Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Warning; one brief moment of strong language. Also, for those wondering; I will get back to Reflections, Redemption and The Visitors soon.

Chapter 9

On Friday morning, Castle stood in the hallway outside of Johanna's classroom. The hallway was empty, the doors of classrooms closed but he could occasionally hear the low tones of various professors as they lectured. He stayed close to Johanna's door and could at times hear the soft tones of her voice as she taught her first class of the morning. He glanced at his watch; he had gotten there early and had been waiting for ten minutes; surely that class would be dismissing soon. Once again he heard his mother-in-law's voice; it sounded closer this time as if she was moving in the direction of the door.

"Read chapter six and finish the work packet. I want definite topics for your papers come Monday; no excuses, I mean it."

Castle smiled a little, hearing the stern note in her tone that was both strict and yet motherly all at the same time as she pushed the door open without even glancing into the hallway. "Class dismissed," she stated, making her way back down the aisle toward the front of the room.

He waited patiently as her students hurried from the room, rushing off to other classes or back to their dorms to go back to bed until the next class, he mused as other classrooms began to empty as well. When the last student crossed Johanna's threshold, he entered the room, his gaze seeking her out and finding her at the board, erasing the notes she had written upon it. Her desk was piled with books, files and papers; but it was all neatly organized, he noted as she turned away from the board and met his gaze. "I'm on time," he announced.

"I see that," Johanna remarked as he approached the desk. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course…why, have you changed your mind?"

"No; you're the one who said you sometimes have the attention span of a squirrel."

"Actually I said that your daughter said that."

"She's usually a good judge about those sorts of things and you didn't deny it," Johanna replied as she began to sift through the books on her desk.

"I don't deny that it is sometimes the case but today I'm going to be totally focused."

"This is the textbook for the class," she told him as she handed him the hardcover book. "We're starting chapter seven which involves going through mock scenarios of building and preparing cases. I'll be pairing off the class today; each pair will receive a packet that details a case. They'll have to read about the basis of their case and what the client's goal is. They'll have to gather evidence from the sources provided, read statements and depositions. They have to create a witness list and give me a detailed reason for each witness and how they feel that person will be beneficial to their case. They have to give a detailed accounting of the evidence and show that it was legally obtained. They'll also have to finish the assignment by preparing an opening argument for their case."

"How will they show that the evidence in these mock cases was legally obtained?"

"Included in their packet are forms that are set up like warrants, requests, subpoenas, all those sorts of things. The evidence photos are on the website we use for class work; but they are of course unlocked…those who pay attention know that they'll have to fill out the appropriate paper work to turn in with the assignment. If they provide the evidence without the documentation proving their legality…"

"Their grade will suffer," Castle stated.

"Exactly. It's not an easy assignment and it's not one that's finished in an hour as you'll see by the size of the packets," she said, gesturing to a table off to the side of the room were thick manila envelopes were stacked. "Once I have them paired off and the packets given, I'll begin the lecture and the examples of how to properly get started on the project."

"Sounds action packed," he replied.

"It's a very important part of their grade," Johanna said. "If you want this career, you have to know how to cross every t and dot every i."

"Where do you want me to sit?" he asked.

"In the back if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Castle replied. "That was always my preferred spot."

"Somehow I figured that," she responded as she smoothed a wrinkle from her blush colored dress.

She was wearing her hair up today, he noticed; the look elegant but also business like…and he couldn't help but feel like he was fully in her arena in this area. She was calm and in control; unworried…sure of herself. She wore confidence well, he thought.

"If you have any questions about anything during the lesson, I would appreciate if you'd wait until after class," Johanna told him; "That way I can get to as many of the students questions as possible before class is over."

"No problem, I understand perfectly. You won't even know I'm here," Castle said as he took the textbook and the notebook he had brought with him and retreated to a desk at the back of the room near the door.

He settled into his seat and watched with interest as her students began to trickle in. She greeted each one by name, inquiring about their well being or some event that she must be aware of in their lives. She asked a young lady named Kayla how she was enjoying her new job in the library. A young man named Jacob was asked about a sibling who was recovering from an accident. She congratulated Vanessa on an essay that had been published.

He noted that she was greeted warmly by each student that crossed the threshold. He couldn't detect a single student in her favored bunch that didn't seem to hold some measure of affection for her. She was respected here among the legal minds she was helping to mold. There were looks of admiration; trust…even the looks of some young men who he could tell admired her beauty despite the fact that her years made her old enough to be their mother…perhaps even their grandmother in some cases not that he'd ever mention it to her. She was still a beautiful woman though; she looked much younger than she was. Kate always claimed that the women in her family aged slowly and gracefully; he was inclined to believe that was the case. If he didn't know her, he wouldn't peg Johanna as being anywhere in the ballpark of sixty-three. No; he would've thought mid to late forties…maybe he should tell her that sometime; maybe it would score him some brownie points.

"Morning, Mrs. B," a young man said lightly as he entered the room; his voice breaking through Castle's thoughts.

Johanna smiled. "Good morning, Brady. How are things at the market?"

"Pretty good. I found the best red apple in the new shipment and snagged it just for you," he said with a grin as he tossed the apple to her.

Johanna caught the apple with ease, laughing as she did so. "Thank you; you do pick the best apples."

He nodded. "It's a gift. You catch pretty good for a girl," he teased.

She smirked at him. "My husband made me learn baseball before he married me."

'Sounds like a good man," Brady stated.

"He's the best."

"Followed by me, right?" her student quipped.

"Second place is a very crowded spot, Brady."

"That's a pretty diplomatic answer, Mrs. B," he said; "But I know the truth even if you don't say it."

"Uh huh. You're awful full of charm for so early in the day."

"That's because I'm here," he replied; movement in the doorway bringing him back to his feet as he hurried toward the young lady who was coming in, loaded down with a baby carrier, diaper bag and backpack.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Beckett," the blonde haired student said as she allowed Brady to take the diaper bag and backpack from her, his hand on her elbow as he guided her to the desk next to his. "My grandmother didn't want to watch Sophie today and my mother is out of town for work," she rambled.

Johanna smiled patiently. "It's alright, Brittany; we're always glad to have Sophie join us," she said as she moved toward the carrier and look inside, her fingertips caressing the baby's cheek. "How's she doing?"

"She's been fussy on and off all week," Brittany admitted. "I don't know what's wrong with her."

Johanna noticed that the baby was gnawing on the handle of the rattle she was clutching as if her life depended on it. "How old is she now?"

"Six months."

She nodded. "She's probably teething, Brittany. Get some teething rings at the dollar store; you don't need those expensive ones, they're all the same. Get them nice and cold in the fridge and give her one to chew on when she's fussing, it'll help soothe her gums."

"Could that make her run a low grade fever every once in awhile?" the girl asked. "I didn't ask my mother because I didn't want her to think I couldn't handle it while she was away."

Johanna gave her a small understanding smile. "Yes; she can run a low grade fever from teething. Some babies even have cold like symptoms when they're getting a tooth. Get her some teething rings and give her a dose of her Tylenol when she's got a little bit of a fever or seems like she's not feeling good. She'll be alright…you're doing fine," she told her, patting her hand before she returned to the front of the room.

Castle didn't miss the glimpse of relief on Brittany's face as she reached into her backpack for her notebook…he also couldn't miss that her posture had relaxed once she had the assurance that she was doing fine. That was the assurance Kate was going to be looking for…the answers that an experienced mother gave to a new one to help her along and keep her from feeling like she was drowning in uncertainty. He had of course already raised a child…but he knew there was going to be things that Kate would want her mother's opinion on; that Johanna's answers would carry more weight in some areas because she'd want the word of a mother…more specifically, the mother who had raised her.

