206. Chapter 206

AN: Grrrrrr. I wrote Epilogue 1 every time I worked on this, but the 1 wasn't there when it posted. So, for those of you who said "It can't be over.", it isn't. What? LOL After 205 chapters it can't be surprising that the epilogue grew into two parts.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Epilogue 1

Grandparents Kate and Rick babysat Danny for most of his first year, readjusting to dealing with baby paraphernalia and diaper changes and extra preparations before leaving the house…and talking to him as if he understood, kissing his sweet little head, and rocking him before tucking him in for his naps. While their two younger children were in school, they would take him on walks, sometimes meeting Danny's aunt and uncle at school and surprising them. Jo and Jamie's friends treated him like surrogate aunts and uncles.

The loft wasn't exactly on the path to where Alexis worked, so after Danny was walking, Alexis found a nanny. Iris had worked for another doctor whose youngest child had simply outgrown the continuing need for one. She had seen the woman with the other doctor's children, and it was impressive. The other parent and her children had only good things to say about Iris, so the transition was an easy one. She wouldn't be a live-in nanny. Alexis and JD valued their family and personal time too much to want that, but she was available during the day while both parents had to be away. With blessings from Wes, JD worked from home as much as he could while Danny was a toddler and left him with Iris when he had appointments with clients at the office. Alexis had shifts at night some weeks, so she would also have time during the day to spend with her son. It was nice for both parents to be able to simply walk out the door to go to work without the need for diaper bags or trips to daycare…even the loving daycare they knew he had at the loft. Iris was a loving presence, too.

xxxxx

Now and then, Castle and Beckett would be called in to consult on an unusual case, and they both enjoyed the mental challenge of the work, but neither of them missed having to be in a precinct as much as they did when Beckett was working full time. They would work during school hours, and at least one of them would be there when the children were out of school. On the two occasions when Jordan Shaw was assigned in town for an important case, she still called on the original team from the twelfth; and the Castle children and their friends were suitably impressed that their writer father was actually being requested by the FBI along with their actual police detective mother. Grandparents and their children's friends' parents would usually help out at such times when it was needed.

xxxxx

During the time the two Castle men were writing together, Jo had started working out with her mother. Kate had no problem with Jo's interest, but she took it upon herself to consult with a couple of people about child development and what was acceptable or might be too much for her daughter at the moment. Jo had also won a couple of tournaments for her division of martial arts and her first fencing competition for her level. Kate started teaching her yoga, and they eventually dragged Sarah Grace in with them when she stayed overnight. Jenny said Sarah Grace loved it, and they found a mother and daughter class not far from home so Jenny could learn, too. Kate and Jo enjoyed the more average mother/daughter outings together, too, like shopping, mani/pedis, and trips to the library or bookstores, and they often included Martha, Lanie, Meagan, or Jo's friends. Jo loved discussing books, and she enjoyed bouncing around story ideas with the rest of the family. She wrote well, but she had no interest in writing a book. Since her father and brother were actually interested in writing books and were holed up in the study again, she mentioned her room one day; and she and Kate put together a plan and started to redecorate to move it from a little girl space to something more appropriate for a young teenager.

Without mentioning it to anyone outside the family, Castle and Jamie worked on the young adult book Jamie had outlined. Castle insisted that he write an entire chapter, using whatever segment of the outline they had agreed on. Castle wrote the same chapter and then the two of them compared what they had. Jamie was responsible for being sure the dialogue worked in teenspeak, and Castle was in charge of grammar and consistent writing style, explaining his reasons to his son as they worked. The voice of the finished first chapter was a good melding of the two of them. It was a lengthier process than working on their own; but by chapter three, they were feeling quite pleased with themselves, especially when they handed their work to Kate for an opinion and she praised their ability to create such an effortless feel in the blend of their two voices…and told them to hurry up and finish it so she so she could see what happened. Father and son took their time and enjoyed working together, both of them agreeing that they were learning from the experience. They had no deadlines, therefore no feeling of pressure. So during the summer before Jamie's junior year, Castle called Brad at Black Pawn and made an appointment to discuss a young adult book. The book was ready for print by the beginning of Jamie's senior year, and the next book launch party in the Castle family was for a new book by Richard and James Castle. By the end of the school year, Jamie was a published author, had earned a black belt…and was valedictorian.

