"Did you love her too, Rick?"

The words force their way out of Kate's mouth, impossible to contain.

They both freeze in place, the added little world revealing so much. Too much.

The air between them thickens, and suddenly she can't breathe. She struggles not to gasp, to show her panic. Her chest tightens as she takes in his sharp inhale of breath, widened eyes, and cool demeanour, so unlike her Castle.

She quickly looks away from his hard, searching stare. Looking at anything but him, her breathing shallower, her skin whitens. She needs out. She needs to be somewhere he's not.

He started to tear down her wall a long time ago. She had just finished the job for him, trapping herself under the debris.

She doesn't know how much time passes, doesn't think he does either. All she knows is that for every moment of silence that lasts between them, the pain in her chest grows, clawing it's way out of her.

Finally, she hears the telltale rustle of his coat. Something's about to happen. Squeezing her eyes, she holds her breath in preparation for the end of life as she knows it.

"Too?" His voice is a whisper, barely audible, yet she can still hear the cruel mix of pain and shock.

She knows this is rhetorical, that he's clearly still wrapping his mind around things. Her head stays down, and she stays silent. Her word choice speaks for itself; there is no need to answer this question.

"How long?" His voice comes out hoarse, and she can't bear to answer him while he sounds so broken. Instead, she peeks up at him, tilting her head just enough so she can see him.

He angrily runs his hand through his hair and clears his throat. Tries again, the rage and betrayal evident in his tone.

"KATE. How. Long?"

His breathing quickens, and she forces her gaze up, up, up through the ruins of her wall. Still, she doesn't say anything; can't say anything. The truth is too horrible.

Suddenly, he's close to her, the lack of distance suffocating. He gently puts her face in his hands, just like when they first kissed. Their eyes lock, and they read each other like only they can.

His face changes ever so slightly when he says her panic and desperation. The anger is still there, but it's coated with concern. This sends her over the edge, and the tears become harder to hold back. She no longer cares though, and let's them fall.

That's probably the scariest thing of all.

He remains silent, and she knows he deserves an answer. It's the aftermath she has every desire to avoid.

"Since the moment I woke up in the hospital."

She watches as his eyes turn to ice before she squeezes her own shut. He touches his forehead to hers, for the briefest of seconds, and hates herself when she feels a tear—his tear—fall onto her leg. He let's go, backs away, and she breaks.

Not only did she break herself, but she broke him too. The tears fall harder, and she does not know what to do.

When she opens her eyes, he's gone.