CH21 (42)

Epilogue:

It was just a couple of months short of 6 years later:

Kate, Rick, Alexander and James were just arriving at Alexis's and her familiy's new home. They hadn't lived here long and none of them had ever been here.

Alexis had since sold her home in London and moved to Paris. Her husband had been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to relocate and accept the position that was open.

Alexis had chosen to quit her job and move with him. It hadn't taken her long to find another job in Paris. Hôtel-Dieu, 1 place du Parvis Notre-Dame 75004 Paris. It is considered to be the oldest Hospital in France, the very first hospital in Paris.

Their new home was Paris, Right Bank : Foch And 16th District. 5 bedroom, 4 bathrooms, 8 rooms total at 3,552 square feet. PARIS 16th. Marvelous reception apartment with storming terrace in the same level. South exposition. View of the Eiffel tower. Five bedrooms, four bathrooms. Perfect condition. Air conditioning. High security. Beautiful 18th Century wood paneling in the living room. Two parking spaces, one staff studio of 15 square meters and one cellar of 30 square meters.

Alexis with her newest addition met them at the front door of the building. "Hi mom, dad." Alexis handed off her little girl to her mother so she could envelope Alexander in a big hug. "You've gotten so big and I miss you so much."

Alexis had spent so much time helping her mother raise him she almost felt like he was hers. "And you young man, don't I get a hug?" Alexis held out her arms to James, who stepped into them.

"I remember when they were both just babies." Alexis blinked back tears. It had only been 5 years, but it felt like a lot longer, and so many things had changed since her dad had died in Chicago, only to come back to them somehow.

"She's gorgeous pumpkin." Alexis may be grown but to Kate and even Rick, she would always be pumpkin. "It looks like she inherited your hair color." Kate notices the orange tint of her hair.

"Yeah, she has my hair and complexion and Mark's eyes. I loved Alexander instantly when you brought him home and I thought I understood how you could love so unconditionally. Now I really do." Alexis was beaming.

"Come on up, all your rooms are ready and Mark will be home in a few hours after he gets off work. He was granted the next 3 days off from work, while I have the entire week that you are here. I get to show you around Paris, maybe we can take a train and go somewhere while you are here." Alexis offered.

Kate got to share luggage duty with Rick this time since both of her boys could easily walk the distance since Alexander was 5 going on 6 and James was 3 going on 4 soon. They were just a few months short of being 2 years apart in age.

"WOW, ALEXIS!" Kate's mouth was hanging open. "The pictures you sent didn't do it justice."

The main room had floor to ceiling windows that allowed you to look out onto one of the decks and gave a partial view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The main deck where you could sit and eat outside had a better view. "The paneling is 18th century." Alexis provides.

The dining room could seat 14 people and had a large Japanese multi-panel painting on the wall. The windows in this room were also floor to ceiling that showed off the evergreen trees, perfect for Christmas decorations in large pots out on the wrap around deck.

The master bathroom had dual vanities with a soaking tub located between them.

The master bedroom had a kind of Japanese feel to it with the bamboo floors, large painting of a tiger over the bed and the comforter on the bed had a Japanese feel to it. "It's a little more Japanese looking than I like and I'm thinking of changing that, but it can wait." Alexis explains.

"This place is amazing pumpkin." Kate loved it. Kate wasn't sure it was Alexis's style, but she was all grown up with a husband and a little girl of her own so maybe it had changed over the years. She did mention that it came furnished, so likely it was the previous owner and not her or Mark's.

Kate couldn't help but look down on the little bundle of joy in her arms.

"How is work coming along?" Kate asks her, knowing she left a good job in London to follow Mark to Paris.

"I'm still off on maternity leave for the next 2 months and work is nice. I was forced to change my type of duties to get it. It is kind of a thrill working in the oldest hospital in France, but then it's also the oldest hospital in France." Alexis rolled her eyes and hoped they knew what she meant.

The building itself was old, older than any building in the States. Air conditioning was spotty and dependent on where you were in the building. The heating system was old school and the electrical? Well the building was built before there was electricity.

