A/N: So the email alerts have been down again :( Go back and read the previous chapter if you guys haven't done so… I know I said I wouldn't write or post until after the finale, but something shiny inspired me yesterday, and I got to writing :) This isn't the last chapter, but regardless of how the finale turns out, I know how I want this fic to turn out, so I hope you guys will like it anyway. Happy Castle Monday!
Castle woke up on the couch with a sore back. How had he ended up sleeping there? Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair as he tried to remember the previous night.
"Hey there, kiddo," Martha's voice greeted him from the direction of the kitchen. Swinging his head around, he saw his mother sitting by the kitchen island nursing a cup of coffee.
"Mother?" He asked confusedly, standing up to walk over. "Wasn't Alexis the one who came over last night?"
"Yes she did," she told him curtly, walking over to his side whereby she turned him around and started guiding him to the direction of his bedroom, continuing, "She came over, you guys had hot chocolate and a movie, and you fell asleep on the couch. Alexis had to go off earlier this morning, so she called me. Go wash up and I'll have a cup of coffee for you when you come back out."
"She called you to come over?" Castle asked, still confused.
However, Martha promptly ordered him, "Wash up, and we'll talk over cups of coffee. Go."
When he came back out, Martha had indeed made him a cup of coffee, which aroma he inhaled deeply before taking a helpful mouthful of the wonderful beverage.
"I'll cut to the chase. Alexis came over last night to babysit you even though she'd rather I not mention it. When she had to leave, she asked me to look after you."
Castle was still waiting for the caffeine to kick in and work its wonders but he was awake enough to ask Martha, "Babysit me?"
"Well, according to Alexis, she received a phone call from Katherine last night telling her that you guys had a fight, and Katherine asked if she could keep an eye over you."
"Kate sent Alexis over to spy on me?"
"She meant well, Richard. Now why don't you tell me what your fight was about," Martha prodded gently.
Castle sighed deeply as he thought back to the previous night. He went to the bedroom to retrieve Kate's note, and handed it to Martha, giving her a quick run down of the events.
When he ended, Martha's first reaction was to hit him on his arm. "You chased her out?!" she accused.
He wilted a little under her glare. There was just something about a mother's disapproving glare that could make even a grown man feel like a kid who was being berated. "Not one of my finer decisions," he admitted, while Martha cut in, saying, "Have I not taught you anything at all? You don't chase a woman out of your house at night, especially not when you love her! Besides, couldn't you two have just gone to bed and continue your discussion in the morning when you've had a good night's rest and clear heads?"
"It was in the heat of the moment, mother," he said stiffly.
She waved his comment off distractedly. "Anyway, what are you going to do about this? They way I see it; you've got two big things to think about. This job offer, and," here Martha lifted up her hand, tapping her ring finger, "where your relationship is going. I've brought up the ring once, Richard, and I'll bring it up again. It's obvious that you love her, and she loves you, so why don't you just ask the question already? You are going to ask her to marry you, right?"
Richard sighed, "It's not that simple, mother. In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have the best track record with marriages. Why take a chance to ruin things when they are great just the way it is?"
"I'm sorry your previous marriages didn't work out, but you wouldn't have found Katherine if they did, right? Besides, Katherine isn't like Meredith or Gina. In fact, she's the only one I would be proud to call my daughter-in-law."
He remained quiet, staring into his coffee mug, as though he could divine something from within to help him.
"Darling, a girl needs to know if there's hope for a relationship so that she can commit to it. And Katherine's not getting any younger, so I can see why she would want to know if you're as committed to the relationship as she is."
"But it's not just that, mother," he defended, "she let Vaughn kiss her. She knows why I divorced Meredith, so how could she do this to me? How am I supposed to trust her after this? And besides, she went behind my back to recruit Alexis to do her dirty work!"
"Richard Castle that girl's intentions were nothing but noble when she called Alexis to keep you company, and I won't allow you to make it out to be anything else! And we all make mistakes. Could you honestly say that you wouldn't have been tempted by Eric Vaughn yourself if you were a woman?" she shot back.
