Hi everyone.

This idea has been bouncing in my head for a while now and I have finally started writing. I hope the characters aren't too OOC for you guys. I had the make them like this for my story to work out for how I have it planned. Uh, yeah. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Richard Castle, Katherine Beckett, Martha Rodgers, etc. (Wish I did though..)

Edited Version: Okay, so I realize what you guys are saying about Beckett being his emergency contact after two and a half years. Unrealistic. So what I did was rewrite this chapter. The beginning is the same with the flashback, but the rest of the chapter is different. I hope you guys like this new version. (On another note, I want to thank you for the constructive criticism. This obviously helps me and I want to thank you for not being harsh about it. I have had stories in the past where people have been to harsh and I ended up deleting my story. But I believe that I have improved since then, and I am grateful for you guys to help me bloom into an even better writer.)

Thank you.

"Jesus take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do this all on my own

I'm letting go

So give me one more chance

To save me from this road I'm on

Jesus take the wheel"

- Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, will you marry me?"

Shock went through-out her. This is nothing what she expected when he said they needed to talk too. She froze on the swing set. Her feet went to the ground immediately to stop her from swinging. Her eyes went from between the beautiful rock he was holding to the look on his face full of hope and desperation.

He desperately wanted her to say yes. He didn't want her to go. She was the first women to ever really open up his eyes. And it was nothing like his previous relationships. He didn't jump into the relationship like he had with his two ex-wives. It was at least two years before he actually realized his feelings for her. Then a year before he told her how he felt. Finally, another year before he acted on his feeling. He wasn't just about to let her slip away.

"Castle." Kate breathed out.

"Kate, will you marry me?" He asked again.

Tears started sliding down her face. She loved him, yes. But she was definitely not ready for marriage and this proposal from him shows that they are on two separate pages on how they view their relationship. Plus, she knew she would eventually become angry with him about not being able to take the job. She had to do this now and get it over with.

Her shaky hands reached for his. His eyes got a hopeful glint in his eyes for a brief second before she asked him to put the ring down. All of his hope and happiness was flushed right out of him when those words came out of her mouth. He slowly put the ring back into the pocket it came from. He stood up and looked down at Kate, who was still sitting on the swing.

She blinked a few times to get the tears out of her eyes. "I didn't know you were going to do that."

"Well most guys who propose marriage try to surprise the woman." He coldly remarked. He already knew what her answer was going to be, but he felt like sticking around to hear her reasons.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let another tear escape.

"Castle, please listen." He just motioned for her to keep going on. "I love you. I will never deny that and I hope you still believe that I love you because I do. That will never leave my heart. I will forever love you and believe me, this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. I want that job. It's an amazing opportunity and I don't think I can turn it down."

Castle sat back on the swing next to her. "I understand that it is an amazing opportunity. I realize that. I know you would be perfect for that job. I just don't understand how you couldn't tell me. Or how you didn't even think about I fit into this. We are in a relationship here, Kate. We are supposed to think about each other when we make life-changing decisions."

"Castle, you have been the entire reason why I was considering not taking the job. There has not been one step through-out this process that I haven't thought about you. And the reason why I didn't tell you was because I was so sure that I wouldn't get the job. But now that I have, I have to make a decision soon."

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty by any means, but remember when you first came to me. You said you almost died and all you could think about was me. Hell, you quit your job. That was the most important thing to you and you dropped it. Where is that now, Kate?"

Beckett put a few strands of her hair behind her ear and shrugged. He had a point. Where was that person now? That night, she didn't care that she quit her job. All she could think about how she almost missed her opportunity with Castle and she didn't want to waste another moment. But things were different now. They were in a relationship for a while now and she doesn't know if it will last. They have never fully talked about their relationship and where it was headed. All she knew for sure was that she wanted that job badly. That was the only thing she was for sure about, and she is going to act on that instinct.

She let out a shaky breath and looked up at Castle. "I honestly don't know Castle. But what I do know is that I want that job. And, god, I don't want to do this to you. It's hurting you as much as it's hurting me."

"I highly doubt that."

