Notes:

Wow! The response just keeps getting better and better. You guys are awesome, and I love that not all of them are overwhelmingly positive, I mean I do love thoseso definitely keep themcoming in but the ones that are critical make me go back and look at my work and try to fix it for the better.

Compliments are great, they help convince me to keep posting but critics are a writers best friend! Keep 'em coming, I appreciate allyour feedbacks.

Mama Beckett and Maybe Mama To Be Beckett meet in this one soooo; Hang on to your butts! Hehe;-) Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Johanna came to when Keith screeched his car to a stop outside the emergency area of the hospital and turned off his gumball. He ran around the front of the Camaro and opened Johanna's door kneeling down and tapping lightly on her cheek to get her blinking awake.

"Vince?" she mumbled out trying to sit up straight. "Waz goin on?"

Keith let out a relieved smile. "You fainted Johanna," he replied helping her out. "Remember?"

Johanna blinked at him before looking around her, once her eyes landed on the beefed up Camaro with police stripes it all came rushing back and she almost fainted again but got a grip on herself. She took deep breaths and cleared her mind. Clearly her traumatic experiences were messing with her head and she was hearing and thinking absurd things.

Finally convinced that she was delusional she opened her eyes and recognized the welcoming doors of the Presbyterian Hospital emergency room, where she had had Katie.

She looked to the officer next to her. "What are we doing here?" she asked her voice wavering a little.

"We need to get you stitched up, remember?"

Johanna nodded then catching the bandage on her hand. "Right!" she exclaimed. "Yes of course, come on." She grabbed his elbow and pulled him into the ER.

Castle pulled up beside the Camaro with police stripes in his Ferrari and opened the door stepping out and meeting Beckett at the front of the car, she was stoic and distant, completely detached and he might have wondered where his wife had gone had she not latched onto his hand like a life line her grip tight. Bordering on painful actually but he wasn't going to tell her that; it was his job to keep her together and that's what he was going to do, this thing would not break her, not if he had something to say about it.

They walked up purposefully to Reception and Kate flashed her badge. "Johanna Beckett," she said her voice cold and foreboding.

The arrested look on the receptionists face made him feel sorry for her as she stumbled around trying to get the information they needed, finally after and intensely tense silence she managed to point them to a room and they hurried off, Beckett almost dragging him along until he jogged to keep up.

She slammed her hand on the door and it swung open to reveal a patrol officer leaning against the adjacent wall looking on as a doctor worked on a patient, stitching up her arm which had a nasty gash on it. Her face was hidden behind the doctors back as he worked but at the sound of the door opening she stuck her head out around him and looked at the new comers.

The two women's eyes met and the world stopped.

Castle's eyes widened as he took in the middle aged woman sitting, she looked like an older version of Beckett only with darker hair and eyes, and she was wearing clothes that were very familiar to him; yes he had seen those clothes before, on the same woman but it was stained red with blood and the woman's face was void of emotion; slack in death.

He recognized her because of the countless hours in the past seven years that he had spent poring over her case file trying to find some evidence to bring her murderer to justice. But he became a hundred percent certain of who she was when the woman standing beside him confirmed it.

"M-mom?" she whispered and her grip on Castle's fingers loosened and she fell into him in a dead faint.

Johanna looked up from her sutures as the door slammed open, her view was obscured by the doctor tending to her so she shifted to the side and peeked over his shoulder. What she saw made her freeze; she went completely still as she took in the sight before her.

Her daughter was standing right before her looking nothing like the young woman she had kissed goodbye this morning, or was that yesterday morning? But there was no doubt that she was her daughter. Johanna would know her anywhere, only thing was her daughter looked more beautiful then ever and she looked older and her eyes held astonishment, surprise, a fair amount to fiery anger and a lot of pain, pain that shot through her heart as her daughter opened her mouth and whispered. "M-mom?" as if in disbelief and then fell into the man standing next to her who immediately wrapped an arm around her waist, slung her arm over his shoulders and hooked his hands under knees and scooped her into his arms, all before Vince even managed to step forward to offer him help.

