Hi there!

8x02 prompt: The alternate ending we all wanted to see.

Alot of this chapter is straight from the scene, but I tried to add progression and thought processes. Hopefully you all see it when you read it.

Enjoy!

She watches him from across the room, a pleasant look on her face. She loves this man. She loves him in every way, shape, and form of the word. She couldn't imagine a single moment without him, and rather not think about the life she lived before him. That's what makes all of this so hard.

"Hey." He glances up from his careful practice of sprinkling marshmallows and folding egg, oblivious to the tension across the room. The only thing he's worried about it is flipping his egg and chocolate concoction. "How about breakfast for dinner. Making smorelettes. Which is technically dessert for dinner, but." Castle stops in the middle of his thought and is then made aware that this will not be a smorelette night. He notices Kate's overnight bag packed full next to the door. Ricks holds the spatula in the air trying to read her face, but it's completely blank. "You going somewhere?"

She can't even look at him with what she's about to say. The first noise she makes is a huge breath out. Does she really have to do this? She has to. "I'm sorry." It's all she can muster as his happy go lucky smile turns to a contorted frown. The silence between the two is incriminating. She has to say something else. She had an entire speech memorized in her head; she had said it over and over again, but it was gone the moment she stepped in front of him. "I love you so much." It's the only thing to say at this point. He has to know that it's true.

His entire demeanor changes as he stands a little straighter. He knows this Kate. It's not the Kate that bounces back easily. This isn't even Kate. This is Beckett. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go." She says it quickly as if doing so would make it all go away.

"Why." He jumps right back. He's not making this easy, not by a long shot.

She's scratching at her pant leg, her nerves too much to handle. She spits out her words, "I, I have to, I have to get my head right. I have to figure some things out so we can have our happily ever after."

"Where is this coming from?" Castle wipes his hands clean, his concern growing. "Is it because of your AG Team? Because of Bracken?" He moves around the bar towards her, saying any possible scenario to get her talking. He just needs her to open up a crack and he'll get her back. He thinks what he says next will get her. "Why are you giving up on our marriage?"

He's so wrong, because she physically takes a step back, her arms out, palms up. She wants this to be easy, she hoped it would be. Her script had made it that way. But in her heart, she knew it never would be. "I'm trying to save it."

"By leaving me?" Now he's mad. How could she do this to him? How could she just give up so easily? It's typical Beckett behavior. Fight or flight. There's no rationale, no logic. It's run and fight and follow instinct. Feelings go straight to the back burner.

"Look, if you have a problem, we have a problem." He keeps his voice low, barely a whisper vibrating off the walls of the loft. "That's how this works." He says it as if he needs to explain to her how to be married. How they do their dance. How they work as a team.

"No, Castle, not this time." Kate shakes her head, the tears continuing to build up.

"Whatever it is, Beckett, we can figure it out. Like always." He's practically begging her at this point. He doesn't want this to happen, can't let it happen. Not again. They're finally in such a good place.

She can't help it, the tears flood her vision as she continues to cut every single string connecting her and Rick. "Rick, do you trust me?"

It takes him a millisecond to respond. "Of course."

"I need you to trust me now. I need to do this on my own. And when it's done I just, I hope that, I hope, I hope you'll have room in your heart to take me back." It physically hurts her to say it, her heart aching in her chest. The tears she's holding back turn into a sob as she looks at the man she loves. He's so broken and she's the one that caused it. She did this and it's killing her.

He's trying not to let it show, but he's so beaten down at this point. He can feel the frown on his face as his chest tightens up. After everything that happened the last two days, Castle never expected it to end this way. He knows he has to cross the line. It's the only way at this point; a last ditch effort. He took three short steps to her, his voice still barely audible. "You know, before Bracken was killed, he told me you would never be happy just being my wife. Please do not tell me that son of a bitch knew you better than I do."

"I love you." She jumps then, knowing she's losing her hold on the situation. She grabs his face as her lips find his. She looks into his eyes, tears ready to spill over at any minute. "I always will. Forgive me." With that, she can't handle the pain anymore. She can't handle what she's doing to him. She turns her back, grabs for her bag, and runs out the door, leaving it wide open behind her. Kate can't possibly face this man that she loves any longer, the look of absolute defeat on his face. He doesn't deserve what she's doing to him.

But she wants to be with him more than anything. And if that meant risking everything she works so hard to get then that meant she had to do it. She stands there, back to the wall, a sob rocking her body. She can't believe this is actually happening. Can she really do this? Can she give it all up? She had the absolute intent of walking straight to the elevator, pushing ground, and racing to the closest motel. The script was so perfect. But who actually ever stays on script? So she continues to stand there.

She risks a look back at the open door. Beckett looks away again and down at her feet. Can she do this? Can she let Bracken continue to beat her down? And that thought sends her over the edge, making her mind up completely.

He stands there, dumbfounded and heartbroken, staring at the door that the love of his life just raced through, seemingly without a second thought. He knows there's no use chasing her; her mind has been made up. It would be like trying to stop a volcano from irrupting. It just doesn't work that way. He can smell his dinner burning away behind him, the smoke curling around the overhead range. He can't move, though, his feet are glued to the floor, his eyes still trained on the vast, empty hallway. She really left. She gave up everything they had to chase ghosts.

Just as he's given up any hope that she'll change her mind, he sees a shadow on the far wall of the hallway as footsteps race down the hall towards his loft.

Kate bursts into the room, her bag dropping to the floor the minute it passes the threshold. "You're right, it's us. It's you and me." She runs to him, throwing her entire body into his. "I'm so happy just being your wife. I am more than happy right here." She's hysterical at this point, relief flooding her body. Once and for all, she's let go of her past. She's finally, truly, wholly let it go. She has to. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much."

There was no way in hell she was going to let that son of a bitch ruin her life. She didn't let him when he was alive, and she surely wasn't going to let him from the grave. Kate buried her head in Rick's neck, "Never again, it's done."

"Thank God." Castle has her tight in his arms. She let it go. She chose him over the job. He's still pissed beyond belief for what she almost did to them, but for the moment, that's all gone. He has her; truly her, and it's never felt so good.

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