This is my last night to finish this for the bash and it will probably miss it by a couple of hours because it's Halloween and I'm watching the Daily Show at the very same time (ADHD is so much fun, guys) also my laptop keyboard keeps skipping space even after I hit it three times sometimes so there's bound to be a lot of made up words and contractions, but nobody's perfect. Anyway, let me finish this here A/N novel and let y'all get to your ghastly fluff. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Castle read about everything in the morning paper nearly a week later. About the voices on the tape and the incarceration of Senator Bracken, along with several other high-ranking government officials and career politicians. There were several televised interviews with the 'Hero Police Captain' and Castle was in awe of how composed she was in front of the camera. She spoke with authority and grace like he'd never seen before. Glancing to the side, he could see tears shining in Johanna Beckett's eyes as she watched her daughter with pride.

It took another week for the knock to come on his door and Castle was in the middle of cooking dinner when he answered, wiping his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder. His hands froze as he saw the person standing on the other side of the door. "Hi."

"Hi," the woman who looked uncannily like Captain Kate Beckett replied, meeting his eyes for only a moment before lowering them back down to the ground, where they seemed to be studying her feet. She was tinier than he remembered, but that may have been because her feet lacked the added height of four-inch heels. Instead, they were encased in red Converse high tops and her curves were hidden by a baggy NYU hoodie that hung down to practically her knees, over a pair of dark ripped jeans. Her hair hung in messy curls around her shoulders and her face was mostly devoid of makeup. Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she'd been crying, and her bottom lip, he couldn't help but notice, had teeth indentations, as if she'd been chewing on it.

"Daddy, manners!" Alexis called from several feet behind him and Castle jumped, glancing at her over his shoulder. She was standing, with a wide-eyed Johanna, between the kitchen and family room. She gave him that look and he chuckled, turning back to Kate.

"Right," he said. "Would you, uh, like to come in, Captain?"

"Oh, I, um, if you busy, I can just…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" his mother exclaimed, popping her head out of the kitchen, making the cop visibly jump in surprise. "Come right in! We've plenty to spare."

Castle chuckled and turned back to Kate with a bright smile. "It's true," he said, stepping to the side. "We have more than enough to go around and you look like you could use a good meal after the week you've had."

"Oh, you saw that, huh?" Kate snorted, looking back down at the floor.

"It was kind of hard to miss," Castle said. "Come on." He motioned her in with his head and Kate reluctantly took a few steps into the loft, her eyes widening as she looked around the enormous apartment.

"Whoa," she said. "Nice place."

"Thank you, Captain," Castle replied with a grin.

"You can just call me, Kate, Mr. Castle," she told him, softly.

"Kate," he echoed, testing it on his tongue. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Um, not right now," she said. "Actually, could we talk for a second? In private." She offered a kind smile to Alexis, who was looking up at her curiously. "Hello," she said, somewhat awkwardly.

Alexis gave her a small smile and then looked up at Johanna. "Is that your daughter?" she asked the ghost. Johanna nodded, giving her a big, watery smile.

"Isn't she beautiful?" she sniffled, reaching out to push a stray lock of honey-brown hair behind Kate's ear and frowning when her fingers passed right through. Kate shivered slightly and furrowed her eyebrows at Alexis.

"You can…you can see her, too?" she asked, her voice quiet and unbelieving. She glanced up to where Alexis had been staring just a moment ago, but she could not see her mother's face, even as she stared directly into her eyes. "Is she here?"

"Yes," Castle told her. "She's here. I take it you're a believer now?"

Kate took a deep breath and nodded. "It's hard not to be," she admitted with a small laugh. Castle matched her smile and nodded his head toward his office.

"Follow me," he said. "We should talk." He and Kate started toward the office and he could feel Johanna trailing after them, so he turned back to her. "Alone, if you don't mind." Johanna frowned at him, glancing at Kate, whose eyes moved around the room, as if looking for her.

Realizing that there was no way for her to see her mother, Kate sighed and nodded. "It's okay, Mom," she said. "We'll be right back." Johanna acquiesced, stilling herself as she watched them disappear into the office, before turning back to Martha and Alexis, who were giving her bright, welcoming smiles. She smiled back and joined them in the kitchen.

In the office, Castle shut the door and made his way to his desk, motioning for Kate to take a seat in one of the soft décor chairs on the other side. She perched herself on the edge of it as her eyes continued to gaze around the room, taking everything in.

Castle's desk was littered with papers and there seemed to be some kind of clothesline running behind it, with wrinkled pieces of paper clipped to it, all covered in cramped writing and red marker. And the walls were bookshelves—literal, see-through bookshelves—with a variety of books on all different subjects and genres. She saw a few of his own on a high shelf and couldn't keep herself from smirking and rolling her eyes.

"So," she said, "this is where it happens."

"Where what happens?" Castle asked. "Me writing my books?" She nodded. "Well, for the most part. Sometimes I go to cemeteries with my laptop or notebook and talk to the spirits that hang around their grave markers. They tell me stories and let me use them in my novels."

"So your characters…they're based off of ghosts? Like…real ghosts?"

"I thought you fancied that an oxymoron," Castle teased and she huffed. He chuckled. "Yeah, real ghosts. Your mother is the only true murder victim, though."

"Well that makes me feel…better?"

"It should," Castle insisted. "Usually, victims only stay tethered to earth until their killers are brought to justice. Many of them never get to leave at all."

"What happens to them?"

"They wander the earth, looking for somebody who can tell their story."

"And they find you."

"Sometimes," Castle sighed. "But I can only give them justice in writing. It takes something real to happen, like a killer being put behind bars, for them to cross over."

"Cross over to where?" Kate asked. "Heaven?"

Castle shrugged. "I've never met a ghost that's been to the other side before. Because once you get there, there's no coming back. I'd like to think it's a nice existence, you know? Full of family and friends. Maybe you meet a deity that you've dedicated your life to. Maybe they're as wonderful as you'd been led to believe. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Kate nodded in agreement. "It would be," she said. "Does this mean that I've helped some of these spirits cross over? With what I just did? With what I do as a cop?"

Castle nodded. "I'd imagine so," he said with a soft smile. "I'd like to think I do my part as well. It's not just victims tethered to this plane."

"Telling their stories helps, as well?" Kate asked.

"That and…being their medium to their families. Telling them things that they never got the chance to."

"Such as?"

"Hidden wills or secret bank accounts, safe codes, confessions…a lot of things. Some just want to say their goodbyes, you know? So they come to me and I locate whomever they want me to." He chuckled. "Sometimes, I meet skepticism." He nodded at Kate, who flushed, hiding her grin in the neck of her hoodie. "Usually, though, I meet with believers; mourning family members who are just happy to say their farewells and get some closure. There's a lot of tears."

"I'd imagine so." Kate sighed and reached into her sweater, pulling out a ring on a chain. The jewel was small and modest, but Castle could see how much it meant to her. "This," she said, "was my mother's. Her engagement ring. My father gave it to me after she died." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I've worn it every single day for over a decade. It used to drive me in my work, to find justice for other victims since I couldn't…since I couldn't find justice for her." She swallowed thickly, blinking back tears. "Now…now I don't really know what to do."

"Keep seeking justice," Castle offered. "For the victims. For their families. Just because you got justice for yourself, doesn't mean they shouldn't. Use that ring as a reminder of that; make sure this kind of thing never happens again—to the best of your ability." His voice was soft as he reached across the desk, placing his hand over hers on top of the desk. Kate jumped slightly, but didn't pull away.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I know," she said. "I know that's what I'm supposed to do now, but it's…it's gonna be hard. I have the press swamping my precinct as we speak. Makes everything more difficult." She took a deep breath and pulled her hand out from under his, swiping at her eyes. "But I know it's something I have to do. I'm not about to quit my job; I just need to…adjust." Castle nodded in understanding.

"You will," he assured her. "With enough time." He offered Kate a kind smile and received one in return. It was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen. Johanna was right; her daughter was gorgeous. "Now," he continued, clearing his throat, "would you like to speak with your mother?"

"I can…I can do that?" Kate asked in wonder.

He nodded. "Either through me or via a séance."

"A séance?" Kate snorted. "Those are actually a thing?"

"Of course they are," Castle chuckled. "But they usually take two or more mediums for it to work."

"Mediums?" Kate asked. "Is that what you're called?"

Castle nodded, standing up. "Me, my mother, and my daughter. It's a family trait. My grandparents worked on Coney Island, as fortune tellers."

"Have you done séances before?" Kate asked.

"Me? Never," Castle admitted. "But my mother does them a lot with a few friends of hers. I think she's been teaching Alexis behind my back, so maybe they can show me a little something." He smiled as her as he rounded the desk and helped her to her feet, hooking her arm in his as he led her back out into the main room.

Martha and Alexis were spooning the food into bowls and onto platters, setting them up on the counter.

"There you are, darlings!" Martha exclaimed, smiling knowingly at their linked elbows. "Dinner is ready."

"We can see that, Mother," Castle replied. "But I was wondering if you'd be up for a séance today."

"A séance? Really? Oh, I've been trying to get you to do one of those for years!" Martha clapped her hands in excitement. "Let me just go grab the candles. You can take a seat around the table, dear. Alexis will show you where to sit."

"I knew it," Castle whispered, making Kate snort and shake her head as the little girl grabbed her free hand and tugged her toward the table, sitting her down on one side of the head of the table.

"You stay there," she said, then turned to the empty space behind her. "Jojo, you sit across from Kate."

"Jojo?" Kate asked, with a tiny grin. "Is that what she told you to call her?" Alexis nodded with a bright smile. "That's what my friends used to call her."

"So that means we're friends?" Alexis asked her, turning a bit shy.

Kate smiled down at her and nodded. "I suppose," she replied.

Alexis's smile widened as she turned back to her father. "Okay, Daddy," she said. "You sit next to Kate and I'll sit next to Jojo."

Castle nodded and took his seat just as Martha walked out with the candles and a small red kerchief. She laid it down and placed the candles in the center of the table, atop it, in a triangle. She turned to Kate. "Do you have anything that once belonged to the deceased?" she asked. "It could make the connection stronger."

Kate nodded, pulling her necklace over her head and handing it over. "Nothing's going to happen to it, right?" she asked.

"It'll be fine, dear," Martha assured her. "It's just a token." She took the necklace and laid it down in the center of the triangular candles, then lit each of them. "Now, let us begin." She took her seat at the head of the table. "Everybody, join hands." She reached for Kate's and wrapped her thin, warm fingers around the younger woman's, shooting her a smile. Kate felt herself relax a little more—especially when she felt Castle's fingers interlock with hers on the opposite hand. They shared another smile as he reached across the table for his daughter's tinier hand. Kate watched as both Alexis and Martha seemed to reach and hold empty air. She visualized her mother sitting there, smiling at her, eyes shining with happiness and pride.

It took her a long moment to realize that it was not in her imagination and she immediately felt her eyes flood with tears. "M-mom?" she gasped, loosening her grip on Martha's hand in shock. Martha caught her before she could pull it away.

"If we break the circuit," she warned, "you won't be able to see her again."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Okay," she sniffled, then turned back to her mother. "Hi." There was a lump in her throat.

"Hey, Katie bug," Johanna greeted, tears in her own eyes. "My baby. My, how you've grown."

"I've missed you," Kate told her. "So much, Mom. So…so much."

"I know, baby," Johanna sighed. "I know. But I'm right here. I've always been right…right here. And I'm so, so proud of you."

More tears fell from Kate's eyes. "I wish…I wish I could hug you," she admitted. "I wish I could see you like…like they can." She glanced around at Castle, Alexis, and Martha.

"I know," Johanna said with a sigh. "I know, baby, but I…it's so nice to see you now. To say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Kate asked, furrowing her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I'm crossing to the other side soon," Johanna informed her. "To beyond. Mr. Castle tells me that's what spirits do when they're ready. And I'm ready now. I just…I wanted to see you one last time and tell you that I love you and I'm proud of you and I just…I want you to know that all I want is for you to be happy. Are you happy?"

Kate nodded, more tears falling down her cheeks. "Yes," she said, swallowing thickly. "Yes, I'm happy." She squeezed Castle's hand and he smiled over at her. "Thank you," she mouthed and he squeezed back.

Johanna gave the pair a knowing smile. "In the meantime," she said. "You should let Mr. Castle here take you out for a nice dinner."

Kate's face bloomed bright red as she turned back to her mother with wide eyes. "Mom!"

"What?" Johanna asked. "He's handsome and his family is nice. I want that for you."

Kate rolled her eyes and placed her head down on the table, careful not to unlink her hands from the others. "Nearly fifteen years later and you haven't changed one bit," she groaned. Johanna chuckled and took a deep breath, gazing lovingly at her daughter.

"I love you, Katie bug," she said.

Kate raised her head and watched as her mother's form began to flicker. She felt tears well up in her eyes again. "I love you, too, Mom."

"Take care of your father," Johanna told her as she began to dissipate. There was a glow emanating from her disappearing form. "Make sure he does well and tell him that I'll be waiting, alright? Tell him that I love him." Kate nodded.

"I will," she promised. "I'll tell him."

"Goodbye, Katie," Johanna said as she disappeared completely.

"Bye," Kate replied, letting go of Martha's hand to give a pathetic wave at the empty space across from her. She took a deep breath and turned to Castle. "Is she gone?" she asked. He nodded and she sighed, swiping at her eyes. He squeezed her hand and she offered him a wide smile, leaning into him until her cheek lay on his shoulder.

Taking her cue, Martha stood and blew out the candles, before gathering up all the other items and shuffling towards the kitchen with Alexis in tow as Castle wrapped his arms around Kate's shoulders, pulling her further against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and felt her sigh against his neck.

"Thank you," she said, softly, after a long moment. She pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Thank you for everything." They shared eye contact for a long moment, before Martha entered, breaking the silence as she placed the bowl of freshly made pasta on the table.

"Dinner," she said, with a wide grin and a mischievous glint in her eyes, "is served."

Castle sighed and pulled away, straightening up as his mother placed a fresh dinner plate in front of him, then one in front of Kate, before also handing her the necklace, wrapping her hand around Kate's hand and squeezing comfortingly. Kate smiled back at her and placed the necklace back around her neck.

"This doesn't count, does it?" she asked Castle as Alexis and Martha continued to fuss in the kitchen.

"Count as what?" he asked, turning to look down at her, one eyebrow raised.

"The meal my mother suggested you buy me." She bit her lip as her cheeks turned pink.

Castle grinned. "That's up to you, Kate," he said, with a wink.

Kate swallowed thickly and smiled bashfully, just as Martha and Alexis returned with the rest of the food, placing it down on the table, along with a bottle of wine and glasses. Martha smiled at them as she uncorked it and poured two, then handed them to Kate and Castle. "Cheers," she said, pouring her own.

Castle turned to Kate and clinked glasses with her next. "Cheers," he echoed. Kate just smiled and clinked hers back, something flashing in her eyes that Castle couldn't quite name.

But it gave him hope.

This is pretty late, but I hope y'all enjoyed it. Happy Halloween and Feliz El Dia de los Muertos to all those who celebrate.