What if Rick had spoken to Kate right after her confession to the bomber in the interrogation room?

Rick quickly left the observation room. He had suspected that Kate had heard him that day in the cemetery, that she had heard his confession, but he hadn't expected her to use it in an interrogation. The fact that she had used it, before she had even admitted it to him was what he found the most annoying. Rick headed to the desk to grab his jacket to leave, he didn't want to be around her; he couldn't be around her.

After grabbing his jacket he saw the coffee he had brought for Kate. He almost picked it up, to bin it out of pure spite, but then he decided against it and left it where it was.

That momentary pause he had taken to decide meant that Kate had had time to finish up with the interrogation and come out into the bull pen. She could only see his back so couldn't actually see just how angry he actually was, although he was doing a good job of keeping it off his face. Kate tapped him on the shoulder as she reached past him for the coffee.

"Yes?" Rick all but snapped at her.

Kate looked taken aback and actually took a small step back in shock. Rick couldn't even bring himself to feel bad about it because he was so angry with her. Kate narrowed her eyes at him, realising that something was off. "You alright Castle?" she asked, taking a sip of the coffee before putting it back down on her desk.

"Absolutely fine," Rick spat at her.

Kate's eye brows descended. "What the hell is your problem?" she hissed.

"You tell me," Rick replied in an equally low voice full of venom.

He turned to leave but Kate grabbed hold of his arm, her fingers digging into his bicep as she got a grip. Rick span to face her, the anger and hurt he was feeling beginning to show on his face. He stood there, glaring at her, not saying a word. Kate studied him for a moment before saying, "We need to talk Castle," and heading towards the break room.

"Huh," Rick scoffed, "So now you want to talk." He did however follow her, not that he had much of choice since she still had a grip on his arm. Kate gave him a questioning look, which he ignored as they walked.

Esposito and Ryan watched them go before the two of them shared a look. Esposito knew that Rick had been happier before he had gone into observation than he had been when he had come back out.

"What do you think that was about?" Ryan asked, his eyes drifting in the direction the partners had gone.

Esposito shrugged. "With those two, who knows."

Ryan nodded in response and then the two of them turned back to what they had been doing before Kate and Rick had arrived and left.

When they entered the break room the look on both of their faces obviously gave something away because the two uniforms that were in there quickly picked up their coffee's and beat a hasty retreat.

Kate waited for the door to shut before she released the grip she still had on Rick's arm. She however didn't start speaking right away. First she shut every single blind, effectively blocking the view of anyone who wanted to look in. next she looked for a way to lock, or block, the doors. Since Gates and the cleaning staff were the only ones with keys she settled for putting a chair in front of each door. once she was happy they weren't going to be disturbed Kate turned back to Rick, ready to find out what the hell was the matter.

Rick watched as she sorted everything, beginning to feel angrier with each passing moment. If anything though he was more hurt than actually angry, hurt that she had lied to him about remembering. But right now it was the anger that he was feeling the most.

"Castle," Kate began in a soft voice, "What's up?"

"Hm, let's think," Rick answered sarcastically, "Oh yeah. It seems that you seem to think more of a criminal in an interrogation than you do of me."

It took Kate a moment to work out, and digest, what he had said but when she did it was clear from the look on her face she didn't have a clue what Rick had meant.

"You lied," Rick clarified with a sneer, "You remember your shooting and you told a criminal as part of your interrogation technique without a thought in the world. But could you tell your partner? Of course not. You know how I feel about you Kate but you lied to me and strung me along, giving me hope that there could be an us at some point in the future, but not right now because your head isn't in the right place to be in a relationship." As he had spoken he had gradually raised his voice and while he wasn't shouting it was a damn close thing.

Kate blinked a few times at the end of his rant, her face dropping enough for Rick to notice. "You heard," was all she could whisper, her voice quiet and despondent.

"Yes," Rick spat out. "Now let me out so I can leave and go and get a drink and try and forget you."

Kate stood frozen as Rick headed towards the door. He had just touched the chair when it registered in her mind what he was doing. "Please Castle," she pleaded, reaching out and putting a hand on his back, "Why do you need to forget me?"

"Because," Rick answered, not turning to look at her, "I've pined after you for long enough; I need to move on if you don't have any feelings for me other than friendship. I just want to find someone to dive in with."

"As easy as that?" Kate whispered, dropping her hand and looking at the floor.

"I never said anything about it being easy," Rick scoffed, "Hell I don't even know if it's possible. But I need to move on, I can't keep pining after you if nothing is going to happen and I can't watch as you get another boyfriend."

