The afternoon sun is bleeding through the semi-transparent drapes covering the windows of the brownstone. He is sitting at his desk in front of the windows with his laptop open with the main display facing him. The finishing text of another chapter is sitting on the screen waiting for his final re-read before closing this particular snippet of the story

He actually had to purchase a new computer after coming here five years ago. The old one just finally gave up the ghost. But it had been a good machine. It has served him well over several years of his story telling

In fact it was responsible for the last two Derrick Storm novels and all the Nikki Heat books had been born raised and finished on that machine's hard drive.

Since those days, he had additionally written three complete spy novels and had two more almost finished and another two in the outline phase setting up the players and the base story line and necessary sub plots.

In his spare time he had also been able to start his great American novel…except now he is in Great Brittan and not America, so would that make it the great British novel instead?

Well no worry, he is hoping it will be great no matter what side of the pond he was published. Will you look at this? He is referring the Atlantic Ocean as the Brits do. But still, he has hopes that his life now will allow the words he has placed down to be well accepted all over the world just as his spy stories have done and Derrick and Nikki before that.

Prior to moving to London several years ago, he had only thought about doing this great serious literature but other, more pressing, issues were in front of him then. A new book launch. A series of books based upon an extraordinary detective that he had had the fortunate luck of meeting, loving, and finally marrying.

But! Today that is all far behind him and he must stay focused on what is important to him now.


She wanted to go straight to his flat from the airport but she has a large bag that should be left at the hotel so her first stop was the Hilton in the center of town. Her room was nice and would serve her needs nicely while she is here

Once she showered and freshened up from her long cross Atlantic flight she finds herself in front of a brownstone. The address on the building matches the address given to her for his place in town

To say she is filled with fear would be a serious understatement. She is more afraid that she has ever been before. Even more frightened than when she was staring down the assassin Elena Markov just knowing she was about to have her throat slit

She has not spoken to him in a very long time. In fact how long has it been? Years? Several years.

In the beginning there would be an occasional text or e–mail message. Usually asking about the weather of how were the books doing. He asked if she had any unusual cases to tell him about so he could add them to his ever growing list of crimes. Those stopped after the second year he was gone

Also during the first three years he was gone, they exchanged birthday and Christmas cards then even those stopped during the last two years.

But now, the very day she took down the man responsible for pulling the strings of all the terror. All the murders. All the drugs. The man she had started calling the puppet master.

That very day she bought a ticket and packed her bags to go find him and talk to him and see if…to see if there was anything left to salvage. She told him that she would come back and that is what she is doing and she can only hope he still has a place in his heart for her.

She is now standing at the door. Very much like what she had done so many years before. Only this time it is not raining outside, only in her heart. She is not covered in bruises. She had not been thrown off a building.

She looks at her left hand where she still, after all these years, still wears the ring he placed there. In fact this ring has not been removed from her hand for any reason in all this time

She raises her hand and rings the bell


As he continues to outline the story currently in his mind's focus he barely hears the sound of the door chime. Someone has come to his stoop and is asking for entry.

He looks at the clock trying to see if it might possibly be the postman. He is expecting an edit copy of his latest spy novel, but that is not due until next week.

He walks to the door and pulls it open and is frozen in place when he recognizes the woman on the other side.


He is older. More mature. More handsome than the last time she saw him. He has aged well she thinks

"Hey" she speaks softly

She is radiant. She always was radiant. But now she is older. She is showing a bit of maturing from the last time he saw her but he must admit she is still the beautiful detective that caught his eye so many years ago

"Hey" she says

He responds to her opening statement "Hey?...Beckett…What are you?...I mean hi…uh…"

He is not sure exactly what to say to her. When he finally gets control of his emotions back "I'm sorry. Excuse my bad manors…please come in" He steps aside to invite her into his home

She takes a few every cautious steps into the parlor. Looking around in a manor very similar to what she did the first time she walked into the loft in New York "This is nice, Castle"

"Thank you" he is still a little taken back by her presence "Please take a seat" pointing to a pair of wing back chairs facing the fireplace.

