A/N: This was inspired by a tumblr prompt I saw on promptspourvous. Hope you enjoy! Also & unfortunately, I own nothing.

"Plot twist, huh?" I say softly.

Then, I turn on my heels and slide into my car without another word – without even giving Rick the chance to say anything. I slam the acceleration, turning the wheel to the side. The wheels screech in the dead of night before I soar down the street. Only then do the tears start to fall. When I'm several blocks away, I pull the car over & call Lanie, knowing that she has today off, as well.

"Hello?"

"Lane, can I come over?" My voice breaks.

"Kate, what's wrong?" I hear the concern in my friend's voice right away.

"It's over, Lanie. I told him I can't do this anymore. Can I just come over?"

"Sure thing, sweetie. Come on."

I pull back onto the street, and before I know it I'm at Lanie's building, pressing the button to let her know I'm here.

"Parish."

"It's me."

She doesn't say anything, just buzzes me into the building. When I get to her apartment, she's waiting with the door open and pulls me into a hug. I nearly collapse. I hear myself sobbing, but I almost don't realize that it's me. Lanie guides me into her apartment & over to her couch where we sit in silence for a few moments.

"What happened, Kate?" I can tell that Lanie doesn't want to upset me any further – that she is genuinely concerned.

"I…I honestly don't know. Things were going so well for us, and then, all of a sudden he started acting weird." Lanie lets me figure out my thoughts. "I mean, we've been together, officially, for almost a year. Even before that, though, he's never been one to keep secrets or lie to me, but…for the last month or so that seems to be all he's done. I'm not going to hang around and be made to look like a fool."

A look of disbelief flashes across Lanie's face, but almost as soon as it appears, it's gone. "Kate?" I can tell that she is about to ask a question that I probably won't like. "Did you ask him about it?"

"No, Lanie, I just flew off the handle and broke off the best relationship I've ever had." I roll my eyes, but realize how snippy that answer was and apologize. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You have every right to be pissed. What did he say when you asked him about all of it."

"That he wasn't lying or hiding things. Which is bullshit." I'm beyond tears now. I'm too mad to cry. Who the hell did he think he was? Better question: Who the hell did he think I was?

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It's him, so I don't answer. Then, Lanie's phone rings. "It's Castle," she reports.

"Don't tell him I'm here."

"Hello…No, she's not here…If I hear from her, I'll let her know…Bye, Castle."

"What did he want?" I ask, not sure if I really want to know.

"He said that he'll be at your swings at 6, and he'd really like to talk through some things with you, if you are willing to meet him. What the hell does he mean 'your swings'?"

I try to suppress a small smile, but I can't. "There are some swings in the park by my building. We've had several good conversations on those swings. I don't know if I want to ruin those memories by talking about all of this there, though."

"Well, it's only one, now, so you've got a little time to decide. For what it's worth, though, I think it could be good to hear him out. Maybe this was just some big misunderstanding."

"Lanie. The man has lied to me about where he's been several times this month, and he's been hiding things. Like, just the other day, I walked into his office and he slammed his laptop shut like he was up to something."

"Okay, it definitely doesn't look good, but it may be worth hearing what he has to say."

I tend to agree with Lanie, but I just don't know how I can sit there, on our swings, and listen to the man who broke my heart.