The Old Haunt was awash in a sea of...pink.

The small bar was packed with people, but none of them were paying for their own drinks that day. Cops from the 12th precinct were mingling freely with the guest of honor's co-workers and her large Irish family, everyone grateful for the opportunity to relax and enjoy the free (and freely flowing) food and drinks. Jenny Ryan was seated in a specially designed 'barstool of honor', giving all of the well-wishers every chance they needed to hug her, congratulate her, and (more than Jenny would have liked) rub her pregnant belly 'for luck'.

Ryan worked the room with enthusiasm, joking with his friends, graciously accepting congratulations from the friends of his wife, and generally making sure every one was happy, well-fed and enjoying themselves. And while a part of his mind was always with his wife, making sure *she* was especially enjoying the party being thrown in their honor, there was a part of his mind that was occupied by another, slightly younger woman.

For this woman, the night wasn't about enjoying herself; it was also the final exam in what Ryan had liked to call 'Telepathy 101, crash course edition'. How're you holding up, Steph? he projected into the mind of his protégé.

At the far end of the bar Stephanie Frederickson took a sip of her club soda, nervously twirling the swizzle stick around the glass. She pushed the limits of her concentration to filter out the random thoughts of the people around her until she was, finally, only able to hear the strong, clear thoughts of her new teacher and friend. You were right about one thing, Kevin. This is a lot harder that I thought it was going to be.

Have you been able to manage a physical conversation with anyone yet? asked Ryan.

You mean with anyone besides you? Stephanie teased through the mind-link. Not yet. Still fighting to keep everybody's thoughts *out* of my head for more than a few minutes...

Just keep working at it, Ryan reassured her, it *does* get easier over time.

Feels like I'm trying to juggle while balancing on one leg, Stephanie grumbled.

Ryan tried his best to be reassuring. You're doing a hell of a lot better than I was two days in.

That's because I don't have even half the power you do, Stephanie insisted. I still don't see how you didn't lose your mind when this happened to you...

Ryan had to resist the urge to smile in the physical conversation he was having. I had a lot of help from my friends...

Stephanie caught the whispers of now-familiar thoughts at the edges of her mind. They're here, by the way.

Finally with a rare moment to himself, Ryan fount it impossible *not* to smile, sending a wave of encouragement down the mind-link. While he had recognized the approach of his friends a few moments earlier, he knew that it was a major accomplishment for her to recognize the other Guardians at the very edges of her range and through the cacophony of mental noise she was dealing with. Thanks. You remember how to get to the office if you need a break?

Stephanie nodded, then stopped herself when she remembered the gesture didn't translate through the link with her teacher. Yeah, I remember.

Make sure you use it when you need to, Ryan warned. Your controls...

Will get shot to hell if I get too tired, Stephanie completed Ryan's thought for him. That's like, what, the *second* thing you ever taught me? Go say hi to the gang for me. I'll be *fine*.

Ryan dialed down the link with his student and made his way through the crowd until he was close enough to his wife to massage her sore shoulders. Jenny groaned with relief, leaning into her husband's hands and allowing the feel of his presence to give her a second wind. "Whoever you are, just keep doing what you're doing," she teased, "that feels soooooo good...but don't let my husband catch you or he just might rip your heart out."

Ryan stopped the massage and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "In that case," he whispered teasingly in her ear, "we'll just keep it our little secret..." Jenny turned to plant a quick kiss on her husband's cheek, and he smiled, coming around to talk to her face-to-face and hold one of her hands in his own. "Thank you for all your help with Stephanie this week," he told her.

Jenny squeezed her husband's hand in response. "After going on maternity leave, it was nice to have the company," she said. "And it was nice to do a little to make up for how I was such a jerk to you in the beginning..."

Ryan stopped his wife's self-depreciating comments quickly. "Hey, it's not like I was completely open with you, either...anyway, I'm glad all that drama is behind us."

"Here, here," Jenny agreed with a smile, leaning in to accept a gentle kiss from her husband.