"Castle-"

He shook his head and stood up. "Don't. I know where this is headed. I'm just going to save myself from even more rejection from the women I love. I really hope this is what you want and that you have an amazing rest of your life. I really wish the best for you."

"Please don't leave right now. I don't want things to end like this."

"I don't want this to end, but I guess both of us aren't getting what we want today. Well, you are getting the job you want, so I guess that is a bonus for you." Castle started to walk away. He didn't want things to end like this either, but he wanted to save himself from more rejection. He is barely handling what is going on right now, he couldn't stand another second talking to her. He couldn't stand another second of feeling rejected.

"Rick, please." Beckett said. Just by hearing her voice, you could tell she was crying. "I don't want you to hate me."

Castle stopped for a second and turned to face her. "I don't hate you. I want the best for you and if this job is what you want, then go for it. I just want you to be happy and if this job will make you happy, then okay. You go get the job."

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She couldn't come up with anything to say. And when Castle saw, he turned around and continued to walk towards his car. He could hear her crying and he was sure she could hear his heart breaking, but if she wasn't going to anything about his heart breaking, he wasn't going to do anything about her crying.

He just hopes that the next time he sees her, she will be happy.

six months later..

She had just walked through the door of her D.C. apartment when her phone went off. She set her keys on the table right next to her door to dig into her pocket to grab her phone. She took a quick sip of the coffee she had just bought before answering the phone call.

"Hey, Lanie. What's up?" Beckett spoke into her iPhone.

Lanie sighed on the other end. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry."

Beckett's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean you're sorry?"

She could hear Lanie opening up her mouth to start speaking, but she couldn't even start the sentence she was trying to say.

"Lanie? What's going on?"

Lanie let out a huge breath. "Just turn the TV on to the news, sweetie."

And Beckett did just that. She set her coffee down on the table next to her keys before walking over the TV and turning it on. It took her a few seconds to grab the remote, turn it to the news and turn up the volume.

She listened intently to the women presenting the breaking news. "Here we have a collision south of the interstate. This black ford fusion has crashed into this red Ferrari causing it to flip over. There have been speculations about," But the lady was cut off by being told something through her ear piece. "Excuse me, they are no more speculations it has now been confirmed that this Ferrari is owned by best-selling author Richard Castle. There have been no identifications on the people who were in the other vehicle yet and we have no word on the injuries. There will be more of this at four o'clock. Thank you."

The TV went back to its regular programming as Beckett stood there in shock of what she just heard.

"When I first saw the news, they said they were just speculations but I knew when I saw the car that it was his. I'm so sorry honey."

She gulped. "W-was anyone else in the car with him? They never said on this report."

"No. There have been no reports about anyone else in the car with him."

Beckett walked back over and grabbed her keys. "I- I have to go. I need to be there."

"I don't know if that's the best idea."

"What do you mean? I need to go down there and make sure he is alright." Beckett said closing the door behind her.

"I know you feel that you need too, but it's been six months since you broke his heart by not accepting his proposal. When he wakes up, he'll tell you right then to leave. And there is no way Alexis is going to let you see her father after what you did to him. And with the press all over this, unless you are a family member, there is no way that the hospital is going to let you in. Reporters will be trying to get in, along with fans."

"What are you trying to say? That I shouldn't go down there to see if he is okay?"

"I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that there is no way that you'll get in and if by a miracle, Alexis and Martha let you in, Castle is just going to force you to leave." Lanie explained.

Becket was now walking down the stairs to the front door. "I can't not go down there, Lanie. I have too."

Lanie sighed in defeat. "By all means, go down there. But you aren't going to get anything. You'll just be turning around and heading right back to D.C."

"I have to go. I'm reaching my car." She said as she walked out of her apartment complex and straight towards her black sedan.

She would have to face everyone she had left behind six months ago. The only person she could count on not to hate her was Lanie. She knew Esposito and Ryan wouldn't hate her. But she knows that they won't let her off the hook for not calling them every once in a while and not visiting once back to New York. The reasoning behind not going back to New York was because, with her luck, she knew she would eventually run into someone and explain what has exactly been going on with her. So instead of driving back to New York, her dad would drive up to Washington to visit her. Other than Lanie, her dad would be the only one who would stick by her side through-out the entire time of the hospital.

