Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 10

Later that afternoon, Castle stepped off the elevator and onto the fourth floor of Expressions Design Firm. The layout of the area was spacious and minimalist, monochromatic in color which didn't appeal to him; he preferred warmer tones but he figured his opinion on the firm's décor didn't matter much. What mattered was one of the senior partners, one Colleen McKenzie Weston. The floor was quiet, leading him to believe that he had chosen the right time of day for his visit as he wandered through the large waiting area and came upon a desk where a secretary was watching something intently on her computer screen.

"Excuse me," he said as he stepped in front of the desk.

The secretary looked up, her eyes growing wide as she did a double take. "Oh my God, aren't you Richard Castle?"

He smiled; perfect, he had a fan in the building. "I am," he replied offering his hand; "And who might you be?"

"Rhonda," the secretary replied. "I just love your books, Mr. Castle."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said, giving her hand a soft pat. "I'll have a few more out soon; I hope you'll enjoy them."

"Oh, I'm sure I will!" she exclaimed, fumbling for the paperback Nikki Heat novel that she read on her breaks. "Mr. Castle, will you please sign my book? If it's no trouble?"

"No trouble at all, I'd love to," he said with a smile as he accepted the book and grabbed a pen from the cup on her desk. He wrote a quick note commenting on her lovely smile and signed his name. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Rhonda replied as she accepted her book with reverence. "What can I help you with today, Mr. Castle?"

"I was hoping to see Mrs. Weston; is she in today?"

"Yes, she's here. She's one of our best decorators; you'll be very pleased with her."

"I'm not really here about that," he said quietly, leaning close as if he was sharing a secret with his new friend. "You see, Mrs. Weston is my wife's aunt; my mother-in-law's sister."

The secretary's eyes widened once more. "Colleen never mentioned that!"

"Shame on her," he said with a grin. "She's not expecting me but may I see her?"

"Of course, please follow me," she replied; rising from her desk, her book still clutched in her hand.

Castle followed behind Rhonda, ignoring those brief nagging ideas of second thoughts that floated through his mind. Rhonda paused at a door at the end of a short hallway and knocked.

"Come in," a voice called out.

The secretary opened the door and motioned for Castle to follow her. "Colleen, Mr. Castle is here to see you."

"Mr. Castle?" Colleen repeated.

Castle stepped into her view. "Hi, remember me?"

Colleen frowned. "Yes; I remember you…that will be all, Rhonda; thank you."

"It was so nice to meet you, Mr. Castle," Rhonda told him, smiling as she turned to head back to her desk.

"You too," he replied; stepping into the office and closing the door. "I hope I'm not disturbing you," he said to Colleen as she remained seated at her desk.

"Not yet," she remarked.

He smiled. "I can definitely tell who you're related to," he stated; although the resemblance didn't lie in Colleen's appearance for the most part. Colleen didn't share the dark hair of her siblings; instead her hair was light brown…and she had added blonde highlights that he didn't think suited her very well. Johanna's eyes were green and Colleen's were blue…she didn't have the same nose as her sister and niece…but the curve of her chin was the same as Johanna's and he noted that she seemed to have the same posture as her sister.

"Why are you here?" Colleen asked.

"I thought perhaps we could discuss a family matter."

Colleen shifted in her seat, a flicker of something akin to fear flickering in her eyes. "Is she sick?"

"Who?"

She swallowed; her mouth opening and closing twice before she could form the words. "My sister."

Castle regarded her with a studious gaze. "Would it matter to you? You did make a public statement saying that she'd be forever dead to you."

An odd sting of remorseful tears filled her eyes, her stomach tightening at the idea that maybe her sister was sick and that time was running out. "Is she dying? Just tell me the truth."

He shook his head. "No; I can honestly say that Johanna is the picture of health and wellness."

"You're sure?"

"Positive; I know for a fact that Jim drags her kicking and screaming to a yearly physical for insurance purposes; she's healthy, vital and active. I've seen her running on the treadmill; it's possible that she could outrun me."

A flicker of relief flashed in her eyes. "If she's okay, why are you here?"

"Because…I know she misses you."

Colleen shrugged. "So?"

"So I thought maybe you'd like to see her."

"Why?"

"I don't know…I thought maybe you missed her too."

"Yeah; well, I had a long time to get used to that, haven't I?"

"I know that's your favorite line but there's this rumor floating around that your husband is against you having a relationship with your sister."

Colleen frowned and swiveled in her chair slightly for a moment. "Paul says that we can't trust her…that we don't know what kind of trouble she brings with her. He said she's a blemish upon my family."

"And do you think she's a blemish?"

"I always knew that stupid job of hers would bite her in the ass one day," Colleen muttered.

"That doesn't answer my question," Castle replied. "Do you see her as a blemish upon your family?"

"I don't know," she murmured.

"How would you feel if your husband wasn't putting these ideas in your head? Because I can assure you that she's not bringing trouble. The danger that she was in has been dealt with; it's been done for a good while and she hasn't had any other problems. As for trust, you can't really think she enjoyed having to leave her family and her home, do you? You're her sister; surely you know how much she loves Jim…how much she loves Kate…the love she has for her siblings, nieces and nephews. You don't really believe that she did it for fun, do you? You do realize that someone wanted to kill her, that staying could've jeopardized her family. You understand that, right?"

Colleen bit into her bottom lip but gave a nod. "She's probably not the same though."

Castle's brow rose. "I haven't known her nearly as long as you have but based on what Kate and Jim say and what I know about her; I'd say she's the same woman she's always been…maybe a little quieter, easily hurt, but essentially the same. If she wasn't the sister you always loved, would she bake you a birthday cake and leave it on your porch?"

