Hi there!

Prompt is based on "Hello" by Adele.

Enjoy!

"Hello?"

There's a shaky inhale on her end of the line. It's the first time he's picked up when she's called. It's the first time she's heard his voice in almost three years. "Hello? It's me."

"What do you want?" He's stark, cold. This is already killing him, though; his heart had begun to shatter the moment her name flashed on the caller ID. The raw emotion flooding his body; it's something he hasn't felt in a long time.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" There's some static so she takes a step to the right and cover's her exposed ear.

He works with her, desperate to hear her, but not desperate enough to drop the ice lining his voice. "No, no, better."

"I'm in California, decided I needed to get away, but I'm flying home tomorrow. I was wondering if we could meet to talk, maybe? It's been awhile." She had spent much of the last year traveling, never settling. She couldn't stop, couldn't let herself get comfortable. If she did, the separation became all too real.

She retired far earlier than she ever anticipated; far earlier than anyone had ever anticipated. Once she had finally solved the mystery, had closed the file, had gone home, she found herself completely alone. She hadn't noticed the divide she had caused until that gap was so large that no one was left, including her husband. She had done this to herself. She pushed everyone away just like she always had. Nothing ever changed.

Castle coughed, trying to sound casual. "I'm not living in the city anymore."

"You're not?"

"I moved out to the Hamptons house. I've had some health stuff come up. It's been nice being away from all of the craziness in the city." He walked over to the door facing the ocean, staring directly at the two lawn chairs in the middle of the yard. He bowed his head, not able to look.

"Health stuff? What stuff?" She's panicking as she stands on the sidewalk, chewing her nails.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." He downplayed a lot of what was going on. Yes, he had been going through health things; high cholesterol and his bad knee was acting up, but he had initially moved out of the city for one reason. Her. Diagnosis: broken heart.

He couldn't bear to sit in the loft any longer. It was easy at first when she had first initially. She was still around and he would pop into the precinct from time to time. There's was always the casual hookup when neither of them could stand the tension any longer. But then she stopped coming around all together. The calls stopped, the texts ceased to exist, and Castle's presence at the precinct vanished. Then, finally, after countless sleepless nights, he mailed the divorce papers to her. Seven days later, they were returned to him; signed. They had written off their marriage so casually. The sad truth was that it was just as easy to sign the marriage license as it was to sign the divorce papers.

"No, seriously, you're having health problems?"

"Kate, its fine." He cut her off.

She can hear the hatred in his voice. She can barely remember what his voice sounds like when it's not laced with poison. It's been such a long time since they were on good terms. She decides to change the subject in an effort to get him to talk to her. "I've called a couple of times before this, but you're never home when I do."

He's not backing down. He can't do it without the bitter reality crushing him yet again. "It's been 5 years since the divorce. And I've barely heard from you since then."

"I know, I'm sorry. Time kind of got away from me." She bites her lip, trying to anticipate what he'll say next.

"Beckett, why are you calling me?" There's a wall between them. A divide so enormous that it feels like he doesn't even know her, never did. She's a distant memory, a face in a dream, an alternate universe.

She runs a shaky hand through her short, choppy locks. Her left hand is bare, the gold band long since gone. "I just wanted to talk."

"I'm over it." He shrugs his shoulders.

"Rick, you know it was never my intentions for any of this to happen. I just."

He cuts her off again, suddenly filled with rage. "Yeah, well it did and you can't take it back. You know what? I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of the time I wasted. I'm sorry I was such a burden to your life. I fought tooth and nail for five years to get you and then you go and leave? I put my entire being into us and you betrayed me. I trusted you, and you ruined everything. You put everything that was important to you in front of our relationship. You were my whole world. You broke my heart, Kate."

"I'm sorry." Tears stream down her face. She hadn't felt so alone until this very moment. "I'm so sorry."

There is a pause, and then a slow, deep breath. Tears run down his face as he pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to keep it together. His next words come out broken up by a sob. "Goodbye, Beckett."

Then, there was a click and the receiver went dead.

She held the phone to her ear another moment as her face was flooded with tears. Life around her continued to exist, but her world had fully stopped. She had never felt more alone than she did right now.

Everything she had ever wanted, thrown out the window. For what?

All she wanted was her life back. She wanted the loft and cappuccino machines and her partners. She wanted wine nights and murder boards and New York. She wanted to run after a suspect in four inch heels. She wanted the passionate nights and the mystical mornings. She wanted Chinese takeout and conspiracy theories. She wanted shower show tunes and savory kisses. She wanted her husband. Ex-husband.

Her weak attempt at mending all those things back into a dynamic life had failed miserably, and she was the only one to blame. It was in that moment that she realized there was nothing she could do.

He was gone.

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