Everything in Europe was different. Thanks to the 2 hour train trip Alexis had been to Paris a number of times before she actually moved here. She wasn't yet fluent in French but her earlier trips here had allowed her to get a head start.

And her mother had been wrong about her finding a nice Italian guy who would woo her. Mark didn't live in Venice, if fact he had never even been there, Mark was definitely British. His accent was pretty much a dead giveaway. Fortunately his French was a little better than hers.

They found themselves sitting outside on the deck looking at the upper level of the Eiffel Tower. The buildings in the distance blocked part of the view, still you could see it.

Kate still had Johanna Houghton Roberts in her arms. Kate had started crying when Alexis had told Kate the name they had chosen. Kate could hear Alexis's influence written all over it. However Mark and even Alexis to a lesser extent had started calling her Jo.

"You have plans for us while we're here?" Kate asked.

Alexis nodded her head. "As soon as Mark gets home we're going to take you out to the Eiffel Tower and all the way to the top. They call this place the city of lights. You understand that name when you are up there and it's dark out. Mark and I have a plan on how to feed her every couple of hours while we are out in public." Europe is a little more forgiving of having mothers breast feed their children in public, still there is a limit.

"Tomorrow we're going to drop you off at a tour company and let you pick one to go on. Our one car won't hold everyone, since cars out here are a lot smaller than the ones in the States. There is no such thing as Ford Expeditions or Cadillac Escalades here, the streets are way too skinny for those. But at least they drive on the right side of the road here." Alexis had to laugh at herself.

Learning to drive on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road using her left hand to shift and been a tremendous struggle for her, hence she left most of the driving to Mark after they met. Now Alexis did most of the driving since now Mark was on the wrong side.

"Are we going to Disneyland Paris while we are here?" Rick asked excitedly.

"Please Lex?" Alexander had heard that. It did however get Alexis to start laughing. Her father was still a little kid at heart and she could hear her dad in Alex's voice.

"Sure there is even a train that can take us there and back, we've never been there so it'll be first for us too." Alexis answers his question.

"YES!" Rick high fives his oldest son, who wasn't his but was. It still boggled his mind. However Alexander didn't know any different, Rick was his dad, end of story.

It got Kate to shake her head, her grown up husband was such a child sometimes. It was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with the original Castle and was happy the new Castle was just the same. It made overlooking that he didn't look like the original Castle that much easier.

"We were thinking of a day trip to Lyon. Take a train out and visit the city and then a train back here. Since Mark only has 3 days we were thinking of taking a train to Rome and spend the night.

We already have hotel reservations." Alexis hopped up and left the patio but was soon back and handed over a paper to Rick and one to Kate.

Boscolo Exedra

Piazza della Repubblica, 47

00187 Roma

"We've booked two Panorama rooms that overlook the fountain Delle Naidai in the Piazza Delle Repubblica. It's not far from the train station, we could probably walk to it." It was 7500 euros per room per night Kate noticed since Alexis wasn't hiding it.

"After that it is up to you. We can see more of Paris or do another day trip by train, it'll just be without Mark." Alexis knew Mark had asked for the entire week, but they had only granted him 3 days. They considered themselves lucky that that got those 3 days, since he had only just started his new work.

Alexis was on maternity leave otherwise she might not have even gotten 3 days.

"We'll think of something pumpkin, mostly we just came out here to see you, Mark and this little one." Kate looked down at the bundle that was still in her arms, when Jo started to cry.

Kate knew just what to do about that since James was not a quiet baby like Alexander had been.

"Ok so you don't want attention, or maybe you just want mommy, and you're clean." Kate coos at her.

"She's probably hungry." Alexis took her from Kate and went inside. Kate followed in a moment.

Kate found her in the nursery with Jo attached to her nipple, a scene Kate was only all to familiar with. "Kinda like old times?" Kate sat in the spare chair.

Alexis smiled not attempting to cover up. "Reminds me of you and Alex, it seems like only yesterday."