When the last piece of news came in, Jo huffed a little laugh. "Wow! Two valedictorians out of the three kids in the family. No pressure on me now." Then she laughed, hugged Jamie, and said "Congratulations, Big Brother. I'm proud of you."

Castle and Kate grabbed both in a big family hug and added their congratulations and pride.

Jamie's speech was well received, and he and Amos celebrated with their class, but they started with a virtual visit with Julie. She also graduated that day but was now in Oregon. Her family had to move when her dad was transferred just before their senior year, and all three teenagers were devastated. They had been the three musketeers since they were three years old. Both boys were going to Columbia in the fall and planning to room together in the dorm.

The number of teenagers in and out of the loft dropped after Jamie was off living in the dorm. Sarah Grace and Jo's friends from school were in and out with study groups and boyfriends, the latter worrying Castle in spite of Kate's assurances that all was well.

"It won't be that much longer before Jo leaves us, too. What do we do then?" he asked.

"Anything we want," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Any time we want. Anywhere we want."

xxxxx

At the end of his second year in college, Jamie brought his girlfriend to Jo's high school graduation party. Sarah Grace, now a freshman at NYU, brought her boyfriend, and Nick and Amos brought girlfriends. When Jamie came in, Sarah Grace gave him a hug, and he picked her up off the floor, swung her around once, and kissed the top of her head when he put her down, both of them laughing. Then the people they brought to the party were introduced, with the explanation that he and Sarah Grace had been friends since they were babies. That sort of thing was normal for Jamie and Sarah Grace, but their companions didn't look at all happy. Jamie seemed oblivious to the other two, and he danced with Sarah Grace two or three times, moving better with her than anyone else since they had been part of the impromptu Castle dance moments since childhood. Before the end of the party, Jamie's girlfriend had issued him an ultimatum…it was Sarah Grace or her. Jamie walked away and promptly called for a town car to take her home. He didn't even have to think about it.

He told Castle what happened and told him he had called a car, and Castle's answer was, "I just heard Sarah Grace's boyfriend saying something similar. Maybe not quite as harsh, but she didn't look happy about it, either. You should let her know about the car. If she's in the same frame of mind as you, the driver can take both cases of jealousy home. At least you'd be sending them away in a classy ride. Have you told what's-her-name yet?"

"No. I just walked away and made the phone call."

"Joel over there just walked away from Sarah Grace. I'll dangle the option in front of her and let her grab it if she wants to."

Then Jamie's phone rang. "Tell her to decide fast...the car is two minutes away."

With the angry excess boyfriend and girlfriend removed, everything went back to normal. When the party broke up, Nick took his girlfriend for coffee and planned on taking the subway home. Kevin and Jenny left for home. Amos and his girlfriend barely made it to the elevator before they were arguing over his attention to Jo and Sarah Grace, and Jamie called a taxi and took Sarah Grace home himself.

When he returned, he found Castle in his study, winding down from the party. "Hey, Dad, I called Amos to let him know I'm not going back to the apartment. I think I'm gonna crash here tonight."

"You know you can do that any time." Giving his son the dad eye, he ventured, "You look like there's something on your mind. Want to talk about it?"

"Jamie took a deep breath and exhaled it and finally parted with the words, "I kissed Sarah Grace."

"You've been kissing Sarah Grace for years."

"No, Dad. I kissed Sarah Grace. Not the same."

"Oh, I see. So what do you want to do about it?"

"Do it again as soon as possible?" he said with a little grin.

Castle chuckled. "Did she kiss you back?"

"Not right at first. I started to kiss her cheek like always, then I surprised us both. She kissed me back after the shock wore off, though. She even let me sneak a second quick one before I left."

"Then I think you're okay. She should still be willing to talk to you," Castle half teased and half advised.

"I never used to think of her like that. But since I kissed her, I can't imagine not thinking about her non-stop for a while. A kiss never felt like that before. But we're such good friends…" He sighed and said, "I don't want to lose that."

"Your mom and I had that same conversation before anything more serious happened between us. We didn't want to lose a good friendship."

"It looks like that worked out for you."

