Chapter 10 – Standing Still

Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer –not mine and never will be mine.

Time stood for Rick Castle. He knew this moment would come, when the truth would come out. He thought it would be easier to hear, having known for months that she had been lying. It wasn't. Time had made it was easier to rationalize the lie, but hearing her say it still cut to his very core.

He flashed back to the first time he suspected she was lying. That day on the swing-set, Kate had talked in circles giving him hope but telling him nothing. He had told her 'I am still mad' and he was.

Following their chat in the park Castle returned home and realized just he wasn't just mad, he was angry. It replayed in his mind like he was living it again….

Castle's rage continued to eat at him, burning out from the center of his heart. He downed the last of his scotch and whipped his glass at his murder board – hitting her square between the eyes. The glass shattered, the melting ice cubes dripped down the murder board like tears.

Martha shrieked "Richard! What the hell is going on? What happened at the book signing?"

"Mother not now, get out."

"Richard, do you think I am going to just walk out of here because you told me to?"

"You want to hear it Mother, because it's not pretty. You are the ONE that told me 'Richard use your words'. I used my words. I told her how I felt. Three months no call, no email – not even a letter and now she's lying to me."

Martha let out an uncensored gasp "You saw Beckett?"

"Yes, she showed up at the book signing" he crumpled to the couch "she stood in line and asked me to sign her book. I could barely look at her. Three months and nothing, then there she is standing in front of me. I signed her book, sent her on her way and finished my job."

Martha hesitated for a moment "And?"

Castle scrubbed his face with his hands. "She waited for me."

Martha had crossed the room to sit beside her son "That's a good thing, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe, we talked. She broke up with Josh, but flat out told me she isn't ready for 'the kind of relationship she wants, until a wall comes down' Why would she tell me that she didn't want a relationship if she hadn't heard me?"

"Kiddo, it doesn't sound like she didn't say she heard you."

"Avoidance is the same as lying."

Martha moved closer to her son. "What little I know of Kate Beckett is it took a tremendous effort for her to come to you. Possibly it's not about not loving you, or not wanting to hear it but not being ready for it."

"Just leave Mother."

Martha knew she should stay silent, but couldn't. "Richard, darling…you have secrets too."

Castle snapped back to the present. Kate stood staring at the cold hard cement, afraid to look up, her forehead pressing further into his chin, fingers nervously playing with the cuffs of her coat.

Castle tipped back his head, reached out placing a finger on her chin and gently guided her eyes up to meet his eyes. "I know."

PS. Don't you love a cliff hanger?