His mother-in-law was good at assuring people when the need arose…he could recall Jim once telling a story at the dinner table about a reluctant witness who had finally come forward for one of their cases under Johanna's gentle coaxing and assurances; that when the male colleagues in the building had a female witness who for one reason or another was reluctant to deal with them, she was the first person they called for help. She was a nurturer by nature; a woman who had been created to be maternal toward anyone who would allow her to do so.

He noticed her eyes scanning the rows in her classroom, looking to see if all of her students were accounted for and then she met his eye. "Rick, will you close the door for me?"

"Sure," he replied as he got up to do so.

"Who's the new guy?" Brady asked. "He looks like he's failed this class way more than I have."

Johanna laughed, not only at the remark but at the look that crossed Castle's face at the implication that he was old. "He's my son-in-law," she answered. "He's observing today as part of research for a project of his own."

"Son-in-law?" Brady commented. "I didn't think you were old enough to have a son-in-law."

She gave him an amused smirk. "I appreciate your flattery; but I'm pretty sure that you've gotten enough of those 'see me in my office' notes on your papers to know that I have a picture of my daughter in my office and that she's very grown up."

"That's your daughter?" Brady said in mock shock. "I thought it was your sister."

"Right," she laughed; the other students laughing with her.

"I'm serious," he replied; his hand against his chest. "I really didn't think you were old enough to have a son-in-law. If you weren't married; I'd try to pick you up in a bar."

Johanna's laughter rang out, reminding Castle of Kate's laugh when she found something thoroughly amusing. "If you only knew how many men have tried to pick me up in a bar back in the day," she quipped.

"You probably needed a bodyguard," her student quipped.

"You're just trying to flatter me into giving you an A," she remarked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Brady Collins, I am old enough to be your mother."

Laughter filled the room. "You might be old enough to be his…"

"Daniel Crosby, you finish that sentence and I'll fail you right now," Johanna said, her finger pointing at a young man in the second row, laughter in her voice dampening the threat.

He held up his hands in surrender. "I was going to say old enough to be his aunt."

"Uh huh," she replied; "But I will accept that since I am an aunt to the fourteen nieces and nephews my husband and I have between us…not to mention the fifteen great nieces and nephews and two more on the way."

'And one grandchild on the way,' Castle thought to himself.

Johanna called the class to order and Castle watched as she paired off the students for their project; he noticed that she paired Brady and Brittany together and he couldn't help but wonder if his mother-in-law was trying her hand at matchmaking. Brady did seem very pleased with the arrangement and Brittany seemed relieved as if she knew that Brady had some sort of understanding of her and what was going on in her life.

"The person you are working with is not only your partner," Johanna said as she began to pass out the packets containing their cases. "They are now your co-counsel. Every move you make affects that person as well. A good team works together, acknowledges each other's strengths and what areas each person excels in when it comes to building and presenting a case. You're working for the good of both of you and your client; it is not a competition; not a means of showing off or trying to prove that you are better than your co-counsel. In the course of your career, you will find that there are many times when you have to work with a colleague; you might not always like their tactics, they many not always like yours; but for the good of your case, you must find ways to make everything work despite differences. You won't always like the person you're working with…and sometimes, ladies, you find one you like working with so much, you end up marrying him and spending the next four decades doing his laundry…and keeping the money you find in his pockets."

The class laughed and Castle smiled at her easy manner with her students. "Is that really how you met your husband, Mrs. Beckett?" Vanessa asked.

She smiled. "In a manner of speaking, yes; I met him my first day at my first law firm…I had been out of law school for three weeks."

"You didn't waste any time," Daniel teased.

"Sometimes the stars just align," she remarked with a grin.

"Do you really keep the money you find in his pockets?" Vanessa inquired, amusement on her face.

"Yes, I consider it a tip for laundry service…it helps support my shoe fetish," she replied with a wink before launching into her lecture.

Castle had a feeling that Johanna had just given the young ladies of the room something to look forward to when it came to one day doing laundry for their future husbands…forgotten money in the pockets that would add up to a few fabulous pairs of shoes. If she hadn't been their hero before that moment, she surely was now, he thought to himself with a smile.


Castle found the class interesting, his notebook filling with notes as he listened and picked up helpful remarks about the proper procedures his characters would need to follow when dealing with the courtroom aspect of things. As interested in the class he was, he also managed to observe his mother-in-law…her patience with her students; the way she'd stop and walk about a certain point if one of them didn't seem to be following it the way she had wanted them to. When little Sophie started to fuss in her carrier, she didn't hesitate to unhook her and carry her around the room with her as she lectured. Sophie's ease at being in her arms told him that it wasn't the first time she had taught the class with Brittany's baby perched on her hip, small fingers toying with the necklace she wore. She made sure each point was understood; offered examples from her own career where appropriate; and by the time class was finished, Sophie had snuggled against her and had fallen asleep.

He watched as she brushed a soft kiss against the baby's tuft of blonde curls, her hand rubbing against the infant's back soothingly. She gave the class instructions about their work and when it was due and then dismissed them; moving back toward Brittany to put the baby back in the carrier.

Castle remained in his seat; watching as Brady volunteered to carry the baby to the car for Brittany so that they could discuss when to get together to work on their project. He heard the young man offering to come to her so that she wouldn't need a sitter, assuring her that he had no problem with a baby; that he had often taken care of his little sister who was now eleven. He had no doubt that Johanna had realized that Brady had a soft spot for Brittany and her baby…she was definitely matchmaking.

"What did you think of the class, Rick?" Johanna asked as she approached him once the last student left.

"I think you're matchmaking," he stated.

Her brow rose. "What?"

"Brittany and Brady…I think you're matchmaking."

Johanna crossed her arms. "I wouldn't call it that."

"What would you call it?"

"Cultivating a friendship," she remarked.

"Is that what they call it nowadays? I think maybe they have a soft spot for each other and you know it."

"I don't know any such thing…but I do know that they need each other."

"How so?"

"Well, Brady is a nice, good young man…he likes to have fun; thankfully it's more subdued than last semester, but a little fun is what Brittany needs. She's been hurt; being a single mother at her age wasn't what she had expected…she hadn't expected to be a mother for several more years. The father of her baby abandoned her; she's gun-shy now…and she's so very afraid that she'll be a bad mother to Sophie. She's afraid that if she has even an ounce of fun in her life that it's some betrayal of her child. It isn't of course, there's no denying that she loves Sophie and wants to give her a good life…but Brady can bring a little lightness back to her; make her have a little fun, show her that there are good men in the world. Brady has a lot of responsibilities; he's a student, he works, he helps his mother raise his little sister because his father was killed in an accident two years ago. Sometimes he has a little too much fun…sometimes he can't keep his focus the way he should…but Brittany could help ground him, help him focus more on his own needs while still helping to care for others. He's able to come here because a grandparent set up a trust to be used for college and college alone; his sister has one too…but her world is dance; it's how she copes with her grief. Half of Brady's paycheck goes to keeping her in those classes because his mother can't afford them alone and that trust can't be used for them. He dotes on her, helps her with her fundraisers to earn the money for her costumes…and sometimes his work and his need to be there for Aubrey means he doesn't study as much as he should. He and Brittany are both good kids, I think they could help each other…and if something more would come of it; good for them."

