DISCLAIMERS: No, I don't own 'Castle.' If I did, Season 8 wouldn't be the train wreck that it started out to be.

SUMMARY: A continuation of Chapter 3.

A/N #1: For Kelly, who hasn't read 'Mind Games' and 'Freefalling into an Abyss,' I'll try to add enough flashbacks and details so that hopefully you won't become too lost. Thanks for reading over my chapters.

A HOLE IN THE HEART

CHAPTER 4: Little Pitchers

"I got a letter from the parole board. Josh is coming up for parole."

"How can he already be eligible for parole?" Esposito was on his feet, pacing around the large dining table. "He escaped from prison, tried to kill your dad and Alexis and then he terrorized you, Alexis and Little Chica. How is he possibly eligible to be released after all of that?"

"I don't know. I'm going to call Deputy Chief Gates on Monday morning. I'm hoping that she can make some phone calls and get some answers."

"What're you going to do?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know about dad and Alexis, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life," Kate looked toward her father and stepdaughter for confirmation.

"He can't get out," Jim Beckett agreed.

Alexis cast her eyes down toward the dining table as she felt Brian take her hand. "Alexis? Are you okay?" She heard Brian's voice, sounding far away.

"I thought that I had put all of that behind me," her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "I don't want to have to think about him anymore."

"When he is going before the parole board?" Lanie asked.

"April," Kate answered just as she heard Hope's cries coming over the baby monitor. "Excuse me, let me go and get her."

"I'll go see if she needs help," Lanie offered, excusing herself from the group. Jenny got up from her chair to follow Lanie, leaving Alexis as the only woman with the men.

Kate was changing Hope when the two women entered the bedroom. "I was coming right back. I wanted to bring Hope out so that she could meet everybody before I bring her back here to nurse her."

"Kate, we've been friends for a long time," Lanie looked pointedly at her friend. "How are you really?"

"It's like I said, Lanie. It's hard," she looked down at the baby. "I just don't understand why nothing showed up on the ultrasound. I think I'd be able to handle this better if I had been prepared for it. Instead, I feel like Rick and I got hit by a train."

"May I?" Jenny nodded her head toward the baby.

"Oh, of course," Kate wrapped Hope in a blanket before handing her over to Jenny.

"Hi, Hope," Jenny whispered to Hope, breathing in the new baby scent of her. "Don't you just love how babies smell?"

"Well, usually," Kate said as the three women shared a laugh. "Come on; let's take her out to the dining room."

Back in the dining room, Castle was worried about how shaken Alexis still appeared. He went and sat down next to her. "Alexis, are you okay?"

"I . . . I just need some air," Alexis got up from the table and walked out of the back door.

"I'm sorry," Brian apologized as he also got up from the table. "She's been like this since getting the letter. I'd better go and see if she's okay."

Brian found Alexis sitting in one of the patio chairs with Royal's head resting on her knee. "I don't want to disappoint Kate," she looked up at her husband.

"Lex, you're not going to disappoint Kate. She'll understand if you don't want to talk to the parole board. Something tells me that with her and her dad, there's no way he's going to get out of prison."

"I really thought that I was okay. After all, if it hadn't been for Josh's attack on me, you and I would never have got together."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we still would've got together, but there's nothing like needing comfort to move things along," he gave her a wry smile.

"Come on, let's go back inside. I want to hold my baby sister," she got up and grabbed his hand, tugging him back inside.

When Alexis and Brian rejoined the group at the table, they were just in time to see Hope being passed from one person to another. Jim had just taken his granddaughter from Ryan when Hope began to fuss loudly. "She's hungry," Kate said, taking the baby from her father. "I'm going to go give her dinner."

The children were still in Castle's office watching movies when Ariel got up and went to the door, standing next to it. "Daddy said we have to stay in here," Jack reminded her.

"What are the grownups talking about?" Colleen Ryan asked.

"My sister is sick," Jack announced. "Her heart is broke. But the doctor is going to fix her. My daddy said so."

"Is she so sick that she might die?" Five-year-old Liam Ryan piped up, which earned him a glare from Ariel.

"She's not going to die," Ariel stated defiantly. "Everybody just wait here. I'll be right back."

In the few weeks since moving into her new house, Ariel had learned a few things. Not only did the house have an intercom system, there were also certain places in the house where you could listen to people talking unobserved. One of these places was in the floor of Ariel's closet.

The adults were still talking around the dining table when all talk suddenly came to a halt. Castle turned to find Ariel standing next to his chair, both hands clasped behind her back, looking nothing short of adorable in her pink shirt, black skirt, black tights and black ankle high boots on her feet. Her hair was tied up in two long ponytails. "Hi, sweet pea," he tugged one of her ponytails. "Are you enjoying your movies?"

