I'm not going to lie, this chapter was very hard to write. Some Josh and Kate (which a lot of you won't like) Some Caskett (which a lot of you may like, but probably won't) And talk about a certain wedding that'll be taking place in a few chapters? I think so.

New Castle on Monday? I'M SO EXCITED! I'm hoping the next chapter will be up sooner, but it may not.

I just want to thank all of you that have reviewed, because it means a lot to me. And thank you all for following the story this far, and hopefully farther.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. If I owned Castle and Beckett, I would take the leap and put them together. They deserve to be together. (Some foreshadowing? I guess we'll have to wait and see)

Kate sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes on her hand that contained the sparkling ring she was beginning to love more and more each day.

It had been a week since she had brought Josh home and since they began to put the wedding planning up on the top of their 'to- do' list. They had sent out invitations and they chose the cake, music, and, of course, the dress and tux. Everything was set.

The wedding would be on the Saturday next, in the Hamptons, by the ocean at sunset. It would be beautiful, and it brought butterflies to the soon bride-to-be's stomach.

"Kate, I'm heading out now." Josh stood in the doorway, a small, unbelievable smile on his face. Nodding, the detective stood up and made her way over to him, her arms slithering around his neck.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with me before everyone else shows up?" His voice was softer than it had been when she last spoke to him. He had yelled, she had yelled, and things were very strained. She blamed it on the wedding coming up and all the stress that it put on their life for the time being.

Others would say differently.

"I need to go in tomorrow for a few hours. Castle says he's done shadowing so we have to fill out some paperwork. I'll head up after that with Lanie and the boys. Everyone should start heading up after that on Sunday." Her voice was soft and a hint of sadness came through, but she didn't want Josh to catch on, so a fake smile was put on her lips.

"Look, babe. I know how sad you are that the writer monkey is leaving the precinct to finally get some work done and to get a life, but maybe it's for the best." Kate sighed, letting her head fall on his chest and her eyes slowly close as she thought about everything. She hated that Josh called him that, it was just like what Will had called Castle. She didn't know if they planned it, but she did know a few things. One of them was that he was actually leaving the 12th; leaving her. She wasn't very thrilled about that.

After maybe five minutes of standing in the middle of their room he slowly pulled back, taking each of his hands and placing them in either side of her face. Her eye looked into the blue ones, a small smile forming on her lips as he slowly moved in and gently touched his lips to hers.

She returned the soft kiss, leaning back and looking at his eyes which were full of love and lust.

"Go. I'll see you in a few days." Kate gave him one last peck before he nodded and walked out of the room, Kate closely behind him.

"I love you." His voice was sure and definite, which caused her cheeks to pink slightly.

"I love you, too," They gave each other one last loving look before he left, closing the door behind him.

Kate waited a few minutes before she went into her closet and pulled out a pair of form-fitting jeans and an off the shoulder grey shirt and pulled them onto her body. Grabbing her black heels that she wore to work, she grabbed her phone and put some money in her pocket before she made her way out the door.

Her heels clicked on the heated June pavement as she made her way towered Manhattan. There were a few people in the stores surrounding the streets she walked on and even less in the heat. The blizzard in March had the country baffled, including the New Yorkers themselves, but now the heat was back and hotter than ever.

Making her way through the mazes of concrete and the late night lights, she got to the building the housed the Castle family. She walked into the air conditioned lobby, giving the doorman a small nod before she got to the elevator.

Waiting for the car to come down to the lobby, she heard someone speaking behind her, causing her to turn and stare at the man she was here to see.

"Kate? What are you doing here?" His voice didn't sound happy or pleased. It shouldn't have either, since she had said some pretty awful stuff to him just a week ago in front of everyone at the precinct. He watched her as she took a breath, her eyes falling to the floor as his brows furrowed in confusion. Why was she there? That was all he wanted to know.

"I was just wondering a few things. If now isn't a good time, I can leave and we can talk tomorrow at the station." She crossed her arms, looking into his eyes which wore confusion and were looking over her head. She hated this. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid, awkwardness and the feeling of talking to a man she had never met.

"Actually, that's where I just was. I signed them tonight, get it done with, ya know? I wasn't expecting to see anyone there, and I thought the fewer questions that were asked, the quicker we could get this over and done with. I wasn't expecting to find you here, in the lobby of my apartment." His voice was strained and almost forced, as if he had to force himself to be nice to her. That stung a bit.

"Oh, well, Esposito, Ryan and I had today off, than we were going to go in tomorrow so I could sign the paperwork and they could work on some paperwork from the case." She tried to keep her eyes on him, but it was just too hard. So, her eyes wondered to the floor.

"We shouldn't talk out here. Never know when the paparazzi will come. You can come up if you want." She knew he didn't want her too, but she had so many questions for him that were eating her up inside. Nodding slightly, she turned to the now open elevator door, moving to the back as he pushed the correct floor button.