Her gaze dropped to the surface of her mahogany desk. "She's like Mom; she has to do something for an occasion no matter what."

"Is that a bad thing? The containers always come back empty; you do eat what she leaves for you…don't you?"

"Of course I do," she said tartly. "Those cakes and cookies are the ones our mother always made for me and when she was gone, Jo…"

"Jo what?" Castle asked as he sat down in the leather chair in front of the desk.

Colleen swallowed; a stubborn looking creeping across her features. "Johanna always made them once Mom was gone."

He nodded. "That's not hard to believe; you're her baby sister, with your parents gone, she would've felt it was her place to make sure you were taken care of…even if you were both grown with families of your own. I'm sure that also played into her decision to leave when that contract was out on her; it wasn't only Kate and Jim she worried for…she probably worried that they could get to any member of her family; that they might even find her little sister and lure her into some trap. She wanted you to keep you safe too, you know?"

"That may be; but she still lied…she still waited thirteen years to come home."

"She was waiting for the danger to be gone; and when she saw that Kate had been hurt, she knew the FBI wasn't keeping their end of the deal she made with them and she came home to end it herself…and she did; she and Kate ended it together. Now she's free. I know when we came to give you the news that we told you how she spent several months living under Kate's protection, do you recall that?"

"Yes."

"During that time, I had many conversations with Johanna; one of the things she always talked about was you; how much she missed her sister, how she couldn't wait to see you again if you'd forgive her enough. She told me about your beautiful singing voice, how you wanted to be a singer but your father squashed that dream. I know your favorite flowers are daisies. She told me about how the two of you would spend summer nights as young girls, camped out in her bed with a flashlight and a Nancy Drew novel that you'd read out loud to each other; those nights reading with you are among her fondest memories. Later on, she told me about how she remembered the day your mother brought you home from the hospital, dance recitals, walking to school together. She's told me how you always robbed her of the last cookie after school and how she helped you make the cheerleading squad. I've heard about the concerts and vacations, I've seen your wedding photos, heard about how she was in the delivery room with you for two of your children. If she had changed so much; would she recall those things so clearly, so fondly? If she didn't think about you or care, why does the mention of your name bring tears to her eyes? And if you're so sure that you're okay with her not being in your life; why did the thought that something was wrong with her bring tears to your eyes?"

"I don't want her to die," Colleen said, her voice taunt with emotion. "I was angry when I said…well when I gave that statement."

"Johanna doesn't begrudge anyone their anger over the situation; she was angry too…she was hurt too, you know?"

"I guess so," she murmured.

Castle met her gaze. "I know so…and surely you have some fond memories of her, don't you? They can't all be tainted just because she chose to stay alive so she could come back and be with the people she loves most."

She shrugged; her lips pressing into a thin line…a trait he'd seen Johanna exhibit many times.

He glanced around the office as silence filled the air and his gaze landed upon a picture frame that sat on one of the built in bookcases. He rose and moved toward it, reaching for the double sided gold frame. "You must have some fond memories and love for her still…you still have her picture in your office," he remarked; his gaze straying to the photo on the left side of the frame, an old black and white studio made portrait of Johanna and Colleen; if he had to hazard a guess, he'd peg his mother-in-law for being no more than five and Colleen three. Colleen was sitting on her sister's lap, smiles on both their faces, Johanna's small arms wrapped around her little sister's waist, holding on to her tightly. On the right side of the frame was a color photo; they were young, clad in bikini tops and shorts, smiling brightly, their arms around each other. He smiled. "God, she looks so much like Kate on this picture," he said aloud.

"Well, if Katie was a little shorter and had darker hair, she'd be her twin," Colleen remarked; her tone quiet.

He nodded. "No doubt about it. When was this picture taken? When she took you to Miami for your high school graduation gift?"

"What does my sister do; call a family story hour?" Colleen asked, her tone somewhat sharp.

Castle returned the frame to its place on the shelf and turned back to the desk. "No, she doesn't call story hour…but during the aftermath of her homecoming, I suggested that she write as a little bit of self therapy," he remarked as he pulled some folded up pages from his pocket that he had printed off the night before and stashed in the glove box of his car before going to Johanna's class and he slid them across the desk to her. "The first thing she wrote about was you…and if she knew I was giving you these pages, she'd probably kill me…but I think maybe you should read them, see how much she remembers, how much she loves you."

"She didn't send you?" Colleen asked.

"No; she doesn't know anything about this."

"If Johanna didn't send you, then why did you come?"

"I have my reasons."

"Which are?"

He suppressed an exasperate sigh. "I want to give her something she wants…"

"Why?"

"Because it's important to me…we've had our issues and I want our family to be better; I want it to be healed. I think there could be a lot of healing if you and Johanna were to reunite, so to speak."

Colleen scoffed. "Healing, huh…guess there wasn't any need for it when I wasn't invited to my niece's wedding."

"Don't blame Johanna for that; she had you on the list…Kate and I are the ones who took you off…Johanna fought Kate about it but she wouldn't budge. Your sister is completely innocent on that one; she did want you there but Kate didn't think it was a good idea and neither did I…and if I'm being completely honest; we pretty much vetoed a lot of Johanna's list when it came to guests and her ideas during the wedding planning; she kind of got pushed out in a lot of ways. There wasn't much healing for any of us during that process."

"She got pushed out of planning her only child's wedding?" Colleen asked.

"You could say that in a lot of ways," he replied; cringing as he remembered the small incidents that had pretty much shunned Johanna and her sense of tradition…and that big blow out in the dress shop when she'd finally been pushed around enough and temporarily boycotted attending.

