"Castle, go home! Go back to your ex wife, your hamptons, your book parties, okay? I've got work to do."

Kate Beckett practically spat the words at Castle's face. Despite her all of her training, she knew her face hardly concealed her emotions, especially from the man in front of her who knew her better than he sometimes realized. She spun away from him and strode down the hallway. She wasn't sure where she was going, but it had to be away from him.

"What did I do?" He called out after her. She didn't turn around and Castle turned to Ryan and Esposito. They glared at him, then turned and walked away in the opposite direction from Beckett, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the precinct. Castle sighed, then hurried after Kate.

"Beckett, wait!"

"For what?" She called out, her voice thick from holding back tears.

"For me." Castle said softly. She stopped, but didn't turn to face him. Castle stopped a few feet behind her. They were alone in the hallway and he spoke quietly.

"Do you really want me to go home? If it's what you want, then I will go…but I just need to know if you really mean it."

She spun around to face him, her eyes flashing with anger. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I don't know Castle, do you think I mean it? Do you think I would just be okay with you waltzing back in here and sitting a cup of coffee on my desk like you were just here yesterday? You've been gone all summer, you've been back in town, you have a book signing scheduled, and yet not one phone call? All summer not one phone call, and then you still don't call when you get back? And you thought it would be okay to just come back…"

Castle studied her face for a minute before responding. Her green eyes, though angry, looked like they were threatening to overflow with tears. It was a look he didn't see on her face often, and it surprised him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. He had to fight to keep a smile off of his face as he realized just how much he had missed her. She really was beautiful when she was angry. She did everything she did with so much emotion, it was one of the many things that had drawn him to her.

"Well…we did agree that we would see each other in the fall. Technically, it is still fall…"

He knew instantly that his attempt to make her smile had been the wrong move. She tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes as she glared at him. Then, she went from looking like she wanted to kill him, to looking sad. She uncrossed her arms and ran one hand through her hair then looked down at the floor, sighed, and looked back up at him.

"Castle…just go home." She turned and stormed down the hallway.

"Beckett…wait! I just-"

He was cut off by her flinging her hand up over her shoulder in a "shut up" motion as she continued down the hall. He heard her go through the double doors into the autopsy room. He assumed to talk to Lanie. He mentally kicked himself for trying to use his usual humor to diffuse the situation when she was so obviously upset. He knew he couldn't follow her. Judging by how upset Ryan and Esposito were, he assumed Lanie would be no different, especially considering how upset Beckett was.

Defeated, he turned and walked back down the hallway. He passed Ryan and Esposito's desks as he left and neither of them even looked up at him. He walked to the elevator and turned to look at the room as he waited. He had come to think of this place as his second home, and considered the people here practically family. He shook his head sadly as he stepped into the elevator and watched the doors slide shut in front of him for what could possibly be the last time.