With that thought in her head, Beckett reached for her cell phone, which was lying on the passenger's seat, and found her dad in her contacts and called him.

A few rings went by before her father answered, "Katie?"

Beckett gave a slight smile at the sound of her father's voice. "Yeah, Dad. Its me."

"I'm assuming you're calling about Rick getting in the car accident. Oh, honey. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I just got done talking to Lanie. She was the one who told me about it. In fact, she tried to get me to stay up here in D.C. But I have to go down there and just make sure that he is okay."

"Wait, you are coming here? Honey, I agree with Dr. Parish. There is no reason for you to come down here."

Another tear slide down her cheek. "God, why is everyone so against me coming down there? I know what I did to him six months ago was horrible and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, but I need to go down there for the sake of myself. He doesn't owe me anything, but as long as I know he is okay, that I will leave and never come back."

"You're right. He doesn't owe you anything, but he has other things to live for. He has Alexis and Martha. God knows he would never leave Alexis on purpose. He would fight to hell and back just to stay with her. And the reason you shouldn't go down there is because you're not ready to face them. I don't think you will ever be ready and Alexis surely won't have a hard time kicking you out of the hospital."

She nodded to herself.

"I know. I don't care if he wants nothing to do with me. If he tells me to get the hell out of there, I will. As long as I know he is okay, that's all that matters to me. And I know it's selfish of me, but, Dad, can I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Her father replied.

"I need you there. I need you to come to the hospital with me. I know Alexis will do everything in her power to get me away from her and her family, but I need to be there and know he is okay. And she likes you. She doesn't have a problem with you so she won't go too harsh on me."

"I can, but if you are coming down here, to New York, I think you need to face them yourself. It's your decision and you need to face the consequences. I want to be there with you, but I don't think I'd be a good parent by trying to help you not face everything.

Beckett groaned. "Fine. I'll face them on my own."

She could practically hear her father nodding his head. "You know if it were under different circumstances, that I'd be there. Right?

"Yeah, I know."

"Call me when everything is over with. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad. Bye."

Once she heard her phone beeping, it meant the call had ended. She threw her phone back on the passenger seat. As she, finally, let herself relax in the seat she tightened her grip on the steering wheel and kept her eyes on the road. It wasn't until she heard beeping she tore her eyes off the road. She looked over at her phone, but her phone didn't light up. She glanced back up at the road before looking behind her steering wheel.

Great.

Just great.

The beeping was her cars way of telling her she had about 20 miles until empty. She looked back up and was looking for a sign for how far the next gas station was. As she kept on driving, she finally passed a sign that said the nearest gas station was a mile and a half away.

"Oh, thank god." She whispered to herself.

For the next few minutes, she just sat there and drove. No thoughts consumed her mind, surprisingly. She found the exit that would take her directly to the gas station. As she pulled into the gas station, she decided while she was here, she would get some water and food. She hasn't eaten anything today. All she had was a few sips of her coffee that she had left at her apartment. She quickly hopped out and put in forty dollars and let her gas tank fill as she walked inside to grab a sandwich and some water. Once she did so, she walked up to the cash register, who was being being manned by a petite girl.

"Is this all?" The petite girl asked with a little country accent as Beckett set the sandwich and the water on the counter.

She looked up and nodded.

"Oh, my. Are you okay?"

Becketts eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Yeah, fine. Why'd you ask?"

"Honey, you have eyeliner and mascara stained cheeks."

"Oh my, do I really? Do you have a bathroom I can use?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, it's right back there."

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I'll be right back."

Beckett headed back to the bathroom. Once she was in, she looked at herself and noticed what a mess she looked like. The girl was right; her cheeks were stained with mascara and eyeliner from crying. She quickly grabbed a few towels and dabbed them in water. She made slight circular motions on her face as she washed away the dark lines on her face. She washed her hand quickly, once she was done washing her face and headed out of the bathroom.

"I am so sorry. Thank you for waiting for me." Beckett apologized.

But the girl just waved it off. "No worries. If you don't mind my asking, what has you all teary eyed?"

"Uh.. It's a long story. And I shouldn't dump all my problems out on a stranger."