"We were older. We'd both had some bad relationships, and both of us were nervous about taking a chance on another one; so the thought of losing a good friendship was doubly important. We had avoided talking about more than that, and it almost pulled us apart. Call Sarah Grace tomorrow and meet her for coffee or a walk in the park or something…and talk about it. Once your mother and I talked things out and knew we both wanted the same thing, it made the friendship stronger; and the friendship made the marriage stronger. Even before that, when we were still on shaky relationship ground, I couldn't imagine my life without your mother in it…still can't. You and I had the talk about how to treat women a while back. Be even more careful with Sarah Grace. Uncle Kevin might never forgive you if you did anything to hurt his little girl."

"I'd never forgive me, either." He sat down in one of the arm chairs near the desk, looking down with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped and folded between them. "I can't stop thinking about her…and I can't stop wanting to smile."

"It sounds to me like love may have just slapped you in the face to get your attention, but you're going to have to figure that one out on your own. Then you need to talk to Sarah Grace and see how she feels."

He sat up and took a deep breath. "I'll call her tomorrow morning," he promised. "Thanks, Dad."

Castle stood and wrapped Jamie in a hug. "Always, Son. Always." Jamie turned to go, and Castle gave him a fatherly squeeze on the shoulder…and as soon as Jamie was out of sight, he almost ran to tell Kate about their conversation.

Jo came downstairs in her pajamas a few minutes later and said, "Thanks for the party. I think everybody enjoyed it…except the two I heard were sent home for trying to get Jamie and Sarah Grace to dump their best friends. It takes nerve for somebody you've known about five minutes in the overall scheme of things to issue that kind of ultimatum. I'm glad they were uninvited."

"You're welcome for the party, and I agree about those two," her father answered.

"Sorry I blew the valedictorian tradition, but I still get to give the Salutatorian speech. I'll bet I'm the only girl in the senior class with a black belt and fencing credentials, though."

Both parents chuckled and reached out to hug her. "Honey, we're so proud of you," Kate assured her. "You don't have to be valedictorian to hold on to that."

Jo smiled and hugged both of them before going to bed. The graduation ceremony two days later left Kate and Castle very, very proud as well as very close to being empty nesters. By the end of the summer, all of their children would be living somewhere other than the loft. Castle was sixty-three, and Kate was fifty-three. Both of them were healthy, vital, and in good shape and had every intention of making that last as long as possible…and enjoying it.

xxxxx

Richard Alexander Farnsworth was born a month after Jo's graduation. Alexis and JD called him Alex, and he was a handsome little redhead. He was welcomed into the family with same love as Danny, and Danny was fascinated with his little brother. Grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunts and uncles, both natural and adopted, loved having the two newest additions to the family.

Iris was still working for Alexis and JD, so Castle and Kate only babysat periodically. JD still worked from home sometimes, and Alexis still had night shifts, so they gave Iris time off now and then. In their opinion, the only thing keeping her one step down from Mary Poppins was that she couldn't put up her umbrella and fly, and they wanted to reward her for loving their children and making things so easy for them as parents. And Granddaddy Rick and Grandma Kate were always happy to give Iris a little time off as well.

The following fall, with no children in the house and no baby to babysit, Castle and Kate had a lot of time on their hands; so they began to take short little trips that had nothing to do with book tours. They were enjoying it enough that the trips grew longer and farther from home. But the extra time on their hands made it easy for Kate to go with him when tours were demanded. And there was more time for each other while they were touring. Only one room was needed, and there were no children to keep track of. They were home enough for their family to see them often and their children to know they still had parents who loved them, but away enough to enjoy new experiences.

Jo had talked to her mother before deciding on college and pushed her for information about the best and worst parts of her job. She wanted to assure herself that some of the danger Castle and Beckett had been in was out of the ordinary, and to clarify what was within the bounds of normal. After conversations and the voicing of concerns from parents, Jo decided on a degree in Criminal Justice with an eye toward the Police Academy and advancing through the NYPD as her mother had done.

Jo and Jamie were developing their own lives. Jamie and Sarah Grace were in a serious relationship, and toward the end of her freshman year in college, Jo and Amos were just beginning one. Jo went to Kate one night and had a similar conversation to the one Jamie had with Castle about Sarah Grace, receiving the same good advice. and with both of them at Columbia, Jo and Amos had the freedom to let their relationship develop at its own pace, without observers, and to take their time moving from longtime friends to more. Amos was in a master's degree program in engineering and intending to pursue a doctorate, so they would both be there for a while.