"No, we're bored. Can we go up to my room and play with Salt and Pepper? Please?" She smiled, showing missing front teeth.

"Ask Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jenny if it's okay for Colleen and Liam to play with the kittens?"

Ariel made her way over to the other side of the table, placing herself between her unofficial aunt and uncle. "Uncle Kevin, is it okay if Colleen and Liam play in my room with my cats?"

"I don't see a problem with it," Kevin looked at Jenny, who nodded in agreement.

"Mommy's in the bedroom feeding Hope. Make sure that she knows you're going to be upstairs. Just for a little while, Ariel. We're going to have dessert soon."

"Okay!" Ariel ran from the room, returning to the office to tell the other kids. But instead of going down the hall to tell her mother as instructed, she led the others upstairs to her bedroom where the two kittens were curled up at the top of the catwalk that ran along the upper part of Ariel's wall so that the kittens could romp and play. She then walked to her closet and turned to her three companions with a finger to her lips. "You have to be quiet. That means you can't make any sound."

"Ariel, what are you talking about?" Colleen, who at 10 was almost three years older and didn't appreciate being bossed around by the younger girl, crossed her arms.

"There's a secret place in my closet where we can hear everybody talk."

"Can anybody else say really bad idea?" Liam looked at his sister, who nodded in agreement.

"If the grownups wanted us to know what was going on, they would tell us. Come on, Liam, let's go back and watch movies before we get in trouble," Colleen turned to leave the room.

"Are you going to tell on me?" Ariel stepped in front of Colleen, staring at her defiantly.

"I'm not a tattletale. Come on, Liam," Colleen repeated before looking at Jack. "Jack, are you coming?"

"Can I pick the next movie?"

"Yes."

"Sissy, are you going with us?" Jack looked at his sister.

"I'll be down in a minute." Ariel walked over to her bed and sat down in the middle of it. Seconds later, Salt jumped down from her perch at the top of the catwalk and hopped up on the bed, settling down in Ariel's lap. "Maybe I should have said something about the letter that mommy got. Maybe then they would've wanted to listen." The cat just stared at her mistress with sleepy green eyes and purred contentedly.

Kate was exiting the bedroom when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She frowned when she saw Jack coming down with Colleen and Liam Ryan. "Jack, I thought you were in daddy's office watching movies."

"We were. Sissy wanted to do something in her room. Is my baby sister asleep? I wanted to show her to Colleen and Liam."

"She's not quite asleep, yet. You can go in there for a few minutes if you're quiet and don't bother her. Okay?"

"Okay. We won't bother her. I promise," Jack smiled his father's smile before they went into the bedroom.

Kate looked at the staircase and made a decision that she needed to find out just what it was Ari wanted to do in her room, although she had a pretty good idea. Castle was supposed to be calling a contractor about fixing the areas in the house where the kids could listen in on conversations. She had no problem with the intercom system, but the creepy 'spy vents' were another story.

When she walked into Ari's bedroom, she smiled at the sight of her daughter on the bed with Salt in her lap. Pepper was still curled up at the top of the of the cat perches that intersected the catwalk that her father had constructed so that the cats would have something to climb on. From what they had learned while researching cat ownership, cats apparently felt more secure and were happier when they could sit up high and observe everything. "Your brother said that you wanted to do something in your room," Kate sat on the edge of the bed. "That something wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the floor of your closet, would it?"

"Maybe," Ari hedged, looking down at the kitten, who was now swatting at one of her ponytails.

"Ari, you know that you can ask me or daddy anything. We will never lie to you or to Jack."

"I didn't mean to try and listen. I'd better go back downstairs to watch movies," Ari picked Salt up and placed her on the bed before getting up and leaving the room, leaving her mother completely dumbfounded.

Downstairs in the master bedroom, the other three children were gazing down into the bassinet at Hope who was asleep. "She's cute," Liam complimented the baby, "but not as cute as our baby sister."

"All babies are cute, Liam," Colleen reminded her little brother.

"Hey," they turned to find Kevin Ryan standing behind them. "Colleen, Liam, mommy was looking for you. We're about to cut the cake. What're you doing in here?"

"Auntie Kate said that we could look at the baby," Colleen answered.

"Well, you need to let Hope sleep now. Come on and get some cake."

At the dining table, the four children watched Jenny cut the chocolate cake she'd brought as a dessert. "See, Jack?" Kate told her son. "I told you that Aunt Jenny would probably bring a cake. Chocolate, with lots of icing, just like you wanted."

"My favorite," the little boy licked his lower lip as everybody laughed. "Can we eat it in daddy's office?"

"Uh," Kate looked at her husband for guidance.

"Come get me when you're finished and I'll get your plates. And don't touch anything when you're done," Castle guided the four children back toward his office.

"I found my kids and Jack in your bedroom," Ryan said.

