Castle didn't know what woke him up from sleep.

He looked at the bedside clock and groaned. He had slept for only two hours. It was still dark outside.

Rick and Kate had returned home at one in the morning. They had literally collapsed on the bed and had fallen asleep instantly… or at least, Rick had. He turned on his side to look at Kate. She was gone.

Of course…

Castle sighed. He didn't want to leave his bed. He was too tired. But he needed to make sure that Kate was alright. He knew Kate too well to believe her poker face. He knew she was blaming herself for everything. She thought she had failed as a detective… But he suspected there was something else too. Maybe, somewhere deep within herself, she had hoped to taste closure through her 'reflection'. She had hoped to experience a fraction of the satisfaction she often brought to others but never got herself. She had relived the worst moments of life through Julie… Maybe, she had also wanted to live through her the moments she always yearned for. It didn't happen. The case boomeranged on her. Her hopes sank, taking her down with them.

He got up and rubbed his eyes. He didn't know what to tell her, how to ease her pain. He knew that she was hurt… He didn't know how to heal her wounds. He was so helpless…

He walked out of his bedroom and into the living room. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. He saw her.

She was on the couch, hugging her knees and her head was resting between them. She was wearing Castle's shirt and her unruly dark hair flowed over her shoulders.

"Hey."

Kate didn't look up. "Hi."

"Couldn't sleep?"

Kate shook her head.

"Want to talk?"

She was silent. Castle waited.

"You know…" She started, her voice barely audible. "I can't believe I suggested Julie to read your books."

"What's wrong with that?" Castle asked, sitting down beside her.

"I tried to share something special with her… and all this time, she must have been laughing at me thinking how stupid I was."

"Kate, will you please listen to me?"

She turned her head and looked at him.

"Kate, you're not stupid. Yes, you made a mistake when you didn't think of her as a suspect… we all did. That's not important. We corrected our mistake. That's the important point. You're an amazing human being, Kate. You feel for the victims' families. You care for them. You cared for Julie. You tried to comfort her. If she thinks you're stupid for doing everything you did for her, it's her loss."

Kate sighed. Castle scooted over to put an arm around her shoulders.

"Rick, I've been thinking about my mom's case…"

"Hmm…"

"I don't think I'm ready to solve it yet."

Castle couldn't believe what he was hearing. A part of him rejoiced at the prospect of relief… relief from the constant threats to Kate's life, from the constant worry, the constant guilt. But the rest of him was worried. Kate Beckett was nothing if not a fighter. Whenever she was pushed to the corner, she always pushed back harder. Why was she giving up now? It was so unlike Kate Beckett.

"Are you sure, Kate?"

"Castle, this made me realize where I'm going wrong with my mom's case, why I couldn't solve her murder in all these years... Whenever anything related to my mom's case comes up, I… I just lose it. This case opened my eyes."

"Kate, it's natural…"

"I know, Rick. I know it's natural… There's a reason why cops are not allowed to investigate personal cases. I always thought I could do it but… I think I overestimated myself."

Castle was silent. Kate was right. She indeed threw her reasoning out through the window whenever her mother's case came up. He knew how stubborn she could be. He remembered how she hadn't hesitated to kick him out of her apartment the last time they had fought over it. He remembered how she had cut him off from her life. He had seen Kate struggling to get out of his hold and run back inside the hangar when Montgomery was fighting to save her life. He knew how she had dived back into her mother's case after barely surviving a gunshot to the chest. Kate Beckett could and would often ram through logic and facts like an outraged bull… Her mother's case was the proverbial red cape.

And now, she had suddenly decided not to pursue her mother's case anymore. Was it really a good sign?

"Are you sure you can stop looking into it?"

"I did stop once, didn't I?"

Yes, she did. She did, indeed… until he pulled her back into the mess in his own selfish quest for 'the story'.

"Do you know why I stopped looking into her murder the first time? Because my therapist helped me realize that I was too wounded… too hurt… to do anything useful about it… When I started again, I thought that I had healed, that I was stronger… I was wrong."

"Kate, it's okay to hurt… It's okay to be wounded… Just let me in… Just let me help you. You may not need my help but I need to help you."

"I need your help, you idiot… I need you." She spoke against his neck.

"I'll always be there for you… You know that, right?"

Kate buried her face in his shirt and nodded. He didn't need to see her face to know that she was crying. "I don't deserve you."

"Katherine Beckett, never say that!"

"It's the truth, Rick. I've been trying to be a better person for you for a long time now… but I haven't been trying hard enough."

"Hey, is that why you're giving this up? Because if it's so…"

"No. I'm not giving this up, Rick… It's just…" She stopped and let out a frustrated sigh. She was searching for the right words to express herself but they weren't coming to her. She tried again, "The night we got this case, I dreamed that I was running through a maze… My mom was calling out my name and I wanted to reach her but I kept hitting dead ends…"

"Oh, Kate!"

"Rick, I don't want my life to be that maze. I don't want to look back and think that I missed out on the best moments of my life with you because I was busy running…"

He tightened his arm around her.

"That's why I'm stopping… but I'm not giving up… I still hope that one day, I'll be able to handle it objectively… I'll heal enough to solve her murder. I still hope to bring her killers to justice someday… Just not now… Just not today… Today I want to live my life with you."

"Is that enough?"

"For now, yes… That's enough."

"But will you be happy?"

"Yes, Rick. I'll be happy… As long as you're with me… You'll be there for me, right?"

Castle's voice was choked.

"Always, Kate… Always."

They sat in the dark, hugging each other. Life was never supposed to be easy. Life wasn't easy. There would always be dark clouds casting shadows… but that didn't mean the sun wouldn't peek out once in a while.

They'd worry about the troubles in life when the troubles showed up. Now was not the time… the dark clouds over their lives had just parted.

It was time to enjoy the sunshine.

A/N: What do you think?

So… This is THE END. I'm waiting for "Cops and Robbers" eagerly. I just hope Kate's "wall" gets blasted away along with the bank… As a CastleConfessions post put it on tumblr, I'd love to see Beckett run up to Castle when he comes out of the bank and kiss him… (Well, personally I'm not that hopeful about a kiss but hugging will work too!) Maybe, I'll get new story ideas… I'm already plotting my next murder ;)

I always keep all the email notifications on my stories… All review alerts, story alerts, favorite story and author alerts… Today, they crossed 1000. I started posting my works here on 27th July (I remember the date 'coz it's my dad's birthday)… So, while I may not be a smash, people are reading my stories… I'm lucky :)

I thank everyone who read this story and left me reviews. Some of you have been kind enough to send me messages on facebook and twitter or reblog the story link on tumblr. I just want you to know that you guys mean a lot to me…

So, that's it for now… I'll be back!

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. This is a tribute to MilMar and the Castle cast and crew… Particularly Stana… because her smile lights up my world!