Kate Beckett's day at the precinct was surprisingly light. The murder board was empty; the only thing on her to-do list was paperwork. She sat at her desk, methodically working through case files while Rick Castle hovered nearby, playing an App on his phone but looking bored out of his mind.
"Beckett," Castle said, spinning her desk chair around as she tried to type. "Have you ever noticed how boring it is for me when you do paperwork?"
Kate shot him a sharp look. "Then maybe you should help me with the paperwork so I get done faster."
Castle gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Me? A writer? Reduced to doing paperwork? Beckett, that would be a crime against creativity itself."
Kate smirked, turning back to her files. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to suffer," she said.
Castle slumped into the chair beside her, sighing theatrically. "How do you do this every day without losing your mind?"
Kate didn't look up. "Discipline. You should try it sometime."
Undeterred, Castle leaned closer. "You know what would make this better? Snacks. Or music. Or... me reading out loud from Heat Wave."
Kate sighed deeply, putting down her pen. "Castle, you're driving me insane. Go home."
"You don't mean that," Castle said, flashing his most innocent grin.
"I do," Kate replied firmly. "You're worse than a toddler hyped up on sugar. Go. Home."
Castle stood, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. But you better call me if anything exciting happens while I'm gone. Try not to miss me too much."
"I'll try to manage without you," Kate said dryly, shaking her head as he walked away, still grinning. As Castle left, Kate shook her head with a small smile. Her day had just gotten significantly quieter.
That evening, Kate sat on her couch with her laptop open, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the DNA results. She picked up her phone and dialed her Aunt Theresa's number. After a few rings, her aunt answered.
"Katie! It's so good to hear from you," Theresa said warmly.
"Hi, Aunt Theresa. I wanted to ask you about something," Kate began, getting straight to the point. "I did one of those ancestry DNA tests and found a match I can't explain. It says 'Close Family,' which could be a first cousin, but I don't recognize the name. Do you know anyone named Sara on your side of the family?"
There was a brief pause before Theresa responded. "Oh, well, that's... interesting."
Kate frowned. "Aunt Theresa?"
"Katie," her aunt said, her tone a bit cagey. "Why don't you come up and visit me tomorrow? It's been too long since we've seen each other, and we should talk about this in person."
"Tomorrow?" Kate asked, glancing at her calendar. "I guess I could."
"Wonderful. Come in the morning," Theresa said quickly. "We'll have my famous chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, and I'll explain everything."
When Kate hung up, she felt more confused than ever. Her phone buzzed almost immediately, snapping her out of her thoughts. Castle's name lit up the screen, and she hesitated before answering with a sigh. "Castle."
"Beckett." His voice, warm and curious, was a sharp contrast to the knot of uncertainty tightening in her chest.. "You sound troubled. What's going on?"
"I just got off the phone with my aunt," Kate said. "She was acting... odd. She wants me to visit her tomorrow to talk about the DNA results."
Castle's interest was immediately piqued. "Acting odd, you say? Perhaps your Aunt Theresa has a long-lost love child she gave up for adoption."
Kate paused. "That actually crossed my mind."
"See? I knew it!" Castle exclaimed. "And if that's the case, I should come with you."
"Castle, this isn't really the time for you to meet my aunt. If she's going to tell me something this personal, I need to hear it alone."
"Fine," Castle relented. "But you have to promise to tell me everything."
"I'll think about it," Kate teased before hanging up.
The following day, Kate drove two hours to her aunt's charming cottage nestled among the rolling hills of upstate New York. The house, with its ivy-covered walls and neatly trimmed garden, felt like a snapshot of simpler times. As she parked, the crisp scent of pine and woodsmoke greeted her, grounding her nerves. Theresa greeted her at the door with a warm hug. She looked so much like Kate's mother, Joanna, that it made Kate's chest tighten.
"Come in, Katie," Theresa said, leading her to the kitchen. The scent of fresh coffee filled the air, and a plate of muffins sat on the table. "Let's sit."
Kate followed, her curiosity mounting. "Aunt Theresa, what's going on? Who is this DNA match?"
Theresa took a deep breath, her hands wrapping around her coffee cup. "Katie, I've been holding onto this for a long time. Your mother... Joanna... she became pregnant when she was 21."
Kate's eyes widened. "Mom had a baby before me?"
Theresa nodded, her expression somber. "She carried the guilt of that decision for years. But when you were born, Katie, it gave her a way to focus her love and energy. She never told you because she didn't want it to overshadow the bond you shared."
Kate blinked, her heart pounding. "Did my dad... know?"
Theresa nodded slowly. "He did, but Joanna swore him to secrecy. She wanted to protect you and the life she built after that chapter of her past. It was a different time, Katie. Choices like that carried a heavy weight." Theresa took hold of Kate's hands. "It was 1972, and things were very different back then. Abortion wasn't legal, and she felt she wasn't ready to be a mother. So, she took a break from college, had the baby, and gave her up for adoption."
Kate leaned back, her hands trembling slightly as she processed the revelation. "I can't believe she carried that alone," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "All those years, and she never said a word..." Her throat tightened, a mix of shock and sorrow bubbling to the surface.
"She wasn't entirely alone," Theresa said softly. "I supported her as much as I could, but she kept it from our parents, who were very strict Catholics. They thought she was spending a summer abroad. Joanna believed she was giving that child a chance at a better life. She wanted her to grow up in a loving home, one without judgment or limitations. It broke her heart, Katie, but she always believed it was the right choice for that time."
Kate's mind raced with questions, her heart heavy with the weight of this newfound truth. Yet beneath it all, she felt a strange sense of clarity. "Thank you for telling me," she said finally.
Theresa reached out and placed a hand over Kate's. "Your mother loved you more than anything, Katie. Don't ever doubt that."