"We're lucky with their choices," Kate told her husband one night after all the children and grandchildren had been to the loft for dinner. "Sarah Grace and Amos already feel like family. We don't even have to break in new in-laws."

"Yep. We even like their parents," Castle agreed.

xxxxx

Castle and Jamie had written another YA book together, working on it when they could. They had their system down to a science by then, so the work went faster on the second one. The plots in the two books were connected, but they had already decided against a long-running series. Those two books would be it. By the time the first book was published in the latter half of his senior year, Jamie was eighteen, and he and his father were a popular team on the talk shows and at book signings. He had his father's charm, looks, and sense of humor, and they bantered easily with each other and the hosts, both of them playing well to their audiences.

Both books sold quite well, and Black Pawn was open to looking at whatever Jamie might write individually. In the last two years of college, he had somehow managed to keep his grades up and write the lion's share of a book of his own. And Castle had a new book working its way through the editing process. In Jamie's consideration of a master's degree he talked to his parents, and the consensus of opinion was that he had the offer of an advance on his new book, and writing now might be his best choice. He could always take classes that interested him now and then, the way his father had done. Castle advised that he talk to Wes and JD and decide how to handle the generous advance from Black Pawn to best advantage.

Jamie and Sarah Grace were married the month after Jamie graduated. As the pre-ceremony music played, there was a slide show of the two of them together starting from pictures of the two of them in their strollers "talking" to each other before Sarah Grace was old enough to actually talk, and all the way up to the two of them showing off her engagement ring. And Ryan proudly walked her down the aisle to be married into a family who already loved her. As a wedding gift, Castle gave them a nice apartment near the NYU campus. Sarah Grace had another year before graduation, so Jamie often wrote while she was in class. He and Sarah Grace, together and individually, took time now and then to meet parents, siblings or one or more of their grandparents for coffee or lunch. It certainly made it easier that each of them went into their marriage feeling a strong bond to both their families.

xxxxx

The same year Jamie was married, Rebecca Patton was promoted to Captain, having been mentored by one of Beckett's former interns; and she requested that Beckett present her captain's bars at the change of command. Kate was honored to be asked and was there to proudly replace the lieutenant's bar with the bars of a captain and give her a sharp salute of respect. Patton, in her speech to her new command, said that Captain Beckett was the reason she had made it this far, probably that she had made it through her first year in NYPD, and that she hoped none of them would be as big a problem to her as she had been to Captain Beckett. Without too many details, she gave a brief explanation of the effort Beckett had made to find a reason for her behavior and to resolve the reason for her mother's disappearance. In the process, she had met the man she married; so she gave Beckett credit for returning what she could of an old life and introducing her to a happier and more successful new one. She finished by saying, "I've spent the rest of my career hoping to make Captain Beckett proud. And with your help, I'll do my best to make this precinct proud."

Castle and Kate congratulated Patton and were introduced to her husband, Benjamin Maldanado. Ben had started as the most junior member of Castle's attorney, Winston Griffith's law firm; but the rank beginner, who helped Patton with her mother's estate, had now proven himself. He had steadily risen through the law firm, and Castle had to bite his tongue to avoid telling the young man that Winston said he intended to make him a partner soon. Ben and Patton, two children of the foster care system, had found each other and had done well for themselves.

xxxxx

There was still an occasional case to consult on to keep the Castles' detective juices flowing, but Kate was adapting better to being "a kept woman" than she had ever expected to. Castle was happy to be able to travel and take her places she'd never been; and he knew she loved seeing him so free and enthusiastic. He had always reveled in the history and the people and the adventure of the places he visited; but until Kate, he had never been able to enjoy that with anyone but Alexis before. His other wives had only wanted to enjoy the shopping and the social life. Kate enjoyed everything with him. Their goal was to visit as much as possible of every continent while they still could…see other cultures…and make love in every city they visited. Okay, so that last one was Castle's goal; but Kate had smiled and kissed him when he mentioned it and had willingly taken part in the effort.

They spent a few weeks at a time traveling several times a year, and Paula talked Castle into book signings during their wanderings as often as she could manage. The couple always made it a point to be home for holidays and special occasions, though. Family was always first.

