A/N: A reviewer pointed out that dogs don't live to 25.
Don't ruin my story with your logic. (Yes I made the dog that old, so I could say that when someone pointed it out.) But you are right. Our Labrador Retriever Kevin should not be alive right now.
Thank you all for reviewing my story.
"You came." Johanna said as Alex arrived in the lobby. She rushed over to hug her brother, serving as an apology, as an 'I need you,' and simply, everything was forgotten. Forgiveness came that easy to them. Alexis soon arrived, and they each shared a hug, holding just long enough to provide each other some comfort.
"We tried to call you." Alexis said, expressing that she had been worried.
"I know. I should've answered." Alex replied. They made their way down the hall and took their seats in Newman's waiting room.
"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming." Jackson said. He shook each of their hands before leading them into his office. "I'm sorry for your loss." They nodded as they took their seats. " Your father was a dear friend of mine. And he gave me this, to show you, his children."
Jackson popped the DVD in, and moved to an adjoining room. He could still hear and see everything but this gave the children a sense of privacy while they listened to their father's last words.
"My dear Alexis, Alexander and Johanna. You all know about the secrets I kept from you, and I am truly sorry for lying to you. I don't expect you to forgive me, but do know that despite everything, I always loved you, I still do. I never wanted you to go through the same pain I went through, having someone you love not remember you, or the precious moments you shared. But I see now that it was a mistake. You didn't need me to protect you. It's not that I thought you couldn't handle it. I just..." Castle said. He sat in his care home bed, the same way they saw him days ago. He looked tired, almost sickly and they felt a little guilty for not noticing before. They were so wrapped up in the mystery and the secrets they forgot about his health. And it was that thought that slowly began to eat at them.
"I just couldn't. Every time I tried to tell you, I kept imagining you on the day you were born. I remember holding each of you in my arms and thinking you were so tiny and fragile, I didn't know if I could ever let you go. I wanted to shield you from lost, from sadness, from anything that could hurt you because I couldn't handle it. I couldn't bear seeing any of you in pain, knowing I couldn't do a single thing to help you." Castle pleaded. He was choking back his emotions, but they still heard the heartache in his voice. They remained quiet, forgetting all about his lies.
"But you're all grown up now. Alexis you're going to be a Senator. You could always do whatever you put your mind to. Brilliant, beautiful and talented, you always had a limitless potential. It's time you show the world what you're made of." Castle gleamed. He smiled as he spoke and Alexis tried to fight back her tears. Johanna reached for her hand, squeezing it to let her know she wasn't alone.
"Alex, you told me once that I was a hero, but I'm not. Your mother and I, we spoke for the dead once they were robbed of their voices. That's it. But you son, you are a hero. You save lives. You save people from ever needing people like me or your mother. You save families from going through what we did." Castle spoke. Alex felt his guilt pull at his conscious, recalling their last conversation. To think his last memory of his father was a confession of every lie he had ever told, and the last memory his father had of him was an outburst of rage, followed by an attempt to put a table through a wall. Regret didn't even begin to cover it.
"And my little Johanna. Well you're not so little anymore. If you inherited anything from your mother, it was her sense of justice, her need to protect those weaker than her, and a smile that renders people speechless. Like your grandmother, you're a champion of those in the legal system without a voice. And i know both of them would be proud of you." Castle continued. Johanna began to shake because despite the lies, she saw her father's life in its entirety and the unconditional love he showered them with throughout the years. She began to tear as she laced her fingers with Alex's.
"I made this video because I haven't been much of a father lately. And you children remained patient with me, so now it's my turn to speak. I am so proud of each of you and the people you've become." They didn't speak. They just sat and watched as they held onto each other's hands. They were there for each other, both supporting and needing support. For every moment that passed, for every word their father spoke a tear would fall between them. "You could've became anything you wanted and you still chose professions, where you fought for the little people. You all fight to change the world and if that doesn't attest to your immense amount of character then... your children do, like mine have for me. I used to ask myself if I was a bad father for lying to you, for chasing after a ghost all these years, but I look at all of you, and see these remarkable qualities that you posses, and I think I couldn't have been that bad."
They began to quiver in their chairs, feeling their knuckles go white. They held onto each other tightly like the other would suddenly disappear if they let go. Their tears would not stop falling as they succumbed to the pain in their hearts. Their father was gone. And he was never coming back.
"If we left things on bad terms, forget them. I bear no grudge, I apologize, I forgive you. Whatever it was, nothing will change the fact that I am truly grateful to have had children as extraordinary as you." Castle concluded. The silence began to echo, both in the room and in the video. Minutes went by, slowly as tears continued. In the end, the video found it's last words. "I know I have no right to ask a favor of you, but please, take care of your mother."
"Your father left me some things to give to you." Jackson said. He returned to the room, and offered them a box of tissues. As they settled down their hearts, Jackson brought out a briefcase. Inside laid a book, and a pair of keys and soon after the video they had just seen. He displayed the contents, waiting for them to be ready. "This book is for your mother, and your father wished to have you three deliver it to her. And this key came with a note. 'My final wish and my greatest dream.'"
They thanked Jackson and left, taking the briefcase with them. All of them hopped into a cab, designating Remy's as their destination, not wanting in particular to be together, but certainly knowing they didn't want to be alone.
"What do you think the key's for?" Johanna asked. She took a quick look at it, before handing it over to Alex.
"Who knows." Alex said, flicking through the pages of the book their father left their mother. "The book seems to be dad's memoir of his time together with mom, before we were born." He said switching off with Johanna. Alex looked keenly at the pair of keys. They were a dingy bronze, definitely used, but there was something so familiar about them. He examined them further, finding BLDG 4 etched onto the backside. It was in that moment, that Alex realized what the key was for, what his father's final wish was. It was what he wanted for so long. He quickly explained to his sisters, and they all seemed to reach a common conclusion, switching their destination to their late Father's care home.
"Good afternoon Mom." Alex said. The three of them appeared before her park bench, and she greeted them back. She seemed tired, almost empty, and even if she didn't remember, her heart felt the pain of losing Castle.
"Our father left this for you." Johanna said, handing Kate the book. She shivered, feeling the cold of winter approaching. Almost instinctively, Kate found herself at the dedication page.
To the mystery I could never solve.
"Our father also left this key." Alex said. He held it up for her to see, and continued, "with a note saying 'my final wish and my greatest dream.'" Kate listened in, feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg.
"We didn't know what he meant at first." Alexis said, feeling it would be better if they all helped explain. "But then we found BLDG 4 etched into the key."
"And we understood. We all talked it over with each other, and our families and we all agreed." Johanna said. Smiles reached across their faces, all of them sincere and genuine.
"Building 4 is where we used to live." Alex said, handing Kate the key. "Our father's final wish, his greatest dream, was for us to be a family again."
"What are you saying?" Kate asked. She felt her emotions swell, and tears unexpectedly forming in her eyes.
"We're asking you to move in with us." Johanna said. They each held onto their mother's hand feeling her shake with uncontrollable happiness. This was the comfort they searched for, the comfort they needed, the feeling of family.
Enjoy
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I kept my promise. Here it is on Castle Monday (our last castle-less monday)
The last chapter will be updated next week Monday. Hopefully before the premiere.
(But I'll make everyone a deal. If I get 10 reviews this chapter. I'll upload on Saturday)