"Maybe they do need each other," he agreed; "Just out of curiosity, how much have you donated to little Aubrey's fundraisers…because I'm sure you've been asked to buy whatever she's selling."

Johanna smiled. "I admit that I have bought some candy…and some items from the catalogues they put online; but I consider it a worthy cause. Little girls need their outlets for their feelings; especially one her age…and if buying a candy bar or a box of cookies or some Christmas ornaments I could probably buy cheaper elsewhere means that she can have her costume for her recital that means so much to her, then of course I'll help out when asked; not just because her brother is my student; but because I think it's important for girls to do what they're passionate about."

Kate was right; she was going to be a good grandmother, he couldn't help but think. He couldn't say so at that moment of course so he changed the topic slightly. "I'm not sure who Brady has the bigger crush on, you or Brittany," he remarked.

Johanna rolled her eyes. "I'm old enough to be his mother…or worse…and don't say it; it'll depress me given his age."

Castle laughed. "I won't say it…we won't even think it. But still; just because you're more…mature…doesn't mean he can't have a crush on you."

"It's more like I'm their den mother," she quipped.

"I'm pretty sure you're the hero to all of these young ladies once you gave them the key to future shoe shopping success…with the help of money they find in their future husbands pockets come laundry day."

Johanna grinned. "It's my duty to pass on such things to the younger generation. Did you learn anything today?"

"Yes; I'm picking up a lot of helpful things. What class is next?"

"Same one just different students," she replied.

"Can I stay?" he asked; "There are a few things I'd like to hear again; I had a few moments where…"

"Where you had one of those squirrel moments?" Johanna asked.

"Yes," he admitted. "I was distracted watching you with the baby; I wondered how many times you taught the class with Brittany's baby on your hip."

"It's happened a few times," she replied; "But I don't mind; Sophie is a good baby. If you want to stay for the repeat, go ahead, I don't care."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," he told her as the next class started to fill the room.


As her students filed out of the classroom after her last class of the day, Johanna packed her briefcase with the files and papers on her desk and picked up the two books that she needed to take home. She glanced to the back of the classroom where Rick was filling the lines of a notebook; the textbook she had lent him to follow along with open in front of him. She made sure that her reading glasses were safely tucked in her purse and then hooked the strap over her shoulder and picked up her briefcase, heading for the back of the room.

"Class is over, Rick," she said as she paused next to the seat he occupied.

Castle glanced up at her, his hand continuing to write as he finished the sentence he had been working on. "I guess I missed the dismissal notice."

She smiled slightly. "Did I bore you this time around?"

"No, not at all. I found it all interesting; it gave me an idea for one of my scenes and I was writing it down before I forgot it. Could I borrow the book for the weekend?" he asked.

Johanna nodded. "That's fine; I keep that one in the classroom in case someone forgets theirs but I haven't encountered that problem so far this semester."

"I'll give it back to you on Tuesday at lunch."

"Alright," she replied, stepping back in anticipation of making her exit from the room.

"Speaking of lunch, since you're finished with your classes today; how about we go get lunch?"

Johanna hesitated. "I don't know…that would be three lunches in one week plus there was dinner."

"So? Families are supposed to see each other often, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't know," Johanna remarked. "My daughter and son-in-law make it a point to avoid it if they can."

He gave a small smile. "But we're changing that, aren't we?"

"That's what you tell me."

"So how about it? There's a McDonalds nearby…and I have it on good authority that they are well stocked on chicken nuggets…"

She eyed him. "You're using chicken nuggets against me?"

"Well…you did say that you needed chicken nuggets in your life sometimes, so I thought that since we were near a McDonalds that we should make sure you got some to tide you over."

Johanna thought about it for a moment and figured it wouldn't hurt to agree to the lunch and would perhaps cement once and for all that she was trying and wasn't avoiding any member of the family. "Alright, I'll go."

Castle smiled. "Good," he said as he gathered up his notebook and the book she had lent him. "Do you want to go with me and I'll bring you back to your car?"

"No; I'll take my car," she replied. "I have things to do after lunch and I'd rather just leave directly from there."

He gave a nod, not pressing the issue as he rose to follow her to the door, watching as she hit the light switch on the way out. They stepped into the hallway and she closed the classroom door behind them.

"Jim said he'll let you drive the Camaro around the block if you let him drive your Ferrari around the block," she stated as they made their way up the hallway.

"That can definitely be arranged," he replied. "Is he still coming home today?"

Johanna nodded. "That's what he said this morning; he'll let me know when he's on his way."

He could detect the air of subtle anxiety that lingered when Jim wasn't in town but he could also detect the sense of anticipation in the energetic clip of her walk as they exited the building and made their way to the parking lot. She walked quickly as if she could hurry the day and Jim's subsequent homecoming. He increased his own pace to keep up with her, loyalty to his own wife making him want to make sure that his mother-in-law reached her car safely anytime he was in her company in public.

Johanna reached her car and unlocked it, leaning in to deposit her briefcase and purse on the passenger seat. "I'll meet you there, Rick," she said as she turned to meet his eye before getting in the car.

"I'll be right behind you," he told her, gesturing to his car just two rows across the lot.

"I won't go in until you're there," she promised as she put the key in the ignition.

Castle gave a nod of acknowledgement and headed for his car, his gaze shifting back to hers as he made the trek, making sure that she was safely on her way.


"You'd think a woman who's so big on home cooked meals wouldn't have a thing for McDonald's chicken nuggets," Castle remarked as he watched Johanna open her container of preferred sauce once they were seated at a table with their food.

She shrugged. "We all have a weakness. I don't see anything wrong with McDonald's food…I don't think you should eat it every day, but it's nice to have on occasion."

"I agree," he replied as he unwrapped his cheeseburger.

"So, did Broadway sober up?" Johanna asked.

He nearly choked on the bite of burger he had taken. "Broadway?" he asked.

"Your mother."

"She was still indisposed when I left this morning," Castle replied. "Nice choice of nickname though."

"I figure it's probably better than whatever nickname she has for me."

"I'm not sure that she has one for you."

Johanna smirked. "Trust me; women always nickname the opposition."

"Good to know…but I didn't realize you were the opposition."

She scoffed. "Please; everyone knows it."

Castle shifted in his seat. "You started it."

"Started what?"

"This war with my mother."

"It's not a war."

"No? Then what is it?"

"A line in the sand," Johanna replied. "We're on opposite sides of it, daring each other to step across it."

"I was under the impression that you already felt like my mother had stepped across that line a few times."

"She has…and so far she's been lucky that I haven't reached out and shoved her back across it."

Castle met her eye. "I have a feeling you mean 'shove' in the literal sense."

"I do," she confirmed.

"In that case, I'm glad you've restrained yourself."

"See, I'm not as compulsive as you thought," Johanna replied.

He gave a nod. "I guess I don't really understand how things got to this point between the two of you."

"I think you do," she said as she dipped a nugget in sauce.

"That insane notion that my mother was taking your place in Kate's life?"

"It's not insane," she said tartly. "It was a very real feeling; and maybe if it wouldn't have gotten to the intense level that it did, things could've been avoided. But instead of someone offering to let me talk about it, I was ridiculed. Anything I mentioned was instantly labeled ridiculous or crazy or insane. Instead of someone saying 'what can I do to help you change that feeling', I got mocked and labeled. Your mother could've come to my door and discussed the issue…instead she came to my door to tell me how ridiculous I was and wanted to tell me how to be a mother…and yes, I told her to leave my house. I might have to put with that kind of behavior from any number of people in the world, but I will not tolerate it in my own home. You come through my door, you show me respect or you get the hell out and that's just how it is."