He carried her daughter over to the spare bed beside the one she was sitting on and gently lay her down on it, stroking back her hair and whispering gentle words that went unheard by the rest of them.

Johanna shifted to get of the bed but the doctor held her still. "I'm not finished Mrs Beckett," he reprimanded but she shook him off.

"That's my daughter, I want to know what's wrong with her," she said shoving the doctor back and jumping off the bed landing on her stocking clad feet.

The man leaning over her daughter straightened up and sighed. "She's stressed," he said addressing her directly, his blues eyes held disbelief and no small amount of suspicion in them. "And she might be..." he trailed off piquing her curiosity.

"She might be what?" she asked fiercely getting closer to the man, who looked oddly familiar now that she thought about it. "What's wrong with my daughter?"

Castle winced, this was so not how he wanted his wife's, until now dead mother, who had somehow come back to life, to find out that he had possibly gotten her only daughter pregnant.

And was she really even her mother, Johanna Beckett was dead. Castle knew that better than anybody, he had been dealing with the ramifications of her death in regards to his wife ever since he had met her, she had built her entire life around her mother's death and for her to be just standing there alive and in the clothes she had been killed in? He was the first to believe in the supernatural if it embellished the story enough but in actuality he knew where the line was and this experience was just too surreal, even for him.

"Mrs Beckett," he asked seriously. "When Kate was nine and had to have her tonsils take out what way did you comfort her when she was feeling miserable?"

Johanna frowned, what the hell kind of question was that, her daughter was lying there unconscious and this man was asking her questions about her baby's childhood.

"Why does that matter?" she asked stepping into his personal space, keeping the sting of pain from the still unfinished sutures from showing on her face.

"Well unless you answer my question I cannot permit you to go anywhere near her."

The anger that flared at those words surprised even her. How dare this jumped up prick tell her if she can or cannot tend to her daughter when she was hurting.

She lifted her hand poked him in his broad chest. "Listen to me you pompous jackass I am a civil rights attorney and I could sue you for even presuming to stop me from seeing to my daughter, I have power of attorney as her mother, and my new friend here," she said pointing to Keith. "Will make sure that my rights are adhered."

Castle closed his eyes, hating to do this but then he met her gaze head on, he had stared down Kate Beckett before, and even though he hated to say it, but her mom had nothing on her. He whipped out his wallet and pulled out their insurance information shoving it at the Officer who had stepped closer trying to decide if he should intervene.

"I think you'd find that, as her husband, I have the power of attorney and I can and will stop you from approaching her if you fail to answer my question."

Johanna sputtered a little at that tidbit. "W-what?" she asked loudly. "Katie's not married." She stated as absolute fact.

Castle rubbed his forehead impatiently. "Just answer the question please Johanna..."

Johanna flared up again. "Listen to me you asshole, I don't know what game you're playing but you better move aside or help me God..."

"Uh Johanna?" asked Keith hesitantly. "I'm afraid he's right!" He waved the papers at her. "In case of my incapacitation in any regard, I Katherine Hougton Beckett with my full faculties intact do grant my husband Richard Edgar Castle the ability to act in my behalf in any and all legal matters pertaining to my health, financial wellbeing, donorship duties and any other legal matter at hand, signed Katherine Beckett."

"What?!" yelped Johanna reaching across Castle to grab the documents, her shrewd gaze took in the form, the words written in her daughters handwriting and the date 'June 6th 2014'. What the hell was on with these dates?

She suddenly felt dizzy again and the doctor didn't miss it. "Mrs Beckett," he said clasping her good arm firmly. "You've lost a lot of blood, please let me finish the sutures. You need to rest." He guided an unresisting Johanna back to the bed to continue her stitches.

