The start of the car engine awoke Lily, and Kate raced to get her. That was an instinctive call. What they had heard had no such immediate reaction. The cottage looked just like it did when they arrived. Their thoughts were another matter entirely. Both opted to remain mum. Kate was busy with Lily, and Rick was pulling items from the cabinets for the breakfast extravaganza he always concocted on weekends.

After cleaning up the table, all three headed outdoors to the set of chairs arranged for their perfect view of the dock and lake beyond. Lily was tossing and turning on a blanket between them cooing and squirming as toddlers often do. The adults were quiet and hardly aware that neither was wearing more than a robe. Normally such attire would be a preamble for zealous lovemaking, but not today.

Both knew a discussion was needed, but neither had any idea how to start. Kate opted to break the impasse with a query about something far less emotional - Gina. "Alexis has come to me about how things are going with your writing and Gina in particular. She senses there is a blow-up on the horizon because of your lousy writing. She thinks you are going overboard on your attention to Lily. Not that I mind, but writing used to be important to you. It kind of defined you. Has that changed?"

"Yes. With Alexis, I wasn't around as much due to my writing. I missed a lot that I now regret. Lily provides me with a chance to get it right. I need to find a balance between writing and daddying. My idea is to renegotiate my deal with Gina. Perhaps a manuscript every two years instead of one. Others keep their audience with that schedule. Why not me? Gina won't like it, but she will recognize that half a loaf is always better than none at all. There will be a financial hit, but unless you plan to quit, not much will really change."

"I'm not about to quit."

"Good to know. I wouldn't have it any other way. I can call Gina and broach the subject next week. She will resist and threaten a hefty clawback, but that's just her bravado talking. Emotionally we are not compatible, but when it comes to money, we always seem to remain rational."

Kate was pleased with his response, but knew the next subject would be far more difficult. Sensing now was not the time to begin that far more arduous conversation, she suggest getting dressed and taking Lily into town for some mindless window shopping and lunch. That distraction would keep the subject at bay while both had more time to process Jackson's startling news. The afternoon passed blissfully just as she hoped though both were surprised by the accumulation of so many necessities for Lily they were completely unaware of when they left the house earlier that morning.

The dinner that night was prepared by Rick, and Lily thankfully succumbed to slumber with hardly a whimper in the next room. The quiet was both welcome and upsetting. The elephant in the room was now front-and-center, and both knew further procrastination would not make the inevitable any less difficult. Kate opted to start by asking, "What are your plans with Martha? It seems she has some explaining to do."

"I think you are right about that. It's just so raw. I'm not sure I could keep from lashing out if she is evasive or gets snippy. Mother had a wild side back in the day, and I doubt she wants to relive it. This brings that all to the fore, and it might be just too much for her even discuss it."

"Maybe she really believes what she told me. Sometimes lies become truth if you repeat them long enough. Recalling details from over forty years ago is never easy even if you lived a mundane life. Mother was never mundane, and my guess is we are talking about the most wildest part of her life. It certainly was for me."

"Ah, yes, the rebel Becs years. Not a movie I would like to revisit either."

"If we do this, it must be staged properly. Alexis needs to take Lily for an extended period preferable in the mid-morning when Mother is at the top of her game. I need to be the instigator, and you need to make sure neither of us goes into detective mode. It is an interrogation that can't seem like one to her. If she feels it is, she may well just shutdown."

"I get the strategy, but what do we do if she is forthcoming?. Are we going to find him so you an confront him out of the blue. Hi, I might be your son. Remember Martha Rodgers?"

"Any sane person would be speechless after that and want some sort of proof we can't provide unless they cooperate. What if he rejects the whole notion and tells you to butt out. I would."

"If he has a family how do they process all this. I know I would deeply resent one of your past conquests coming to us with that kind of story even if you never knew about it. There are a lot of unintended consequences from ringing that doorbell. Does the closure for you outweigh the damage for him."

"What if Martha gives us more than one name?" How do you dare level this bombshell on anyone when they may well be totally innocent? Think of the emotional havoc you cause and then dismiss like it was no big deal. Hi maybe Dad. How about a DNA test just to make sure? That sounds wacko and certainly not the kind of first impression you give your real dad."

Castle took this all in and was frankly aghast by his lack of empathy for the lives he would turn upside down. Confronting his mother could lead to an estrangement he really didn't want and the next steps could be even more disastrous for a bunch of bystanders caught up in this mess. This plan was not going to be decided today, and Kate was glad some of his former zeal was waning in light of these obvious complex consequences.

They left just after dusk with Lily safely stowed in the car seat behind them. She was in the throes of early slumber, and both opted to remain silence so as to not impede her natural cycle. The weekend had been far less productive than either hoped when they left. Their record was never threatened, Gina was a work in progress, and next steps with Martha were undecided.