Here it is the conversation between Martha, Rick and Kate. I think this is my longest chapter yet!

"Now for the hard part, kid. It's clear that you and Castle have something real and you're fighting it. But trust me, putting your job ahead of your heart is a mistake. Risking our hearts is why we're alive. The last thing you want is to look back on your life and wonder, 'If only.'

Love And Die In LA

"So how is it that your mother knows about this, Castle?" Kate demanded to know as soon as they entered the elevator of his apartment building.

Rick knew that the only reason she had waited this long to ask the question was because she didn't want to risk anyone overhearing anything. They had arrived at his apartment in separate cabs so that Kate wouldn't have to fight the temptation to interrogate Castle in front of the cab driver. That, and so that whatever thoughts that entered Kate's mind wouldn't push Rick over the edge and cause him to do something he would later regret.

"Mother came in to the room when I was researching it," Rick explained.

"You were researching m-" Rick quickly clamped his hand over her mouth, earning a glare from Kate.

"Security cameras," he whispered before pulling his hand away. In most places, security cameras wouldn't be an issue. But one of the reasons that he had chosen this building was because of the heightened security, which included audio as well as visual monitering of the elevators and hallways.

Kate sighed. "I should have thought of that," she muttered under her breath. "So you were doing research? Did you find anything?"

"Nothing that made any sense," Rick said.

"Castle, nothing about this makes sense," Kate retorted.

"Actually, from a literary standpoint, it kind of does," Rick said.

"A literary standpoint?" Kate gave Rick an exasperated look. "What about facts and hard evidence?"

"Do you really think this is a situation that lends itself to facts and hard evidence?" Rick asked pointedly. "This isn't a murder investigation, Kate."

The ding that alerted the pair that the elevator had reached Rick's floor sounded and the doors quickly opened. As they walked out of the elevator and towards the door to the Castle penthouse, Kate said, "I know that, Castle. I just think that we should gather as much evidence as we can instead of just jumping to conclusions."

Rick quickly unlocked the door and stood back for Kate to enter, following her inside. He closed the door behind them before saying, "There might be more of a need to think like a mystery writer to this than you may think."

"What makes you say that?" Kate asked.

Martha's greeting kept Rick from being able to respond right away.

"Darling, hello," she said, walking down the staircase in her normal flamboyant fashion. "And Kate, how lovely to see you again, dear."

"Hey, Martha," Kate greeted her partner's mother. "I'm sorry for just dropping in like this, but we could really use your help. Castle said that you were able to give him some insight into our unique situation?"

"Unique, to say the least," Martha said with a light laugh. "But I've already told Richard everything I know. There's not really more I can add from what he's already explained to you."

"I haven't explained anything yet, Mother," Rick said.

"Why ever not?" Martha asked in surprise.

"We don't want anyone in the precinct to know about this," Kate explained. "We'd rather just keep it between the three of us."

"Richard, why didn't you explain the story on your way from the station?" Martha asked.

"We took separate cabs," Rick said.

"Whatever for?" Martha asked. Rick's lack of a response and the light blush staining the detective's cheeks seemed to be answer enough for the older woman. After waiting a few moments, she prodded her son, "Well, go ahead, Richard. Tell the poor girl."

"I'd rather hear it from you, if you don't mind," Kate said.

"But why, dear?" Martha asked, baffled. "Richard is far better at spinning a tale than I am."

"Since you had the information first, it would be better to hear it from you," Kate said patiently. "We are trying to treat this like a case as much as possible, so you could say you are the closest eyewitness that we have."

Rick knew that his mother probably found the idea somewhat odd. But he was sure that she was too used to his thinking outside the box to question it too closely. He was proven right when Martha simply told Kate the story she had told Rick.

Kate listened silently as Martha filled her in on the story of Jack and Isabella, but Rick could hear every thought of disbelief that ran through her mind.

A girl from a rich family in love with a farm boy? That's like 'The Princess Bride.' So is Jack going to turn out to be a pirate, like Wesley became the Dread Pirate Roberts? Wait a minute. Did she just say soul mates? Relationship in danger? But how has my relationship with Castle been in danger? Wait a minute-what relationship? Our working relationship? But if that was the case, why didn't it happen last summer when...okay, Kate, don't think about that right now.

"It almost sounds like a fairy tale," was all Kate said after Martha had completed the tale. "Or at least something you would read in a romance novel."

"And how would you know about what would be in a romance novel, detective?" Rick asked with the familiar twinkle in his eye. He had been so careful with Kate the last few days, not teasing her about any of her thoughts. But she had said this out loud and he just couldn't resist.

