This could be the quickest I've ever updated, don't get used to it though!

Thanks to all that have taken the time to read. It means a lot.

Holy. Shit.

Kate leant back in her chair and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Richard Castle liked her. He actually liked her. And he was jealous. Jealous of Will. The smile that threatened to split her face appeared all on its own. She stared at the screen and wished it wasn't 2am, wished he was still talking to her and, honestly, she wished she had told him who she was. The smile slipped, only to be replaced by a frown. He would find out at some point, he had to right? What was she really going to get out of stringing him along like this? It really wasn't as fun as she'd first thought. He had actually sounded quite insecure this evening. Insecure. A word that she would never have used to describe Richard Castle. She was starting to realise that maybe she had the guy all wrong.

Asshole.

When he'd taken her into the hall at the hospital, the way he'd looked at her, she'd wanted to bite down on his bottom lip. Then he'd opened his mouth.

She had specifically told him to leave her Moms case alone. Specifically. There was no way he could have taken that threat any other way. How could he do this? How could he do this to HER?

The worst thing was, he didn't understand what he'd done wrong.

She'd told him they were done. And that's the last she'd seen of him for a few weeks. She'd had the odd 'conversation' with him but she was short with him. She'd avoided her computer for a full week before she gave in and checked her messages. She missed him. She was still angry with him but god she missed him. She missed his ability to make her laugh in the most horrendous of circumstances. She missed the way he bought her coffee. She missed the way he wore a shirt. So she'd given in. He'd sounded sad and for a second she felt guilty until she remembered what he'd done.

The first three years in the force she had used every second of her free time to investigate. It had consumed her, threatened to destroy her if she didn't get a handle on it. She had enough sense to see that she was in trouble and checked herself into therapy. It had taken a long time to accept that she had to let it go. Her Moms death wasn't something she would ever get over but it was something that she could get through. And now, she was back, on the edge of the rabbit hole, one step away from falling down it again. But this time it would be different. She had him. She had Castle.

She threw her keys on the counter as she entered the apartment and headed straight for the fridge. Another quiet day. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she had spent the whole day doing paperwork and with no Castle to annoy her, she'd got a lot done. She closed the fridge without even really looking inside and pulled the laptop from the counter and carried it to the couch.

POE1809: I missed you

Her stomach tightened. She was angry at him. She was.

NY31516: Missed you too

It wasn't a lie. She really did.

POE1809: Have I done something wrong?

NY31516: No

Lie. Total lie.

POE1809: Good. I would hate to think I'd upset you too.

NY31516: Who else have you upset?

She couldn't help herself.

POE1809: That girl I was telling you about.

NY31516: What did you do?

POE1809: Telling you would definitely break our rule so let's just say that I was doing something that I thought would help.

NY31516: And I take it she didn't see it that way?

POE1809: No. I thought she would be happy with what I'd found out but she won't speak to me.

NY31516: Have you tried apologising?

POE1809: I was helping her; trying to at least.

This was bad, he was making her angry, this wasn't going to end well; she had to end the conversation.

POE1809: I miss her

Her stomach tightened again and damn those butterflies!

NY31516: Maybe she misses you too

POE1809: No. She hates me

NY31516: I don't know what it is you've done but I'm sure she doesn't hate you.

She didn't hate him. She didn't but it bothered her that he didn't understand what he'd done.

NY31516: I think you need to really think about what you've done and how it's upset her. Maybe she's not upset at what you've actually done but the fact that you don't know why you've upset her. Does that make any sense to you?

POE1809: I wasn't trying to upset her. I was trying to help her!

NY31516: But did it help her?

POE1809: It could, she didn't give me a chance.

He really didn't get it. He was the first person she had really opened up to about her Mom since Will and he had completely violated her trust. She had told him that if he went near the case, they were done. But she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she needed him around. And it had nothing to do with the crush she was developing on him. Nothing at all.

NY31516: You know what Poe, I've had a really long day and I really need some sleep

Before she said something she regretted.

POE1809: Oh. Ok. Will I 'see' you tomorrow?

NY31516: I don't know. I'm really busy with work

She logged off before he could change her mind. She was confused. If he genuinely didn't know why he'd upset her than maybe he wasn't the person she'd hoped he was. He had to realise what he'd done without being prompted by her. She closed her lap top just as her phone beeped.

Richard Castle: We need to talk

Damn him.

Kate Beckett: We have nothing to talk about Castle

Richard Castle: Cosmo has arranged a photo shoot at the precinct next week. Will you be there?

Kate Beckett: It depends if I have a case

Richard Castle: Can we catch up if you're there? We need to talk. I've missed you.

Kate Beckett: You've said all you need to say Castle.

She threw her phone across the room, immediately regretting it when it hit the wall with a crack. This man was so….frustrating…maddening! But she couldn't deny the rush of excitement that coursed through her body at the realisation that she was going to see him again.

I'm not overly happy with this chapter but I had to include the stuff about her Mothers case to get to the next part.

Please review if you get a chance.

Thank you