"I bet she didn't take that well," Colleen remarked.

"Yeah," he said with a short humorless laugh; "There have been several things that she hasn't taken well…and I can admit that I am partly to blame."

"Uh huh…you shun me and cross my name of the guest list of my niece's wedding, admit to it to my face, basically imply that you don't treat my sister all that well yourself and you want to use me to score you some points with the mother-in-law?"

"No," Castle said with a shake of his head. "I'm not trying to use you and I'm not trying to score points. I just want to give her something to show that I care, that I want her to be happy; I want the family to be healed. Don't you want to see her? Talk to her? And by talking, I mean without the venom your previous meetings have had. Don't you want to hug her? Be glad that she's still alive and can be your sister again? I have to tell you, I think you do want it."

"Oh? And why do you think that?"

"Well, you haven't thrown me out of your office and you haven't been as hostile as the last time we met."

Colleen swiveled in her chair a little. "Maybe you caught me on a bad day; maybe I'm bored."

"The sketches on your desk suggest otherwise," he remarked. "I think you wanted to know; I think you want to talk to your sister, I think you want to see her but you're afraid to break away from your husband's thoughts and opinions. What's the worst that will happen if he finds out that you went and seen Johanna?"

"He won't like it."

"Will he hurt you?" Castle asked; "Is that the problem; because if he's that type of husband, we can get you out of that situation."

"No; he won't hit me," Colleen said; her gaze straying away from him; making him wonder if perhaps Paul hadn't been that type of husband at some point. "But he knows how to make life miserable."

"Who says you have to tell him that you've gone to see her? What if I arranged a lunch…I wouldn't even tell Johanna you were coming, just in case you backed out at the last minute. I wouldn't want her to be hurt if she knew in advance."

"She's always hurt by everything," Colleen said bitterly. "Our father always said that about her; he always said she was needy."

"I've heard that he could be a harsh man," Castle remarked.

She nodded. "Yeah…he hated her; and yet he was so damn proud of that stupid law degree. So very proud of the thing that almost caused her demise; I sometimes wonder what he would've thought if he had been alive when her so called death happened; would've he have called her stupid…or made a martyr out of her? Somehow I think it would've been option B…at least it would've been until her return and then I can guarantee you he would've raked her ass across the coals until there was nothing left."

"And yet it's been mentioned that you accuse her of being his favorite," he retorted.

"That's the strange thing about my father," Colleen replied; "He hated her…and yet it was like he saw more value in her than me. He was always so damn proud; he'd tell people, "my son is vice president of my company; I never have to worry about the future of the company with Frankie next in line and my daughter, Johanna; she's a very successful lawyer, you better be afraid to go up against my girl in court; and our youngest Colleen, she's a decorator."

"There's nothing wrong with being a decorator."

"Clearly it wasn't anything special to him…just like Frankie was 'my son' and Johanna was 'my daughter'…I was always 'our' youngest…like he didn't want to take all the blame alone for me so Mom got included; where his little prince and princess were 'his'."

Castle studied her intently for a long moment. "So you don't deny that he was harsh with Johanna; you claim he hated her, spoke badly of her personality and yet at the same time feel she was favored because of her career choice?"

"Yes."

"And yet you and Johanna had a good relationship in the past?"

She nodded. "Most of the time."

"But now suddenly this jealousy is an issue?"

"I'm not jealous!"

"It kind of seems like jealousy…and from what I've heard; Johanna thinks you were the favored daughter; that he didn't treat you as badly as he treated her."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Actually it does; but does any of it really matter? Is it safe to say that he wasn't the best father in the world to either one of you?"

"I suppose so."

"There's nothing that can be done about that now; he's been gone along time…both of your parents are gone; you only have Johanna and Frankie left; with the exception of an elderly aunt and numerous cousins. Wouldn't you rather have some peace with your siblings; be the family you used to be?"

"It's Johanna's fault that we're not; she's the one who left me! I didn't leave her, she left me! All my life she was there, she took care of me…and then she left me for thirteen years and then wants to come back and I'm just supposed to forgive her after I mourned over an empty grave…and no, I wouldn't rather that she really be in that grave despite what I said; but it still hurts. She left me; when she always promised that she'd be there…she's all I had!"

"I understand that you were hurt; but she didn't leave you on purpose," Castle told her. "I already mentioned that earlier; that she went to keep everyone she loved safe; she went so she could come back. She's not all you had; you have a brother and sister-in-law, you have nieces and nephews; most of all, you have a husband and children."

"They don't understand me," Colleen said sharply.

"But Johanna does?"

"She always did," she said, her voice cracking.

"Then wouldn't you like to have that understanding back?" he asked.

"Paul doesn't want her around."

"Who cares about Paul; you're your own person, she's your sister, she's known you a hell of a lot longer than he has. Don't tell him right away; like I said, you can come to lunch…no one is saying you have to be instant best friends. You can start slow with lunch once in awhile, get caught up, let the heavy stuff go for awhile if you need to…wouldn't you like that?"

"I don't know," Colleen murmured.

Castle tapped his finger against the folded up pages on her desk. "Maybe you'll feel differently after you read her memories of you…and whatever you do or decide, don't tell her that I came here…you know, just in case you get the urge to send a message to that secret email account she set up for you to send things to whenever you're of a mind to contact her."

"If it's so secret, how do you know about it?"

"She let it slip one day," he replied; "You see, I take my own advice; I meet her for lunch once or twice a week…trying to calm the waters, so to speak."

"Is it working?" Colleen asked.