Meanwhile the unconscious body on the other bed stirred. "Castle," she called out weakly and he was instantly at her side fussing over her. "Wah happened?" she asked still feeling disoriented. "God I just had the weirdest dream.." she said trying to sit up.

"Hey, hey hon, take it easy okay," said Castle supporting her back as she dropped her heeled feet on the floor her back now facing Johanna so she couldn't see her mother. Castle knelt down next to her and took her hand. "You just had a fainting spell."

She scoffed. "What? Castle I don't faint." The confidence and self assurance in her daughters voice was foreign to her. The daughter she had left behind this morning was experiencing all of the insecurities a young adult woman experienced when asked to step into the real world; this woman in front of her though knew herself and was sure of who she was, she was driven as Jim liked to call it, it was like looking in a mirror.

"Yeah, it might have some thing to do with that thing we talked about in the morning?"

She couldn't see her daughters expression from this side but she saw the girl nod and she saw Castle, that's where she knew him from, glance at her nervously before looking back at Kate, the devotion in those blue eyes was unmistakable.

"Maybe since we're in a hospital we can get that test done and over with?" was the question her daughter posed at the man. What were they talking about?

Castle smiled and nodded. "Sure. But love, you remember why we came to the hospital right?"

Kate ran a hand distractedly through her hair nodding. "Hmhm someone thought it would be funny to call nine one one as my mom and say that she had been stabbed." Johanna felt ice shoot through her veins at the pain in her daughters voice, she barely noticed the doctor tie her sutures off. "God, Rick how could someone be that cruel? And I don't know what was going through my head but Babe I swear before I fainted I think I actually saw her Castle, I saw my mom."

The anguish in her voice ripped at her heart and she tried to get off the bed to go to her but something kept her legs frozen in place. It was Castle's eyes she decided, the pain in those eyes as they stared at her made her feel as if she had taken his first born an eaten it, it made her feel dirty and ashamed. God what was going on?

"Kate.." he said softly looking back up at her.

"Castle? What is it?"

"It wasn't a dream," he said nodding towards Johanna. "You actually did see her."

"What?" she asked turning halfway "What are you - OH MY GOD!" She screeched and stumbled back off the table and into a now standing Castle. "She's..." she looked for Castle to her mother, "She's real? Oh my god! What the hell?" she reached back to clutch at Castle's arm with a vice like grip.

"Hey, Katie." Johanna said waving her hand stupidly still not being able to step off the bed. The doctor had wandered off and Keith was looking at this by play with an intrigued expression.

The response to her greeting surprised her, the tears in Kate's eyes startled her but the fact that she hid her face in Castle's neck and shuddered, her sobbing body against his, spoke tons about the level of intimacy between the two.

She saw Castle whisper words of comfort to her daughter and felt inadequate, she was really out of her element right now and she didn't know how to comfort her clearly distraught daughter.

"Castle? What's happening?" Kate asked Castle once the sobs subsided.

"I don't know Kate," he replied wishing he could tell her otherwise. "I have no idea."

Kate stared at him. "Castle, that's my mom," she said as if stating a fact and Johanna was lost. Why did her daughter act like she hadn't seen her mother in years?

"Is she?" asked Castle softly brushing away a lock of her, Johanna noticed, beautifully stylized hair. "Really?"

Kate glared at him. "Castle I know my mother," she said fiercely. "And that is her sitting on that bed. How is that possible?"

"Its not," said Castle drawing Beckett's gaze to his. "Remember Kelly Nieman? Remember Javier and Lanie's copies? What if this is one of her sick games? I mean it would be just like her to play with your feelings like this Kate."

Johanna saw her daughters back stiffen and she felt a sense of foreboding, the swing of her daughters head towards her revealed eyes that were shrewd and calculating and she couldn't help but compare it to that of a stalking tiger.

"Wait. What?" she asked quickly as Kate started moving towards her. "Who's Kelly Nieman, Katie it's me, you know it's me."