Castle snorted but didn't say anything, so Martha continued, "A girl likes to feel cherished. And even though she may not say it, she wants to be the center of attention of her man. A girl wants to be the reason her guy smiles when she enters the room, even after they've been together for fifty years. It might seem fickle and silly to you, but I guess that just goes to prove that women are indeed from Venus while men are from Mars."
"I'll think about that," Castle grudgingly accepts, "but what about the job offer? It's in a whole other state and she didn't even bother to ask about my opinion! Do I really believe that she's thinking about us when she makes decisions like that?"
"Well, she was at fault for not telling you about the offer from the get go, but it was only an interview, right – nothing definitive yet. And even though you found out before she broke the news to you, she still wanted your opinion to try and make the decision from that point on. That's got to count as something," Martha surmised.
"Does it? Is she really going to discuss things with me? Because it seems to me that she's pretty much decided to take the job already!" Castle fumed, the hurt from yesterday stirring to life again.
"Try to keep something in mind, Richard. She's much younger than you are. You could have lived off the profit from your first Derrick Storm book, but you didn't. You continued writing a whole series of novels.
"Katherine's still relatively young, and she might still want to climb the corporate ladder, so to speak, and see if she can further her career. A bright mind like hers paired with that extraordinary personality was meant to go a long way, to do great things."
Taking a sip from her coffee, Martha let her son think her words through. After a few beats of silence, she stood up and told him, "Take it from me, kiddo. You might have thought that Kyra was the one that got away, but if you let Katherine go just like that, this will be the single greatest mistake and tragedy of your life."
And since she had said her piece, Martha walked toward the stairs to head to her room, leaving her son with contradictory thoughts swirling all around his head.
The sunlight streaming through the crack between her curtains alerted Kate that it was morning. Rubbing the sleep away, she sat up and surveyed her old bedroom. Nostalgically she recalled all the memories and dreams that remained within those four walls.
Some memories had faded and required trinkets the younger Kate had displayed to be jogged up front again. Her dreams of pursuing law had changed but she was fine with that. But through it all, one dream remained.
She wanted to find love. Not like in the movies, but real love in the real world. The ugly, messy, drive-you-crazy kind of love, she wanted the real deal. And deep inside, Kate thinks that she's really found it this time.
Kate thought back to last night and how Jim had suggested she sleep in her old room for the night. He finally had to play the Dad-card and admitted that he was worried that she might suddenly break out in tears again while driving. Kate rolled her eyes at him but trudged upstairs to her bedroom nonetheless.
Rummaging through the cupboard in the hallway, Kate found a new toothbrush and some face wash. When she was done, Kate walked down the same stairs that she had for nineteen years of her life.
Her dad must have left for the firm already since the house was quiet and empty. Kate called Ryan and asked him to cover her since she was taking the morning off work. Then, she calls Rick.
She was honestly grateful that he had even answered the phone, and they quickly arranged to meet at the swings in the park near the precinct. They didn't talk; both preferred to do things face to face rather than over the phone. Hanging up, Kate knew that she's made her decision.
As was her old habit, Kate went straight to the refrigerator. A note was stuck on the door, held by a magnet that she had made in grade school. Smiling tenderly as she recalled how her dad used to leave notes for either herself or her mom in the exact same manner, Kate removed the magnet and took the note. Some things just never changed.
She unfolded the paper and read it quickly.
Morning Katie
Had to leave for work but call me to let me know how things go with Rick. I'll love you no matter what you decide.
Love,
Dad.
Ps. A job vs the love of your life? I always knew you'd make the right choice.
Kate folds the note and pockets it. She leaves the house with a determined spring in her step and a small smile on her face.
A/N: There'll probably be only one more chapter after this. I wrote this in a rush, so I apologize in advance for any typos or grammatical errors. Hope you guys enjoyed it anyway - gotta rush for class now. Please Review! :)
