A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry. Work was crazy,my thesis was a pain and I suffered from major post-finale writer's block...
Anyway, here's a new chapter! It's super short but chapter 10 is on its way, I swear.
Kate Beckett was not a quitter. Not in her job, not in her personal life. She was not one to be easily scared off. Even when facing the unpredictable, she always stood her ground and fought back. Yes. She did not let go. She did not back down. So what had happened? Why had she ran? Why had she, in plain words, freaked out? The confession was unexpected, that was for sure. She had always functioned under the assumption that Richard Castle could not fall in love, that he used women, that he could not be trusted in matters of the heart. As far as she was concerned, he was a playboy, a ladies' man and he would never change. She had based her attitude towards him, his charming ways and flirty manners on the belief that whatever she was feeling for him would remain unrequited. The confession had taken her by surprise, it had shattered the whole shield she had built around her for defense. Now, she felt lost. All her certitudes had been proven wrong. This is why the only reaction her body had been able to produce was to run away. Leave the place where nothing was sure and go where all was safe and familiar. Thinking back on it, it was probably not her best idea.
As she entered the Castles' building, she started to imagine how this would go. And she had no idea. She could not imagine what Castle's reaction would be, she did not even know if he would let her in. She did not even know what she could say. As she finally reached his front door, she stopped for a second. She took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Castle was at home but it did not feel right. The loft was too big, too quiet, too empty. He could not sit still. Ever since he had hung up his phone, he was pacing nervously around the living room, sitting at his desk for a while, then heading to the kitchen, considering making coffee, going to sit on the sofa and starting all over again. At one point, he had taken out his phone and almost called his mother for advice but had finally decided against it. He would see this through on his own. Nobody should interfere anymore. Ok, so, the one time they had tried to work it out on their own had not really been a success but she was on her way here and he was waiting. He knew he had to face it. He was now in a position of weakness and he hated it. He hated it because it was so unfamiliar, his whole world had been turned upside down and he had no idea how he was supposed to act. In consequence, he took a resolution. He would not be taken in again. He would be honest, but he would not let himself get carried away. He would brace himself for whatever was coming. He took a deep breath and nodded decidedly to himself to assert his resolve. And then, he felt sick. He might be able to keep up appearances but no matter how hard he tried, he could not fool himself. He was scared to death. However, he did not have time to dwell on that feeling. The doorbell rang.