Please note this story has a Sci-fi tag. If this is not to your taste, don't read it.

CH37

"Lucile, if you would like to show yourself, please." Rick requested.

Suddenly a 3 dimensional projection was standing next to Rick. It was not solid, you could kind of see thru her, but you could also still make out details. Like the fact that her facial expression was one of worry.

Rick motioned to everyone with a wave of his hand.

Lucile took this as an unspoken clue for her to continue. "I'm Lucile. I'm a 4th generation, series J2004 A.I. I'm a fully autonomous, self-aware artificial intelligence with my own personality. The image that you see is a three dimensional projection that I created for myself to better interact with other life forms on a more, personal level."

Everyone had taken in a very sharp breath as soon as Lucile showed herself. Now they were all standing or sitting there with their mouths hanging open.

Lanie was the first to even try to say anything. "You, you ….. You look like Kate!?"

"CASTLE!" Kate was mad.

Lucile answered for Rick, essentially taking over the conversation. "While there are some similarities between myself and Kate, it was not intentional. My form is a compilation of photos that Richard still had and using his memory, similar to what you would tell to a sketch artist to try and get a picture of someone just from their description. This is as close as we could come to what his wife looked like.

"While there are obvious similarities, the differences are equally numerous. Your legs are longer. As are your arms. Your eyes are a different color. Your skin is also slightly a different color. Your hair, while presently shorter than mine, would be curly if it was the same length, while mine is straight. You obviously weigh more (no offense) and your chest size is enviously larger than mine."

Kate gets up while placing Alexis on the sofa she just left and proceeds to walk around the projection in a circle while glaring at her. Lucile for her part just slightly grins while she turns her head to watch Kate while she circles her.

"So, you are Castles wife?"

"No detective, I'm simply a visual representation of Richards wife. My personality is my own. It is not based off of hers or yours. Mine has developed during the time I have been in operation based off of the original base personality I was programmed with during my creation."

Lanie just could not resist stepping up to Kate and getting a closer look at Kate's 'sister?' She then reached out to touch Lucile, and her hand went into her with no resistance. Lanie quickly jerked her hand back.

Lucile simply smiled as she turned her head to look directly at her. "I do not feel anything. I'm incapable of touching or being touched. I do not feel cold or heat. The hardness of steel or the softness of a feather." She then proceeds to swipe her arm thru Lanie's body from her left arm and out her right.

Lanie for her part, jumps at this action, but does not step back. Both Kate and Lanie turn to look at Alexis when they hear her giggle.

Lucile at this actually partially walks thru Kate (which freaks her out) and heads for Alexis and kneels down in front of her. "Are you alright sweetie?" with a voice so soft and tender.

Alexis simply nods her head that she is fine.

Lucile, while still kneeling swivels around to look at Kate. "I envy you detective. While I can talk to her, whisper comforting words to her after she wakes from a nightmare, tell her I love her, I can't wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I can't feed her soup when she's sick. I can't give her a bath. Nor can I tuck her into bed at night. I can keep the bad men away, but I can't make the monsters go away." She lowers her head and stares at the floor. "As much as it pains me!" Kate does not notice the tears running down Lucile's face and not dropping on the floor. But Rick does, and his eyes start to water because of this.

"You, 'love' Alexis?" Kate asks incredulously.

"Yes, detective. And Richard. And you."

"ME? How can you love me? You don't even know me!"

Lucile stands up and looks directly into Kate's eyes, and only now does Kate see the tears on her face. "On the contrary detective, I know a lot about you. I have every phone conversation you've ever had since I started monitoring you. I have monitored every place you have gone. Noted every person you have talked to. Listened to every word you have said in Richards home when you've been here. Watched every facial expression you have made. Interpreted every body motion you make. I have read every file or sentence that has been written about you by anyone. "

"I know a lot about you detective. I know you love Alexis, your father, Lanie, even Richard. You also love Javi, Ryan, Jenny and their baby. Just, differently."

Kate is speechless. Lucile just said that she loved Castle, when even she has not told him that. She hasn't even convinced herself that she loves Castle.

She stares into Lucile's eyes and opens and closes her mouth several times but no words come out.

Lucile just gives her a knowing grin.

Kate turns to look at Alexis. She does love Alexis though. Very much. So, very much. She then turns to look at Lanie who is standing next to her. Lanie has a 'cats out of the bag now' grin on her face.

