681. Chapter 681

After Tone Death

Episode 8.09

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I do not own Svetlana, or Dr. Livingstone, or that other writer guy. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Svetlana? Really?" She smirked, while running her hand over Castle's bare chest.

Castle pouted. "I told you, I panicked. Espo and Ryan were accusing me of cheating on you and I just blurted it out. At least I made her a sexy Russian underwear model."

"Oh, that makes it all better?" She said with mock severity.

"You wouldn't want the boys to think that I replaced you with, maybe, Mama Toussaint, would you? And what about you? Stepping out with Dr. Livingstone? A doctor who goes to Africa, no doubt?"

"Both Espo and Ryan have told me several times that they're there for me. They're both really upset about this. And then later Ryan told me that he was devastated by our break up and he just sounded so sad because you were with someone else, I told him I had found someone too. I thought it might make him feel better, but I think it may have just made him sadder." Kate kissed Castle gently. "I know it's made me sadder. I just feel awful about all of this. I hurt you badly, even though I was trying to keep you safe. You are absolutely the last person I ever want to hurt, Dr. Livingstone."

"And I don't ever want to hurt my beautiful Svetlana."

"And I am hurt by what I did to you and it's no one's fault but mine. I hate it, but I got myself into this and I have to get out of it."

"I prefer to think you made your bed and now we have to lie in it."

"Oh, I am lying. It's not just you and me. If you could have heard poor Ryan. He is just devastated by this and I know Espo feels the same. Javi isn't anywhere near as demonstrative as Kevin is, but he's hurting for me."

"He isn't hurting for me. He's hurting me."

"Speaking of hurting…About the slap. Do you want to spank me?" Kate took his hand and moved it to her ass. "Would that make you feel better?" She smiled. "It would make me feel a little better."

"No, not at all. I don't want anyone else hurt, ever. I just want this to end."

"Me too." Kate thought for a moment. "What about Martha and Alexis? How do they feel about our "breakup"?"

"Oh, it's the five hundred pound gorilla in the room. It just sits there and no one says anything about it. But I know Martha is upset. She never really liked Meredith, but when she cheated on me, Martha hated her and she really didn't like Gina, but she thought of you as her daughter, really. She does love you like a daughter."

"Damn. Someone else I've hurt."

Castle stroked her hair. "This is something we have to do. A lot more people have been hurt in this than Martha and our friends. Hurt a hell of a lot worse than just having their feelings hurt. Speaking of our friends, how's Lanie taking this?"

"About as badly as everyone else. She has mixed feelings, I think. She's my best friend, aside from you, and she wants to be on my side, but I think she blames me for the breakup. She feels I just wasn't strong enough to put aside my old walled in ways and be your partner in life. She's not wrong, you know. "

"Don't ever worry about that. I couldn't ask for a better partner."

"What about Alexis. She's always had….mixed feeling s about me, I know."

"I know. For a long time she thought you were just using me. That I was a help with your case closure rate and you kept me around because of that, and not because you cared for me."

"I cared for you so much more than I ever told you. I just wish…" She stopped.

"You wish what?"

"That everything had been different. You asked me to dinner after the Tisdale murder. I wish I had gone with you. I might have seen a better side of you and decided we could be friends."

"I wish I had asked you if I could tag along with you instead of going to Bob. But you never would have said yes."

"Oh, don't be so sure. If you had been a gentleman at dinner and I'd had a good time, I might have said yes. After all, I would have expected you to only hang around a week or so to soak up atmosphere and get some ideas. Of course, you already had ideas. Sexy ideas."

Castle shook his head. "No, by the time the Tisdale case was over, I knew I wanted a lot more from you than just sex. Not that I would have minded sex. After all, you were hot for me from day one."

Kate sighed. "And there's that hormonal tenth grader again."

"And you love that hormonal tenth grader."

She smiled. "I do. I really do. And if we'd become friends, I would have gone to the Hamptons with you that summer. I would have been with you after I was shot. We'd probably have been married a lot sooner. If we'd been married, maybe I wouldn't have even considered the job in DC. We'd be an old married couple by now. With little Castle babies running around."

"If only." Castle said.

"Yeah. If only."

….

"Kev, I don't see that there's anything we can do about them. It's their life, not ours."

Kevin Ryan took his wife's hand. "Jenny, you never knew Beckett before Castle came along. She was a good cop, but she was unhappy. Miserable even. I can't let her go back to that."

"You know, they broke up for a reason. Maybe she'll be happier without Castle. Maybe this new guy will be better for her. Look, Kev, it took them years to get together and less than a year to fall apart. Maybe they weren't meant to be together. Maybe that's why it took them so long to get together, they really didn't belong together."

Ryan shook his head. "I watched them together for years, Jen. I saw how hurt Beckett was when Castle was with other women and how hurt Castle was when Beckett was with other men. I saw how happy they were when they got together. I just don't understand the breakup. And neither one will talk about it."

"It sounds like they talked enough to let you know they're dating other people. That says plenty."

"Still, it makes no sense."

Jenny rubbed her rounded stomach. "Kev, my back is starting to hurt again and my feet are swelling, so I'm going to lie down. Don't worry about it. One way or another, things will work out for Beckett and Castle. And if they don't end up with their happily ever after with each other, it's not your fault."

Jenny got up and headed for the bedroom. Ryan sat and thought. "That doesn't mean I can't try to do something. I'll have to talk with Espo and Lanie tomorrow. Something is hinky here and we need to find out what it is."