"Fair enough," Castle said after swallowing a bite of his burger. "But you still haven't explained how I know how it got to this point."

"I gave you examples before, Rick."

"You felt like my mother was forcing Kate to spend time with her instead of you."

"That's not what I said and you know it," Johanna remarked. "I said Martha didn't seem to remind her that she still had her own mother who wanted to be in her life."

"It was a difficult time for Kate, Johanna."

"I'm aware of that; it was a difficult time for me too. It wasn't like I was laying on a beach somewhere drinking margaritas and eating bon-bons while wondering what fabulous restaurant my husband and I would dine in that evening."

"That's an awfully detailed fantasy."

"It's not a fantasy…it's more like a partial description of my honeymoon," she replied.

"I would've thought that you would've picked an exotic location instead of Hawaii for your honeymoon," he commented.

"It was the 70s, Rick; Hawaii was popular and exotic then. Did you ever notice that a lot of television shows from 70s and 80s have a Hawaii trip episode?"

Castle thought about it for a moment. "Now that you mention it, there are a lot of shows with Hawaii episodes."

"I rest my case. Besides; it was summer time and I wanted to go to a beach…one far enough way that we wouldn't run into anyone we knew. I had always wanted to go there so that's what we chose."

"It is a beautiful place. But getting back to our topic; mother wasn't keeping Kate from you."

"I already addressed that; I said she didn't do anything to help persuade her to give her own mother some consideration. When I first came home, Katie wanted nothing to do with me. It took a lot of work to get her to let me in again. We were so much better by the time Bracken was arrested. I felt like we were close and then I moved home with Jim and the fallout began and she pushed me away. Just about every time I tried to spend some time with her by inviting her over, I was turned down. You went away on a book tour for a few days and I thought that while you were gone maybe we could spend some time together. I invited her over and was told no; she was spending the weekend with Martha, she had dinner plans with Martha, the whole weekend was devoted to Martha."

"Not my mother's fault," Castle interrupted.

"I didn't say it was," Johanna retorted; "But it was part of the beginning of things I was turned down for in favor of Martha. That first winter I was home, the only time Katie was seen with me in a public setting away from my neighborhood was when she trotted me out for a shopping trip so that she could prove her statement was true. She thought I was stupid enough not to realize that was the reason but I'm not stupid, I knew it from the second she brought it up. She only came to dinner when she felt guilty…any other time she was having dinner with you, which is understandable; but a lot of times those dinners included Martha too from what I heard. She told me we'd go to the theater together…a few days later, Jim opens up the newspaper and there's a picture of her and Martha and Alexis at the theater…"

"That was Mother's birthday gift to her," he interrpted.

"That's another thing," Johanna said; "Anytime I wanted to give her a gift it was shunned or we'd end up in a fight about it because I was accused of trying to buy more affection from her…but she could accept a gift from Martha. I couldn't even take her to lunch on her birthday because Martha and Alexis claimed that and of course you were taking her to dinner, which I had expected all along that's why I asked to take her to lunch because I knew she'd want to spend her evening with you as she should…but no, Martha's invitation was more important. You threw her a birthday party…you invited your mother but not the mother of the birthday girl…and if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be here for you to throw a party for because she wouldn't have been born; so I think if anyone's mother should be invited, it should be me before yours. Martha was kind enough to inform me that she mentioned my exclusion from the guest list but upon listening to your explanation of why Jim and I weren't invited, agreed with you that it wasn't a good idea."

Castle took a sip of his drink before speaking, using the moment to compose his words. "I just thought that given the stressful circumstances of the time that Kate would have a better time if you weren't there…I didn't think you'd find out."

"It's kind of hard to miss when it ends up in the newspaper," Johanna remarked; "Along with that nice mention about how her parents weren't invited which fueled more of that 'they're estranged' furor that kept plaguing me everywhere I went…I can't thank you enough for adding to that at that point in time."

"I'm sorry that I excluded you and Jim and caused more problems for you in the media with that decision," Castle replied. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings; but you can't blame mother for what I did."

"I don't blame her for what you did; I blame her for agreeing with you instead of advocating for my inclusion on the basis that I am Katie's mother…just because I was issued an invitation doesn't mean that I would've intruded upon her fun and showed up. I might have declined so that I didn't put any sort of damper on her party…or we might've came for an hour so we could see her for a little while…but you took away our choices. You took away the simple courtesy of issuing the invitation and Martha backed you up on it. I invited all of you over for Thanksgiving and was told no; and yeah, I know, you invited Jim and I over to your place but it was my first holiday home and I wanted to cook that meal for my husband…and judging by the menu he made for me, he wanted me to make it too. I told Katie to go to your place, no hard feelings. I asked her to go black Friday shopping with me since she was going to be off that day. She said she didn't want to go…but I end up running into her and Martha while I'm shopping. Apparently Martha's invitation was once again more appealing. When she said she was having Thanksgiving with you, I told her that I all I asked was that she come home for Christmas dinner…that's all I wanted…I invited all of you. She told me she had to work. The day after Christmas, I'm out shopping with Valerie, I run into Martha who tells me all about the wonderful Christmas she had with my daughter...and when I mentioned that I was glad someone had gotten to spend Christmas with her since she lied to me about having to work; I was informed that it was to be expected given that Katie has such bad memories of Christmas associated to me and that I shouldn't be upset that I didn't even warrant a phone call on the occasion; I should just be glad that she was able to celebrate with your family and be welcomed into your traditions and all that jazz…like being hurt that I couldn't spend any part of that first Christmas home with my daughter was just stupid and petty; and maybe it is to you and her but it wasn't to me. It hurt me…I only asked for an hour. I only asked for dinner. I didn't want her whole day, I wasn't trying to keep her from you…I just wanted an hour to spend Christmas with her for the first time since she was nineteen…but once again, your family was more important than mine and your mother saw her instead of her own mother."

"Then your issue is with Kate; not my mother," Castle stated.

Johanna shook her head. "No; you're not listening, you're too busy preparing Martha's defense to listen to all of what I said. What pissed me off about Martha was the condescending way she talked to me in that store; saying I should expect that Katie wouldn't want to spend a holiday with me, that I wasn't entitled to my feelings. I wouldn't tell her that she wasn't entitled to her feelings. Last night at dinner when she was whining about her boyfriend, I didn't look across the table and tell her to quit being a selfish drama queen about one missed opening. She was hurt by his need to do something else, although he is entitled to his own pursuits especially when it involves his job, but all I said was that I was sure he'd make it up to her. I did later on give her some of her unsolicited advice but only because she pushed my buttons too far."

"Okay; you don't like the way my mother talks to you at times," he replied. "But did you ever consider that maybe you just take things the wrong way?"

"Yeah, I've considered that…but then I think about the things I've learned over the course of my life and my career…and one of the things I've learned is how to read a person's tone of voice. It's a useful skill for a lawyer to have, it's right up there with being able to read faces. Lies aren't only told with the eyes, they're told with voices. You can tell by someone's tone if they're lying, if they're scared, worried, happy, pretending to be happy…or putting on airs. I hate to tell you this, Rick; but your mother puts on airs sometimes…and a lot of times when she speaks to me about the matter of my daughter, she talks down to me; like she's superior…like she knows my child better than I do and she doesn't. Katie's my daughter, not hers. I know more about her than she could ever imagine; I'm the one who carried her for nine months and gave birth to her. I'm the one who raised her."