The next special occasion was Jo's wedding to Amos the summer she graduated from college. Castle walked his second daughter down the aisle and Kate comforted him again, reminding him that they already loved Amos, too. Amos' parents weren't quite as hands on as the Castles as parents, but they were good people who provided a loving family and had brought their son and his older sister up well. The entire extended family was happy for Jo and applauded her choice.

After graduation she enrolled in the Police Academy to follow in Kate's footsteps while Amos enrolled in his doctoral program. An apartment near campus was again Castle's wedding gift.

xxxxx

Martha was in her late eighties when Jo was married. She had gradually built a staff that she felt comfortable leaving in charge at her school and eased away from the teaching. She still kept a close eye on business, but she and John had started traveling when they felt the urge, too. When they eventually reached an age where it wasn't as easy to navigate airports, they had settled into spending more time at home. They still doted on the great-grandchildren but no longer had the energy to keep up with them for long periods of time. The children loved them, though, and enjoyed every minute of their time with them. One night they had been to the theater and stopped for a drink with friends afterward. John and Martha sat on the sofa in the living room, leaning against one another and talking about nothing of any consequence, just being close.

"Do we have any of that chocolate cake left?" John asked.

"I think so. Is that a hint?"

"Possibly," he answered with his mischievous grin.

She brought them a tray with cake and a small glass of wine for each of them, and they enjoyed it together. After she took the dishes back to the kitchen, she told him she was going to get ready for bed and dropped a loving kiss on the top of his head. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before she got away, and they both smiled. Before she had taken more than a few steps, she heard him make a sound that she didn't recognize and turned to find him slouched over on the sofa. After checking on him, she called her children next door, and Kate and Castle rushed over. Martha had already called for EMS, but in spite of everyone's best efforts, it was too late. He'd had a heart massive heart attack, and they could only be grateful that he hadn't seemed to suffer for longer than a brief moment. Martha was heartbroken but stoic. She was eighty-nine and he had been ninety-two. That was the Castle family's first family loss.

Castle's family consoled JD and Martha and the grandchildren, and several of them spoke at the funeral service about how much he had added to their lives and their family…how much love and support he had given them. Martha fondly told the story of their first date, a double date with their grandchildren, their slow progress toward marriage, and said that she would be forever grateful for the peace and love and joy John had brought to her life.

A couple of years after John's death, Jim was in an automobile accident. He seemed to be fine and was recovering from surgery; but after a couple of days at home, Meagan took him back to his doctor because she saw signs of trouble. Tests showed he had developed an internal infection, which developed into sepsis and couldn't be stopped quickly enough to save him. Kate was inconsolable for a couple of days but gradually came to terms with the fact that he was ninety-three, and that she had the chance to say goodbye to this parent. Castle wasn't in much better shape, nor were the grandchildren, who had always felt a special bond with Granddaddy. The other members of the family missed him terribly, too. Castle had lost his last father figure. He asked Kate and Meagan if he could give the eulogy, and spoke of his appreciation, love, and respect for Jim and the special place he held in Castle's heart. After the funeral and getting all of the legal work in order, Meagan acceded to her younger sisters' requests and agreed to move to be near them in the Mid-west. She was eighty-three, so if she intended to move, the decision was that she should do it then before it became more difficult for her. Castle and Kate went to visit her periodically and enjoyed seeing her family as well.

xxxxx

After meeting his father in Paris, Castle thought about having an unknown family often, but when the European trip was over and Jo was born, he was more engaged with the family around him and gradually let it go. After Jim's death, though, there was the temptation to allow his brain to wander in that direction again. Not having dwelled on it for a long time, Castle again started thinking about the unknown paternal side of his heritage, and his curiosity and creativity was at work again. Martha's family hadn't wanted anything to do with either of them. Maybe his father's family would be interested.

