Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 4

Castle unlocked the door of the loft late that afternoon and stepped inside, the smell of dinner cooking hitting his nose. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent as his gaze moved in the direction of the kitchen; finding his wife at the stove, spoon in hand as she stirred sauce.

"Hey," he said as she met his eye. "Did you get home early?"

"I did," Kate answered. "I went to that meeting with Captain Gates and when it was over she said I could take the rest of the day off. Needless to say but I didn't hesitate; I got home around 2:30."

He smiled; glad that she had taken the opportunity to cut her work day short. "Your good fortune inspired you to cook a feast?" he asked; his eyes taking in the various pots and pans and bowls scattered around the counter and on the stove.

Kate gave him a sheepish grin. "Well I feel hungry today…and I had a craving for pasta and this sauce. I figured as long as I was going to make the pasta, I may as well make the breadsticks and the salad…and a little bit of chicken."

His brow rose slightly. "Is this the moment where you start turning into your mother?"

"If I am, I'm not going to complain until I'm done eating," she replied. "She is the one who taught me how to cook all of this."

"And I'm grateful," Castle replied as he moved closer to steal a kiss before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

Kate gave him a soft smile. "How was your meeting at the publisher?"

"It went very well," he answered. "I was given a very lucrative new deal for four more Nikki Heat books; plus more e-books for Derrick Storm and the option to do some novella type e-books for Nikki when the inspiration strikes; like holiday themed offerings."

"You have been dying to give Nikki a Halloween themed murder to solve."

"I have," he said gleefully; "A Christmas one too."

She nodded. "Yes, I know; you have a whole folder of ideas on your laptop. What about the other thing?"

Castle swallowed the drink of water he had taken. "Yes; they read the sample of the new series and have given me the green light; so far it's just for e-books but if they like the finished product and think it'll perform as well as Nikki, it'll get the full treatment and will be released in e-book and hardcopy."

"Good; I think it's a great idea," Kate told him. "It's slightly out of your usual comfort zone while actually staying in the genre you prefer…and I know you like the character."

"Not as much as I love Nikki though."

"I wasn't jealous if that's what you're afraid of," she laughed.

"You could at least pretend to be; I mean what kind of wife are you?" he teased.

"Apparently I'm turning into the kind that comes home and cooks dinner instead of ordering takeout."

"Should we call a doctor?" he quipped.

"No need for that. Did my mother show up for lunch?" Kate asked as she grabbed a spatula to turn the chicken fillets she had in the skillet.

"She did," he answered. "She was there before me."

"Really?" she asked; her brow rising in suspicion.

"Yes…but I'm pretty sure it was just so she could accuse me of being late when I got there at 12:02."

"Mhmm; classic," she said with a laugh.

"She also took me for $250 dollars," Castle announced as he leaned back against the counter.

"What?" Kate said as she whirled to face him; spatula still in hand.

"You heard me correctly."

"What did you do, play poker with her?"

"No; I liked something she said and I asked if I could use it in a book…she graciously accepted after charging me five dollars a word, payable in gifts cards to Macy's and Bloomingdales, and making me sign a contract."

Kate's eyes glittered with amusement. "No way."

He smirked at her as he pulled the piece of paper from his pocket. "See for yourself."

She took the piece of paper from his hand, recognizing her mother's elegant script. She couldn't help but burst into laughter as she read the document her mother had created. "Can we get this framed?" she asked amid giggles; "Because I'd like to be able to see this anytime I need a laugh."

"I'll have it mounted in the office just for your amusement," Castle replied.

"Please do," she said as she handed him back the makeshift contract. "What was it that she said that you liked so well?"

He smiled. "You'll have to wait and see."

"Seriously?"

"Yes; you see, I'm not sure I'm allowed to share prior to publication. Your mother has already stipulated that the words not be altered and that the credit for the acknowledgment be at the beginning of the book. She didn't mention sharing it prior to the publishing so I better keep it to myself and spare myself another gift card purchase."

"She won't let you forget those gift cards either," Kate laughed.

"I got them before my meeting," he answered; "Trust me; I wouldn't dare back out on our deal."

"I'd still like to know what she said."

"Wait and see."