"Except this time it's your nipples taking a beating instead of mine." Kate had to chuckle as she teased her daughter. It got Alexis to chuckle with her.

"How do you feel pumpkin?" Kate had her alone so it was time to ask the tougher questions.

"Tired actually, Jo isn't ready for a bottle yet so pumping is out for now. Meaning I'm the one that has to get up in the middle of the night. All I get are cat naps.

And there's still a little pain, but it's not bad. … You didn't warn me about the pain mom. I almost broke Mark into two pieces. I said some mean things to him while I was in labor, it had me apologizing to him as soon as she was in my arms." Alexis confides.

"It comes with the territory pumpkin, I'm sure Mark knows you didn't mean it. Your father wasn't there when Alexander was born, but I made up for it when James was born. I think I scared Castle half to death, thinking I meant every word I yelled." Kate started laughing, the look on Castle's face hadn't helped any.

"Are you and dad still, ..." Alexis didn't know how to approach the subject.

Kate giggled. "Yes Castle and I are fine pumpkin, it took me a few months to want him again. If I wasn't back on the pill again I'd probably be pregnant right now." Kate knew there were only rare occasions when they didn't make love to each other daily still. Though with 2 boys in the loft, it took more planning than it used to.

It made Alexis feel better since letting Mark touch her right now was out and she didn't want it to stay that way.

Alexis moved Jo to her other nipple. "How's dad?" Alexis and Kate talked a lot and used Skype a lot, but she wanted to hear it with Kate right in front of her.

"I know he doesn't look like Castle, but under all that it is Castle. From the plans that Castle liked to make, to all the little things, like acting like a child sometimes, to the way he makes love to me. Its Castle pumpkin, it really is. I still don't know how and Castle doesn't either.

He remembers a few more things as time passes by, or maybe more like works out was just a dream and what is real. Like being in Chicago, he has worked out most of what happened there, just not the accident itself. THANK GOD!" Kate was happy for that. "He remembers most of the baseball game, how much fun we had inside and out." Kate was grinning since that was code for he remembered making love to her both times.

"He also remembers yelling at Gina in the taxi, he was mad at her, like really mad. He doesn't remember why or what he said, but it might explain why the taxi ran that red light." Kate tells her.

Alexis thought about that while feeling her daughter bite down on her nipple just a little too hard, causing her to move her mouth a little. "Gina was always under dads skin, I never understood why he married her. … You think they distracted the taxi driver?" Alexis was guessing.

"I think so yeah, whatever it was they were talking about that got Castle mad, he placed too much attention on it instead of his driving." Kate was guessing but it fit the facts that she had.

"That would mean that Gina, …. GOD MOM, Gina got them killed." Alexis was suddenly crying, she had never really liked Gina, but now she had reason to hate her. She had taken her father from her.

"The taxi driver got them killed pumpkin, but yeah, if she hadn't pissed off Castle that much, the accident likely wouldn't have happened." Kate didn't want to hate Gina, but she did now.

"I hope she rots where ever she is." Alexis wanted her to suffer like she had made them suffer, and then multiply it by some huge number. "Makes me even more happy that I got you to go to Chicago to be with dad." He was at least happy before he died.

"As I recall I don't remember being given a choice, since you did all the planning." Kate stares at her.

"You were in love with dad, mom. I wasn't going to just sit there and wait for dad to get back. You were missing him and you were miserable, and don't bother to tell me I'm wrong." Alexis pointed a finger at her mother, and then cleaned up Jo's mess and made herself more presentable, while Kate took Jo from her and burped her.

While Kate softly patted her back. "No you were right, I was missing him and I was miserable. That one day is still the single most happiest day I've ever had.

I was so in love, perfect date, perfect, ..." Kate trails off, declining to say the perfect day of sex she had ever had. "And it was the day that gave me Alexander." Castle may be back, but he was still the only thing she had left of the original Castle.

"Does Mark know?" Kate asks, meaning any of Castle.

