AN: I do not own Castle or am profiting by it. All rights go to ABC Studios and Andrew Marlowe.

I have attempted fanfiction in the past for a different program, but this is my first foray into the Castle fandom. I have an idea that won't go away, so I will try to convey it here. Thank you.

Leap of Faith

Richard Castle was alone. Both physically and mentally.

As he sat on the stool in the empty Old Haunt, he wondered if this really was rock bottom.

You see, a few hours ago, he was happy. He had a great life which had been raised to extreme levels by the presence of one Katherine Beckett, detective for the NYPD.

Or rather, former, as he would eventually find out.

She was also his partner and lover so it came as a great shock to him when she revealed that she had been offered the chance at a job to work for the Attorney General in Washington D.C. and she jumped at it. He was incensed. How could she put a new job opportunity over what they had been building together for nearly a year? How could she when not two weeks ago, she proclaimed her love for him? To make a long story short, they got in a shouting match and they went their separate ways.

And so here he was, drinking his sorrows away in his own bar, all alone.

Or so he thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" came a voice from the entrance to the bar. Rick turned and saw an old man with grey hair and a cane standing there. Rick had never seen him before.

"We're closed, sir." Rick replied.

"Oh, I'm not here for a drink. I just happened to be walking by and saw a man down on himself. I hate seeing that. So, what's the problem?"

Rick motioned for the man to sit next to him, which he did. For some reason, he felt that he could trust this mysterious figure. "The woman that I love is planning to move to Washington D.C. because of a job. Not only did she not tell me initially, but she is choosing a job over our love for each other."

The man chuckled. "Women problems. Heard a lot of them" Rick seemed to be able to tell that by his wise complexion. He also saw something else, something that looked a bit like pain.

"Do you love her?" the man continued.

"Yes. Deeply."

"Are you hard up for money?"

Rick was confused by that question. "Not really, no…."

"Then why don't you move to Washington to be with her?"

Rick was looking at him like he was crazy. "I can't move. My daughter goes to college here and my mother live here, as well as my friends. I can't just get up and leave."

"Why not? You said yourself your daughter is in college. So she probably doesn't live with you. If you are rich, as I think you might be, then your mother can have her own place. Is your mother independent?"

Rick chuckled "Very."

"And as for your friends, well, a train going from D.C. to here is about 3-5 hours. You two could come up every weekend and visit not only your family but your friends as well. Or, again, if you are so wealthy, you can hire a private jet. The journey becomes even quicker. Any other concerns?"

Rick was shocked by how logical it all sounded. But he still had one nagging fear. "I grew up here and I'm afraid to leave it behind" he whispered solemnly.

The old man smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Sometimes the greatest relationships need the greatest sacrifices. I know. I've seen a lot of them over the many years. And while moving to Washington might be difficult to get used to, if you love this woman so much, it will all be worth it in the end."

A wave of confidence and understanding swept over Rick. He finally understood what he had to do. The old man, seeing that he got his point across, smiled and stood up to take his leave. Rick asked him to stay for a drink but he refused saying he places to go and people to see. With a last remark of "Go get her, Tiger", which Rick thought was weird coming from an old man, the man left leaving Rick alone again. But this time, he felt a sense of purpose and direction. He instantly reached for cell phone ready to call Kate when…..

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

He looked up and in the doorway stood his affection. It looked like she had been crying for a while and seemed out of sorts.

"Kate…..

Before Castle could get in another word, she ran to him and straight into his arms. She peppered his face kisses while mumbling phrases like "I'm sorry." "I should have told you." "I love you" and "Please forgive me," all the while tears were streaming down her cheeks. Castle felt terrible but then he remembered what the old man said.

Rick took her face in his hands and looked at her eye to eye. He could see the pain she was in.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was stubborn and stupid. You deserve this opportunity."

"B-But what about….'

"Well, I've always wanted to write a political themed mystery."

Kate was dumbfounded at what he was implying. "But, your family! Alexis and Martha! And the gang at the precinct….."

Castle laughed. "Well there is such a thing as Skype so I can still talk to them and of course…" he thought back to what the man said again "We can always come up on weekends."

Kate looked at him with amazement and fascination. How in the freaking world did she get this lucky to have a man who cared about her and understood her? In the past week or so she was fearful of whether he really wanted to commit to this relationship. But the revelation that Castle would move himself out of his comfort zone just to be with her gave her a sense of security that no ring or statement ever could.

"I love you Rick" Kate said with as much feeling as she could put into it.

"I love you too, Kate" Rick said receiving that feeling and reciprocated it. Then he pulled her lips towards his.

Outside the bar, the old man watched and smiled at the scene going on inside. He turned to his companion that only he could see. "You think they'll make it, Al?

The hologram turned to his friend and said through his cigar. "We'll know in a minute. If we feel it than that means we once again fixed right what had once been wrong"

Dr. Sam Beckett had seen a lot of relationship problems over his many years. But none of them happened between two people so much in love as these two were.

Just then, a blue glow started to surround him. He smiled knowing that his mission was complete. And then he closed his eyes and whispered one small phrase.

"Oh Boy!"

End

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