His father had told him that looking into the family could bring unwanted attention to him and could be dangerous, but if he could identify them some inconspicuous way… After all, he and Kate had successfully managed to work under Bracken's substantial radar to research his connections to Vulcan Simmons and other things. He and Kate discussed it and the idea of sending a DNA sample to an ancestry company seemed an innocuous start. The result was a connection to a man in Rochester, Charles Logan Richter. He destroyed the outdated anonymous computers in the storage area behind the safe and bought a new one, and he and Kate researched the man and his family. Charles Richter was the son of a man who had died at the same time Alex said his brother died and was the nephew of Alexander Dean Richter, who drowned around the time Castle was born. Charles' father had been a nuclear physicist. It had to be his family. He let the information sit, satisfied for the moment that he could find them when the time was right.

xxxxx

There had consistently been two Castles on the best seller list for several years. Now and then some enterprising talk show host would ask father and son to be guests together to recreate the easy back and forth between them. Audiences had loved them when they talked about the two books they wrote together, and a couple of times later they appeared together to shamelessly promote their own books, and they threw in a little mild trash talk to add to the show. It was fun to see the similarities in their appearance and personalities. Castle was fond of pointing out, in varying terms, that he had actually spawned his own competition. But the obvious delight in their collaborations and Jamie's individual successes made it clear that he was a proud dad. He and Jamie would usually go to a coffee shop after the show was recorded and talk for a little while before going home to their wives.

xxxxx

Castle was seventy-three, and he and Kate were still managing grandchildren visits and traveling several times a year. They had all the money they could ever need, and it was handled well enough that it was steadily growing. He never had to write another book if he didn't want to, but he was still managing about one each year. Jamie was doing his share in representing the Castle family talent, too. One day before too much longer, Castle thought he would just leave his son to take over the family business.

And Jo was taking over Kate's side of the family business. She had graduated from the Academy and done her years of duty on patrol, dealing with muggings and drunks, convenience store robberies, feuding neighbors, and Vice operations. On the most recent of those, the older detective working with her, who had specifically requested Jo and then made sure he was working with her, got way too handsy, and she really wanted to knee him where it hurt; but she drew from her grandmother's persona and turned on her acting skills.

As flirtatiously as she could have possibly looked, she said with no playfulness at all, "You're supposed to be one of the good guys, not another lecherous old man. Touch me like that again, and my black belt skills and I will reduce you to a blubbering lump on the pavement, this entire operation will be blown, and I'll let everybody involved in planning it know exactly why." As she walked her fingers up his chest, she asked with a threatening voice camouflaged by a smile, "You want to test me on any of that?" The rest of the operation went the way it should have in the first place, and she filed a sexual harassment report on the detective when it was over…using her writing skills to best advantage.

She had blessedly been spending more time working with Homicide detectives than Vice. When she mentioned it to her parents, Castle rummaged around to find the old videos he had used to work with Bisaga so long ago. Jo was blown away at her parents' skills when they worked with her the same way they had with Archer and Bisaga. She had impressively applied those well-earned skills at the precinct and crime scenes, gaining recognition among the detectives and mentions to the captain.

A month after what she sincerely hoped would be her last Vice assignment, she came home and announced to her parents, "Guess who just broke somebody's record for the youngest woman in NYPD to make detective? I got there one week earlier than she did."

"You broke your mother's record?" Castle asked in surprise "That's stood since a few years before I met her. That's what? Thirty-six years?"

"That was Mom's record? Should I apologize?"

"No, Honey," Kate answered, hugging her daughter with pride. "I can't think of anybody I'd rather lose it to. You know who held it before I did? Victoria Gates. I was six weeks ahead of her."

"Huh. Well, then, I guess we'll keep it in the family."

xxxxx

Knowing Castle had been thinking about his paternal family, Kate was trying to find the books his Grandmother had written. He had looked for a while but hadn't had much luck. She had left inquiries with several companies that could fill such requests and got a response from one saying the entire set of seven books had just become available, but only to her…and that the owner wanted permission to send them directly to her address. He had paid the company the required fee that Kate would have paid and wanted to send them to her as a gift.

"Who is he?"

"He wished to remain anonymous, but he said to give you the initials MG so you wouldn't worry. He sent me a cashier's check."

Kate found herself smiling. "Then I think that arrangement will be acceptable. When you have further communications with him, please convey my appreciation and tell him the books will be a gift for my husband's seventy-fifth birthday."

"I'll do that, Mrs. Castle. Please let me know if you need anything else."

