"Beckett," Roared Roy Montgomery.

"Yes sir?" Kate stood up.

"These arrived for you," Montgomery shoved a bouquet of roses in her face. "These are the eighth set this morning. So tell that boy you're sorry, or tell him to stop stalking your ass. Either way, another bunch of flowers come to my desk, you will pay, Beckett." Roy threatened and walked away.

"Yes, sir," Beckett called to his retreating back. She frowned at the rather innocent looking roses. How could she the whole 'leave me the hell alone' message to thick headed Richard Castle and make him understand it? She had taken the rest of the flowers and burned them out back until they were little more than ashes in the wind. She needed time to think, to come to terms with this new information. Once she got past all of it, then she might be able to forgive him, but he wasn't giving her space, and he needed to leave her alone.

Taking the roses outside, she burned the flowers. Not until they were ashes, but just enough so that they were crisp and black. A grim look on her face, she put them in a box, and sent them to Richard Castle.

***

"You, dear father of mine, are an idiot." Alexis informed her father, curling up on the couch beside him.

"You have been hanging out with your grandmother too much, that's usually what she says." Rick replied off handedly, he was already wondering on whether or not he should send Kate more flowers. Maybe daisies this time. Something fun.

"You never should have looked into her case in the first place." Martha butted in, a glass of wine in her hand.

"That's all in the past now, Mother. She'll forgive me."

"Stop pestering the girl within an inch of her life. She needs time Rick.” Martha squeezed herself onto the couch so that Rick was in between her and Alexis.

"She needs more flowers." Rick reached for the phone, but Alexis grabbed it, her red hair swinging.

"No."

"But-" Rick protested. They stared at each other until the doorbell rang and Rick jumped.

"Delivery for Mr. Castle." Someone yelled.

Rick marched to the door, collected his package, and brought it back to the coffee table. "It's from Kate. See, Mother, she's forgiven me. She even sent me a present." Rick beamed to his cynical mother before ripping open the box. A stony silence enveloped the room as Rick gathered the burnt flowers in his arms. "She burned them." He whispered, cradling the dozen once red roses like a child.

"Dad, are you okay?" Alexis placed a hand on her father's shoulder.

Rick's mouth hung open for a few seconds, and then it started moving but no sound came out. Finally he managed a choked, "She burned them."

"Dad," Alexis laid a hand on her father's shoulders.

Rick shook her off, his throat thick, eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'll be in my office." Still cradling the flowers Rick made his way into his office. He sat in his chair, and stared at the once red roses. He didn't know why the burning of his gift had hurt him so much. It’s just that it seemed so cruel. Is this what she had done with the others? Burnt them, except those ones didn't get sent to him.

He sat the roses on a shelf. He was out of ideas. She kept pushing him farther and farther away. Maybe his mother was . . . right. Maybe he should give Kate space. Rick hung his head. She would never forgive him. It would never happen. He had hurt her too much, pushed her too far. He looked at the promotional poster for the Nikki Heat novel. It was all over now.

***

It had been three hours since she had sent the roses to Castle. Kate kept glancing toward the entrance, ready to intercept any deliver boys before they could make it to Captain Montgomery. None came, and she couldn't help but be relieved. She finally had her space back. Her space to breathe. She turned back to her paperwork when Esposito came up behind her.

"Ryan and I are taking off to go shoot some pool. You wanna come?" He offered, he'd never seen Beckett break down the way she had last night. Esposito didn't know what had caused it, but since Castle hadn't shown up for work today and kept sending her flowers, he had a very good idea.

"No thanks. I'm going to finish this paperwork up and head home. I didn't sleep very well last night." Kate said, honestly.

"All right. I'll see you in here tomorrow." Esposito turned away from his boss. He glanced back at her before he and Ryan left the building and she was still at her desk, pen in hand, bent over the file in front of her.

***

Rick emerged from his office at six thirty. He was feeling rejected, but he needed food. His mother was sitting in the kitchen, wine in hand, murmuring lines to herself from a script.

"Where's Alexis?" Rick asked, throat scratching from crying. He reached to the fridge for water.

"She and a friend were going to the movies, I think. We didn't want to disturb you. I told her to call when the movie got out and if she was going to be late or if she was going anywhere else." Martha replied, flipping through the pages of her script.

Rick would have whined, would have complained, but he didn't have the energy. Grabbing a muffin from the fridge, he said, "Goodnight Mother."

"Goodnight, dear."

Rick went up to his bedroom and fell asleep almost instantly. His dreams were full of her. Memories, moments he had almost forgotten, but they were so important, so vital now. These were all he could have left of her, these memories gathered over just a few months would have to carry him through the rest of his life. Rick rolled onto his side, looking upset, even in sleep.

***

Kate reached to unlock her apartment door and her phone rang. "Beckett," She whined into the phone, dead on her feet.

"We gotta a male DB," Esposito said.

"Where?" Kate asked, sighing. Esposito rattled off an address. "See you in fifteen." She snapped her phone shut.

Kate arrived at the scene fifteen minutes later. "We got an ID?" She asked Lanie, who was bent over the dead man.

"Hello to you too. He's male, looks to be in his mid forties, gun shot wound to the chest. I found an ID on him, but it's definitely not his." Lanie replied.

Kate took a quick sweep of the man's features. Tall, muscular, brown hair, beginnings of a beard. Lanie handed her a card. It was a student's ID. Shining her flashlight on the blood spattered plastic, Kate read Alexis Castle, the red haired, blue-eyed fifteen year old smiled at her from the picture beside the name.

And the plot thickens. I don't own Castle. Hope y'all like it enough to review. Ask questions if you are confluzzled.

~DI4MGZ~