"Yeah, I told him that he could show them the baby. I had to find Ari."

"Ariel asked if they could play in her room. Rick sent her to ask you if it was okay," Jenny said. "Is everything okay, Kate?"

"I really wish everybody would stop asking me that," Kate took a deep breath. "Everything is far from okay right now."

"Kate, what're you going to do?" Alexis asked. "Because all that I know is I don't want to talk about him. I just want to forget."

"When I think about him, I try not to think about the awful things that he did to all of us, Alexis. I think about the good things that happened despite what he tried to destroy. If it hadn't been for what he did to me during those five days, I'm not sure that your dad and I would've had Ari. If it hadn't been for his attack on you, you wouldn't have met the two men who rescued you. I also think that it brought you and Brian closer together."

"When he shot me, he made me realize how truly fleeting life can be," Jim remembered. "Alexis, I know that it's frightening, but you're not going to see him."

"You're just talking to the parole board and he's not going to ever learn about what was said or even who showed up to talk," Kate added.

"I just want to put it behind me," she looked at the group.

"Alexis, what if he gets paroled and he decides to come after you? What if he decides to go after Ariel, Jack, or the baby?" Javi challenged her.

"Hey, 'Sito," Castle had come back into the room, "take it easy. You don't need to put a guilt trip on my daughter."

"I'm not putting a trip on her, bro. I'm giving her simple facts."

"Alexis, you don't have to make a decision tonight," Kate spoke up, ending the brewing confrontation between her husband and one of his best friends. "I know that I'm going because I can't let him get out. That isn't even an option as far as I'm concerned."

"I have a wonderful idea," Martha spoke up. "Why don't we talk about something more pleasant? Richard, give us all of the details about delivering your daughter in the middle of the bathroom floor."

"Once I got over being scared shitless, it was the most awesome experience of my life!" Castle quickly warmed to his audience, regaling them of tales of playing midwife in the middle of a cold November night.

"Tell the truth, Beckett. Was he cool as a cucumber or did he lose his mind?" Lanie asked.

"Like he said, at first he was nervous but when I told him that I needed him, he became all business. He was great," Kate smiled at her husband, clutching his hand in hers.

"It must've been great knowing that her daddy was the first person Hope ever saw," Ryan took a drink of his wine.

"Yeah, it was," Castle suddenly became very choked up. "I think I'm going to go and check on the kids."

Kate looked up toward the ceiling and took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control. "Oh darling," she felt Martha's arms around her, "the two of you need to cry together. You need to get everything out of your systems so that you're ready to fight another day."

"I know," Kate wiped at her eyes. "I'm trying to stay strong for him and he's trying to do the same for me."

"And you are staying strong," Martha patted Kate's hand. "Crying and grieving isn't a sign of weakness."

"I know."

"I know that you do. You and Richard are going to be just fine. And so is my granddaughter."

"Thank you, Martha."

It was almost midnight by the time all of their guests left. After getting the kids settled into bed, Kate and Castle headed into their bedroom just as Hope was waking up to be fed. "I'm going to take a shower," he kissed Kate before heading into the bathroom.

Kate changed Hope's diaper and put her in a fresh sleeper before taking her to the rocking chair. Before nursing her, she gave her a dose of the beta blocker with a medicine dropper. She was rocking her, humming softly as Hope suckled. She looked up toward the ceiling when she heard sounds from up above. "Salt and Pepper are awake," she remarked when Castle stepped out of the bathroom.

"I know. I don't see how Ariel sleeps through that," he walked over and turned down the bed.

"Speaking of Ariel, you need to call the contractor and get that panel removed from her closet. She was upstairs earlier with the other three kids with the plan to listen in on our conversation."

"I'll call him Monday morning. First thing," he promised.

"Here, daddy," she held Hope out toward him. "She's all yours."

Kate watched Castle take the baby and hold her to his huge chest before he settled down in the rocker that she had just vacated. "How did it go tonight?"

"A little better, but I think it's because we have answers, so I'm not as tense. Maybe my milk is letting down better," she settled herself into bed, continuing to watch her husband with their youngest baby. "She loves cuddling with daddy. I know there's no place that I'd rather be," she caught his smile.

After burping her, he got up and took her back to her bassinet, covering her with a blanket before joining Kate in bed. She instantly rested her head against his chest, feeling his arm anchor her to him. "Is it okay to be this scared, Kate?"

"About what?" She looked up at him.

"Everything. The baby, Josh, everything." And the dam suddenly broke.

"I'm scared too, Castle," she reached for him as they cried in each other's arms, releasing the awful fear that had permeated both of them for over a week. "But it's okay to be scared. We're going to get through this together."

"I hope so, Kate. I hope so."

A/N #2: In typical Caskett1960 fashion, things are going to get very crazy starting in the next chapter.

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