"He's probably tired of waiting."

She looked dumbstruck. Then she blushed.

"Waiting… you mean—"

"Damn right that's what I mean. You really gotta get your act together, girl." Lanie's gaze could feel piercing at times.

"Anyway," she said, rather to the glass of wine than to Lanie, "how am I even supposed to talk to him right now? It's not like he'd listen."

"Honestly? I think you should just show him. Works best for me most of the times."

Kate left her glass of wine to cradle her head in her hands. "We don't really do this, Lanie. We don't just… flirt with each other like that." She could see the laughter flowing out of Lanie's chest before she could hear it.

"That's the worst lie you've ever told me."

"But it's not a lie! It's just that—"

"Of course it is. You used to be in sync all the time. Or how else would you know that something isn't right between you right now? Plus, I've seen those looks, you know.", Lanie said, grabbing the wine bottle to refill both of their glasses.

"Well," Kate said, startled, "I mean, if you look at it like that…" Her fingers caught the stem of her glass without raising it to her lips. How could she feel so dizzy if she hadn't even had one glass of wine, yet Lanie looked so calm and wise nipping at her second?

"Look, here's what to do: next time you see him, which will probably be tomorrow morning way too early in the middle of some messy murder scene, you grab his hand and drag him behind the bushes and make some wonderful little Castle babies, or—", she raised her voice when Kate was already in a state of embarrassed protest, "you just go and talk to him tonight. And you make him listen. With everything you've got." Kate shut her mouth. "This is it, right? This is the one to fight for. Go and do what you do best."

Kate remained still for a moment. Then she slipped off her stool in silence, kissed Lanie on the cheek and left both her and her wine abandoned in the kitchen.