A/N: The ending and epilogue were posted at the same time so, if you did not read the ending resulting in this you need to go back to the last chapter. Thanks.

Abomination Epilogue

Fourteen years after the events at the hospital in a nondescript dive bar in Salinas, California

John Casey leaned back and relished the flavors from one of the Generalissimo's private reserve cigars. He would have preferred a slightly nicer place to partake as he cursed the moron for softening him up. It also didn't help he had to settle for Dewar's as they didn't have any Johnnie Walker. As he drained his glass he looked around the bar; it wasn't pristine, but it was clean. The patrons seemed to be regulars as it was fairly quiet and were more than happy to keep to themselves and the bartender seemed to know everybody's drink and with about thirty people in there he had almost everybody's timing down seemingly ready with the next drink just as they were about to ask for it. On second thought he was beginning to like this bar… despite the lack of whiskey choices. Just then another glass was set in front of him taking him away from his musings. Looking at it and confirming it with a whiff of its spicy aroma he looked at the bartender with his fifty percent glare, to intimidate a little, but more wanting to know the answer.

"I'm down to half of my last bottle and my supplier isn't due back for another week. You can thank the lady at the end of the bar, Ellie… but she's a nice lady, not like that… she is just nice." The bartender gave his own glare to which Casey gave a respectful nod before what he said fully settled.

'Ellie… he couldn't recall the last time he had seen her… Castle? So much has happened. Chuck's outburst that led to an investigation that not only took the award away from her it got her medical license suspended along with a divorce at the same time. The last time her name was even mentioned was a Thanksgiving maybe ten years ago when Devon's new wife decimated the turkey and numbnuts made the mistake of saying what everybody thought almost getting himself disinvited to Christmas. The easy play is to politely decline the drink and leave, but he had to laugh when he tried to think of the last time he took the easy way out as he grabbed the glass and headed to the back of the bar.

"For a second I didn't think you were going to accept it."

"Turning down a free Johnnie Walker isn't my style. It has been a long time." They both sat quietly for a moment just letting that last sentence linger.

"Al, I'll have another."

"Ellie, it is going to be your third and you said you weren't going past three."

"I know, put it in a twelve ounce glass add more cola to it and another dash of vanilla. Thanks."

"You got it."

Ellie turned back to John, "It's my version of a Long Island Iced Tea… I'm sure there are plenty of other things you'd want to ask first. How's Gertrude… if you guys are still…"

"We are doing great, she's in Miami wrapping up the security contract for the Super Bowl, and actually I just finished up my last field operation. The past few years I've almost been exclusively training, but I had to do a final solo mission before hanging up my guns."

"You didn't…"

"No, strictly retrieval… Well the moron's head may have bumped into my fist a dozen times or so; funny how those things happen." Ellie tried to give a relaxed smile, but even Casey could tell smiles were a foreign commodity for this Ellie.

Soon her drink was in front of her and she turned holding the glass in her hand silently asking Casey to pick his up for a toast; as soon as he did she clinked her glass to his and stated, "To my daughter Clara who graduated from high school yesterday."

Casey swallowed and opened his mouth, but had no idea how to ask. Ellie picked up on this and answered it for him, "I was not invited, but thanks to Facebook I saw the announcement. I took this whole week off to stay in Chicago and give her the opportunity to at least see me; maybe get to know one another if she wanted to." It surprised Casey, the lack of emotion in the once overly emotional woman.

Curiosity got the better of Casey as the words, "What happened?" left his mouth.

Ellie halted before finally saying, "Can you tell me how everybody else is doing first?"

'There is a pathway fraught with landmines' Casey immediately thought, "Alex and Morgan married and have a daughter who thankfully takes after her mother in almost all aspects, they named her Kathy and she's ten." Casey was now stuck not knowing which was the better way to proceed, finally deciding to go with the chocolate and his peanut butter, "Sarah is blind in the one eye, but has regained full mobility. Due to her spy-life and everything else doctors said a full-term birth was a great risk so they've adopted five children; only one was a baby and he is now five, two were teenagers with one in college and the other having graduated and now works with them, the last two were younger; one was three the other five. The five year old was their first and she is going to be a senior in high school while the three year old is now ten."

