Rewind, Remix, Replay-17

A/N: Hello:) I'm back! How's everybody doing? You guys are still here right? *crickets chirp* ._. oh well. I promised a chapter. Here you go! I apologize for its extreme shortness. I wrote this in between my studying time and lunch break. I hope you enjoy reading my story! Relax people, I'm not going to drag it out much longer, at least I hope not;) I hope you guys don't kill me for saying this, but this is probably going to be the second last chapter. Just to add on to that, I wanted to let you guys know that I have already written the last chapter, and I will base the decision on whether there will be an epilogue according to the response for this chapter. Also, would any one of you want an M rated scene in the next chapter? It's optional, but since I did it before, I wouldn't mind doing it again. I thought you may want a say in this, so… ANYWAY, PLEASE ENJOY THE CHAPTER^^

Disclaimer- Riiight. And I own the X files too. I got the box set as a Valentine's Day present. Seriously. I have the NCIS, FRIENDS, and X FILES box sets:) hahaha;)

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I love you.

He had actually said it first. Who would have thought ? He had said it to her without thinking, and had wanted to talk to her and take it back that night. That was, until he found out that she had gone and picked up a guy in a bar. That just shocked him to no ends. She wasn't that kind of person, but the fact that she did made him realize that perhaps, he didn't know her quite as well as he thought he did.

Speaking of people, he had been slightly surprised at the news that Tony and Ziva had started dating. It wasn't that they weren't compatible. They were, in fact, a match made in heaven. However, they have never ever been on the same page. They're always beating on different frequencies, so most people thought that they would probably not be able to even tell the other how they felt. Honestly, he had bet on them just sleeping together, and then everything would go back to normal. It seemed to be their liked each other, that was for sure, but for them to start dating and still be able to stick together, it showed that even the unlikeliest of couples can pull through whatever obstacles they encounter.

He hadn't seen anyone from the DC side in ages. The last time he saw anyone was when he had a book tour there, and Tim had dragged him over to meet everyone and convinced him to extend his stay for a few days. He had met Tim during a book festival during a writers' session. He had talked about his characters as if they were real people, and he asked him about it later. They became good friends after they began to share stories about their workplace.

He found the situation with Tony and Ziva fascinating, to say the least. She had replaced his former partner after she was killed in action, and they had a love-hate relationship from the beginning.

Heck, if they could do it, so could he and Beckett. He would have jumped right in willingly headfirst, except for the fact that it was now never going to happen.

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Kate sat on her couch and sighed for the umpteenth time. What was she going to do with herself? She was such a hopeless case. First, she started this whole mess by bringing about the stupid competition. Then, she locked the guy she loved out when he told her he loved her. After that, she avoided all her friends and refused to try and explain herself. To top it off, she ruined herself by going to the bar and making it seem like she had slept with some stranger at the bar.

He loved her. He LOVED her. He loved HER, of all people. The fact that she now knew that, coupled with the fact that she knew that he would never come back again, made her want to strangle herself.

Her phone was dead, but when she plugged it into her charger, her phone buzzed endlessly with messages and missed calls. "Shit!" she swore out loud into the empty apartment. There were 5 missed calls from Rick, 7 from Lanie, and 2 from Maddie that morning.

She quickly sent texts to to Lanie and Maddie, informing them that she had reached home safely, and apologizing for not picking up the night before. She didn't dare send anything to Castle, lest he infer or pick up something that she may have unconciously hinted at.

She left her things on the table and went to take a hot shower, but she couldn't stop wondering about what Castle thought when she didn't come back. She stepped out of her slippers onto the cold tiled bathroom floor, and shivered unintentionally. It was cold. She wondered how cold it was last night, and how long did Castle wait outside for her before giving up. Her head immediately groaned in protest at the emotional stress that she was putting over herself. She turned the dial all the way to red and let the water flow onto her body.

The hot, scalding, water rained down upon her head, her skin turned red from the heat, but she didn't bother to move from her position. Her entire body ached of having too much alcohol to drink the other night, and she couldn't be bothered to lift her hands to turn the water down. She stood there, just thinking, for the next few minutes, before coming to an epiphany when her finders became pruny, and quickly soaped herself up.

The guilt tore at her until she finally pulled her phone from the charger and left the house to personally apologize to him. Only, she didn't count on traffic, and the fact that she would actually REACH there.