Alexis shakes her head. "No and I don't intend to ever tell him either." Mark had no reason to know that her father had died and come back. To Mark, this Castle was her father. He was the one that walked her down the aisle at her wedding.

It was also the reason Alexis now had a dual citizen ship. One American and one British. As for France it wasn't really home yet, they had only been here a few months.

"What's it like having dad closer to your own age? Alexis was curious, since this Rick was only 1 year older than Kate.

"To be honest I haven't really thought about it much. I suppose it does mean Castle gets back 10 years of his life and he won't be too old for them by the time the boys graduate high school. Though I am liking that he is a lot more fit now." Kate started blushing. This Rick was keeping up with her in ways the old Rick didn't. He even went out on runs with her now. Kate still didn't understand why this Rick was single. He was handsome and he was built.

It got Alexis to start grinning at her mom, thinking the wrong thing. Not knowing the old Rick had always been able to keep up with Kate in bed.

"How did Lanie and the guys take to having a new Castle in your life?" Since this Rick had taken his old name when they got married.

"The guys ribbed me for a while, but since this Castle doesn't come into the precinct like the old one, it passed quickly." Since the original Castle had died Kate had gotten used to him not being in the precinct. Still it was a hole in her life that Kate understood was likely never to be fixed. "Castle has even had them over for video game marathons. ... I think it's the free food that gets them to come though." Kate starts chuckling. "The guys don't call him Castle anymore though, to them he's Rick, since he doesn't look like Castle. It hurt Castle a little bit at first, but he's adjusted about as well as they have to me being with a new guy."

"And Lanie?" Alexis was sure that hadn't gone smoothly.

Kate did however laugh a little. "LANIE! ... She's happy I found someone who loves me and that I love him back. The fact that Rick changed his name to Castle when we got married instead of me being a Carlisle? ... Yeah, she's still not over that one. ... And I really hate lying to her. Just that telling her the truth? ..." Kate didn't think that would go over well even today. And Kate was happy to still be a Castle and have a Castle in her life. Well better make that 3 Castle's.

"How is your dad?" Alexis asks watching Jo fall asleep in Kate's arms.

"He's fine actually, we had him over for dinner before we came over here." Kate tells her, still holding a sleeping Jo in her arms.

"I'm glad it was just a misunderstanding with a poor choice of words." Alexis points out.

"I don't know how I keep screwing up. First I wouldn't let your father into my heart and then losing him damn near broke me. Then to interpret what my dad had been trying to say. Except what he said hurt so much. My pregnancy was the one piece I still had that was of Castle. … No offense." Alexis wasn't really her daughter at that time.

"It's fine mom, you were my dad's girlfriend at the time. Not my mother yet. … And I heard what you heard too and I hated him for what he said too. We didn't hear wrong, he just didn't say what he meant." That day with Kate's dad had turned into a mess. All that time lost because of un-intended words.

Kate was still sad about that time. She lost her dad to a bottle and then lost him again when he meant to try and talk her out or thinking about getting an abortion because the father was gone. She had lost her mom and then her dad, … twice.

"How is dad, honestly." Alexis didn't want long distance platitudes.

It got Kate to start smiling. "He's actually doing pretty good. I knew he was a great father since I got to see him with you, but he's amazing with the boys. Castle may have his faults, plus he puts up with mine." It got Kate to chuckle. "He may not be the perfect husband for everyone, but he's the perfect husband for me and an amazing father.

His work has brought in 3 new clients to the firm. It seems the word is out that they have an illustrator that can take the story ideas that are in your head and then draw them for you.

I think I've finally convinced him that he is still involved with stories, he just isn't the one who's writing them. He's drawing them instead. So he really is dreaming up stories in his head and putting them on paper. It just isn't in words this time. And they gave him a 24% raise last quarter, I was so proud of him. He's still chafing that he has to go into work each day of the week, like any normal worker." Kate started to chuckle.

"Yeah I can see where that would cause dad some discomfort. He was used to being home for me, writing at his own pace, until Gina would call him demanding something from him." Alexis chuckled with her.