Beckett places her bag down beside the chairs as she sits down

"Can I get you anything? Tea, water? Tea is the usual afternoon drink here. I rarely have coffee anymore"

"Uh. No. Nothing. Thank you"

She stops. She is trying to find the words to say. Words, that on the flight from America, came easy and flowed thru her mind have chosen this time to be absent from her brain. She is totally without the things she wants to say. Words to explain what she did and why. She never wanted it to end that way. To tell him she did it to protect him. Words to tell him that even though he filed divorce papers on her, she never stopped loving him. She never went out with anyone. She NEVER even looked at another man.

And. Never took her ring off

But her brain decided to simply stop working at that moment.

"Beckett"

No response

"Beckett?"

Silence

Finally he speaks with a level of firmness in his voice she cannot remember hearing before

"BECKETT!"

She finally looks up "Castle, I wanted to talk to you. I want to explain what happened and why…" Her conversation is halted by the opening of the front door and the tiny voice coming from a small child running in Castle's direction

"DADDY!" A little boy who appears to be about three with brown hair and deep blue eyes rushes up to Castle and jumps into his arms

Castle reached down and picks up the child hand pulls him to a bear hug "Hey little man. How was the zoo?"

"It was great. I saw lions and bears and a ele-pants" Castle smiles at the antics and mispronunciation of the small child

"That is great"

The little child jumps down and rushes off "I got to go potty" and flies out of the room.

The child was followed in the front door by a tall slender very attractive woman. She smiles toward Kate "I will take the bags to the kitchen" in a beautiful British accent

Kate feels her throat tighten. She stands quickly "I am so sorry, Castle. But I have to go. I just wanted to say hi while I was here in town" and without the chance for Castle to respond Kate is out the door


She can barely see through her burning eyes as she tries to walk down the sidewalk. Her breathing is stifled and her chest is so tight she thinks she is having a heart attack

Richard Castle is stunned by what just happened but before he can consider any possible action the woman returns from the kitchen "Mr. Castle is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"No Beth. You did more than enough. Thank you so much for taking Ricky to the zoo. It gave me some quiet time to write. I have been needing to get caught up on my main stories"

"Oh Mr. Castle. Rickey is a delight to take care of. You have raised him so nicely. I don't know many single men who could have done that admirable a job raising a child alone"

"Oh this is not my first rodeo"

Not understanding the American slang "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, Beth. Earlier I raised a daughter all by myself"

"Oh. I see" She responds "Well I am hoping my husband and I can do the same"

"I am sure you and George will do very nicely"

"Thank you Mr. Castle. Will there be anything else"

"No. Go home to that nice husband of yours and you two have a great evening"

"And thank you sir" and with that the woman exits the flat

Castle has returned to the chair beside the fireplace when the little boy runs back into the room. He looks around then climbs back into Castle's lap

"Daddy, where did the pretty lady with the brown hair go?"

"Oh she had somewhere she needed to be I guess"

"Was she my mommy?" the child asks

This question catches Rick off guard "No Rickey. She is not your mommy. Remember what I told you. Your mommy went to be in heaven when you were born and I came and picked you out special from all the other little boys and girls because I wanted a special little boy to come and be my son"

"So I am special?"

"You are the most special little boy in the world"

"Daddy. Can we go to that place and find me a mommy?"

Castle has a funny look on his face "You want me to get you a mommy? Why?"

The other little boys and girls at school have mommies but I have to tell them I don't have one"

"I see"

"Daddy, could that pretty lady with the brown hair be my mommy? I would like that"

The child looks at his father and gets a strange look on his face

"Daddy, why are you crying"


I cannot believe I have sunk this low. I will have to see what 8x03 brings. I hope it fixes this because if not, I have no way to finish the love stories

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