Disclaimer:

I don't own the Castle characters, which is such a pity, but since the current writers do a pretty good job on their own, I guess I can live with it...

FYI: I began writing this midway through season 3, so keep that in mind when reading.

3 Point 2

Part I: The Mother Of All Breakups.

It all started the way most breakups do.

With a fight.

Josh is the one who started it.

He's where it all began.

It sounds bad to say this - even to my own ears - but it really was all his fault.

Why?

Well, because he chose his job over me...

And it hurt.

"There's nothing I can do Kate!" He told me straight after the bombshell he'd already dropped.

The most important night of my life... and my own boyfriend wasn't coming...

"If I could go I would, but I can hardly tell my patient he can't have a new heart because I have to go to a party."

That made me feel heartless... as well as hurt.

"It's my Mother's fund-raiser Josh." I told him quietly, through gritted teeth.

"It's a man's life Kate." He replied flatly.

"There are other surgeons." I remarked.

"There'll be other parties too." He retorted.

Then he sighed.

"Look babe, I'll come next year okay?"

He obviously thought the offer would calm me down. He obviously thought saying that would pacify me.

He was wrong.

I hated how he called it a party...

I hated how he called me babe.

Castle would never call me that.

I winced.

Now where the hell had that come from?

I quickly pushed the thought aside, making myself focus instead on my boyfriend of nearly a year.

"Look Josh, it would mean alot to me if you were there." I told him."I don't think it's too much to ask."

Josh's eyes flashed.

"Well maybe I do Kate." His voice was heated. "God there's just no talking to you when you're like this!"

"Like what?" I hissed, starting to get angry.

"Like when you won't listen to what I'm telling you! I can't come to your stupid party okay? !"

That hurt.

A lot.

"Stupid party?" I shot at him. "Is that what you really think?"

Josh deflated at my tone.

"Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I wish I could come to your party, I really do babe okay? But Sammy's my patient. He needs me."

He'd said the word 'party' again. He'd called me 'babe' again too.

But even worse, he didn't seem to understand that maybe I wanted a boyfriend who cared about what I needed...

"What about me?" I asked quietly.

"Your friends will be there." Josh shrugged. "You'll have fun anyway right? You won't need me there."

He was treating me like a child.

And it was beyond patronising.

"Maybe I just don't need you." I declared aloud.

Josh's face darkened.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked crossly.

"If you can't be there to support me on such a special night, maybe I don't want you there." I told him. "Maybe I don't want to share it with you at all. Maybe I don't want to share anything with you."

"Now your acting childish." Josh scowled.

That did it.

"Oh yeah? Well how's this then? Leave!"

He stared at me, studying my hardened expression.

"You heard me!" I repeated angrily. "Get out!"

Josh tsked loudly in response.

"Fine. I'm gone. I don't need this." He said, in a disgusted tone.

He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch.

I watched him stalk over to the front door.

He slammed it shut on his way out.

And that, my friends, is how things ended with Josh.

That's how I ended up dateless three weeks before the big event.

The big event where I was guest of honour:

The Johanna Beckett Charity Ball.

And that's why it ended up being all Josh's fault.

Because I couldn't go dateless now...

Could I?