The kiss elicited a teasing "awwww..." from their closest friends coming into the bar behind them. "Look at them, Javi," Lanie teased, "still all lovey-dovey after all those years of married life..."

"Now, now," Castle chimed in, continuing the teasing, "let them enjoy it while it lasts, because once the baby comes they'll be *dreaming* about days like this..." The comment earned him two punches in the arm: the punch he expected from his daughter and a surprisingly hard slug from his girlfriend that he made a mental note to ask about later.

Jenny let the teasing die down and Castle's wounded pride heal slightly before greeting her friends. "I can't thank you enough for this shower, Rick," she gushed, "it's been the most incredible day..."

Castle waived off the couple's thanks. "It's no trouble at all. Besides, when I think of the plans Kate has in mind for Lanie and Esposito's engagement party, I figured my employees needed a dry run, so they'd know what to expect and I'd know how many more people I'd need to hire." Ryan chuckled, shaking his head in amazement that his friend could consider a bar full of cops and two Irish families a 'dry run'.

Beckett smiled, knowing how much Castle loved lavishing attention on his friends and family without having to worry about the price tag. "You think the engagement party's going to be big," she teased, "just wait until the bachelorette party..."

"Man, I hope I'm *ready* for that kind of partying," Jenny commented hesitantly, "I can't think much beyond getting this bowling ball out of me right now..."

"You'll be *fine*," Lanie assured the nervous mom-to-be. "Now, your husband on the other hand..."

Ryan accepted the teasing in stride. "I'm always ready for that kind of partying...seriously, though, we've gotten more than enough offers of help. We'll be fine."

The teasing about people needing help reminded Alexis of something...or rather, someone. "Speaking of help," she asked Ryan, "how's Stephanie doing?"

"Really well," Ryan replied. "She caught on a lot faster than I did."

"But from what you told me, you had a lot more to learn..." chimed in Jenny.

Alexis' curiosity was fully piqued. "Really?" she asked, glad that the loud music would mask their conversation, "She doesn't have the same abilities that you do?"

Ryan shook his head. "Strictly reading only. No projection, no emotions. Once she can control the thoughts going through her head she'll be just fine."

Lanie was starting to get confused. "Wait a second, Stephanie's...like you now?" she asked Ryan. When Ryan nodded back, Lanie felt like she had to pick her jaw up off the floor. "How the hell did this happen?"

"Stephanie is a latent...or rather, she *was* a latent," a familiar voice chimed in behind them. When he realized he had the group's attention, Mike Royce continued, "That's why the old witch targeted her."

What's a latent? asked Beckett.

Royce began the full explanation. "Some people are born with the latent genetic potential to develop gifts like what you guys have."

Ryan and Castle both nodded, catching on right away. The journals mentioned something like that, Castle chimed in. The monastery was always training kids to be ready if something happened to the Guardians...

"Those kids would all have been latents. You guys were, too," Mike agreed. "That's why you were 'picked' to be the new Guardians. Having five of the right type of latents find each other was more than just a coincidence...anyway, if the ghost who explained this to me had his facts straight, a latent comes into their abilities only after being exposed to a whole hell of a lot of magic energy..."

Castle and Ryan both widened their eyes, for different reasons, as puzzle pieces started falling into place. The 'ball lightning' that wrecked my apartment...*that's* what that was? asked Castle.

When Royce nodded, Ryan spoke up, And when I ripped apart that old witch's spirit inside Stephanie's head...

"It was more than enough energy for her abilities to kick in," said Royce.

Ryan's face fell as his thoughts and emotions were flooded with guilt for how the battle went down. Jenny was about to speak up to try to cheer up her husband, when another woman's presence stopped her.

Stephanie had forced her way through the crowded bar like a woman on a mission. And when she reached her target, she pulled him away from his wife and gave him a painfully hard smack across the face.

Ryan was so shocked it knocked him out of his mind-link with his wife, Alexis and the rest of the Guardians. "What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed.

