1021. Chapter 1021

After The Time of Our Lives

Episode 7.06

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: For the thousandth time, at least, I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: Actually, this should probably be called After Once Upon a Time in the West, but I changed some things after I started writing. I thought about changing the title, but I said to myself, "Self, it is after The Time of Our Lives. It's after Flowers for Your Grave, too. But I don't call everything After Flowers for Your Grave." So, I decided to leave it as it is. And you think this fanfic writing is easy

"Who can that be?" Kate muttered, hearing a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Rick answered.

"Get rid of them quickly, Mr. Castle. It's late and I was just getting ready for bed."

Rick laughed. "Consider whoever it is gone, Mrs. Castle."

"You'd better, or I'll start without you."

Rick opened the door, prepared to give the interloper a short piece of his mind for bothering them so late. However, the words died on his tongue when he saw who it was.

"Meredith? What are you doing here?"

His redheaded ex-wife smiled at him and walked past him into the loft.

"I'm in New York and I just had to stop by and see you, Kitten."

Remembering what a disaster Meredith's last visit had been, Castle quickly reacted.

"Meredith, you're absolutely not staying here. Kate and I just got back from our honeymoon. We're married. I will put you up in a hotel…."

Meredith laughed. "Kitten, I wouldn't dream of interfering with you and your new bride. I'll be staying at the Presidential Suite of the Fairwick with my new husband."

For the first time, Castle noticed that someone was standing outside the loft, looking in.

"Your new husband is…."

"Meredith?" Kate said, walking out of the bedroom. "What are you doing…." Then she recognized the man with Meredith. "Josh? You're Meredith's husband?"

Josh Davidson came all the way into the loft, putting his arm around Meredith.

"We got married about six months ago. We tried to let you know, but Rick was kind of missing."

"You married Meredith?" Kate said, disbelievingly.

Josh nodded. "Things kind of changed for me. I was in the eastern Congo, in a refugee camp, up to my ankles in mud and blood with three separate warlord armies fighting over the camp, and all of a sudden, I just couldn't take any more. I resigned from the NGO I was working for and came back to the US. I couldn't even stand to take a job at a hospital. Then I got an idea. I sat down and wrote a book about my time as a doctor in war torn parts of the world. And I got it published. "Josh grinned self-deprecatingly. "It's nothing like Rick's ton of best sellers, but it was really cathartic for me. And then I got a call from Monarch Studios. They want to make it into a movie."

"A movie?" Rick said weakly recalling the direct to DVD nightmare that had been Heat Wave. "That's nice."

"Oh, it's in what they call development hell right now." Josh looked at Rick. "They hire an actor to play me, and the director hates him. While everybody argues about that, the studio decides they want to have some script doctor go over the script. The director goes berserk because he loves the script, but then the lead actress gets pregnant. They either have to wait for nine months to do the film, or find a different actress. So, the director quits because the only reason he took the job was to work with that actress. The new director hates the script and the lead actress. And so it goes. You know how it is, Rick."

Rick nodded. He certainly did know how that went.

"But, that's when I met Meredith. It was love at first sight."

"Josh is such a sweetie." Meredith gushed. "And meeting him led to my big break."

"Big break?" Castle asked, wondering if he could afford another of Meredith's big breaks.

"While I was with Josh I met Peter Langford. Oh, he is just the most imaginative producer in the whole world. I was doing some work on a one woman play and Peter just loved it. It's being produced off Broadway starting next Saturday. I have four opening night's tickets for you, Kate, Alexis and your mother."

Meredith handed the tickets to Rick.

"Hollywood Daze and Broadway Knights?" Rick read from the tickets.

Meredith nodded enthusiastically. "In the play I'm Sandy Stardust, a character sort of based on my own career in show business, but adding in many, many vignettes from people in the entertainment industry. Oh, you're just going to love it."

"Oh, look at the time. We must be going." Meredith said. She kissed Rick, air kissed Kate and was off in a flurry.

"Won't a play based on her career be rather…short?" Kate asked.

"More like miniscule."

The next day Rick bought a copy of Josh's book, speed read it, and dropped by the precinct to brief Kate.

"You read the whole book?"

Castle nodded. "It's not that long a book."