"How are they doing?" Ellie asked tentatively.

"It's nice, but scary. You leave them alone for a few minutes and when you come back they still go at it like teenagers." Ellie had a smile, but it registered the loss she felt, "Molly is going to Law School and Emma is living in a cottage on Chuck's property. He bought a twenty acre parcel after bringing Sarah back from Chicago; part of her rehab was riding a horse and this gave them more than enough room. He rehabbed the home and had an office built and then cottages for both of their mom's." Casey grimaced as the last word came out, "I'm sorry."

Ellie shrugged her shoulders; using their instead of including her making it your was at best a trivial faux pas, but the worried look did not leave his face and when his jaw set Ellie forced herself to ask, "What happened, John?"

"After fully leaving the CIA, your mother did a number of things: surfed the Great Barrier Reef, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, even polished off some ghost chili wings… a little over two years ago she was climbing a number of rock formations outside of Mesa and her line broke. She didn't suffer…" Casey hurriedly added.

Ellie stilled, blinked her eyes a few times, and took a small sip of her drink, "Thank you for telling me, and I am sorry that you had to be the one to do so." She tiredly sighed, "Where is she?"

"She's next to your father."

Ellie nodded while mentally kicking herself that it's been five years since she visited him, taking a moment to catch the breath as the thought crossed her mind that she most definitely had outdone her mother in child rearing as she promised herself she would; she never thought it would have been in the negative way. Allowing another small sip to burn its way down calmed her; just another reminder of her place in the universe, "So I'm guessing Devon remarried if you saved him for last."

"Yes, about a year after the divorce he married Emily after dating her for about a month. She stayed at home, PTA…"

"Cooks?" Casey chuckled at that.

"No, she tries and Morgan has helped her a lot (cooking lessons were his punishment for the Thanksgiving transgression), but it hasn't really clicked. She does love Clara and treats her well."

Ellie gave a small nod at that, "Do they have any children?"

"No, I don't know if they ever really tried for it or if there was a problem." Casey slugged down the remainder in his glass to stop from saying they both made sure to be there for all of Clara's recitals, musical and dance, plays, soccer and basketball games, even her two week stint as a cheerleader. In a sixth sense maneuver the bartender quickly poured three fingers into the tumbler in front of Casey, who nodded his thanks.

"I guess I've delayed as long as I can unless there's somebody else." Casey shook his head. "Well, are you interested in the entire story?" Casey thought about it for a moment and taking a slow sip he nodded his head and shrugged.

"When Chuck caused the disruption, I think what made it more poignant was the fact I was alone at my table of eight; one of the hospital administrators was caught up on the Edens (one of the many expressways in Chicago) with her husband while the other couple had come down with food poisoning that morning. After he was escorted out they halted the ceremony and began the investigation that very night.

It took longer than it should have for me to realize I was being punished almost as much for how I did things as to what I did. It didn't help as my 'partners' stayed in collaboration and used my research nabbing the Nobel Prize in Medicine a year later. Initially I wasn't entirely sure how, but my punishment from the AMA somehow got combined with my divorce and a potential criminal case. At first I was to get a lifetime ban, but I was then given a choice: a two year suspended license, concurrent with a suspended sentence if I did not fight for custodial rights or I could fight them all separately, lose and be a felon whose job aspirations lie within catching the good shift at whichever fast food restaurant took pity on me after my sentence. They gave me a day to think about it and coming up with no viable alternative I took the deal.

At first I assumed Devon and his family were behind at least some of it, especially when the divorce proceeding came up first. However they were all shocked with my agreeing to their initial offer, of course it didn't help that my brother and mother were sitting on Devon's side refusing to look at me. In fact his side was overflowing with people choosing to stand rather than be marked by sitting on my side, but there was one person sitting in the back row and the dominoes began to fall in place. The next day I had to go before the court again, this time on the criminal matter and nobody showed up. I'm not sure which felt worse. Everything went down as the deal designated and two days later before the AMA board they again abided by the deal. Leaving that room I was stopped by a messenger who handed me my termination notice from the hospital. After going there to collect the last of my belongings I went back to the hotel that I had been staying at and entering my room Director Bentley was sitting there."

