I am not kidding when I say how happy I am when I see the response this story has got, although it's going to take me forever to sort my emails out now! Please keep the comments coming as I love to know what you're thinking and every review makes me write quicker much to my mother's displeasure.

"So how have you been?" she asked as they sat at a small table outside a restaurant they'd found while wondering around the beautifully lit city. Neither of them had wanted somewhere big and when they saw the empty table outside the small restaurant playing classical music both of them had silently agreed on where to eat.

"Okay, I've been better really" he announced as she nodded, knowing exactly what he was feeling.

"Alexis and Martha? How are they?" she asked quickly as she remembered once again the bubbly teenager and eccentric woman that she'd fallen in love with when working with Castle.

"They've both flown the nest and abandoned me" he laughed causing her to smile as she remembered the family home she was often at, laughing at the debates the two Castle's and the one Rodgers would get into before declaring that they loved each other and sorting everything out. "Alexis is doing amazing in everything and mothers moved in with a guy she's met, their pretty serious now actually" he declared causing her to nod. "It's just odd having the whole apartment to myself again".

"I can't wait to have an apartment back to myself again" she muttered, gaining his attention quickly. "I'm living with dad right now, I'm the opposite to you now I'm still living with my parent while you're not" she laughed.

"May I remind you I wasn't living with my mother, she was living with me" he declared causing her to nod as he took hold of her hand across the table. "You going to tell me what happened with Josh that's made you move out?" he asked causing her to shut her eyes for a moment, a small sigh leaving her as he continued to cling onto her hand.

"Do we have to talk about this now?" she asked causing him to shake his head. "I promise, I'll tell you when I'm ready it's just a really long story" she whispered.

"Just tell me one thing, is there a chance that the two of you are still together?" he whispered causing her to shake her head and show her bare hand.

"I signed the divorce papers exactly a month ago" she announced as he smiled and nodded. "It was never meant to be, I knew it from day one, and you pointed that out on my wedding day" she whispered as he stared at her, confused at what she was talking about. "What bride dances to the song she hates most for her first dance?" she asked causing him to nod slowly, remembering the discussion clearly. "I was just too busy trying to live out my dream wedding to realise that it wasn't what I wanted at all" she mumbled causing him to sigh, his fingers stroking her knuckles gently as the waitress walked over to get their orders.

XOXOXO

"That's a lot of sea food" he laughed as the starter they'd decided to share was placed on the table. "I'm glad you like this stuff" he announced causing her to look up from the meal.

"You don't like it" she whispered causing him to laugh before explaining that he did, her whole body relaxing as she realised she wouldn't have to eat it herself but another thing rising within her. She had someone to share something with. "So why haven't you written another book? I spent ages waiting for a new series to come out" she whispered before biting into one bit of the starter, watching as he stared into his drink, a sigh slipping from his lips as he took a sip from the deep red liquid.

"I couldn't think anymore, I finished Nikki Heat and everything just went, I actually grieved for Nikki and Rook for weeks, I think that's half the reason mother moved in with this guy of hers, she got fed up of me playing the funeral march every time I reread one of the series" he announced causing Kate to laugh properly for the first time in what felt like years. "I wish I hadn't left the series where I did, I don't think I ever did Nikki justice" he finally admitted after a few moments of silence.

"Rick it was a brilliant book, I loved every minute of it" she declared as she reached over and patted his hand gently. "I've read it four times now" she whispered causing him to smile at her as she smiled gently back. "You did Heat Justice Rick, it was your best novel yet and I know you'll think of something new, you're an amazing writer you've just lost your inspiration" she mumbled before taking another bite of the food in front of them, a small smile appearing on his face as he watched her once more.

XOXOXXO

"We're in France and yet you chose Italian" he declared after the waitress had walked into the restaurant, leaving him staring at the bowl of pasta in front of his dinner guest. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked as she shrugged, slowly spinning her fork in the red mix on her plate. "Do you know what surprises me most about you being here Kate?" he whispered.

"I don't know" she announced causing him to sigh before staring down at his meal. "Rick, are you going to tell me or not?" she whispered.

"You're missing work and you don't seem to care" he declared causing her to look down, her fork continuing to spin in the pasta. "Kate?" he asked.

"I've been banned from the precinct for two months" she mumbled causing him to choke on the potato he'd just placed in his mouth. Once he'd cleared his airwaves and taken a sip of the wine in front of him, he returned to looking at her.

"You've been what? Why?" he asked, the questions causing her to start to bite her lip as she tried to think of a way to answer. She didn't know how she could explain everything that had happened that had almost ended up in her losing her job forever, the one constant thing in her life had been almost taken away from her only to be fortunately saved by Roy Montgomery's knowledge of what she was going through and his appreciation for her work.

"You've got to understand there's a lot about this divorce that I don't want to tell you yet, stuff that I haven't told anyone really" she mumbled causing him to nod. "But once I signed the papers things began to get bad for me, work just went crazy and I was living with my dad which didn't really help things and I did something I told myself I'd never do, I drunk to make things feel better" she mumbled causing him to look at the glass of water beside her, now understanding her earlier decision. "Let's just say throwing up on Montgomery's shoes and passing out ended up in me being removed from work for a while and that's why I'm here in France" she whispered, her cheeks burning red at the embarrassment of having to admit she'd been removed from her precious job because of a passing alcohol addiction. "I told myself I'd never end up like my dad after she died but I did and god do I regret it Rick" she whispered as he continued to hold onto her hand.

"We all make mistakes Kate" he announced causing her to nod slowly, the fact not making her feel any better about what she'd done. "And I bet you had a half decent reason for what you did" he whispered causing her to smile. "But surely there could have been someone you could talk to?" he asked as she shook her head.

"I'm not talking to anyone from work, I haven't been on the best of terms with them for just under a year" she declared causing him to raise his eyebrows in shock. They'd been a family when he was there. Castle, Beckett, Esposito, Ryan and Lanie. A little family of friends but now it seemed like it had all crumbled away. "I fell out with Lanie first and then Esposito and finally Ryan" she mumbled causing him to raise his eyebrows once more. "But can we talk about that some other time as well?" she asked, receiving a small familiar nod from him before they both continued to eat their meals in silence.

XOXOXOX

Walking down the brightly lit streets, he sighed as her arm linked with his, her head resting against his shoulder as he began to hum something that came into his head for no particular reason.

"What are you humming?" she asked, surprised at how comforting the small noise he was making felt. "Rick?"

"Is it really bad that I have no idea?" he laughed causing her to smile as they stopped just by a small fountain. Sitting herself on the bricks, she sighed as he looked around them, seeing the empty streets. "You never find this in New York do you?" he whispered causing her to shake her head at the complete silence except for the fountain behind her. "When do you go back there?" he asked.

"Where?" she whispered causing him to laugh gently once more at her general innocence that he very rarely used to see.

"New York" he mumbled, watching as she shrugged slowly and turned to look up at the fountain.

"I don't know, I don't even know how long I'm going to stay here for, I might travel around for a bit" she whispered before looking at him. "What about you? When do you go back?"

"When I get bored of travelling around France trying to get ideas" he declared causing her to sigh. "Kate this may be ridiculous and you may not have forgiven me yet for walking out of your life and not being there for you when you needed me but come with me" he whispered watching as Kate got to her feet almost as quickly as he'd blurted out his suggestion.

"What?"

"Come with me, travel around with me, we both need the break and well I think you need the company" he declared as she stood there, quickly turning to face the fountain once more. Thinking hard about how she was going to answer him.