Turning to look at Castle she can see the sparkle in his blue eyes. She can almost feel the waves of love emanating off of him washing over her. And his lips. Oh, those lips. What she wouldn't give to attach hers to his right now. To get sucked in and wrapped up in his arms. To feel him …. But still she is so very pissed at him. He didn't outright lie about his wife. But not the truth either. How does she ...

Kate spins to face Lucile again. "Wait, what did you say about monitoring my every phone call?" she asks.

"I monitor every phone call, email, text message, video camera or web site from everyone or anyplace, everywhere on this planet. If you connected every Cray "Super Computer" you have ever created. Even combined they would not be a fraction of what my capabilities are."

"Why?" Lucile asks.

"So, that's how you knew what to tell me when you phoned. How you knew I was going to be shot the day before it happened. You intercepted the communication that someone made to have me killed!"

"You knew who was going to do it. You knew who ordered it. You know who this person is. You know who had my mother killed!" Oh, Kate was more than mad now. She was furious! And she knew who she was going to take it out on!

"And you've known all this time!" This one however was yelled directly at Castle. "You knew (as she pokes Castle in the chest, hard.), and you told me nothing! (and pokes him in the chest again, harder) You lied to me all this time (another hard poke). Strung me along like some puppet you could pull strings and play with! " (one final hard poke)

"And you got your 'TOY' here (as Kate waves her hand in the general direction of the image of Lucile still standing there) to do all your dirty work for you."

"I'm not another one of your toys you can play with Castle! This is my life you are playing games with Castle! MINE! Not some programmable wind up fuck doll that you can roll around in bed with!" forgetting that Alexis is in the room. And not realizing that she just told everyone in the room that she has been having sex with Castle.

Ouch, that one hurt, as Rick scrunches up his face.

"You don't get to choose what I do with my life Castle!"

She then turns and marches for the front door. As she does, Lucile softly says "House lock down mode."

"Kate! We were only trying to help you! Keep you safe. Keep you alive until we could get this guy!"

"Kate, please!" Rick is begging

Kate has reached the front door and is yanking and kicking it trying to get it open. "Open the god damn door Castle!"

Alexis has decided she has to stop Kate. She jumps off the sofa and runs down the stairs towards Kate, but stops a few short feet away. "Kate we are just trying to help you. We don't want anything to happen to you. We love you." As she is looking down at the floor.

Kate has stopped trying to open the door. Don't' look at her, don't look. Kate is telling herself. But she does.

Alexis is standing there crying with her head turned down. Tears running down her face and soaking her shirt. Then in a very soft voice even Kate can barely hear. "I, … love you!"

Alexis's crying has got Kate starting to cry. Please don't look up, please don't look up. But she does. Straight into Kate's eyes. And very softly tells her "I don't want you to die! Please, Kate?"

At that Kate turns into a puddle of goo spread out all over the floor. After staring into Alexis's tear filled eyes for a few seconds, she finds that her legs can't hold her up any more. She bends down onto her knees in front of the door, while still facing Alexis and looking into those pleading, tear stained eyes.

GOD, but she so does love Alexis. She finally relents and holds out her arms towards the crying little girl standing in front of her.

Alexis launches herself into Kate's arms and holds her for all she's worth, and starts crying even harder.

"I'm so sorry sweetie, I'm so sorry!" As Kate's tears start falling a lot more freely.

"Please don't die, please don't die." Alexis says into Kate's shoulder that her head is buried in.

"Your …. (hic) …. the only …. (hic) … MOMMY ….. (hic) … I have." Alexis finally tells her. Opening her heart.

If Kate thought her heart was broken when her mother died. It is shattered now. As Kate sinks back onto the heels of her feet. Trying desperately to wrap her arms around Alexis as many times as she possibly can. And starts crying harder than she has cried in a long, long time.

"I …. (hic) …. Love you ….. (hic) ….. MOM!" Alexis whispers into her ear as she is crying so hard she can barely breathe and it has given her the hic ups.

Kate pulls back just enough to look into Alexis's eyes. "I love you too, sweetheart." Kate then wipes away Alexis's tears with her thumbs and then starts kissing her face all over. Stopping long enough to look into her eyes again to tell her, "I love you too." Then pulls Alexis back into herself and wraps her arms around her again. Secure in the knowledge that she is never going to let go of her again. EVER! Kate was only just starting to understand just how empty her heart really was, until Alexis and Castle had started to fill it up again.