"She was still after the intersect?"

"Yes, she had set up all three deals to soften me up; being jobless, penniless, homeless, and friendless can make almost any offer seem worthwhile. It was fairly simple: I would work on the Intersect for the next two years or when it was completed. The only caveat was I had to buy a house that was at least ten miles away from any hospital, one of the conditions from the AMA… it doesn't make sense to me either. Wanting to get back to consistent warm weather I looked in New Mexico and found this tiny ranch house on the outskirts of Taos. I showed it to her and she said it would suffice; it was easy to spot anybody from coming and it happened to have a bunker. The person who built it back in the fifties had it built in case the 'Russkies started something'" Stopping to notice Casey's smile the pang of loneliness that she suppressed hit her full on.

Twirling the straw in her drink and taking a sip gave her the time to continue, "Bentley set up supposedly the top motion monitors that can discern a hostile from a bunny rabbit and offered me the latest computer along with a solar generator and an industrial dish along with a stipend of one thousand dollars a month, in exchange for constant surveillance… video surveillance, along with always wearing this GPS watch that could also receive texts. The first few months weren't bad as I was progressing rather well with my research, but about eight months in the isolation started to get to me. Sorry, since I was supposed to be under constant surveillance every week the CIA would drop off my groceries and deduct it from the stipend. The first few times they would knock and I would offer them water or coffee, but apparently that bugged them as they stopped knocking and just left them on the front doorstep. Twenty months in I had the breakthrough for it… Did Chuck ever tell you about his exposure to the Intersect as a child?"

"Yes, but why did you skip from seven to twenty months?"

"It may have been a long time, but I cannot believe John, that you would be comfortable with me talking about my lady feelings." Casey shrugged his acceptance and looking over at her could tell how she did it; locking away that part of her that was keeping her from getting the job done. With her description that was perhaps the only way to keep her sanity.

"My answer didn't make Bentley very happy. A universal Intersect would not be possible. You could do short term uploads, but the reason it worked for Chuck is because after that initial accidental upload whether by design or another accident my dad went forward using Chuck's brain as the template. Each person's brain chemistry and processing is unique so simply artificially implanting something that was designed for somebody else's brain is given enough time going to cause problems for anyone. You didn't mention how Chuck was doing… did he get the Intersect suppressed?"

"Yes, shortly after getting Sarah, Mary broke into the archives on a Friday grabbing the suppression glasses and returned them Monday morning with no problems on either end. He doesn't talk as much as he used to, but that's kind of a good thing." He figured this was the second best person who could break her façade, but it held firm.

"Good, especially with all the uploads and suppressions just having it active could lead to severe problems later on; regardless you should tell them to monitor for headaches, shaking, forgetfulness. The last few months were spent on retooling it so that it can be effectively used on other people using an assortment of brain scans to shape how the intersect is best utilized by the brain. Separating out the different areas of skill to the corresponding area of the brain would make it more efficient and most likely to be. Actually that part I had already started on the first time I was given Dad's computer.

One of the other reasons for the 'bad' Intersect was it had both my dad's and my protocols in it, so in some instances they were probably flashing twice. The key was a filtering device controlling both the speed the information was being delivered and also crudely attempting the separation… Sorry, I don't get to talk about that stuff anymore, anyways what got me thinking about the key is that it was all three's insurance policy, and it made me think that I should find one.

Unfortunately after my advancing the project, they started giving me some freedom. I was able to go into town and shop; they gave me a car, of course I knew it was chock full of things to tell where I was, but that small amount of freedom was intoxicating. Knowing one key factor that helps with lifting an AMA suspension is having a number of opportunities for employment, I spent quite a bit of time sending my resume and a letter to almost two hundred hospitals. I got three letters stating I could interview, but absolutely no guarantees. They allowed me to have my appeal heard in LA and in a three to two vote they reinstated my license with a five year probationary period.

