Kate's POV

"Hey Rick, it's me .How are you? Good to see you. Did you have a nice summer? Mine was a little boring"

"CAN WE TALK?"

NO! NO!

That's no good

That sounds so stupid. I can't just pick up a phone and call him and act like nothing happened. If I do, he will just slam the phone down or simply refuse to answer the call when he sees my name on caller id.

Oh better than that he has tagged my number as a harassing caller and if I do call him, the phone police will come looking for the prank caller. That would be me!

If I send an e-mail I know he will not even open it before deleting my message. It will never be read. I have only one option

Go to his place, knock on his door, and talk to him face to face.

But that has its own issues. What if I get there and he is not home or worse Alexis or his mother answers the door then slams it in my face or throws me out without ever letting me see him or talk to him or tell him I am so sorry about all of this

She gets into her cruiser and heads toward the loft to face the demon head on. If Alexis is there I will try to talk to her If Martha is there I will try to talk to her too

I hope no one is there except Him

#*#*#

Rick's POV

I was alone and hurting for so long and then I thought I had a chance of healing when I found her but then just to have my hopes dashed by her.

I have to be strong now. I have to get her off my mind. But this time I am going to stand firm. No more booze. The bottle does not heal anything it just delays the inevitable. After you sober up the problem is still there and you have a hangover

I can do this. Somehow I can do this without her. Over the last few years I have grown stronger because of her. I will bury myself into my books. If may be the books about her but I will some how figure out a way to do this.

OK I have a plan. No Booze! No wild Women! Just my books. I will dedicate my mind to the books

His thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Caller Id says 'blocked' he is almost positive that it is Her. He reaches over to hit the ignore button but instead answers the call.

"Castle"

Instead of the sultry female voice that he expect4ed to hear yet has missed hearing from for so long there, is a deep baritone male instead

"Mr. Castle. I am a friend of Roy Montgomery and we need to talk"

"Mother, he said that he has information about the man who had Kate's mother murdered and…" he halts his statement

"Richard. What are you saying? This man has the proof that Katherine is needing?"

"Yes. He said that Roy Montgomery sent him police files that have the evidence on who is behind this. ALL of This! But he said that she is only going to stay safe if she stops investigating her mother's murder"

"Are you going to tell her about this?"

"Mother if I do then she will run out in front of this and get herself killed. I have to stop her. I have to protect her from the danger"

"Son you sound like a man who is still in love with her and not someone being a pushed away"

He pauses in his thoughts. She is right and he knows it.

"I told her that I loved her"

"OH My! When did you do that? I have not heard her screaming in terror at the thought of being your number four"

"I told her when she was shot. I was holding her in my arms and I begged her not to leave me and that I loved her"

He takes a slow breath

"But later she said that she did not remember anything about the shooting so I am not real positive if she did or did not hear me say it"

The concerned woman is looking at her son

"But because she told me that she would call, I believe that she heard me and wants no part of this"

"So Richard, darling. What are you planning to do with the information about the case?"

"I will try to work thru Ryan and Esposito. I will let them take care of her. That is what I believe is the best right now then…"

A knock on the front door breaks his conversation.

"Hold that thought, mother. I have no idea who this might be"

Castle walks over to the entry way and without pause pulls open the door.

#*#*#*

Kate's POV

'I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!'

She repeats the words to herself over and over. As she pulls into the parking garage below the loft, the only thing on her mind is to find a way to fix this…? What is between them that she needs to fix?

A Relationship. That is all she can call it.

'A relationship. A connection between two people. It can be Platonic, friendly, cordial,

Romantic?!

Which one is this one? Right now there is No relationship. That relationship that once existed is destroyed. It is totally and completely gone

OK Kate. You have to tell him how much his friendship means to you.

NO!

You have to tell him that you heard him in the cemetery.

You have to tell him how much you wanted to hear him say those words to you

You have to tell him you have been wanting to say those words to him

BUT! You can't, can you? You still have the death of your mother blocking every strand of your heart from releasing itself to him

You need to beg him to stay until you solve the case. BUT! What if you NEVER find the killer Then you will never have a complete relationship.

With Him!

"I wish Dr. Burke were here to help me sort all this out"

She finds herself standing in front of the loft door with her hand raised to knock. She takes in a deep breath

Knock, knock, knock

#*#*

Richard Castle is having trouble breathing because standing outside his threshold is Katherine Houghton Beckett looking as beautiful as ever

Her long flowing hair cascading down the back of her form fitting jacket.

He looks at her as she is standing in front of his home. He only glanced at her at the bookstore and deliberately did not commit to memory any image of her at that time, but now he is savoring every nuance of her appearance

Her slender frame seems slightly thinner than the last time he really looked at her, just before the shooting. It appears she may have lost a little weight in the last few months. Her face seems pale. He wonders if she is wearing less makeup or possibility she may just not have been in the sun much over these last few months.

Her eyes seem a little weak But they are still as beautiful and captivating as he remembers them the first time he saw her.

"Can we talk? Are the first words out of her mouth