Then Kate moved. She grabbed his arm and spun him around, roughly capturing his lips with her own before he could say anything more. She pulled away before he could process what was happening and respond and stood there, glaring at him.

Rick looked at her in shock, he had no idea what had just happened. Kate then spoke and all his fears, and most of his anger, went out of the window. "Ok, so I lied to you but not for the reason you think. I lied because I was scared Rick. I thought you had only said it because I had been shot and you thought I was going to die, I didn't think you really meant it." Rick opened his mouth to say something but Kate continued to speak, making it impossible to anything without talking over her. "I meant what I said on the swings, I wasn't ready for a relationship, if I'd tried it wouldn't have lasted, I wasn't in the right place for anything serious."

She paused for breath and Rick quickly cut in. "You say you weren't ready then. What about now?" he wanted to know.

They studied each other for a moment before Kate answered. "I've been working on it and yeah, I think I am ready, but if you want to move on then that's what you've got to do."

It was Rick's turn to kiss her now. He was guessing, but given that she had just kissed him, she was ok with him doing it. He had obviously guessed right because Kate kissed back enthusiastically almost immediately.

When they parted they stayed close together, Kate's arms around his neck and Rick's hands resting on her hips, where they had ended up during the kiss, and Rick whispered, "If you're willing to try then so am I." Kate beamed at her and then Rick continued to ask, "When you say you've been working on it do you mean on your own or with someone?"

"Does it matter?" Kate challenged.

"No," Rick answered, "But I was wondering."

Kate was quiet for a moment before she answered. "My psychiatrist, Doctor Burke, has helped a lot."

Rick was now the one who blinked a few times. He had honestly expected her to say that she had been working on it on her own, or maybe that she had been working on it with Lanie, but he had not been expecting her to say that she had been working on it with a psychiatrist. "Oh," was all he managed. He then saw Kate's face drop a little and felt bad that his reaction had obviously caused it. Quickly he muttered, trying to get the look odd her face, "That's great Kate."

She studied his face for a moment before she spoke again. "First I just went to see him to get cleared to come back to work but then I went to see him about my PTSD and then we worked on why I have trouble developing relationships," Kate paused and held Rick's gaze as she continued, "And why I was so sacred of a relationship with you especially."

Rick didn't say anything in response, just smiled at her before he leant in and kissed her again.

The kiss said everything the two of them wanted to get convey and when they pulled away they were both smiling.

"What now?" Rick asked in a whisper.

"Now," Kate replied, "We move forward and give this a try." Rick beamed at her words and she smiled before she continued to say, "But right now we need to work out how we're going to get out of here without raising too much suspicion."

Rick nodded, agreeing with everything she had said, as much as he wanted to shout from the roof tops he knew they needed to talk properly first. "Well Ryan and Esposito were properly expecting you to yell at me about something," Rick suggested, "After all you did drag me in her and make it nearly impossible for anyone to watch or interrupt."

Kate smiled before she gave him one last peck and stepped back, out of his hold and away from him. "I can't believe how childish you're being," she then proceeded to shout, the smile never leaving her face, "You're being ridiculous and unreasonable."

Kate winked and Rick took over. "Oh, I'm being unreasonable. If anyone is being unreasonable it's you Katherine Beckett." Kate nearly lost it at that paint. As much as earlier she had wanted to cry now she knew he was saying this all as a joke and she couldn't help but smile as she gestured for Rick to continue. "You can't keep shutting people out and then expecting them to stick around, "Rick yelled, letting out what remained of his anger in his words.

Kate took a steadying breath and rearranged her face so that she looked angry rather than like she was about to burst into laughter, Rick doing the same.

Once they looked suitably pissed off Kate gave Rick a nod and then moved to the door and pulled away the chair, being rougher and making more noise than was really necessary. She then pulled the door open and held it open for Rick before saying, in a voice that everyone what had gathered could hear, "How about you come back when the stick you've got shoved up your ass comes out."

Rick struggled not to laugh as she stormed past her and into the lift. Everyone watched in silence as Kate stormed to her desk and sat down. "What?" she snapped, looking around the room. Everyone quickly looked away and Kate picked up her phone as it gave a buzz. There was a text from Rick saying Come to the loft when you finish we can talk then, mother and Alexis are out so we have to place you ourselves.

Kate quickly replied that she would before she put her phone down and headed back in the interrogation room, ignoring the whispers behind her, and taking the coffee Rick had gotten her with her.

Rick and her were going to give it a go and right now she couldn't be happier and nothing was going to change that anytime soon.

If anyone has any ideas for other stories fell free to tell me and I'll see what I can do. Put it in a review or a pm or an anonymous message on Tumblr at always-a-shipper dot tumblr dot com