Mother & Daughter

Captain Montgomery sat outside Castle's apartment. He had been sitting there for a
while. He was finding it difficult to leave the car. There was safety in the car. Safety
from the cruelty had had to impose upon a young girl and a mother.

He was finally coaxed into leaving by a knock on his window. He looked up and saw
the buildings doorman standing next to his car. He rolled down the window as he
pulled his badge from the breast pocket of his jacket.

"Sir, you're not allowed to park here for more than…," he caught a glimpse of the badge,
"…sorry sir, stay as long as you need." The man turned to leave, but the captain called
him back.

"Can you tell me if Mr. Castle's family is at home?"

"Yes sir, they're here. Do you want me to call up?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'll just go on up."

He reluctantly opened the door and left the safety of the car.

….

The uneasy feeling that he carried in his stomach was magnified by the motion of the
elevator. He waited a moment after he arrived at their floor. He wanted the feeling to
pass before he knocked on their door, but it wasn't going to happen. He would always
remember this as the shortest and longest walk he ever took in his life. Stopping
outside their door, he raised his hand and knocked.

He could hear the hard click of footsteps as they approached the door. Martha opened
the door with her usual flourish. She loved a dramatic greeting. It made every visit seem
special.

"Captain Montgomery, nice to see you, please come on in." She was so busy with her
grand greeting that she never really looked at him. She ushered him into the living room.

"What brings you by? If you're looking for Richard I believe he's with Detective Beckett today."

"No ma'am, I know he's with Kate." Saying that almost crushed his resolve.

"Well, is there something I can do for you? I know, Richard's birthday is coming up. Are you
planning a surprise party for him? He loves surprises, though he'll never admit it."

"No, ma'am, that's not why I'm here." He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to be the one
to crush this vivacious woman's spirit.

"Could we sit down?" he asked, as he motioned towards the couch.

"Certainly," she brought him over to the couch and sat demurely on its edge. She waited for
him to sit next to her, but he never did.

When she raised her eyes to meet his she finally noticed his demeanor, his redden eyes, the
furrow of his brow and the trembling of his jaw.

"Oh my god...," her face blanched. "Something's wrong. What's happened? Something's happened?"
She stood up and placed her hands on his lapels and pleaded. "Please tell me…what's happened?"

He reached up and tightly gripped her hands in his.

"I'm so sorry," was all he could manage as his tears forced their way out again.

Her knees gave way. He quickly pulled her to him and helped her back to the sofa. She pulled her
hands from his and covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a moan that escaped from deep inside
her. She then doubled over, her arms around her waist, physically reacting as if her child had just
been taken from her womb. The captain sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder
to offer what little comfort he could give. He pulled out his handkerchief and offered it to her, but
she never took it. She was content to let her tears fall into her hands. He pulled back his offer and
used it to dry his own eyes. When her tears had lessened and she had found her voice again, she
spoke only to blame herself.

"It's all my fault, I should have said yes."

"What's your fault?" He asked

"He'd once asked me… if I thought he should quit. I should have said yes." Tears crept down her
face again as she looked into his eyes. "Tell me what happened…please."

He knew that when he told her it would worsen her grief. He hesitated, but her eyes pleaded.

"Your son and Detective Beckett were both killed in a bad accident on the Jersey turnpike earlier
today," he hurriedly spilled it all out, best just to get it done. He was right…she fell apart again.

"No, not Kate too!" she cried out. It was this last cry that brought Alexis to the upstairs balcony.

He heard her voice before he saw her.

"Gram, what's wrong? Her hesitant voice questioned. Not waiting for a reply, she ran down the
stairs to be with her grandmother.

"Oh dear lord…," Martha whispered to herself. She had forgotten about her granddaughter
while she had been consumed by her own grief.

Alexis stopped in front of the couch, looking worriedly at the two distraught adults before her.

"Gram, what's wrong? What's happened?" She looked warningly from the captain then to her
grandmother.

Martha stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. She clung to the frightened girl
and cried. Alexis returned her embrace for the moment, but wanting answers she pushed
her grandmother away. Confusion filled her features.

""What's going on? What's happened?" She demanded as her voice trembled.

"Oh sweetie…it's your dad." She reached for Alexis' hand and clasped it in both of her own.
She struggled to tell her through the tears. "Your dad and Kate were in an accident."

"No!" Gram, are they hurt? Are they in the hospital?"

"They're gone," was all Martha could say as she shook her head over and over, trying still to
deny it herself.

Alexis yanked her hands from her grandmother's grasp.

"You're wrong. He's ok… I talked to him on the phone…a while ago… so I know you're wrong…
It's our date night…he's gonna be here…we're gonna go out …he promised!" Tears were
starting to push their way through her denial.

"Look… look," she said as she fumbled her hand into her sweater pocket. She pulled out her
cell phone. "I'll call him… you'll see…he'll come and get me!" She hit the pre- programmed
number on her phone and held it to her ear as she rocked in place.

Captain Montgomery's heart broke and Martha stood with her arms wrapped around herself
as she watched her granddaughter's world fall apart.

"Pick up dad…pick up…please! It rang and rang till finally it went to his voice mail. Heavy sobs
burst forth when she heard his recorded voice and realized she would never hear it again.
She dropped to her knees on the floor in anguish holding the failed lifeline in her hands.

Montgomery stepped over to Alexis and lifted her off the floor. He motioned Martha to the couch
and placed the heartbroken girl into her arms. He knew this was becoming too much for him.
They were going to need more than he had to offer. He reached down and gently removed the
cell phone from her grasp. He hoped to find a phone number to one of Castle's ex-wives on her
phone. He had met both Gina and Meredith, if only briefly. Meredith was the girl's mother,
though not a very good one. Gina was his best choice. He scrolled through Alexis' contact list till
her found her name. He turned away from the two on the couch as they shared their grief. He
hit send as he crossed back across the room and stood by the front door. A woman's voice
greeted him.

"Hey honey, what's up?"

He hesitated. He hadn't anticipated that she would recognize Alexis' number.

"Alexis, are you there?"

"Hello is this Gina?" he queried.

"Yes it is…and who is this…what are you doing with Alexis' phone?"

"I'm sorry ma'am this is Captain Montgomery with the NYPD.

"Oh my god…is Alexis ok?" Gina asked, jumping to conclusions.

"Alexis is fine, I'm with her and her grandmother right now. Look, the reason I called is that I need
you to come over here right away"

"Why…what's wrong?"

"Rick was killed in a car accident earlier today." He surprised himself by how much easier it was to
say when he didn't have to see her face. There was silence on the other end, followed by a loud
clatter. He waited a moment before he spoke.

"Hello…hello..?" There was no reply. He thought he could hear crying faintly in the background.
He would wait. Minutes later he heard her voice again. She sounded shaken.

"Hello, are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Thank you. I'll stay with them till you arrive. We can talk more then." He slid the phone shut and
leaned against the door. He looked over at the two women on the couch. Martha clung tightly to
the girl, like she was trying to replace her own lost child with his. It would happen. Not today,
but in time. For now, they would have to look to each other to fill the void his death had left behind.