Time for a little angst
Not Much, just a little
I promise you will survive
I am just not sure about one of the players however

Kate Beckett has stood at the front of several press conferences in the past but today is different. Much different. Today the story being reported contains answers for her. Answers for her mother's death. Answers that Kate was not expecting to ever be able to get

But today those answers are being delivered. Today the US Attorney General's office is going to be filling in the details for the last void in the life of Katherine Beckett. The one last empty spot that might have been a small bump in the road for her future.

Lanie had to stop at the bottom edge of the stage steps and was not on the list of dignitaries allowed to be on the main deck. Beckett tells Lanie that she would be OK as soon as Castle joined her. Kate Beckett steps up to the main stage and looks around for any known friend for her to wait beside.

This is when she is spotted by Paula Haas, Rick's book agent. This woman believe that she has always had Castle's best interest in mind moves quickly to Kate

"Detective Beckett can I have a word with you?" The agent asks

Kate remembered meeting Paula on a few occasions agreed to step to the rear of the stage for a private conversation

"Detective I know all this has been a roller coaster ride for you and I am so sorry" The agent states

"Thank you Paula" Beckett responds

"Listen Kate we had a meeting at Black Pawn this morning…"

"Yes I know" the brunette detective responds while her focus is looking around the stage for Castle's arrival

"…yes and we know that you were not very happy when you were ordered to allow him to tag along on your cases and so we had this conversation today with Rick and we have agreed that you are no longer being forced to put up with him. He is going to stop being around you and your team and you can now go back to the life you had before he came to bother you"

This statement catches Beckett totally out of the blue "Excuse me?" Kate can barely breathe

"Yes detective Rick will no be around bothering you. He will go back to writing his books and you can go back to being a cop without a civilian to worry about causing trouble"

Beckett finds her heart beating so hard she can hear it in her head. "And Castle agreed…to this…break…this break up?"

"Oh yes detective. We had a meeting and Gina and Black Pawn and she told him that this is for the best. I am sure you understand?"

Kate is looking off across the distance and is no longer hearing what the other woman is saying. Beckett puts her hand up in front of Paula 'Thank…thank you"

Kathrine Beckett is stunned by this woman's comments. She just feels like her insides have been ripped out and her heart has been taken from her. As she walks aimlessly away from the publishing agent her mind goes places she never wanted to go

'I guess my first impression was right. He is a womanizing playboy and all he ever wanted from me was to get me separated from my clothes. Well I am one stupid individual.

He is good!
He waited four years to do this!
He just wanted to get me into bed and he finally did it!
I let him!
I thought he loved me!
I thought I loved him!
But all he wanted was…
Well no more!

Kate is standing in the front row when Castle steps up behind her "Sorry for the delay. I had to talk to my lawyer about something to do with my publisher"

In her mind the conversation just gets worse 'OK he talked to his lawyer about the Black Pawn thing! Or worse?

Great!

I guess if I were to accidently be pregnant he wants to make sure I can't claim…I don't want to know what? Or maybe he wants to make sure I can't lay claim to any of his fortune? Well he can just keep his fortune. I don't care anymore. I don't care about his fortune! I don't care about Him!'

She is just a little in front of and slightly aside from him. He has positioned himself so that no one in the audience or even the dignitaries on the stage will notice that he has tried to take her hand. But the moment he reaches to touch her, she recoils from him.

He attempts again with his right hand and receives the exact same response from her

Castle is confused as to what might have occurred and tried to lean into her to ask what is happening. When he comes near her she turns her head away from him making it very clear she is not wanting to know what he has to say

As the AG begins her dissertation, Kate slowly steps forward just an ever so a tiny bit trying to get some distance between him and her. She halts in her movement when she is stopped by his holding firm to her coat tails

The representative from the Federal Government reads a lengthy document containing details of an undercover operation that had begun even before Johanna Beckett's death, The report details how her death was tied to the death of an undercover operative and several criminal elements.

She brings out the connection of the hired hit man, Dick Coonan, and how he was connected to Vulcan Simmons and his drug cartel. How they traced the money thru several legal channels finally ending up in the political campaign account of the senator

Each new piece of evidence brought out causes Kate to try and move further away from Rick.

