A/N: Considering I've been working on this fic for several months and finished it a couple weeks ago, I'm happy that a lot of the reviews people have left about what they hope to see in the fic are things I actually did include in later chapters.

After landing back in New York, Kate and Rick catch a cab and head toward Kate's apartment. When they arrive, Rick tells the cabbie he'll be back in just a second, then gets out and helps Kate with her luggage. Standing on the sidewalk outside her building, Rick draws Kate into his arms and kisses her like he's isn't going to see her for 6 months. Kate flushes with a passion only Castle stirs in her and wraps her arms around him. They pull apart and rest their foreheads against the other's, grinning between heavy breaths.

"Okay, I will be back in like an hour because I don't know if I can go any longer without seeing you again," Rick says.

"You are so cheesy," Kate admonishes like it didn't make her insides flutter.

Rick kisses her again before finally pulling away. "I love you. See you soon."

"I love you too, Babe."

Rick beams at the pet name and finally jumps back into the cab.

Kate floats to the elevator, her thoughts drifting to all things Castle and she finds herself standing in front of her apartment with no recollection of her journey to the eighth floor. She unlocks and opens her door, pulling her suitcase behind her. She drops her keys into a bowl by the entrance, slips off her shoes and heads toward her bedroom. She throws her dirty clothes from the trip in the hamper, places her toiletries in the bathroom and sets her suitcase off to the side to deal with the rest later. She wanted some time before Rick came over to clean up her apartment and create some ambiance with candles and music, then she planned to slip into her favorite silk robe and wait for her husband.

After tidying up, reapplying her makeup, setting out the candles, and changing into a lingerie set she never had the opportunity to wear for someone, there is a knock at her door. She glances at a clock to see it's barely been forty-five minutes since Rick left. She doesn't even care that she hasn't lit the candles or put on music yet because she just wants to see him. She rushes from her bedroom, grabbing her robe along the way and hastily puts it on before she swings open the front door with the words, "couldn't stay away, could you?" falling out of her mouth.

"Uh, hi," the man gives an awkward wave.

"Josh? What are you doing here?"

Castle arrives at his loft fifteen minutes after dropping off Kate. The ride was spent thinking of ways to explain why he was only stopping by before leaving again and also how to bring up the invitation for brunch the next morning without giving anything away. It turns out his brainstorming was for naught because according to a note left by his mother, she was at a party and Alexis was sleeping over at a friend's house. Not having his family home means he can get back to Kate's place even sooner than he expected. He'll leave a note for them to see in the morning, but he'll also text them about the brunch invitation, omitting any information of the two extra guests.

He packs up a small overnight bag to bring back to Kate's then heads out the door. He wants to make a quick stop at a florist to pick up lilies like the ones in Kate's wedding bouquet and then a nice bottle of wine.

Once he arrives at Kate's building he takes the elevator to the eighth floor. His body tingles with excitement as the elevator announces its arrival.

"Josh, what are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd be excited to see me," he says. "I just got back from Mali and I was hoping we could talk."

Kate sighs. "We broke up over a month ago. What could there possibly be for us to talk about?" She crosses her arms and leans against the door jamb, creating a roadblock to keep Josh from her apartment.

"I think breaking up was a mistake, Kate. I want to get back together."

"Well, I do not. I've moved on, Josh."
Josh deflates at Kate's words, but his gaze lands on the sparkling ring adorning his ex-girlfriend's ring finger.

"You got engaged?!" he exclaims. Kate's surprised her neighbors don't check out the commotion.

"Actually, I got married."

"Married?! Kate, we broke up a month ago! How could you have married someone already?" Josh yells, arms flailing out in exasperation. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots someone walking toward him and he groans. "It doesn't look like your little shadow got the message of your marriage either."
Kate follows Josh's glare down the hallway where her husband walks toward them. Rick slows his stride and approaches more cautiously at the angry energy flaring from Josh.

Pressing his lucky, Rick can't help but get a jab at the man acting like a love-scorned teenager in the hallway. "Well, who do you think she married?"

Josh whips his head to Kate, "you married this asshole? You chose to marry a womanizing, two-bit writer?"

Rick's smirk only makes Josh angrier. Rick should have seen it coming, but he soon finds himself propped against the wall after being punched in the face by the irate doctor, now stalking down the hall toward the elevator. The flowers he brought for Kate and the bottle of wine, lay, miraculously, unharmed nearby.

Kate is kneeling by her husband, inspecting the shiner that is already appearing around Rick's eye.

"Babe, are you okay?"

"A black eye will make me look so manly, don't you think?" Rick grins, then laughs when Kate scoffs.

"You are such an idiot, Castle."

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot now."

"I guess you are." Kate rolls her eyes but fails to hide her amusement. "Let's get you inside and put some ice on that. Then we'll numb the pain with some alcohol," Kate holds up the bottle of wine and grabs the flowers too before helping Rick to his feet.

Rick follows Kate into her apartment and takes a seat on the couch.

"What did you ever see in him?"

Kate is in the kitchen putting ice cubes in a bag and grabs a small towel before walking over to Rick. "Honestly? He wasn't you." She takes a seat next to him and holds the wrapped ice to his eye.

"What?" Rick contorted his face in hurt surprise.

"You heard me. He wasn't you." Kate looks him in his one good eye and smiles. "I knew going into the relationship with Josh that there wasn't a chance he could break my heart. He can't break something he'd never have. You, on the other hand, have both my heart and the ability to break it, but I trust that you won't."

"I hope to God I never do." Rick wraps his hand around the hand Kate uses to keep the ice against his eye.

"You want to take over with this, while I pour us some wine?"

"Why don't we skip the wine and go to bed?" Rick waggles his eyebrows.

"Or we could do that…"

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