"What's it like?"

"Josh modestly describes himself as a cross between Gandhi, Lawrence of Arabia, and Casanova. But don't worry, he didn't mention anyone even remotely like you in it." Castle thought and decided to tell her the rest. "If he's telling the truth, he had a lot of affairs while he was dating you. Overseas, that is."

Kate nodded slowly. "He may have thought he was getting back at me. He was suspicious that you and I were sleeping together. We had a couple of fights about it. I thought I had convinced him we weren't."

"He really never knew you, did he?"

"Not like you do, Mr. Castle."

"His loss."

That night, both Alexis and Martha had dinner at the loft. Martha was less than thrilled by the thought of attending Meredith's play.

"I've had to sit through some stinkers in my day, but watching Meredith trying to act, and do something she wrote? The mind boggles kiddo. Absolutely boggles."

"We'll have a nice dinner first and then a couple of drinks." Rick said, trying to put a good face on the outing.

"A large bottle of the bubbly for me, then."

Alexis was much more positive.

"I think it's great that Mom's finally getting her big break. We should be more supportive. And I looked up this Peter Langford. He's apparently very well thought of in Hollywood and the play is at the Grace theater which is just off Broadway. Didn't one of your friends do a revival of Harvey there a few years ago?"

Martha nodded. "Madge Sinclair. And it didn't last long. Which will probably be the fate of Meredith's show."

"I think we should all go and be very supportive of Mom."

"Right." Rick added. "I mean, how bad can it be?" all

They found out on Saturday night.

The four walked into the loft after the performance. When Castle shut the door, he leaned back against it.

"That was…"He began.

"Awful." Martha finished for him.

'Disappointing." Alexis added. "All of the so called fictional characters were obviously real people, and "The Daughter" was obviously me. She never took me to Euro Disneyland for my tenth birthday. And there was no huge party at "her" house in the Hamptons for my thirteenth birthday with celebrities and rock bands and fireworks. All of my friends who see that are going to think I had the best mom ever and they'll think I'm nasty for not appreciating her more."

"Pumpkin, all of your friends know that…" Castle began.

"Dad, I think I'll go to bed here tonight. I'm tired." She hugged Rick, Martha and then Kate, being sure to say, "Good night, mom." To Kate.

Once Alexis went upstairs, Martha spoke. "I know that it's just the Mother in Law and not Martha Rodgers in that play, but how dare she suggest that she had anything to do with my Tony nomination. She couldn't teach a skunk how to stink." She opened her mouth to speak again, but decided against it. "Oh, to hell with her and Sandy Stardust. I'm off to bed as well." Martha swept up the stairs.

"You weren't the one who cheated and ended the marriage." Kate said.

"I know and anyone who knows me knows that. It still kind of stings to hear her emote away about finding the Author in bed with two Stollywood Harlots." Rick put his arms around Kate, hugging her to him. "She wasn't very kind to the Muse, either."

"She said you chased me until I caught you. She made it sound like I was some fortune hunter out to take every cent you have."

"I know better than that and so do all of our friends. Don't worry about it."

"It's just that I know how hard on you I was. Pushing you away, insulting you and your Nikki Heat books, dating men I didn't love even though I knew I wanted you. I lied to you, Rick, about the most important thing in our lives. Sometimes I wonder why you stuck around. Being with Kate Beckett must have been a pain in the ass a lot of the time. You know, a sensible man would have just walked away from a train wreck like me."

Castle laughed. "Now we know why I didn't walk away. Besides, I know who was to blame for your problems. It was Bracken and no one else. And, Mrs. Castle, I was, still am, and always will be in awe at your strength and courage to stand up to everything he put you through."

Kate reached up and kissed him gently. "It's bedtime, Mr. Castle. And once I get you in bed, I'm going to do my best to show you what making love to two Stollywood Harlots is like."

The rest of the weekend passed quietly. As usual, Castle wondered what sort of mysteries and adventures they'd find at the precinct on Monday.

It was not what they expected.

They got off the elevator and walked through the bullpen together as always. Ryan and Esposito were waiting for them.

"Do the boys look upset to you?" Castle whispered in Kate's ear.

"Definitely. I wonder what happened?"

TBC