When the package arrived, it contained the seven books, two letters…one for Kate and one for Rick…and a phone with a number programmed in. The phone Castle had been given originally was intended only for emergencies and was blessedly never needed. And about a decade ago it was too outdated to be used anyway. This new one seemed to be an invitation.

The night of the birthday party, Kate waited until after the others were gone and told her husband, "This gift was supposed to be from me, but it turned out to be from your father. He sent them anonymously through the bookseller."

The books were the first thing Castle saw in the gift box, and he was nearly awestruck to have all seven.

"Don't stop until you reach the bottom."

When he removed books and reached the bottom, there was a letter with the return address MG. He smiled. "Mister Ghost sent me a letter…and my grandmother's books.

"This was supposed to be my gift to you. I had several places looking for them. I'm probably more comfortable not knowing how he knew that, but he anonymously paid one of the book finders his fee and had him call me for permission to send them here. He sent them to me with a letter to each of us and a new phone. It's in the corner of the box, wrapped in tissue. My letter didn't have any warnings about using the phone. If yours doesn't, you should call and thank him."

"What did your letter say?" Castle asked, turning his over and over in his hands as if putting off opening it.

"He said he also had a complete collection of your books, all of them in almost mint condition. He sent those to the director of the Johanna Beckett Scholarship Fund to be auctioned whenever it's appropriate…and said he was proud of me, too. What does yours say?"

Castle laughed. He says he should turn me over his knee for the DNA trick, but that it was a good, camouflage move. It doesn't look like any harm was done. He's apparently staying in Europe until he's sure his last nemesis is no longer standing. He's enjoyed the books that have come out since we met, and even read the YA books and Jamie's first mysteries. He's followed Jo's progress and says she's going to be as impressive as her mother. And he said his mother wrote under her father's name. Her father was Dean Parkins. He said his grandfather loved it that his daughter got away with it."

What about the phone? Will you use it?"

"No warning not to. I suppose I should…and thank him for the books and the contribution to the scholarship fund. The man sort of appeared out of nowhere again, and it didn't give me time to think about anything first. Not even whether I want to call him or not."

"At least you know it's an option. That's something you didn't have this morning."

"Happy Birthday to me. Books I really wanted and confusion I didn't see coming."

xxxxx

As Martha became more frail herself, Castle again called on Julian and his architect business partner, Merrick, to plan a hallway around the elevator between the two apartments and install an adjoining door, so if Martha needed them, she could come to them or they could go to her. It made all of them feel better.

Martha never entirely gave into staying home all the time. She just confined most of her activities to daylight and short ventures into the world. When she rarely went out anymore, the family became concerned and set up a schedule of checking in with her a couple of times a day and having her for dinner or taking dinner to her often.

One morning, Kate went to check on her and came back to the loft with tears in her eyes.

"Rick, she's gone. She looks peaceful…like she just passed away in her sleep. It must have been recent. If you want to hold her hand for a while or kiss her forehead, her skin is still warm enough to feel natural. I'm so sorry."

He pulled her into his arms for comfort and thanked her. "I know we need to make the phone call. Would you do that? I'm going to sit with her until someone is here. I knew it wouldn't be long… But there's no way to…"

"I know, Sweetheart. Go and be with her. She should leave surrounded with love. Do you want me to call the children?"

"No. I'll do that. It can wait a little while. Just make the call you have to and come be with us until they're here…please.

She kissed him softly and lovingly before he made his way silently into his mother's apartment.

Kate wouldn't let Castle watch as Martha's body was taken from the apartment. She insisted he use the time to call their children.

Within a day after the public announcement of her death at ninety-seven, several New York TV stations had put together retrospectives of Martha's career, from its meager beginnings through its high points and mentioning her son and grandson's writing careers and her acting school. There was mention of the number of people who had risen to gain fame after studying there, including Lila.

In news programming, media platforms, and in stories specifically for the family, there were plenty of people who wanted to mention Martha's kindness and generosity over the years and to express their respect for her.

xxxxx

The phone rang, and for the first time since he thanked him for the books, Castle heard his father's voice.

"Richard Castle," he answered.

"I'm sorry about Martha. I know the two of you were close."

"Thank you. I may still not have entirely forgiven you for leaving her. She went through a lot of…" Castle took a deep breath and sighed it out. "None of that can be changed now, though. I miss her." He took another breath and then asked, "How are you? No offense, but Mother was ninety-seven, and I assume you're at least as old as she was."

