Castle belongs to Andrew Marlowe, and "She Wouldn't Be Gone" belongs to Blake Shelton
Red roadside wild flower,
If I had only picked you,
Took you home, set you on the counter,
Oh at least a time or two,
Maybe she'd have thought it through.
Yellow sunset slowly dippin' down in the rearview,
Oh, how she loved to sit and watch you,
I could have done that a whole lot more.
Rick got home from the store and noticed that Kate's purse wasn't on the chair where it was before he left. He put his coat in the closet and noticed that her coat wasn't there either. That worried him. They'd had a fight, and he had gone to the store to cool down and get away for a while. He went to the bedroom and saw that her suitcase was gone. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial for her. She couldn't actually be gone. It was just a stupid fight. She didn't answer. It didn't even ring, it went straight to voicemail. She had turned her phone off. This was bad. She never turned her phone off.
He rushed out the door, not even bothering to grab his coat. He yelled her name, even though he was almost positive she wouldn't hear. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to find her. And he wouldn't stop until he did.
If I hadn't been so stubborn,
Been so selfish,
Thought about her more,
Thought about me less.
Joked to make her laugh,
Held her when she cried,
A little more of that,
Maybe I wouldn't be
Drivin' like hell,
Flyin' like crazy down the highway,
Callin' everyone we know,
Stoppin' any place she might be,
Goin' any place she might go.
Beatin' on the dash,
Screamin' out her name at the windshield,
Tears soakin' up my face.
If I'd have loved her this much all along,
Maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
She wouldn't be gone.
She wouldn't be gone.
He drove to the precinct without even thinking about it. He went in, thinking that it was too obvious a place for her to go, but maybe he could get something out of Lanie or the boys. He must've called her 20 times on the way over, but her phone was still off. He wiped his eyes when he got on the elevator, and when the doors opened again on the second floor he saw Esposito in the break room. He barely made it through the door before he was pinned against the wall with Esposito's face inches from his.
"Listen, bro." Esposito growled, "I don't know what you did to her, but that was the most upset I've seen her in a long time. Now, I like you, I don't want to have to beat your ass, but I will if I have to."
"No, Espo, I just want to find her. I was an idiot, I know that. I wouldn't blame you for kicking my ass. I deserve it." Rick replied. Esposito let him go, and he adjusted his shirt. "Can you just tell me where she went?"
Esposito shook his head. "No. She told me not to. She said you would come looking for her, and that she needed to think. Alone. She was really upset" Rick nodded. He had figured that much. She trusted Esposito, and he would never do anything to betray her trust. He went back to the elevators, and decided that talking to Lanie might help.
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"Boy, I don't want to talk to you when I'm so close to so many sharp objects." Lanie said as soon as he walked in the door. He stopped just inside the morgue.
"Please, Lanie. I need to talk to her. I need to tell her how much I love her. I need to tell her how much of an idiot I was." Rick begged
"Damn right, you were an idiot. You made my girl cry. I ought to smack you." She stood from her chair, and he took an automatic step back.
"Lanie, please tell me where she is."
"Why should I? She told me not to."
"Because, Lanie. I need to tell her how much she means to me, and how much I need her." Rick's eyes started to water. "I can't lose her, Lanie. I'd do anything humanly possible to take care of her, or die trying." He took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears that were now flowing down his cheeks. "No matter how much she tells me that she can take care of herself."
Lanie's eyes started to water too, and she crossed the room and put her hand on his arm. "Go, Writer Boy. She went to her dad's. Go tell her what you just told me, and maybe she'll see how much you love her."
Rick gave her a hug, and ran out the door. He drove down the highway faster than he should have. He watched as the speedometer reached its limit. "Dammit, Kate!" He yelled at his windshield, wishing he had never upset her
Now I'm cursin' like a fool,
Prayin' it ain't too late,
All I wanna do is fix my mistakes.
Find her, beg her, for one more try,
Until then dammit I'll be
Drivin' like hell,
Flyin' like crazy down the highway,
Callin' everyone we know,
Stoppin' any place she might be,
Goin' any place she might go.
Beatin' on the dash,
Screamin' out her name at the windshield,
Tears soakin' up my face.
If I'd have loved her this much all along,
Maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
She wouldn't be gone.
He pulled into the driveway at her dads, and ran to the door. He continued to ring the doorbell until Kate answered it. Her face was tearstained and her eyes were red and puffy, but they were dry now.
"Can I come in?" He asked, and Kate moved to block him.
"I told them not to let you follow me." Her voice was low and cold. Rick's heart sank.
"I came to tell you that I love you. I came to say that I'd do whatever it takes to keep you, and I'd do anything to take care of you or die trying." He put his hand up to stroke her face, but she flinched away.
"I don't need you to take care of me, Castle." Her using his last name told him he'd really pissed her off.
"Please, Kate. I can't lose you. I need you. I don't know how to live without you." He pleaded, but the cold look in her eyes didn't soften.
"You managed before you met me."
"Yeah, and my life was empty. I don't want to go back to that, especially now that I don't even have Alexis at the loft."
"I'm sorry, Castle. But it's over."
She shut the door in his face.
I wouldn't be beatin' on the dash,
Screamin' out her name at the windshield,
Tears soakin' up my face.
If I'd have loved her this much all along,
Maybe, maybe, yeah maybe,
She wouldn't be gone.
Rick got back in his car and smacked his steering wheel. He was mad at himself for upsetting her so badly, and for losing her. He pulled out of the drive and headed for his apartment. One thing he knew: he would never forgive himself for this.