"No one disputes that; especially my mother."

"Oh really?" Johanna asked. "Is that why she tries to tell me how to be a mother on occasion; because I really don't need her tips. My argument with Katie after Christmas is what brought Martha to my door to tell me how ridiculous I am and telling me how to be a mother to my daughter. I don't appreciate it. I didn't ask for her advice and I don't need it."

"Well…she has more experience at being the mother of an adult than you do. When you went to Wyoming, Kate was nineteen…she was an adult in the eyes of the law but really still a teenager."

"I'm aware of how old she was," she retorted. "I know how to be a mother. You both act like I was trying to play dress up with her and walk her to school. I know she's a grown woman; I treat her as such. All I was trying to do was keep my place in her life. I just wanted to see her once in awhile; I didn't want to lose our closeness and I didn't realize that was a crime and required advice about how to be a parent. I didn't realize that Martha cornered the market on parenting skills."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to offend you."

"Well she did," Johanna replied; dipping another nugget into her sauce with a little more zeal than necessary. "If I want parenting advice, I'll ask my sister-in-law."

"What makes her so special?" Castle asked before he could stop himself.

"Because she doesn't act like she's superior or like she has all the answers to everything. She's known me since I was nineteen; she treats me with respect, as her sister, as her equal. She's known my daughter since birth; she babysat her when needed, she's the only person I ever let take Katie out of town without me or Jim. She knows to offer advice when it's asked for and she's knows how to do it without making the other person feel like they're a wad of gum beneath their shoe. I take my advice from family and close friends I've known for forty years. If I'd want advice from Martha, I'd ask for it."

"Alright," he said with a nod. "Point taken…Mother does sometimes give advice when it isn't wanted and maybe she should be more careful about that. I guess she's just not used to people being as sensitive as you are."

Johanna smirked at him as she shook her head. "You always have to be backhanded in your concurrence, don't you?"

"How was I backhanded?"

"Come on, Rick; you're not stupid; you know. You got your little dig in by saying your mother isn't used to dealing with sensitive people like me. That's your way of humoring me for the way I feel about not wanting advice I didn't ask for while also telling me that I'm in the wrong for the way I take your mother's attitude."

Maybe his comment had come off as a backhanded insult, he thought to himself. It seemed to happen at times without notice. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said it that way."

She pressed her lips together as her fingers reached for some fries on her tray.

"What else about Mother has irked you and made you see her as the enemy?" Castle asked.

"Oh I don't know…maybe how she took control of the wedding planning and acted like she was the mother of the bride while I was pushed off to the sidelines?" Johanna said. "Everything Martha suggested was just fabulous…and anything I suggested, any tradition that my family has, was labeled as old fashioned and out of touch."

"Well…some things were old fashioned; church weddings are kind of outdated these days."

"Maybe that's part of the problem with this world," Johanna replied. "Besides; it wasn't so much the church; I asked that my daughter be married by a Catholic priest. My family is Catholic and when Katie was born, Jim allowed me to have her baptized Catholic like I was, my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother and on back all the way to Italy. My father's family were Irish Catholics. In our family; we don't necessary have to have a Catholic ceremony, I didn't and neither did my siblings, but it's tradition to at least have a priest perform the service. It was the thing that mattered most to me in the planning process; all I asked was for that tradition to be carried on…just one simple tradition; to know that my daughter was married by a priest and in the eyes of God; but that was too much to ask apparently. I can still hear you and your mother saying how old fashioned it was; bringing up examples of celebrities who have been ordained online to perform marriages and how a judge is fine and all that's needed; your family isn't overly religious and Katie doesn't go to church so it would be foolish…that's the word your mother used. Foolish. Well I admit once I reached adulthood my church attendance was reduced to holidays because I like to sleep on Sundays; but the day after Jim proposed to me, I asked him if we could be married by a priest because it would mean a lot to my mother and grandmother, it was tradition and he said yes; and sure enough, my mother did ask for that tradition and I told her it was taken care of and would be carried out. But when I asked for it for my child, I was called foolish, oh, and I almost forgot, Martha also said it was a bit out of touch…like her fingers are on the pulse of relevant culture and no one else knows anything modern…I've got news for her, I know plenty; I just also have respect for family traditions."

"Alright, maybe we all could've been a little more understanding of your sense of tradition…but it wasn't your wedding," he remarked.

Johanna took a sip of her soda and shook her head. "I never said it was my wedding; I never tried to make it mine. I just wanted to incorporate some tradition into it. I was asked to help with planning; I was asked my ideas…although I don't know why since none of them were good enough. If anyone took over everything and tried to make it hers, it was Martha. Katie and I were supposed to go look at wedding dresses, just the two of us; well there's Martha tagging along behind her. That was my moment with my daughter, one I had been looking forward to. Katie told me she wanted it to be just the two of us…but Martha has to butt her way in and Katie isn't going to tell her no. She can tell me no all the time but there's something magic about Martha that she can't say no to. I was supposed to help her look at venues when you weren't available; I asked her if she could wait a few hours to go to that one venue because I needed to go to the doctor and she tells me yes; I show up at the new time to go with her and I'm told, well Martha volunteered to go with her instead…like I was trying to blow her off and Martha had to swoop in and save the day."

"I figure Mother offered to go because they figured you weren't feeling well since you had to go to the doctor," Castle stated.

"I had a sore throat; I wanted to make sure it wasn't strep and contagious. I told her when my appointment was and that I'd be there as soon as it was over. I was fine to go with her; it was just my throat. But Martha was there; Martha talked her into going on ahead with her and they could just send me pictures. I wasn't asked to go to any other venues after that either."

"That sounds more like an issue with Kate than my mother."

"No, it is an issue with your mother because she can't keep her damn nose out of anything," Johanna replied. "She took over everything with that wedding…and you did your share of hurting people too. You have no idea how much you hurt Jim when you wouldn't let him pay for Katie's wedding; he's her father, paying for her wedding was our job; a job we were willing to take and wanted to take, and you took that from us."

Castle sighed; he should've known that was going to come up again. "We just felt it was silly to expect you and Jim to pay for our wedding."

"You didn't expect it; we volunteered it as soon as we knew you were engaged. We had been saving money for Katie's wedding since she was a little girl, Rick. When Jim and I were engaged, I briefly called off the wedding because his mother and I got into a big argument because I hadn't asked my father to pay for my wedding; I figured I'd pay for it myself because he paid to put me through law school and helped me get my apartment. We didn't get along and I wasn't asking for more…Jim's father called my father and told him what was going on and everything was worked out and he told me that he had intended all along to pay for my wedding, he was just waiting on my mother to tell him where to send the checks. I told him he didn't have to; but he said paying for my wedding was their gift to me for being their daughter and no price could be on that; I was to have anything I wanted for my day because it was their gift, their way of seeing me off into the next stage of my life. When Katie was little; Valerie gave her an old white dress for her dress up trunk and she thought it was a wedding dress; she was playing bride one day and Jim said to me that maybe we should start saving for her wedding; because he remembered me telling him what my father said; and he felt the same way; that paying for Katie's wedding was our gift to her for being our daughter. That account had plenty of money in it, Rick; everything the two of you wanted could've been had with no financial strain to us and when you and Katie refused that because as you said 'you had more money than us and could take care of it' you hurt my husband, you took something from him; a part of his pride, you took away his duty as a father and he hadn't even given her away to you yet. It was hurtful; and maybe that seems stupid to you but it wasn't to him and it wasn't to me; but it hurt him most of all…and seeing my husband that hurt, just made me incredibly angry with you. You don't know how much money we had saved for that occasion; you don't know how much money we have in the bank. It might not be the same amount that you have but we have plenty and we would've taken care of our daughter's wedding like we had always planned on. She's our only child, we don't get another chance to do that and you didn't care how that made us feel; that we were being hurt by that refusal of something we so carefully started planning for when she was four years old; and of course Martha was right there, siding with you both, telling us take that money and go spend it on something frivolous for ourselves; that the two of you were too old for that antiquated notion of having the father pay for the wedding…because once again, she couldn't keep her nose out of it."