"Depends on what topic I pick," Castle said honestly.

"She's always been a little picky about certain topics…but so am I."

"Must be a family thing."

"I guess so."

"So will you give it some thought?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Castle frowned as he pulled his wallet from his pocket and took out a card. He laid the card on top of the pages he had laid down. "My contact information is on the card if you'd decide that you'd want to join us for lunch one day…we meet on Tuesdays."

Colleen gave a nod. "Alright."

He conjured up a smile for her. "Thanks for letting me speak my piece; I'll let you get back to work."

"Wait…how's Katie?"

"She's fine," he told her. "I promise you that everyone is fine and healthy."

Colleen gave him a tightlipped smile. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Have a nice day, Mrs. Weston."

"It's Colleen; Mrs. Weston is my mother-in-law."

Castle smiled. "Ah, the joy of mother-in-laws."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Your mother-in-law happens to be my sister…you better watch it."

He gave her a nod. "Believe me; I'm trying to watch myself all the time…I'm just not always successful."

Colleen stared at the thick wooden door as it closed behind him, her mind racing with thoughts that she didn't really want to deal with. She forced her gaze away from the door and spotted the card and the folded pages he had laid down, but instead of reaching for them, she pulled open the middle desk drawer and took out an old hardback copy of a Nancy Drew novel. That first birthday cake that Johanna had left on her porch had came with a small box that contained the book and a card with a letter inside. Her sister had come across a few of the books she had kept and thought that she might like the remembrance of their childhood on the occasion of her sixtieth birthday.

Colleen frowned; God she hated that number…but she figured her sister hated it too. Paul hadn't been thrilled to discover Johanna's gifts, but she hadn't let him toss out the cake…and she kept the book at her office for safekeeping. She cracked open the cover, staring down at the 'This Book Belongs to' line where she and Johanna had written their names in their best grammar school handwriting. Colleen lightly brushed her fingers across the faded black ink and then lifted the book, holding it close to her nose as she breathed in the scent of aged pages…her mind recalling the soft scent of her sister as they huddled close together; back then they had both still smelled like Ivory soap and Johnson's shampoo. She could remember the smell of summer air through the open window.

She closed the book and clutched it to her chest, her gaze darting toward the picture on the bookcase taken on that trip to Miami…at eighteen and twenty they no longer had that soft smell of adolescence; by then she had smelled of Love's Baby Soft, Dove soap and Breck shampoo; while her big sister had fallen in love with a strawberry scented soap and shampoo and smelled of Charlie perfume. Colleen breathed deeply; the perfumes had changed over the years, money gave them the freedom to buy more expensive brands…but Johanna still smelled of that soft scent of strawberries while she preferred the scent of magnolias. It was funny how one could remember such things…how a whiff of those scents could bring comfort and take her home in some small way. She couldn't help but wonder how close to home she could get if she hugged her sister, breathed in the scent of strawberries…would it take her back, and if it did, would it break her? Could she handle going back? It was easier when she didn't have to think so much about it, Colleen thought to herself as finally laid the book back in the drawer and pushed it shut; her fingers reaching for the pages she had been given, unfolding them and settling back to read.

"I missed you," Johanna murmured as she snuggled against Jim that night.

"I missed you too," he replied; his lips brushing across her forehead as he tightened his hold on her. "It's good to be home with you…in my own bed."

She smiled against his shoulder. "The accommodations weren't up to your standards?"

"It's hard for anything to live up to the quality accommodations you provide here at Hotel Beckett."

She laughed. "So if I had been there to wash the sheets, it would've been alright?"

"Only if you were laying on them with me," he chuckled.

"That's a pretty smooth answer, Mr. Beckett."

Jim grinned as she angled her head to look at him. "Smooth but good as well."

"Mhmm, very good."

"I should hope that I've picked up a few good answers along the way," he laughed.

"I guess I trained you right, honey," she teased, her hand patting his chest.

"Of course you did; you wouldn't let me out into the world without you if I didn't have a certificate stating I completed my course at the husband training academy," he said lightly.

Johanna tweaked his side. "I can just imagine the woman bashing that went on while you and Zach were sitting in Albany last night enjoying your freedom."

"I'll have you know that Zach and I sat around pining for our wives and extolling their virtues while waiting for that beautiful moment when we'd get back home to them."

"Uh huh," she giggled. "You two were probably out playing pool somewhere."

"Only to ease our pain, sweetheart."

"I knew it," Johanna laughed. "Did you win?"

"A few games," he replied. "I lost the others because I was thinking about you."

"My, my; we're all about smooth answers tonight, aren't we?"

"Absence makes the heart grow even fonder, sweetheart."

"Uh huh, did you get in some kind of trouble I'm going to find out about?" she jested lightly.

Jim shook his head. "No; I was a very good boy."

"That didn't sound convincing at all," she laughed.

Her husband grinned. "Now you know I only do bad things when you're there to be my partner in crime."

"That's so if the cops show up, you can blame me."

"Not at all, sweetheart; I'd take the fall. You're too pretty for jail."

"I'd get you out," Johanna told him.

"I know; I wouldn't worry for a minute. I'd do the same for you."

"I know," she whispered.

His fingers toyed with her hair, curling it around his fingers. "We didn't really talk about your day."

"I was more interested in your trip and your work," she replied. "You were more interested in dinner and asking for seconds."

He laughed. "More proof that I missed you."

"You just want me around to feed you and make sure you're sleeping on clean sheets," she laughed.

"Those are just bonuses," Jim chuckled. "I want you around for every reasonable imaginable but mostly just for yourself….unlike you, who just wants me around to keep you warm while you're sleeping and to shovel out your car in the winter."

