A/N: I think I've started 3 different versions of a Post-"Countdown" fic and I finally found a version that works! This goes AU kinda during/after Countdown. There will be eight chapters after this Prologue. Enjoy!

Prologue

I wish that I had someone who would be there for me and I could be there for him and we could just dive into it together

There it was—the opportunity—just slapping him in the face. Do it, Castle, he coached himself, just do it—say it! Tell her everything. His heart sped and the beads of sweat formed on his temples. He immediately felt like he'd just spat out a mouthful of salt. How was it possible that he could write the most eloquent things on paper, but when it came to the moments where saying things really mattered, he always seemed to fall short?

"What if," he began. She glanced back up at him. "What if you already have that person?"

Kate blinked at him. Oh no, she thought instantly. What was he saying? She hadn't meant to open the door to this. Her conflictions over Josh's latest trip had been swirling around in her mind so much that when he asked her about him they all just spilled out. He was, after all, her friend and in that moment she needed a friend to confess to. Now, it seemed, he was taking that to a whole new level.

Her eyes widened and her body seized in fear as he slid to the edge of the bench on which he sat and placed a hand on top of hers.

"Kate, I know…I know things are complicated, but…but isn't it possible the thing you're looking for—the partner you're seeking—could be the one that's already beside you, standing in your corner ready to jump or dive or fight or anything! Anything at all as long as-"

"Good news, Detective."

Castle cursed under his breath as his romantic speech was interrupted by the commanding officer of the HAZ-MAT team. Kate stood from her bench as quickly as she could and their moment was gone—lost, quite possibly, forever. Yet, he had said it. What "it" was, he wasn't certain, but he had said something, which was better than his previous track record. Now, the waiting game was on. Would she react to his words or simply bury them deep like she seemed to do with every other significant event they faced together? Castle wasn't sure, but as he followed her back out onto the street, her eyes desperately avoiding his, he feared it would be the latter.