The story being told causes her to hold her breath then release it when she feels that she might pass out from lack of oxygen. This is not where she wants to be right now especially next to a man who lied to her for all this time

After about fifteen minutes of listening to a prepared written report from the deputy AG they finally brings in the last connection to Senator Bracken and his criminal organization. At this point the AG passes the podium over to a member of the State Department who begins to detail the arrest of Karl Kent in Paris and how that man was tied to Bracken's security company as a hired gun.

The report continues to try to separate the events as if they were not connected in any way while both Beckett and Castle are totally convinced that Alexis kidnapping was orchestrated by the senator

The written report even brings out the fact that Karl Kent was dating Castle's publisher, Gina , and probably did so as a ploy to have access to Rick's daily schedule

After the final page of the prepared statement is finished the press are allowed to pose only a few questions to the group. After a few cursory questions are posed by the reporters as they shift their attention from the senator to the detective and also her shadow

"There seems to be a connection between the Senator and Alexis Castle' kidnapping. Are Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle dating?" comes the first question shot directly at the couple.

When this ambush begins, Kate reaches back with her right hand and pulls Castle's hand off her coat as she tries to separate herself from him even more

It is at this moment Paula, Rick's literary agent steps up to the microphone "I will take that question, Mr. Castle and Ms. Beckett are just co-workers and nothing else"

That statement has caused Kate to tense up markedly

"So they are not dating?" The question gets restated from the reporters

Paula take this opportunity to deliver her planned response "Mr. Castle has been shadowing the NYPD and Detective Beckett for over four years. Rick has written three very successful novels based on the detective. We have discussed this we have agreed that having Mr. Castle following Detective Beckett has become very dangerous and we have had a conversation with him about him discontinuing his shadowing with the NYPD"

Castle is not paying attention to Paula. He is trying to figure out why Kate is acting the way she is

But when Kate hears these words from Rick's agent they bring a fire into her chest like she has never felt before. Her statement just confirms what she had said to Kate earlier. He has agreed to leave Kate. After she thought that they have just become a couple? How could he do this? How did it happen NOW? She wonders.

As she tries to pull her hands away from Castle's hands he looks up at the literary agent. She cannot see Castle's eyes are glaring at his representative as she continues "This should …"

Paula Haas's comments are halted by the thunder of an explosion on a rooftop several blocks away. The black cloud of debris can be clearly seen from the group's current vantage point.

Kate Beckett finds herself on her back on the stage like a year ago. And just like a year ago Castle is on top of her covering her body with his own

"Castle GET OFF ME!" Kate screams

Castle looks around before answering "Not until I'm sure you're safe"

"What are you talking about Castle?"

"Kate! I am not taking a chance of something happening to you! Not again!"

"Castle! Get off of me!" Beckett repeats as she is shoving Rick away from her

After they stand up agents are pushing the pair off the stage and into a safe location below the line of sight of the tall buildings nearby.

Once Castle and Beckett reach a safe distance Rick takes Kate's arm and turns her around "Kate! What is going on? You are acting strange"

"ME? Are you kidding me? How about you?"

"Me? What did I do?" Castel is honestly wondering what he did "Kate what is wrong?

Kate Beckett looks at Rick and he can see fire burning from her eyes. She takes a deep breath before speaking "I am such a fool!"

"Kate! I have no idea what you are saying. What is happening?"

She finally stops long enough to bring her thoughts together "I talked to Paula! She told me that you are breaking it off with me"

"Kate. Is that what you think? I am NOT breaking off with you. Kate I love you and I want you. I want to be with you"

"But Paula said…" Kate chokes out

"Paula, Nothing! I told them that there is no way. I am NOT breaking up with you"

In a much calmer voice Beckett continues "Just as we pulled up here you took a call from your lawyer"

Castle steps close to Kate again and this time she is not pulling back "I told him what they wanted me to do and I told him that was not happening. He said that Black Pawn CAN enforce the dangerous activity clause against US. You and ME."

"So he told you that you do have to leave me or loose the publishing deal?"

"I told him that I want you and not the books"

Castle has managed to put his arms around Kate and is holding her very tight "So he said there is one thing I could do that will void that part of the contract"

"What is that?" Beckett ask

"Katherine Houghton Beckett! Will you marry me?"

She stopped hearing anything after he said her name