"You liar!" she exclaimed, smacking his chest. "You know that's not true at all."

"You're right, that's not true…I forgot that you also want me to kill spiders," he laughed.

She lightly smacked him again. "Keep that up and you're sleeping alone tonight."

"No; I did that last night," he replied; "I didn't like it. I kept reaching for you in the middle of the night."

"I know the feeling," she murmured, her fingers curling into his hip. "It's hard to fall asleep when I'm not touching you somehow…I never sleep well when you're not here."

"I know," he said quietly; knowing that it wasn't just because she missed him; but because she didn't feel quite as safe when he wasn't there with her. "But I'm home now and neither one of us to go to work for the next two days."

"I'm glad."

"You still haven't told me about your day," he replied.

"There's not much to tell," Johanna said with a sigh. "I got up, fed Scarlett, ate breakfast, talked to you and went to work."

"How were your classes?"

"They were fine; the kids in the Civil Rights class got their last warning about picking a topic for their papers so I'm probably being cussed by someone somewhere at this very moment…not that I care," she stated lightly. "In the other two classes; I paired them off for the first case building project."

"I saw there was an apple downstairs on the counter," Jim remarked.

"Don't be jealous," she laughed.

"I knew it was from your admirer," he teased.

"Should I tell him to be on the lookout for you?"

"No; I don't want your admirers to be warned…but I might have to stop by your class one day and make sure everyone knows you're married."

"You're more than welcome to come by, but I mention you quite often so I'm sure they all know."

"Uh huh; who did you pair Brady with in gratitude for his generosity?" Jim asked, a playful note in his tone.

"Brittany."

He angled his head to glance at her. "You're not trying to find her baby a new daddy, are you?"

Johanna narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're the second person today to accuse me of matchmaking."

"Well are you?" he laughed.

"I'm cultivating a friendship," she stated.

"Mhmm; I remember the last time you cultivated a friendship…I ended up in a church getting married."

Johanna smirked at him, trying to keep from laughing. "You are just asking for it tonight, aren't you?"

"It depends on what you want to give," he chuckled. "There a few things I wouldn't mind…but you've also got that mean streak lurking in there somewhere, and that side thinks up things I don't like when it's aimed at me."

"I'll have to give the matter some serious deliberation," she quipped.

"Choose wisely, sweetheart."

"Oh I always do."

"Who else accused you of matchmaking?"

"Rick."

"He showed up for your class?"

"Yeah."

"How was that?"

"It was fine."

"I guess that's how you ended up at another lunch with him?"

"Yeah…Katie better never say I don't love her."

"What was today's topic?"

"Today's topic was why I don't get along with Broadway."

Jim laughed. "I take it that you're not talking about the theater district."

"No; we both know who I'm talking about."

"Queen Martha," he stated.

"You got it."

"I'm guessing it's still all your fault?"

"Well of course, honey; I mean how dare anyone think that Martha is capable of making herself unlikable? It's all me, I'm the bad one."

"I like when you're bad," her husband said suggestively, giving her hip a soft squeeze.

She laughed softly. "You definitely have an agenda tonight, don't you?"

"No comment."

"Which says it all."

He laughed quietly. "Back to your lunch topic…"

"There's not much to say; Rick apparently thinks his mother and I should be best friends, having lunch and shopping together because we're 'family'," she stated.

"Technically, she's Katie's family," Jim stated. "We're not related to her. She's made it very clear that she doesn't think much of us…like all those things she said about baseball…and drinking black coffee…she was pretty much saying that I'm boring."

"Well that goes to show how little she knows," Johanna declared; "Because you're far from boring. If she only knew half the adventures we've had…and baseball is wonderful."

"It's the best sport there is," he said defensively. "And she called it dull…and for people lacking a pulse…and we know she meant that about me; I heard that tone in her voice when she said it."

"They're all lucky that I didn't dive across the table then and there," Johanna stated; "Because I seriously considered it."

"I know; I could feel it," he replied.

"I had a feeling you did…your hand clamped on my thigh was only thing holding me in that chair."

"If it makes you feel any better; sometimes I wish I had let you do it," he said with a grin.

"Sometimes I wish you had too."

Jim chuckled. "You got off a pretty good shot at her though in return…something about how an actress can't appreciate a game like baseball when her head is too full of award speeches she's never going to have to make."

"That was a beautiful moment," his wife replied; "I thought her eyes might pop right out of her head."

He laughed. "And then I believe she made a crack about you being a typical 1970s Tammy Wynette, Stand by Your Man, little woman."

"I loved the 70s and I do stand by my man," Johanna stated; "And I'll take on anyone who maligns you…but Martha has no idea how close she came to eating her teeth that night."

"At least you got her back by saying that at least you've had the same man since the 70s unlike some people," he replied with a grin.

"We were home early that night," she laughed.

"Yeah; we were…Katie was never so happy to be called into work."

Johanna brushed a kiss against her husband's cheek. No one insults you and gets away with it."

"You lived up to your nickname; it was a proud moment."

"Speaking of my nickname; thanks for my cup," Johanna said, thinking about the purple travel mug that her husband had brought home for her. Written upon it in swirly white script were the words 'Classy and Sassy'.

"I'm glad you like it; I knew it was meant to be yours as soon as I saw it. Make sure you have it with you one day when you're forced into a 'be better friends with Martha Rodgers lunch'."

"That day will not come," she declared. "I draw the line at that one. We come from different worlds; she doesn't like me and thinks she's a better mother to my daughter; and I'm not crazy about her. I go through this lunch business with Rick for Katie's sake but I will not go through this with Martha; absolutely not."