"Which series are you going to put it in? Nikki, Derrick, or the new one?"

"I'm not sure; either Nikki or the new one."

"What are you going to call the new one? We've been calling it the new one for weeks now."

"I know…I've got a working title for the first book but it's not a concrete one yet."

"And do you want to share your working title with your wife?"

"No, not yet."

"That doesn't seem fair, Castle; I mean I do share my work with you."

"Yes; but your work is part of my research."

She smirked at him. "Still feels a little unfair…all things considered."

His brow rose. "You're going to pull that card?"

Kate shrugged. "Well…I only have so long to use it so I may as well start now."

Castle sighed and dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Okay the working title of the book is Erica's Law…first book of the Erica Bradley series."

She smiled. "I like it."

"That's what you said about the first chapter."

"And it's the truth; I do like it…I like it a lot. When are you going to tell everyone?"

"After it's finished and has gone through the first round of editing…and the final decision if it's going to stay only in the e-book format or if they'll also do a paperback release."

Kate nodded. "I think Mom will like it."

"I think she'll hate it and probably think that's the reason for our lunches."

"Isn't it part of the reason?"

"Honestly; this new series, although Erica is based on your mother since she's been introduced in the Nikki Heat series, is really just a very small portion of the reason. You know the main reason…you also know the other reason."

"Yeah…and she's going to have to know about that sooner rather than later."

Castle sighed. "I know…but you can give me a few more weeks, right? That's what we talked about."

"Yes; I'm going to stick to the agreement we made about that; but no matter how your process goes; I'm telling her at the chosen point…because it's hard for me not to tell her right now…very, very hard."

He nodded. "I know; and I appreciate the time you're giving me and no matter what; I won't ask you to push back the timeframe we agreed on; I promise."

"And you will not breathe a word to your mother about it, remember that," Kate said firmly.

"I give you my word. Speaking of my mother though; where is she?"

"She said she won't be home tonight; she has a date."

"Who's the lucky winner?"

She smirked at him. "You know it's Ben."

"With Mother it's always best to ask to be sure she hasn't snuck someone in under the radar."

"So; getting back to your lunch with my mother; did you make any progress?"

Castle shrugged. "Well, she was a bit more animated when it came to answering the questions about work. She was threatening her students today to get their work done…and making them provide proof of their excuses if they wanted an extension."

"She loves doing that," Kate replied. "Mom has always loved to demand proof."

"Must be an inherited trait; you love proof too."

"Occupational hazard…and most likely the hazard of being raised by lawyers."

"Most likely true on both counts."

"Did you take care of any items on that list that you unwisely made in front of her last week?"

He smiled. "It must not have been too unwise; she showed up."

"Yeah; well, let's remember that you asked me to make sure of that which basically means I guilt her."

"I'm seeing why you weren't a cheerleader in high school," Castle remarked.

Kate smirked. "I could've been one if I wanted to…but it wasn't my thing."

"Can't besmirch that bad ass image."

"I don't know; I think you've might've tarnished it a little," she teased.

"I can only hope so," he quipped; "But as for your question; I was able to cross therapy off my list."

"Mom actually shared details about that?" she asked; "Because when I ask her about it she's pretty tightlipped about it and gives very basic responses."

"She has reasons for that," Castle replied without much thought.

"Oh? What kind of reasons? What did she say?"

"She…" he started to say and then trailed off.

"She what?" Kate asked as she turned down the heat for the burners in use on the stove.

"I…uh…well…I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because she'd probably shoot me," he replied.

His wife rolled her eyes. "I won't tell; just spit it out…I have to admit, I am kind of curious how she does with the whole process and why she's so secretive about it."

"I don't really think she wanted me to share it with you."

Kate gave a soft huff of annoyance. "Come on, Castle; I can keep a secret."

"I don't think I should," he said hesitantly.

"What could she have said about therapy that's as bad as you seem to think?"

He sighed deeply and took a sip of water. "She doesn't go."

Kate held his gaze for a long moment, the only sound to be heard was the bubbling of sauce cooking and the sizzle of chicken fillets. "She doesn't go anymore?" she said once she found her voice. "She quit?"

Castle shifted awkwardly. "Well…it's kind of like she never really started…"

"What?!"