Unbeknownst to me, Bentley visited my house and took all my research there, taking the dish and generator and somehow after they left my home burned to the ground and the bunker was destroyed as well. Upon my return I was arrested for suspicion of arson and since I couldn't make bail I sat in jail… huh a rhyme, after a week I got my first visit; my lawyer was more concerned on getting paid so he didn't want to run up too much of a tab, so instead I got to sit opposite Director Bentley with another job opportunity. Now that I had my credentials back she wanted me to work in DC helping to run the testing and continue the research and I would be given a salary more commensurate with the work that I was doing. The problem was at this point I wanted nothing more to do with it; everybody else in my family, my parents and brother's lives revolved around the damn thing for so long and I was done; I had done everything I wanted to do with it. She heard me say the words, but offered the same threat from two years ago. She was unhappy when I laughed in her face; prison or working for her there was no difference."

Casey swirled the liquid in his glass, but did not make any motion to drink it. He set the glass back down on the counter and stared at Ellie. On the surface what she said made complete sense, but the way she phrased some things made his mind start to work. The first conclusion that came to him made him think, 'If she did that she is definitely her father's daughter'. He saw Ellie's face panic for a moment and he realized he must have said that out loud, "You didn't did you?"

Ellie nodded her head slightly and then stared up and down Casey before closing her eyes. Even in the muted lighting Casey could see her eyeballs pushing against her eyelids for a moment. Casey was shaking her head when he felt Ellie's hand on top of his, "Your right hand is already experiencing arthritis, your left is going to do so shortly, but there is slight nerve damage to the left arm, left knee is probably looking at a replacement in six months, slight curvature of the spine, but on the good side, there are no signs of cirrhosis."

"You uploaded medical stuff?"

"I was hoping it would be a perk to help me land a job, I had no access nor wanted to know any government secrets. This could allow me to help people the way I wanted to… if it didn't work I have a suppression program at the ready; if I chose to use it."

"You said you took the week off, so can I assume you are working as a doctor?"

"After my meeting with Bentley, I was stuck in jail for eight months as the DA tried to build the case. It was difficult as my alibi was completely solid and they couldn't find a motive. I could not make the payments on the home insurance so it had lapsed. The DA dropped the case and called me into his office upon my release. He apologized for the duration of my internment, but the DOJ was railing on him about this case. He also said I should be wary as somebody was trying to frame me as evidence mysteriously turned up and could not be corroborated or hold up under scrutiny. I was surprised Bentley wasn't there, but I guessed she had either found somebody else or was waiting for me to flop on the outside.

I didn't bother going back to the house as I couldn't imagine there being anything of value still there, so I got a ticket for the next bus to LA, eventually I got to my bank and went to my security deposit box and although it looked disturbed there was nothing missing. In case things didn't work out in Chicago… I wasn't ready to fully leave California. I took the contents which included a little over four thousand in cash and closed my account that added a couple hundred. I found the cheapest, cleanest place to stay that had Wi-Fi and paid for a week. I bought a prepaid phone and tried the last numbers I had for Chuck and Devon… I just wanted to hear their voices, but they both had changed numbers… John, I know I could have tried their work numbers…" Ellie trailed off as Casey could see her walls crumbling, but she regained control quickly.

"I spent the first few days at the beach, just trying to I guess both remember the far past and try to forget the recent past… does that make sense?" Casey nodded, "I then began my job search again, concentrating on West Coast hospitals as I didn't want to waste my limited funds traveling across the country. Not surprisingly I had no offers to interview and just a few said they would hold onto it if something opened up shortly. I expanded the search a little more and only received an inquiry from a hospital in Hermosillo; one that I never even applied to. I assumed it was a Bentley trap, something would happen and either I'd be stuck in Mexico or worse and I'd need her to get me out. Even after expanding to the entire US and getting nothing I did start to become a little paranoid that somehow Bentley was able to blackball me. Granted my reputation was garbage, but still… somewhere…

After two weeks I was wavering about going to see Chuck; I was positive I could deal with scorn, contempt, even hatred, but not pity. It was then I got a call from the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital stating one of their general practitioners had an auto accident and would not be able to resume his duties for some time. The job was three shifts at the hospital and then two at the free clinic. I told him I would be up there asap for the interview, but he said I came highly recommended from his roommate in medical school who was one of the administrators at Westside and would be put to work almost immediately. He offered a three week period, after which they would decide if this was the right move for both. It was the best decision I had made in a long time. It isn't ambitious or anything to get excited over, but doing good work helps keep the demons away at night."