The ride up was much more awkward then in the lobby just moments ago. They stood about three inches from each other, every jerk of the cart causing their hands to bump the other. Neither made an attempt to move farther away, which seemed normal for them. That's how it had always been. Now, though, despite the old tactics, the energy was different in the air.

When the ding of the elevator announced their arrival to the writer's floor, they waited for the doors to open before Castle let her walk out, him right behind her. He unlocked the door with ease and let her in first, acting like the gentleman he was, before he locked the door behind them. He slipped his shoes off and made his way to the kitchen.

"Where's Alexis?" Kate walked upwards the island bar, leaning against the counter and looking around. She felt a bit more relaxed now that they were hidden from any eavesdroppers, but she could still feel the tension that she was begging to disappear.

"She's out with her friends. A night on the town, then a late night talking about guys, and in Alexis' case, college." Rick poured himself a glass of red wine, grabbing another glass and pouring one for Kate. Whenever she came over he did this, so it was like a routine that he couldn't break.

"Has she decided where she's going? I remember her saying something about Stanford?" Kate accepted the glass graciously, taking a seat on a stool as he shrugged and took a drink.

"She was accepted there, as well as Harvard and Princeton. I would prefer one of those, but, she looking at every possibility." He sighed, taking another swig of his glass before he set it down and finally looked Kate in her eyes fully for the first time since the last time they had seen each other in the precinct. "Why are you here?"

When he asked that question, she took a deep breath, a drink of the wine and set it down before she crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, looking at him. "I want to know if you're coming. I know it was short notice, but out of 25 guests, a catering company, a designer, and a DJ, you were the only one that didn't reply. Plus they've made the cake and all this other pointless stuff." Kate stood up and moved around the counter to stand in front of the novelist, looking into his eyes.

"Castle, I know I said some really bad stuff, and I regret saying it. I realize how much this must hurt for you, because I know your feelings for me. I'm not oblivious, and I know you aren't oblivious either. I know you know I've had feelings for you since the beginning. When things come down to it, though, I need a man that is willing to step up and not be afraid to take the leap with me. Josh isn't afraid. He plunged in head first." Kate could feel the lump in her throat as his eyes looked away from her, his feet forcing him to move backwards.

"Please, Rick."

"Kate, don't do this." He was looking at her again, the water in his eyes not only revealing how hurt he really was, but breaking her heart at the same time. He took the step he had taken away back and he was millimeters away from her. "Don't marry him. Don't go to the Hamptons. Just, don't." She had been begging before, and now it was his turn. Not only was he begging and pleading, but he was downright telling her what not to do. He didn't want her to marry him, and he felt that would be enough for now, at least.

"Rick, you know that a woman can't wait forever for the man that she wants to ask her out. When she thinks that the time isn't going to come, she has to go to the second best. I hate to say it, but we missed our chance." She kept her eyes on his, feeling a tear roll down her eyes. She hated dealing with emotions like this, but she knew it had to happen.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes when he moved his hand to her cheek, wiping the tear way, his fingers moving to her hair and tangling themselves in the luscious brown locks. Their eyes betrayed them and took peaks at the other's lips, her mind rushing with all the consequences of what could happen if she continued with this.

As his eyes got closer to her, and the heat of his breath was hovering over her lips, Kate let her eyes flutter close for a moment before she moved her hand to his, untwining his fingers and pulling them down to their side. She could feel his body droop, but she couldn't bear to look at him, so she just stood there with her eyes closed.

Feeling his forehead fall to hers, she sighed, giving his hand a small squeeze before she gave in and put her weight against him. Wrapping her arms around him slowly, she took in the scent of him and she let his warmth engulf her and take away all of her thoughts.

They stood like that for what seemed like hours. Just moments later, though, she pulled back, looking into his eyes. Her hand moved to his cheek, caressing it before she leaned forward and gently kiss his cheek, her lips staying over his skin for a moment longer before she pulled back.

"I hope to see you there." Giving him one last look, she walked out of the kitchen and to the door, walking out into the hallway.

He stared after her, his mouth left hanging open slightly, his heart hanging by a thread on his sleeve. He memorized the sway of her hips, the way her hair moved when she walked, her scent, anything he could to remember her.

Rick let the hurt sink in as he watched the love of his life walk away.

Kate let the hurt sink in as she walked away from the love of her life.

Things were turning from right to wrong in just moments of talking, and now everything they did, they questioned on if it was the right move or not.

They questioned the relationship they had shared for three years.

They questioned their decisions they had made with each other.

The sentences they had completed for each other

The crimes they had solved with each other

The hugs they had shared to give the other hope

The kiss they shared to save friends in need

The below freezing temperatures they had endured to save a city they loved the same.

The heartbreak they took from one another.

The mistakes that had ruined the best thing that had happened to them.

R&R (: