410. Chapter 410

After Murder is Forever

Episode 6.08

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Not owning Castle is forever, in my case. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Do you think Linus us happy in your office?" Kate asked, snuggling against Rick.

"I asked him about that. He says that as long as the lady of the house is happy, he's happy."

"The lady of the house?" Kate said with a smile. "So, I'm the lady of the house?"

"Well, I'm not the lady of the house, Alexis is now with…."Castle stopped. "I hate saying that. Or even thinking about it."

"You'll survive." Kate commiserated.

"That leaves either you or Martha. I pick you. I'll always pick you."

Kate nodded slowly. "We came awfully close to not picking each other."

Castle did his best to look shocked. "Not picking each other? Surely, you can't be serious."

"I've heard that joke before and Leslie Nielson did a much better job of it."

"Perhaps. But Leslie Neilson didn't have the benefit of spending his formative years with a Broadway diva. I thought I put a lot of pizzazz into the line. Gave it a different twist. Really, I made it mine."

Kate thought for a moment, then decided to bring something up. "You're still upset about Alexis and Pi?"

"Of course I'm upset? Pi is one of those people who drifts through life, banking on a charming smile, the gift of gab and a way with women to make his way in the world."

"Does that remind you of anyone you know?" Kate asked softly.

"No." Castle thought some more. "What do you mean?" He thought some more. "Do you mean me?"

"What did the book by Alice Clark say about relationships? Anything about women ending up with men who remind them of their fathers?"

"I am nothing like Pi!" Castle huffed.

"You never stole a police horse while naked and got away with it, or made Page Six a gazillion times with a different supermodel?"

"I don't see your point?" Castle said defensively.

"Castle, you're unconventional. You play laser tag with your daughter. You build gigantic ice cream sundaes and watch zombie movie marathons with her. You're not exactly the firm but distant father figure of the early twenty first century American nuclear family."

"Are you saying Pi is my fault?" Castle hated the idea, but he had this horrible idea he could be, ever so slightly, like Pi.

"I'm not saying anyone is at fault. Pi is a fun loving, free spirited young man. Why wouldn't Alexis be attracted to a man like that? I was. I was very attracted. And I still am."

"So, what are you saying? That I can expect a constant parade of Pi clones from now on. And one day, Alexis will marry Pi…Number Twelve, or something and they'll have a little girl and her daddy will spend all of his time playing laser tag with her, and making ice cream sundaes and watching zombie movie marathons. And all the while Grandpa will be the stern, patriarchal, no nonsense father figure that I never was to Alexis?"

"No, Grandma Castle will be there as well. I can do stern and no nonsense thing far better than you can. But, I'm going to need a lot of help with the patriarchal part."

"I brought this on myself?" Castle said, quietly.

"Castle, Alexis is a very smart and driven young lady. Whether she got that from you, or in spite of you, I don't really know. But look at her life so far. As she's said, her whole life, so far, has been about being able to get into any college she wanted to. But that part of her life is over now. She's gotten into the college she wants to get into. Now she's looking around and wondering what's next?"

"And Pi is next?"

"Look at her past boyfriends. They were basically male Alexis's. Nice, well mannered, hard working, studious young men who were trying to get into the college of their choice."

"And I liked every one of them." Castle said quickly.

Kate snuggled down next to Castle. "Let me tell you a story."

"Isn't story telling my job?"

"Not in this case. Now, once upon a time…"

"That is so over done." Castle interrupted.

Kate slapped him lightly on the chest. "This is my story and I'll tell it my way. So, long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess. This princess had to work very hard because something very bad had happened to her. So she worked very hard trying to make sure that bad things didn't happen to other people. She was lonely and unhappy, but felt that it was an acceptable price to pay to keep all of those other people safe and happy."

"Did this princess have a name?" Castle asked.

"That's irrelevant."

"Princess That's Irrelevant?" Castle said, frowning. "Odd name."

"Castle?" Kate said, just a bit threateningly.

"Wonderful name." Castle said under his breath.

"Then one day, the princess met a wandering minstrel. A charming and funny fellow who agreed to help the princess. The princess didn't feel she needed any help, but the King insisted. And the princess found that having the minstrel around was fun. So much fun, in fact, that the princess decided she needed some fun in her life. But the minstrel was a problem. She couldn't have fun with him, because if she did and the fun stopped for some reason, she'd still have to work with him and that would be awkward and it might destroy the working relationship they had. So, she found someone else to have fun with, a fellow she worked with."

"Wait! Pi and Demming are my fault?" Castle said loudly.

"Yes!" Kate shot back. "Everything is your fault, Castle. Pi, Demming, the Cubs not winning a World Series since 1908, global warming, the Middle East, terrorism, declining test scores for American school children and the breakup of the Beatles. Can I get on with my story?"

"The Cubs are so not my fault." Castle muttered.

"Anyway, the princess dated another fellow, just to see what dating someone would be like. How it would feel to have fun and be with someone. She knew he wasn't what she was looking for. She knew, in fact, who and what she was looking for."

"Is there a point to this?" Castle grumped.

"Yes. The point is that the princess just wanted to see what was out there because she had so little experience. But when the time came, she got together with a wonderful man, in fact, the very minstrel who began all of this, and do you know what happened?"

"They lived happily ever after?" Castle guessed.

Kate nodded. "They lived happily ever after. And you will always be happy with Alexis and whoever she chooses because you love her and she loves you."

"I'll be happy with Pi?" Castle said, not convinced.

"I don't really see Pi being in the picture that long."

"Thank god. I love a story with a happy ending."

Linus the Lion could only agree. He just wished he could have told the lady of the house that in person.