Johanna saw her steps falter but not for long.

"How do I know you're not one of Niemans puppets?" she asked her voice low and threatening, it honestly scared her. "First my friends now my mother? Prove to me that you are who you say you are." She was feet from her before Castle caught up with her and pulled her back. Johanna got the feeling that only he was actually capable of pulling back an approaching Kate Beckett. When had her daughter become so formidable?

"Prove myself?" she asked indignantly. "I am your mother!" She yelled and Kate Beckett Exploded.

"MY MOTHER IS DEAD! SHE WAS MURDERED IN THAT ALLEY THAT YOU CALLED FROM EARLIER! SHE'S BEEN DEAD FOR FIFTEEN YEARS! SO DON'T SIT THERE AND TALK ABOUT HOW YOU'RE MY MOTHER BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T THE ONE WHO BURIED HER!"

"Oh My God," Johanna whispered as she looked at the angry woman before her. God the pain in her eyes were unbearable. "I'm dead?" she asked in a hoarse voice not quite believing it.

"Johanna just answer the question I asked you earlier," said Castle nervously as he tried to pull back a vexed Kate Beckett who looked like she wanted nothing more than to rip her eyes out. "Kate, Kate calm down please, it's not good for the baby."

"Baby!" yelped Johanna and Keith who she had actually forgotten all about.

Castle glared at them as he guided Kate to a stool. "Don't you start," He warned. "Just answer the question."

"What question?" asked Kate as Castle lovingly stroked her hair and her anger simmer down a notch.

"When you were unconscious I asked her to prove who she said she was by telling me in what way did she comfort you when you had your tonsils taken out."

"Oh," she said blinking up at him adoringly before fixing a still furious gaze at Johanna. "So Johanna," she mocked. "Answer the question, if you are who you say you are then tell me, when I had my tonsils taken out what did you do?"

Johanna fixed her with a glare, her daughter might be more scary now but she was still her daughter and she wasn't going to let her get away with that tone of voice. "I took time off work and we marathoned Temptation Lane reruns cuddled on the couch."

There was pin drop silence at that admission before a snort of laughter came from the peanut gallery. "You guys watch Temptation Lane?" both Beckett's glared and Keith and he looked down at his shoes mumbling an apology.

"The reason for my name?" asked Kate getting back up on her feet.

"Katharine Hepburn, I was a fan and so were you," answered Johanna not missing a beat.

"The reason it's spelled different?"

"Your dad's fault," she replied as Kate stepped closer. "He told the nurse the name but didn't specify the right spelling, I was too out of it after twenty two hours of labor but we decided to keep it, it was you."

"My first words?" Kate asked next stepping even closer.

"Kitty," Johanna said promptly. "Followed closely by Dada." Her eyes shone at the memory.

"My first kiss, the name of the boy?" Kate asked next now feet from her mother.

"Trick question," said Johanna immediately. "Your first kiss was with Maddie when you were curious and then you claimed that kissing was overrated because you didn't feel anything from kissing her."

"That is so hot," said Castle from behind her and Kate rolled her eyes.

"We were sixteen Castle," she said not looking away from Johanna.

"Doesn't matter, still hot."

Kate looked into her mother's eyes as she moved to stand an inch apart from her. "Mom?" she asked this time without fainting.

"Its me baby?" she said patiently. "I told you so."

Kate's lips trembled at her mom's favorite phrase before she fell to her knees and buried her face into her mother's lap her body wracking with sobs and realised that some how, some way yesterday's wish had been granted, her mother was here with her.

End Notes:

That was surprisingly difficult to right, or proof read as I had written this chapter months ago but still; difficult. I would imagine meeting your dead mom slash mom in law after fifteen years would be kind of difficult, right?
Anyways that's the meeting I hope it lived up to expectations.
If it did? Then tell me all about it in the reviews.
If it didn't? Then still tell me all about it in the reviews! ;-)
Until next time. Adios!