"Sometimes talking to someone you don't know is a hell of alot easier than talking to someone you do know. But you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

The girl was right. Beckett needed to talk to someone about it. She could wait to talk to Lanie, but she doesn't know if she will be able to hold on for another forty-five minutes to talk to Lanie. She finally gives up and starts to the girl what is going on.

"Uh.. well, six months ago my boyfriend at the time proposed to me right when I got this job offer. And I knew he wouldn't move because his daughter goes to school in New York and the only reason why she chose that school was because she wanted to be close to her family." She paused and looked at the girl. The girl nodded her head for Beckett to go ahead. "Anyways, it came down to me. I had to choose to leave him for the job or leave the job for him. And this job was a huge promotion. I knew if I didn't take it then, I wouldn't have the offer later on in life, so I took the job. Well, he didn't like my decision. We had a horrible falling out, but I never stopped loving him. A few hours ago, I got a call from a friend back in New York telling me he was in a car accident. So, now I am on my way to make sure he's okay and face the consequences of my decision I made."

"Do you regret your decision?"

"At times, but I think it was for the best."

The girl put her hand over her heart. "Oh my, bless you. I hope he is doing alright and I am so sorry for keeping you here, forcing you to tell me what's wrong. You go and make sure he is alright."

"No, no. You were right. It was a lot easier to tell you what happened then it would be my best friend. Thank you. Maybe I'll run into you again on my way back." Beckett grabbed her sandwich and water and made her way to the door. "Thanks again.."

"Scarlett." The girl- Scarlett, supplied for her.

Beckett smiled. "Thanks again, Scarlett."

She came about five minutes away from the hospital. Her heart had started beating faster. The moment was approaching where she would have to face everyone. For now, it would, hopefully, just be Alexis and Martha. But they were going to be the hardest people to face. Having to face his protective daughter and his sweet mother would be the hardest thing she had to do today. But this was about Castle. Not her. Everyone was here for him.

After she reached the hospital and parked, she sat in her car and took deep breaths.

This was the time.

She got out of her vehicle and started walking towards the entrance.

She headed into the hospital and walked up to the front desk.

"Hi, I'm here for Richard Castle." Beckett told the nurse, who was typing away on her computer.

The nurse looked up. "And you are?"

"I'm Katherine Beckett, I was a girlfriend of his awhile ago." She tried.

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey, but you can't see him or his family. If you are not a family member or on his list of emergency contacts then I'm sorry, but I cannot let you see him. Ex-girlfriend or not."

"I just need to make sure he is okay. That is all that I'm asking for."

But the nurse just kept shaking her head. "Like I said, unless you are apart of his immediate family or on his list of his emergency contact, then you cannot see him."

"I was one of his emergency contacts. I'm assuming not anymore because I didn't get a call about his accident."

"No." The nurse said flatly.

Beckett groaned. "I'm a Federal Agent. You have to let me through."

"Badge?"

"I left it at home."

"Even if you did, I wouldn't let you in. There is no reason for the feds to be here looking into Mr. Castle's accident. NYPD is handling that."

"I was a NYPD detective before I became a fed."

"Nope."

"Fine, I'll wait in the cafeteria. His daughter and his mother are bound to come down at some point."

The nurse stood up from her chair. "I can't let you do that. If you do not work here or visiting a patient, then I am sorry, I'm going to have to call security."

"But, please-"

"Beckett?" She turned to her right at the sound of someone calling her name.

It was Alexis. Alexis was the one who called her name.

"Alexis, hey, how's your-" But Alexis cut Beckett off again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She spat.

Soo.. Do you like it? I know that Beckett is somewhat OOC, but people change over two and half years. And I needed them to be a little different for the story to work. I don't however have it written out, I just have an outline. Anyways, I will only continue if you like it.

Edited Version: So, do you think it this way better? Either way, most of my story will stay the way I have it outlined. I just pretty much have to change the timeline. And I actually want praise you all because I think this will add more drama to the story. (The fact that she isn't his emergency contact and she has to try to fight her way through getting to know more about his injuries.)

Again, thank you all for your thoughts.

Always,

G.G. (GoldenGlobbe)