"I've definitely been decommissioned for a while now, but I'm still moving. As far as the enemies I was worried about, I've reached the last man standing status in the waiting game. You can get in touch with your aunt and your cousin now without worrying about it."

"What are you going to do now?"

"The agency is sending me home in a couple of days. I'll be in New York early next week."

"Are you going back to Rochester?"

"I'm already dead there. Using my Jackson Hunt ID in New York City sounds like a better option. You can call me if you want to. I'll leave it to you."

"Okay. Thanks for calling."

"Your father?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. He's going to be in New York next week and is leaving what I want to do about that up to me. That's what the phone is for, I guess. I can call if I want to."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know yet."

"Should he meet the children?"

"I don't know yet. He never gives me enough warning to think."

She handed him his jacket. Time for a walk. It might clear your head…help you sort it out.

It took a few weeks after Alex was supposed to be back in town before Castle finally called him and asked where he was staying. Kate had told him the man was at minimum ninety-seven; and if he didn't decide to see him soon, at any minute it could be too late.

He was living about two blocks from Castle's apartment, Castle gave in and called to meet Alex for coffee near his apartment. That began random calls and random coffee meetings. Sometimes Kate would join them. Eventually Alex asked if he could meet his grandchildren…even if they didn't know who he was. One of their favorite Italian places was near his apartment, so they arranged a family dinner there. Even without the grandparents, there were still ten of them, the parents and children, plus new spouses and two grandchildren. Castle had asked to reserve the party room, just to have some privacy. He wasn't sure how the meeting with Alex would go. He had decided his children had the right to meet their biological grandfather. Whatever other feelings might rise to the surface, he was certain Alex would never hurt any of them. The children accepted the news much more easily than Castle had, and the evening went rather well. When they asked where he had been, they were given a sketchy answer about a government agency and a dangerous job.

Jamie set up a coffee meeting later in the week, hoping to capitalize on information Alex might be able to provide for book research; and Castle told him his great-grandmother was a writer, and he had all her books now.

As they were leaving, Jo turned to Alex with a sudden revelation. "The waiter. That was you. Dessert at the party in Paris. You have Dad's crinkly eyed smile…or he has yours...or whatever."

"Detective Castle, you are definitely the daughter of Kate Beckett. I'm impressed."

"She's mine, too, you know," Castle grumbled as he and Kate walked Alex to his building on their way home.

Alex lived another six months and had time to spend with his grandchildren, giving Jo insight into investigative techniques and Jamie good information for his writing, and Alexis answers to questions about medical care in the field. And he was there to wait with his son and Kate for the birth of one more great-grandchild. Castle never called him Dad, but he did allow himself to enjoy Alex's company…and the mutual teasing about their similar looks and traits.

Castle arranged to meet his cousin and his family and took Alex along to return from the dead, which took a little convincing. At Alex's request, they kept the return from the dead within the family, though. Castle and Charles could have passed for brothers. They got along well, and Charles made a trip to the city with his adult children so they could meet their grandfather's brother while there was still time. His family and the Castle family stayed in touch.

He and Kate made an effort to meet Martha's family, and they were curious and polite to them; but neither his generation of her family nor their children showed much more interest in them than Martha's parents and siblings had. It seemed odd to Castle that the family of the loving woman who was there for him during his entire life wasn't interested in his family in the least, but he found warm, responsive relatives in the family of the father he barely had time to know.

xxxxx

After a few more years of traveling through various parts of all the continents and eventually reaching the time when traveling was no longer as easy for Rick as it had been, the Castles decided to limit travel more to necessity and to spend most of the year in their beach house, going back to the city full time during the winters.

At the beach house, walks on the beach still happened almost every day…they just weren't as long as they used to be. They still sat on the bench that had steadfastly been repaired rather than replaced. They explained to their children that it held too many memories for them to let it go, Castle insisting, "We discovered we had fallen in love on that bench, I proposed to your mother on that bench, Alexis bonded with her siblings on that bench, and we read to Jamie and Jo on that bench. It stays here as long as we do." The entire family loved the beach house; so between their children, who had all given them grandchildren by then…seven in all…and the friends who were still able to travel, they often had weekend and summer guests to enjoy.