Stephanie tapped the side of her head, indicating that her teacher needed to re-start the mind link. Once the connections were established, the young woman's voice, at first, was all Ryan was able to hear. I caught the end of that crap you were thinking, Teach, thought Stephanie, and you can just knock that off *right* *now*. In case you've forgotten, I had given up. I was going to lay down and let that...that old bag kill me if it could stop her from killing Jake. You. Saved. My. Life. Jake's too, probably. There's no possible way either of those things could ever be bad in my book...

Ryan finally smiled, letting his student's words sink in and start to absolve him of his guilt. And everything else that came with it?

Oh, now that's stuff's just a bonus, Stephanie replied with a broad grin. Seriously...you know how many times I've lost sleep coming out of an audition because I had no idea whether or not I did well? That's one problem I'll never have again...

Guilt finally gone, Ryan gave his student an affectionate hug, and opened the mind-link back up to the rest of the group...now including Stephanie. Thanks, kid, Ryan projected into the mind-link for the group to hear, I needed that.

"Wow," Jenny exclaimed, "if that's all it took to knock some sense into my husband, Steph, you are going to *have* to teach me how you do that..."

"I thought all Irish women knew how to throw a punch?" Stephanie teased.

"Oh, I can throw a punch just fine," replied Jenny, "but that doesn't have nearly the affect on him that that slap did..."

Ryan and Stephanie exchanged a knowing look between them, then burst out laughing. It was then that, out of the corner of her eye, Stephanie noticed who else was in the conversation. "Mr. Royce?" Stephanie gasped out, "I thought you were..."

He is, Steph, Ryan projected into her mind the answer to her question, the mind-link allows all of us to see him.

Because Detective Beckett can speak to the dead, replied Stephanie, fighting to remember which ability belonged to who, and the mind-link allows us to share what she sees and hears?

Exactly, Ryan replied.

So have you been here this whole time, Mr. Royce? asked Stephanie.

Royce nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about that...now that I can. I know I didn't believe you when we first met, Stephanie, and that put you and your friends at risk. I didn't really know how wrong I was until I was on, well, this side of dead. Is there any way you can forgive me?"

Stephanie thought about the ghost's request in the context of the company they were both now keeping. Are you the one who brought Kevin and his friends in to help me, Mr. Royce?

Beckett and Royce both nodded. Mike was my old training officer, Stephanie, Beckett replied on Royce's behalf, so when he figured out how bad your situation really was, he came and talked to me.

Stephanie seemed to consider Beckett's response carefully. I lost several good friends to that witch, Stephanie began, but if you hadn't done what you did, then I would be dead, and so would Jake and probably a whole lot of other people as well...so thank you, Mr. Royce. And I forgive you.

Royce relaxed immediately. "Thank you, Stephanie." A tug at the edge of his consciousness told Royce that his time was growing short. "Now if you guys will excuse me, I need to talk to Beckett about something. Castle, is it okay if we use the office?"

Castle nodded, and the rest of the group closed in to other topics of conversation while Beckett headed downstairs to the owner's office. Closing the door behind her, she turned around and joined her old friend, who was already waiting for her. "Okay Mike, asked Beckett, "what's going on?"

"I don't have much time left, Kate," Royce replied. "Now that the witch is dead and Stephanie and her friends are safe...anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you guys did for her. It means a lot to me."

Beckett finally put two and two together, discovering the answer to a question that had been in the back of her mind since Royce first approached them. "Steph's your daughter, isn't she, Mike?" Eyes wet with unshod tears, Royce nodded. "Why didn't you want her to know that?"

"Her mom left me when she was a toddler. She has *zero* memory of me. Why should I give her a father she's never had only to take him away from her five minutes later?"

"And why couldn't you trust me to make that call for myself?"

Beckett turned to see Stephanie standing at the entrance to the office. At Beckett and Royce's similar expressions of confusion, Stephanie continued, "I read minds, now, Detective Beckett. Your partner taught me everything I know. Picking up on who you're seeing and hearing isn't terribly hard. Now it's my turn." She focused her attention on Royce. "Are you my father?"

