. But I didn't totally abandon Gio. I continued to visit and call him to check in. After my husband set up his business, my father even sent clients his way occasionally. We took vacations with him and spent every other holiday with him. I found that once I knew love someone loved me, my capacity to love my father increased. It helped bring us a little closer together I think."
Tears brimmed in Kate's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Clearing her throat, she prayed her voice would come out normal.
"So what do you need from me?" she asked. "I'm still not entirely sure."
"Good point," Aris admitted. "I've been babbling haven't I? Ugh, I promised my husband I wouldn't babble at you. Anyway, I got Richard's address from Miron Productions, but I was scared to go over to his house by myself. My husband is out of the country on business and we decided that I would use the time he's gone to get over and meet my family. When I confessed what a chicken I was he told me I should look you up, and that maybe you'd help me get in to meet Richard."
"Why do you think I know Castle that well?" Kate asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"Since I found out about Richard, my husband and I both read some of Richard's books and read about him on the internet...and in some tabloids, and we found out that Richard actually has some real friends here at the precinct. I felt more comfortable approaching you for help than any of his society friends. I don't run in those circles anymore, neither does my husband's family, so it's not like I can just waltz into the county club and start chatting somebody up. Besides, you can never be sure if those people are genuine or not, and they might sell him out to the press for a quick buck or thrill."
A strange feeling came over Kate. She couldn't identify it quite; it felt like a mixture of pride and concern, and also a sense of belonging or maybe possession. Which was ridiculous! Kate didn't own anything having to do with Castle, or his family. Focusing on her guest's face, she saw a look of nervous anticipation.
"So you want me to help you meet with Castle and break this news to him and Martha?" she finally found her voice to ask.
"Yes please, if you don't mind."
That unidentifiable feeling swelled again in Kate, and she knew she would help this woman, and Castle.
"I'll give him a call."