Disclaimer: I don not own Castle

Chapter 10

After Kate took a good long sip, she spoke. "You really are a great host, except for the staring"

Castle looked down and chuckled.
"Yea sorry about that. I was just..."

"It's alright. You don't have to explain" she smiled at him. And it lingered.
He sipped on his wine, not taking his eyes off her either.

"Well you owe me an opinion on my book" he smiled proudly.

She laughed. "Well, let's just say, that when you found the book, I had already read it twice by then"

Rick's eyes went wide. "Really?"

Kate didn't want to look directly at him.
But he could see the blush on her face.

"You really are a fan aren't you?"

"No comments" she chuckled

"You needn't say more. That's all I need."

She looked up into his eyes and felt her body go warm. He was looking at her like she was some kind of work of art on a gallery wall.

"What?" she asked

"You're a beautiful woman Kate" he whispered.

"I think the wine's getting to you" she chuckled, trying to side track where this conversation was going.

"Let me finish..."

Kate didn't look up at him, but she could see from the side of her eye, he was looking straight at her…

"You're beautiful. And I think I'm…"

Kate immediately felt panick rise within her.

"Rick... don't..." she got up abruptly and began to walk away. She had a feeling of where this was going and she couldn't let them go there. Things were already complicated. And if she knew where this was going, she didn't need him to say this right now. She didn't know how to deal with this right now.

"Kate wait... I'm sorry. Just forget about what I said. Please. Don't leave."
he quickly tried to cover up whatever was happening.

'What's gotten into you' he scolded himself in his mind. 'Look what you're doing, you're driving her away!'

she turned around and looked at him.
"Rick… I'm married..."

"I know." He said.

There was silence between them for a few moments and then Rick spoke.

"The girls are still upstairs and I wouldn't want to disturb them to tell them they have to part so soon, they're getting along well. Let's go sit, and why don't you tell me what went down that night when I texted you."

Kate nodded and he carried both their wine glasses and led them to the living room to be seated on the couch.

"Before I tell you about that night, let me first tell you that Will and I were college sweethearts. One night after a party, things got out of hand and we went over to his place because his parents were out and well, that must have been the time I conceived.

We were young and foolish and we didn't think.
The day I realized I was pregnant, I told him about it, but he dumped me, saying the kid was not his, and that he wanted nothing to do with me or the child.

I had the option of aborting the child, but I didn't want to. My mom and dad were upset with me for a long time, but they accepted the child nevertheless. Avril was my little angel…"

Rick saw the smile on her face and it warmed his heart. She was a good mother.

"It was tough in the beginning. I can't say being a single mom was easy, even though I had my parents to help me take care of her. But I'd like to think I did a pretty good job with her."

she paused... and Rick took the moment to add "She's been raised beautifully"

she looked at him with a smile of appreciation.

"it was just after Avril's fifth birthday, he came around knocking at my door, said he was sorry he left me, and that he wanted to make things right, he wanted to start a family, be there for his daughter, even though he had missed out on the first five years of her life.

Like a fool, I actually thought he was a changed man, that he would really be here for the long run. I let him into our house, we got married soon. And things were going well. But three years into our married life and I could see him changing again. He wasn't the same and I knew things were going downhill again. And it's been this way since then."

A small tear rolled down Kate's cheek, and Rick so badly wanted to comfort her.

But she continued.
"That day, when you brought up the idea of divorcing him…"

"Kate... I..."

"No, you were right. And that's why it upset me. Cause I knew what I had to do. I was just afraid of taking the first step… the thought of filing a divorce has come up so many times in these past two years Rick. I can't do this with him anymore."

"Then what are you waiting for Kate?"

"I always thought that maybe staying in this marriage is good for Avril, even though it doesn't work for me. I was always afraid of taking Avril away from her dad… but I was wrong"

Rick sat closer to her now and took her hand in his.

"That night when you texted me… Will came home late, and as usual he started arguing about some petty little thing. And Avril was in the room. She interfered and Will, in his drunken state threw a book at her direction."

Rick's blood began to boil.

"She dodged it, but it angered both of us. For the first time, I saw a side of Avril I never thought she had. She walked up to him and said things to his face. And at the end of it all she said
"I don't know why mom tolerates you! If it's because of me... then mom... I'm telling you now... I don't want this man in my life anymore!"

and she stormed off to her room."

Kate took a deep breath then and looked at Rick. "I'm going to file for a divorce tomorrow Castle."
Rick smiled softly at her, now taking her hands in both of his

"You're doing the right thing Kate. For both of you. You deserve to be loved and he's clearly not giving you what you deserve. Both of you."

"Thank you Rick." she smiled sadly
"I need to go meet a lawyer tomorrow"

"I know someone who can help you"

"Castle, I wouldn't be able to afford…"

"No no… she's an old friend. And she owes me a favour. So I'm sure she'd do it for free. I'll give her a call tonight and ask her if she's free to see you tomorrow"

So that's the update for today :) let me know what you think, in a review :)