"Yes," Royce replied.

"Did you know that when we first met?"

"Yeah," replied Royce, fighting back tears. "I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

Royce sighed, hesitating. It was clear he didn't want to talk about the subject he was about to bring up. "Your mother. She...she asked me not to."

"And when Mom died last year..." The shocked look on her father's face told Stephanie all she needed to know. "You didn't know she passed away, did you?"

Royce shook his head. "No. I didn't."

It had become Stephanie's turn to be confused. "But, I thought..."

Royce had a pretty good idea what Stephanie was thinking. "It's possible that our paths just never crossed. I haven't met a lot of other ghosts since I died. It's possible that she was avoiding me...*that* was very much your mother's style." Royce's tone quickly turned sincere, though, when he told her, "But more than likely, she just crossed over as soon as she died."

Stephanie soon found that she was fighting back her own tears. "You think so?"

"Yeah."

Stephanie smiled through her tears as she remembered her mother. The memory brought up one last question in her mind. "Why didn't you fight her on this? If you knew I was out there, why didn't you try to contact me?"

Royce's expression was consumed by love and regret. "I...wasn't a good man when I was alive, Steph. Beckett here can tell you. I figured you...you were better off without me."

Beckett couldn't stand to watch the conversation between Stephanie and Royce any more without stepping in. "Bull."

Royce was taken aback by his former partner's statement. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Mike, you made mistakes. You were human. That doesn't mean you couldn't have been a good father. My mother wasn't always perfect. She was human, just like you. And you, of all people, know that I would give anything for five more minutes with her. No kid should ever have to be in that position. Least of all by choice."

The tug on Royce's consciousness grew more insistent. He ignored it. "You're right, Kate. I see that now. But what can I do about it? Steph is safe, you're safe. There's nothing for me to *do* here anymore. It's my time."

"You can do one more thing," said Beckett. "You can do the one thing my mother didn't get to do for me. You can say goodbye to your daughter."

Royce nodded, understanding and accepting his old partner's advice. He turned to face Stephanie as a pinpoint of blinding white light appeared behind him. "I wish I could have more time with you, you know. I wish I could make up for all the time we've missed..."

"Me too, dad," Stephanie agreed. "Me too."

"Still," Royce insisted, "I couldn't be more proud of you."

Stephanie smiled even as she started to cry. "Thank you for...for letting me know I had a father who cared about me. I never knew that...until today."

"Aw, Steph..." Royce commented sadly. "I loved you from the minute I first held you in my arms..."

Stephanie stepped forward, moving her hand until it was just above where Royce's hand was floating. Figuring she would take what she would get, Stephanie moved her hand down toward her father's...

...and was stopped by cold, but solid flesh. Gasping even as the tears streamed down her face, Stephanie turned around to see Castle standing in the entrance to the office. "You guys were gone a long time," Castle said, knowing what the growing light behind Royce meant. "And when I overheard what Mike told you, I couldn't resist. But it won't last more than a few minutes."

Royce wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He pulled his daughter close and gathered her up in one last embrace. Father and daughter cried in each other's arms as the light around them grew brighter. "Thank you, Castle..." Royce whispered. Knowing his time had finally come, Royce pulled away from his daughter's embrace and moved toward the light.

Just before he disappeared, though, Michael Royce had one last thing to tell his his old partner. "You were like another daughter to me, Kate. More than you'll ever know. And there's one last thing I can give you before I go..."

"I hope you enjoy your five minutes, Kate."

Wow, this scene got away from me! I know I promised the scene *everyone's* expecting in a ghost story about Beckett, but after I got sidetracked with resolving everything between Royce and Stephanie, this became a long enough chapter on its own. So, i figured I'd post what I had so this chapter didn't get *ridiculously* long. Was it worth it, or should I have waited until I finished the rest of the epilogue? Let me know in your comments!