"Well not to fear, we turned his writing study into an illustrator study. Castle does some of his work at home now instead of going into the office, now he has Matt calling him at home asking him where some of the panels he needs are.

It gets him to stay up all night drawing so he can drive them into the office the next day. It's kinda like old times, just with different names." Kate was shaking her head.

"And you're still at the 12th precinct?" It was the last place Alexis knew her mom was at. They didn't usually talk about her work.

"Yup, I'm lead homicide detective, Montgomery is still the Captain. The boys and I are still trying to figure out why he's so happy. He's been that way ever since the Bracken arrest. I mean he's always been nice to work with, he's taught me a lot, but there is something different about him. Not that we're working very hard on it." Kate was smiling.

"Why change it if it isn't broke?" Alexis offers.

"Or don't look a gift horse in the mouth, don't rock the boat. Still it is curious, maybe one day." Kate offered. "And I found out last night before I left work that Montgomery wants me to take the Lieutenants exam. It will place me in charge of the entire homicide floor." Kate however wasn't smiling.

"And you don't want to?" Alexis can see the hesitation of her face.

"It might mean I go out in the field less and have even more paperwork to deal with." Kate wasn't sure she would like that. "I also had some FED guy tell me there was a position open in the AG office, except it would mean I would have to move to DC." Kate liked the idea of the job, just not its location.

Alexis however was grinning wide. "Pumpkin?" Kate had noticed and wanted to know why she was grinning.

"Come with me mom." Alexis gets up and offers her hand. Then leads her into the master bedroom again, and watched Alexis step up to the huge HDTV that was on the wall. Except when she turned it on it was something else.

Kate gasped. "It's a murder board, just like the one at the loft. I thought it was a TV." Kate's mouth was hanging open and she decided to sit on the bed since she still had Jo in her arms.

"It is a TV, it just doubles as a murder board. Mark and I use it for his work from time to time. We brought it with us from London. I was thinking we put things up for being a lieutenant and something for the AG job. If you can see it, maybe it will help you decide." Alexis offers.

"Give me Jo so I can put her down and you can start entering the information, it works just like the old one in the loft." Alexis takes Jo and leaves Kate with the board.

Alexis was soon back and the two of them could hear Castle playing with his sons, leaving Kate and Alexis to work in peace.

"I don't know mom, I thought this would make it easier, not harder." Alexis was staring at the board.

Kate sighed, she had been hoping it would help too. "I guess that just leaves what your heart tells you mom." Alexis wasn't sure she could help her now.

"If I was any good at listening to my heart I would have been married to your father long ago." And not of had him die on her, was left un-said.

"You said you would stop running mom, you had a dream when you joined the NYPD. You got your mothers killer, thanks in part to dad. So what is your dream now?" Was her question helping?

"And do you believe now mom?" Alexis changed subjects.

"I had a hard time believing he was talking to me after he was gone, and I adapted to that because I wanted to. Even if I couldn't have Castle, I could at least get him to talk to me." Kate blinked back the tears that this topic always brought.

"And now?" Alexis pushes.

"Now he's back from the dead in someone else's body. If Castle had brought that up as one of his crazy theories I would have shot him down without hesitation. Now here I am in Paris with a daughter I didn't think I would ever have. With two sons from two different men who happen to be the same man." Kate was sure she was in some kind of episode from the Twilight Zone or something.

"And you love him." Alexis wasn't asking.

"Yeah, I love him. I love the old Castle and I love the new Castle with all of my heart. Both of them, … him. I swear it's going to drive me nuts some day." Kate started chuckling while wiping the tears away. There was a scar where the hole of having Castle die used to be, but at least it wasn't a hole now. Having Rick come back to her and loving him had fixed all that.

"And if you had been offered the AG job just after dad died?" Alexis asks wondering if this was helping any.

"I'd be all alone in DC raising my son all by myself and never have known Rick had returned to me, … us." Kate amended.

"Home is where dad is mom, like my home is where Mark is. New York and the loft will always be where I grew up with dad and then you, but this is my home now.