"I do read, Castle," Kate snapped. "Not usually romances, but...anyway, that's not the point. The point is that there is nothing remotely believable about Jack and Isabella's story."

"Like there's nothing remotely believable about me being able to read your mind," Rick responded. "And yet, I can."

Kate didn't even have a mental response to that one. She swiftly tried to think of any books or movies that addressed mind reading. All fiction, and all totally unbelievable, she thought with disgust.

"My personal favorite was 'What Women Want," Rick said after listening to Kate mentally discard story after story. "But I guess in this case, it would be more like 'What Kate Wants," he added, his tone revealing his delight at his clever quip.

"Not funny, Castle," Kate said as Martha coughed to cover up a laugh.

"Wow, you really didn't laugh at that one," Rick said after a moment, surprised. He'd half been expecting to hear another mental giggle from Kate like he'd gotten with his mind reading aliens infiltrating the C.I.A. theory.

Kate just rolled her eyes. "Okay, since we know that whatever we come up with is going to have some element of unbelieveablity in it, Martha, is there anything more you can tell us that might be of some help?"

"Only that there were rumors that my great-grandfather on my mother's side of the family was said to have the gift," Martha said. "Nothing was ever proven, but there were whispers. Great-grandfather was very reserved. My acting abilities came from my father's side of the family."

"The con artists?" Kate asked Castle with a smirk.

"Yep," was all Rick said in reply.

Oh no, in teasing Castle I was teasing Martha, too!

"Don't worry about it," Rick said. "Mother wasn't offended, were you?"

"Not at all dear," Martha assured the detective. "I'm far to used to your teasing my son to take anything personally. Besides, it's good for him. It keeps him humble."

Kate couldn't help the laugh that escaped at that one. "Humble? Castle?"

"More humble than he would be otherwise, dear," Martha said.

"That's a scary thought," Kate mumbled under her breath, to which Rick gave her a mock glare. "Since a hereditary gift is the most plausible explanation we have right now, we'll just have to go with that. So the first question is-"

"What triggered it?" Rick completed the thought.

"So what do we have from Jack and Isabella's story?" Kate wondered aloud. "We know that they loved each other but were being kept apart because of social status and because Isabella was promised to someone else. So would your success as an author and that I'm a low-paid cop be a part of the reason?"

"Doubtful," Rick replied immediately. "Things aren't like they were back then. And even if they were, there is no way I would let that stop me from being with you."
Kate's eyes widened for a moment. Don't think anything, Kate, not a thing. "Okay, so social standing isn't the reason, then." Actually, it makes sense. If you went for social status, you would have married a famous actress or model or something."

"And Meredith has never been all that famous," Rick pointed out. "And Gina was my publisher."

Martha's face revealed her confusion, but she remained silent.

"Then the question is when was our relationship in danger?" Kate wondered.

"It would have to be recent," Rick said. "Otherwise, this would have started a long time ago."
"So how far back do you think this could go?" Kate asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Rick said. "What relatively recent event would have had the chance of ruining our relationship?"

"I can't really think of anything that would have threatened our work relationship since you came back from the Hamptons," Kate said. "You get along with everyone at the precinct, the mayor supports your shadowing me, being with me on cases hasn't interfered all that much with your writing-"

"Except that Isabella and Jack really didn't have a working relationship," Rick said in a gentle tone, not surprised that she had immediately jumped to the conclusion that the relationship in question was their working one. "Unless you count them working together in the circus. But the mind reading had stopped by then."

Out of the corner of his eye, Rick noticed the expression of fascination on his mother's face. He wasn't surprised; she really hadn't been around them much when they were in the midst of building theory. She remained silent, as people usually did once he and Kate got started.

I don't know if I can do this.

"Kate, it's going to be okay," Rick said, putting a hand reassuringly over one of her own. "Whatever happens, it's going to be okay."

"You can't promise that, Rick," Kate whispered.

"I can," Rick said, a note of steel entering his voice. "And I do. There is no pressure. You know the only thing I want is for you to be happy, Kate."

Kate closed her eyes for a brief moment. You need to calm down, Kate. Treat this like a case. You've got to treat this like a case. "Okay, so it isn't the working relationship, then. It's the personal one, our friendship."

As stubborn as Rick knew Kate was, he was still somewhat surprised at how hard she was fighting the idea of them having a romantic relationship, of them being soul mates. But he knew how raw her emotions were, how vulnerable her heart was. He'd made a vow to protect her emotionally, and he certainly wasn't going to break that now. So, until she could handle something more, he would humor her.