Before long, she found herself standing outside his door, similar to a previous situation, with not a clue of what to say or do.

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Castle was glad to finally wake up in his own bed after a few hours of sleep. He never underestimated the power of a bed, after a horrible day. He had come back after midnight, and got a surprising lecture from Martha, who had been waiting up for him. He checked on his daughter on the way to his room, after Martha said that she had been waiting for him, to make sure she was okay. He was relieved to find that she was sound asleep in bed.

He woke up to find both Alexis and Martha out, and notes saying that they went to a date with friends, and shopping with an ex colleague respectively. He stood in the middle of the kitchen, reading the notes, wearing his robe because he had not fully woken up enough to change. He had not woken up enough to notice the warm cup of coffee present on the table.

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, and the voice of Beckett drifted into his ear. "Martha let me in, and Alexis made coffee for me. There's one for you on the table, you'd have notice it if you weren't so unaware when you're half asleep."

"Beckett," He said in a clipped voice. "What suddenly made you want to see me? Some epiphany you had last night during your after-sex introductory talk?"

"It wasn't so much as 'after-sex' as it was a sleepover. I spent the night at Maddie's, after getting so drunk I nearly passed out." She said evenly. Her eyes took in his reaction, her mind trying to guess what he was thinking, and how he might feel about them during this situation. His eyes widened, and he immediately looked apologetic and slightly guilty. A sign that her plan had worked.

"What's the matter Castle? You thought I had picked up some guy last night?" She asked, knowing the real answer. She expected him to tell her everything, but his response was unexpected. It seemed Lanie had been right, she really had a lot of things that she didn't know about the man standing in front of her.

"N-no. And even if you did, it'd be none of my business, Beckett. I wouldn't want to concern myself with any of your affairs, lest you mistake my intentions." He replied, as he drank his coffee. He needed to be awake, in order to be part of this conversation. He was half wanting to tell her that he was waiting for her, and that he was so worried for her safety; but he decided that it would be best to let it go, since she didn't reciprocate his feelings. If he had come straight out and say it, it would have been very awkward because she would have wanted to run away again. Maybe this time, she would really pick up some guy at a bar.

"Castle, it's okay. I completely understand. You were worried, and you merely came over to check on me. I don't mind. I think it's kind of sweet, actually." She smiled kindly at him, although there was some measure of puzzlement in her expression. He frowned at her, and she got even more confused. He didn't seem at all relieved, or even sorry he did it. It was more like he was wondering how much did she know about it.

"Wait. You didn't break in, did you?" She suddenly changed her tone to a slightly more serious one, and tilted her head sideways to look at him.

"No! I wouldn't bother. Is that all you came to tell me? Seems like a lot of effort for something you can just tell me on the phone." He replied her. His eyes showing none of his emotions or thoughts that were swirling around in his head.

Suddenly, Kate realised the state she was in, and what she must have seemed like to him. She immediately shut down and retreated. "I'm sorry, Castle. You're right, I shouldn't have bothered you. I can let myself out, have a nice day."

He literally saw the bolts slam down over her heart, and realised that in his delusion, he completely ignored the simple fact that she was the one who came over. She WANTED to see him. Although he regretted his mistake, he knew that she was hurt, and nothing he said was going to take it back. He turned around and let her go, restraining himself from calling her back.

She paused at the doorway, as if she just remembered what she came here to do. Her back was still facing him when she spoke.

"I love you too, Rick."

Before he could pick up his slack jaw, she ran out the door and tried to get as far away from him as possible.

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Keke. Evil Cliffhanger? Sorry. :) see, I'm having exams tomorrow, so I just can't write anymore. You'll just have to read the next chapter;) Although, I sincerely apologize for not being a good author and updating so slowly. I promised to write faster, didn't I? I'll be writing non stop after my exam ends, but that will be a long time ahead. I am writing with every spare moment I have though. According to your response, I may be able to put the next chapter within the month. [I don't want to say 'last chapter' until I decide if I want to do an epilogue. Its up to you guys^^]

Please leave me a review to let me know what you think. Also, if you have any suggestions, or find any part of the story that doesn't fit, please let me know:) I'll be eternally grateful. Don't forget to let me know if you guys want an epilogue. Thanks so much for reading anyways! I had a fun ride with this story, and I hope I can improve even more in the future.

All the Best!

~Lianna