When she arrived at the usual coffee stand, she was surprised Castle wasn't there. She scouted the area looking for him and discovered that he had two coffees in hand and was sitting on a nearby bench.

The same bench that she begged him to stay for her on. The bench that reminded her just how selfish she had been by asking him to stay.

Kate walked over and sat down next to him on the cold bench. He wordlessly passed over her coffee and she took a sip. Of course it was just how she liked it.

For a few moments they sat in silence.

Rick was trying to think about why Kate had made him meet her here and so early in the day. They didn't have a case so they didn't need to consult on anything and they had just talked on the phone last night. He knew that when she was ready she would begin speaking her mind.

Apparently that was now because she maintained eye contact as she spoke with a furrowed brow.

"You know, sometimes I just get caught in a whirlwind of my own thoughts that I don't really absorb what's going on around me. I forget that my actions often affect those around me, not always in the best way."

He nodded silently to show he was following her train of thought.

She continued, "I've been thinking a lot recently and I realized I was wrong to ask you to stay in the city."

His head tilted to the side and his eyes were filled with confusion. "What's this about Kate?"

"Like I said, I shouldn't have asked you to stay in the city Rick."

"Kate it's fine, honestly."

"But it's not! If it were fine I wouldn't feel that our relationship is so strained right now and I have no idea how it got to be this way or how to even fix it!"

"You asked me as a friend to stay, and I did."

"People always leave Rick," she whispered.

For a brief moment she saw him debate about his next move. He only hesitated for a brief second though before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"It's not your fault though. You're an exceptional person Kate, and anyone that leaves you is missing out."

Exceptional. He called her exceptional. In the interview he also called Nikki Heat exceptional. Perhaps the lines of reality and fiction really were getting blurred?

"I just didn't want you to go," she admitted softly.

"Which is why I stayed. I don't want you to think I'm like everyone else, because I'm not. I'm not because I won't leave you, intentionally or not. I couldn't."

"It wasn't fair of me to ask you that though."

"Why not? We're friends aren't we?"

"Of course we are but friends don't make each other stay for each other out of selfishness."

"You Kate Beckett are anything but selfish."

She chuckled, but he didn't hear true contentment. She separated the space between the two of them and said, "That's where you're wrong though. It was selfish of me to ask you a thing like that because I could clearly see that you were unhappy."

She could tell he was reluctant to reply to this when he turned his head away and fixed his stare off in the distance.

"I put my own happiness above yours and I shouldn't have. I knew something was wrong but I didn't really try to find out what. I let something come between us, I just don't know what."

"None of this is your fault KB."

"I wish I could believe that. If it wasn't my fault then why didn't you tell me about that interview?"

His face instantly turned to one of shock. "You know about that?"

"Yes. Normally you tell me about those types of things and it has me wondering why you didn't."

"Honestly? I don't really know for sure. I thought that if I didn't tell you, everything would stay as it was. I don't want that but I also don't want things to change for the negative."

"So what about Nikki Heat?"

"What about her?"

"Are you giving up on her?" she questioned.

"Kate, I would never give up on you."

"That's not what I asked Rick."

He determinedly replied, "Yes it is and you know it."

"Fine. But going to the Hamptons wasn't giving up on me?"

"Absolutely not. That was just me wanting to take a break," he began. "To get away and clear my head."

"Do you still need to?"

"Not if you need me here."

"Castle you don't need to be selfless. Do what's best for you."

"I am nowhere near close to being selfless KB. I think we both handled this situation wrong. I was being selfish when I needed time away and didn't think about you. You helped me realize that."

"I just want you to be happy."

"I am Kate. I am."

He moved closer to her on the bench and silently placed his hand on top of hers, showing he would be there for her no matter what.

"Have you worked some of the things out though?"

"For the most part I think so."

"Well, then is it the end of the Nikki Heat series?" she asked, worry taking over her expression.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Sometimes it may seem like I don't appreciate you as a friend or a partner but I've gotten used to you pulling my pigtails."

He remembered when she first told him that. He was so ecstatic and could barely contain himself. Kinda like now.

He reached over and lightly pulled a section of her hair, causing her to erupt in laughter.

I feel like I've been neglecting this story recently, so here's another chapter! I'm sorry if it took a while, I've been working on my other story a lot recently. If you want to check it out head over to my profile and it's called Bullet.

Review please :)