Which is more important mom, staying in New York? A city you know well, or asking dad to quit his job, that he just got a raise at, take Alex out of school and move all of you to a city you've never even been in before?" Alexis offers.

"You quit and moved to Paris." Kate counters.

"I'm a medical specialist, my skills are needed everywhere. My old job in London offered me a raise if I stayed, and Jo wasn't even born yet." Knowing that Jo had been born in Paris. "My circumstances are different from yours. I had already left New York and made London my home. Following Mark was a no-brainer. Yes this home is a lot more expensive then the home in London, but I have the money and we both fell in love with the place when we saw it." Alexis explains. The size, the age, it's location and of course the view. Plus it was one of the most secure buildings in all of Paris. Perfect for Mark's job.

"Mark makes more money now and my job has always made me good money. Not enough to buy this place, but we can live here comfortably on our pay, just like you and dad do." Alexis points out.

"That reminds me, have you done anything with the home in Bel-Air?" Kate asks her.

Alexis shakes her head. "It's still rented out to the people who moved into it years ago. So long as they make all the payments, I'm not throwing them out just so I can sell it." Alexis didn't want the house. They didn't have any trouble with Meredith anymore, but that didn't mean much. She was far to unpredictable for them to believe she was gone and going to have it stay that way.

"OH, I almost forgot, I have something for you." And Kate hugs Alexis tightly in a motherly hug. "I miss you darling, please be happy and safe." Kate tells her. "That was from Martha." Kate smiles at Alexis watching the tears form.

"I think I've decided, not sure this thing helped any, but it was fun to use it again." Kate tells her, turning back to the murder board.

"And?" Alexis really did want to know.

"I have a family, something I've always wanted before mom was killed and I've gone through a lot to get it. It should be my number one priority. Trying to find out who killed my mom cost me a lot, and Castle is a big reason why I succeeded and why I have a family.

I don't need the job I have that much anymore and if I take the AG job, I'll have to uproot everyone so they can chase me for some job when I already have one. If I become a Lieutenant maybe my hours will become a little more stable and maybe fewer fears that I won't come home to my family one day.

The AG job might have been something I would have jumped at years ago, when I didn't have anyone in my life, but I do now." Kate reasons out.

"So you're staying in New York?" Alexis was hoping she would but didn't want to push unless she had to.

"Yeah, it's the best choice for me now." Kate confirms, getting Alexis to hug her mom tight. Getting Kate to chuckle. "I take it you approve?"

"I was afraid I was going to have to talk out of going to DC. Of anyplace in the States I could think of NOT wanting to live, that place would be high on that list." Alexis was giggling.

"Come on pumpkin, we're on vacation and I want to spend as much of it with you and your family as I can. … MY DAUGHTER IS MARRIED AND HAS A FAMILY!" Kate was happy.

It was now 2 weeks later:

Alexis reached for her ringing cell phone while nursing Jo noticing it was a Skype call. "Hi mom." Alexis was happy to hear from her, even though they had only left a week ago. Then she instantly became concerned. Kate was crying and her dad who was right behind her was grinning from ear to ear.

"Mom, what's wrong? …. Mom talk to me." Alexis didn't know what to think, their two faces were a contradiction.

"We're still at the hospital pumpkin." Kate tells her. Getting Alexis really worried now, except that her dad was beaming.

Alexis was doing her best to look between the two of them. "What happened?" It must not be too bad if her dad was smiling, but mom was crying.

"We just got the blood test results and we called you first.

I'M 7 WEEKS PREGNANT!" And Kate kept on crying happy tears. She really was happy!

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To all those that managed to read their way through all of this, my thanks. It isn't one of my better works in my humble opinion. I had an idea in my head that turned out to be a lot harder to put on paper then I thought.

So if you have made it this far, be gentle. I promise to try harder next time. I'm going back to the Sci-fi stories since those are the ones I love, with just a little twist this time. I'm only up to chapter 5 on it, so it will be a little while before i post the first chapter.