Castle met her eye. "I am very sorry that I hurt you and Jim by refusing your offer to pay for the wedding; but as a man who has a very successful career and already paid for two weddings of my own; I would've felt ridiculous having my in-laws pay for the wedding."

Johanna shook her head. "You just don't get it, do you? We weren't paying for it for you; we were paying for it for Katie…for our daughter. It was about her; it was about us giving her one last big gift before we gave her away to her husband. That hurt Jim in ways you don't seem to comprehend…but maybe one day Alexis will do something like that to you and you'll know how my husband felt…and why I was so angry with you for hurting him like that. You can say and do what you want to me, I don't care; but when you hurt my husband or my kid, then you earn my anger and I won't apologize for it."

He nodded. "You don't have to apologize for being angry about it."

"That's good because I'm not."

"I am sorry for whatever it's worth…and you're right, one day Alexis might do the same thing to me and I will probably be hurt by it."

"And I hope I'm there to say I told you so," Johanna replied.

"I have no doubt that you'd pencil time into your schedule for that."

She gave a nod. "Count on it."

"I think we were talking about my mother though."

"I know; but while we were on the topic of the wedding, I wanted to make sure that issue wasn't overlooked."

"Okay, but getting back to Mother…"

Johanna smirked. "Its kind of hard to get back to her without you attached, Rick; next up on my list is the dress shop horror show. You remember the dress shop, don't you?"

"Yeah; I don't think I'm ever going to forget that experience."

"You had no business being there," Johanna told him.

"I only came because Kate was supposed to meet you there to design a dress for you and she had a case and couldn't leave…she asked me to go, so I did."

"You should've persuaded her to reschedule."

"Believe me, Johanna; I wish I had."

"That makes two of us. That little fiasco should've never happened; Katie could've rescheduled or I could've just bought a dress off the rack like I wanted to do. I didn't want you buying me a dress; our money wasn't good enough to contribute to that wedding, I damn sure didn't want you buying me a dress to wear to it; but Katie drove me up a damn wall about it so I went…and got the joy of going through that nightmare with you."

He smirked a little. "It's good to know that I give you such fond memories."

"The feeling is mutual," she replied. "But I thought you had a lot of nerve sitting there lecturing me about how to dress and what color to wear and vetoing everything I liked…like you were the one who was going to be wearing that damn dress instead of me. All I wanted was a lavender dress; because if there wasn't going to be any other tradition in that wedding, I could at least follow the one my family has which is that the mother of the bride wears lavender; but no, you kept saying I couldn't."

"I said that you couldn't wear lavender because of the color of the bridal party dresses."

"Those dresses were plum," Johanna remarked. "Lavender is totally different; it's much lighter than plum."

"But it's still in the same color palette."

"It doesn't matter! It's a different shade and wasn't in competition with anything. You then tell me to wear blue like your mother…and hell would've had to freeze over for that to happen. You kept picking hideous designs that I hated, that didn't suit the way I like to dress at all…it reminded me of my sister's wedding and that horror show maid of honor gown I had to wear to her wedding. You just would not listen to me and everything I wanted was shrugged off…and then you had to call your mother and put her on speaker phone to back you up that I couldn't wear lavender. Then I get to listen to her comments about what I should wear and your comments and I finally had enough and told you to shove that whole damn wedding because I was done and wasn't coming."

"I remember," Castle replied. "It was a bad moment."

"Yes, it was; and then to add insult to injury; instead of letting Katie work out the issue, instead of letting her go with me to buy a dress somewhere else; you let Martha go design the dress for me…and she picked yellow…after I told you that I hate yellow; and you had that hideous creation sent to my house. I thought I had seen all of the ugly dresses the world had to offer…but then your mother designed a dress for me and I realized that I owed my sister an apology because I had finally found someone with worse taste in wedding apparel than her…and if my sister had been allowed onto the guest list and came to the wedding, I would've issued that apology right there at the reception."

"There was nothing wrong with that dress; yellow is a nice spring color."

"Yellow is an egg yolk," Johanna retorted. "I saw that God awful thing and threw up in my mouth a little."

"I'm surprised you didn't just throw up on the dress if you felt that way about it."

"I would have but I preferred burning it…I had the matches but at the last minute decided to send it back so your money could be refunded."

"Once again I appreciate your restraint; that dress wasn't cheap."

"You wouldn't know by looking at it," Johanna stated.

"Okay; you didn't like the dress."

"No, I didn't…and I think you all knew I wouldn't."

"I don't think you would've liked anything I picked."

"That's because we don't have the same taste," she replied. "You're not me; I know what I like to wear, I know what colors I like and what goes with my complexion and hair color…yellow isn't it and any fool could see that."

"So you think Mother purposely picked something you'd hate?"

"Yeah, I do," she confirmed; "And just for the record; I'm so glad she got to pick her color and style of dress without any problem from you; I wish I had been given that courtesy."

"Well in the end you did pick your own dress from some store in the city."

"I didn't pick out that dress," Johanna said as she picked up another nugget.

"You didn't?"

She shook her head. "Jim picked that dress for me. I was done with the whole thing and was just going to wear a dress I already had in my closet…but he told me he had a meeting one day and went and found that dress for me."

"Jim picked it? Without your influence at all?" Castle asked, his brow arched in surprise as he recalled the elegant cocktail dress his mother-in-law had worn to the wedding. Her dress had been lavender as she had wanted; made of fine silk and the bodice had been studded with tiny beads that sparkled in the light. It had a matching lace sequined bolero shrug that had also shimmered in certain light. He could admit that it suited her well…and he had no doubt that Jim had spent a small fortune on it as it screamed upscale elegance and had probably bore a designer label. Somehow, he could only imagine his father-in-law insisting on the best for his wife; a dress that he would feel befitted her status of mother of the bride even if she had gotten shoved out of the main scheme of things at times.

"Yes; he chose it all on his own," Johanna stated; pulling him from his thoughts. "He said that if he couldn't buy anything for his daughter, the least he could do was buy me a dress, a purse and a pair of shoes for her wedding. He knew I was out of patience for dress shopping so he did it for me…and he picked the exact kind of dress I wanted…because he knows me and the styles I prefer."

Yes, his father-in-law had definitely spent a fortune outfitting the mother of the bride, Castle thought; not only had he bought the dress, he had bought the matching shoes…that if he recalled correctly, had been opened toe and the heels studded with the same beading that had been on her dress. Her clutch bag at the wedding had held that same sparkling beadwork and lavender silk. It wasn't hard for him to imagine that Jim had probably spent around five hundred dollars on Johanna's wardrobe for the occasion.

"You got your lavender dress," he remarked.

"I did…and no one batted an eye except for your mother."

"She felt you wore lavender to be spiteful," he answered.

