Takes place after 47 seconds

Hey guys, so I decided to lengthen my stories and make them better (hopefully)

Thanks so much for all the support you guys have shown.

I hope you enjoy

Xxx

Zalia

Xxx

Castle sat at his dark mahogany desk, running his fingers over the white keys of his laptop willing his brain to work. He needed one more chapter and Gina would be off his case. His writer's block had begun after the bombing case, after Beckett...

It was fine that she didn't love him, but the fact that she had lied to him for months, that was unacceptable. If she had just told him he would have been there for her as a friend, nothing more. But she hadn't and now he sat unmotivated, unable to write and no one to entertain him.

'No case with Beckett, Alexis is interning with Lanie, if only...' his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Looking at the lit screen, he saw his prayers had been answered, there had been a murder.

He hesitated before he answered the call, he was still mad so damn mad... but he couldn't sit here for a second longer.

"Hello, Beckett." Castle answered.

"Beckett?" he asked when she didn't answer, "You there?"

"He's been pulling away," she said, her voice finally coming through the speakers, "Ever since the bombing case, he's gone to Vegas, picked up women. I want to know what happened, what I did so I can make it right."

'Lanie,' he thought bitterly, 'She's talking to Laine and she probably butt dialled me And how the hell could she not know what she has done. Kate Beckett the Queen of Denial.' Castle was considering listening to her conversation, hearing how she justified her actions, "No," Castle said out loud, "I'm invading her privacy, I should put the phone..."

"How do you know it's something you did Kate?" an unknown man asked.

'She moved on already, without telling me. She sat on those damn swings and asked me to wait and now... I waited, I freaking waited... if she didn't want me fine, but a damn heads-up would have been nice.'

"It has to be me, if it were Alexis, or Martha, or anyone else, he would have told me, but he didn't, he avoids my questions, he hardly comes to cases anymore and he's pulling away. And I don't know what to do, or what the hell I did and I can't have a damn conversation with him without Ryan or Espo being involved and when they're not there he avoided me. Ugh, I thought he understood when I asked him to wait for me... The conversation Castle and I had on the swings. I told him I wasn't ready for a relationship until I solved my mom's case." Kate said, almost as if she was answering a question, "I thought he would wait... Damn it. If I had just manned up, maybe, we could have had always," her voice broke, a sob escaped her throat, "Maybe, I could have had him." she finished to quietly, Castle wondered if she had said it at all.

Rick couldn't move. She wanted him, he thought she had lied to spare his feelings. 'But,' Castle questioned, 'If she wants me who's this guy she's speaking to?'

"You weren't ready then Kate. You were fixing yourself for him. Maybe he needs time to process the bombing case. You said he started pulling away from then... Maybe he took it harder than he let you believe. Maybe now he needs time."

"So what should I do, let him leave me?" her voice rising with every word, "I should just let him go without a fight?"

"Do you want to fight for him Kate?" the man asked.

Castle held his breath. He knew he shouldn't be listening but he couldn't put the phone down now. Not with the question she was just asked.

"Yes," she replied her voice quiet but strong, "I want to tell him I heard him when I was shot and I want to tell him I love him too."

Castle choked out a sob... What had he done?

"I want him to know that I don't need my wall to come down, I just need him." Kate finished, her voice was strong and maybe Castle was dreaming but he could have sworn he heard want in her voice too.

"And what if he doesn't want you anymore Kate?" this mystery man said and Castle was ready to strangle this guy. Who the f- of course he wanted her, he just thought she didn't want him... Castle heard a broken sob escape through Kate's throat and it broke his heart, he was about to call out to her again, tell her that he did, he didn't care if she shot him for listening to her conversation but she answered the man before he could.

"I don't care... not, I mean of course I do, I care about, I just mean that..." she paused obviously gathering her thoughts, Rick imagined her running her hand through her hair as she always did when she needed a second to think, "I care about him, I-I love him but I need him to know, no matter what happens, what he says or does, even if he tells me he hates me and leaves me again."

'Again what did she mean by again?' Ricks mind raced again.

"Then that's what I want you to have done by our next session, I'm proud of you Kate, you've come a long way."

'Session' Castle thought, 'Who was this guy,'

"Enjoy the rest of your day Kate, I'll see you next week?"

"See you next week Dr Burke and tha-"

Castle stopped listening. 'Dr. Burke, that was Kate's psychologist she saw after she was shot. She had gone back. Why the hell had she gone back? Was she okay? Did she still have severe PTSD? Wa-'

He was running around Vegas drinking himself to death because he thought she didn't love him and now... she was speaking to a therapist for goodness sake. What the hell has he done? Was she ever going to forgive him? He left when she needed him... not wanted him... no, she had said needed. 'She doesn't even need her wall to come down,' Castle thought, 'She only needs-'

"Castle!"

'Oh crap!'

Xxx

Hey guys, so it's still very similar. Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

Hope you enjoyed it, let me know...