"I don't blame you, sweetheart."

"The wedding was mentioned," Johanna stated.

"I guess we're still the bad guys in that too for having the audacity to want to give our daughter what she wanted."

"Seems that way…I'm still old fashioned by the sound of it."

"You're not old fashioned…you just don't like nonsense," Jim replied. "Like a girl as best man."

"Don't even get me started on that again," she told him.

"The whole thing brought back memories of your suffering during Colleen's wedding."

"Mhmm; it was like Colleen: The Sequel."

"That's enough to put chills down your spine," he laughed.

Johanna laughed softly, raising up on her elbow so she could meet his gaze; her fingertips caressing the line of his jaw. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too," Jim murmured, drawing her closer for a kiss. "Just forget about all of it for now…let's just think about us."

"Now that's my favorite topic," she replied.

"We're going to change the name of morning sickness," Kate declared as she accepted the cold wash cloth her husband handed her.

"What are we going to call it?" he asked; reaching for her toothbrush so that he could put the toothpaste on it for her.

"We're calling it nighttime sickness," she replied.

"It does seem a little more fitting at times. On the bright side, with it occurring at night, no one is wandering around downstairs to hear it and pick up on the possibility of the cause."

She nodded as she began to brush her teeth and he retreated to the bedroom to straighten the bed. In her hurry to reach the bathroom in time, Kate had thrown the covers with a flourish and they were laying half on the floor. By the time he finished, she was making her way back to her side of the bed and climbing in with a weary sigh. "I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you got home," she told him as he tucked the covers around her.

Castle shook his head. "It's alright, you need your rest."

She smiled. "But still; I probably haven't been in bed at nine since I was a kid."

"It's alright, I won't tell anyone," he quipped, brushing a soft kiss against her lips.

"I appreciate it; but since I'm awake now. How did your reading go at that mystery writer's symposium?"

"I went well," Castle told her. "Personally I think it was much more entertaining than Patterson's reading."

"In your unbiased opinion?" she quipped with a grin.

"Of course. How did you do in court?"

"Fine; there weren't any issues. Paperwork kept me at the precinct until almost six though…and then Gates wanted to chat about the court hearing, that's why I missed your call before you took off for your event."

"It's alright; I figured you were busy."

Kate shifted a little to get more comfortable. "Did you go to Mom's class?"

"Yeah, I did…I stayed for the one that followed it too."

"Really?"

"Yeah; it was very interesting. She let me borrow the textbook; that and the notes I took while she was teaching helped me work through a scene I was having trouble with for the new series."

"I'm glad it helped. Did she have any issues with you watching her teach?"

"No, she didn't seem to…honestly, she's like a different person there."

"In what way?"

"Like she's…I don't really know how to explain it. She's just very focused and in control. She's good at what she does, she's firm and yet maternal towards her students…possibly matchmaking in the case of two of them…"

"That doesn't surprise me," Kate said with a soft laugh.

"Surprised me a little," he replied lightly. "I'm pretty sure one young man has a crush on her."

"Well, she's still a beautiful woman; how could men not have a crush on her?" she asked. "Although Dad would probably prefer that no one have a crush on her."

"I don't think he has to worry; the boy in question is the one she's matchmaking for."

"Wait, is it Brady?"

"Yeah; how did you know?"

"He's one of her favorite students. He took her class last semester but failed it because of his test scores. She sees something in him though; she says he has what it takes if he can just focus a little more on the tests."

"He brought her an apple."

"He usually does at least once a week," she remarked.

"One student brought her baby," Castle stated.

"Brittany?" Kate asked.

"You know?"

She met his eye. "Rick; I do talk to my mother. You said yourself she tells me more about her job than she tells you."

"I know…I guess I just didn't realize that you took in the details to the point of knowing the names."

"I do listen when she speaks," she remarked. "She's my mother, this is her work; those kids are important to her. She listens to me tell her about my job, it's only fair to listen in return. She's mentioned that Brittany brings her baby sometimes when she can't get a sitter."

"Today was one of those days," he went on. "Your mother carried the baby around the classroom with her for half the class."

A soft smile touched Kate's lips. "Mom's never met a baby she didn't want to hold."

"Little Sophie seemed very content with her."

"She's got a way with babies; she always has…wait until you see her as a grandmother; she's going to be so wonderful to our baby. She's going to love it so much…and spoil it rotten no matter what we say."

"I'm sure she will…on all accounts."

"What did you do after class?" Kate asked; sensing that he didn't want to hear her gushing about what a good grandmother her mother was going to be.

"I talked your mother into going to lunch."

Her brow rose. "She went…again?"

"She did."

"And?"

"I guess we crossed my mother off the list of topics," Castle stated.

"Sooo…does that mean it was a good lunch or a bad lunch?"

"I'm not really sure," he said honestly.

"What happened?"

"Like I said; we discussed mother."

"Once again I ask, and?"

He shrugged. "It seems to me that most of her issues with my mother are really issues with you that she blames on my mother."

Kate sighed. "Please tell me that you didn't tell her that and that she's now decided to be mad at me and isn't speaking to me."

Castle shook his head. "No; I didn't say it like that. I might've mentioned it once but she was adamant in her blaming of my mother."

"Good," she aloud without meaning to.

"What do you mean good?"

"I've spent enough time being on bad terms with my mom, Castle. Once they got back from London, I made the effort to smooth things over with her because I didn't like where our relationship was. She pulled away from me in a lot of ways…and it made me realize how much I didn't want her to be distant…so if she wants to think her issues are with Martha; and for all I know, they are; then I'm not going to obliterate my relationship with her to change that."