He cringed at her shrill tone. "She…um…went to the appointment you made for her but after that she didn't go back."

"Are you kidding me?" Kate yelled.

"No; but I wish I was."

"So she's been lying to me for over a year?" she exclaimed as she grabbed her phone from the counter.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting his bottle of water aside as panic filled him.

"Calling her."

"No," he yelled; grabbing the phone from her hand before she could ring the line. "You can't call her; I wasn't supposed to tell!"

"You lied," she remarked as she tried to grab the phone from him.

"You promised you wouldn't tell her that I told!"

"I lied too, give me the damn phone."

"If you lied and I lied and she lied; then we're all liars and we're all even, right?" he asked.

"Wrong," Kate replied. "I want the phone."

"No," he said as he shoved it into his pocket. "You're not calling her. I only told you because you made me and if you tell her that I told you, she'll hate me for sure and it won't help the cause, Kate; it so won't help my cause."

"At the moment, I don't care. Why did she lie to me about it? Why does she let me believe that she goes to therapy every Thursday at eleven? That's why I told you to pick Tuesday because she works Monday, Wednesday and Friday and has therapy on Thursdays."

Castle gently grasped her arms. "She tells you that she goes because she knows that's what you want to hear," he explained. "She doesn't want you to be mad at her for rejecting your method."

"And lying to me is going to make me happy?"

He shrugged. "It's worked for over a year…until I broke her trust and told you…which she will inevitably find out and all my work will be in vain."

Kate sighed in exasperation. "For your sake; I won't tell her that I know…but it will be very difficult so you better suck up to her really well, Castle; because one day it will probably slip out and I don't know what to tell you about it."

"Then you're going to have to help me think up better suck up methods," he replied. "But listen; she didn't do the traditional therapy but she got better using her own methods…you do think she's a lot better now than she was don't you?"

"Yeah…but I thought it was because she was putting in the time."

"She did; just in other ways…she got where you both want her to be; she just did it in her own way and they're all ways that a therapist would probably approve of; she has people to confide in, she got a job, she exercises, she finds outlets for her feelings, she and your dad take trips and get away when she feels like she needs a change. She did the work; she just had to do it the Johanna Beckett way…and as long as she's better now, that's all the matters, right?"

Kate nodded, resigning herself to keeping her knowledge a secret. "Yeah; I guess that's true."

"So…our secret?" Castle asked.

"Yes," she huffed. "Set the damn table."

"Oh good; we're going to have a side of aggravation with dinner; one of my favorites," he quipped.

She gave him a coy smile. "If you play your cards right; it might be followed up with on of my favorite methods of working off aggravation."

Castle grabbed the plates from the cabinet. "I'm definitely going to play those cards right."

"Do you have room for me?" Johanna asked Jim as she approached the couch where he was stretched out that evening after she had finished cleaning up the kitchen.

Her husband smiled and shifted. "I always make room for you, sweetheart."

"It's a good thing," she replied as she curled up with him. "What are we watching?"

"I was just catching up on the news; but now that you're here, I'll find something more to your liking."

"Can I help it if it's easier to read it online and be done with it?" she asked with a soft laugh.

"No; but I guess I'm still old fashioned and prefer a newscaster to back up what I've seen online."

"That's alright, I like you that way," Johanna quipped; "And you don't have to turn it…you know why I developed my approach to news. I might not be in it anymore but old habits are hard to break."

"I understand that," he assured. "To tell you the truth; I think news stresses you less when you read about it online instead of watching it so I'm okay with you not liking to watch it on TV much."

"I think it's easier to move past if I don't have to hear someone talking about it," she replied. "It seems weird but it is less stressful."

Jim gave her hip a gentle squeeze of understanding as he finished watching the weather report and then he clicked the channel to a sitcom rerun. "Did you make any progress at finding out what Katie and Rick are up to?" he asked.

"No," she sighed. "He's sticking to his story for now."

"You still don't think it's a legitimate story?"

"I think it's legitimate; I'm just not buying that there isn't more to it. I just have to figure out how to trick the rest of it out of him."

"I'm sure you will eventually; you were always good at that in court."