"I wore lavender to honor my family's tradition. I wore lavender in honor of my mother who I wish could've lived to see her granddaughter get married. My dress in no way matched the hue and style of the bridal party. If I wanted to be spiteful, I would've worn black like my mother-in-law did."

"I'm surprised you didn't."

"I thought about it," Johanna replied. "I did have several nice black dresses in my closet."

"I guess it's a good thing that Jim stepped in."

"I wouldn't say that he stepped in; it was more like he wanted to be able to do something for the wedding. You and Katie were dead set against letting him pay for a single thing, not even the flowers. He didn't get to buy her a wedding dress because she wanted to wear that hideous monstrosity that magazine editor had given her…"

"But she ended up not wearing it."

"Thank God," Johanna declared. "It was a painful thing to look at when she put that dress on and showed it to me."

"Mother said it was beautiful."

"She would," Johanna said with an amused scoff.

"I only saw it after it had been damaged so I can't properly comment on it," Castle said; "But are you implying that my mother has bad taste?"

She nodded. "I'd say it's on par with my sister's taste…although Martha is much more flamboyant with colors and patterns than Colleen is; I will give my sister credit for that; but getting back to the point I was trying to make; I think Jim knew I was the only person that wouldn't shun his gift. We had bought Katie a pair of earrings to wear on her wedding day but when I got there, Martha was in the process of giving her a pair of earrings and she was hurriedly putting them in her ears and I knew I couldn't embarrass any of us by producing the pair we had bought…so I lied and told her we had ordered a bracelet for her to wear and that it had been delayed. I guess I'm lucky that she at least wore the diamond necklace that has been passed down by my great grandmother. I wanted her to keep it; that's always been the tradition; it's given to the oldest daughter on her wedding day and the bride keeps it to pass on to her own daughter one day…but Katie took it off and gave it back to me after she changed into a different dress for the reception."

"Maybe she feels it's better left with you," Castle remarked.

Johanna shrugged. "I guess I just have to hope that one day I'll go to the wedding of a granddaughter and I'll be able to give it to her myself."

A wave of remorse washed over him. "I guess you kind of did get a raw deal during the wedding planning and all of that. You should've given her the earrings anyway; she likes earrings."

"I couldn't," she murmured. "Your mother was telling her how the earrings she was giving her was passed down through her family; I couldn't ask her to shun an heirloom from your family and it wouldn't seem right to give the same gift…it wasn't like she could wear both pairs of earrings that day. I can't lie and say that I didn't feel like Martha had once again taken something from me…I know it sounds petty; but its how I felt. I couldn't even give my daughter the gift her father and I picked out for her; that we wanted to see her wear on her wedding day because Martha had already swooped in and presented a pair."

"You were a little late getting there," Castle said in subtle defense of his mother.

There was the shimmer of tears laying in her eyes as she met his gaze. "I don't control traffic…it's not my fault that we got caught up in a slow moving stream past an accident site. We left in plenty of time to get there and were still there long before the ceremony started; so don't try to blame me like I was deliberately late and that's what I get for it."

He gave a slight nod. "I'm sorry; we blew the wedding experience for you."

"It's alright," Johanna said as she picked up her soda. "It's kind of my thing I guess…I've always kind of hated weddings for the reason that planning them causes so much drama and hurt feelings. I've been a bridesmaid more times than I care to admit and a maid of honor two and a half times…I've got a lot of experience at wedding drama."

"What do you mean you were maid of honor two and a half times?"

"I was Sharon's maid of honor until six weeks before her wedding…her fiancé pouted enough and she kicked me to the curb and gave the job to his teenage sister."

"That's…cold," Castle remarked.

"Yeah; between that and all the things Colleen's wedding planning brought about, I had thought I had seen the worst of things in the wedding arena…until my daughter allowed someone else to act like mother of the bride…and Martha did so willingly and without any regard for my feelings. All she did was label me as ridiculous when I'd mention it."

"So that kind of sealed the deal on the way things are between you and my mother?"

"Yeah…and honestly, Rick; I just don't ever see a close friendship in the cards for Martha and I. There was a time when I would've liked to have been good friends with her; I liked her…but things changed and we just don't mesh well. We're not going to get along. I know I should've ignored her comments last night and I'm sorry that I didn't…it's just my nature to strike back I guess. I guess Katie is right and I am like my father," she said with a wrinkle of her nose.

He hadn't had the pleasure of meeting her father so he couldn't say one way or another if she shared any traits with the late Frank McKenzie…although he did recall a moment when he and Kate had been watching a clip of her mother on television as reporters followed her after she had renewed her license to practice law.

"There it is," Kate stated, her eyes glued to the screen.

"What?" Castle asked; studying the scene playing out on the television screen.

"McKenzie arrogance," she replied. "Look at her, the way she juts her chin upwards and narrows her eyes, her head high…she looks just like Grandpa when she does that. She's got the whole package today, that McKenzie arrogance that Grandma always mumbled about and that walk that Dad always says is her 'don't fuck with me' walk; it's written in every step as she struts down the sidewalk like a woman on a mission with no fear of anyone who doesn't like it. She's pissed and she's striking matches and setting bridges on fire with them…and she's laughing at the flames because she feels like she's somehow in control of the blaze…God only knows how many people are going to burn in the wake of whatever the hell she's up to now."

He shook off the memory and looked across the table at his mother-in-law; when she had first re-emerged into the world after Bracken's arrest, she had spent a lot of time walking around with her head lowered. He wasn't sure what had made her stop doing that but it was something he rarely seen her do since those times. She would lower her gaze, as she was doing now, but she didn't lower her head...she did often jut her chin upwards and narrow her eyes though when she felt offended or attacked. McKenzie arrogance…or perhaps it was merely McKenzie pride. It was a part of her armor, that was for sure. In the classroom, with her students, her features had been soft, her smiles easy, affection for the young legal minds she was helping to mold glittering in her eyes in those moments before she called the class to order. When she was with Kate and things were good, that same softness remained, maternal love and pride glowing brightly in her eyes. With Jim she radiated love; everything about her changed when he was in the room; her eyes and features awash with a love so strong that you sometimes had to look away, fearful you were intruding on a private moment.

With him and his family; Johanna's expressions were more reserved…cautious even, if he had to clarify; as if she wasn't sure she was welcome in their midst and he had to admit that they had all probably done a poor job at making the transitions easy. Kate had been in the process of being subtly absorbed into his family long before Johanna came home and he had only met Jim twice before that homecoming that had upended everyone's lives. Before Johanna, his private world had been mostly Kate, Alexis and his mother…he hadn't had to share any of them and Jim seemed scarce so he wasn't thought much about, as terrible as it seemed. But Johanna's homecoming had changed the scheme of things…like an exiled Queen who had returned to reclaim her throne and restructure the order that had fallen into place in her absence. In the midst of danger, she had been brought into the fold and safety of not only her own family but his as well…and when the danger passed…well…perhaps they had tossed her back out without meaning to or realizing that they had done so.

"It's alright, Rick," Johanna said, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"What is?" he asked.

"That your mother and I don't get along all that well. We don't see each other all that often and when we do, I give more effort at ignoring the things that annoy me…like her snippy little comments she always makes. We're not going to be best friends but I'm sure we can politely tolerate each other once in awhile."

"Just polite tolerance of each other?"

"What more do you want?" Johanna asked.

"I was hoping the two of you could act like family."