"So what has threatened our friendship lately?" Rick wondered aloud.

"Nothing," Kate said after a minute. "If anything, our friendship has gotten stronger these last few weeks. You even helped me out in L.A."
"L.A.!" They both came to the realization a few moments later.

"But what about L.A.?" Kate wondered. "You were helping me. And yeah, I got mad at you when you were blowing my cover, but then you ended up helping me find the next break in the case. So there was no threat to the friendship there."

"And I was worried that you were going to actually shoot Royce's killer, but you didn't," Rick remembered. "And even if you had, I would have been disappointed, but I would have understood, and it certainly wouldn't have made me want to stay away from you. I would have gotten you the best lawyer money could buy and done everything I could to help keep you out of prison."

"So what else is there?" Kate wondered aloud, a note of frustration in her voice.

The answer came to Rick a moment later, but he hesitated to share it. Instead, he decided to wait for Kate to think of it herself. This was enough like building theory that he was certain it wouldn't take long. He was proven right with her next words.

"The hotel," Kate whispered, stricken. That means it can't be about our friendship.

"It was like last summer, when I had given up hope on things ever changing between us," Rick said. "Not that I had completely given up that night in L.A., even though I knew Josh was in the picture, or thought I knew-"

"But he wasn't," Kate said. "I broke up with him weeks ago."

"So even though he wasn't in the picture, I didn't know that yet," Rick went on. "And when we sitting on the couch, and I was telling you what I was thinking when I first saw you, that you were a mystery I was never going to solve, then-"

"Then it was all I could do to get up from that couch," Kate said, something Rick already knew because of her memory that he had seen.

"And it was all I could do to not kiss you," Rick confessed.

"I would have let you," Kate admitted. "When I came back in the room, I mean. I would have probably even asked you to. I might have just ended up throwing myself at you. I don't do that, ever. But that night..."

"I know," Rick said. His hands were clenched into fists as he struggled to keep from reaching out for Kate now. This was almost harder than seeing her fantasies. He could hear the hesitancy and the longing in her voice. He could see the same desire in her eyes that he had seen when he had opened the door a few days ago after shortly getting out of the shower. She'd had the fantasy of doing that very thing then, of asking him to kiss her. If she had a fantasy now, he wasn't sure how he was going to be able to keep up the restraint he had fought so hard to maintain.

"If you hadn't been able to read my mind-" Kate began the thought.

"And if I hadn't been able to see your memories-" Rick continued.

"Then who knows what would have happened-" Kate went on.

"How long it would have taken-" Rick said.

"For you to know any of it, to have any idea-" Kate's voice cracked on the last word.

"About what you were really thinking," Rick concluded their shared thought.

"Would you have given up, Rick?" Kate asked. This was one of those times that Rick wasn't surprised by her using his first name. She was definitely emotional enough to do so by this point.

"I don't know what to tell you, Kate," Rick answered honestly. "Not right away, I know that for sure. But thinking that you were with Josh, that you were happy with him? I suppose it's possible."

Rick saw Kate's eyes glisten with unshed tears before she swiftly turned away. "I need to go," she whispered.

"Kate," Rick called out to her in the same tone he had that night in the L.A. hotel room.

"I'm sorry, Castle," Kate said, her voice a little above a whisper now. "But I need to go...somewhere." Rick saw an image of Lanie, Kate's best friend and closest female confidant, flash through Kate's mind. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I just need to-"

Rick understood. This was a lot for Kate to take in. It made sense that she would need to talk it over with Lanie, that she would need time to think. Considering that Lanie had rooted for them to get together for years, Rick wasn't all that worried. But he hated that Kate had to deal with such inner turmoil. The longing to gather Kate in his arms and tell her how much she meant to him, give her all the reassurances she needed, was so strong he realized that he was shaking with the effort to hold it all in. Right now, though, she needed time away from him. So that's what he was going to give her.

Martha walked over to her son and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Until tomorrow, detective," he said in a surprisingly steady voice. He wasn't sure whether he was glad his mother was still there, or if he'd rather have faced this on his own.

I'm sorry, Rick.

With that last thought, Kate walked out the door and was gone.

As always, please review. Thank you, martini, for the "what Kate wants." Kate may have not thought it was funny, but Castle, Martha and I sure did! I think if she hadn't been in such emotional turmoil, Kate would have seen the humor in it, too. :)