"Yeah…but I'm probably not at the same high caliber as I used to be where the courtroom is concerned."

Jim breathed deeply. "I think you miss the courtroom sometimes," he remarked as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

"Sometimes I do," she admitted softly. "I think it's a side effect of teaching. I teach those kids how to prepare cases and be ready for anything that can come at them…and a part of me wishes that I could just show them…that I could just…"

"Take a case so they could observe the real thing in a real setting?"

"Yeah," Johanna sighed; "And I know it's ridiculous. We go through mock cases and practice techniques."

"But it's not the same, is it?"

"No, but it has it's advantages. There aren't any clients yelling if you lose and there's no monetary loss either. I do miss the real thing though at times but I'm retired from practicing law."

"You broke that vow once before," her husband reminded her. "You renewed your license."

"I know…but that was unfinished business. I haven't done it since. I help you on occasion and that's as far as it goes. I'll keep my license current because that's what the state law requires but I'm not going to go back on my word."

"I know, sweetheart."

"You're the one who keeps sneaking back in, taking second chair on some of Zach's cases," Johanna remarked lightly.

"With your encouragement and blessing."

"As always."

"So what did your lunch date consist of this time?"

"Today's theme was therapy."

"Therapy?"

"I let it slip that I quit so technically the theme was 'Why I Quit Therapy'."

Jim gave a quiet laugh. "Sounds like those 'What I Did on My Summer Vacation' papers we had to write in school."

"I'd prefer to write the essay."

"So what did you tell him?"

"I told him that I find therapy all around me…especially with you."

"I'm a man of many talents," he quipped.

"You are and I love them all," Johanna replied warmly as she brushed her lips against his.

"I love all of yours too, for the record."

"I appreciate it."

"Do you think he'll tell Katie your little secret about therapy?"

Johanna sighed. "Knowing him, he's probably telling her as we speak because I'm sure she grills him and I doubt he keeps much to himself. That's why I left my phone in the kitchen…I'm temporarily unavailable for phone calls."

Jim laughed. "You can't hide from her forever; she'll find you."

"I know…but while she gives me the requisite five ignored calls before she comes beating on the door, I can live in bliss."

"What happens when the bliss ends when she eventually shows up? What are you going to tell her?"

"I guess I'll tell her the same thing I told Rick; I went and I didn't like it. I found other methods that were more agreeable to me and that it doesn't mean that I think there's anything wrong with her methods, just that they're not for me. She'll probably be mad…I'm sure the word 'liar' will be thrown around like a mallet, because she loves to do that when she gets an opportunity."

"Well as her mother, you're well aware of the fact that she lies too when it suits her so don't be afraid to throw it back at her," her husband remarked.

"I know…I just hate the thought of going down that road. I don't know what made me slip up and spill the beans on that one but I hate myself a little for it."

"It was bound to happen…you couldn't pretend to go forever, now could you?"

"No…but I planned to eventually say that I was told that I didn't have to come back weekly anymore. I was going to ease her into it by saying I was knocked down to every other week at some point and then eventually saying that I was finished and she'd be none the wiser."

"That's a good plan in theory, sweetheart."

"Mhmm…I had also hoped that if she did ever find out that I didn't actually go that it would be around a time we were going on vacation that way she'd be mad while we're away and over it by the time we got back."

Jim brushed a kiss against her hair. "Also a good idea in theory."

"Yeah; theory is the easy part."

"Did Rick throw anymore low blows?" he asked.

"A few but I dealt with it."

"He better start curbing that behavior or him and I are going to have a meeting about his need for improvement."

"It's alright; I can handle it for now."

"You shouldn't have to," he muttered. "Did you get any new labels?"

"Dysfunctional…as in a member of a dysfunctional family."

"Are we supposed to be insulted by that? Because our family has always worn that as a badge of honor."

She laughed softly. "I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be an insult; he didn't count on our pride in it. I mentioned that Katie had a more stable upbringing than he did and that was when he reminded me that the only dying Martha's ever done was onstage."

Jim's arm tightened around her. "I really wish you wouldn't go back for more, Jo. Whatever it is that they're up to; just let it fall flat."

"I do it for Katie."