"You'd rather my mother take the fall?" he asked.

"They don't see each other all that often," she replied. "Besides; she does have legitimate gripes against Martha in some areas. For example, your mother should've never gone over there and told her she was ridiculous and gave her parenting advice. Martha brought that wrath on herself. Martha also makes it a point to pick at little things, like her career choice, her seriousness about certain matters. It's also been Martha who has said certain things that have provoked her ire and caused problems between all of us."

"But the root of all the issues is that she thinks my mother was somehow keeping you from her…that she was trying to take her place in your life and that is ridiculous."

"It's not to her, Castle," Kate stated. "Just because it seems that way to you…and Martha; doesn't mean she has to feel the same way."

"It's just stupid though; she's your mother, of course no one can take her place," he said in exasperation.

"She's not stupid," his wife said sharply as she sat up, her eyes narrowing at him.

"I didn't say she was stupid; it's the idea that's stupid."

"You can't tell her how to feel, Castle. She's allowed to feel whatever she wants; let her alone about it. So what, they're not going to have lunch together once a week and swap gossip; they don't have to. It's okay if they're not crazy about each other."

He sighed. "Yeah; that's what she said…which to me means that she has no desire to improve things in that area."

"You can't make them be friends; let it be."

"We're a family; we should be able to get along."

"They'll do fine; maybe one day it'll get better between them on it's own. It's not something you can make happen. There's hurt feelings involved in that mess and you don't have a magical cure all for that."

"The wedding was mentioned a lot in relation to my mother," Castle said, his fingers gripping the edge of the comforter. "She wasn't happy that Mother tagged along when you were dress shopping."

"That's because it was just supposed to be us," Kate replied as she laid back down. "I promised her that…but I didn't know how to tell Martha that she couldn't come. I tried to; I tried to hint that we wanted it to be a mother-daughter outing only but if she caught that idea, she brushed it aside and came along anyway. I love Martha…but looking back, you have to see that she did overtake a lot during the wedding process and it wasn't her place. I let her get away with it and in the process hurt my own mother…and we don't ever get to do that over. So many things went wrong with the wedding planning; we all took a lot away from her in that department."

"I know; she reminded me…of all the big things," he replied.

"Like the money?"

"Yeah…although I think for her it's more about defending your father's honor."

"We hurt them both," Kate whispered; regret in her voice. "We really blew the whole thing for them."

"You agreed that it was silly to have them pay for things," he remarked.

"I know…but if I could go back and change things now, I would," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah…I'd let them pay for the wedding and I'd make sure my mother wasn't left out of things…and there wouldn't have been that big fiasco over the dress she wore. As long as she was there, I didn't give a damn what she wore."

"Yeah…the dress incident was mentioned too."

"I'm sure it was."

"She hopes Alexis does to me what we did to them."

"Mom is a firm believer in karma and justice," Kate replied. "The universe will probably agree with her and Alexis will elope in Vegas and send us a post card after the fact…or we'll read it on her Facebook page."

Castle squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't say things like that…especially before I go to sleep. I'll have nightmares."

She smiled and patted his chest soothingly. "Well don't worry; maybe it won't be Alexis who does that…it might be our kid."

"You're still giving me nightmares, Kate."

"Sorry," she said with a soft laugh before turning serious; "But you see why it's so important that I tell her about the baby in just the right way, don't you? I have to give her this moment…we've made a lot of mistakes; we can't ruin this one."

"I know…and I assume you have a plan in mind for how you want to do it."

"I do; but I'm keeping it to myself for now," she told him.

"But why?"

"Because, I don't want you thinking you can come up with something better and making me doubt myself," Kate replied. "Now how mad was she after lunch? She sent me a text saying Dad got home but I didn't talk to her this evening…I didn't want to interrupt them."

"Funny thing is, she didn't seem mad," Castle replied. "She was a little defensive and miffed while discussing the issues that involved mother but she didn't seem annoyed with me when she left…of course she was hurrying off to the store to buy chicken. Your father called while we were having lunch…once she knew he was on his way back; she was off and running."

"Are you surprised?" she laughed. "You know they're crazy about each other."

"Oh I know; I knew he was the one calling without her even saying a word. Her whole face just lit up as she hurried to accept the call."

"It's always been that way," Kate remarked. "Sometimes he had to travel for work and even though she tried not to let on, it was easy to see that it drove her crazy when he was away. We always had to be home in time for his phone call and the night before he was due back, she'd be cleaning and baking and planning his favorite dinner to welcome home. Sometimes he'd sneak home early just to surprise her."

"How did she take that?"

"She would be very happy," she replied. "When he'd come home early; he'd go to her office and convince her to leave work early and they'd get me out of school early and we'd go out and have fun most of the evening."

"I'm sure he probably didn't have to do too much convincing to get her out of work for his homecoming," Castle replied.

"You'd probably be right about that," she said, stretching a little in an attempt to relax her muscles that were sore from being sick. "I'm glad you put that Colleen idea out of mind though; that would really screw up the progress you've made."

"How do you figure?" he asked; trying not to tense.

"Because this week alone you've gotten three lunches, a dinner and she let you set in on her class; I'd say that's major progress, Castle."

"She does those things for you," he remarked. "I get reminded of that every so often."

"She has her limits though; even when it comes to me. I even told her she could say no about letting you in her class and I wouldn't be mad…but she let you come so that has to be worth something."

"Maybe…or she's just humoring us to be rid of me."

"She's doing better than you give her credit for…you said she wasn't mad about today's topic."