She sighed softly and laid her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Rick," she said softly; "I can't say that I know all of your history, but I think perhaps you've always been a member of a small family. My family is somewhat larger when you count siblings and aunts and uncles, cousins and all that. I assure you that every family in the world has members that don't particularly care for each other. It doesn't mean that the family unit is damaged; it just means that the family is made up of many different personalities and traits and that they don't always combine well. The issues between Martha and I in no way affect any feelings attached to you; I don't hold any of Martha's offenses against you and I know that she would never, ever, hold anything against you in any regard. Families aren't perfect; they're messy, just like life. It's okay to be messy sometimes…family life isn't like a Coke commercial; we're not always going to stand on a hill top and sing in perfect harmony."

Castle smiled a little at the analogy; he had been too young to recall the original airing of the commercial she referred to but he had seen it on those shows that named the best commercials of all time. "I could buy you more Coke though if it would help."

She patted his hand in a way only a mother could and then pulled her hand back to grasp her cup of soda that was nearly empty. "I would happily accept delivery of a truckload of Coke; then I wouldn't have to worry about running out of soda during a blizzard; but it wouldn't change anything between Martha and I…and it's okay."

"But what if you share a grandchild one day?"

"Then Martha and I will work out a babysitting schedule…she might have nudged me out of the wedding planning but I'll be damned if she'll stand between me and my grandchild. That will never happen, my dear; especially when that will be my first grandchild…and her second. No; she's not taking that one from me; we'll arrange some schedule to keep things balanced."

"It's good to know that you have a plan."

"When it comes to my future grandchildren; I won't let anything to chance…and I won't be so easily walked on," Johanna said seriously.

He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment; he had no doubt that Johanna would take her role as grandmother very seriously. Before he could make another comment, her phone rang and she pulled it from the pocket of her blazer. He knew without asking that it was Jim, the answer was written across her features as they softened, her green eyes becoming lighter, holding a sparkle, a smile sliding across her lips as she her thumb quickly swiped the icon with a graceful flick to accept the call. "Hi, honey," she said, her voice soft, love written in every nuance of her tone.

He couldn't help but watch as she listened to her husband's voice on the other end of the line; he could just barely make out his father-in-law's words; but he heard the one that mattered…"Sweetheart." Her dark lashes fluttered, her eyes closing for the briefest second as that word saturated her soul, her smile softer, coy…as if the word held some secret only she knew.

"Are you on your way home?" she asked; her voice low, a softness that existed only between lovers coloring her words and translating them into the unspoken 'are you coming home to me?'

He knew that the answer must be yes as the corner of her lips twitched slightly and curved upwards, her posture becoming more relaxed as tension eased within her body.

"Good," Johanna said in response. "I miss you."

Castle had a feeling that he had been temporarily forgotten…and he was sure that his father-in-law had missed her as well. The flutter of lashes and her fingertips toying with the diamond heart pendant around her neck seemed to confirm that she had indeed been given that answer.

"I'm at lunch," he heard her remark; a beat of silence following as Jim asked his next question. "At McDonalds with Rick."

So perhaps he wasn't as forgotten as he had thought, Castle mused as her gaze flicked toward him. "Jim says hello," she told him.

"Hello to Jim," he said in return.

Johanna imparted his greeting and then listened to whatever her husband was saying.

"Everything is fine," she said finally. "Classes went well and I'll be leaving here in a few minutes."

Apparently their conversation about messy families and her disagreements with his mother were at an end, Castle thought to himself upon hearing her words; but of course her nuggets were gone and so were her fries.

"Yeah; I can do that," he heard his mother-in-law say with a soft laugh. "No; it won't be any trouble. I was going to stop at the market on the way home anyway, I'll just grab a pack of chicken there and I won't have to worry about thawing any."

Jim must've put in a dinner request, he surmised as she reached into her purse and grabbed her small notebook and pen; quickly jotting down a few things to the list she had made at some earlier point in time. "Anything else?" she asked.

Johanna closed her notebook and dropped it and her pen back into her bag. "Alright; I'll see you in a little while…yes, I'll let you know I got home safely."

The fear still lingered, Castle couldn't help but realize…and suddenly he realized that it was why Johanna always looked a little lost when Jim wasn't in the same city as her. He saw that look now, just a subtle flicker of it in her eyes; longing and slight fear, perhaps worry until they were reunited once again.

"I love you too," Johanna murmured; her voice warm and low. "Be careful."

He tore his gaze away from her, feeling like he had intruded on one of those personal moments he had thought of earlier as she said goodbye and ended the call.

"Rick; I have to be going," Johanna remarked as she tucked her phone into her purse. "Jim is on his way back and I need to stop at the market and get a few things for dinner."

"What did he request?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Fried chicken and baked potatoes," she answered. "He wants cole slaw too."

"Sounds good."

"It's his favorite," Johanna replied; although she was sure everyone knew that tidbit about her husband. "Thanks for lunch."

"I did promise you chicken nuggets," Castle replied as they picked up their trays to empty them into the trash. "I thought maybe it would be good compensation for allowing me to sit in on two classes instead of just one today."

"Chicken nuggets are always good compensation," she said as they headed for the door. "I hope the classes were helpful."

"I took some notes," he remarked; "Thanks for letting me hang onto the book for a few days."

"No problem," Johanna said, her stride somewhat quicker as she spotted her car; as if time was of the essence now that she knew her husband was on his way home to her.

"I'll see you Tuesday at the usual time and place," Castle stated as she unlocked her car door.

"I'll be there," she said with a soft sigh.

"Look at the bright side; we now have mother off the list…despite not having a good clear resolution for that issue."

"If it's meant to be resolved, time will take care of it, Rick," she assured as she put her bag in the car.

"You always sound so sure of things," he remarked.

She shrugged. "Life never delivers something we can't handle…sometimes you have to make your peace with the fact that some things can't be fixed and that you can't spend your life dwelling on them. You just have to carry on…think about the things you do have and be thankful. I like Martha overall; we're just not good at the family thing or the friend thing…but that's fine; I have an amazing best friend who gets me…and I'm sure Martha has an amazing best friend as well who gets her. We don't have to be best friends just because our children are married to each other."

"I guess that's true," Castle replied; but he couldn't help but feel like he had somehow failed at something.

His mother-in-law smiled slightly and surprised him by reaching out and patting his cheek. "It'll be fine; trust me…go home and write about some terrible character getting thrown off a bridge, you'll feel better…name the character Melanie…let Erica do the throwing; make it somehow legally justified so Nikki doesn't have to arrest her."

"That wouldn't be a little self serving fantasy, would it?"

She shrugged. "We could both feel better if Erica threw Melanie off a bridge…for legal reasons…like self defense."

Castle chuckled quietly as he held the car door while she settled into the driver's seat. "If that scene should ever occur; I'll be sure to send it to you as soon as the last word is typed on the page."

"I'd appreciate it," she replied. "See you later."

"See you later," he told her; noting that she didn't often say the word "goodbye". She chose the more hopeful expression of "see you later" most times; just as he often chose a more hopeful expression at the end of a visit. He closed her door once her seat belt was buckled and he stepped back, returning her wave as she began to back out of her parking spot.

He leaned back against his own car as he watched her red mustang drive away. Perhaps she had been wronged in a lot of ways; especially where the wedding was concerned…and it only renewed his resolve that a grand gesture was needed. Surely a reunion with her sister would help ease the wounded feelings of a wronged mother of the bride. Yes; it was the only thing to do…he'd have to have a word with Mrs. Colleen Weston and see if he could persuade her to give her sister another chance…for the good of all of them.