"I think you've done enough for Katie. Sweetheart; I don't want you to take this the wrong way; you've made a lot of progress since coming home but I think there's still a part of you that thinks you have to cater to most of Katie's whims as a way of continuing to apologize for the past. You've done enough; you don't have to keep doing it."

She exhaled a heavy breath. "You know it's hard for me to think in those terms."

"I know…but I hate when people say things like that to you."

"It doesn't really hurt anymore…it's kind of like getting a shot; you feel the pinch and then it's gone. People are always going to pull that one out of the box when they want to wound me…I just can't let it destroy me anymore. I think I've been doing okay with that for a good while now."

"You have been," he agreed; "But it's not fair for people to throw that in your face…especially your son-in-law. I also don't like how you always seem to be compared to Martha."

"That doesn't thrill me either but I do what I have to do…for now."

"Why don't you just grill Katie about whatever this is…if you do it good enough, she'll get mad and tell you."

"That's plan B," Johanna replied. "I'm hoping to avoid that one; because as I mentioned earlier, I hate when she's mad at me."

"I could grill her," Jim suggested.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because there's always a fifty percent chance that your grilling will make her cry and then you'll feel guilty and I'll get the blame and it just isn't worth it," she remarked.

"I guess you do have a point about that."

She stole a quick kiss and gave him a smile. "I always do."

He chuckled quietly. "Has anything good come out of these lunches yet?"

"Well, I did make two hundred and fifty dollars today; payable in gift cards to Macy's and Bloomingdales."

"How did you manage that?" Jim asked with a laugh.

"I made a statement that Rick wants to use in a book…I charged him five dollars a word."

Her husband laughed as he brushed a kiss against her temple. "That's my girl."

"I made him sign a paper too."

"See, you were being a lawyer," her husband quipped.

"I guess in a small way," she replied.

"Was he agreeable to the terms?"

"His sarcasm is what cost him a gift card to Bloomingdales as well."

"That will teach him," he laughed; "And hey, the next time he wants to buy something you said; it's seven dollars a word."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you're established now…your price goes up," Jim remarked. "You're not an amateur anymore."

"Good point; I'll keep that in mind."

"See that's why it's always best for you to consult your lawyer."

"Very true," Johanna replied. "Now enough about lunch…and more about my favorite kind of therapy; my husband."

Jim gave her a squeeze. "The doctor is in, sweetheart."

The classroom was largely silent Monday morning as Johanna sat at the desk, keeping a watchful eye on her students as they worked on the assignment she had given them ten minutes before. They had another ten minutes before she started asking for their answers and drilling them on the next section of the chapter they were on in the textbook. The sound of her phone chiming broke the silence and she mentally chastened herself for forgetting to put it on silent.

"Mrs. Beckett; you know the classroom rules," one of her students said lightly. "Phones are to be silent."

Johanna smirked at the young man in the front row. "Watch it, Brady; I might call on you first out of spite."

The young man grinned at her as she reached for her phone. "You wouldn't do that to me, Mrs. B."

"That's what you think; do your work," she said with a smile of her own as she put the phone on silent and then opened the text message.

"Just reminding you of lunch tomorrow; same time and place although I think we'll have to eat inside; it's supposed to be a lot cooler tomorrow. Did I time this message better?"

Johanna sighed as she replied to Castle's message. "Congratulations, Rick; you managed to catch me at work…on the one day I forgot to put the phone on silent…so my students can heckle me for breaking my own 'phones must be on silent' rule."

His response came quickly. "So ten a.m. isn't a good time for reminders either?"

"After work reminders would be better."

"You're going to have to narrow the window, Johanna."

Another sigh crossed her lips. "How about after noon but before 4:30 when I'm preparing dinner and Jim is home or on his way?"

"Alright; I'll try to do better. I'll also deliver your gift cards tomorrow."

Johanna smiled. "Good; now I have something to brighten up my Tuesday."

"I don't brighten up your Tuesday?"

"I've got to go, Rick; the kids are almost done their work. See you tomorrow."

"Avoidance of the question, I see. Tell them how much you enjoy tormenting your son-in-law."

Johanna smirked at the screen and laid the phone down without bothering to reply; if anyone was being tormented, it was definitely the mother-in-law.