"She wasn't but like I said, she seemed adamant that nothing was going to change between her and Mother…and she says that's okay."

"It is," Kate stated. "They don't have to be friends….and Mom isn't the only one who would need to change to make that friendship work. Martha would need to change too…it's not all on my mother, you know?"

"But she's the one who started it."

"I think they both started it, Rick. Your mother has her moments; she's not immune to pettiness and crossing lines and snarky remarks. With us, she's the loveable Martha Rodgers; with my mother, she's a diva…and Mom doesn't like people who put on airs…and when they're in a room together lately, they're trying to one up each other. You said your piece about it, I'm sure Mom said hers; now let it rest. It'll take care of itself if it's meant to be resolved"

"Again, that's what your mother said."

"We can't both be wrong."

"I guess we'll see…but still; I think a bigger gesture would speed things along."

Kate eyed him. "You did put Colleen from your mind, right?"

Castle forced himself not to squirm as he hesitated to answer. He didn't think that Colleen seemed too receptive to the idea of a reunion so he figured it was safe to give Kate the answer she wanted. "Of course."

"Good; because if you mess in that, Mom will have your head on a stake."

He grimaced; that wasn't a pleasant thought to go to sleep with.

Kate didn't notice the grimace on her husband's face as she sleepily brushed a kiss against his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured. "Get some sleep."

His wife nestled against his side and swiftly fell asleep while Castle laid awake and prayed that his visit to Colleen wouldn't come back to bite him.

"Are you really sure you want to tackle the Martha Stewart case?" Johanna asked the young woman who was standing by her desk at the front of the classroom.

"Yes; I'm sure," she replied. "Why shouldn't I?"

Johanna pulled her glasses off and laid them on the desk. "Kaitlyn, I admire your enthusiasm but turning the Martha Stewart case into a civil rights case might be a more difficult task than you think."

"Oh no, it's not," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm positive that her civil rights were violated."

"I'm pretty sure her lawyers would've noticed if they had been."

"What if they just missed it?" her student asked. "She went to jail and she might not have had to; her image and career were tarnished."

"I don't know about that," Johanna said; "When she got out of jail she had a talk show…I remember her cutting her ankle bracelet off on the air. Her jail term seemed to make her more relatable and expanded her fanbase…as odd as it seems; but that's how it goes sometimes. You'd be hard pressed to prove that her career suffered from the incident. She's still going strong; magazines, home décor, TV shows; her talk show is over but she does other shows and is still a popular segment guest."

"Okay, so her career didn't suffer a lot; but I think I can make the case that her rights could've been violated."

She sighed a little. "Alright, Kaitlyn; give it your best shot…but remember, you have to back up what you feel are violations with sources from established civil rights cases."

Kaitlyn smiled brightly. "I can do it, Mrs. Beckett; you'll see."

She gave her a smile. "Alright…but also remember that I give you the first week to try out your main topic and if it doesn't seem to be working out; you come see me and you can go to plan B."

"I remember, but I can handle it," she said, slinging her backpack over shoulder. "See you Wednesday."

"I'll be here," Johanna said, a smile clinging to her lips. Some of her students had to make it harder than it needed to be…but she couldn't help but admire some of them for it.

Seeing that she still had a few minutes before her next class was due to walk through the door, she grabbed her phone to check for messages from her husband. There wasn't anything there from Jim but there was a message that caught her attention and she opened it swiftly; her eyes scanning the lines that had been written. "Son of a bitch," she muttered as she finished reading, betrayal and anger beginning to course through her veins. She hurriedly composed a return message and sent it before putting the phone back on her desk and moving to the window to stare out at the campus for a few moments before her students arrived. Her anger would have to wait.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked her husband as he typed something on his phone.

"Sending your mother a reminder about our lunch tomorrow," Castle answered.

"I'm surprised she hasn't told you to stop doing that yet," she replied as she put her paperwork in a file that was then tossed to the corner of her desk.

His thumb had just hit send when he noticed the time. "Oh, I forgot I was supposed to wait until later in the day…she's at work now."

Kate smirked at him. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"Apparently not," he stated, his phone buzzing in his hand. "Look, she's replied already, probably to read me the riot act."

"Most likely."

Castle opened the message and scanned the reply. "Oh, I'm looking forward to it. I'll be there on time, don't you worry."

He smiled. "We're both wrong; she says she's looking forward to lunch tomorrow."

Alarm bells went off in Kate's head. "How exactly did she phrase that statement?"

His brow rose inquisitively. "She says 'oh, I'm looking forward to it. I'll be there on time, don't you worry."

The alarm bell in her brain grew louder. "Oh my God, what did you do, Castle?"

Confusion colored his features. "What are you talking about?"

"She's looking forward to it," Kate stated. "No, more than that, she said 'Oh, I'm looking forward to it'…that doesn't sound like it bodes well for you. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything; we left lunch on good terms last Friday," he remarked. "Don't be so suspicious."

"Castle; I know my mother."

"What, you don't think she could look forward to lunch and my conversation?"

"Not with the tone that message implies."

"What tone?" he laughed; "It's a text message…there is no tone unless there's cursing or biting sarcasm. This message is void of both."

"You are so wrong," Kate said with a shake of her head. "You did something…I don't know what it is or when you did it, but you did something and she's going to tell you off. I know her tell off phrases; I know her…she's not looking forward to lunch and stimulating conversation…she's looking forward to telling you off about something."

Castle scoffed. "She has no reason to tell me off; it's going to be fine…you'll see."

"Yeah," Kate replied; "We'll see alright…we'll just see."