Casey looked as though he was about to say something, but paused unsure how to phrase it, "Are you trying to ask if things are so good, why am I in a bar where I've created a drink?" Casey grunted approvingly at that, "Not all days are good ones and I simply cannot go back to my house after my shift and have a glass of wine, or two, anymore. Something about being alone drinking makes me replay everything I should have done differently and I'd wake up in my chair with two bottles of wine emptied. I delivered the owner's baby… ten years ago and he insisted I come to his place. It's not too loud and you aren't crowded or felt compelled to talk, although if you want to most of the people here are decent listeners. No, I haven't discussed anything government related or really anything about my past with anybody."

"Why aren't you in Chicago?"

"I was detained," The rhythm Ellie had while talking was gone and Casey regretted asking the question. He had forgotten how much he had liked her and as she was talking more it seemed more like the Ellie he knew.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

Ellie combined a gurgle with a giggle as her instant response, "It's ok John; supposedly there is an Eleanor Bartowksi on a no fly list so they took me to LAX jail and said they had to wait for the State Department to get back as to what they were going to do with me. They kept me for two and a half days releasing me this morning with an apology that they were after a different Eleanor Bartowski."

"Did they at least offer you a flight to Chicago?"

"They said they would send a coupon that would supposedly cover any flight and return in the contiguous forty-eight states. At that point I was grateful they had my suitcase and I just drove the five hours back, grabbed something to eat, showered, and then headed here." Ellie took a sizable gulp bypassing the straw and looked drained. Casey recognized handling this would type of situation would never be a part of his skill set.

"You know Alex was without me longer than you have been without Clara." Casey let out a silent prayer that this would be the correct thing to say.

"It is different, you didn't know of her existence and she had believed you were dead… but I appreciate the effort. You reap what you sow..." The emotion clearly evident on Ellie's face she stood from her chair started towards Casey, but awkwardly stopped. She turned to the bartender and asked, "We good?" at his nod she then looked to Casey and tilted her head to follow her outside. Casey lifted his pointer finger and lifted his glass which still had some Johnnie Walker left.

As the door closed he gulped down the amber liquid and motioned the bartender over placing two hundred dollar bills on the counter, "Put this to her tab and she is a nice lady." The bartender smiled and nodded when Casey got up and left through the door Ellie had a minute prior.

"How much did you put to my tab?"

"Two-hundred."

"Oh my gosh you think I'm a lush?"

Casey let out a hearty laugh, "Hardly, I don't care if it lasts a year or a week. I don't know anybody who is perfect and your fuck-ups were huge. It isn't my place, but you need to see everybody again. If it goes poorly at least you know; if it goes well then maybe… I don't know." Casey ended with a simple grunt.

"John can you do something for me, but let me tell you what it is first." She opened her car door and took out a box and handed it to Casey, "That's ok you can look inside."

Casey took the lid off and saw it was filled with envelopes, picking one out at random it was sealed, but was also stamped in red: Return to Sender and also saw to whom the letter was addressed. "I'll do it."

"You don't even know..." The look Casey gave her made it obvious that he knew exactly what she wanted him to do and she instinctually responded by wrapping him in a hug, it wasn't close to what his remembrance of them, but he could tell she was putting everything into it that she could. "Thank you John." She added before pulling away and quickly getting into her car and starting it. Ellie put the window down, "I'd offer something, but I have nothing at my house and I have another long drive ahead of me for tomorrow. It was really great seeing you and thanks once again."

The window was back up before Casey could reply. He watched as the car disappeared beyond a hill and took a deep breath to confirm what just happened was real. Looking down at the box was enough to convince him he pulled out his phone and punched speed dial one, "Hey, I know you wanted me back asap, but something came up and I need to stop off in Chicago and make a delivery."

A/N: The scary thing about this epilogue is it planted an idea about Ellie going on a journey of attempted redemption (as if I don't already have enough stories floating around in my head).